Mount Sinai/Horeb at sunrise

It can sometimes be hard to tell when one is being exceptionally brave or exceptionally foolish. And most of the time, if we are the ones about to be either, we don’t really know until we reach the end of whatever it is we are about to be brave or stupid about. Usually, that knowledge comes in hindsight; success = bravery; failure = stupidity. That’s kind of a bum rap for us poor humans, I think.

Just the other day in my “Exploring the Bible” class, I was teaching on the early chapters in Exodus, some of my favorite chapters in all the Hebrew scriptures. I catch something new and different every time I look at this story; what struck me this time was the promise given to Moses at the burning bush. Moses is told that God will bring the Hebrew people out of bondage in Egypt to the “good and broad land” that God had promised to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, ages before. Then God tells Moses that actually, Moses is the one who is going to do the dirty work–which provokes a startled “Why me?! And whom shall I say is calling?!” from Moses (Exodus 3:6-11).

What is most interesting to me at the moment is the “sign” that God gives Moses–the “litmus test” to prove that this is all actually going to pan out. It comes in Exodus 3:12; “I will be with you and this shall be the sign that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

After the showdown with Pharaoh. After harder labor forced on the Hebrews than they have ever endured before. After everybody loses hope. After the plagues. After the Red Sea. After the Song of the Sea. After Moses and Aaron risk their necks for a God nobody’s heard of. THEN God will provide confirmation for reluctant Moses that, actually, this was a good idea. I feel for Moses, I really do. And the sign came true. So I guess he was pretty brave after all.

And one thing’s for sure; if you’re willing to walk the line, you’ll end up with one exciting story…

Here’s what Amazon.com has to say about it:

Although major New Testament figures–Jesus and Paul, Peter and James, Jesus’ mother Mary and Mary Magdalene–were Jews, living in a culture steeped in Jewish history, beliefs, and practices, there has never been an edition of the New Testament that addresses its Jewish background and the culture from which it grew–until now. In The Jewish Annotated New Testament, eminent experts under the general editorship of Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler put these writings back into the context of their original authors and audiences. And they explain how these writings have affected the relations of Jews and Christians over the past two thousand years.

Incidentally, I got to hear Dr. Levine speak back at at that annual meeting about “What’s New in Biblical Studies;” a session designed particularly to throw bones out to eager, desperate research students like myself. Never did I imagine I would let out unseemly guffaws in a stuffy biblical studies session in much the same way that one would at Comedy Night at the Improv. But I did. She is hilariously funny, in a “Did she really say that?!” kind of way.

If you are interested in the development of Judaism, in the culture surrounding the New Testament, and in contemporary Jewish understandings of the early Christian texts preserved in the New Testament, you might want to give this one a look.

Some are not so fortunate. I just came across the wrenching story of a young woman named Melanie from South Africa, who was diagnosed at 13 with ARVD, after a frightening episode at birth that then lay dormant until her teen years. I have embedded the first Youtube installment here; you can click on each successive one to view her incredible story of courage and resilience; and her family’s as well.

*A word to the squeamish or those with little ones in the room: there is some graphic operating room footage a few episodes in…

“Dear Student: I Don’t Lie Awake at Night Thinking of Ways to Ruin Your Life”

In my line of work, I spend a lot of time “in my head.” I dissect ancient texts, ponder esoteric theories, formulate intellectual arguments. A lot of it is very abstract. I love it. But on occasion, it is helpful to come home to a dirty little bottom that needs wiping.

I have a son who is four and a half. Of course we have the potty training thing down by now, but you know, some things take time to learn. I am still called upon on occasion to offer assistance. But not as much anymore. And I’m beginning to see how I’m going to miss that. As he grows older and becomes more self-sufficient, I’ll become less necessary, on a moment-to-moment basis. That’s as it should be. But I’ll need to find other things to ground me; things that need cleaning or folding, quotidian tasks that get me blessedly out of the world of ideas for a little while.

What about you? What brings you back to reality?

PhD Comics.com

One of the more disconcerting aspects of living with my new diagnosis is that it has caused me to listen to music differently. I never realized how many song lyrics talk about hearts: broken hearts, heavy hearts, happy hearts, etc. Today I heard the song “This is How a Heart Breaks” by Rob Thomas. I know that this is a metaphorical phrase. But my heart literally is broken. So for me those words take on a new significance.

This is also true for worship songs. A fairly recent favorite of mine is “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin. You know how it starts?

There’s a peace I’ve come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There’s an anchor for my soul

I can say ‘It is Well’

A few months after I was diagnosed with ARVD, it turned out that I was singing this on a Sunday morning with our worship team. And I had to consider; did I still believe this? Was I at peace, even though my heart had failed me; though my flesh was weaker than I had realized? Could I really sing these words honestly now? Is it well with my soul, really?

I sang it, and I meant it; but not because I am perpetually at peace or even because I feel like “It is Well.” I can’t always say that. But I trust that the grave has been overcome, and that, ultimately, life will win over death somehow. So I guess I’ll keep on singing those songs, broken heart and all.

1. My research interests; The Psalms (and other early Jewish prayer texts), the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple literature (if you don’t know what some of these are, don’t worry. Most people don’t, especially that last one).

2. Living with ARVD, my recently diagnosed heart condition. For more on that see here.

3. The more general topic of managing and balancing family, research and teaching from day to day.

I have heard that most people don’t blog on more than one topic on a blog site; and that personal and professional stuff should be kept separate. But I don’t have time to maintain more than one blog. And so, I will either focus on just one of the above, or buck tradition and blog the way I live, with everything jumbled together and all the disparate pieces vying for attention.

I’m curious; what would you want to read? I really want to know, and I won’t be offended, I promise. Thanks!