Day 117/252 - Sunday 9th Feb

Skyped with family and friends today.... so nice!! :) Feeling more alive. Roll on Leviticus... (did I really just say that?!)

Day 116/252 - Saturday 8th Feb

Felt like a work machine today, finished work early but cried over my Tabernacle-to-scale drawing!! (It's funny what so much charting does to you!) weep!

Pushed through, all good. Loved Exodus, why was I so scared to tackle the Torah!!

Read Leviticus too so I could have a Sabbath, hope it works J

Day 115/252 - Friday 7th Feb

My conclusion this week is: Doing SBS is the best decision I have ever made (I'm not even exaggerating).

From Exodus I've learnt this week about Identity, how to be in the image of God and who he created you to be. And purpose, how to go forward in what God has called you to do. 

My favourite part was when Moses was at the Red sea in 14:15 and he is asking God what to do next. God basically says to him - why are you praying? You know what I have called you to do now step out in faith and move forward. 

I've realised that I put so much emphasis on making sure everything I do is right by God when I just need to chill out and just live life in the desires he put in me, move forward in them in faith and trust that God will show me the next step when needed. He will surely stop me if I am going in the wrong direction but the worst that can happen is that it doesn't work out, then I can try something else. 

The worst that can happen if I don't step out is that I never step into what I'm called to be and stay in the safe and comfortable where everything is manageable. I think more and more I am called to impact through Media, mainly film. I get so passionate about the influence of Media and how it portrays life/truth badly that I need to do something about it. Just like how Moses had something in him that he hadn’t quite understood yet.

Another aspect was progressive revelation, this idea of God revealing to Moses step by step what he had called him to do, he does this with Abraham in Genesis too. God is merciful and loving he doesn't give us a bunch of details and facts for our lives right away because it would be too much. He calls us step by step and we can follow/trust what he has already deposited in us to go forward. 

From the beginning of the book we can see Moses had in him a call to be a deliverer, he stood up for the injustice when he killed the Egyptian and he saved the Priest's daughters at the well, he had in him this desire to save people but he was misguided until God directed him. I like that thought that we have an inherent call in our lives, something that gets us aggravated or passionate towards some injustice. That is God given and reveals something he has put in us to use for people in this world.

I want to be brave and pursue God with film in Media to make a change in the industry.... somehow. 

Day 114/252 - Thursday 6th Feb

Exodus notes… charting charting charting…

'At this point Moses doesn't know what to do, they are facing the wilderness of the Red Sea. He has no knowledge what God will do but he knows that he is with him. He has just told his fearful people to fear not but he is silent, possibly praying asking what he should do. The Lord responds quickly and strongly, he asks Moses why he cries out to him, he says he needs to tell the people to go forward. Then he proceeds to give him instructions and the sea parts. What God was saying here was that Moses didn't need to ask what to do next he just needed to have faith and step forward.  God asks the rhetorical question to make him think. God was trusting Moses with the abilities he had put in him, he was maturing in his faith and God could see that. Now what God needed was his people to step forward even into the unknown and he would do the impossible by parting a giant ocean. God’s faithfulness is revealed by the line that says his people went through the sea on dry ground. He even gave them a dry ground to walk on!'

 Mini Application (Not so mini):

Sometimes we wait at our own personal Red Sea and ask God what to do. He has already led you there and yet you do not make the first step because you do not know what will happen. What God says is that you can take that first step and go forward knowing that he will provide for you dry ground to walk upon. He will not leave you or let you drown he will not just carry you across he will part the obstacles so you can safely cross. The other thing about crossing the Sea means there is something on the other side, which brings hope and a promise. They were not called to live in the middle of the sea but through to the other side. We can have this faith too and confidently step out into our calling. 

Day 113/252 - Wednesday 5th Feb

We had so much fun today learning about all the different Pharaoh's and Egyptian gods - so many!!
It was interesting because the plagues were directly connected to the gods they were worshipping. 
Even...

• Plague two: Frogs.
• Sound of frogs was associated with the blessings, because the flood of the Nile was good. (Nile = a god)
• Represented fruitfulness, assuredness of the harvest, you could be killed for killing a frog
• Goddess Heqet – wife of Khnum
• Personified, darkness, water
• 'If you like frogs I am going to make more frogs than you can handle.'
• Now everyone has to kill frogs, the irony of God!

This is for real! 

In the afternoon we had a question and answer time with Manny... It was more about Identity and Calling than anything else and it was inspiring. I've felt for the first time in ages like I'm heading towards more clarity in what my purpose is and it feels fantastic. It gave me a lot of confidence today to look ahead without fear of the future... Thanks Manny! 

Day 112/252 - Tuesday 4th Feb

Notes from Exodus: 'Moses kills a man for doing something that was not right and later on we see him saving young women from shepherds. It says that he stood up and saved them. There is something here that is shown about his character. Moses had not yet been called by God and he did not know what his purpose was but it is clear that in his identity he is a deliverer. This is even more emphasised when we know that he was on the run, Having fled from Egypt he and he still steps up to save the daughters of Reuel. Here is a glimpse of what is to come, it reveals a part of him that hasn’t fully been fulfilled yet. It shows that there is something in him that even when he runs away he can’t hide from, he is a deliverer of the people and soon it will be unmasked - his call from God. I think this portrays life with God, purpose comes in stages because if it happened all at once it would be far too much to anyone to bear. I think the original readers would have seen Moses as courageous even though he killed a man, he was standing up for what was right and fighting for justice.'

Man I love this book!!!

Day 111/252 - Monday 3rd Feb

Book #28 Exodus

Yep Manny is here!  Teaching us this week...amazing doesn't even cover it! 

I wasn't excited for the Torah at all...but I am taken along with these people who are going through so much dramatic life changing , mind blowing journey to their Promised Land. 

The Big Picture is about: Identity and Purpose of YHWH and Israel. 

This is what awaited us today in class...