read the dang scriptures...

here's the deal today.

don't let the fact that God loves us throw you off from reading the scriptures.

What?

Yeah.

don't get lazy. Keep listening to who God is through the solid voice of the Scriptures... and live in awe of who he really is.

You see, the problem with Jesus is that He is the very image and essence of the God of Joshua and Moses, who presided over the slaughter of the ten nations and the failed ethnic cleansing of the territories of Canaan.

yep. I said that. because they were... In fact He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of whom Isaac was the nicest, Abraham was the coolest, and Jacob was the son-of-a-bitchiest. basically all of them were touched with the rat-bastard-ness of human life, and all were the man (not the Man).

Don't forget Joseph and the patriarchs, with Reuben and Judah--oh my god, these guys were the gnarliest! I mean READ about it...

It's gonna really perplex you. How is it again that God's love is the message of this book? Get in there and dig it out. Kill your tv. I am serious. If you are a christian and you're putting down serious tv time, but don't read this stuff--shut it off and get digging in the writ!

seriously, there are plenty of people who just don't do it. they go on with religious lives, but slide off the sure footing... you guys can pray that not be me...

but badk to the problem with Jesus...
you see, being the God of Joshua and Moses and abraham and the dudes kind of makes God look bad. I mean it makes him look kind of hateful and judgmental. Hmm... and does that gel with the image you're trying to absorbe about our sweet Jesus. Mmmm. Maybe there isn't a problem with Abe and Mose at all. Maybe our problem is with the possibility,nay the reality, that God is untamed and horribly dangerous.

How could you call God "horribly dangeous"? Ask the dead. Ask those who stand before him after a life of ignoring Jesus on purpose. Ask the wicked people who live their lives fat and happy for the appetites of their bellies and nethers. Ask those who oppress their neighbors and waste the welfare of the widow... hey, God is the judge, remember?

aaah. you DON'T remember, because you don't read! you don't read because you don't agree with it! You don't agree with it because you're taking the good news about Jesus and spinning it into a "god is so nice" campaign, instead of falling at the feet of the Son of Man and being amazed that such a consuming fire, holy God has loved you enough to go to the cross for you...

and the amazement of grace is extinguished as we re-imagine Jesus in softer terms... well the real Jesus, that Scripture describes with both historical accuracy and faithful authority, that real Jesus is a dangerous man, indeed.

the real Jesus is a dangerous man, indeed. That's why Psalm 2 says, "Kiss the Son, lest he become angry, and you perish in the way."

Hey, I'm serious. Believe the Scriptures! Not just read them. Allow the realities they speak of to undo you.

some salt...