Category: Reading the Bible

Proverbs 365 - December Review

January 3rd, 2011

I've finally completed my Proverbs 365 project! In so doing, I've succeeded in fulfilling one of my primary resolutions from a year ago: cataloguing 365 distinct and separate entries -- short stories, essays, poems, and personal anecdotes -- about 365 distinct and separate proverbs of King Solomon. And even though some of the entries are better than others, overall I'm very pleased with how the project turned out.

So for the last time, I offer you a monthly review of Proverbs 365 -- from December 2010. In addition to the exhaustive table of contents below, I want to highlight three of my personal favorites here as well...

Proverbs 6:27 is a brilliant example of what makes the Proverbs so great. There, it reads: "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" But do you know what the verse is actually talking about? That is, do you know what the context really is? If you do, the Proverb becomes quite funny. I do my best to explain things a little bit (without getting too much in the way of the original Proverb) in my post, P627 - Pants on Fire. It's good realize some of the light-heartedness that can accompany seriousness in spirituality.

Have you ever found yourself in that awkward situation where a parent is publically flaunting their lack of parenting skills? You know, where the cringe factor is extremely high for everyone within listening distance -- and you just don't know if you should say something about the situation or just try to look the other way? I write about just such an experience in P907 - Mega-Mart Encounter. It's a reflection on Proverbs 9:7, where it is written, "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse." As you'll see from the piece that I wrote, the operative question in such a situation is perhaps not so much if abuse is taking place -- but to whom? Food for thought, at any rate...

When I talk with old friends and family back in America about my life in Amsterdam, one question that comes up from time to time is about the "dangers" of the city's celebrated Red Light District. Namely: sexual temptation. In my post P1122 - Gold Rings and Red Lights, I wrote about this situation, saying: "I live in Amsterdam -- world-famous for its Red Light (prostitution) District... I am also a red-blooded heterosexual man... It would stand to reason that this combination should be something of a problem for me -- at least if you consider the fact that I'm a married man, striving to follow the Bible's guidelines for healthy sexuality... But honestly, it's never really been much of an issue for me." How could this be? I explain myself further in my reflections on Proverbs 11:22.

Finally, for the complete listing of December's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

If you've been a part of this journey through the Proverbs, thank you for the energy that you've brought into the process. Any feedback that you might have would be welcomed For the time being, the content from Proverbs 365 will remain intact, at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com -- but I could easily imagine that there will come a time when that space from the website will be reallocated for other purposes. As much as possible, I will do my best to inform you about any of these changes ahead of time.

Again, thank you for your interest in the Proverbs 365 project. I'll never forget the year that I spent soaking in the wisdom of the Proverbs... And I hope that in some small way, the same might be true for anyone else who was along for the ride.

Posted in God, The Bible, Writing, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365

Proverbs 365 - July Review

December 17th, 2010

Have you ever heard of stores and shopping centers who do a crazy "Christmas in July" sales blitz during the height of the summer? Well, this is kind of like that except inverted: "July in Christmas(time)."

Out of the eleven months in my Proverbs 365 project, I have reviewed ten of them. But for whatever reason, I never got around to reviewing the month of July. Now I'm down to my last two weeks of the project, and I feel like I want to complete the record. So without further ado, here are what I consider to be my top three posts from the month of July:

The writing is perhaps a bit terse and timid, but P1413 - Gam Zeh Ya'Avor definitely represents one of my favorite bits of Solomonic wisdom -- even if it may be from extra biblical Jewish mythology. In this piece, I explained that "Proverbs 14:13 may be about the closest we can get to a biblical confirmation of the extra-biblical legend of a ring... that would fulfill two specific criteria: 'If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.' ...[To complete the assignment, one of the king's advisors] came back to Solomon with a gold ring... inscribed with this simple phrase: "Gam zeh ya'avor." Translated: 'This, too, shall pass.'" Perhaps you've heard the phrase before, too -- and if you're interested in learning more of the back story or the ways that this story from mythology ties in with the Proverbs, then you should check out the piece by following the link above.

P2521 - Confessions of a Sixth-Grade Stickboy is a very different kind of piece. It's a short story about a 12-year-old kid who's been repeatedly plagued by the school bully. At one point in the story, he wonders, "What else is a 'Stickboy' supposed to do against a monster like Tony Sanchez? He's got to weigh, like, 200 pounds -- in the sixth grade!" But at the end of the school year, the kid finally gets a chance to get even with the bully by means of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Using the same wisdom that was uttered by King Solomon (in Proverbs 25:21) and later echoed and amplified by Jesus himself, the "Stickboy" comes to term with his nemesis in a way that restores his dignity and reduces the bully to tears. But if you want to find out exactly what happened, you'll have to follow the link above and read it for yourself.

The third of my July favorites floats in a yet another, completely different stream from the two entries listed above: it's about my lovely wife. I'm reminded to reference this piece now because Marci and I have been spending most of this week nursing children while they vomit and moan and keep us up throughout the nights with their feverish agony... The lessons of Proverbs 31:25 are indeed good ones to remember for any parent dealing with small children. In case you might need some reminding of your own, I recommend that you read P3125 - Clothed with Strength and Dignity... in the Midst of Scribbelty Ankle-Biters.

Finally, for a complete listing of July's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

I'm really glad to be just two weeks away from the completion of this project. Then, the process of selection, editing, and rewriting for broader publication will begin in earnest. But for now, there will be fourteen more days of daily reflections. So please feel free to join me for the concluding days of the project at Proverbs 365!

Posted in God, The Bible, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365

Proverbs 365 - November Review

December 6th, 2010

I'm down to the last month in my Proverbs 365 project! The truth is that I'm going to be genuinely glad when I'm finished. It's a lot of work to try to do anything for 365 days in a row! Consequently, there is a part of me that will breathe a great big sigh of relief when this last month is finished. I'll be glad to be able to pick up other reading and writing projects again. I'll be glad to rid myself of the pressures of constant content creation for awhile. Even so, considering the fact that I'm down to the last month of my Proverbs 365 project, I also realize and appreciate how much this focus on the wisdom of the Proverbs has enriched my life. I've learned a lot about the power of my words, the patterns of my actions, the pitfalls of pride, the lessons in leadership -- and the ways that life, love, and faith truly work themselves out in my heart and in the world around me. I still have a lot of questions, not just wise answers; but I also have a deep appreciation for the clarity, consision, and wisdom that the Proverbs have to offer.

Because another month has recently passed, it's time for another review of the project. Looking back over the month of November, I notice a very wide range of different types of pieces with markedly different themes. My best writing from the last month, however, is the writing in which I probe some of my own memories and experiences -- stuff that's still unsettled, stirred-up, and still very much in process, within my life. I don't know for sure if it ends up being the most satisfying reading for others -- but in any event, it's cathartic for me! Seriously, though, I expect that the most personal stuff is also the most accessible stuff for others, too. So here are what I consider to be my top three posts from the month of November:

One of the most powerful Proverbs for me this month came from the second chapter of the book -- the 19th verse. At first glance, Proverbs 2:19 seems pretty extreme. It says, "None who go to [the adulteress] return or attain the paths of life." Wouldn't you agree that it sounds exagerated? Overblown? Extremist? But as I thought about this verse, I realized that I saw this very thing happen once, right in front of my eyes -- and I've been permanently impacted by the experience, in a way that's still working itself out in my life and ministry today. I wrote about my recollections in P219 - Intervention.

On a different note, I also had the opportunity this month to explore my relationship with my mother and father. For most of my life, I've been a pretty conscientious and compliant son. As such, it would seem like the warning Proverbs 15:5 doesn't apply to me so much, when it says, "A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence." However, as I reflected on this verse, I was reminded of this one instance when I was growing up, where I directly disregarded my father's advice, and I spent the following decade dealing with the consequences. In a lot of ways, I'm still dealing with the same issues today. But God is working on these things in my life! I wrote about it all in P1505 - Dealing with Crap.

Thirdly from November: a broader social issue. Homelessness is a real issue in most urban areas -- including Amsterdam. But I never know exactly how to handle requests from strangers who are begging for money. I want to be generous, but at the same time I don't want to feed into problems of addiction or apathy! So over time, I've come up with a way of dealing with requests for money that's roughly based on Proverbs 17:16, where it says, "Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?" There's no perfect response in dealing with homelessness, but for whatever my experiences and convictions might be worth, you can ready about my standard response in P1716 - Beggar's Choice.

Finally, for a complete listing of November's content, here are the titles of all 30 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

I'm super-excited to be down to my last month (actually, now more like 25 days!) of this project. Following the conclusion of my year's worth of daily blogging, I'm looking forward to some interesting applications of this material in other contexts. But I'll have to tell you more about that as plans develop and the time approaches. In the meantime, please feel free to enjoy the concluding days of the project at Proverbs 365!

Posted in God, The Bible, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365

P1407 - The Wolf Who Cried Boy

November 14th, 2010

This post is brought to you by the Proverbs 365 project...

Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips... He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy (Proverbs 14:7, 21).

A shepherd boy was tending his flock one day when a voice called out to him from the nearby forest.

"Boy! Hello, there -- boy!" The voice was low and gruff. "Would you please come over here for a moment?"

Not accustomed to hearing voices in the lonely pasture-land far away from the village, the boy looked about him with confusion and caution. He could see no one anywhere within sight. So he shouted, "I beg your pardon, but who are you? And where, pray tell, are you?" He peered into the forest, searching with his eyes for the source of the voice. "I cannot see you for all the trees, and yet I dare not leave my flock unattended in this territory prowled by wolves and bears."

"Over here, boy," called the voice. "Beside the large rock."

The shepherd boy looked over to the large rock, just twenty paces to the right of where he stood, and there he saw an enormous gray wolf. In an instant, he withdrew his slingshot and loaded a rock to protect his master's sheep from the beast.

But before he could aim his shot, the wolf spoke to him in the same low, gruff voice that had called out to him moments previously. "Please, good shepherd boy, do not shoot me. I mean you and your flock no harm." The wolf wolf stepped out from the shadow of the forest. "I request only your help for a poor and needy soul, separated from his pack these last three days." The wolf's eyes were yellow, and his teeth gleamed in his mouth as he spoke; but the sincerity in the wolf's voice caused the shepherd boy to hesitate from firing his slingshot. "Please, I beg you..." the wolf flattened its ears against its skull and hung its tail between its legs. It certainly appeared to be a very sad and lonely creature.

"But you are a predator," the shepherd boy said. "And it is my responsibility to protect my flock from predators."

"Nay, certainly not," replied the wolf. "I am not a predator. I am simply a creature in need. I have not eaten in a week, and my strength is failing me. I assure you that I mean you and your flock no harm. I ask only if you might have a little something to eat for a poor, needy creature such as myself." The wolf took a tentative step towards the shepherd boy.

The shepherd boy took a half-step backwards, and wrung his hands in front of him. After another moment's consideration, he started fishing in his bag and found half of a mutton sandwich that his mother had packed for him before he left for the fields. He had already eaten his full less than an hour previously, and he decided that it could do no harm to offer the wolf his leftovers. While holding his slingshot carefully in his right hand, the boy flung the remainders of his sandwich to the feet of the wolf in an awkward motion with his left hand.

In one, quick motion, the wolf snatched up the mutton sandwich and swallowed it whole. Licking his lips in satisfaction, the wolf exclaimed, "Thank you, boy! Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have made a tired old wolf very happy, and I wish you many blessings for your kindness." And with that, the wolf faded back into the shadows and disappeared from sight.

The shepherd boy relaxed his tensed shoulders and hands and smiled while gazing at the rock where the wolf had been standing. For the rest of the day, he saw no other sign of the wolf, and when his older brother came to replace him in his shepherding duties later that evening he decided against telling his brother about his act of altruism towards the shaggy beggar. And while eating supper in his parents' home, he forgot all about the incident. But again the following day, when the shepherd boy was once again tending the flock, the low, gruff voice of the old wolf called out to him from the forest.

"Boy! Hello there -- boy! Would you please come over here for a moment?" Sure enough, the wolf was standing by the large rock, looking at the shepherd boy with hungry eyes. And once again, after the wolf had reassured the boy that he was merely in need of sustenance and the boy ascertained that he had half of a sandwich to spare, the pattern of the previous day was repeated. And for two more days after that, the wolf would call out to the shepherd boy; the shepherd boy would provide him with half a mutton sandwich; and the wolf would thank him most graciously as he returned to the shadowy forest. But on the fifth day, as the wolf emerged from the forest and walked towards the shepherd boy, it was clear that he was not going to be satisfied with half of a mutton sandwich. Instead, he stalked closer to the pasture where the sheep were grazing and licked his lips, looking out over the flock. Several of the sheep started bleating in fear and trepidation, and the boy reached for the slingshot which had been resting in his belt.

"Boy, boy, boy..." said the wolf, in a tone that was meant to be reassuring. "Do not fear. Remember: I am merely a creature in need. While your sandwiches over the last several days have been most kind, I'm afraid that a creature of my size cannot be completely sustained by such offerings. Surely you must have a sheep that is so old or decrepit that its death is imminent and unavoidable anyway. Do you not?"

The shepherd boy gripped his slingshot and steeled his resolve.

"My dear boy," said the wolf. "Do you take me for a fool or a degenerate?" His eyes appeared sad. His mouth hung in such a way that suggested he had been offended by the boy's hesitation. "I would never dare encroach upon the choice sheep or lambs of your flock, after such kindnesses as you have shown me. But certainly there must be some old ewe whose flesh would be too tough for your taste and whose wool has become too wiry for wear anyway. Thus why would it be better for such a creature to die in a ditch somewhere and go to rot -- while a needy beast such as myself is forced to go hungry?" The wolf spoke quickly, with passion and conviction in his voice.

For a moment, the shepherd boy seemed swayed by the great wolf's words. But then in an instant, he shook his head and raised his slingshot. "You shall not touch the least member of the flock!" he said, while trembling. "I knew not if you were devil or an angel-unawares. I could not determine if you were a fool to be avoided or a humble beggar in need of kindness. But I have just seen the look in your eye, and I now know that you cannot be trusted within a mile of my father's flock." With that he cried out, a battle cry beyond his years, and he fired his slingshot in the direction of the enormous gray wolf. The wolf bolted towards the forest and yelped when the stone stung his backside, but it was not a fatal blow. As the shepherd boy loaded another stone into his sling, the wolf escaped into the forest, and he was never seen or heard from again.

Posted in The Bible, Church, Writing, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365

Proverbs 365 - October Review

November 4th, 2010

Another month has recently passed, so I'm due for another review of my Proverbs 365 project. Ever since the first day of 2010, I've been taking a Proverb for each day of the year and then trying to consider it and apply it for 21st Century living. Sometimes the daily entries take the form of an essay or a more traditional devotional meditation; other times, the entries have been more in the form of short stories and allegories. Each day it's something different!

Looking back over the month of October, I'm honestly wondering if it may have been one of the best months yet for the Proverbs 365 project. Certainly one of the most creative. If I do say so myself, the posts have a very visceral sense of scene and connection to the fall season. There's a strong emphasis on story (and less of an emphasis on essay). Many of the visuals that accompanied the posts really added something beautiful. And in any event, I feel like October represented some of my most honest, most emotionally-grounded writing. Because of all this, I had a hard time narrowing it down to my top three favorites from the past month (as I try to do each month), but here is what I came up with for the month of October:

For starters, I enjoyed something of a stroll down memory lane, when I read Proverbs chapter 13, and applied it to my reminiscence of the fall of 1993, when my wife and I first fell in love. In particular, I connected our personal experiences from that fall with verse 12 which says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life..." But then I went on from there to extend the reflection to the first year of our marriage, five years later, in which we also had to learn the tough truths of Proverbs 13:19, which says, "A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil". To me, these two Proverbs capture and distill the learnings of much of my experience in dating and marriage -- both good and bad. So I wrote about the experience in P1312 - Hopes and Longings.

A bit later in the month, I came up against what I suppose is a pretty much inevitable question, during the course of a one-year daily writing project -- but even so, I was struck suddenly last month with the question of "How much am I really being impacted by this year's intensive study of the Proverbs?" I was forced to deeply consider the goals of this writing project, when I was confronted with the message of Proverbs 22:17-18: "Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips." As I considered that Proverb, I made the painful realization that a lot of times it "feels like I'm just completing a homework assignment... just doing the minimum to find a Proverb that I haven't used yet, try to squeeze out 500-750 words, and then get on with my life." In response to these thoughts, I wrote P2217 - Reality Check. And that's really what that particular meditation did for me. It gave me a reality check and a fresh level of commitment to genuine heart application -- which has, I think, resulted in much richer reflections on the Proverbs.

Thirdly, I thought I might feature one of the short stories that came out of this month's study of the Proverbs. Sometimes writers talk about a story taking on a life of its own -- with the characters revealing themselves through the course of a piece and making decisions and taking actions that "surprise" the author himself. And honestly, the thought always seemed a bit hokey to me. But I think I actually experienced a small dose of this phenomenon when I wrote the story P2909 - A Scottie, a Volvo, a Plaintiff, and a Fool. The story was based on Proverbs 29:9 -- where it reads, "If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace." As you'll see from the story, this is exactly what happens to a man who had the misfortune of accidentally running over his neighbor's dog. Right now the story is a little bit rough and raw, but someday I hope to revisit these characters and this storyline, to see if I might be able to expand it a bit further. In the meantime, though, I hope you can enjoy it as is.

Finally, for a complete listing of October's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content:

November, of course, has already started -- and the Proverbs 365 project keeps moving along with it. Please visit http://proverbs365.ericasp.com to keep up on all the latest. Also, please feel free to spread the word, too... One of the distinct advantages of the Proverbs is that it's easy to tune into them, whenever one might so choose. It's not like if you missed the first ten months, then you're "behind" or anything like that. The Proverbs are just like these little power pellets that can be consumed and digested immediately. It's never too late to start enjoying them!

Also, for what it's worth, some of you may have noted that I made the unfortunate decision to disable the comments section on Proverbs365. For some reason, it had become more susceptible to spam comments than my regular blog -- dozens, and sometimes even hundreds, of fake comments every day. And since it was a smaller number of comments on that section of the website anyway, I shut it down. From here on out, I guess you could provide your comments (if any) via these monthly reviews.

Posted in God, The Bible, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365