Genesis 20 (Better and Betterer)

There are some days that should be recorded in the annals of history as great, great days.
Today was one of these.
Yes the weather was a bit iffy.
Yes there was no sleeping in.
Yes I didn't get a coffee until 12:30.
Yes we finished up exhausted.
But exhausted in a good way.
Exhausted in a "Gee we did a lot and ate a lot and laughed a lot" sort of way.
It was a great day.

The eldest ended over 8 months of saving his hard earned.
Ibanez won the battle for selection.
That poor little amp room will never be the same.
The youngest scored a classy purse.
Which accessorizes nicely with any of the existing plethora of handbags.
Donna finished the day with a seminar accessory.
An organiser for the organiser.
(Actually yes I KNOW it's a compendium, but I can't refer to you as a compendiumer! That would be silly.)
We all ate magnificently. Twice!!
Above all the day was spent together.
Doing things together.
Laughing together.
Doing what each of us wanted to, together.
Perfect.
I even bought chocolate.
It was a great day.

Genesis 20
Assumption is a killer.
How many mistakes are made on the basis of assuming something?
Heaps, if I am any indication of the average joe.
Worse than assumption though, is lying because of that assumption.
It can not only hurt yourself but others around you.
Assumption is what we do each time we meet someone.
We look at them and generally before a word has been spoken,
they have been placed in a box and a label stuck on their forehead.
Hard to stop, but stop it we must.
We may miss out.
They may miss out.
God doesn't assume. He knows.
Nice.

Well that seemed better than yesterday's bleak offering.
I feel better within myself and feel I can do this blog thing again.
The challenge of doing something every day means bad days still need to be done.
Oh well.
Waddayado?
(Say it slowly if you don't understand ;) )
Keep on going.

First 20 chapters down.
Still 1169 to go.
Yay.

Genesis 19 ( A Footless Mouth)

A closed mouth gathers no foot.
Or so proclaims my current desktop wallpaper.
Given the way my last post came out, I think discretion is the better part of a late night and a feeble mind this evening.
My apologies for my briefness.
It was going to happen sooner or later and I'm afraid tonight is the night.

Genesis 19
In the midst of evil, good will stand out.
And the angels found Lot.
Lot was the only man in Sodom and Gomorrah who did what was right in the Lord's sight.
I am puzzled by his insistence on hiding out in caves.
He seemed to feel guilt by association and didn't return to the safety of Abraham.
The culmination of the story depressed me.
The deluded wickedness of his daughters.
The indulgence in wine.
Sad.
Very sad.
But a hope of restoration and repentance.

For those hanging out for this tardy post.
Thanks for patience.
I will endeavour to rise to the challenge in a better way tomorrow.

Genesis 18 (Above and Beyond)

Apart from my marriage I can't think of anything I have been committed to longer than this blog.
I did work somewhere for 14 years.
I've been at my current job for 6 and a bit years.
But I had breaks during those.
Holidays.
Days off.
I can't remember having a break from my marriage.
Even when I was a dull-witted, stupid, ignoramus, selfish bozo.
But that only happened once.
And it's not what you think.
I didn't DO anything bad.
Well I did, but not like that.
I was just a dull-witted, stupid, ignoramus, selfish bozo
who thought he was doing okay.
(As a side thought, all dull-witted, stupid, ignoramus, selfish bozos generally think that they are doing okay. That's what makes them dull-witted, stupid, ignoramus, selfish bozos. Until it's too late. Then it's not pretty, not pretty at all.)
And I didn't stop being committed to my marriage.

What a pain.
I've opened a can of worms that reads really bad and I'm tempted to invoke the delete key of mediocrity obliteration.
However, I've explained the pointlessness of that before.
I would think I've cheated in this virtual realm of blogland, by disobeying some rule that I've invented that no one else cares about but me.
But me..(interlude of vagueness for an indeterminate time).....
anyway...(more vague)....
onwards and upwards, hey.

Genesis 18
Abraham pleads for the people of the cities that were so openly evil in their behaviour, God was ready to destroy them.
Abraham is concerned for people he doesn't know.
He didn't live with these people.
He presses God for concessions.
Over and over again he asks for more and more from God.
And not for any benefit to him.
Nothing.
He is truly concerned for the righteous few who may be wiped out.
I get a sense that he also had a realistic idea as to how many righteous lived in the cities.
10.
In 5 cities.
And God was willing to spare the debauched, evil and wicked for these 10.

It's pivotal how Abraham's relationship with God enabled the boldness of his conversation.
He knew the heart of God is to save not destroy.

That makes me happy on my inside.

Genesis 17 (Title Required Here)

I need to be very very careful.
Things are not what they always appear.
A pattern has emerged and I am loath to discuss further.
I have discovered I need to be interesting.
Statistics that I have only partly made up, would indicate a lack of, shall we say, interest in any posts that don't have a title other than Genesis (enter number here).
Perplexing.
Even more perplexing is how to make a glass of latte last longer.
Especially those really good ones that come out just right.
And even more perplexing than that is that I am starting to care how many people check out what I write.
This wasn't meant to occur.
I am suppose to be oblivious to any sort of repeat readership.
This is meant to be all about me.
My thoughts to me.
However I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who continue to click on my links and flick through the pages and have a giggle or think "wow how interesting" or "gee how cool is this Steve dude" or "I don't think I could ever watch ABC3 now". I would also like to thank my wife and my mum and dad and my little sister who continues to challenge me through life and finally I'd like to say "You love me. You really really love me"
Sorry where was I.
Oh yes. It was all about me.
I'll get over it.
Pretty quickly no doubt.

Genesis 17
Abram's covenant with God brings about a change of name.
Abraham, father of a multitude is not just a new name. It's a promise.
Sort of like if I changed my name from Steve to Godwillalwaysloveme.
Sort of.
I can see the confusion in Abram as he tries to comprehend the seemingly impossible.
I'm 99 and You say I will father a multitude?!
My wife is not just old but barren and we will parent a multitude?!
Where's the camera?
Am I being Punk'd? Ashton is that you? You guys!
Yet it is a name change that confirms a promise that confirmed what God has been telling Abram for years.
God's promises are forever and they will never change.
What He told Abram early on, He repeated to Abraham.
We need to remember His timing, not ours.
He doesn't neglect or forget.

Thank You.

Genesis 16 (Nearly Mucked it Up)

Yesterday was really busy.
Some real highs.
And one really hard jolt into self examination.
In school an exam may go for an hour or two.
I sort of remember one that went for three.
Ironic that I remember that, because I failed to study, wrote all I knew in thirty minutes and walked out. I think I got 21%.
Not a highlight by any stretch.
Any way I digress.
This exam went all day.
I'm not totally convinced I passed this one either.
All this to say.
Lack of sleep + hectic day + night out = nearly going to bed without blogging.
So close to breaking the streak.
Yet here I am.
Banging away at the keyboard. And loving it.

Genesis 16
Patience is a virtue that was surely lacking here.
The conception of Ishmael and the issues that have ensued since, the result.
Something I have learned, is that despite being quick to jump in and have a go
at Abram for a monumental muck up, I need to quickly check my own state of affairs.
I will often think "How could ...... have made such a mistake. If I was that close to God, I would have chosen better."
Obviously I've paraphrased my thoughts here.
I don't think I think like that.
Really.

The fact is, I still screw up.
Knowing the examples in the Bible.
Knowing stuff from my own experiences.
Knowing lessons from others.
There really isn't too much of a difference.
Including God's grace.

Phew.

Gensis 15 (A Fortnight of Random Purpose)

Well I missed the week milestone.
I was determined not to miss the day a fortnight after deciding to travel in this odyssey of madness.
But despite the madness, I've stuck at it well.
Wellish.
There's been blanks.
There's been duds.
I've had some feedback.
I've had none.
But I'm encouraged to continue.
Sorry.
But then you don't have to keep checking in.
I'm certainly glad that you do.
Hopefully you can grow through it.
I have.

Genesis 15
"And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness."
It wasn't until Abram believed, that God found true favour in him.
It wasn't what he did.
It wasn't what he didn't do.
It was because for the first time,
he believed.
Truly believed.

Today is my son's birthday.
He inspires me with his youth.
He astounds me with his talent.
He amazes me with his generosity.
He is my son.
He spends time with me.
And he likes me.
I'm happy.

Our dog responds with a snore.
Dogs don't get stuff.

Genesis 14

There is something about biting into a fresh vanilla slice.
I don't know if it's the custardy sugar hit.
Or the contrast of soft velvety centre sandwiched by the crispy pastry.
But I love eating vanilla slices.
The one I had today had an extra thick layer of icing on the top.
With chocolate.
Sorry, I have to pause to wipe the drool from the keyboard.
It was really good.
So good I had to share.
But not too much was given away.
I wish I had another now.

Genesis 14
As far as I can remember this may be the first mention of a war in the Bible.
Abram obviously had a knack for strategy.
He had at least 318 men trained for war.
He showed a knowledge of tactics.
I guess that comes with trying to carve a nation out of a land that was not your own.
It was good that the king of Sodom was grateful for the return of his people.
There's an argument that Abram was even more generous by his refusal to accept anything in return.
In all things he acknowledges God.

Sunday afternoons are great.
Almost lazy days.
Getting ready for the week ahead.
Resting the body.
Recharging the mind.
Refreshing the spirit.
All with the help of a vanilla slice.
Well today did anyway.

Enjoy your week.

Genesis 13

Why is it the little things that put our day into a tail spin?
Why does it take just one little random event to bring out the attributes within ourselves that we try and squash deep inside?
One thing, just a little wrong.
And maybe another.
Then another.
Then one more.
Then BANG. Mood change. And the day just sucks.
I don't know.
But I do know I don't like it.

Genesis 13
The choice of an unwise man is to base a decision on the obvious information.
Lot saw the fertile land and made a decision based on this rather than considering what living in that land meant.
He was poorly equipped to deal with the temptations that lurked.
God honoured Abram despite his stumbles and earlier lack of faith.
Abram was always sure that God was with him.
If we look hard enough, so will we.

I really, really enjoy time with my wife.
Ever since we first met, her company is something I have treasured.
The best thing is that from what she tells me, that feeling is reciprocated.
That will always make the little challenges of the day,
fade away like dust in the wind.
Today has been a great day.

Genesis 12 (Why Did I Have to Say Something?)

I made a huge mistake.
There are some things you just shouldn't do.
Yesterday as I struggled with the reality of how this project was taking shape. I made a statement that in hindsight, I shouldn't have.
I said, and I quote

"I think it's becoming or is still a bit dull."

and inferred ultimately that I must be dull.

Well at 1:43am this morning things stopped being dull.
I was asleep having just a normal dream.
As you do.
Suddenly it changed.
I was dreaming I couldn't breathe.
But then,
I woke up and I still couldn't breathe.
I couldn't get any air into my lungs whatsoever.
Now at that time of day, I'm not the quickest duck in the race.
I have no idea what was happening.
EXCEPT I CAN'T BREATHE.
I jumped up and somehow got to the bathroom.
The bathroom is, of course the best room in the entire house to breathe.
So it was a natural thing to do.
Still trying to suck in air. Nothing.
Panic.
Vomit. (Gross. Sorry about that.)
And suddenly my lungs are filled with oxygen.
It took maybe 5 seconds but, by cracky, it was a really looonnggg 5 seconds.
So in future no more comments about anything being dull.
I had a witty thought to put in here, but it's gone. Hmmmm.

Genesis 12
I love that the awesome promises of God come true.
"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."
Magnificent.
God's plan is spot on. Even when we second guess ourselves.
Abram should have known God would look after him and his family in Egypt. He risked so much by being fearful and not telling the truth rather than trusting in God.
Something I really need to learn.
The trusting bit.
Not the tell the truth bit.
I already get that.
Phew. I think I got away with it.

I spent most of today with my boss.
Which is normally ok.
He's not a bad sort of bloke.
Tall.
But not bad and tall.
Which is an evil combination.
We've been putting together a report and the process is not unlike a torture.
Death by a thousand cut and pastes.
Today as we extracted data from reports, he made some comment about
finding a story in the drudgery of the task for this blog.
He joked I couldn't do it.
He was correct.
:p

Genesis 11

Flour is amazing stuff.
Add it to water and you make glue.
Add some yeast and you make bread.
Add it to milk and butter, you make scones.
Add an egg to that and you can make pancakes.
Throw in some sugar and cocoa and you make a cake.
Now that is probably all wrong from a baker's view.
Maybe even a cook would shake his head.
I quibble, but I have no idea how that makes a difference.
And I must admit to asking Donna questions.
She must be thinking why I'm asking.
She is.
"What ARE you doing?"
It's not that cooking is a passion of mine.
I can cook basic meat and veges.
I'm renowned for my cheesy potato-bake.
But flour.
Really finely smashed up wheat.
Something so simple.
And plain.
Intrigues me.
Well today anyway.

Genesis 11
The tower of Babel.
The story of an idea that gets taken too far.
From "Let's make a city and a tower."
To "Let's make our tower reach the heavens and make a name for ourselves."
Ego takes over with disastrous consequences.
As usual where ego is involved.

I keep looking at verse 29 and trying to work out if Nahor married the daughter of his brother.
I think so.

I'm concerned about my blog.
I think it's becoming or is still a bit dull.
People say that blogs are reflective of their authors.
Well actually I said that.
But if I did, there must be someone else who would have.
And where does that leave me with a dull blog?

I was hoping not not get formulaic but it would appear I have lapsed into a routine.
That annoys me.
I will need to give this considerable thought.
And make adjustments.
Spontaneity takes so much planning!

Genesis 10

I think of all the animals that are cool.
The eagle pulls it off the best.
I can't think of any animal that is as cool as an eagle.
Certainly not Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
Forget for a moment that they eat little bunnies and other cutesy critters.
Eagles are the Fonz of the animal world.
If there was a shop that sold sunglasses for eagles, they would sell out.
Although the eagle would probably order online to evade the throngs of people hanging around waiting to see the cool eagles.
Lame randomness over.


Genesis 10
Speaking of things cool.
How cool would it be to be known as the first "mighty man"?
Nimrod the mighty hunter.
I wonder what made him so mighty.
Did he just hunt a lot?
Was he a really really good shot?
Was he charismatic?
Was he a massive, chiseled bloke with a charming smile and a wink for the ladies?
At least he had a worthy name for a mighty hunter.
No disrespect, but some of the other names listed,
Tubal, Diklah, Jobab, Joktan or Erech, don't seem suitable.
Although I think Erech became a viking in a future movie.
(I would so get razzed out now by my kids for making a "Dad joke". But I
don't care.)

I had such a busy day today.
Meetings with the boss.
(My real one, not Donna)
I might get a hit for that.

Extracting data from paperwork.
Interviewing for new staff.
Cleaning.
Still trying to reduce the pile of paperwork previously mentioned boss (not Donna) keeps passing along.
It doesn't seem to matter how much work you have to do, if there's a phone nearby it will take soooooooooo much longer.
It's days like today, I look at the bench near my sink and smile at the shiny
producer of caffeine-based beverages.
I like it a lot.

My head really isn't in this today.
From yesterday's whoopee to today's blah, blah.
What is going on?
Got to snap out of this.

I have a feeling tomorrow will be stonkingly good.

Genesis 9 (Still Going After A Week)

I missed a milestone yesterday.
In the mists of work and other stuff I missed something important.

I have been blogging for a week.

Actually as of after this post, I've been a blogger for a week AND a day.
Somehow that is supposed to sound so much better than it does.
I keep reading "I have been blogging for a week" over and over and over.
I've even tried different voices.
Low pitched "I have been blogging for a week"
High pitched "I have been blogging for a week"
Changing pitch from low to high "I have been blogging for a week"
Changing pitch from high to low "I have been blogging for a week"
No that's just weird.
In French "I have been blogging for a week" Oui! lala! Renault!
Nothing.
(Actually typing in the low pitched, high pitched bits seems silly but how do you type accents? It would just come out as "I have been blogging for a week" 5 times and that would be ridiculous.
Wouldn't it?)
Even the dog doesn't move.
Is it too much to even expect a celebratory bark?
He just snored.
Typical!
Donna continues to think I'm odd
See, no change.
Not even a badge.
Or a hat.
A badge would be nice.

Genesis 9
Hard read this chapter.
It depicts a man who, 2 chapters ago was the most righteous man on earth, in an embarrassing example of excess.
It shows a son, all too ready to take advantage.
No honour.
No respect.
No memory seemingly of the fact it was the actions of his father that saved him from the flood.
It shows the other 2 sons who totally see their father in a compromised position and treat him with dignity.
It reminds me of my frailty when positioned in front of temptation and opportunity.
And no matter how strong my faith in God is, I am weak.
But when I fall, He helps me up and gives me the strength to continue.

We had friends over for tea tonight.
Good friends who are good for a laugh.
We laughed alot.
We really laughed alot.
I thought I'd get a story out of that.
But I guess not.
It was still pretty funny.

Here's to another week.

Genesis 8

So today has been a tough day blog wise.
The problem of starting something like this while on holiday.
First day back at work.
Great day.

I read on facebook today about someone returning to their "normality" of the working week.
But I really feel the weekend IS my true normality.
Monday to Friday is just a blur.
I hope that blur is not what I am.
But a means to enjoy who I really am - on the weekend.
I work to get the things and do the things I like.
I like to fish.
I like to have my home look nice.
I like to have my family around.
Working enables me to do these things.
It is a small part of me that takes up 71.43% of the days in my week.

Work through lunch answering emails and catching up on a
week's worth of neglected paperwork.
Come home.
Say "Hi" to Donna and kids.
Head out again.
Come home.
Say "Hi" to Donna and kids.
Have tea.
And now blog before tiredness really really kicks in.
Caffeine?
Maybe later.
Donna is cheering me on. Yay!!

Genesis 8
Opens with the brilliant statement "But God remembered Noah..."
Says so much of God's grace.
He had just been so fed up with the state of man's wickedness that He wiped every
living thing from the planet.
In the anger and frustration
His attention is drawn to this bobbing craft.
In the midst of the destruction.
God remembers Noah.
And saved him.
Nice.

God remembers us.

I got some feedback today.
Thank you.
You know who you are.
It brought the realisation home that this is no longer just about me.
Drat.
I was quite happy, blissfully ignorant of others eyes watching.
Disagreeing.
Agreeing.
Slowly shaking their heads and wondering what?
But then deep down I knew when I committed to putting this beast up, there would be those who would have a look.

My hope is there is enough in here for you to return.

Genesis 7

A bit cold outside.
Fog rolling down the hills nearby.
Rain again.
Zero degrees forecast for overnight.
Makes me almost glad to be returning to work tomorrow.
Almost.
At least I'll be inside tomorrow. Except for the occasional odd scurry between buildings.

Genesis 7
Noah puts his ark together, loads all the animals in 7 days and then waits out 40 days of rain and 150 days of floating.

There are so many elements of this that make me glad I wasn't Noah.
First of all, I am not really the animal loving guy.
Yes I had a dog when I was younger.
Yes we have a dog now.
Yes I gave Donna a cat once.
I even helped rear calves for a while.
But there is no way in the whole, wide, wet world that I would want to spend around 200 days stuck in an enclosed space with damp animals.

No
way
in
the
whole
wide
world.

My sister would think it wouldn't be too bad.
In fact she probably would've wanted to save more animals.
Only 2.
No way.
We can easily fit in more.
Especially horses.
And dogs.
And little fluffy bunnies.
But in reality, even the geckos would have been worth fighting for.
Sticky feet pad thingys and all.

Secondly, that much time on the water,
in a boat,
would have meant what the animals left behind would not have been the only gross stuff to clean up.
Not with ol' "Iron-stomach" Steve captaining the vessel.
Anything above a ripple would have caused a rebellion in my belly and the staunchest blockades would not be enough to hold back the tides of......
Well I think you get the point.
I wish I could handle being on the water better.
The fish are bigger out further.
I have friends who spend time out in boats while I look wistfully on from the shore.
I'll just have to keep trying and take more Kweezies.

I wonder how much experience Noah or any of the others had on boats.
I don't think it was much.

There was no mistake in God calling Noah to do what he had to do.
That there is pretty cool.

Genesis 6

There's a certain irony in reading about Noah when the day you had hoped would be sunny isn't.

I'm discovering my mind isn't as agile as it used to be.
Not that's it ever really been gazelle-like.
Unlike my body.
Which was once if I recall correctly.
1986 in November.
Possibly early December.
The memories. Sigh.
But I'd hoped for at least 10 more years of not worrying whether the sentence I start will ever fi........ I don't like rain.

Annoying rain that is more like a thickened fog anyway.

Genesis 6
We often hear about how evil the world we live in is now. But I wonder if God looks at mankind now and is sorry he ever made us like he did in this chapter.
So bad He wanted to wipe out all the animals and birds as well.
Noah was the standout of his generation and I wonder about the influence of his great grandfather Enoch in his relationship with God.
I'm loving how the chapter finishes.
"Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him."

I think I need to try writing later on in the day.
Nothing comes easy and there are too many distractions around at the moment.
Distractions are good.
Sometimes.
I'm certain that somewhere, someone famous said it.
Or maybe it was written on a wall.
You shouldn't read everything you see written on walls.
Particularly some walls.
There are some places I've been where I make it a point NOT to read what's written on the walls.
Unless your name is Daniel.
Then you have to read some walls.
Sometimes.

It's not like I have a schedule with this at all.
Just a 24 hour period to fit in the guidelines I have set myself.
I like the concept of guidelines.
Guidelines with deadlines.
It's too soon after watching Pirates of the Caribbean again.
Maybe.
I find myself thinking if there is a "Blogger's Code".
Need to find a coffee pretty soon.

And I really need to fish.
Hurry up August 7.

Genesis 5

Why is the voice I hear as I think, never the same as the one I hear when I speak?
Somehow I seem to have a more rugged tone when I think.
I'm also confused as to where all the brilliant stuff I think about the night before goes when I sit down to type.
It's probably with all my loose change and missing socks.
Nope.
Just navel fluff and dog hair at the back of the couch.
I'll get into trouble for at least one of those things.

Genesis 5
The first verse I can remember mum talking to me about was
"and Enoch was not, for God took him."
I just tried to visualise how this happened.
I doubt it was a big hand coming out of the sky and delicately pinching his collar to pull him through the clouds.

Great way to be remembered.
Enoch walked with God.
Not many are written about in this way. Adam. Abraham. Maybe David.

Well I'm online with this now. Still puzzling the details on its working.
Like with most things I embark on, I have enough knowledge to get me started and then my mind goes lalalalalalalalala.....................beep ding plop.
We'll see.
It did take me a couple of hours yesterday just to work out how to center my title.
So now its up and I'm ready for what may come.
Resounding silence is my goal.
So if you do peek in and have a look, thanks.
If not, that's fine. But it's not like you'll ever know that's how I feel.

Genesis 4

What a totally brilliant day today is.
Still on holidays, yay.
No sign of the rain forecast and awesome sunshine.

Genesis 4
Adam and Eve procreate. The first murder.
I get the concept that brothers and sisters had to have had kids together.
I get that the people lived for longer. Like 100's of years.
But I struggle with what that would look like.
When Cain left and went into Nod, he found a wife and then BUILT A CITY!!
Now I'm guessing it wasn't just for him and the li'l missus.
I'm also guessing it WAS a city not just a few extra tents thrown together.
What made it a city?
Lots and lots of people?
Some sort of market?
A system of government?
A major intersection?
A parking meter?
Two old blokes sitting on a log near the middle complaining about the young people and reminiscing of the "good ol' days"?
What were the "good ol' days" then?
"When Adam was a boy" "What? Last Tuesday!"

When does the need to rebel against an idea become lost and all that's left is rebellion?
Is there a point when you don't change despite the need to?
What's the cost of ignoring that point?

For me, that probably means I'll open a Facebook account.

Genesis 3 (I Can Do This)

Well rain last night has turned the mud I was going to transform today into flat mud with no tractor ruts into thicker, deeper mud with lots of water and tractor ruts.
Hmmmm.
If you've followed any of my previous posts you'll note no big deep theology.
No surprises there for any who know me.
Again I read this and think who am I typing to?
At this stage I have no plan to ever go any further than type to myself.
Maybe if I get to day 7 and I'm still going I may expose my ramblings to others.
I have broad shoulders and thick skin.
What's the worse that could happen?
Ok so should that be worse or worst?
I think I've erred and it should be worst. If you have read worse and think "Gee Steve that's poor use of the english language." I would draw your attention to my second post and the word creativitylessness!!
Enough said.

Genesis 3
So the fall of man into sin and the start of who-can-I-blame begins.
Ok so the first sin. Was it disobedience, pride, envy, lying, tempting, blame or maybe something else?
At first I thought disobedience.
But the verse about Eve seeing the tree and desiring the fruit made me think. Is desire without action a sin?
Whatever it was, once that first domino had been knocked over, a lot tumbled in quick succession.

Yesterday I said I'd nearly finished Phil Cooke's book, The Last TV Evangelist.
Last night I did finish it. The second book I've finished reading in less than a week in probably the last three years.
Despite this accomplishment I've still had plenty of time to read my Bible chapter and post comment.
The earlier trepidation seems to have faded.
I am wondering though whether I've started at the right place.
Genesis is ok and Exodus. But I am only too aware of Leviticus lurking. And all the "begats" of Numbers.
But Matthew starts with all the .....was the father of......who was the father of.....who, and so it goes.
Maybe I could have knocked over some of the single chapter books like Philemon, Jude or the last two Johns. Actually that's all of them.
But then I'd forget and it wouldn't make much sense.

I also did a really dumb thing this morning.
I casually calculated how many chapters are actually in the Bible.
I thought it may be a good idea.
Nope.
Stupid.
Stupid.
Only 1189.
That's all.
Not sure if I'm ready for that.
Except I've done 3 now so it's now a paltry 1186 to go.
"Deep sigh"

Genesis 2 (I Made It Back)

Ok so here I am day two.
Last night was great. I kept having heaps of ideas of what I would write today.
It was stellar stuff.
Pity I can't remember it.

Genesis 2
So God creates man and he gets to name all the animals. God also creates the garden of Eden. A home for Adam. Nice.
And then God creates Eve. Without Eve there would be no wives, no mothers and some chance I would have a sister called Robert.
(Ok now I have a blog predicament. Is there a blog rule that says I can use the "backspace"? If I self edit as I type is it really what I think? I feel that last statement about my sister may bite me one day and the fact is I really don't know what I meant)
I always wonder what it would have looked like when Adam named the animals. Would it be similar to the pictures of Noah's ark and all the animals lined up nice and neatly? Would all the monkeys be trying to get named twice?

So I survived day 2. Sort of.
When I started yesterday, I didn't count on today being the day after the day after I only slept 5 hours because of the World Cup final. Nor the fact of having to survive today in a Leadership program delving into the incredibly interesting activity of Policy and Procedure development.
That could explain the lack of clarity when I started.
I really wish I could remember what I was thinking last night. It seemed so much better than what I read now.
I've nearly finished the Phil Cooke book I started last week. Hence the reference to him yesterday.
I knew I was going to say something else about him, but maybe I'll get back to that tomorrow.
I seem to be drifting aimlessly trying to pad something that doesn't need padding. So I'll end and try and keep better focus tomorrow.

Genesis 1 (Again)

I've got nothing. Well hello and maybe good bye already.
I look at the screen and have a picture in my mind of all these incredible insightful thoughts flowing from my keyboard.
Nope.
Nothing.
Nada.
Maybe the pressure is too much. But what pressure. No-one else even knows I'm writing this.
Donna gazed over from the kitchen and said "Oh you've got a blog"
No I haven't actually. I'm starting some inane form of self abuse and exploring my state of creativitylessness.
Sorry again. Genesis 1.
Actually having typed "sorry", I have a feeling that may be the word that gets a lot of use. But it's bizarre because who am I sorry to. It's just me at the moment and even I'm not that interested in what I think.

Genesis 1
Ok, so God made stuff. He made it all. He made it with a plan and He made it GOOD.
I like the plan bit. I bet He never had an idea to write a blog without some forethought other than "That'd be a good idea"
I like the thought that He made everything else first before making man.
Earth was ready for man when he was created.

That'll do for now. Hopefully I get the hang of this and it may come easier.
Fingers crossed that I get to Genesis 2.

Genesis 1

So here I am being dragged almost kicking and screaming into 21st century technology. Before I go too much further, Mum if you're reading this, I really did mean to call this Stephen's Blog, but I need to be relevant to all the young hip and jive dudes and dudettes out there. Already I sense an odd feeling of failure.
What am I thinking?
I'm looking at this screen with no idea of what I've done.
Why bother?
I've never looked at a blog before.
I don't keep a journal.
The last 6 months has really been the only time I've even kept a diary for longer than a week.
Why not just open a Word document and write to myself?
Self promotion?
Accountability?
Expose my vulnerability to my gorgeous wife?
Set an example for my kids?
Financial security?
Yes. No. Maybe.......
I don't know.
It seemed a good idea driving home tonight. Curse you Phil Cooke. (actually I'm really thinking this but not in a real oogidy boogidy curse way)
But now I 'm looking at this page. With my thoughts sort of coming out and realising this could be a extremely short lived, but hang it. I'll give it a go.
Oh and to top it all off, I'll endeavour to read a Bible chapter a day and post my thoughts.
There I've said it.
I am insane. Really, really insane.
It's not like I need stress in my life.
Soooooo, Genesis 1.
Hang on. I actually better go read it. Back in a tick.