Lives 1st

In my earlier email “ Good Parents or Warriors Fighting a Cosmic Battle? ” I pointed out that my church had taught me this: The story of The Garden of Eden is about a cosmic battle between God and Satan. The ancient Hebrew text teaches something very different: The story about two people who did what a talking snake told them instead of doing TOV ! The events in the Garden in Eden, when viewed in the context of the first two stories in Genesis, reveal the two extremes of human actions . Read the rest of the story at -- https://mailchi.mp/94e48a0a72f7/two-very-different-views-of-and-responses-to-good-and-evil

The Story of the Garden in Eden was intended to be read in light of the instructions given in the Story of the Creation of the Heaven and Earth. ● The unnamed Creator in the first story made a man and woman at the same time, blessed them and instructed them. ● Yahweh made a man and a woman at different times and places – and only gave the man a commandment . Read the rest of the story at: https://mailchi.mp/bcf6c7b3bd16/good-parents-or-warriors-fighting-a-cosmic-battle

Thirty-nine years ago I prayed this prayer: “ God show me what words in my Bible You want me to read .” The following popped into my head immediately: “ Unless you know how words work you can’t understand one word of the Bible .” Today, I know two very important things about “ how words work .” Continue reading at: https://mailchi.mp/a1ae20000de1/words-beliefs-thoughts-and-behaviors

The Bible contains a lot of very valuable wisdom principles. At the top of list of biblical books with the most important wisdom principles is the book of Genesis. And of all the stories in Genesis, the most valued wisdom of all is found in the first story. An unnamed god created Heaven and Earth . The first wisdom lesson in this story is this: If your “creator” has a name it may or may not be this god . Measure your god by this Creator’s standard. What is the Creator’s standard? It is the TOV Standard . In the first story in the Bible (Genesis 1:1-2:4a), human life is the highest value and the primary purpose behind everything the Creator said, created, made or did . Continue reading at -- https://mailchi.mp/d5c73578a58a/incorporate-the-amazing-power-of-the-creators-tov-standard-in-your-life

In the last email, we left the newly created man (I will now call him “Adam”) standing in a garden in Eden alone – the garden of the god Yahweh . Adam is surrounded by trees that produce beautiful and appealing fruit. But, even though its fruit is beautiful too, Yahweh commanded Adam to not eat from one tree. The penalty for eating the forbidden fruit is death! Continue reading at -- https://mailchi.mp/2c2b155ceb60/some-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-adam-but-should

The Bible opens with two polar opposite stories about the creation of humans – but I could not see that for a very long time . I had been taught to read my Bible from an “ authority first ” perspective. “ Authority first ” is a very “ religious ” way of reading the Bible and in my religion it meant – submit, comply, obey and don’t question authority! For us, God was the highest authority of all and the leaders of our religion were God’s authorized agents , therefore “ good Christians ” were supposed to submit, comply, obey and not question God’s authorized agents either!!! Continue reading at -- https://mailchi.mp/e72e41a9bbe2/treasures-most-bible-readers-cannot-see