Gospel of John - Part 1

Okay, so I've decided that it would be kind of fun to read the New Testament, take notes, and throw them on my blog. I hope these may be of some help or use to those who may read. Please give feedback if you can. Add notes, tell me where I'm full of poop, let me know what you think, etc.

John Part 1 will be the first 12 chapters or so that speak of Jesus' birth, ministry, and miracles. It's basically bulleted pieces of info that I found pretty cool, interesting, or thought-provoking.

Part 2 will be the last nine chapters about his last teachings, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

I really hope to put these up periodically but want to give them time and good thought so it might be a couple of weeks in between. If you start to notice me slipping, call me out!

Enjoy and God Bless!

The Gospel according to John

Setting

· John the Baptist was baptizing and preparing for the Messiah in Bethany, a town on the east of the region of Judea near the Dead Sea (Chapter 1)

· Jesus also turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, a town in the region of Galilee northeast of Nazareth & northwest of Bethany (Chapter 2)

· Jesus settled in Capernaum in the region of Galilee. It was a port town east of Cana on the Sea of Galilee. (Chapter 2, Verse 12)

· Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in the region of Judea, which was a far journey south through Samaria (Chapter 2, Verse 13)

· Jesus went back and taught in Samaria as well (Chapter 4)

· Jesus fed 5,000 in Bethsaida, a northern port town on the Sea of Galilee. This is where he also walked on water. (Chapter 6)

· John’s gospel is a story of the ministry of Christ nomadically preaching through all of these regions. He eventually returned to Jerusalem for Passover before his crucifixion.

Key Players

John the Baptist

· Prophet in Judea

· His role was to announce the coming of the Messiah

o Even as he spoke with authority, and even as hundreds came before him to repent and be baptized, John never forgot his role and renounced any praise, pointing beyond himself to the coming of the real Savior

· John stood for truth, seeing it and his obedience and service to God as more important than his own life

The Disciples of Jesus Christ

· Andrew - Simon Peter’s brother

· Simon - Renamed Cephas (Peter) by Jesus

§ Peter means rock, foreshadowing what Jesus would later say “On this rock I will build my church” as Peter became of the first leaders of the Christian church

· Another Simon – Called Simon the Zealot

· Philip

· Nathanael – a.k.a. Bartholomew in other gospels

· James - son of Zebedee, Brother of John

· Another James – son of Alphaeus

· John - son of Zebedee, Brother of James

· Matthew – a.k.a. Levi in other gospels

· Thomas

· Jude Thaddaeus – a.k.a. Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus Thaddaeus, or Judas of James

· Judas Iscariot

Nicodemus

· A Pharisee and part of the Sanhedrin (Jewish high council) in Jerusalem who actually believed in Jesus

· Raised questions to the Sanhedrin about the justice in eliminating Jesus

· Helped to bury Jesus

Caiaphas

· Leader of the Sadducees

· Directly involved in the death of Jesus

· Persecutor of Christians

John

· Discliple of Christ

o “The disciple whom Jesus loved”

· Authored, though questioned by scholars, five New Testament books

o Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation of St. John

Mary Magdalene

· Follower of Jesus present at his death and first to see him rise from the dead

· Jesus drove demons from her

· Taught of the importance of women in the ministry of Christianity

Thomas

· Disciple of Christ

· Best known for his doubt of Jesus’ resurrection, claiming he had to put his finger through the holes where the nails were to believe

The Miracles of Jesus in John

· Turning water into wine (2:1-11)

· Healing of the government official’s son (4:46-54)

· Healing of the lame man (5:1-8)

· Feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-15)

· Walking on water (6:16-21)

· Healing of the blind man (9:1-12)

· Raising Lazarus from the Dead (11:38-44)

Coming of the Christ (1:1-1:50)

· 1:1-3

John refers to Jesus as “The Word”, meaning to Hebrews that he was the Creator, a revelation of God, and a living testament to God’s holiness

o The Pharisees and other Jews saw this as blasphemy to speak of this human as God

· 1:10-11

The very people of God were the ones who did not recognize Christ as the Messiah that had been foretold by the prophets

· 1:14

You cannot minimize or underestimate the humanity or the divinity of Jesus Christ

o He was completely man and completely divine, not partly both

· 1:25-26

John the Baptist was baptizing Jews in water; this was a practice normally done only when Gentiles converted to Judaism so the Pharisees were asking what right John had to treat Jews like Gentiles

Ministry of Jesus Christ (2:1-12:50)

· 2:1-11

Water into Wine - Jesus was not simply helping wedding attendees get drunk. A wedding in those days was a week-long ceremony and to run out of wine was embarrassing and broke rules of fundamental hospitality

· 2:12-17

Jesus clears the temple - Jesus was righteous….and angry

o People had turned the Temple into a marketplace of greed

§ Money changers charged high exchange rates to visitors during Passover

§ Visitors bought animals to sacrifice at extremely inflated prices

· 3:16

The most commonly spoken and referenced verse in the Bible – This is the thesis of the entire Gospel: the awesome and powerful love of God

· 4:23

Father in Spirit – God is spirit means that he has no physical limitations

o The emphasis is not on where you worship God but how we worship

· 4:34-38

The sowers Jesus referred to may have been the prophets & John the Baptist

· 5:39-40

When religion gets in the way of a relationship with Christ - The Pharisees and religious leaders were so entrenched in rules and a system that they missed the big picture of the Messiah that the Scriptures spoke of.

· 5:45-47

“Your accuser is Moses” - To say to the Pharisees that Moses would be their accuser was the ultimate insult because they prided themselves so much on following Moses’ laws that they missed the Savior of whom Moses alluded to

· 6:5-8

Jesus feeds five thousand - The disciples assumed that even though they had something that it would not be enough so they gave Jesus nothing to feed the people. Conversely, a boy gave 5 loaves and 2 fish and it fed 5,000

o Give what you can. Even the smallest gift given in earnest God can use in incredible ways much like Jesus did in this story

· 6:38-40

It was God’s will that Jesus would come to save us

· 8:1-11

The adulterous woman

o When Jesus was writing on the ground with his finger, some suggestions speculate that he was writing all of the officials’ sins or the Ten Commandments

o Jesus was teaching that none are worthy of the ultimate judgment of sin but the ultimate Judge who is Jesus

· 9:13-34

Pharisees question the blind man

o Even with the miracle of giving a blind man sight, the Pharisees could only see bad in these works

o Once again, they were so concerned with their own pride, power, and blindly following the Law that they missed the One who fulfilled it

· 10:16

Other sheep – Non-Jews – Jesus was alluding to the fact that he came to save the world, not just the Jews.

· 11:35

Jesus wept – When Jesus saw the Jews and Mary mourn over the death of Lazarus, he was moved. Jesus has compassion for that which hurts us and causes us grief and sorrow.

Jesus proclaimed that a DEAD MAN rise; what problem can you possibly have that he can’t solve?

· 12:42

Ashamed to believe – Many leaders believed in Jesus but did not admit it for fear the Pharisees would find out. They wanted to be with the “in” crowd and cool rather than doing what was right in God’s eyes. You can’t be concerned with what people think; concern yourself with what your God thinks.

Vacation/Honeymoon/Let's Get Out of Here Trip

Thank God for paid time off! And thank God for timeshare! The wife and I have spent the last couple of days in an amazing condo in the Smokies thanks to my dad. This place is kind of awesome; wonderful Jacuzzi, comfortable bed, oh, and did I mention that this place is nearly as large as our HOUSE?

For those of you who aren’t aware of my personality, I’m sort of spastic. I’m always up doing something, and this beautiful woman I live with is a good complement to me because she tries to chill me out and allows me time to relax. And this is what we both so desperately needed out of this weekend. A recharge of the battery. In pajamas.

It’s not like we’re doing anything extraordinary. We spent a day shopping in Gatlinburg, which aside from the unique shops you can do anywhere. We indulged in some chocolate covered raisins from a local candy store. We had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, although for some unknown reason they force their waitresses to dress in colonial dresses that look as though they’d double for a country kitchen tablecloth. We’ve watched our Netflix DVDs, same as we do at home.

But we’re having a lazy day. And we don’t have to break from it to do laundry. We don’t have to do the dishes, or vacuum the floors, or go to work tomorrow. It didn’t matter where we went; we just needed a relaxing weekend together. We’ve been married a little over three months now, but we never treated ourselves to the whole honeymoon thing, or the vacation thing, or the let's get outta here thing.

I have been on vacations before. I’ve been on golf outings, beach trips, spring breaks; you name it. None of them compare to a lazy weekend with her. Because I’d rather be lazy and do nothing with her company than any other trip I’ve been on before. Because now it’s not the what I’m doing that’s important; it’s the who I’m sharing it with that is.

And because of that now I’m absolutely certain that I married my best friend. God, she's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's such a good friend and companion.

So God, since you knew we needed this break and a chance to be together in a relaxing moment, thank you for PTO. Thank you for timeshare and a father kind enough to lend it to us.

But most of all God, thank you so much for her.

Men of Revolution

Ok, so in case you haven't noticed by the posts, I am a big fan of our church. Huge fan. I am admittedly a person that had become burnt out by the very institution. I had a wonderful church home growing up, and when I left for college I could not recapture that in other place. Some experiences of churches had left me shaking my head in disappointment. There were the money-hungry churches, the exclusive club churches, the judgmental churches, you name it. There was a time where I genuinely believed that I would never find a church that fit me.

Then I found one. I found a church that is focused on Christ, not my checkbook. I found a church whose members are not determined by the money they make or people that they know but rather by the commitment they make and the Christ that they know. I found a church that doesn't judge by the Word; they leave that judgment to the Author of the Word. They serve God for humility, not attention. Most importantly, they acknowledge that to be a sinner and need redemption is a Christian's defining characteristic. They strive to be perfect, knowing they aren't instead of conceding perfection pretending they are. And they love God and each other.

They have inspired me to know God more. I have said before that there is a woman who worked with my youth group who God used so that I would find my salvation, and I am forever in her debt. I am equally in the debt of the people of this church for helping me tap into that relationship with God more deeply. And I think that's why He called me to this action; it's time to repay the debt to my church.

While I was sitting at a Super Bowl get together this evening, God decided that I was in His house so Patriots playing or not He would be borrowing me for a small chat. I don't know how powerful, how deep, how thought-provoking, or how successful this journey will be, but He has laid it on my heart and therefore I have no choice but to go for it. God has told me to tap into the relationship a little more deeply again, and this time I'm supposed to have people riding shotgun.

There typically exists a women's ministry in churches, and my wonderful wife is being very instrumental in ours. But God has called me to pull together a few good men. A few men that want to delve into His Word a bit more. There are 27 books in the New Testament, and a few good men are supposed to read them all by years end. They will come together and have a come to Jesus about coming to Jesus. I figure that since He organized this whole thing, he'll drop in too.

So, men of Revolution Church, if you have an interest, if you feel God pulling you, if you want to read the Word, learn about it, learn from others, fellowship, and have an excuse to get together over a slice of pizza, here's the challenge. Join me. Let's do this. I don't know what day, what time, or how this will happen, but God has put in on my heart so I know it will happen. And I'm not friends with everyone on Facebook, and I'm sure there are those at our church that know nothing of my blog. So spread the word.

If we all come together, there with us will be a God and Spirit that knows the whole thing cover to cover. We can grow together, learn together, live this Word together, love as this Word says together, and serve others and one another by the power of this Word....together.

Who's in?

My Idea of Fun

Changes in perspective. It's just another of the growth spurts I've been experiencing. Marriage has given me keen insight. My idea of fun and relaxation have evolved through the years.

Jonathan Bowers - Age 1. I can talk pretty well. Time to make noises and communicate. This is fun! Maybe I should do it all the time. It's 3:30 AM. Hey isn't God still asleep? What's that Mom? You need a 4 AM scream at the top of my lungs wake up call? Challenge accepted.

Jonathan Bowers - Age 3. Time for a bath. YES! Bath tub plus letter and number blocks makes for a great time! Perhaps next bath I'll bring goggles with me so I can be underwater and observe Aquaman ruling the world of Atlantis located on the north side of the bathtub's vastness near the drain.

Age 7. Dirt piles make perfect arenas for a killer marble game. Until that's not fun anymore. Then we'll switch to pretending red and green berries from bushes are armies fighting each other in the battle of Backyard Hill. Tactics. Strategy. Hundreds of berries will be mushed. War is hell.

Age 13. High school time. Math classes spark my curiosity. Travel league soccer team. What fun to learn that I have such unique and personal diversity. The ultimate human hybrid: dork meets athlete.

Age 17. College time. Independence! The fun of being your own boss, going to classes and living alone like a true grownup! And how relaxing to have your first class at 11 and sleep until 10 am. Clutch. Oh, and still running home to do laundry, eat worthwhile meals, and return to childhood on weekends. Did I mention eating cereal for at least 10 meals a day? Another 5 meals are Ramen. The final 5 are burgers or pizza. You see, I'm a health guru.

Age 21. Working as a biologist. My job is going to a preserve, being outdoors, canoeing, etc. Oh and justifying spending the American citizen's tax dollar to frolic across the western U.S., camping and sightseeing every national park and forest west of the Mississippi. What do I have to do in exchange for this all-expenses paid journey of intense awesome? A 15-minute talk. Yeah I think I'll manage that hardship. A tour of the Western U.S.'s natural beauty. For. The. Win.

Age 25. Done with school. Time for real jobs. Real life. Real responsibilities. But every now and then the guys get together to remind themselves of the good times. Every few months it's time to go out, enjoy a good time. Fun and relaxation now mean escaping the every day grind. Oh, and golfing. A fun escape. Especially when it's in southern California and the weather is unfairly perfect.

Age 28. Bringing us to today. I have a great job that has me working long hours at times. I love what I do, but in the midst of trying to provide for my family and making a living sometimes we aren't able to stop and enjoy having a life. That's why I so long for those special weekends where Sara and I just plain do what we want.

My beautiful wife and I have been married about 2 1/2 months now. Typically after the getting married part is the get away from it all, time to relax part. But we've been working, being active in the church, working on the house, and surviving the holidays. It's time for a break, a deserved one. So we're going to the Smokies. 3 days and nights of relaxation. I have no idea what specifically we'll do. I just know it will be whatever we want, and that's perfect for me.

Sometime this month, Evan and I are going to watch Star Wars in 3D. Cause you know, every now and then the dudes have to go hang out. And as Evan said, watching Star Wars with the glasses that makes it look real will be pretty awesome. And after that we've got a little date with Bridgestone Arena and the Predators. Just two guys out looking for a good time.

I've grown in marriage, and this is just another way. They've shown me a truly good time. Fun and relaxation. The new definition. The new and improved definition. This fun's got ages 1-27 beat. Big time.

The Little Things

You know sometimes we just need a laugh. Sometimes we need to forget that life around us wants us to be so proper and serious and have a good laugh over a fart joke, or something equally as juvenile. With that in mind, and with the help of some jabs that I've learned listening to a lot of stand up comedy, we are going to focus on those aspects of our lives that we share. I hope you enjoy; it's Monday, I went back to work, and I decided that I needed to do the lighter side.

We all have moments in our lives that we have ALL experienced at some point but have decided are socially taboo or too embarrassing to admit to.

Some are just awkward crowd moments. A perfect example is the unsettling feeling you get when you know you might need to pass gas, and you're around people, that you don't know, or have never met. And while we're at it, why does the sudden urge to fart come over us only in heavily populated and intimate settings? I think the answer might be God's perfect humor and timing. The same situational comedy applies to an uncomfortable wedgie.

Or how about when you're in a crowded and loud party. Sometimes you have to scream to talk to the person next to you. Don't ever shout something intimate at a time like this. Because, like clockwork, the WHOLE PARTY will shut up at the moment you go to speak. Trust me.

Have you ever run into a wall? I mean run RIGHT into it? And I'm not talking about a wall in a narrow hallway that you're not familiar with in the dark. I'm talking about a wall in your own house. No you haven't? You. Are. Lying. We've all done that, and you're no better than us. Be sure to laugh at this, because it's so dumb you have to. By the way, this doesn't happen as frequently, but I can't count on one hand the number of times I have seen someone walk right into a sliding glass door thinking it was open. I also can't count on one hand the times I have laughed hysterically at them.

How about shooting milk or soda through your nose from laughing too hard?!? At times a bit too painful for the actual shooter to enjoy, but your friends will think you're riot. And if your friends are particularly evil, they'll wait for you to take in a big swig of Dr. Pepper to throw a funny zinger your way.

Have you ever completely forgotten what day it is? This can happen in a number of ways:

1. You wake up to go to work, shower, shave, dressed, pack a lunch, get into the car, take a quick look at your phone to make sure you're on time......and that's the moment you notice it says SAT or SUN in big letters on your phone screen. Damn.

2. You fall asleep for a late afternoon nap, and then you wake up after dark. This is kind of frightening, because it's almost like there's a layer of fog inside your house and you have no clue what day it is. "Have I slept until tomorrow night? Was I asleep for 30 minutes? Did anything important happen? Where am I? WHO am I? Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

3. You keep convincing yourself all day it's a different day. This has happened to plenty of us, mainly wishful thinking. It's Thursday but your brain keeps trying to play it out like Friday. And somehow on Friday you're not confused anymore. You just tried to have two Fridays in a row. Something is wrong.

Ever gone into a room and forgot what for? Ever went to the grocery, forgot your list, then suddenly can't even remember if you like white or wheat, regular or diet? Ever went to the fridge and couldn't remember if you needed ketchup, mayo, or carrots? Or if you were hungry or thirsty? We all have some form of forgetful early onset of Alzheimer's; it's just a matter of degree.

Have you ever had to sneeze while you were peeing and thought the WORLD was going to END?! Have you ever gotten a good hot shower and then immediately afterwards had to go to the bathroom and could only think that you had just wasted time and hot water.

Has an alarm clock given you the two most polarizing feelings?!? It has me. Very few things in this world stack up to waking up in the middle of the night, thinking it's time to get up, and realizing it's 1 am and you don't have to be awake for another 4 1/2 hours. Ahhh and the sleep after that never felt so good! Conversely, is there a crappier feeling than having a 5:30 am alarm and waking up at 5:28?!? It's like every minute of sleep you just had was robbed from you at gunpoint.

Have you ever been to a sporting event, ordered a $6 super extra jumbo king deluxe soda, gotten all the way back to your seat, and realized that gave you diet instead, or that the syrup on the machine had gone out and you basically got carbonated water, or there was a hole in the bottom of the cup and it's been leaking on you since you left the concession stand? All of the above make you consider violence for a split second.

There you have it, a jumbled, no order whatsoever kind of blog, but I find some of these experiences amusing. Sorry if this didn't strike your fancy; a comedian I am not. But I figure it was time to loosen up and attempt some fun. After all, it's Monday, and a little laugh never hurt anyone.

An Idiot Named Jonathan Questions God and Other Tales

I am going to start saying this prayer EVERY DAY: "Lord, give me the strength to be silent, and when they doesn't work please compel me to shut the HELL up when I question Your awesome. Amen."

For someone that tries desperately to follow Christ, to read God's Word and live by it, and to do well unto others, I do a real crap job of actually placing my trust completely in Him. I rationalize which in my experience is irrational when talking about a God that pulls off the impossible.

I had apprehension when I started attending a new church. "You're going to love it!" my then girlfriend and now wife told me. But I wasn't sure. I had seen over recent years certain qualities in organized religion that did not set well with me. I wasn't in a good place spiritually. I had seen money-hungry churches, judgmental churches, you name it. And I projected that without knowing a thing about the church. God told me to trust Him, that I was going to enjoy it and feel different. I went hesitantly yet convinced in my own head that this church would be no different and that God just didn't know how I felt about church. Wrong and wrong. And I have been with the church ever since, have felt the Spirit move through me in ways I hadn't before thanks to this church. I deeply love that church.

God 1 - Jonathan 0 (plus a great church home)

What?!?! You want me to tithe to that church, too?!?! God, for the love of You, we're broke! We've barely got money to cover the bills. What do you want me to do, turn off the cable?!? "Ummmm.....yeah."

Crap. OOOOOO-KKKKKKAAYYYY. I'm telling you I don't have the money, and when I give it up, life is gonna kind of suck. Just sayin'.

"What, Jonathan? I've got this."

And we started to give, and it did hurt at times, and our life grew spiritually. Then it happened. After only 6 months on my job, I went from a temp hire to a full time employee with benefits receiving a near 40% raise. What was I thinking? Jesus fed 5000 people with a handful of bread loves and some fish and I didn't think God could take some paper money and multiply it?! Dummy, dummy, dummy.

Call it fate, call it good work, call it karma, call it luck. I CALL IT GOD.

God 2 - Jonathan 0 (but with a promotion)

I started course on the New Testament and Revelation on iTunesU. At first I was excited, then the New Testament professor spoke to me through my Mac in a way that spelled certain doom for my learning.

"We will not be studying the Bible from a spiritual viewpoint but rather a historical and often times secular view."

Well, crap. There goes that lesson. And then the Spirit talked to me.

"Keep with it. You're going to learn something."

Not-uh, God.

"Yes you will. I'll bet your tithe on it."

God seriously bet his money on it. OOOOO-KKKKAAAAY God. And then I learned. A lot. In spite of the view. And it has strengthened my faith and made reading the Bible all the more fun, enjoyable, exciting, and learning an experience.

Ok this guy's good. God 3 - Jonathan 0 (Back to School Bible Bliss)

Finally the other day, I had the nerve, the gaul, the audacity to complain about the flu to God. In case you haven't gotten the point thus far, he's been alright to me. On my 28th birthday, I got the flu and felt terrible. Not cool.

"Of all days, I have to be sick on my birthday, God?!"

I didn't get a direct response, but from the point I uttered those words, the worship song "Mighty to Save" was in my head, and I went from looking like death eating a soda cracker to all better within 12 hours.

Final Score. God 4 - Jonathan 0 (plus a church, promotion, Bible wisdom, and health)

Ok, you've got my attention. No more doubting you.....until the next time. But the awesome thing about my God is that he will blow my mind again when I question him most and deserve it least.

Like I said, He's really good. ALWAYS.

Back to School

Over the past several days I have gone back to school, and if you had read my blogs previously you know that I am using iTunesU to study a course from Yale University on the New Testament. I've only made it halfway through the Gospels so far, and I am already seeing the benefits of going back to class. It keeps my brain sharp and alert, and I am learning things about my faith and my God that I hadn't caught the first time around, either theologically in my growth in the church or academically in my time at Western's Religious Studies department.

This experience has even challenged me to view the Bible in a way that at times has felt perverse: historically and at times even in a secular manner. Many would suggest that you simply can't derive anything from the Bible this way. There have even been some to suggest to me that it is "wrong", "sinful", or "blasphemous" to study the Bible in a context other than in worship and praise. These are the same people that told me it was a hell-worthy trespass to learn about other religions, to read the Qu'ran, to go to a synagogue, to visit a Hindu temple, to share a religious conversation with a person of another faith.

WRONG. ANSWER.

It challenges, it allows for deep introspection, careful scrutiny. You begin to ask the tough questions that you have been taught to think are wrong to even consider. You think that God gave you that inquisitive mind, that matter in your skull for looks? Believe me, if you attempt to process the information in the Bible, from all angles, through all lenses, this will not deconstruct your faith, but rather reinforce it.

I learned about the debate of where the Gospel of Mark is supposed to end (my money's on 16:8 for those keeping score), that Matthew "borrowed" a bit from Mark's Gospel, that most New Testament books may be inappropriately attributed to certain authors. With the roll that I'm on, I'm really looking forward to looking into Revelation. I've learned that it took a lot of committees and a lot of tough calls to decide on the 27 books of the New Testament. I've learned that there's a LOT more books out there to be read in the Apocrypha and other added texts.

There are gospels of Thomas and Judas that are thought-provoking even if it provokes thoughts in my Christian brain like "what the hell?" "what were they drinking?" and "did anyone ever actually believe that?" Acts as a book plays out and reads like a radical movement that you could have charged to show on Pay-Per-View.

And if you hated history class in school, let me tell you this. Digging into the history of biblical times can actually be kind of fun. I find it fun to learn about the times of the New Testament because I am passionate about the subject matter. Give a class like this a shot. You'll find learning more about your faith can be intoxicating. And if you do decide to give it a shot, please let me know. I've done a lot of shopping on iTunesU and would be glad to help. Furthermore if anyone wants to go through a class like this with someone I would love to share in that with you.

So on this journey, I have gone. I am looking at Matthew and Mark with different eyes now, and I now have new perspective. And I have so many more New Testament books to delve into, dissect, analyze, and ultimately scrutinize. And in each I will have more faith, more understanding, and more wisdom than before. God tells us to seek wisdom out; I'm just following orders.

I questioned if I would learn anything, to which the Spirit responded to me that he'd bet my tithe on it (fear not, church, God won the bet :-) I don't get everything that I hear in this class. Hell, I don't even believe everything I hear, but it is making me think. And though some would say you are to be a mindless drone in your faith, I'm pretty sure God gave me this brain so that I would use it.

Class dismissed