A decorative coat, fear and Christ

Today, I picked up on my Genesis Reading again. I admit, I've been bored with the long lineage, absurd names, and bizarre sexual antics in Genesis. They haven't given me the lift that the Gospels did, that's for sure. Today though, I was enamoured reading about Joseph, and how God kept blessing him, in prison, in Egypt, etc. He was so lucky, or rather blessed. I think it was a great embodiment of the bigger plan... When Joseph's brothers tied him up and sold him to vagrants basically, one would have believed the Lord was not with him... But in the end, He was with Him the whole time.

The whole story reminds me of this book I am reading by Lee Stroble "The Case For Faith". Many people do not believe in a God because a loving God would not allow all the pain and misery that happens in the world, and a loving God would not allow there to be a "hell". The book analyses both of these complaints by Agnostics and Atheists. The summary of all that I read, basically stated that sometimes God has a bigger plan for those who suffer. Suffering now can mean abundance later... and really without the greatest pain how does one get to know the greatest pleasure?

The story took my mind off my Christ conundrum of yesterday that really had me baffled. I haven't received anymore clarity on the matter, but I know eventually I will.

Yesterday, I had a wicked vibe in my heart. My long distance lover suggested I start looking into churches, and I was instantly angered at the suggestion. Christians and churches have been my enemy for quite sometime. I feel I am light years away from embracing a Sunday ritual of that nature. I was raised in a church setting, and I received so much abuse from its members, that I turned to atheism. I am just now trying to separate God from that abuse. I have to be honest it makes my skin crawl thinking about being shoulder to shoulder with those same types of people again. They terrify me.

In other news, an interesting discovery today: When searching for bloggers I might dig reading, I found that only 1600 bloggers list "Christ" as an interest while 71,000+ list the Bible as one of their favorite books. What's with that? I would have thought the opposite for sure. Is Christ not the bible.. the very core of it? His words are in the bible, but doesn't he transcend to so much more? Isn't He in everything?!? In everyone?!? I thought that's what the gospels spoke to me, but I'm dissillusioned at how most people I'm stumbling across view Christianity... as if Christ is only a part of it. CHRIST IS IT. Christ is everything. Without Christ there is no bible, no Christianity, no hope, no love, no faith, no eternity, no morality. He is the whole shebang. He is the Truth. He is my Truth at least.