X: The Bible in a year/Et år med Bibelen

A few months into 2008, I started reading the Year-Bible. This is a book which has divided the entire Bible over 365 days. Every day is divided into four sections, with readings from The Old Testament, The New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I have read the entire New Testament through before, but never before all of the Old Testament.

There are no extra comments, reviews or other extras – just purely chunks of text. Two advantages with this book: 1) The reading of each day is set and has similar, managable lenghts. 2) The pages are without chapter and verse numbers. This increases the readability and flow. This generates many a discovery in my mind and a greater sense of coherence through the various chpaters and books.

After half a year with daily readings, I have faced a row of questions and ideas, from serious general matters, to more basic detail queries.

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I vinter begynte jeg med Årsbibelen. Dette er en bok som har fordelt hele Bibelen over 365 dager. Jeg har lest alt i Det nye testamentet før og mye i det gamle, men aldri hele verket fra perm til perm. Hver dag er delt i fire deler med litt fra Det gamle testamentet, Det nye testamentet, Salmenes bok og Salomos ordspråk.

Det er ingen tilhørende kommentarer eller forklaringer – bare lengre tekstbolker fra Bibelen. Tre årsaker til å bruke en slik bok i stedet for Bibelen er for det første avmålte og bestemte leserstykker for hver dag. For det andre står teksten som vanlig brødtekst uten vers- og kapittelnummerering. Dette øker leservennligheten og tekstflyten. For det tredje gjør de relativt lange lesestykkene (cirka 10 minutter for dagen) gir nye oppdagelser og en størrelse opplevelse av helhet og sammenheng. Jeg lærer en god del, uten å få tilhørende undervisning.

Etter et halvt år i drift, har jeg notert en rekke spørsmål og tanker i møte med bibelteksten. Noen er store og seriøse spørsmål, men mange er små funderinger om detaljer, praksis og kuriøse spørsmål.

Noen vilkårlige eksempler på spørsmål:

* I mosebøkene nevnes delfinnskinn støtt og stadig, både som gaver og til gudshus. Hvor fikk de delfinskinn fra?
* Ved Babels tårn mente Gud at ingenting var umulig for folk så lenge de snakket ett språk. Hva bekymret han seg for?
* Hvordan kaster man lodd?
* Ble det skapt flere folk etter syndefloden eller var det bare innalv?
* Matt 5: Er det hierarki blant mennesker i himmelen? og (Matt 19) Blir disiplene dommere der?
* Hva betyr Sela (som nevnes i salmene til stadighet)
* Israel blir i hele GT straffet av Gud for å vende seg bort fra han. I dag hører jeg ikke om kristne (i Norge i alle fall) som argumenterer slik for å forklare hvorfor det ikke bare er velstand øst i Middelhavet.
Min onkel Torkild (pastor i Messiaskirken og tidligere misjonær i Isreal) forteller at i Norge er folk enten sionister, som følger jødene i tykt og tynt. Ellers er man uinteressert i land – at landet Israel er av liten betydning. I Israel finnes det derimot messianske jøder som ytrer en slik tanke – og at om ikke jødene velger å ta imot Jesus, vil de nok en gang måtte forlate landet.
Dette blir ekstra spesielt når enkelte liberale teologer mener det er flere veier til frelse og dermed tenker de fromme jødene kan gå fri. Videre er det en viss aksept blant sterke Israel-tilhengere om at jødene kommer i en slags unntakskvote der det nok går dem godt – selv om de ikke tar imot Jesus. Paulus var jo veldig tydelig på at det ikke er helt slik.

E: Divine drip 18

I have been thinking a lot about church shopping lately. In spite having been a confident Christian for the longest time, having been in Oslo for a total of 4,5 years and been in chrurch more or less every Sunday most my life, I have not properly settled in any congregation. This sucks, and I am most keen to devote myself in one church anytime soon. This I want to do with my precious girlfriend, and we are in the process of settling. Being a Christian involves fellowship with other siblings in Christ.

Now for some divine words of wisdom based on devotionals from PurposeDrivenLife.com:

Broken down, Christianity has little to do with religion, politics or culture. It is all about Jesus. So many filter-like aspects and human-built aspects interfere with the actual human being, the man Christ, who teaches and does marvellous things.

Everyone needs God, also those who believe they don’t. That is my take, based on the Bible. But the way of getting close to Him is by wanting to. God leaves you be, if the urge is not there.

The world is not wrong, it is lost. The danger of judging people and places can result in the following notion of what Christians are trying to convey: "We really don’t like you unless you see things the way we do". This is so wrong.

E: Divine drip 17

From Purposedrivenlife.com, I present to you some brief devotional lines loaded with punch.

Family first. The first family is God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We are created by and for family life, biologically and spiritually. Keep that in mind.

God sees our past, present AND future. We can only see backwards and upwards – to God. Knowing he is in control, and seeing how things worked out for all Biblical figures from Moses to Paul (who did not see any farther ahead themselves), we can take comfort in him who is in control. Read about the God-eye view.

We (Christians) don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves. Our calling is to love God and our neighbors. Read about how we are to live by and with our fellow human beings, not to see them as targets or projects.

Why do we all have different passions? So everything that’s supposed to get done will get done. Do not feel guilty about not getting excited about everything. As the devotional is not present in the archives, I will paste one of the central paragraphs here.

No one has to do everything; no one can. It is up to us to find out where we fit and what God put us here to do. Soon you will be just as passionate about something because it’s your thing. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We only get frustrated when we forget this and try and take on everything, or get so overwhelmed that we take on nothing at all.

E: A missionary at work

During a prayer session with my two flatmates last week, it struck me that I am a missionary. I am not referring to the general command for all Christian to share their faith:

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15)

Nor did I directly think of the fact that I am on the payroll of a mission organization. But the magazine I work for, Agenda 3:16 (owned by the organization), has a stark purpose, both in its name (referring to John 3:16) and in its mission purpose to enlighten people about religion, and the Christian faith. In other words: offer more people an opportunity to invite the risen Lord Jesus Christ into their life.

This makes me a missionary, compiling my full time job. Additionally I can use my profession, my skills and my interests doing so. I am a journalist and a photographer working with all professional work ethics and journalistic independence intact.

I have not declined the idea of serving abroad one of these years, but for now I work as a missionary – in Oslo. This is not a revolutionary idea, but became a positive reinforcement for the aim and purpose of my presence at my current employer.

E: Divine drip 16

There is much good to extract from Purposedrivenlife.com I carry on giving chosen pieces of challenges and encouragement.

A) We do not need Jesus because we are flawless. We need him because we are imperfect. That is also a reason for witnessing about him, not an excuse not to. Sabotaging a witness is a good devotional.

B) Christians are to pursue unity, not uniformity. I quote the devotional Fellowship among foes

”There are many ways to worship him but only one Lord. There are many different denominations but only one faith. There are many ways to be baptized but only one baptism. There are many different nations but only one destination.”

The challenge is to work together in spite our differences. Unlikeness is healthy.

C) Rather than being self-conscious, we should aim to be other-conscious. How and whom can I serve? Let me quote a on-the-point paragraph.

If you’re eager to go fishing, you’re going to be looking for the next free day on your calendar. If you are eager to play tennis, you will be on the lookout for a suitable partner to play with. In the same way, if you are eager to do good, you will be keenly aware of opportunities to serve others as they arise. It’s all in our awareness

E: A moderate Christian?

Friday I took the following Bible hermeneutics quiz . Based on the 20 questions, I winded up as moderate in my interpretations. The questions and the way the answers are laid out (and answered by me) will influence the outcome. I guess I am not the most conservative Christian in my views, but much closer to conservative than progessive. And as a view on life, I need to stress that I want nothing else but devoting my life to God. This test is about views, not dedication, belief or interest.

Read about the conservative–moderate-progressive scale here. Below I quote the description of being moderate:

The moderate hermeneutic might be seen as the voice of reason and open-mindedness. Moderates generally score between 53 to 65. Many are conservative on some issues and progressive on others. It intrigues that conservatives tend to be progressive on the same issues, while progressives tend to be conservative on the same issues. Nonetheless, moderates have a flexible hermeneutic that gives them the freedom to pick and choose on which issues they will be progressive or conservative. For that reason, moderates are more open to the charge of inconsistency. What impresses me most about moderates are the struggles they endure to render judgments on hermeneutical issues.

E: Divine drip 15

As the people behind Purposedrivenlife.com puts a lot of effort into bringing people the daily devotionals via e-mail, I figure I could spend a little while bringing you a few selected pieces taht gave me some insight. Here are three of them.

1) We don’t go to church to worship, we go to church because we are worshipers. Worship can take place any time any place. Do not forget that. Read more.

2) Do not make non-Christians projects. It is also very easy to spot when making contact out of habit or duty, rather then genuine interest. Make people friends. We are born to relationships and that is what we ought to do. If they are eager to hear about God, they will let you know. Read more.

3) ”When bad things happen to good people we can be assured that this is God, out to make good people better.” This introduction is another way of viewing unwanted incidents. Read the daily devotional about it.

E: Divine drip 14

Valentine’s day is a suitable day to be reminded of God’s love. As today is the 14th, it was also convenient to publish the 14th entry in the Divine drip series. It is an illustrative, golden story – about silver.

Malachi 3:3 says:

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

X: Divine drip/Himmeldrypp 14

My notes after the sermon on prayer in church Sunday.

What: Sermon in Storsalen (Church in Oslo), December 16, 2007
Who (preacher): Egil Elling Ellingsen
Scripture (part of the Bible): Matthew 6,7-13 + Deuteronomy 1,30-31

* The Lord’s Prayer can be seen as an instruction or key to prayer.
* It was, as it would be today, fairly controversial to told people to pray and particularly NOT to pray certain ways – as Jesus did just prior to and with the Lord’s Prayer.
* Prayer is not about performing, but to relate to God – in a way that God can act. One is to strive for word shortage as the words themselves do not matter all that much. God already knows what you need in advance of your prayer.
* The first sentence, Our FATHER in heaven (or: who art in heaven), establishes lots in terms of the frame of mind required when praying, rather than praying to a abstract power or wrath. This is also point of a little distress, as it will also make God into a best friend position Jesus already has. How do we make room for two?
* No one has experienced a perfect (earthly) dad. The Biblical father is as follows: loving, close, but also firm and strong. And one who ALWAYS cares.
* When you pray, the order is God first (name, kingdom, will) and then ourselves (bread, forgiveness of sins, salvation).
* Suggestions for ways of praying:
1) A straight forward Lord’s Prayer (LP), calm with related aspects in life for the various segments.
2) Prayer with perspectives related to life (as you find them in LP)
3) Study one segment of the LP in particular.


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Mine notater etter preken om bønn i helga.

Hva: Preken i Storsalen, 16. desember 2007
Hvem (taler): Egil Elling Ellingsen
Bibeltekst: Matt 6, 7-13 + 5 Mos 1, 30-31

* Fader Vår kan ses på som bruksanvisningen eller nøkkelen til bønn.
* Det var, som det er i dag, kontroversielt å si til folk ikke be slik, men slik, noe Jesus gjorde med akkurat Fader Vår.
* Bønn handler ikke om å prestere, men å relatere til Gud – slik at Gud kan handle. Man bør etterstrebe ordknapphet, det er ikke ordene som betyr noe. Gud vet hva du trenger før du ber om det.
* Første setning, vår FAR, avgjør mye om hvordan man er når man ber, i motsetning til om man skulle bedt til en makt eller vrede. Dette er litt skummelt fordi det gjør ikke bare Jesus, men også Gud til noen nær som en bestevenn. Har man plass til enda en?
* Ingen har erfart å ha en perfekt far. Den bibelske far er som følger: kjærlig, nær, men også myndig og sterk. Og sørger ALLTID for oss.

* Når man ber , er rekkefølgen først opp til Gud (navn, rike, vilje), så ned til oss (brød, skyldsforlatelse, frelse). Dette gir riktig fokus: Han først.
* Forslag til måter å be på:
1) Fader Vår rett frem. Rolig og med (dags-/livsaktuelle) relaterte aspekter til de ulike leddene
2) Be med perspektiver relatert til livet (som man finner dem i Fader Vår)
3) Studere ett og ett ledd i Fader Vår

E: Divine drip 13

Here are some more insightful memos from purposedrivenlife.com.

God is like a dad who when playing “hide and seek they always get found, but they have a hard time finding you”. That is, God know exactly where (and how) you are, but keeps his distance for your dignity if you do not wanna be with him. At the same time he is like a dinosaur behind a palm tree for those who are actually searching. Read devotional.


The devotional “Putting ‘fun’ back in dysfunctional” list a range of uplifting Bible verses good to read when the going gets tough.

We can and ought to strive for being like Jesus. But we are never ever able to fully enter His world. But he already came to ours. Being Christian and being human is not about always praying and reading the Bible. It is about including God in your everyday activities and as for His guidance in everything you do – be it volleyball, work or studies. Full text here.

E: Divine drip 12

I have not been very good at updating these drops, despite a bucket of valuable input in all types of settings. This time around I will give a selection of a few ideas that I have found valuable and/or increased my brain activity.

* Jesus never asks for improvement and increased activity. All he wants is for us to love him. This will most likely cause our behavior to change also, but first and foremost we are made to love (listen to TobyMacs song).

* If you want to live with someone, you need to be willing to die a bit yourself. Love is sacrifice, letting someone else be for whom you live.

* God chooses special characters as his followers, few which are ranked particularly high in the current society. Fishermen and shepherds are obvious examples, but most of the Jesus handpicked people are unknown nobodies till the Lord came along.

* God used the worst happening in history (the crucifixion of Jesus) as the greatest victory.

* Jesus did not promise lack of suffering, but presence whilst it happens.

* When resurrecting, Jesus opened what had been an inseparable connection between sin and death. There is no point in Christianity if not for the ressurection.

* We are not to discover our gifts or get highly trained to be ready to serve for God. Being a servant is accommodating the person in need, not seeing what we ourselves do best. We can all devote our lives in service for others.

E: Heavenly man encounter

Liu Zhenying aka brother Yun aka The Heavnly Man came to the church Filadelfia in Oslo on Saturday, september 29th. I was there, of course, to watch one of the most fascinating individuals alive. I was so fortunate to get my copy of his book signed and taken a picture with him the well known Chinese - who for long was of China's most wanted. The Norwegian/Swedish couple Evie & Pelle also sang and bore their testimonies.

Brother Yun was more animated and more charismatic than anticipated. However, if I did not know his story on forehand, all the things he has said, done and been through, I do not know if I had found the event as extraordinary as I did. One reason is probably the fact that I do not speak any mandarin, thus being in great need of hearing the message through his Swedish-speaking Finnish interpreter. Furthermore, Yun only gave a away a few details from his own life. Still, to me I am most happy with paying the visit.

I so recommend you to read his book.

Click here if you are unable to view the slideshow on top of some of the pics I took during the evening.

E: Divine drip 11

I will get back to more insight through service and reading. But today I serve a few thoughts on which to ponder from a selection of devotionals from PurposeDrivenLife.com.

Wisdom from a Thirteen-year-old Cancer Patient
We are here, because God want us to be here and have stuff for us to do here still. This point of insight was given from a 13-year-old cancer patient.

Mind on fire
Many of you have heard of the French mathematician, physicist, philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). I learned about him in high school maths. At that point I did not not he was also greatly religious, a Christian on fire, which still may be news to many. Pascal is one who realized that God cannot be reached by intellect alone, thus he composed a title such as "Reason Can Begin Again by Recognizing What It Can Never Know" – which still rings very true today. Read more here.

More than friendly
Last up is an emphasize on how important it is to devote time, energy and care to fellow human beings to win people for Christ. ”Being friendly is just not going to get anybody into the kingdom of heaven. Being a friend will” this devotional clearly states. Having only Christian friends should be a no-go situation, both for the sake of spreading the Good news, and for your sake of input, variatey and reflection.

As the devotional does not reside in the archives, I will quote an abstract.

Christians are “With their non-Christian neighbors they are friendly but rarely best friends.”.... I am well acquainted with this kind of thinking. I grew up with it. I was encouraged to be on friendly terms with non-Christians but to have only Christian friends. I'm pretty sure this was more for our protection than anything. Meanwhile, while we were learning to be good Christians, who was left to tell the others about Jesus? Unfortunately that's how we developed gospel tracks and door-to-door evangelism. Hit and run witnessing, I call it. Get in; get out; stay clean.... Being friendly is just not going to get anybody into the kingdom of heaven. Being a friend will. It takes love, patience, and longsuffering with even the most cantankerous of unbelievers for walls of resistance to break down. And it takes time.... Let's think about our neighbors today, and our work related associates, and think about how we can be more than just friendly. Think of it this way: we are the carriers of Christ. If we remain distant, we are depriving others of the opportunity to come into contact with Him. After all, Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27) -- hope for me, hope for you, and hope for our friends. This is why being friendly just isn't good enough.

E: Divine drip 10

There are so many wise individuals out there with so many good thoughts to offer. Purposedrivenlife.com have many, and I share some of the glimpses making me think the most when reading them. Today I will give some thoughts on and quotes from two devotionals which did not wind up in the archives.

”I thirst”
Love is tough. But thinking tough love excludes being vulnerable is wrong. You have to give up something to love. Jesus died to love us, not to make good theology, the message states. Here are some pharagrahps from the devotional.

Jesus Christ didn’t die for us because it made for good theology, He died for us because He loved us, lost us to sin, and gave Himself up to buy us back. By doing this He had to become vulnerable to the very system He created, that we might see how true love behaves. There is a death in love, and that death is the death of self. Jesus died to love us; we die as well in order to love and serve others. And part of that is in being vulnerable.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is ask for help. Jesus asked the woman for a drink and three years later, he was asking for the same thing from the cross—symbolic of the vulnerability He placed Himself into for the whole human race. Being vulnerable to those you love is a big part of love itself.

”The Big, Bad Dinosaur”
The title is from a longer story from the life of the writer, John Fischer, used to enter the topic of authority. Anger and bulling people around does not gain authority, rather weakens respect. Respect cannot be forced. Such a method will backfire.

A core verse is Proverbs 15:1: ”A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”.

I hereby quote the most essential pharagraph:

Is that what authority is -- a raging bull (or in this case… dinosaur)? Well I am beginning to realize it isn't. Authority has a lot more to do with being responsible than it does with being angry or demanding respect. Authority is not something you bull your way into; it's something you earn. And when you have it, you don't have to demand it. Jesus had it -- had the ultimate authority of God Himself -- and He never lorded over anyone. In fact, He used His authority to serve. He needed nothing, so He could give everything He had.

X: Divine drip 9/Himmeldrypp 9

Again I will give a few carefully selected points of which to ponder, gathered from great daily devotionals from PurposeDrivenLife.com. Press the titles to get the original texts.

There is a great difference between fishing and catching fish. Christian are called to be fishermen, to observe, attend and approach people friendly and gently. Only God can do the save.

Tyranny of the urgent. Urgent issues will always be there to interfere and fuzz up reflection, peace and tranquility. Let it go, at least every now and then.

Religion vs spirituality. There is a difference between religion and spirituality, defined in a practical view. Think about the following statements. Religion is trying to please God; spirituality is enjoying God. A religious person sits in church thinking about fishing while a spiritual person goes fishing thinking about God. A religious person is trying to avoid hell; a spiritual person has already been there. Interesting? Read the devotional then.

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Igjen vil jeg gjengi noen utvalgte tanker fra andaktsbolkene som daglig sendes fra PurposeDrivenLife.com (Målrettet Liv).

Det er storforskjell på å fiske og å fange fisk. Som kristne er vi kalt til å være fiskere, å observere, studere fiskens bevegelser, og å nærme oss varsomt og vennlig. Men det er bare Gud som kan redde noen fra verdenshavene.

Øyeblikkets tyranni. Travelheter og “skal bare”-gjøremål vil alltid forekomme, stresse og forhindre tid til refleksjon, bønn og ettertanke. Denne teksten oppfordrer til å legge vekke de påtrengende trivialitetene, omså bare litt i gangen. Selv om tittelen (Tyranny of the Urgent) kommer fra forfatteren Charles E. Hummel, får den meg til å tenke på Owe Wikströms bok Leve Langsomheten, som anbefales og absolutt er relatert til tema.

Religion og åndelighet. Jeg har skrevet mye om religion, spiritualitet, åndelighet, livssyn med videre i den religionssosiologiske delen av min matseroppgave. Denne teksten ser mer på en måte å skille praktiske tilnærminger til Gud. Følgende påstander blir presentert: Religion er å gjøre Gud fornøyd, åndelighet er å nyte Gud. En religiøs person sitter i kirken og tenker på å fiske, mens en åndelig eller spirituell tenker på Gud når han eller hun fisker. En religiøs person prøve å unngå fortapelsen, mens en åndelig person allerede har vært i Helvete. Les mer her.

X: Divine drip 8/ Himmeldrypp 8

As my life currently evolves around the completion of my thesis (to be printed this Monday!), this entry is a rather short, yet very rewarding litertaure recommandation.

I am (sadly) not reading enough non-curriculum nowadays, but I get through some titles every now and again. Few books I read though is in the category “cannot be put aside”. I am (sadly) infrequently real emotional, and it takes a lot to have me tear. That a book does both is very rare.

The publication is not “The Bible” (this time), but “The Heavenly Man”

Let me quote from the introduction to Backtojerusalem.com:

”This is the story of how God took a young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan Province and used him mightily to preach the gospel despite intense persecution [...] Instead of focusing on the many miracles or experiences of suffering, Yun prefers to emphasize the character and beauty of Jesus. “

The history of this radical, Christian man is not only extraordinary and incredible, but true, moving and strengthening. It has the full range from joyous reunions to awful torture.

Liu Zhenying, aka Brother Yun, aka the 'Heavenly Man' is an example of a man who puts God firsts regardsless, and does not hold any grudges for the resistance he faces because of it.

There are many divine drips pouring out between the covers. As I do not possess the English version, I will rather refer you to Crossroad.to which has selection of short exerts from the book for you to enjoy.

Brother Yun is currently living in Germany, but travels the world. If you have met him, I am happy for you, if you have the chance I encourage you to. I have personally not. His story is widely known for many, but for those who has not yet abosrbed the biography, independent of your belief, I strongly recommend this one.

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Ettersom min tilværelse så å si bare dreier seg om å få levert masteroppgaven til trykking førstkommende mandag, blir dette et kort, men veldig givende litteraturtips.

Jeg leste mye ikke-pensum tidligere, og noe nå. Få bøker jeg har lest kommer i kategorien ”kan ikke legge den fra meg”. Jeg er sjelden i emosjonell ubalanse, og det skal mye til å aktivere mine tårekanaler. At en bok gjør det, er svært sjelden. For en uke siden fullførte jeg en bok som klarte begge deler.

Verket er ikke Bibelen (i denne omgang), men ”Den himmelske mann”.

Jeg siterer fra bokkilden.nos omtale:

”Broder Yun kommer fra en fattig landsby i Henan-provinsen i Kina, og er en av lederne for husmenighetene i landet. Han har vært utsatt for mye tortur og flere ganger blitt fengslet som følge av sin tro. Han har til tross for motgangen fortsatt å forkynne evangeliet, og ser det som et privilegie å lide for Jesu skyld.”

Historien til denne radikale, kristne mannen er ikke bare usedvanlig, utrolig men både sann, styrkende og rørende. Her er det alt fra de største gledesscener til utenkelig tortur.

Yun er et eksempel på en som setter Gud først uansett, og ikke legger noe i mellom. Av de mange innsiktsfulle himmeldryppene, skal jeg nevne et fra det avsluttende delen (s309):

Bare fordi du har en kirkebygning, betyr ikke nødvendigvis at Jesus er med deg. Han er ikke velkommen i mange slike bygninger i dag. I Åpenbaringen 3,20 sier Jesus:

”Se jeg står for døren og banker. Om noen hører min røst og åpner døren, da vil jeg gå inn til ham og holde måltid, jeg med ham og ham med meg.”

Dette verset brukes ofte til å invitere mennesker til frelse, men faktisk er det en helt annen sammenheng Jesus talier i. Han stod utenfor døren til menigheten i Laodikea og banket på for å få komme inn.

Kinseren lever fortsatt i beste velgående og har vært i Norge mer enn en gang. Boka kom ut første gang i 2002, men for dem som ikke har latt øynene suge inn biografien, uavhengig av hva man tror på, bør seriøst vurdere det.

X: Easter thesis/Påskeskole

I recently read a blog entry from a Norwegian bishop igniting the thought of how the world had been if Jesus was not crucified.

To be frank, I have spent more time thinking about what would happen if I took a Easter break and did not study full fill time every day from Thursday, after returning from my trip to Italy and San Marino, and Tønsberg (city in Norway where my best friend is from). My Easter days have been spent at my faculty, with the exception of Easter Sunday at a church service.

What these two lines of thought have in common is that I am not too concerned about what could have happened for neither one. In the same way I have laid down some time to complete my thesis before deadline, I believe Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the cross was a divinely timed action to save believers on time.

My presence in the study hall can be acknowledged from checking the log on who has been swapping the access cards at the institute buildings recently, in spite precious few eyewitnesses. Jesus’ death is also funded on a historical event, with more witnesses and accounts than my past few days, and based on no abstract belief out of the blue. The resurrection and Jesus walking about until the ascended into heaven (the Ascension) also have numerous documented encounters. And this in a time where the Roman empire had complete control of the media and whatever was released in the public sphere, orally or in writing. The Romans could easily have stopped or falsified the risen news by displaying the body or explained how hundreds of people were hallucinating simultaneously. They did try to seal and guard the tomb to stop the rumors of someone returning from the dead, but “fell asleep” on duty (which meant death penalty in those days).

None of the hindrances were complete then, and have scientifically been done until this very day. As the phenomenon cannot be explained without taking supernatural powers into account, something that a creator of the world possesses, there will always be someone not willing to accept the core happening in Christianity.

In the first letter to the Corintians (chapter 15, verse 14), Paul writes:

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

Wishing you a happy Easter which you can remember for the good things that did occur, not the bad things taht could have happened.

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Jeg leste et interessant innlegg fra biskop Sigurd Osbergs blogg kalt ”kontrafaktisk påske”. Dette er en diskusjon om hvordan verden hadde vært om Jesus ikke hadde blitt korsfestet.

For å være ærlig har jeg tenkt like mye i det siste på hva som hadde skjedd om jeg hadde tatt påskeferie og ikke brukt hver dag etter at jeg kom tilbake fra Italia, San Marino (torsdag til tirsdg) og Tønsberg (tirsdag til onsdag) til å jobbe med masteroppgaven. Mine påskedager har blitt tilbrakt på universitetet, med unntak av påskemorgen på gudstjeneste i Filadelfia.

Felles for disse to kontrafaktiske tankerekkene for meg er at alternativene til hva som kunne ha skjedd ikke så viktig. På samme måte som jeg vet at jeg har lagt ned en betydelig innsats for å fullføre oppgaven i tide, tror jeg at Jesu offerhandling på korset var guddommelig timet til å redde hver den som tror i tidsnok. Gjort er gjort, punktum.

Min tilstedeværelse på lesesalen kan spores med bruk av mitt IP nummer på macen og bruk av adgangskort i dørene. Selv om jeg har få øyenvitner, vil det ikke bli for vanskelig å redegjøre for mitt alibi. Jesu død bygger på en historisk hendelse og ingen abstrakt tro ut i lufta. Oppstandelsen og Jesu virke frem til himmelfarten har også en drøss med dokumenterte vitner og nedskrevne levninger. Og dette i en tid der Romerriket dominerte og hadde full kontroll over det som slapp ut i det offentlige rom, muntlig eller skriftlig, og kunne lett motbevist eller forhindret spredningen av nyheten ved å vise frem et lik eller forklart hvordan flere hundre personer hadde den samme ”hallusinasjonen” samtidig. De forsøkte å sette segl og vakter foran graven for å unngå påstandene om at Jesus ville gjenoppstå, men ”sovnet på vakt” (som betydde dødsstraff i de dager). Ingen av disse delen ble gjort, og er heller ikke motbevist vitenskapelig like til denne dag. Ettersom fenomenet ikke kan forklares uten å ta hensyn til overnaturlige krefter, noe Gud er og har, vil det alltid være noen som ikke kan gå med på kristendommens viktigste hendelse.

Paulus første brev til korinterne 15:14 (1987-oversettelsen):

Men er Kristus ikke stått opp, da er vårt budskap intet, og deres tro er meningsløs.

Med ønske om en god påske der du vil huske tilbake på de gode opplevelsene, og ikke de fæle som kunne ha funnet sted.

X: Divine drip 7/Himmeldrypp 7

Explanation and other drops here


Platform of Grace

What: Sermon in Norkiken, March 3, 2007
Who: Svein Høysæter (pastor)
Scripture (part of the Bible): Ephesians 2,8-9, John 3:16, Romans 8


* ”Grace” is a word, with which most are not familiar. It means unexpected, undserved goodness.
- The story from ”Les Miserable” is about the change of the main character after his ecounter with the grace of a bishop.
- ”The platform of Grace” is the place or condition where regardless of what we do, all punishment will harm Jesus – who is accused by God. The devil/the accurer himself does not have acces onto this platform.

* The Holy Spirit is also called the spokesman, which can also mean the one called to be on the the side. An image of the Sprit is a solicitor which will confirm and remind you that you are saved because of Jesus.

* Forgiveness
- ”as we forgive those who trespasses against us” cites a bit of the Lord’s Prayer. And Matthew chapter 18 writes about how (endlesly) many times we are to forgive. These are samples of vereses we would like to avoid at times. God cannot stand that we accuse when we have been forgiven ourselves.
- There are however, situations where you are NOT to forgive: When you take the blame upon yourself of wrongdoings others have caused. Rule one is to establish the truth, before blame can be given.
- In other situastions there is extremely tough to forive, if something is exeptionally large or bad, you do not wan the wrongdoer or anyone else to completely forget or neglect the incident.
In that regard, a little exercise can be exectuted: Ask the following two questions and rate yourself on a scale from 1-10 (ten being highest): How well are you at listening...
a) to others?
b) to a person who just did you wrong?

We are to be reminded or enligheten that forgiveness is not synonomous to forgive. It is not a feeling, but a choise to give away one’s right to accuse. Feelings and memories will not dissapear, but one can still live on the platform of grace if one has forgiven. Keep in mind, taht to get anywhere with a wound, there is removal of the alien items in the body before cleaning it up and applying bandage.

* We have the ”right to accuse” (when entering the service, everyone was given a red not with the inscription), but as soon as we do, we leave the platform of grace. The world ”outside” is a regime of accusation, with revente and eye for an eye.
- There are two dangers with stepping of the platform
a) the growth potential of bitterness (Hebrew 12,15), which grows downwards
b) one has to handle others’ accusations and accuse others to stay floating


Jesus was murdered on the cross for our sins. As sin free, this is the
ultimate piece of injustice. Still, even on the cross Jesus said ”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23,34). Also Stephanus, who was stoned to death as the first Christian marthyr, also said ”Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7,60)

Maybe Stephens’ mission was to trig Saul (who was on the site, and make him Paul)? Biblically standing is a sign of honouring someone else. In Stephen's vision before he passes out, Jesus is standing by God’s throne – maybe even clapping? the pastor asked.

During the following communion, after the sermon, people could bring and throw the note in a basket at the feet of a cross at ”the platform of grace.” The basket filled up quickly.


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Forklaring og andre dråper fås her.


Nådens plattform

Hva: Preken i Norkirken, 3. mars 2007
Hvem: Sveing Høysæter (prest)
Bibeltekster: Efeserne 2,8-9, Johannes 3,16 og Romerne 8 (om anklaging)

* Nåde er et et fremmedord; ufortjent, uventea godhet
- Les Miserables er om endringa til hovedpersonen etter et møte med en biskop, eller ettere; biskopens nåde.
- Nådens plattform er stedet/tilstanden der uansett hva det er vi har gjort, vil all straff ramme Jesus – som vil anklages av Gud. Djevelen/anklageren, som ellers stjeler, ødelegger og anklager, har ingen adgang til plattformen.

* Den hellige ånd kalles også talsmennen, som kan bety den som er kalt til å være på siden. DHÅ er din advokat som bekrefter og påminner og forsvarer at du er frelst på grunn av Jesus.

* Tilgivelse.
- En bit av Fader Vår lyder ”som vi forlater våre skyldnere.” Og Matteus’
kapittel 18 tar for seg hvor (uendelig) mange ganger vi skal tilgi. Dette er eksempler på vers man kunne tenke seg å komme utenom. Gud tåler ikke at vi anklager da vi selv har blitt tilgitt.
- Det finnes dog situasjoner der man IKKE skal tilgi: Når du anklager deg selv/tar skylden for noe andre har gjort (mot deg eller andre). Først må sannhet etableres (og så skyld fordeles)
- I andre situasjoner er det ekstra vanskelig å tilgi er hvis noe eksepsjonelt stort er det vanskelig å tilgi, for å unngå at forbryteren eller andre neglisjerer ugjerningen.

En øvelse som illustrere utfodringen: Hvor god er du (på en skala fra 1-10) til å lytte
a) ... til andre generelt?
b) ... til en gjerningsmann som har gjort deg imot

- Men tilgivelse er ikke synonymt med å glemme. Det er ikke en følelse, men et valg eller beslutning om å gi fra seg retten til å anklage. Følelser og minner vil ikke forsvinne, men man kan likevel leve på nådens plattform.

For å komme noen vei med sår, må man først fjerne fremmedlegemet før man forbinder, renser og leger.


* Vi har ”rett til å anklage” (før Gudstjenesten fikk alle en rød lapp utdelt med tekstne på), men da forlater vi også nådens plattform. I verdens anklager-regime er det øye for øye, hevn, fritt frem.

* To farlige ting utenfor nådens plattform;
- framvekst av bitterhet (Heb 12,15). Bitterhet vokser nedover.
- Man må håndtere andres anklager og anklage for å holdes oppe.

Jesus ble drept for våre synder på korset – som syndfri er dette den ultimate urettferdighet. Likevel, selv på korset før Jesus ebbet ut, sa han ”Far, tilgi dem, for de vet ikke hva de gjør” (Luk 23,34). De siste ordene til Stefanus, steinet som den første kristne martyr, var ” Herre, tilregn dem ikke denne synden!” (Apg 7,60).

Kanskje Stefanus’ oppdrag var å løse ut Saulus (til Paulus)? Bibelsk er at den som hyller noen reiser seg. I Stefanus’ syn står Jesus ved Guds trone – kanskje han klapper i hendene også?

Under nattverden var det mulig å ta med seg og legge fra seg lappen med retten til å anklage i en kurv foran et kors på ”nådens alter”. Det ble mange lappper i kurven til slutt.

X: Divine drip 6/Himmeldrypp 6

I was planning to reflect on a bit of deep material in this edition of divine drip, but was reminded of the importance of thankgsgiving. There are so many things appreciate in this world, in our lives, with family, friends, work, study and so on. Most important of all, being content and showing gratitude is also what God intended for us:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states:

Underneath is a selection of and an addition to a list in e-mail I got about half a year ago from my American host mother.

THANK YOU..

* for the girlfriend/wife who says it's spaghetti tonight
because she is home with me, and not out with someone else. For me I'd like to add here a thanks to Darsh for everything she did to me and the outstanding time we had together.

* for the boyfriend/husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato,
because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

* for the assignments and homework I get at uni,
because it means I am getting an education

* for the taxes i pay
because it means i am employed.

* for the mess to clean after a gathering
because it means i h ave been surrounded by friends.

* for the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means i have enough to eat.

* for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing
because it means i have a home.

* for all the complaining i hear about the government
because it means we have freedom of speech.

* for the parking spot i find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means i am capable of walking and i have been blessed with transportation.

* for the lady behind me in church who sings off key
because it means i can hear.

* for the pile of laundry and ironing
because it means i have clothes to wear.

* for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means i have been capable of working hard.

* and finally, for the Internet
as an awesome media to stay in touch with my superb friends and family

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Jeg hadde planlagt litt dyptgående refleksjoner i denne utgaven av himmeldrypp, men ble påminnet viktigheten av å takke – noe som ofte sitter dypt nede. Det er så mange ting vi kan være takknemlige for i dette livet med familie, venner, helse, jobb, studier og så videre. Selv om ikke alt alltid er optimalt, kunne det meste vært mye verre. Våren jeg fullførte videregående, hadde jeg følgende påskrift nederst på russekortet mitt: ”Takk deg glad”. Viktigst i dette budskapet er det faktum at Gud har kalt oss til glede og det å sette pris på det vi har blitt privligerte med.

Paulus første brev til Tessalonikerne i Nytestamentet, 5:16-18, lyder:

Vær alltid glade, be uavbrutt, takk Gud under alle forhold! For dette er Guds vilje med dere i Kristus Jesus.

Under følger min oversettelse av og tilføringer til en liste med eksempler på flere ting som kan virke som en byrde, men som vi heller bør være takknemlige for.


Takk for...

* kjæresten/kona som sier det er fisk og potet nå igjen
fordi hun er hjemme med meg, og ikke ute med noe andre

* for kjæresten/ektemannen som sløver på sofaen
fordi han er hjemme og ikke ute på bar

* for alle oppgavene og jobbinga i forbindelse med skolen
fordi det betyr at jeg får en utdanning

* for skattene jeg betaler
fordi det betyr at jeg har en jobb

* for alt rotet etter en fest/sammenkomst
fordi det betyr at jeg har hatt venner på besøk

* for klærne som begynner å bli litt vel stramme og oppvasken som tårner seg opp
fordi det betyr at jeg har nok å spise

* for plenen som trenger å klippes eller leiligheten som trenger en oppussing
fordi det betyr at jeg har et hjem

* for all kritikken som raser mot regjeringa
fordi det betyr at vi har ytringsfrihet

* for at den eneste ledigste parkeringsplassen alltid er lengst unna inngangen
fordi det betyr jeg er i stand til å gå og har blitt velsignet med transport

* for damen bak meg i kirken som synger så falsk
fordi det betyr at jeg kan høre

* for stabelen med skittentøy og klær til stryking
fordi det betyr at jeg har klær

* for trøtthet i kroppen eller småskader fra trening
fordi det betyr att jeg er i stand til å arbeide hardt

* og ikke minst for Internett
fordi det er et så bra medium for å holde kontakt med alle mine herlig venner og familie

X: Divine drip 5/Himmeldrypp 5

The first entries in this blog serires have been talks I have heard live. I have also been subsribing to a free daily devotional from Purposedrivenlife.com in about 1,5 years. I have learned and grown a fair bit. Some days I feel are particularly well written, and I store the e-mail. I will give a brief synopopsis of the main message or what spoke to me from the first two below (click the link to go to the original text).

Uncover not discover.
John Fischer, which is the main writer for this devotional, says we are like secrets agent investigating to reveal that God’s fingerprints are all over everything in nature and made by man. We are only uncovering what God has made. It is time to look into, not just at things.

Church is not a building.
”Service station” is a comfty jazz café in Washington state (US) with live music and a good atmosphere. Sunday nights there is a brief talk in addition to the music, by the husband of the couple owning the joint – who happens to be a pastor. Rather than pulling people to a unfamiliar church building, they built relationship and share in the heart of the city – to the heart of the visitors.

BTW: For those of you who haven’t read Rick Warren’s book, Purpose Driven Life, should really consider taking the 40 day journey with 40 chapters of great insight and reflection - about your and God’s meaning of life.

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Dråpene så langt har vært prekener inntatt i realtid. I over 1,5 år har jeg abonnert på det gratis mailinglist med andakt fra purposedrivenlife.com (målrettet liv). Jeg har lært og vokst på disse daglige inputene per e-post. De jeg liker best, lagrer jeg i en mappe. I dag skal jeg oppsummere to av dem. Lenken er til originalen på engelsk.

* John Fischer, som er hovedskribent for andaktene, snakker her om å om å avdekke og ikke oppdage Gud. Vi er som hemmelige agenter som driver etterforskningsarbeid for å erkjenne at Guds fingeravtrykk er på alt og alle, fra trærne i skogen til skjermen du leser på nå. Man ser ikke disse med det blotte øyet, men behøver riktig letemetode – Den hellige ånd. Det er på tide å utforske, ikke bare se på ting.

* Kirken er ikke en bygning. ”Service station” (tjenstestasjon) er navnet på en populær, koslig jazzkafe i staten Washington i USA. Her er det levende musikk i helgene og generelt god stemning og mange besøkende. På søndagskvelder er det en liten andakt i tillegg til musikken, holdt av mannen i ekteparet som eier stedet – en mann som også er pastor. I stedet for å prøve å dra kirkefremmede inn i fremmede kirker, bygger dette ekteparet relasjoner og deler med sine handlinger og glede i hjertet av byen – og når inn i hjertene til de frivillig besøkende.

PS: Om du ennå ikke har lest Rick Warrens, Målrettet liv, taster jeg herved mine sterkeste anbefalinger for enn lærerik, oppbyggelig reise gjennom 40 dager, med 40 kapitler til refleksjon og innsikt i meninga med livet.