TSBT - The Torah (One YEAR in the Torah

 The TORAH

Ten Second Bible Talk (#TSBT) 

 

This week on TMBT: the end of Deuteronomy!

 

Y'all. We made it through the Torah!!  That's 187 chapters across five books in the Bible!

(Who else discovered they'd been sleeping on Leviticus? )

 

To celebrate, we're taking a page from Spotify's book with Torah Wrapped. Check out some stats from our journey through the OT. I've also got a timely spiritual practice for y'all this week. 

TORAH Wrapped

Way back in January 2022, TMBT started its journey through the Torah (and the TMBT Newsletter was born to help answer the question, 'What the heck is going on here?'). Between the podcast and the newsletter, we covered a lot of ground.    3 Truths from the Torah: Jensen's TMBT episode today provides a helpful time to reflect on what the Torah teaches us today. Here are three truths she identifies: God is telling a bigger story. Humans are not the hero. God is always faithful! Listen to the full episode: Lessons From a Year in the Torah   Some "Wait, What? " Moments: The Bible (especially the OT) def has tricky parts. Because we're separated from events in the Torah by language, culture, and time, it's tough to know what we don't know. This, in turn, makes it hard to know what to think about those seemingly problematic parts of the Bible.    To name a few: Do angels have sex with humans to create a scary giant race? Was God cool with Jacob having 2 wives? Does that mean he thinks polygamy is okay?? Why does the Day of Atonement include sending a goat to the desert god Azazel? Remember these two guiding principles as you seek to understand these strange parts: The inclusion of information in a story doesn’t mean it’s good. It means it happened. God is consistent. If something seems off, it might be your understanding of what's going on.   Songs Studied: Music allows us to remember and internalize truths differently than we do when we read or hear about them.  This means listening to songs about God and faith can help us learn in different ways.   Here are some songs we studied in the TMBT Newsletter: "Be Thou My Vision" by Audrey Assad "Psalm 126" by Sojourn Music "Jesus is More" by Crossing Music "Sweet Comfort" by Sandra McCracken "Cast Your Cares" by Guvna B "Promises" by Maverick City Music   Your Time in the Torah: If you kept up from the beginning of the Torah series, you listened to Ten Minute Bible Talks for 31 hours, 57 minutes, and 20 seconds!   Real talk: God is currently working through the time you spent learning about his word, changing your life. Keep it up!  Practice a Spiritual Practice Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. In my family growing up, it was a time to eat lots of food and share something you're thankful for around the dinner table.    Though Thanksgiving is a national holiday, it provides an intentional opportunity for followers of Jesus to live out Paul's exhortation:   Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   Notice the three things we should be doing *all the time*. So when you're doing any of these, Jesus's will is that you do all of them: Rejoice Pray Give Thanks Why does God want these things for you? Imagine what your life would be like if you were constantly rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks.   Your brain would be so full that there'd be no room for worry, fear, selfishness, or any other icky thoughts. You'd be completely aware of God's presence because you'd never stop talking to him and delighting in him. You'd see your whole life through the lens of his goodness and provision.    Tbh, it sounds too good to be true. (Or at least, easier said than done.)   I think the struggle to do any one of these (rejoicing, praying, giving thanks) comes with the fact that we often try to tackle them one at a time. In reality, they each inform and inflate each other.     So this week, celebrate Thanksgiving by giving all of this passage of Thessalonians a shot.   This week's challenge: Give Thanks. Don't just "give thanks" in some abstract way. Instead, intentionally tell God about how thankful you are, listing the many ways he's blessed your life. Then spend time emotionally processing each one, creating space to notice how the things that trigger thankfulness make you feel.   Here's how: Over the holiday weekend, set aside time for you and God. Write out a list of things you're thankful for, big and small.  Pray slowly through each item on the list, telling God about why you're thankful for it.  Answer questions like, "What does this add to or make possible in my life?", "How is God involved in this?", "Why did God give me this good gift?" Once you've worked through the list, notice how you feel about God in light of his good gifts. Tell him about it.  God is moving in your life. The more you give thanks, the more you'll notice to be thankful for. And the more you bring these to God in prayer, the more you'll experience his presence. You'll be rejoicing in no time!