Really! Leviticus 25:35-55

Several of you have asked how my class on Leviticus has been going. That's right, kids! I have spent an entire semester in a class studying the book of Leviticus. I will be honest. I did not go in with high expectations. I have been pleasantly surprised. It has been more interesting than I expected.

One of my assignments was to write a paper on a selected passage from the book. My passage, Leviticus 25:35-55, presents God's law for helping poor Israelites. Today, I have posted an exegetical outline of the passage. In the coming days, I will post my analysis of the passage, as well as some application for us today.

My encouragement to you is to read the passage. Open your heart and mind to what the Holy Spirit can teach you. I hope you enjoy the next few posts. If you learn or discover something new, please comment. Your new insight might prove helpful for someone else!

Exegetical Outline of Leviticus 25:35-55

Rather than a traditional outline, the three sections of this passage seem to answer the same series of problems or questions:

a. What is the problem? (Problem)

b. What is the solution? (Solution)

c. What conditions or obligations must be met? (Conditions/Obligations)

d. What is the goal or purpose? (Goal/Purpose)

e. What is the motivation? (Motivation)

I. Verses 35-38

a. Problem: Hebrew brother becomes poor, or experiences a “cash flow problem” (35).

b. Solution: Other Israelites are to loan him food and/or money (35, 37).

c. Conditions/Obligations: No interest or profit is to be made on these loans (36, 37).

d. Goal/Purpose: The brother is to continue to live in the land (35)

e. Motivation: Fellow Israelites are to be motivated by God’s deliverance from Egypt (38).

II. Verses 39-46

a. Problem: An Israelite brother falls into a more severe level of poverty (39).

b. Solution: He is to become the slave, or servant, or a fellow Israelite (39).

c. Conditions/Obligations: He is not to be treated harshly, but as a servant or day laborer. He is to be released at the year of jubilee (40, 43).

d. Goal/Purpose: He is to continue to live in the land (41).

e. Motivation: They are God’s servants, therefore they cannot be slaves of another (42).

III. Verses 47-55

a. Problem: An Israelite brother falls into a most severe level of poverty (47).

b. Solution: He can become the slave, or servant, or a stranger or sojourner living among them (47).

c. Conditions/Obligations: The Israelite servant retains the right to be redeemed, either by a family member or himself (48, 49). He is not to be treated harshly, but as a hired servant (53). He is to be released at the year of jubilee (54).

d. Goal/Purpose: He is to continue to live in the land. This is implied by the facts that he is to be able to be redeemed and is to be released at the year of jubilee (48, 54).

e. Motivation: They are to be motivated by the fact that they are God’s servants (55).

Children's Park

Last week we had a few moments to kill downtown while waiting to pick up one of the kids' friends at the hospital (not really as weird as it sounds). We went to one of my childrens' favorite places to play - the Children's Park.

This park was built within the past few years and is right on South Broadway by Hogg middle school. It is built down into a hidden area where the traffic of Broadway seems to fade away. The park was built by the Children are a Gift foundation and was supported by many, many people here in Tyler and then donated to the city for upkeep. This park's goal was to serve as a memorial for the many loved children in Tyler who have died but also to honor those children still with us.

There are many sad memories for me here as a labor and delivery nurse - I walk the paths and remember names of families and babies that I have crossed paths with during sad times. My mother thinks that it is kind of morbid but I also have happy memories as I see a new stone added with the name of a child who has been added to a bereaved family.

Best of all I love to see my children play here - there are no swing sets, no rides and nothing fancy. Just a well planted garden, some statues and some waterfalls. They love to watch the fish and tadpoles (that's what they call them, I always make them bathe when we get home) in the pond and when it's warm I let them take off their shoes and go wading or splash in the water fall. We rarely come home dry.

The next pretty day take your kids to the children's park - it's a good reminder of how precious they are!

And it's a great thing about Tyler.

Join the Movement: The Announcement

Over the next few weeks, I (along with my crack producer Todd Wright) will be putting together an all new web show. I expect it to be an unbelievable amount of fun, both for me and all of you who watch and participate with me. One of the thrusts of the show will be food competition. For the first webisode, I will be comparing and reviewing...

APPETIZERS!

The rules for this episode are simple:
1. Decide on a restaurant appetizer for me to try. It can be from any restaurant in the Tyler area. It can be your favorite or it can be one that you think looks interesting but are afraid to try. It cannot be a sampler platter; it must be a single appetizer item.
2. You must email your nomination directly to me. If you leave it as a comment, I will ask you to resubmit it in email form. You must send it to wjcollier3 (at) gmail.com. (replace (at) with @.)

I will compile the nominations and try the top three. When the video is released, it will be available here and in a variety of other places.

Here is a video from my crack producer telling you more about the project:

"Great Values" Don't Have to Come from Wal-mart!

As you know by now I am writing about a variety of great things about Tyler, TX. As you will soon learn from my husband's new project a subject very near and dear to our family is groceries! I have learned in my conversations with other women that my family tends to be big eaters. Trying to live on a budget means that the food part is where shopping frugally can have the biggest impact. Plus I just love a good bargain!

Now you're probably thinking to yourself - we already know about Wal-mart! Yes, Wal-mart can have a positive impact on the bottom line - however, lately they have disappointed me. Yes, the ever faithful weekly shopper has discovered that many items can be had for cheaper elsewhere or at least at the same price. Did you know that Wal-mart will no longer accept computer/printer generated coupons!?! So if you like Coupon Bug or any of the other sites offering coupons you will have to do your shopping elsewhere. They also advertise that they will honor competitors' sale prices - just not on store brands - it has to be the exact same item! So I have turned my attention to scouring the weekly ads in an effort to change our family's bottom line.

As I began to shop these competitors to pick up their "loss leaders" - I am not too embarrassed to go into a store and buy just the items that they have advertised on sale and then shamelessly give them some coupons as well - I noticed that one store in particular could just about match Wal-mart penny for penny! This store was Super One - I shop the one on Troup highway. The store was clean, the employees were friendly and I have never had to get a rain check! There is plenty of parking and guess what? They're open 24 hours as well! Another bonus is that they often have produce on clearance - a bag of tomatoes or avocados or bananas or "variety" bag for just $2! It just makes you want to take up canning and freezing! Their store brand "Food Club" is every bit as good as "Great Value". During the fall they ran a special that involved buying 10 gallons of gas at the pump - show your receipt in the store and save 5% on your entire order! They often have coupons in the paper to save $5 off an order of $50 - that's 10%!

As an experiment I did all my grocery shopping here one week and spent the same amount as I would have at Wal-mart - probably saved a little more because they had Golden Brook Ice Cream on sale. In my opinion it is just as good as Blue Bell and I'd have had to buy that at Wal-mart to match taste!

Milk is on sale this week 4/15 - 4/21 for $1.98 a gallon! That's a great price! The milk is all the way at the back so take some time and look around - look at the prices of some of the other things that you regularly buy. Let me know what you think!

Super One - it's a great thing about Tyler!

Pastor's Wife

Several years ago, I did the smartest thing I could possibly have done. I married She Who Must Be Obeyed. When we married, I was involved in a very different career than I am currently pursuing. Since that time, I have sensed a drawing or calling from God to serve Him and His people in the ministry. The big question is: Did she experience a similar call?

I believe the Bible teaches that marriage is to last a lifetime. Additionally, I want MY marriage to last a lifetime. I believe that a calling by God into the ministry is a calling into a vocation, but it is more than that. It requires a level of submission and obedience that may include major lifestyle changes for the entire family. If our marriage is to remain healthy, we must be in agreement about this calling and these changes. God has richly blessed me with a wife who is in agreement about these things.

I am trying to remain conscious of the fact that she did not marry a pastor, she married a man who would go on (hopefully) to become a pastor. There is a difference. I want to be sensitive to her feelings. I pray God will help me continue to be sensitive to that.

On a more humorous note: I hope to avoid this trap as well. Enjoy the video.