and beginning with Moses

Preliminary Notes: In order to prepare for this first post, I suggest that you read through Genesis chapter 1. It is the premier chapter of the Bible and, in my opinion, nothing else in the Bible makes the remotest sense if you have not read this chapter and thought through it, deeply. Second, I want to be clear that while my writing is informed by 30+ years of reading, studying, teaching, and preaching the Bible (supplemented with a four year degree from an accredited Bible college) I am not writing a scholarly treatise or commentary. I am simply writing as a lay-person who opens up the book and reads and waits for the Holy Spirit to inform me. So while I think there is one objective to the Scripture, namely Jesus' revelation, I think this also means that on different days the Spirit may reveal different things and thus the takeaway on that day may be different than the day before. Anyhow, to the work... I imagine myself opening this giant book for the first time, this Bible. Mayb

 Most of us have seen that little sticker on a map at the mall that says, "You Are Here".   Most of us realize that this sticker is very helpful when seeking to know where we are at and where we want to head. For much of my Christian life, I have felt very comfortable in saying I know exactly where I am at and I know exactly where I am going.  But today I am not so sure or certain. Let me introduce myself. My name is David Rawls and I have been friends with my co-blogger Jerry for over 30 years.  We met in Bible College when we both were ready to fight anyone who did not see the World as we saw it.  We had all the answers or at least were being taught all the right answers to combat the heathen and the misguided Christian. During those days I knew precisely where I was at and where I and others needed to head.  Today I am not so confident. To be honest I have gone through a deconstruction process over the last decade or so. Things that I once cherished and thought were the be

 Hello. Welcome to And beginning with Moses. My name is Jerry.  I've been a blogger for a while (I think my first blog was started in 2007), but lately I have slipped a bit in my writing. This is because time and work and family have been a significant priority. I still maintain a blog at wordpress called Reading and Thinking Through the Daily Office . I hope someday that I'll be back to writing that blog too.  Anyhow, this is a new adventure that I am excited to start. A friend of mine named Dave will also be writing here as well but I'll let him introduce himself in his own post.  The idea behind this blog is avoid all the clutter and just read the Bible as it is, as I have it, as it has been given to me. Jesus said to his disciples after the resurrection: "'O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all t