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Thursday, January 1, 2009

Hello awesome family of God! Happy New Year to all of you! What a great way to start the new year with God's incredible word! First I want to thank everyone who has put so much work and time into making this happen. I am so grateful to all of you. I will pray for all of you to continue to do great things for God always! :) Well, I read our first reading and wow! Every time I read God's word I learn something new. Something I never saw before, I guess it's the Spirit leading me into a new direction for wisdom and deeper understanding. I have to agree with Dean in regards to having so many questions about the beginning. Hmmm?? I trust that God will reveal it to us in his time. :) The main thing that really stood out to me in this two chapters was God's love for us. It is amazing how he blessed us, (Gen 1:28), he entrusted us with all creation (Gen 1:28), he provided every good thing for us to live (Gen 1:29), we are perfectly made in his eyes (Gen 1:31) question is...why do we doubt? Hmm?. Love, love is what I see from him. Something else that really stood out was the fact that God took time and had a plan to create the world and us. God is a God of order. Wow! We need to imitate him. Everything that is worth fighting for will take time and it has to be orderly. Our characters, the transformation of our minds in becoming more like Christ. Questions that came to mind...Why do we fight God's plan? Why do we run from God when all he wants to do is love us? Hmm??? Looking forward to tomorrows lesson. One more thing....Who can please explained more about the rivers? Where are they located here on Earth? I am not a geography expert. :) I am completely lost. Love you guys.

1 comment:

hananiah said...

The Garden of Eden is believed by most to have existed somewhere in the modern day Middle East. Assuming the Tigris and Euphrates of today are the exact same as the ones mentioned in Genesis, Mesopotamia ["the cradle of civilization"](Iraq) seems to be the likely area for the Garden. But over thousands of years the topography can change; rivers can dry up, be diverted or reattributed, so nothing is certain.

Most don't agree where the other two rivers lie, since there are not major modern day rivers named Pishon and Gihon. Satellite pictures show two dry riverbeds approaching the Persion Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates empties. Therefore, some believe that northern Persian delta (area where rivers difuse or branch into large plains or a larger body of water) is about where the Garden was. With the rise of sea-level in the last few thousand years, the shoreline has altered greatly, so many speculate that the original location of Eden is submerged just beyond the coast of Iraq and Kuwait. Some say the submersion may play a role in the Great Flood account with Noah.

But Genesis speaks of headwaters, or the origins, of the four rivers is where Eden is found; which is the southern mountains of Turkey if we follow the modern day Tigris and Euphrates. Some say the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf or somewhere in Africa. Some say Jerusalem citing biblical references outside of Genesis. Mormons have said Eden was in the Americas, specifically in Missouri.

Others say the Garden of Eden is a metaphor. Perhaps the reason for the lack of certainty is for the allowance of faith.