All The Lonely People

I don't mean this to be a depressing post but I was at an IT Conference in Philly today and while traveling to and from I was thinking but how lonely our society has become. While sitting on the train there was absolute silence with the majority of people (and I'm guilty of this to) looking at their phones. Along the way I noticed the suicide prevention posters that Septa posted at every station and thought to myself no wonder suicide is such a problem when no one says hello to anyone any more and there is very little human contact. I felt really alone at the conference as well (granted IT people are not known for being extroverts) but I thought how strange for all these people to come together and not talk to anyone. I managed to have a conversation with two people, one was a student from Nigeria who is here in the states for training and the other person was a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin. On the way home there was silence on the train again as I thought about how we barely stop to notice people any more. All of this to say that I need to do a better job of smiling at people and at least saying hello. You never know what that little bit of human contact can do for a person, especially one who may be hurting.

Part II of 365 Day Bible Plan

Tammy and I are almost through Numbers in our Bible reading and before I move on to other things I wanted to add something about the Levitical law that I have always found fascinating. Along with holiness there is a huge emphasis on clean and unclean. Leviticus 11 and clean and unclean animals has always been interesting to me. One of my favorite commentaries I think I ever read was Gordon Wenham's commentary on Leviticus. I went back and re-read his notes on Chapter 11 and he mentions Mary Douglas anthropological approach to understanding it. Mary Douglas said holiness wasn't just about what should not be done but also about wholeness or integrity. Thus the animal world is divided into spheres where each sphere had a particular mode of motion associated with it. Those animals in a sphere that did not adhere to a particular motion were unclean. Now this explanation does not entirely help to explain the clean and unclean animals but I was struck by the notion of holiness as wholeness or integrity. It reminds me that holiness isn't about a set of rules and regulations but God's desire to see his people complete and whole. In this broken world its nice to know that one day God will make all things new and restore the World through Christ.

The 365 Day Bible Plan

Tammy (my wife) and I have set a goal for ourselves of reading through the entire Bible together in one year. We are using a 365 day chronological Bible and it has been a rewarding experience. We are currently in the book of Numbers and I have always been interested in the Levitical law. I can't imagine having to live under the law like the Israelites were commanded to (praise God there is grace because of Jesus) but at the same time I can't help but feel that we are missing out on a thorough understanding of the character of God by neglecting it. 

Reading through the law is a powerful reminder of God's holiness and His desire for Israel to be separated from the other nation's of the world. It is amazing how many times God says to the Israelites that they must not approach His presence unless certain conditions were met or they will die. This brings home the fact that being in God's presence is nothing to take lightly. 

I think it is helpful to remind ourselves of this because in our culture and in our churches God is often seen as a buddy or best friend. Reading the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) makes you realize pretty quickly that God is not to be trifled with. After reading the law I come away with a greater appreciation of Jesus and His interceding on my behalf.

My Purpose For Writing

I must admit I have a lot of difficulty with blogs. I've read some that were incredibly insightful; where the author didn't just talk about him or herself but engaged the issues and made it something larger than himself. I've read some on the other side of the spectrum that were vain and where the author mainly talked about what they ate that day and who they hung out with. 

I want this blog to be the former. I want it to be a place where I can express my thoughts but also a place where the reader feels like they are part of a larger discussion. My hope is this blog will be a place where I can record my theological, political, and every day musings and enable a rich discussion that is edifying to the reader and to God. All of that leads into the title of this blog. 

The threshing floor has rich connotations in the Bible, The threshing floor is where the grain was removed from the husk and the tares (or false grain) were separated from the wheat. It was an important place of activity in an agricultural society like ancient Israel. It was associated with blessing because during the harvest all the wheat was sent there to be processed. It was also a place where significant events occurred in the life of Israel. While Gideon wasn't in an actual threshing floor when beating out wheat, because of the threat of the Midianites, he was threshing wheat when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him saying he would save the Israelites from the Midian's (Judges 6:11-14). 

God also allowed David to purchase the threshing floor from the Jebusite and use it as the location of the temple (Chronicles 3:1). So the threshing floor was in some respects a place where the people met with God. Thus, the name of this blog reflects my desire to be a place of blessing and where God manifests His presence. I hope those of you reading this blog are edified by the discussions.

God Bless,

Adam Kaczor