Search This Blog

Subscribe

Monday, September 23, 2024

Class Assignment: Exile Experiences

Exile Experiences

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” (Daniel 1:1–2, LEB)[1]

My name is Geula [DGW1] (גְּאוּלָה), and I was only about ten when they took many of my friends to Babylon. As a girl, I wasn’t allowed to enjoy the learning of the boys, but I knew Daniel and the three shovavim that would end up following him. Daniels younger brothers were my friends. They even taught me to read Hebrew by scratching the letters into the dirt. They agreed it was a silly rule and we all thought we’d change it when I grew up and made the rules. That’s when Babylon came, defeated our soldiers, and our king switched allegiances. Babylon took many of my friends. My brother Aharon was killed that day, with so many others, before the king switched sides. The boys were taken during the first deportation, while I remained in Jerusalem under the vassal king, Jehoiakim.

Loosing many of my friends, especially the ‘smart’ ones was hard. I still practiced my letters when nobody was looking, brushing it away quickly if any adults came looking. After the breaking, one day, I looked down the road and Aliyah’s parents were walking toward our bakery. I expected to see Aliyah, but she wouldn’t be there, then I remembered she was taken, and my chest ached. Her parents’ shoulders were slumped forward, their faces seemed hollow and sunken. I offered them a bite of our freshest bread. I think they saw her in me, because Aliyah’s ima would jostle my hair and offer a tight smile, then wipe her eyes a little before she would turn away to speak with my parents. When she did that, my eyes burned, my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breath, but I shoved it down, to be strong for Aliyah’s ima. Most days, though, I just felt numb, like my laughter had disappeared. I helped around the bakery, eventually taking it over as I got older.

The adults whispered about how the Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom of Israel away many generations ago, but they never believed it could happen to us, not in Yehuda, especially not in Yerushalaym, the very home of HaShem. Then again, my parents argued bitterly with The Cohanim, that if they had not allowed all of the other Elohim such prominence in our high places, HaShem would not have allowed Babylon to come in the first place. The Cohanim waved them off dismissively.

In many ways, life seemed to carry on normally, until I was 18. I was running the bakery with my ima when some the shofar began blowing all throughout the city, and men came running down the streets yelling that the Babylonians had come, with Chaldeans, Aram, Moab, and Ammonites as well. People began throwing closed their shops, locking their doors, and looking for the hiding places we’d dug out in case this day ever came. I couldn’t move, I was too numb, too frozen. I watched the chaos begin around me, while my ima and I just stood there, covered in flour dust. Eventually, aba came into the room and found us just standing there, and he shook us into movement. We closed everything, and went into hiding. We stayed there for months, eating what bread we had stored, making little cakes over dung fires from our storage reserves. We heard about horrible things people were doing in other parts of the city just to eat something.

The Vassal King, Jehoiakim thought he would ignore the Tributes we owed to Babylon after he initially switched allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t like that much and showed up outside our walls. It’s been almost a year now, and we have no food left. We suck on bread sacks, hoping for a bit of the stale flour. My Parents have discussed sneaking passed the city guards to surrender to the Babylonians, because that couldn’t be worse then living in the city, could it? Then, we got word this evening that Jehoiakim died mysteriously, nobody was very upset about it or asked too many questions. The guards opened the gates and let the invaders come in, surrendering to them, placing the body of Jehoiakim in front of the gate. What will this mean for me? What will happen to us? Could it be worse than starving to death in my own city, the city of HaShem, Yerushalaym? I will lay myself on HaShem’s mercy, perhaps I can find favor in my new home, when they take me away, as long as stay faithful to Adonai, like my friends Daniel is rumored to have done.

 

And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the exiles, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon… “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few. And seek the prosperity of the city where I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its prosperity you will have prosperity.’ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, deceive you, and you must not listen to your dreams that you are causing them to dream. For they are prophesying falsely to you in my name; I have not sent them,’ declares Yahweh. For thus says Yahweh, ‘As soon as the time has passed, seventy years for Babylon, I will attend to you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope. Then when you call me, and you come and pray to me, then I will listen to you. When you search for me, then you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. And I will let myself be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will restore your fortunes, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.’” (Jeremiah 29:1–14, LEB)

 



[1] The Lexham English Bible (LEB), Fourth Edition, Logo Bible Software, Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.) (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2010), Referenced during this reflection: Daniel 1:1–2, 2 Kings 23:34–24:7, 2 Chronicles 36:4–8, Jeremiah 22:18–19, 29:4–7, 36:23, http://www.lexhampress.com.


 [DGW1]A Hebrew name that represents "return" or "end of an era" is "Geula" (גְּאוּלָה).

Geula (גְּאוּלָה)

·         Meaning: The name Geula means "redemption" or "deliverance" in Hebrew.

·         Significance: In Jewish tradition, Geula signifies the act of being redeemed or liberated from a state of exile or hardship. It often refers to the prophesied future redemption of the Jewish people and the end of a difficult period, symbolizing both a return to a promised state and the end of an era of suffering.

·         Usage: Geula is used as a feminine given name in Hebrew-speaking communities.

Contextual Significance

·         Biblical References: The concept of Geula is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, where it denotes God's saving actions on behalf of His people.

·         Cultural Meaning: The name embodies hope, renewal, and the transition into a new and better phase, making it synonymous with the end of an era and the beginning of another.

Alternative Names

·         Shuv (שׁוּב): Derived from the Hebrew root meaning "return," though it's less commonly used as a given name.

·         Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה): Meaning "God comforts," associated with the return to Jerusalem and rebuilding after the Babylonian exile.

·         Aliyah (עֲלִיָּה): Meaning "ascent" or "going up," commonly used to refer to the act of immigrating to Israel, symbolizing a return to the homeland.






 

Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!
Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)
Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ


Wednesday, September 18, 2024

What is my mission... do I know?

Pondering the future... while watching this video `Marketing Expert Reveals Secret For Building an Audience That Buys | Seth Godin`, Seth said (~paraphrase) "what is your mission... what is the minimum audience to support your mission?"









 

Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!
Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)
Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ


Monday, September 2, 2024

Get To Know You Bio

I am Darrell G Wolfe, Storyteller, Writer, Thinker, Armchair Theologian, Reconstructing The Way of Yeshua at www.NoHiding.Faith. I hail from North Idaho (near Coeur dAlene).

I grew up as a pastor’s kid in the Disciples of Christ (DOC), my dad was an alcoholic pastor (MDiv, DMin) turned atheist crack-addict psychologist (MFT). Meanwhile, I was having visions and spiritual experiences as a child that did not match the experiences of others in my circles. After our family left the ministry in 1996 (16-years old for me), I went through multiple expressions and traditions, and landed in the Word of Faith / Pentecostal movement for years (2003-2018).

After a mental health crises and recover in 2016-2017, then loosing my late-wife in 2018, I was spurred by questions my kids and I didn’t have the framework to answer. I finally took the journey I had been avoiding for decades and went to Bible School. I completed my BA in General Christian Studies at The Kings University (TKU) in December 2022.

Recently, after spending time soul-searching, I realized I was answering an awful lot of questions for people about the Bible. I found myself reading biblical scholarship in my free time, and missing my access to EBSCOhost, JSTOR, and other repositories of academic journal articles. I found myself hungry for more. So here I am, at Fuller Theological Seminary, getting a MATS, with very little idea as to whether this will always be a passion-project or if it will ever pivot into a paid career.

Meanwhile, my “tent making job” is a Business Intelligence Analyst (BIA) where I write SQL, Python, and work with Excel, Power BI, and Tableau for a local county agency.

I am remarried to a fellow widow, and together we have six kids ranging 12-27.

Other terms that describe me:

  • AuDHD
  • INFJ/INTP (INXX)
  • Clifton Strengths: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
    • But I’m curious to see if those changed since 2014, having experienced such a massive upheaval in my own personal growth, AuDHD demasking, etc.
  • SciFi, Fantasy nerd, recently completed:
    • Wheel of Time
    • He Who Fights With Monsters
    • Mistborn
  • Current Top Favorite Bible Thinkers: Michael Heiser, Tim Mackie, NT Wright, Mark Nanos, Mark Kinzer, Thorsten Moritz

The books that made me:

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity, n.d. https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-God-Israel-Testaments-Christology/dp/0802845592.

Cloud, Henry, and John Sims Townsend. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life. Updated and Expanded [edition]. Boundaries. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2017.

———. How to Have That Difficult Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding: With Your Spouse, Adult Child, Family, Boss, Coworker, Friend, Parent or Someone You’re Dating. Boundaries. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2006.

Du Plessis, David. The Spirit Bade Me Go: The Astounding Move of  God in the Denominational Churches. Alucha, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1970.

Du Plessis, David, and Bob Slosser. A Man Called Mr. Pentecost: David Du Plessis as Told to Bob Slosser. Plainfield, N.J.: Logos International, 1977.

Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2002.

———. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2003.

Hamp, Bob. Think Differently Live Differently Keys to a Life of Freedom. Southlake, Texas, USA: bobhamp.com, 2016. https://tdacad.com/product/think-differently-live-differently-book/.

Heiser, Michael. Angels: What the Bible Really Says about God’s Heavenly Host, 2018. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1900613.

———. Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020.

———. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. First edition. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015.

Kinzer, Mark. “Finding Our Way Through Nicaea: The Deity of Yeshua, Bilateral Ecclesiology, and Redemptive Encounter with the Living God.” Kesher Journal 24 / SUM 210 (2010). https://www.kesherjournal.com/article/finding-our-way-through-nicaea-the-deity-of-yeshua-bilateral-ecclesiology-and-redemptive-encounter-with-the-living-god/.

Moraff, Jason. “‘Among My Own Nation’: Reading the Way, Paul, and ‘the Jews’ in Acts within Judaism.” Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology, Center for Advanced Theological Studies, 2021.

Nanos, Mark D. “Paul and Judaism, Why Not Paul’s Judaism.” Reading Paul Within Judaism : Collected Essays of Mark D. Nanos, Vol. 1. Part 1 A New Approach to the Apostle Paul as a Torah-Observant Jew. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE2OTE4MzhfX0FO0?sid=c0e38d84-c9c6-45ca-a253-4921d0fce688@redis&vid=9&format=EK&rid=2.

Rudolph, David J., and Joel Willitts, eds. Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.

Sailhamer, John. The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary. Library of Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1995.

Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature. Zondervan, 2014. https://www.amazon.com/Emotionally-Healthy-Spirituality-Impossible-Spiritually/dp/B08SHX5632/ref=sr_1_6?crid=30T0P57ZF972Q&keywords=The+Emotionally+Healthy+church&qid=1643520881&s=books&sprefix=the+emotionally+healthy+churc%2Cstripbooks%2C221&sr=1-6.

Schiffman, Lawrence H., and Chaim Potok. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of Christianity, the Lost Library of Qumran. Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Pr, 2009.

Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971.

Tverberg, Lois, and Ann Spangler. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. E-Edition via Logos Bible Software. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018.

Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2010. https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=2030851.

Welton, Jonathan. Raptureless. 3rd Edition Printing. Place of publication not identified: Bookbaby, 2015. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4188734.

Witherington, Ben. Reading and Understanding the Bible. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press USA, 2015.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. 1st North American ed. Vol. 2 of Christian Origins and the Question of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. https://www.logos.com/product/37361/christian-origins-and-the-question-of-god-series.

Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco, CA: HarperOne an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2014.

Wright, N. T. The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion. San Francisco, CA: HarperOne an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2018.

Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. London : Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK ; Zondervan Academic, 2019.

Yancey, Philip. Where Is God When It Hurts? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1997.

David DuPlessis  - “Forgiveness” June 30, 1967  Pm. Audio Recording: Posted to YouTube by Jay Hearn, 1967.

Prohibition Theology (@prohibitiontheology). TikTok Channel, n.d. https://www.tiktok.com/@prohibitiontheology.






 

Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!
Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)
Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ


Tiene & Dilbert

“Come Dilbert,” Tiene called. “That’s a good dragon.” 

Dilbert, a four legged, blue-purple-teal, irredentist-scaled, leather-winged, flying lizard, approximately the size of a fat house cat, soared across the room and landed on Tiene’s shoulder. 

“I’m 150 years old,” Dilbert said in a soft whine, after perching on Tiene’s shoulder. “You needn’t speak to me like we were kids.”

“If I don’t tease you every once in a while, you sulk. Besides, you’ll always be my little dragon. I was a young pup myself when we met.” 

Tiene caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass around one of his seed-starter housings. Silver hair had been his since his youth, but faint lines around his eyes and lips betrayed his years of working in the sun. He flashed his sharp teeth, looking for signs of cilantro stuck on them, then wiggled his pointed ears and laughed at himself. One should never take themselves too seriously.

Still, he looked pretty good for middle-aged Wolfeonite of 180 years old. If his lineage was anything to tell by, he would probably make it to 400 at least. His great-grandfather had been 450, though he was an anomaly. How do humans manage to do so much with their time when they barely make it to 200 much of the time (when they’re not fighting and killing each other much earlier)? 

He sighed and turned back to his shop, to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, which he almost certainly was. The overcast skies parted allowing the heat of Sol to work it's way through the glass greenhouse roof, working it's warmth into Tiene’s sore muscles. Not many H’Eretzers used hand tools these days, but Tiene enjoyed becoming one with the soil in his personal garden. He felt his body attune to the inherent magical resonance of the soil. So he washed his hands in the rock hewn sink, which was fed by the property well.

As Sol washed over and warmed his face, Tiene allowed the cleansing power of Aurorafire to flow over him him, into his arms, out his fingertips, pulsing into nearby plants. The leaves of those closest to Tiene turned toward him, soaking in the radiance gratefully. One by one each plant took on a few new inches it hadn't known, and a few began the budding of the flowers that would become his award winning peppers. Sweet, just enough heat, and a living rainbow, they were the desire of foreign kings, though he always ensured they were available to anyone who desired them. Harnessing Sol’s Aurorafire allowed him the privilege of never being without the power he needed to encourage life in the most barren environments.

A soft tone from the wall, followed by a floating holographic screen wavering into his vision broke his attention from the vibrations of Sol. “Answer,” Tiene spoke to the screen. The smile of his wife's face came into focus.

“They're looking good T,” Shayanne said. “A few more days of this and you'll have the first batch of the season.”

“Perhaps,” Tiene said. “We shall see what the plants decide they want and when.”

Shayanne smiled, “T, there are visitors. Come.”

Tiene nodded, Shayanne nodded, and the screen disappeared.

Tiene raised his hands toward the glass screens, letting the energy of Sol flow through him to the wind screens, which opened to his connection letting Aurorafire fill the rest of the room. Rainbows danced through the open windows.

“Let's go see about these visitors,” Tiene spoke to himself as much as to Dilbert, who nuzzled onto both shoulders like a wrap around scarf. 

























 

Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!
Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)
Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ


Subscribe

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

Powered by MailChimp