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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Obvious Advice and the Top of Our Family Tree

Today’s post is a pretty simple, hopefully glaringly obvious, wedding do and don’t advice. Take it or leave it. Just my two cents for the day. You’re welcome J

DON’T: McWeddings
Somehow, don’t ask me how, this is a new wedding craze in Hong Kong. Disgusting? Absolutely! I’ll try and respect that this may be a cultural issue and it is apparently a very classy place in the Far East…but no, I can’t, I can’t accept that. Sorry, this is wrong. Please don’t ever let the Golden Arches be your alter.




P.S. This milkshake sharing is not romantic.

Do: Anthropologie Bridal
This is a no-brainer. Anthropologie and weddings were MFEO (made for each other- there’s you’re new abbrev. for the day). The full bridal line was released this week just in time for Valentine’s Day, thus confirming that 2011 may just have been the best year in wedding planning history to be a bride. (If you didn’t catch January’s delightful revelation, check HERE). While I’m not sold on the gowns (although they are lovely), the pretty little sophisticated and feminine website had me at first glance. The jewelry, shoes, and headpieces are compliments enough to any blushing bride, and while they don’t spare the pocket book, one or two guilty pleasure accessories couldn’t hurt. Take a look for yourself!






Fun things I learned today that have nothing to do with weddings: The Top of Our Family Tree
I have to admit, I did my first reading and then got totally sidetracked with other studies, life, etc. That sounds terrible after one day, I know. But today I read further into Genesis, and it wasn’t the Flood that blew my mind, it was the genealogies. I had to do some in depth studying on some of the interesting findings, and it’s amazing what a little word studying can do! Here’s what caught me off guard:
5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away.
Ok, so if you’re tracking through chapter 5, you notice that the first 6 guys, although they lived on average over 900 years a piece, their one line in Scripture ends with “and then he died.” Get to number seven? “God took him away.” Ok, I knew of Elijah, but Enoch? Maybe I knew that? So anytime you see something absolutely mind-blowing in Scripture, which is pretty often I suppose, you have to look into the “why” on it. Ok, so everyone so far has been affected by the fall of man and the penalty of death for sins. Not Enoch. No, he walked with God, and then he just disappeared! I like how another translation says “and then he was not.” Yep, no more Enoch.
As we see the trend of man spiraling downwards over time leading up to the Flood where the world is so depraved that God literally wipes the slate clean and starts over with Noah, Enoch is the one bright hope in the genealogy. First, he’s the magic number 7 in the line of Seth.  Interesting comparison? The seventh mentioned generation of the line of Cain (who moved East of Eden and lived in the land of Nod, meaning “of shaking and trembling” due to restlessness of the spirit without God, after murdering his brother Abel in jealousy and self-righteousness) is Lamech, an evil man who worshipped the sword. Enoch? He walked with God.
Second, they’re a special family, because his son, Methuselah, was the oldest man that we know of. Enoch lived for 365 years, but it doesn’t say explicitly that he started walking with the Lord until the birth of his son at age 65. So he looked a lot like the world, we would assume, and then he has this son, whose name literally means “his death shall bring it” or “when he dies, it will come.” Interesting for a guy who lived longer than anyone else that death should be a part of his name- another testament that no one can escape death alone! But what will come?
Well, the Flood! I learned that in another passage of Scripture, Enoch is given a vision of the eventual destruction of mankind and the judgment they would face for their sins. After this, he has a son, and in obedience to what he has seen from the Lord, he names him Methuselah!
Finally, he walked with the Lord. Not just knew of him, but patiently and obediently walked with Him, growing with Him in relationship. So much we can learn from this mention alone, especially followed up in the Hebrews account of the fathers of our faith. Enoch lived on faith in God (Heb. 11:6) and it was credited to him as righteousness. What a just and loving God!
Interesting what getting your nails dirty in Scripture will lead to- always buried treasure! Hope you enjoyed the nerd-out like I did.


1 comment:

  1. Love it babe! Love the history behind the post and appreciate the digging you did to get all of it. On a completely different note, the second girl in the anthropologie section looks like she is singin I'm A Little teapot. haha

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