Hey, Matt

Your first mistake is listening to anything in movies.  Please don't do
that.  Even in so-called Biblical movies they twist the words around and put
the wrong words in the wrong people's mouth.  So you aren't going to learn
anything but the wrong stuff from them.

Ruth was a widow, but she did really marry Boaz not just to be part of her
husband's family but also because she really loved Boaz and he loved her.  I
just wish the archives from the old list before we switched names were still
up so you could read my commentaries on Ruth.

And I'm afraid to think what would have you looking into learning more about
Tamar.  That's frightening.  Laughing out loud.

Reading and studying the Bible is good but I'd be careful about jumping
around too much and listening to too many interpretations of too many
verses.  It's like going to a buffet dinner and tasting some of everything.
You never know which combinations could make you sick.  Especially if you
start eating off of the plates of other people (listening to too many
interpretations instead of reading it for yourself, in an organized way).

I'd really encourage you to set up a plan of reading the Bible through for
yourself, book by book.  And I wouldn't start in the quote Old Testament
unquote.  I would start with the Gospel of John in the New Testament.
Everything begins and ends with JESUS and the Gospel of John most clearly
explains Who JESUS is and why He came.  Get to know JESUS face to face
through John.  Then I would read Luke, which has a lot of the same stories
of John but without the background information of JESUS being GOD before the
foundation of the world, etc. that you will learn in John. After Luke I
would read the Book of Acts to show what happened immediately after JESUS
went to Heaven.

Jumping around will only confuse you more and exhaust you and may cause
confusion that might mess you up later.  You need a solid foundation to
build on and the three books I suggested, when studied "decently and in
order" as it were, will do that.

Paul
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 8:48 AM
Subject: emotional issues, was Re: Dodie update


> Hi Brad,
> I am sorry that your wife and you are having these dificulties but
> weathering it together instead of parting or turning away from each other
is
> best I think.
> Terri went through a dificult period after Katherine was born and we had
no
> idea what it was even though we had heard of Post pardom depression and
all
> that.
> For my part, I got angrey because I couldn't understand how Terri could be
> so upset when we had just turned our whole life up-side-down to make her
> happy, by having the baby, and moving to the town she wanted to live in
and
> building the new house.  I did not like having to live with her family for
a
> time while we were between homes and on and on like that.
> She still has some issues from this depression but things are improving
and
> she is understanding what happened more so.
> Understand, I am not saying that I did not want the baby.
> It was something we both wanted very much and we had to work at it for 3
> years before we were able to achieve it.  Then we spent the whole
pregnancy
> worreying as the first pregnancy had ended in miscarage.
> I viewed us as being on top of the world once we got in the new house with
> the new baby but there were issues from our past which we had to deal with
> yet.  Terri had grudges over past wrongs in our relationship which she had
> not let go of and I had thought them settled.
> Anyway, it was a huge mess and we are better now but still not perfect.
> I have been reading all kinds of stuff in the bible these last few days on
> the bible gateway sight.
> I find it all very interesting.
> Onan, and Tamar and Ruth and nayomy and I don't know what all I have read.
> I have hopped around a lot, following my thoughts and the trails from
> different stories which link together.
> I first thought Ruth was a lesbian when I started that book, mainly
because
> I saw a movie once where they used words from the book of Ruth to profess
> devotion between two lesbians.
> I looked it up because I thought Jimmy Evans was crazy for not using the
> same passages when talking about marage.
> I see now that it wasn't really about marage at all but a wittoed woman
> still wanting to be part of her husband's family?
> I am tracing through stories concerning Tamar now because Paul V, made me
> wonder about that person in the bible.
> Terri jokes that I will already have the bible all read before I receive
the
> talking one.  hahah
> I just love how easy it seemed for the people of the bible to get
pregnant.
> Go lay with so and so and give her a child and he did and the child's name
> was...
> Don't know how many times I have read stuff like that.
>
> Take care,
>
> Matt