Week 1 | Alex

I felt like a lot of this week's reading reinforced what Pastor Brian talked about at DT last week, but I really liked how it went further into detail about the new covenant that has been made. I really liked how the book talked about when we take communion and that its not at all about the ritual, but about where our heart is at when we do it.

I think the chapters this week really changed the way I think about relationships, and particularly marriage relationships. Our culture is so driven by being satisfied at every second, and I think we overlook how important commitment and as the book says, covenant. I also really liked when the book talked about the reason for using sacrifice and spilling blood to express how important covenant is and how terrifying the punishment is. I have never really thought about why they used dead animals in the Old Testament, but now it makes sense that the severity of covenant is expressed through the ritual.

I think the scan of the book really shook my way of thinking. I have always thought of myself being able to think independently, but I realize that my thinking is drastically shaped by my culture and thus as the reading says, by the ancient greek philosophers. I think it brings a lot of hope, in how we can see the situation more from Adam on and encouraging, rather than from now backwards which seems so demoralizing. 

Overall, I feel like my way of thinking about God is in so much transition, that I am really excited to read new things and see how DT will change my view of God. I grew up in church my whole life but this way of thinking was never mentioned, so I am excited to see what it looks like and study it now.