I spent way too much time yesterday on trivia about today’s date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022. Or, as I’m referring to it:

Twosday, 2-22-22.

Lots of people are getting married today, and some enterprising businessperson decided to couple National Margarita Day with Taco Twosday on 2-22-22, a stroke of sheer genius.

On the chilly side, the temperature outside my house this morning stands at 2°—coincidence?

So I wondered, what do Bible verses with the references of chapter 22 and verse 22 have for me on this specific date?

Some involve strict instructions…

Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless (Exodus 22:22).

If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel (Deuteronomy 22:22).

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court (Proverbs 22:22).

We find Paul in a rough patch…

The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” (Acts 22:22).

Another encourages me to honor the creator of this frigid yet glorious day…

I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you (Psalm 22:22).

Finally, I’m reminded of why we even have this unique date to celebrate…

When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away (Matthew 22:22).

Our world counts back 2 months, 22 days, and 2022 years to Anno Domini—in the year of the Lord—the year of the birth of the Savior. Our calendars center on Jesus.

Here stands the most significant reason to celebrate today. Because just as Jesus amazed those in his day, he lives to amaze us today.

Enjoy some tacos and celebrate.

My friends recently purchased their first home, a fixer-upper, which they’ve been working on and living in. Recently they noticed water damage, leading to the discovery of mold in the ceiling and walls. Mitigation involved cutting out sections of drywall and letting in light and air, carting off the defiled materials to the dump, then replacing everything with fresh drywall, plaster and paint.

Mold proved troublesome for homeowners in ancient times as well. Look at how the Lord instructed the Israelites to deal with this problem:

On the seventh day the priest is to return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

3,500 years and we still deal with mold in the same way.

My inclination to turn away from the Lord works much like mold. It’s easier, safer and even more popular to slip away from the challenges of loving the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength.

Just like mold, dark things grow in the inner places in my life. I need the Holy Spirit to regularly uncover these spots, to expose them to the light of scripture, and to tear out damaged pieces. The cuts hurt, but only for a short time.

Soul maintenance mirrors home maintenance. Paying attention to small issues, and dealing with them before emerging as major problems requires diligence and an eye toward the long-term.

Same idea with the moldy parts of my life.

Leviticus 14 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by iese kobaladze

Some approach the Bible as a pretty book to decorate a shelf, while others read the Bible as literature (I took such a class once). Many simply comb through for a few verses to bolster arguments about preferred behaviors.

But what if the Scriptures represent a far more mysterious and powerful force?

Do you remember the movie Jumanji? In the story, a pair of children find a long lost game and start to play. Unbeknownst to them, the game comes alive, and once you start playing you cannot stop until the game is finished. Killer spiders invade the house, elephants stampede—mayhem breaks out. All of life changes when the game begins.

That’s the way to read the Scriptures.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Don’t read the Bible only for the literature, and move beyond historical facts. Do more than pluck verses to proof text behavior.

Instead, pray the Lord brings the Scriptures to life. Ask the Holy Spirit to release the latent power of the word of God. Take a risk—open yourself to the great unknown.

Roll the dice. The game awaits.

Hebrews 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg, 1981

Today marks a milestone in our work with two Afghan refugee families—moving into permanent housing.

Dawn and I are only a small part of a wonderful team of people from our church caring for these families. Other team members help with teaching English, shopping for clothes, filling out paperwork, engaging with the myriad of agencies providing aid, and especially needed—driving one of the moms with a painful tooth to the dentist several times.

Yesterday a group of us moved furniture into the apartments. All went well, except for one couch that despite shoving and twisting (but no cursing—this being a church move) failed to clear the elevator. Back to the truck with that beast. Our quick-thinking coordinator then bought a new, smaller couch, which fit perfectly. She possessed the resources to buy the couch thanks to generous donations from our church family. Many, many people undergird this effort.

Today we stock pantries and refrigerators and do a final cleaning. Then we pick up the families and drive them to their new homes. We’ll share a lunch to celebrate, gesturing as best we can along the way (little English spoken by the Afghans, not yet, anyway).

I know these families appreciate our work for them, but I don’t want to put too much of a shine on the situation. Displaced refugees face years of hard work and assimilation into a new, strange culture. Months and months of language study await. They miss their families and homeland which they left under traumatic circumstances.

However, in the midst of all the mess, today remains a day to celebrate.

David spoke of hope during a difficult time in his life: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

These young people fled a land of death six months ago and now feed their children in safety. I don’t know their future, just as I don’t know yours or mine, but I do know that today, this day, we’ll experience the goodness of the Lord as we share a meal in their new home.

And that’s enough for now.

If you're interested in reading more about how many refugees fled Afghanistan, here's a good article by George Packer in The Atlantic.

Photo by Robinson Greig