My Head Is Going to Explode

Did God punish sin because He was angry and demanded payment or was it because He is holy and wants a relationship with us? He cannot have relationship with us without reconciliation. I have always thought that He demanded a ransom for sin and needed to punish man for sinning. The sentence He gave Adam for sin was death, which I understand to mean separation from God. Was the separation from Him not our punishment? Then, we are left with the fact that we are not capable of atoning for our sin. God provided a way for us to be reconciled to him. He would send his son to live a life worthy of the reward we lost in the fall and pay for our sins by His death on the cross. So far, I understand the atonement. I guess what I am struggling with is His motive. God certainly did not have to provide a means for our redemption. That was not promised to Adam before he sinned. He could have just let man go about his business and live separated from Him for eternity. That would have paid for our sin. So, why would he provide a way? It does not seem logical that He chose to do so because he was angry with man. That is absurd. Therefore, I am left to conclude that He did it because He loves us and wants a relationship with us. Why then, is the atonement described as satisfying the demand of God’s wrath? God cannot have a relationship with us because we choose to live a life separated from Him. Here is what I understand all evil and sin to be: We don’t trust that He is good. We want the knowledge of good and evil so we can decide for ourselves if He is good. We do not believe Him. And that is where we are left without grace, which as I understand it is his choice to provide a means to have a relationship with us. My theology may be off here. Why do people always reference Calvin on these issues instead of scripture?

What I am really asking, is this: Is God mad at us? Has he ever been? Do the words wrath and anger carry the same meaning now as they did when the Bible was penned?

I'm Back--Marathon Training Week 16

The misuse of language, mainly the excessive use of hyperbole, has stifled our ability to convey how we truly feel using written words. This thought came to me when I wanted to describe my interval workout on the treadmill as brutal. But brutal is such a strong word, what word would I use if I wanted to describe something that truly is brutal. Using weighty words so freely desensitizes us and takes their meaning away, rendering them useless (CS Lewis adresses this in Mere Christianity).
I decided to run another marathon in April and started official training today. I warmed up with a 9.5 minute mile and then did 3 sets of two 800 meter 10K pace intervals with 90 seconds between each interval and 5 minutes between each set. Or, I tried. I did one interval at my 10K pace and they got progessively slower until the last one was an 8:34 pace. The combination of tapering, my cold, the marathon, the sinus infection, and "recovery" took its toll on my cardiovascular condition. But, I am optimistic that I can quickly recover my fitness loss.