Can I just be real with you for a second?
I want to humbly say that I mess up on a moment to moment basis. I think thoughts that disgust me. I say words that I regret. I do things I shouldn't, and I don't do many things that I should. My favorite thing about each new morning is that I haven't messed up yet, but it sure doesn't take long for the mistakes to start piling up. Praise the Lord His mercy out weighs my faults! His mercies are new every morning and continue to cover my mess-ups all day long. (Lamentations 3:22-23) He is so good to me!
I am preparing for our 30 days of Bible reading together, and I am getting so excited hoping we have a good sized group join us. Join with me in the preparations through prayer, and give this study to God. Ask that He be glorified and His will for this challenge will be accomplished on our hearts and lives. This challenge is not about me and what I say, it's not about you and what you think. It's all about Him. Let's pray together that we keep the main thing the main thing.
On the real... this idea for this 30 day Bible reading challenge came about one day while I was drying my hair, pondering the Word I had read just a few moments before, and praising Him in song. My first response was huh, interesting idea. I will think about it and pray about it. My very next thought was "...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17. So I sat down at my computer and wrote my challenge invitation to you. Yes. I often work on impulse this way. It's sometimes good and sometimes bad. I knew if I thought too much about it I would talk myself out of it, or just put it off and torture myself with my thoughts for months before surrendering to the idea that it is what I am supposed to do.
Immediately after publishing the post self doubt set in. The negative talk. Why do you think you have the ability to do such a thing? Why would anybody care to join you in such a thing... they already have devotion books to read. Your blog is no comparison to books already published. You are wasting your time... I'm serious. I made myself sick with my thoughts all day while praying for God's help to do what I felt like He had guided me to do.
So, being real with you, I desire for this to be a very God centered month of Bible reading together. I pray that Christ would be seen and not me. All arrows pointing to Him.
We will be using Tim LaHays' book as a guideline for our reading. You can find his book on Amazon for less than $10 if you want your own copy. I highly recommend it. I love studying the Bible in this way without a devotion book or commentary, prayerfully asking the Holy Spirit to give me understanding and to speak to me. I write down verses that stand out and thoughts that I have. I do also use devotion books now and then, but my daily study is just God's Word and I. One reason is that I love to see God's power to speak to me demonstrated. It strengthens my faith in such a profound way. There is a warning though... You must not rely on your own interpretation of scripture. I won't go into this too much right now other than to say that the Bible only means what God means it to mean not what you want it to mean. If you want to know more about why I like to study the Bible this way you can read the first and following posts on this blog, or feel free to ask any questions you have.
Prayerfully preparing, I again invite you to join me for 30 days of Bible reading together in the month of November.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
You are Invited!
I personally invite you to join me in a 30 Day Bible Reading Challenge!
Why?
Because I thrive on challenges. They are just so fun!
(Wait! Don't stop reading! This is good stuff!)
Why?
1. Because I love the results you can see in 30 days of dedication to something.
2. Because it takes 21 days to create a habit.
3. My favorite part is the group effort and the community building aspect of a group challenge.
Why a Bible Reading Challenge?
I will answer that with Scripture...
To be transformed Romans 12:1-2
To know Him Philippians 3:10
To be more like Christ 2 Corinthians 3:18
To have an understanding of His Word Psalm 119:27, 33, 34...
To grow a love for His Word Psalm 119
To draw closer to Him James 4:8
To be able to always give an answer! Peter 3:15
This is what it will be.
1. 30 days of Bible reading approximatelly (but not limited to) 3 chapters a day.
2. I will post the Bible reading daily on this blog.
3. I will ask you to comment daily here on the blog or on the Facebook post. Simply state that you have completed the daily reading. You can also leave comments or questions about the reading. Feel free to leave prayer requests as well.
4. You will need a Bible, a journal and a pen/pencil/highlighter.
FYI I prefer the King James Version. I use the Nelson King James Study Bible, because I love the study notes. The notes usually clarify anything I don't understand. If you do not have a Bible I can help you with that. Also you can find in on line. I use www.biblegateway.com. If you have questions or comments about my preference please private message me on Facebook. I do not wish to start a debate on versions.
This challenge is for everybody! It is for dedicated daily Bible readers - we may need your insight to answer questions. It is for people who struggle with the daily habit of Bible reading. It is for those who have never read the Bible at all or never consistently. It is for agnostics and atheists - challenge your beliefs. I encourage you all - I dare you all to take part.
Here is why I would like to extend this challenge to those who don't know, understand, or believe the Bible...
Say you have a beautiful picture of a decant chocolate cake with a full description of the taste, the richness and the texture. You cannot make the decision if that is your favorite cake or a cake you can live without if you have not tasted a bite for yourself. You have to have your own experience.
I struggle very much when I talk to people who say they don't believe the Bible but have no knowledge of what it says or means. That is a very uninformed decision. And I warn you, your beliefs on the Bible and God is the most important decision you will ever make. Be informed!
I will not claim to have the best Bible reading challenge around, or that I have all the answers to all your questions (or any answers for that matter), but it will be a good place to start and hopefully to interact with others.
The challenge will officially start November 1, but I encourage you to prepare now. Mentally prepare yourself to commit and to interact. Physically prepare yourself by gathering your tools and creating a space in your home for this quite reading time. Start reading the Bible daily to create the habit.
Please join me! Will you?
Why?
Because I thrive on challenges. They are just so fun!
(Wait! Don't stop reading! This is good stuff!)
Why?
1. Because I love the results you can see in 30 days of dedication to something.
2. Because it takes 21 days to create a habit.
3. My favorite part is the group effort and the community building aspect of a group challenge.
Why a Bible Reading Challenge?
I will answer that with Scripture...
To be transformed Romans 12:1-2
To know Him Philippians 3:10
To be more like Christ 2 Corinthians 3:18
To have an understanding of His Word Psalm 119:27, 33, 34...
To grow a love for His Word Psalm 119
To draw closer to Him James 4:8
To be able to always give an answer! Peter 3:15
This is what it will be.
1. 30 days of Bible reading approximatelly (but not limited to) 3 chapters a day.
2. I will post the Bible reading daily on this blog.
3. I will ask you to comment daily here on the blog or on the Facebook post. Simply state that you have completed the daily reading. You can also leave comments or questions about the reading. Feel free to leave prayer requests as well.
4. You will need a Bible, a journal and a pen/pencil/highlighter.
FYI I prefer the King James Version. I use the Nelson King James Study Bible, because I love the study notes. The notes usually clarify anything I don't understand. If you do not have a Bible I can help you with that. Also you can find in on line. I use www.biblegateway.com. If you have questions or comments about my preference please private message me on Facebook. I do not wish to start a debate on versions.
This challenge is for everybody! It is for dedicated daily Bible readers - we may need your insight to answer questions. It is for people who struggle with the daily habit of Bible reading. It is for those who have never read the Bible at all or never consistently. It is for agnostics and atheists - challenge your beliefs. I encourage you all - I dare you all to take part.
Here is why I would like to extend this challenge to those who don't know, understand, or believe the Bible...
Say you have a beautiful picture of a decant chocolate cake with a full description of the taste, the richness and the texture. You cannot make the decision if that is your favorite cake or a cake you can live without if you have not tasted a bite for yourself. You have to have your own experience.
I struggle very much when I talk to people who say they don't believe the Bible but have no knowledge of what it says or means. That is a very uninformed decision. And I warn you, your beliefs on the Bible and God is the most important decision you will ever make. Be informed!
I will not claim to have the best Bible reading challenge around, or that I have all the answers to all your questions (or any answers for that matter), but it will be a good place to start and hopefully to interact with others.
The challenge will officially start November 1, but I encourage you to prepare now. Mentally prepare yourself to commit and to interact. Physically prepare yourself by gathering your tools and creating a space in your home for this quite reading time. Start reading the Bible daily to create the habit.
Please join me! Will you?
Sunday, October 19, 2014
About My Favorite Day of the Week and My Favorite Place to Be
Quoting my pastor... actually paraphrasing, because I didn't write it down word for word... "We don't go to church for the music or the jokes (the entertainment), we go because we want to hear from God."
Yes, yes we do! Our soul thirsts for God, for the one true God. It's the way we were created - what, or rather Who, we were created for - HIM. (Colossians 1:16)
It makes me think of the many reasons/excuses I have heard people use for not attending church.
There is a quote circulating on line: "Not going to church because of the hypocritical people is like not going to the gym because of the overweight people." I love it!
We are every one hypocrites! We are every one self-centered. We are every one sinners. Yes, my friend, even you, and to quote the apostle Paul, "I am chief". (1 Timothy 1:15)
We should not go to church because of what we can get, but rather for what we can give.
So let me encourage you in this way...
If you feel like others are not a blessing to you, take an opportunity to be the blessing to others.
If you feel like people at church don't love on you enough, take it as an opportunity to love on other people.
When you feel like somebody may not be as gracious to you as you wish, be extra gracious to them.
If you feel like you don't get fed by the preaching, take it as an opportunity to worship God by the giving of your attention to the Word being preached rather than the man preaching.
If the music is not to your liking, realize it's not about you... It is for the praise and worship of the one true God.
I know, you have an excuse not listed above. Let me say, Jesus Christ built His church. He is the foundation. (Matthew 16:15-18) Quoting my pastor again, "You cannot be a true follower of Christ unless you are a part of His church."
I love church! I know I need it!
I need the fellowship of the body.
I need to time of worship in music.
I need the preaching of the Word.
I am not alone in this. You need it too.
So I encourage you to stop going to church with a critical outlook. Stop getting offended by the way people may look at you or talk to you. Stop picking apart the people, the pastor, the music, the way things are done, the this that and the other. Go to church with a giving spirit every time. Open yourself to giving to others. Give them a smile. Say their name when you say hello. Give your attention to God and His Word. Give yourself in true worship. And do it all for Him.
Happy Lord's Day! Happy Sunday!
Yes, yes we do! Our soul thirsts for God, for the one true God. It's the way we were created - what, or rather Who, we were created for - HIM. (Colossians 1:16)
It makes me think of the many reasons/excuses I have heard people use for not attending church.
There is a quote circulating on line: "Not going to church because of the hypocritical people is like not going to the gym because of the overweight people." I love it!
We are every one hypocrites! We are every one self-centered. We are every one sinners. Yes, my friend, even you, and to quote the apostle Paul, "I am chief". (1 Timothy 1:15)
We should not go to church because of what we can get, but rather for what we can give.
So let me encourage you in this way...
If you feel like others are not a blessing to you, take an opportunity to be the blessing to others.
If you feel like people at church don't love on you enough, take it as an opportunity to love on other people.
When you feel like somebody may not be as gracious to you as you wish, be extra gracious to them.
If you feel like you don't get fed by the preaching, take it as an opportunity to worship God by the giving of your attention to the Word being preached rather than the man preaching.
If the music is not to your liking, realize it's not about you... It is for the praise and worship of the one true God.
I know, you have an excuse not listed above. Let me say, Jesus Christ built His church. He is the foundation. (Matthew 16:15-18) Quoting my pastor again, "You cannot be a true follower of Christ unless you are a part of His church."
I love church! I know I need it!
I need the fellowship of the body.
I need to time of worship in music.
I need the preaching of the Word.
I am not alone in this. You need it too.
So I encourage you to stop going to church with a critical outlook. Stop getting offended by the way people may look at you or talk to you. Stop picking apart the people, the pastor, the music, the way things are done, the this that and the other. Go to church with a giving spirit every time. Open yourself to giving to others. Give them a smile. Say their name when you say hello. Give your attention to God and His Word. Give yourself in true worship. And do it all for Him.
Happy Lord's Day! Happy Sunday!
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