Today is the Day! Bible in 90 Days Begins!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!

Husband and I are jumping in with both feet to join over 200 other people to read the Bible in 90 Days!  I'm super excited to be on this adventure once again, and even more excited that Husband is going to join me.  I am looking forward to some great discussions as we read through together. 

It's not too late to join us!  There is even a Facebook page all set up to help encourage and inspire one another as we head through a bible reading summer!  You've got 99 days to get it completed, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Head over to Teri Lynn's blog if you are interested in signing up for the adventure!!  We'd love to have you join us!!

Join With Some Amazing Women in Reading Your Bible

I am very excited to once again be embarking on the adventure of reading the Bible in 90 Days!!  It takes some discipline, yes, but YOU CAN DO THIS!  I am the worst at self-discipline, and I was able to do it a couple of years ago.  I was richly blessed in so many ways.

You won't be reading it all with the intention of grasping the deep, spiritual meaning.  You'll be reading with the intent of reading from cover to cover, being soaked in God's Word each and every day, allow the Holy Spirit to seep into your life on a daily basis.

You will want to study certain things that you come across, it's only natural!!  But you just can't!  You must resist.  You might write them down to come back to another time, but your mission is to finish the reading each day.  It took me, on average, about 40-50 minutes each day.  I took my bible EVERYWHERE I went.  I read whenever I had a few moments.

I challenge you to join me!  There are over 110 women signed up to participate.  We are starting on Memorial Day and going through Labor Day.  If you are counting, that is actually 99 days.  Summer is a little crazy sometimes, so this gives you a few extra days [just in case]!

Head on over to my friend Teri Lynn's blog and let her know "you are in"!  She'll get you invited to the Facebook page, where we will encourage one another to keep going!!  You don't have to be a blogger to participate, just a believer!!

I hope to see your name on the Facebook page!!

LifeWay Women's Newest Study - Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break

I don't know if you guys are familiar with LifeWay Women, but they have some incredible bible studies over there!  I am really excited that their newest study, Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break, by Kelly Minter, will be kicked off  tomorrow with a live webcast and Facebook party at 11 a.m. (CST) Feb. 1, 2012!

The party will get started with live segments and online guests participation with special guests Beth Moore and Lisa Harper.  Oh and did I mentioned giveaways?  The “Nehemiah” Facebook party giveaways include:

● Kindle Fire
● $100 LifeWay Gift Card
● Bundle of other LifeWay Women products, such as No Other Gods Bible study,
Ruth Bible study, Loss, Love & Legacy CD, and a Nehemiah kit
● Nehemiah kit
● Tickets to LifeWay’s new Abundance event

Here is what the author, Kelly Minter had to say about the study, “My goal in this study is not to uncover every word [in Nehemiah], but to follow missional themes about service, Kingdom work, tender hearts, prayer, love of the poor and the sacredness of Scripture,” said Minter.

WOW!  I don't know about you, but that sounds like an amazing study to me!  I can't wait to get my hands on this book!!

I hope to see you over at the party tomorrow!

Are You Confused about God's Jealousy?

I was never an Oprah Winfrey fan.  I did not watch her show, but would catch occasional glimpses of her through other media.  Just the other day a video was being shared around Facebook of Oprah denouncing Jesus.

I felt it was a sad day.  Unfortunately, I had believed all along that Jesus was not her Savior, but this really was the final confirmation. Often times she would mention things in passing that were vague and left all of us wondering. Well now we know.

But what I found most disturbing about this video was the fact that she said when she was a young adult she heard a sermon that stated that God was a jealous God, and she decided right then that she couldn't believe in Him if he were jealous of her.

jealous of her


I grieve the fact that she totally misunderstood how God is jealous.  If this is something that you don't understand, I encourage you to look deeper.

God has never stated that he is jealous of us.  God is jealous for us.  There is a big difference.

"Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

Exodus 34:14

Because of His great love for us, He hates when we put other things before Him.  When something else becomes an idol, or as in the Old Testament, when the people were worshipping other gods, He became very jealous because our affection is misplaced. As Creator of the Universe, He deserves our undying devotion and attention.

He is also saddened when His power has made something happen, and human beings take the credit.  His glory has been stolen right out from under Him.  All praise and honor belongs to the Lord, not to us.

The Bible is certainly a complex, and sometimes frustrating book!  But God has provided many scholarly individuals who can help us understand those things that don't quite make sense to us.  Please, if there is something you don't understand, talk to someone about it.  Don't let it shape your faith, or worse, turn you away from faith.

In the meantime, praise God that he loves YOU so much that he wants ALL of you!

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Don't forget our online book study of "James: Mercy Triumphs" by Beth Moore begins next Wednesday, February 1st right here!  Check out this post for more info!

Bibles of Old - Hidden Treasures

If these bibles could talk

what would they say of the one

who read it's pages?

Each one over 140 years old

discarded at a library sale-

but found a new home here,

in wonderment.

Were the lives that owned

them richer for this possession?

Were they counseled,

comforted,

challenged,

guided?

Treasures, I think.

Friday Fun - Cool Bible Trivia

The most interesting things show up in my email.  Thought you would enjoy this one!

Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the bible

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible

Psalm 118 is the center of the bible

There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118

and 594 chapters after Psalm 118.

594 + 594 = 1188

The center verse of the bible:  Psalm 118:8

What does that verse say?
That's no accident either...
go look it up!

I absolutely love this!  God is  in control with amazing power and detail.  Even in the little things!

Bible in 90 Days - Weekly Review

As I have been reading this week I have been fascinated by the continued building that goes on in the Old Testament that is of immense grandeur.  Remembering that they do not have modern day machines and tools, I cannot imagine how this was ever done.  I have found myself wondering why God gave such detailed descriptions in I Kings 7, (and later in II Chronicles) of the dimensions and supplies used for the building of the Temple.

I have also been studying along with this book:

 It is broken into books and gives some history behind many of the chapters.  As I was studying for I and II Kings, I came across an article written about the archaeological digs happening in the biblical lost city of Hazor, which is where Solomon's temple was built.  I decided to dig a little deeper and found an amazing website about all kinds of Biblical Archaeology.  It fascinates me that so many details about Old Testament cities and stories are constantly being found under layers of dirt and ash, and thousands of different civilizations.

So back to my question about all those details!  Can you believe as archaeologists have uncovered these hidden cities that they are easier to identify because of the exact measurements given in the Bible?  God knows that we continue to doubt, and these finds are constant reminders of the truth of biblical history.

Just recently information was released about the very first evidence of the City of David.

"The House of David Inscription (also known as the “Tel Dan Inscription”) was discovered in 1994 during excavations at the ancient city of Dan. It is considered by many to be the first reference to the "House of David" discovered outside the biblical text.

The House of David Inscription appears to be a fragment of a victory monument erected by a king of Damascus (Aram) during the 9th century BC, some 250 years after King David’s reign. The fragment specifically mentions victories over a “king of Israel” (probably Joram) and a king of the “House of David” (probably Ahaziah). 

The House of David Inscription (Tel Dan Inscription) currently resides in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem."(source: AllAboutArchaeology.org)

 Is it just me, or does that not just totally ignite your faith?  As we read through the Old Testament, sometimes it is easy to get bogged down in all the tiny details that may seem insignificant in our current times, but you can see how they help prove over and over again that the Bible is true and accurate.  God is ALL ABOUT being in the details!

I hope if you are on this journey with me, that you continue to plow through the Bible and are not giving up.  I am confident that you will be richly blessed by this effort!  I know I have been!!

Missing Blessings?

Imagine with me that we are traveling with Caleb and Aaron and the other spies to check out the land of Canaan that the Lord had promised the Israelites.  We've been traveling for over 30 days, and all of a sudden we come up the peak of a mountain and look out, and we see the image above.  We see this land flowing with milk and honey and fruit-grapes, pomegranates and figs.  Caleb and Aaron are excited to report back to Moses the bounty of the land, but the other 10 spies speak first and are afraid of the people living there.  But despite the report of the bounty in the land, the land promised to them by God, the people complain, weep and wail.  God had heard their grumbling many other times throughout the journey and it angered the Lord (Ch 11).

The Lord is always gracious to forgive, however in the latter part of Chapter 14, we see that God is also jealous and just.  As a result of their continued testing of the Lord, he sets down the following rebuke:

"I have forgiven them as you asked.  Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers." (vs 20-23)

"The Lord said to Moses: How long will they refuse to believe in me?" (vs11)

The continual doubts of the nation of Israel caused an entire generation to miss out on God's blessing.

Has my unbelief caused me to miss out on God's blessings?  

Why would I distrust my Savior, who offers new mercies every morning?  Why do I doubt that my God will care for me?  Has Jesus ever given the slightest ground for suspicion?  

If I truly trust the Word of God and my Savior Jesus, it will change the way I pray.  I will not pray from a position of weakness, but a position of strength and confidence, knowing my Lord will respond to me each and every time I encounter His presence.

Does this give you pause as you reflect on how you interact with Jesus?

Homeschool Bible Curriculum

I've had an interesting epiphany in the last several days.  Ready?

Even though I don't homeschool my girls, I can still purchase some great Bible curriculum from a homeschool vendor.  

Isn't that profound?

This issue always seems to be a hot one because many feel so very strongly about one side or the other.  But I have come to realize that there is no reason a public school family can't reap the benefits of some fantastic Bible homeschool curriculum.  It doesn't matter if it is marketed for homeschooling.  I can find some excellent resources to be intentional about training my children in Bible theology and disciplines.

So here is my problem.  Since I don't homeschool, I am really not sure where to look or what companies are the best in this field.

That is where you come in!  I know many of my online friends are homeschoolers, and I just know that you will have some recommendations for me.  My girls are 10 and 8, and I would like to get curriculum that fits both of them so I am not trying to do two different grade levels.  They are both very intelligent young ladies, so I know the younger can keep up with the older.  I don't think I will be able to commit to doing a lesson every single day, but would like to choose possibly 2-3 days per week that we do lessons in the evening after their regular homework is done.

Would you leave in the comments what you might recommend and the website information?  I would be so grateful for your input!!

On another note check out my other blog, Capturing Beautiful,  to see my entry for Word Filled Wednesday.

My Mission

MISSION:  a strong commitment and sense of duty to do or achieve something

I'll be honest.  I have newer been big into setting goals or creating mission statements.  If I were being brutally truthful, it would probably be because I didn't want to be held accountable.  I also have a bad habit of not always finishing what I start.  So I have typically avoided these very Type A Personality endeavors in exchange for my laid back style of going with the flow. 

I have a favorite section of verses in the first chapter of Colossions (10-14) that I reread every now and then because they have always been very encouraging to me.  I sat down this weekend with my Bible and turned to that section of scripture, and God revealed something new.  Paul had already written my mission statement:

• Live a life worthy of the Lord that pleases him in every way.
• Bear fruit in every good work.
• Grow in the knowledge of God.
• Be strengthened with God's power according to his glorious might so that I might have great endurance and patience.
• Joyfully give thanks to the Father who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
• Praise God for my redemption and forgiveness of sin

 I love how God's holy scripture is always alive, waiting each and every time I read it to learn something different, even in a passage of scripture I have read hundreds of times.

 

Would you share with us a time this has happened to you?

My Bible

Over at Scripture Dig today we are sharing how we take notes or mark up our bibles when we are studying.  I have always been a firm believer in marking my bible because it helps me quickly find passages that have touched my heart in some way.  I haven't always been the best at memorizing the address of scriptures, so this helps me cheat a little! 

I also enjoy taking notes during sermons at church, and I highlight specific words or phrases that have been taught so that I can remember them better. (do you see a them that I have a terrible memory!)

Many times in the margins I will write notes that have helped me learn a spiritual truth while studying a book or in our small group

I've read on some blogs that women are on their third or fourth bible!  I don't know that I could ever give up this bible!  It represents such a living testimony of my journey with the Lord. 

The only thing that may change my mind is if I were to find a wide margin bible in my chosen NIV version so I could take even more extensive notes.

How about you?  Do you mark in your bible?  Have you been through more than one bible?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!