Saturday, April 3, 2010

Have a wonderful Easter Sunday


Hello everyone, I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful weekend, and a Happy Easter Celebration tomorrow.  I will be not be posting my Survey Bible Reading Plan on the weekends for those of you who are following along with me, I will only be posting Monday thru Friday.

I am having a nice visit with my mom this weekend so this post will be it for me until Monday.  May God's face shine upon you all, and may He give you joy so abundantly, you are forced to give some away. Blessings to ya'll, have a wonderful weekend!

C is for Captivating

C is for CAPTIVATING, CHARMING, and CHARISMATIC CHALLENGE:

CAPTIVATING is the way I would describe this CHALLENGE, the idea, to do a whole post starting with a letter from the alphabet, A all the way to Z, all in the month of April, except for Sundays of COURSE. I have taken the CHALLENGE and it is a very CHARMING CHALLENGE indeed. See, all those words start with the letter C; I am having visions of Sesame Street running through my head. Today’s letter is the letter C.


CAUTIOUS is CURIOUSLY how I feel about this CHARMING and CAPTIVATING CHALLENGE. CAN I do it for all 26 days? COULD I really think of something CHARISMATIC to say, which means, of having, or CHARACTERISTIC of CHARISMA, some CLOSE friends of this word are alluring, appealing, hypnotic…get the idea? Good.


CHARITABLE is how I will treat others in this CHARMING, CAPTIVATING, and CHARISMATIC CHALLENGE. The meaning behind this word is kindly or lenient in judging people, acts, etc, for example…CHARITABLE in her opinions of others.


CHARGE forth from here dear people and be CHARITABLE to others in their CHEEKY endeavor to rise to the A-Z CHALLENGE. CHALK this one up to pure and simple CHARISMA, and do let’s be CHASTE in our efforts.

Friday, April 2, 2010

5Q Friday


Once again it's time for Five Question Friday
With Mama M. if you don't know her...shame on you
Go check her out here

Today's 5 Questions are:

1. Do you sing out loud in the car when you're driving?
Heck, yes! Doesn't everyone?

2. What would you never be caught doing?
Getting dressed without my clothes on! Enough Said!


3. Will you go #2 in a public restroom?
Never, ever, ever, ever!


4. Have you ever broken a bone?
Yes, in my foot...boy did that hurt...had to walk with crutches and everything...silly looking boot also!


5. Do you prefer cooking or baking?
Baking, I love me some chocolate chip cookies...mmmmkay!






Survey Bible Reading Plan Day 5

Yesterday we read Leviticus 1, 10, 16, and 25…you can click here to read it if you did not get a chance to yet. We read about the burnt offering, the death of Aaron’s sons, the Day of Atonement, the Sabbath year, and the year of Jubilee. Today’s reading is Numbers 3-4, 6, 11-14 you can click here to go to this passage.



In yesterday’s reading we read about more of the rituals and laws they had to keep in order to be in right standing with God. I really am more thankful each day that we live under grace and not the law, and this passage is a great reminder of that. Just look at what happened to Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. They were burned right up by the LORD. Consumed, is what it says…So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. Wow, that must have been quite a sight, can you even imagine this?


This year of Jubilee it talks about in chapter 25 is so wonderful…every 50th year you are released from debt and if a slave, released to go back to your family, and all land that was sold was returned to it’s original owner. It is hard though sometimes, when reading passages of scripture like this one, to fathom that the LORD thought about the Israelites as His slaves. Nowhere in scripture does it condone slavery as much as show it’s existence. Also the Hebrew slaves were treated as humans and with dignity, which is more than can be said of other slave owners. They were treated as hired men and women and paid for their work.


Today’s inspirational quote is…


Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls.
- David Thomas


I can’t wait to read your comments, so don’t forget to leave me some. May God’s face shine upon you today and beyond!

Friday Follow


Yay, It's Friday Follow Woohoo!
You all know how to play
So head right over today
Where..to?  McKlinky, I say.

Go now..be on your way!



Good Friday

Good Friday Indeed

For Christians, Good Friday commemorates not just a historical event, but the sacrificial death of Christ, which with the resurrection, comprises the heart of the Christian faith.


The Catholic Catechism states this succinctly:


Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men.


This is based on the words of St. Paul: "Believers are justified freely by God's grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood... (Romans 3:24-25, NAB). The customs and prayers associated with Good Friday typically focus on the theme of Christ's sacrificial death for our sins.


Day 1...So today we remember the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Matthew 27  you will read about Judas Iscariot hanging himself after betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. You will also read about Jesus going before Pilate and being found innocent by him, but being turned over to the crowd to be crucified, instead of the criminal Barabbas. I have a hard time reading this passage as it breaks my heart every time.


Then as if it wasn’t bad enough, the soldiers mocked Jesus, spitting on Him and striking Him with the staff and then they led Him away to be crucified. How that breaks my heart, to look back and remember what my Savior went through for my once pitiful self, made anew by His ultimate sacrifice.


In the next section of this passage we read about the death of our Lord…how he hung there and cried out in His final breath, and then how the curtain was torn asunder from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people were raised from the dead and they appeared too many in the holy city. Wow, what a sight that must have been. To see these holy people who were once dead, alive again, what a blessing and a shock that must have been. Also did you catch what the centurion and others guarding Jesus’ body said…”Surely He was the Son of God.” I can only imagine how horrified they were to realize this, after what they had just done to Jesus.


We read next in this passage about the burial of Jesus. What must Joseph have been thinking? And Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, what do you think was going through their minds as they sat there opposite the tomb watching this take place? I imagine that they were in shock and could scarcely believe their Lord had been taken away from them. Their sorrow must have been so great.


Day 2 is here at the end of this chapter, and we read about Pilate ordering a guard to be put at the tomb to make sure no one came and took the body away, not only that but a large stone was rolled in front of the tomb and a seal was put on it. What do you think this seal was? A rope or cord perhaps, what do you think?

Day 3 the day after the Sabbath we read about in Matthew 28, and you can click here to read this special passage of scripture.


Now just imagine the two Mary’s fright when there was no body in the tomb, of course the earthquake probably did not help. Then, of course, there was the angel and lightning now that would be quite a frightening experience if you ask me. Here is what the angel said to them: The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." Wow, talk about shocking and not at all subtle, but so exciting for these two women to be able to take this message back to the disciples who were so broken and lost without their Savior.

The next part is really so political, it reminds me of what happens in today’s society still, listen to what the chief priest and elders do:

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Is that not the craziest thing you have ever heard? Wild isn’t it! I mean they did not want the body to be discovered missing because then what Jesus said would be true, so they concocted a story (a lie) and paid the soldiers a large sum of money to keep it on the down low.

Finally we have the Great Commission and I will just put it here for you to read.

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I am so thankful that I was given a choice and along with it the free will to make that choice. Also I am forever grateful for the price that was paid for my sins, that God loved me so much that He sacrificed His own son on that rugged cross over 2000 years ago, and please remember that He died for you too, because He loves you. I want to wish you all a very Happy Easter and May God’s face shine upon all who pass this way. The last bit I would like to share with you is that classic song The Old Rugged Cross.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

B is for...

B is for…Because I said so



“Because I said so” is what I often find myself saying to my children.
After a long hard day of housework, emails and blogging.
“Because I said so” fits.


“Because I said so” is what comes to mind when asked for the 100th time,
Mom, why can’t you take me here, or why can’t I have this?
“Because I said so” fits.


“Because I said so” are the words that practically jump off my tongue,
When any of my children open their mouths to ask me why one more time.
Because I said so” fits.


“Because I said so” is the one thing I dread saying & said I would never say.
Then the long day and hard work of being a parent starts to take its toll. 
 And the words...
“Because I said so” just fit.


~Shannon King~

Thursday, April 1, 2010

It is well with my soul

Survey Bible Reading Plan Day 4

Today’s reading assignment is Leviticus 1, 10, 16, and 25 you can click Here to read it. Yesterday we read about the Passover, the exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea and, of course, let’s not forget the Ten Commandments. You can click Here to read all about it.



I found the section about the Passover and all the restrictions to be terribly difficult to read, but it would have been even more difficult to keep track of them all, I can only imagine. Although this is something they did yearly, so after the first few times I am sure it was just second nature, but can you imagine if you forgot something along the way. Often when I read something like this I thank the LORD that we no longer live under the law but under Grace.


I so love reading about how Moses stretched out his hands and the waters separated. Trying to imagine what that would have looked like, could they see sea creatures swimming behind those walls of water? And could they reach out and put their hands through those walls and not get sucked in? These are things my mind thinks of when I let it go to far without a leash.


The last section we read about was the Ten Commandments, and these are so precious to me, when I read over them I can’t help but wonder what the people thought when Moses came down off that mountain and presented these laws to them. I know what the Bible says about what they did, but I am wondering what they must have thought.


Today’s inspirational quote is:


If you have great challenges, have greater faith.
- Leinani Kamaka


Please feel free to leave me a comment or two and let me know how it is going for you. May God’s face shine upon you as you pass this way, and may He give you joy so abundant that you are forced to give some away.





God is Amazing

Something incredible happened to me last night while I was on Arlee Bird's Tossing it out!

Have you ever had something happen that could be nothing less than a God thing?  Well, that is exactly what occured last night right here in the blog-o-sphere. 

While perusing Tossing it out I saw a blog that was participating in the A to Z Challenge and went over for a look see.  After reading a bit I decided to follow this blog and left a comment telling as much.

In the meantime my daughter Molly had written a poem and asked me to post it on my blog Faith, Hope and Love. I went to see if there had been any comments on her poem and there was one by a gentleman named Gregg and I noticed when I looked up his info, his last name was one I recognized instantly. 

Wondering to myself, could that be the same person, I hurriedly emailed him and left comments on his last post.  Amazingly...it was the same person I had grown up with.  My father and he had been best friends in the same Bible College, PCBBC. Wow, only God could do something like this through the internet.

Last night I was able to reconnect with an old and cherished family friend and cannot wait for what happens next.  This man and his family were like the second half of my own family, we were together all the time.  Eating at each others homes, us children playing together and becoming the best of friends,  and just living life together, these are the times I remember so fondly.

The time our families spent together were the fondest memories from my childhood, and I praise God for reuniting us once again.  I cannot wait to reconnect with him, his wife, and children in person...my mom and I are thinking a road trip this summer is in order. Gregg get ready for some company, and a huge celebration, I have missed you all so much, and tell your beautiful wife, I hope she is making some of those wonderful homemade tortillas that only she can make to perfection.  May God bless you and your family and may He bless you abundantly.

10 Things...mmmkay, here goes


It's time once again for Writer's Workshop with Mama Kat @Mama's losin it! I chose the prompt: List 10 things that blogging has taught you.  So here goes..



1) Blogging takes a lot of time.
2) Blogging does not have to be just for your eyes.
3) Blogging can be a time sucker.
4) Blogging may make you more creative.
5) Blogging comes with buddies.
6) Blogging can be difficult.
7) Blogging does not mean ignoring everything else.
8) Blogging can make you crazy at times
9) Blogging is fun.
10) Blogging makes me happy.


1) Blogging does take a lot of time if you want it to be interesting and captivate an audience of your peers. I am learning to do some posts ahead of time and to only work during the hours my family isn’t home.


2) Blogging has taught me that is does not have to be for my eyes only. There are actually others out there who want to read what I have to say. This was news to me, that is for sure.


3) Blogging has also taught me that it can be a real time sucker. For instance, sometimes when I am on my blog dashboard, time gets sucked into a vacuum as I read my fellow bloggers posts and then commence to comment on them. Time has been sucked.


4) Blogging may have taught me lately that I am beginning to get more creative, what do you think? Seriously, I really am learning a lot of creative ideas from all you other blogging buddies, and that makes me a more creative blogger in turn.


5) Blogging has taught me that the saying, you can never have enough friends, is true. I have made so many friends out there in the blog-o-sphere I can hardly keep up with you all. I am following like 3,000. blogs, or something crazy like that.


6) Blogging is sometimes difficult to do. When I am having an off day, it can be difficult to blog anything worth sharing. This kind of sounds like a….job, eek!


7) Blogging has also taught me that I can’t just go around ignoring everything else in my life, but this one thing. I have had to learn to carve out specific time to blog and then devote the rest of the time to my family and friends. This has proven to be one of the most challenging things about blogging.


8) Blogging can and will at times make you crazy. Crazy as in “Oh my gosh, I have to get this post done and then go and link up with so and so” that kind of crazy. Anyone out there feel that same way? Again, this kind of feels like a…..job, eek!


9) Blogging is fun. Blogging has taught me, my posts do not need to be serious all the time, add some humor and fun in there once in awhile. Sheesh! I love to be a funny gal, so this really isn’t a problem for me; also it keeps all you blogging friends on your toes. What will it be today, happy, sad, serious, or contemplative?


And Finally…


10) Blogging, I have learned, makes me happy. Happiness is a good thing, and  no I am not saying that blogging is my total happiness. That would just be weird, and even sad. That said, I do derive some of my happiness from sharing my life with others through the blogging medium, and that is okay by me!

A is for Angels

(This is a Poem I wrote when I was writing my first book, so I think it is appropriate to share on this Auspicious day! I would like to dedicate this posting to Gregg over at Gospel Driven Disciples)

~Angels are Real~

Angels are real    
They're all around us...

In the face of your precious child,
The eyes of a total stranger,
In the hungry cry of a newborn from another
Country
Within memories of loved ones
Even present around that long ago manger

So remember this next time…

Help the homeless on the corner
Or anyone who is in need
Look around you and think...

Without a doubt Angels are real
And they're all around us.

~~Shannon King~~

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

This post is for my daughter Molly who wrote a lovely poem for all of you to see and enjoy!


Rainy Day

It pours,
And also roars,
When it hits your roof

It's partner is lightning,
And you'll think it's frightening,
But it's really not,
It just hits your house making splots

It makes puddles,
For you to jump in,
And when it gets cold you can
Cuddle with your bear Cuddles

~Poem by Mollyanna  age 9~

History and Origin of The Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny or Easter Hare (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.) is a character depicted as rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted in an anthropomorphic way (e.g. with clothes). In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter. The Easter Bunny will either put the baskets in a designated place or hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the children to find when they wake up in the morning.


The Easter Bunny is very similar in trait to its Christmas holiday counterpart, Santa Claus, as they both bring gifts to good children on the night before their respective holiday. It was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Frankenau's De ovis paschalibus (About the Easter Egg) referring to an Alsace tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter Eggs (and the negative impact of too much egg consumption).

The Easter Bunny as an Easter symbol bringing Easter eggs seems to have its origins in Alsace and the Upper Rhineland, both then in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, and southwestern Germany, where it was first recorded in a German publication in the early 1600s. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s and were made of pastry and sugar.

The Easter Bunny was introduced to America by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 1700s. The arrival of the "O_ster Haws_e" (a phonetic transcription of a dialectal pronunciation of the German Osterhase) was considered one of "childhood's greatest pleasures," similar to the arrival of Kriist Kindle (from the German Christkindl) on Christmas Eve.

According to the tradition, children would build brightly colored nests, often out of caps and bonnets, in secluded areas of their homes. The "O_ster Haws_e" would, if the children had been good, lay brightly colored eggs in the nest. As the tradition spread, the nest has become the manufactured, modern Easter basket, and the placing of the nest in a secluded area has become the tradition of hiding baskets.

The saying "mad as a March hare" refers to the wild caperings of hares as the males fight over the females in the early spring, then attempt to mate with them. Since the females often rebuff the males' advances before finally submitting, the mating behavior often looks like a crazy dance; these fights led early observers to believe that the advent of spring made the hares "mad." This bold behavior makes the hares, normally timid and retiring animals, much more conspicuous to human observation in the spring.

Rabbits and hares are both prolific breeders. The females can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first. This phenomenon is known as superfetation. Lagomorphs mature sexually at an early age and can give birth to several litters a year (hence the sayings, "to breed like bunnies" or "multiply like rabbits"). It is therefore not surprising that rabbits and hares should become fertility symbols, or that their springtime mating antics should enter into Easter folklore.

The precise origin of the ancient custom of coloring eggs is not known, although evidently the blooming of many flowers in spring coincides with the use of the fertility symbol of eggs - and eggs boiled with some flowers change their color, bringing the spring into the homes. Many Christians of the Eastern Orthodox Church to this day typically dye their Easter eggs red, the color of blood, in recognition of the blood of the sacrificed Christ (and, of the renewal of life in springtime). Some also use the color green, in honor of the new foliage emerging after the long dead time of winter.

German Protestants wanted to retain the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to Catholics during the fast of Lent, which was the reason for the abundance of eggs at Easter time.

The idea of an egg-laying bunny came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhas," sometimes spelled "Oschter Haws." "Hase" means "hare," not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit. According to the legend, only good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. In 1835, Jakob Grimm wrote of long-standing similar myths in Germany itself. Grimm suggested that these derived from legends of a goddess called Ostara, but as a romanticist, he tried to connect contemporary customs to pre-Christian traditions, knowing that no written sources of that time existed. Additionally, a goddess of that name is only mentioned in a single ancient source giving an ambiguous statement about an Ostara month.

This information was gleaned from Wikipedia and is not in anyway my own. Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope you enjoyed learning about The Easter Bunny and The Easter Egg histories.

Internet Woes

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming today due to technical difficulties...

Is anyone else out in the blog-o-sphere having internet trouble today besides me? I have been getting certificate errors all day on my gmail and blog.  If you are having trouble please leave me a comment to let me know I am not alone in this problem. In the meantime here is a picture I thought ya'll would like, it is a representation of how I feel about the internet today! 





Take these Shakles off

Survey Bible Reading Plan Day 3

Today’s reading assignment is Exodus 12-14, 20 click here to read it.



Yesterday (day 2) we read about the Israelites being oppressed, Moses’ birth, the burning bush, signs for Moses to perform, and God’s promise of deliverance. If you missed it just click here to catch up.


Did you catch the part about Moses complaining that he was slow to speak…don’t you love what the LORD said to him…if you missed it here it is again.


11. The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."


I am almost certain I would not have complained to the LORD, probably out of pure fear, if truth were to be told. There was also an interesting part about God being ready to kill Moses…


At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} [i] and was about to kill him. 25 but Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. [j] "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)


I dug a little deeper into my study Bible and this is what it says about this passage: God was about to kill Moses because Moses had not circumcised his son. But why? Probably because Moses spent half his life in Pharaoh’s palace and half his life in the midianite desert. He might not have been familiar with God’s laws, especially since all the requirements of God’s covenant with Israel had not been actively carried out for over 400 years. Also something to remember Moses’ wife was a midianite and may have opposed circumcision.


Today’s inspirational quote is…


You are a finished product in God but a raw material on the earth.


- Edward Ezekiel Isouve

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A-Z Challenge

Calling all bloggers who want to participate in something fun and challenging, head on over to Arlee Bird's place @Tossing it out and read all about it! This is going to be a wonderful opportunity and I hope to see many of you there. This will be starting April 1st, so hurry on over and see what all the excitement is all about.


Uncle Sam...um Arlee Bird, wants YOU!

Lead me to the Cross


Click here to watch an absolutely awesome video...I just want to write out the lyrics to show you what an awesome worship song this is. So sit back and just relax while you listen to this wonderful song.

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Survey Bible Reading Plan Day 2

Today’s reading assignment is Exodus chapters 1-5 you can click here to read it online at Bible Gateway.



Yesterday we read about Creation, Adam and Eve, sin entering the world, and Abraham obeying God by willingly putting his son Isaac on the altar.


I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would be brave enough to do what Abraham did. Let’s be honest, could you put your only child on an altar to be sacrificed? Abraham had a wonderful relationship with the LORD, I can only strive to be that trusting and obedient. I love how it says in there…Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. I would like to have that said about me someday, what about you?


Today’s inspirational Quote is...


Our lives end the day we become silent about the things that matter.


- Martin Luther

If you missed yesterday's reading just click here to catch up...as usual when you are done with the reading assignment, leave me a comment or two telling me how it touched you today or what you gleaned from it. God Bless and have a wonderful day!

Post-it Note Tuesday w/Supah








The Great...Dee @Say anything..is interviewing little ole me!

Hey all you blogging buddies, just wanted to let you know that I am being interviewed this morning by the one and only Dee @Say Anything so go by and check it out.



 I would so appreciate any and all of you coming by and letting me know what you think of my blog so far. Thanks so much Dee, you are an Angel. Okay blogging friends run on over there this morning with a cup of joe and just sit back and relax. I truely hope you will enjoy learning something about Moi'.

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Survey Bible Reading Plan Day 1

I have decided to do a Reading Through the Bible plan I found at Bible Gateway called Survey Bible Reading Plan.  Do you want to read highlights from every book of the Bible? It doesn't take long, only about 15 minutes or so a day.  Some of the advantages of this approach include simplicity, comprehensiveness, and brevity. As you read, ask the Lord to help you understand, personalize, and apply his Word. You might even try the S.O.A.P. method of devotion time, you can find that here.  Then be sure to thank God for what he's going to do in each area of your life.

Todays reading is Genesis chapters 1-3, 12, 15, and 22.  Click here to read it.

I will be posting the next reading everyday along with an inspiring and encouraging Quote for you to think about as you go through your day! Here is today's inspiring Quote...

"I asked Jesus ... "How much do you love me " And Jesus said ... "This much." Then He stretched out His arms and died."

- Unknown

I am really excited about doing this and it only takes about 61 days to complete, so it is not too big of a challenge, even I can do this one! So, come on and join me, I would love the company...and maybe you could comment and let me know how you are doing and what you are learning along the way. May God's face shine upon you today and beyond and may He give you so much joy that you have to give some away.

Stuffed vs. Satisfied

This past Sunday my new Pastor talked about Satisfaction compared to Stuffing…as in are you just Stuffed or are you really Satisfied with your spiritual life/relationship with God?



Well the gist of the message was centered on the passage of Jesus feeding the 5000+ and how He did not just give them what they asked for, He gave them more than enough. After all they picked up 12 baskets of leftovers afterwards didn’t they? So it was a comparison of being stuffed over being satisfied.


The crowd kept following after Jesus because when they woke up after being fed so much, they were once again hungry and looking to see where Jesus, the man who fed them, had gone. They may have been stuffed but they were not satisfied by any means. Jesus told them something amazing that day, He told them “I am the bread of life” proclaiming that He was and is the son of God, and only He can satisfy them for eternity. Jesus was telling them that earthly food would not satisfy them for long, but that He had what they needed. In that day, bread was the main meal not a side dish like it is now, so when He said “I am the bread of life” that was really saying something to them that they understood.


This is what I took away from the sermon this last Sunday…I am at times only stuffing myself with small devotionals or whole days spent (sporadically) in the word, but I am not always satisfied because I allow other things come in and choke out my time with God, for instance…blogging, watching TV, or reading books. These things all take time away from my relationship with God…No; I am not going to stop blogging, watching TV or even reading.


I am merely saying that having a healthy and balanced relationship with Jesus Christ takes time and INTENTIONALITY. I can’t just say I did enough to last me through the next time…it does not work that way very well. It is something I have to focus on and give my undivided attention to. All relationships work that way. This one is no different in that aspect. It requires my attention and devotion and passion. I am so thankful for God and His continual and unconditional love towards me. I am off to Satisfy my soul with some God time. Have a wonderful day and May God’s face shine upon all who pass this way.

Monday Minute

It's time again for Ian and his Monday Minute meme here are my answers to his random questions this morning..
 
Why did you start blogging? I wanted to write down what I was feeling, or going through, or what I have gone through already, and share it with others..some who may be going through some of the same stuff. Also I like to write so blogging was perfect!


Name one other blogger and list their URL that deserves special attention for whatever reason you choose. Hmmmm...So many to chose from so I will just pick one just because...Missy @A Cats tail she is fairly new so go check her out.


Name one of your heroes in life. Someone that you know or knew personally. Melinda my cousin who is going through cancer right now, she is definitely my hero. She is a single mom trying to raise her boys and work full time as well as go through cancer treatment, to me that sums up a hero.


Whose feet smell worse, yours or mine?  Definitely yours…mine smell like baby lotion.


Which TV shows’s setting would you most like to live in? Gilligan’s island..how cool would that be?

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sunday funnies










Related Posts with Thumbnails