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In pastures green He leadeth me. Join me on the journey.
What's Going on Here?
We are reading our way through the bible one chapter per day. The idea behind my personal reading plan is to read through books chronologically, but not solely one book at a time. Thus on Monday we read from the books of the law, Tuesday the books of kings and judges, Wednesday the books of Jewish History, Thursday Books of Wisdom, Friday the Prophets, Saturday the Gospels and Sunday the Epistles. The next Monday we pick up at the chapter we left off in ancient history. You may think that this would be disjointed and would cause you to "lose your groove" but I have found the contrary to be true, the threads of promise, redemption and grace show up more clearly as I make my way slowly through these books in a parrallel fashion and when I pick up where I left off a week before I am reminded of things that stood out to me from last week's reading. Journaling is a big part of my processing scripture and fixing particular tidbits in my mind for the purpose of life application. I would love to have you join me!
Basic Reading Plan
Mon (Law): Genesis-Joshua
Tues (Rulers): Judges-Chronicles
Wed (History): Ezra-Psalms
Thurs (Wisdom): Prov-Jer
Fri (Prophets): Lam-Malachi
Sat (Gospels): Matthew-Acts
Sun (Epistles) Romans-Revelation.
The theme I have given each section is general. Joshua is not a book of the law and Psalms is not a book of history. The main chunk of reading in each section is, however, suitably classified as the theme it is under. In order to make the sections even out to have the same general number of books/chapters, this was the closest I could come. Otherwise one would be reading through certain sections (like the Law) for instance, much more often than the wisdom books, etc.
Posts
A Place of Fellowship....
(Fellowship is) an expression of both love and humility. [It] springs from a desire to bring benefit to others, coupled with a sense of personal weakness and need. It has a double motive – the wish to help, and to be helped; to edify, and to be edified. It has a double aim – to do, and to receive, good. It is a seeking by Christian people to know God better through sharing with each other what, individually, they have learned of Him already. J.I. Packer.
A few introductory words of encouragement....
Think of your time feeding on God's Word as a vital aspect of your health and wellness. You wouldn't go a week without brushing your teeth, or eating physical food, don't treat the nourishing of your soul by the Word of God with any less care.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
Don't cram multiple chapters if you fall behind of plan, but *do* "back-read" if you have the passion and earnest desire to do so. My habit if I miss a chapter is usually to leave it until that book comes up again the next week (based on my own reading plan) and then read two consecutive chapters rather than the one I am scheduled to read.
Don't be legalistic about the when and how. If you don't get a quiet time in the morning, THAT'S OKAY. Find a moment in the afternoon to grab a drink, sit down and put your feet up, and soak up a chapter. And if that doesn't happen, THAT'S OKAY. Take 15-20 minutes at the end of the day to plump some pillows up in your bed and soak it up before you go to sleep. And if that doesn't happen, IT'S OKAY. Tomorrow is a new day. Don't let the enemy discourage you from spending time in the word TODAY because you didn't YESTERDAY. That's just dumb. Did you get that? DUMB.
If you don't have time to read, meditate. Allow God to bring a passage of scripture to mind and allow yourself to listen. Take time to be quiet in your spirit. While you are washing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming... cleaning bathrooms.
Spruce things up. Get yourself a PRETTY journal and jot down little things that stand out to you. Use your favourite mug or a pretty glass to pour your favourite drink. Sit in your favourite spot (this could change from day to day and depending on the time of day you read. A sunny spot on the porch in the morning, a wing back chair and a blanket if it's chilly, a garden swing in the shade on a hot afternoon, or plumped up in bed with soft lamplight in the evening. Again, don't be legalistic about the location, pick a happy spot that fits the moment/opportunity.) Oh, and DON'T wait for the pretty journal. Plain lined notepaper or even a crumpled scrap paper will work just FINE until you get one....
Remember while you read, God's word is FOR YOU. yes, it was written to a particular audience in a particular time in history and for a particular reason. But it was also written with YOU in mind, TODAY in mind, and is designed to give you strength and wisdom for the journey.
Claim ONE part of the passage and take it to heart. Read through the chapter without too much introspection at first and see what part most stands out to you. Go back and look at that part more specifically and ask yourself what is in there for YOU?
Ask relevant questions. I usually look at a passage with 2 questions in mind. 1. What does this passage tell me about God's character? 2. What does this passage tell me about humanity (ie, ME, in relation to God? a final and very important question to ask is "What does this passage require of me on a practical level?" Write down one attitude, practice or truth you want you live out TODAY in light of what God has just revealed to you. This is how we take ownership of the Word of God and allow it to relate to us and shape us on a personal level.
Build yourself a monument. As I ponder a passages relevance to me I journal the thoughts that arise. Jotting them down somehow cements my convictions in my mind, almost like laying out stones in a monument so I can go back to that place later and be reminded. I also use those notes to come here and share my thoughts later with others.
Keep your actual quiet time concise. This will help make it more likely the habit will continue to happen on a regular basis. Better to spend 15 minutes in the word daily, than 1 hour once a week.
Don't require absolute "alone" and uninterrupted time (without kids around). If they are around, they can learn to not interrupt you for 15 minutes, just like you spend time with other people when they are around, you can spend time with the Lord with them around too.
Think of God’s Word as a love letter to you. When you read stories of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, think about WHAT love paid the price for all that wrath and how a hand that once smote anyone who dared touch the ark of His covenant now beckons YOU to draw near to the throne of grace. Read everything in light of who God is and how much He loves mankind that in spite of our being so deprived, His love story reaches out, encompasses us, washes us clean, and seeks to draw us near.
May you seek Him, may He be found by you, and may you be blessed on the journey.
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5 comments:
wow. I was floored this morning as I read this. This past week I read a chapter in "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey about the Beatitudes. In essence, what it was saying was that it is not the healthy, wealthy and wise who are blessed, but the sick, the poor and the downcast (which we all pretty much get, but maybe don't get the depth of it?) because it is the sick, the poor and the downcast who need and receive more of God's grace and mercy, love and strength. Since there can be no greater blessing than that, it is those people who ARE blessed. Now, the secular humanism that we have been steeped in doesn't fit with that picture, but it is reality, it is truth, the other stuff we've been suckered into believing is the lie. In contemplating this, and this mentality that we have to wish health, wealth and happiness on people I have come to realize the greatest blessing we can give someone is to pray that whatever the state of their health, pocketbook or circumstances, they will be rich in the love, joy, grace, peace and power of their Heavenly Father (all the things outlined in the beatitudes countering the physical circumstances). This has been such a light bulb week for me about the depth of meaning in the Beatitudes passage.
So when Hannah says; "The bows of warriors break, but weak people become strong. Those who once had plenty of food now must work for food, but people who are hungry are hungry no more. The woman who could not have children now has seven, but the woman who had many children now is sad." It packed extra punch for me. She is saying all this while she is HANDING OVER her child. She has come to realize the truth of the Beatitudes.... she is blessed because she is Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.
Spectacular to read this chapter in light of the truth of the Beatitudes. it just blessed my socks off.
I also got goosebumps when I read;
"The Lord destroys His enemies; He will thunder in heaven against them. The Lord will judge all the earth. He will give power to His king and make His appointed king strong." v10
Talk about faith to hand your child over to the discipleship of a man who raised wicked sons. I am so controlling, this kills me! But I know that I have to trust that God cares and can and will form my children into pillars of faith even if everything in their life is a less than ideal example, and sometimes it's the less than ideal examples that can actually encourage their growth. So hard for a controlling parent to practice, but I know it in my heart. I want the best for them, but the truth is that God knows best, and sometimes crappy, painful, less than ideal circumstances are the best breeding ground for faith and growth. Don't I know it...
Wow. Those little buggers. The way they treated the offering of the meat... hmmmm... let me see, this is my favourite cut here, but I don't like it boiled, I like mine barbecued, so just hand it over and I'll go fire up the barby.... yeeks. No wonder they got laid flat by lightning (or fire from heaven or whatever it was).
I love that Hannah had 5 more children. Praise the Lord. My heart just fills with joy to think of that.
I think it is telling that Samuel "sort of" rebuked his sons, but didn't enforce consequences and God looked at that and said; "You honor your sons more than me." Yikes. It's not enough to give faint lip service to parenting. We need to show by our actions and motives that God and His ways are central in our family life and nothing is going to challenge that. Otherwise, God is not really LORD of our family at all.
So when I read;
just a few comments there? ;-)
I love Hannah's song too - it's simply beautiful. And I love that God blessed her with many children after Samuel - what a gracious God.
I was floored by the behaviour of the priests, and Eli's total lack of involvement. And his "rebuke" which really amounted to nothing. And I wondered why his sons grew up to be like that? Was it parenting? Just who they were? did they see that Eli didn't have enough respect for God and so they didn't either? Curious.
Even more curious that God would then allow Eli to train Samuel. After the way his sons went, you'd think God would want someone else to train up this next boy.
God's judgement on Eli is harsh, "I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house" "But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age" Yikes. No lineage after this. basically. That is a huge deal.
This was a great chapter. I just love hearing about the great women of the Bible. They sure do set a wonderful example for us. I can't even imagine going through the heart break of not being able to conceive a child and then turning around and giving that precious child to someone else to raise, talk about faith. Also letting someone raise your child that appears to have failed in the parenting area would be more than a little scary. Then in verse 19, it talks about her making Samuel a little coat each year and bringing it to him. It makes me smile to imagine how much time she probably put into making that precious little piece of clothing for her beloved child. I also love how it says in the Bible that the Lord visited her(v.21) and she had 5 more children(3 boys & 2 girls just like you prairie chick). There is no doubt that children are a blessing from our God!
yeah, just a few... I've had a few dry days, so when it started pouring today, I really soaked it all up like a sponge =D
>>I also love how it says in the Bible that the Lord visited her(v.21) and she had 5 more children(3 boys & 2 girls just like you prairie chick). <<
that is so cool, I didn't even get the 3 boys and 2 girl thing. sweet!
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