The Lord is my Strength and my Song

Good Morning Everyone!

Just popping in here real quick.  Life just does not slow down, does it!  I have actually been looking forward to the school year this year so our family will stay put for a while and not be traveling--and maybe I can get something done!  But oh yes--how we do tend to forget how very busy we are once homeschool has started up again!  Ah well, it is always nice to at least THINK we are going to have more time at a future date, right? ;)

I wanted to invite all of you to join me in an upcoming memory challenge that I will be participating in.  Now I know what you are thinking--how am I going to fit in Scripture memorization when I was just complaining about how busy we are?  Good point!  And I honestly have to confess that I am not alway successful when I set about memorizing Scripture.  In fact, if I am remembering correctly, I believe that I have only succeeded two out of the last four Bible chapters that I have tried to memorize.  But you know what?  I have decided that two out of four Bible chapters memorized is FANTASTIC!  And besides that, the time I spent meditating on God's Word, and the verses that I did manage to memorize from the chapters that I "failed" on are never wasted.  They are never a failure.  Every minute spent reading God's Word to me is a success!

That being said, this next memory challenge is small and doable--only six verses!  I think I can do that!  And I think YOU can do it too!  We will be memorizing Isaiah chapter 12--I confess that Isaiah is my absolute favorite book in the entire Bible--SO many encouraging promises in there!!!

So spend some time thinking about it.  Better yet, spend some time praying about it!  And one of the most helpful things I have found in Bible memory success for ME is to join in with a memory group. Being part of a memory group is encouraging and helps keep you going when you are feeling like throwing in the towel.  And with the wonders of the internet, if you don't have a Bible memory group near you (I don't!), you can still have the encouragement of one in an on-line community! :)

So go check out this link--and read all about it.  And after you read about it, prepare to join us as we memorize Isaiah 12!
Why Should I Memorize Isaiah 12?

Have a beautiful week with your beautiful Savior!


~Susan

Bible Journals--Reading Through the New Testament

My Matthew 11--Jesus promises to carry my burdens!

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would share an idea we are doing in our home school recently, just in case it is a good fit for anyone else out there. . . 

With the coming of the New Year, it is always a good opportunity to have a little re-evaluation of your home school.  Just a time of reflection of what is working, what is not, and what perhaps you want to do more of or even less of.

One thing that always stands out to me when I evaluate our home school, is that my ultimate goal is to lead my children to Christ.  Yes, I know--I cannot choose Christ for them.  If I could, I would, trust me!  :)  But while it will be up to them whether or not they choose to follow Jesus with their lives, while they are still living under my influence I feel strongly that I need to teach them about Him.  

And what better way to learn of Him, than straight from His Word?

I read somewhere recently that there were just 260 chapters in the New Testament, and there are 262 week days in a year.  So if a parent read with their child just one chapter per day during the week, you could read your way through the entire New Testament during the course of a year and still have two days "extra" for make up days.  That thought really struck me.  I have read the entire Bible through myself several times, but I have never read through the Bible with my child.  Of course, the goal is not to read THROUGH the Bible--the goal is to learn of HIM through the Bible.  Finishing the last page is not the reward, but knowing Him is.

With this mulling around in my mind, I thought about how I could apply this into our lives, into our home school.  And as I thought about it, I became convicted that I needed to do this, and the key would be doing it WITH our daughter, not as another assignment for her to do by herself.  To read through the New Testament together, discussing and sharing as we went along.  

So God gave me a plan.  It is simple, but I don't know but sometimes the very best plans ARE the simple ones.  And it has been such a blessing to me even in this short time that I would not hesitate to recommend this idea even to adults just doing it by themselves, if you don't happen to have a child handy! ;)  And it does not matter that we are a ways into the New Year already--we did not start at the beginning of January because I had not even read about this idea until the month had already started.  Remember that the goal is to get to know Jesus, not to finish by a certain date.  For materials all you need is a notebook of some type--don't worry about being fancy, we are just using a spiral notebook--and your Bible. :)

So here's the plan:

1)  Read through a chapter together--for my daughter and I, we are actually reading the chapter and at the same time listening to it on the dramatized Bible, so we are reading AND hearing.  I love the dramatized Bible!  We listen using a free Bible Gateway app.

2)  Draw a picture from the chapter.  This can be anything you want--either something literally from the chapter, or something that the chapter made you think of that is more of an application of what that chapter is talking about.  And yes--stick figures are just fine!!!!  Even for adults!

3)  Write a verse.  Choose any verse from the chapter--the one that speaks most to your heart or stands out the most to you.  Our verses that we write end up in a way being the caption for whatever picture we draw.

4)  Write something that you learned from that chapter.  This might not be a "something new that you didn't know before" kind of thing.  Just anything that that chapter is trying to teach.  The big picture summary, the thing that God speaks to you about.

5)  Write a question about that chapter.  Sometimes my daughter will have very literal questions such as "How many 10 year olds were there in the crowd?"  But it is also a good time to really apply this chapter to your life and give yourself a question to think about.

And there you have it--our little Bible Journal plan.  I am being blessed by doing this, and I love to see our daughter reading and learning how to think about and apply the Bible to her own life.

An example of Matthew 13 from my daughter's Bible Journal, and the same chapter from mine.  This time we choose different verses to illustrate.  Sometimes we end up choosing the same verse.  Always we share when we are finished with our page.

My daughter's Matthew chapter 1.  I love how she illustrated Isaiah giving the prophecy!

My daughter's Matthew 4.  I love her "Something Learned"--that the devil knows the Bible.  Shouldn't WE study and learn the Bible as well?

Well, that's it for our Bible Journals.  I hope you will find this idea encouraging to get into our Special Love Letter.  It will be a blessing to you if you do--God has promised!

~Susan

Five Favorite Bible Verses

Hi Everyone!

I thought I would share with you today my absolute top favorite Bible verses. . . This idea is going around on Facebook--not sure who started it, but my dear friend listed her top five, and a friend of hers listed her top five, and I so much enjoyed reading theirs, so I thought I would join in.  There is only one problem.  I am too wordy.  I went to list out my top five Bible verses, and couldn't contain myself to just the verses--so I thought I would move them over here to my blog where I can add as many words about them as I want to! ;)

So here they are--in order--my absolute favorite near and dear to my heart Bible verses:

1.  You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trust in You.
      Isaiah 26:3  NKJV

What I LOOOOOOVE about this verse is who the emphasis is on.  Who is the "you" that the verse is talking about?  Not me!  None other than God Himself!  That's right, GOD will keep me in perfect peace--that's HIS job, not mine.  The next part is "my" job--to keep my mind stayed on Him.  Of course, I cannot even do this part without His power, but I really love this verse because it reminds me of what my priorities need to be.  To keep my mind on God.  To trust in Him.  And then HE will keep me in perfect peace.  That doesn't mean all the circumstances around me are going to be what I want them to be.  In fact, they might not be good at all.  But if I trust Him, REALLY trust Him, I can accept that He is in control, not me, and that He is well able to take care of things. . . Which leads me to my next favorite verse!

2.  Surely the arm of The Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.  Isaiah 59:1  NIV

No matter what the circumstance may be, God is able.  He is able to save.  It is people who choose not to be saved--not God.  There is nothing that is too hard for Him.  There is no circumstance that He does not know about.  I personally have hearing loss, and there honestly are times that I do not hear someone calling me--but not God.  His ear is NOT too dull to hear the smallest cry for help, the faintest whisper.  And when He hears that whisper, He is strong enough to save.

3.  Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.  Of what account is he?  Isaiah 2:22

I love this verse because it reminds me to place my trust in the right place.  I am super blessed in that I have a wonderful father.  I know my Dad would do anything he could to help me if I was in trouble. But you know what?  No matter what may be in my dad's heart, he is still only a human.  There are circumstances he cannot fix.  A grandchild born with a disability is beyond my dad's "fixing" capability.  But not God's.  I may not always see God change a situation at the moment I wish He would, but this is where that number one favorite verse comes into play--I need to trust in Him.  In His time--at the right time--it will happen.

4.  He tends His flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart;  He gently leads those that have young.  Isaiah 40:11  NIV

He gently leads those that have young.  Can't you just imagine that?  God isn't dragging us kicking and screaming.  He is gently leading, and He especially understands those that have young.  He understands the weariness because you were up most of the night with a sick little one.  He understands when you can't sleep because you are so worried, and you spend the night in bleary-eyed prayer.  You can trust Him with your loved ones--He will gather them in His arms and carry them close to His heart.  And you know what?  He is big enough and strong enough to gather you up, and to carry you there too, even if you are not a little one any more.

5.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;  there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NKJV

Surprise!  I actually chose a favorite verse that is in a different book other than Isaiah!  Bet you didn't think I could do it, did you? ;)  I DO love Isaiah--there are a million more beautiful promises in there that I couldn't share here if I was going to limit myself to only FIVE verses. . . But I couldn't leave out my final favorite verse, this one in Revelation.  I love this verse because once again it is about my God.  It is about what HE is going to do--and about what He is able to do.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. . . not just some tears.  Not just most tears.  But EVERY tear.  That is only going to happen if our circumstances are fixed--otherwise those tears just keep on coming.  But there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  Our old, sinful world will be passed away, and the new, sinless one will be made new and there for us.

In the beginning of our story--in the beginning of the Bible--there is God.  He creates a beautiful, sinless place for mankind to live in.  But we mess it up big time.

In the middle of our story--in the middle of the Bible--there is God.  He saves us.  He hears us.  He keeps us in peace if we trust in Him.

In the end of our story--at the end of the Bible--there is God.  He fixes all that is broken, and wipes away every tear.  And there will never be any more.

And it is all because of God.

Have a beautiful day with your Saviour!  And I would love to read what YOUR five top favorite Bible verses are!

~Susan

Rejoice Over You

I think this is one of my favorite verses.

Just think of it--the Creator of our universe sings a love song about how much He loves YOU.

He created you, and He is delighted with you.

There is nothing ever that can separate His love from you.

He will never leave you--only you can leave Him.

And even then, He will still love you.

Forever.

Happy Sabbath!

Enjoy spending some time this Sabbath day with the one who rejoices over you with singing.

~Susan

God for God Bible Marking System

Hi Everyone!

Hope your New Year is starting off well.  I know in our family, this is the first week with all schedules back full swing--back to full time work, full time school, full time life!

Just wanted to share with you a neat little something I ran across today.  It is a Bible-marking system that is so very simple, but I thought at the same time so very neat!

In a nutshell, you will need three highlighters to do this--one yellow, one blue, and one green.  As you are reading verses in your Bible this year, if you see a verse that is describing the character of God--mark that verse (or part of verse) yellow.  If you find a verse that talks about God's will for your life--this would include instructions, commandments, or counsel--mark that one blue.  The last category you look for is promises of God for you--those get marked green.

Here is an example of what the popular verse John 3:16 would look like using this method:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (God's Character -- Yellow), that whosoever believeth on Him (God's Will -- Blue)should not perish but have everlasting life." (God's Promise -- Green)  John 3:16

That's it!  Pretty simple, isn't it?  But it is supposed to help you really look at verses in a new way.  I haven't tried this yet, but I am certainally thinking about trying it!

I learned about this Bible marking method from this web site, if you would like to read more about it:

http://godforgod.vpweb.com/G4G-Bible-Marking-System.html

Let me know if any of you have tried this idea before, and how you liked it.  Or if you haven't tried it, what do you think of it?  I would love to hear from you! :)

~Susan

Happy Sabbath!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6,7

Peace of God. That's what I want. A peace that is so calm and solid that worry can find no foothold. A peace that knows that God is in control so I do not have to be. (I don't do a very good job at being in control anyway!) A peace that guards my heart and mind--the places where my feelings and my worries are!

Peace of God. Piece of God. It is only when we have a "piece" of God that we will have the "peace" of God. And so I continue to thirst for His Word. For it is by reading the Bible that I gain Christ.

Happy Sabbath Everyone!

The Bible in 90 Days--Finished!

Good Morning Everyone!

Well, I have to confess--it is finished. Yesterday I finished my third time doing the Bible in 90 Day program. I feel wonderful. And terrible. All at the same time.

Wonderful because I am SO very happy to be reading in God's Word. I feel closeness with Him. I love being immersed in His promises.

Terrible because I hate for it to end. After the initial elation at having reached my goal, there comes an emptiness. What do I do now? How do I make it through my day without God's Word? And I know the answer--I can't.

Which is exactly why after I finished my first Bible in 90 Days session, back in March 2011, I signed up to do the whole thing all over again starting that July. And when that session finished, January 1, 2012 found me starting time number 3. I can't help it. How often do you need to breath? Every day. How often do I need God's Word? Every day. All. Day. Long.

Though I have to confess, it IS nice to have some time for a slower pace. For more reflection. For more in depth study. I know I want to do more with Bible Memory. I have started the Memory verse for each week, but have had to let my Bible in 90 Days take priority. Perhaps now I can let my memory projects become priority for a while. . .

And I do have an idea that is swimming around in my mind. It's crazy. Every bit as crazy as reading the Bible through in 90 days. But it appeals to something inside of me. (What does THAT say about me--maybe "I'm" crazy!) That is the idea of copying the Bible. By hand. Yes, I know. We have printing presses now. And computers. I have the Bible on our ipad. On CD. Even a pocket version that I carry in my purse. So why in the world would any SANE person want to copy it out by hand? I don't even have good handwriting!!! Why? To think. To reflect. To listen.

I haven't actually decided to DO this crazy idea--yet. But a couple weeks ago I actually read a short article about a 72 year old Korean gentleman who had done this very thing--seven times. One time he copied in Chinese. Believe it or not, I had already been thinking of this idea before I read about this man--but reading about him only made me want to do it more. When asked why he did this, he said to get God's Word in his mind better. That's what I want. He also said that copying the Bible by hand is in his opinion worth seven times reading it. There is NO WAY I can do what this gentleman is doing--he said that he actually is spending six hours a day in copying the Bible. I don't have six hours a day to spend in that type of an activity, no matter how wonderful. But God hasn't asked me to do that.

Will I copy the Bible? I don't know. I am still thinking about it. And praying. And pausing. There are many things that I do not know. But what I DO know is that I want God's Word in my mind. Whenever my brain starts to search for an answer to something, I don't want it to find my thoughts. I want only His thoughts there.

"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Revelation 22:7 How can I keep them if they are not in my mind?

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17

I am thirsty. Are you?

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week Eleven

Happy Spring Everyone!

Or at least, it FEELS like Spring around my corner. I sure hope it stays feeling this way. The trees are all blooming and our woods are filled with my daffodils and I sure would hate to see them get frosted, which "could" still happen. But oh well! For right now, I am just going to enjoy all the loveliness that is around me! :)

So, it's time for a new verse for this week! (Did you notice I am posting this "on time" this week? Are you impressed?) I had a friend share with me a beautiful verse after my post last time, so I thought it would be great to chose the verse she pointed out to me for this week. The whole verse is good, though the last part is especially good for scary times like I was experiencing a little bit ago with the tornadoes in our area.

So here it is--the verse for week eleven!

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5

Isn't that lovely? NEVER will I leave you. NEVER will I forsake you. I just have to ask myself, "What part of NEVER do you not understand????" Never--in our English language, anyway, is not really left open for discussion. It is not "maybe." It is not"sometimes." It is "never." As in, "never-ever-EVER!"

A beautiful promise, from an even more beautiful God. I would love to have you memorize it with me this week!

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week Ten

Hi Everyone!

Believe it or not, I have not forgotten my weekly memory verse! I have had lots of things going on, and by the time I sat down to finally post this week's verse I couldn't even get the 52 Week button to work on my blog! But I decided even if I don't have the button this week, I can still post my verse! :)

I "had" been working through some verses in Matthew 6, and I still LOVE that Bible chapter. BUT--circumstances around our part of the country have been changed a bit, and I read a verse that REALLY jumped out at me so I chose it for this week's verse. You see, last year our area was hit badly by tornadoes. Our personal house was spared, but we know quite a few people who lost everything but their lives. Driving around on the roads where the tornadoes touched down felt like driving in a war zone. Houses smashed, trees broken off around three feet above the ground--whole forests were like this. Well, over the past year, slowly houses have been rebuilt, though the area is anything but completely recovered.

Then, this past Friday our area was right in line for tornadoes again. We are blessed to have a basement in our house, and we certainally were in it. Our weather radio was giving a continuous warning for our county. A friend of ours who is exploring the career option of "weatherman" had arranged ahead of time to shadow the "real" weather people that day, and he was giving much appreciated updates for our little town on his Facebook page. All in all, there were six tornadoes in our area, and radar confirmed baseball sized hail in the storm that was above us. We prayed for God's protection, stayed in the basement, and tried to protect the littliest one under the most sturdy piece of furniture. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

One tornado would pass, and we would breath for a bit--then the next one would be heading towards us. This repeated itself for a couple of hours. Finally, exhaustion was taking over. The "worst" had already passed us, but we were still having severe thunderstorms for a couple more hours--and they would have the potential of spurring off tornadoes.

But I was too tired. My kids were sleeping in the safest most underground part of the basement, and finally I laid out my sleeping bag, prayed for God to protect us, and went to sleep.

I found this verse for this week's memory project--it is perfect for our experience.

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

This is my new "tornado" verse. Maybe I will find a few more to add to it! Do you have any verses that get you through difficult times? Feel free to leave a comment and share your favorites!

52 Weeks, 52 Verses--Week Nine

Good Morning Everyone!

And "Happy Monday" to you! :) Sorry I am a bit late in posting my new verse for this week. So many many things seem to keep me very busy all the time--but this semester especially!

My Bible in 90 Days reading is moving right along--in one more week or so I will be entering the Gospels! It's hard to believe! Didn't I just start reading Genesis a week or so ago??? I LOVE reading the Gospels, though, so am very much looking forward to being in that portion of the Bible. As I have already mentioned, I am having to keep my Bible in 90 Days reading my #1 priority for my quiet time each day, and my Bible Memory is going to have to take 2nd place. That said, I am continuing to choose a new verse each week and write it out on a card which I then place on my metal ring. Sometimes I get a new verse posted on my bathroom mirror, sometimes I end up leaving the previous weeks verse posted there. I figure either way it's good--there is always a verse on that mirror for me to read when I'm washing my hands! Not sure how firm my verses are getting memorized, but I am not going to worry about that for now. If it is more of a "meditate on a verse each week" instead of a memorize a verse each week, so be it. I figure it's still good!

And speaking of worry--that reminds me. The verse I am choosing for this week is one exactly on that. Worry. If you remember, I was already focusing on some verses in Matthew 6, and I am going to skip over a few and go down to Matthew 6:25 for this weeks verse. It goes like this:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" Matthew 6:25

Do not worry. Why? Because there are other more important things God wants me to be doing instead.

So there you have it. Go have a wonderful week. And don't worry!

With all your Heart

Good Morning!

I am reading in Jeremiah this morning, and I noticed something interesting. As I started marking some verses that were standing out to me, and I thought I might share them on here, I realized that there was a pattern that was being repeated. It is the phrase "with all your heart." I am sure it is repeated many places in this portion of the Bible, but I wasn't watching for it at first. But as I started marking verses, the first verse I marked to share was this one:

"My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." Jeremiah 24:6,7

Return to me with all their heart. Completely. With nothing held back.

Then I marked this one:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Seek me with all your heart. Not half your heart. Not part of your heart. ALL your heart.

Wouldn't it be interesting to do a study on that phrase--"all your heart?" Sometime I would love to do this! I know, I know. In all my spare time. . .

I ran across more references to our hearts. This verse does not use that same phrase, but it is oh so beautiful:

"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:33

Isn't that lovely? That is what I want God to do for me. To write His law in my mind and on my heart. I would say I am an "impossible case." That I fail so many times. But I cannot say that, because look at this verse:

"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

And did you know God refers to His heart as well? He says this about Himself:

"I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul." Jeremiah 32:41

God is in my heart.

And I am in His.

Good-bye Isaiah!

Good Morning Everyone!

I finished Isaiah today! Sniff, sniff. I'm going to miss reading in this book. In spite of all the warnings, it is also filled with some of the most beautiful promises. Ah, well. I know, I know--there will be more beautiful promises ahead. And before I know it, I will be starting into the New Testament, which is almost overwhelming in it's beauty--reading about Jesus and how much He did for us.

But--before I leave Isaiah completely, I have to share some of my favorite verses from today with you! :) This may seem like a long list, but trust me--I DID narrow it down! ;)

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10

This next one was new for me--I have read it before, but just didn't notice it I guess. But it's perfect for me to claim for my son:

"All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace." Isaiah 54:13

THAT'S what I want for my son. For him to be taught by God, and to have great peace.

And others that stood out to me today:

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near." Isaiah 55:6

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." Isaiah 55:8

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

"Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." Isaiah 58:9

This next one is my "Texas Verse." Those friends of mine who live in Texas will understand why! I had to claim this verse constantly, as this Michigan girl did not enjoy the Texas heat very much. . .

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Oh, and this one is one of my absolute FAVORITE verses in the entire Bible! It fits every situation, not matter what it is:

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear." Isaiah 59:1

And then we have my "moving verses." Ever since I have married, I have never lived in the same house longer than five years. And since gardening is one of my hobbies, I have always planted fruit trees and blackberries. Of course, just about the time the trees are old enough they are starting to fruit--we move! So these verses really appeal to me!

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. . . They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat." Isaiah 65:17,21

And the final verse I want to share with you is so precious. God--the Creator of the entire Universe--knows and is listening for me.

"Before Susan calls, I will answer; while she is still speaking I will hear." Isaiah 65:24, Susan's Version

Hope some of these verses I have shared will be an encouragement to you today--have a beautiful day!

My Teacher

Good Morning!

Time to get up and get to school! Well, if you remember that "life" is a school. As a teacher, I like school! I LOVE back-to-school sales, and walking through isles of new notebooks, pencils, and crayons.

But there is one thing about being a teacher--we don't know everything! Sometimes our young students might "think" we know everything--but that is so far from the truth. In fact, the older I get, the less I feel like I know!

But I have a teacher, and THIS teacher truly does know everything. I can go to Him at all times, and He leads me and guides me in the way I should go.

I am still reading in the book of Isaiah this morning, and take a look at some of the verses I ran across:

"This is what the Lord says--your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17

And then I found this one, which I think is so neat because each morning I get up and listen to my Bible CDs at the same time as following along in my Bible. This helps keep my mind from wandering to other places as I read.

"He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." Isaiah 50:4

See? God is my Teacher!

Other favorites from today's reading:

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

"But now, this is what the Lord says--he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1

You. Are. Mine.

Did you catch that? Can you imagine those words being thundered out from the God of the Universe?

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

A way in the desert. Streams in the wasteland. A way where there was none.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." Isaiah 49:15,16

Have I given you enough promises for this morning? God is my Teacher. He leads me where I cannot see. He creates a way where there was none. He cannot forget me. I am His.

Stand Forever

Good Morning!

I am reading in Isaiah today, and ran across this little gem that I had to share:

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

Isn't that beautiful?

Then, Isaiah chapter 40 also contains another of my favorite verses--one I claimed OFTEN when my son was little. . .

"He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:11

Many, many beautiful verses. My favorite books are probably Psalms and Proverbs, but Isaiah is pretty high up there in the running!

How about this one?

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

Or

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you, declares the Lord." Isaiah 41:13,14

See? There are pretty neat verses in this book. Yes, I guess it has to rank right up there with my favorites. Of course, when I come to Matthew, that is my favorite as well! ;)

Spend some time in God's Word today, and see what special things you can find!

Set your Heart

Good Morning!

Today I was reading in 2 Chronicles, and came across this verse:

"He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord." 2 Chronicles 12:14

This verse is talking about King Rehoboam, who was ruling Israel. I couldn't help but read this verse and immediately turn it around in my mind. What if it read instead "He did good because he had set his heart on seeking the Lord."?

What "could" have been? What opportunities that were missed? What blessings that God could have bestowed upon His people, if only Rehoboam had chosen different. What was a sad and tragic story could have been a happy one instead. How sad. If only.

Dear Father--

Help me to set my heart on seeking You every day.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 89--It is Finished!

Hi Everyone!

Well, it is finished. My beautiful time reading the Bible through in 90 days is all over. Actually, I finished yesterday morning, as I never ended up using either of the two "grace" days that are built into the program. This was my second time doing this program, and as I finished yesterday I just sat at my desk in stunned silence. I couldn't believe I was done. I couldn't wrap my brain around how much Jesus loves me. The whole plan of redemption is so overwhelming wonderful, and you really gather a different picture of the whole thing when you are reading through at a faster pace rather than one Bible verse each day stuck on top of a devotional story. Nothing wrong with devotional books, of course--just that you haven't REALLY read the Bible until you READ it. And once you do, you will never be the same again.

This time through the Bible, I used a highlighter to mark verses that stood out to me as I read along. The first time I did this program I tried to just jot down notable verses on a piece of paper--that did NOT work for me! Too many verses to write down, and I could easily double my reading time if I really stopped to write everything down that I wanted to. But I was raised in an era of NOT marking in books at ALL, so it is sometimes hard for me to overcome that mentality. Anyway, THIS time I read with my trusty Bible marking pencil, and just underlined anything that caught my eye (o.k., so I still cannot bring myself to underline UNLESS I am using a ruler so my lines will be straight--but that works too!). I was SO blessed that I did this. And now I have a beautiful Bible marked with precious promises. Almost any page I open to, there is a special verse there for me. Priceless. I now wouldn't trade this Bible for ANYTHING. It is not in "perfect" condition any more, because it has been dragged around and even had food dropped on it as I read while I ate breakfast. But the "dirtier" my Bible became, the "cleaner" my heart was washed. :)

Now what will I do? For awhile, I will take a small breather and enjoy reading some smaller Bible passages at a slower pace. Enjoy being able to look up words and study further. But after a while, I think I have no choice. I will take down my Bible and open it to Genesis 1:1. And not stop until Revelation 22:21.

Jesus says "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Rev. 22:7 How can I keep the words in the Bible if I am not reading it to have them fresh in my mind? The Bible also tells me "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Rev. 22:17 I don't know about you, but I am thirsty. And I want to accept the free gift of life.

Come, read with me. You can find more information at www.Biblein90days.org, and www.momstoolbox.com. You will never regret it.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 85!

I can't believe we are here already. In the Bible in 90 Days reading schedule, I will finish in three short more days. Since I have not used either of my two "grace" days, I will actually finish in 88 days instead of 90.

It has been a beautiful journey. This has been my second time completing this program, and this time I had a group of wonderful ladies from a home school list that I am on who took up the challenge and read with me. I so appreciated their prayers for our group, as well as their insights on what that day's reading was over.

Just thought I would share a couple of beautiful gems from today's reading. We finished going through Hebrews, and started James. So many encouraging words--recorded for me. Recorded for you.

Here is one that spoke to me: "But encourage one another daily. . . " Hebrews 3:13 Isn't that exactly what we should be doing? But so often instead we tear each other down. Just to try and make ourselves appear better.

And I liked this one: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. . . " Hebrews 3:15 God is calling to me TODAY. He is calling to YOU today. This is the time to listen to Him. To turn to Him. To follow Him. To obey Him. Tomorrow may be too late. Today is the day.

And THIS is beautiful: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Do you get what this verse is saying? We are encouraged to approach the throne of the Creator of the Universe with CONFIDENCE. Not with fear that we will be turned away. With confidence, and we WILL receive mercy and grace--exactly what we need in our time of need.

Here is a promise that I treasure: "I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. . . Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." Hebrews 10:16,17 I want this. I want God's law in my heart. I want it written in my mind. And I desperately want Him to remember my sins no more.

My last gem to share is perhaps the very best one of all. Hebrews chapter 11--known as the "Faith Chapter." It starts out with this definition of faith "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." And then it goes on and starts listing all the many people in the Bible who showed great faith. "By faith Abel. . . By faith Enoch. . . By faith Noah. . . By faith Abraham. . . By faith Isaac. . . By faith Joseph. . . " It even includes "By faith the prostitute Rahab. . . " Do you know what I want? As I read this chapter I felt almost an overwhelming urge to pick up my pen and write in the margin of my Bible one last verse--"By faith Susan. . . " I want to be there. I want God's law in my heart and on my mind. I want my sins to be remembered no more.

I want God.

And the most wonderful thing, is that God wants me too.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 82!

Day 82.

I can't believe it.

How can we be so far through our Bible reading??? It had seemed like we would never get to this point, and here we are, at Day 82. Almost done, as in reality the "Bible in 90 Days" program is more accurately called the "Bible in 88 Days," because the schedule is made with two built-in "grace days" in it. So if you do not end up needing those grace days, you finish reading the Bible in 88 days. Even though this is my second time reading the Bible through with this program, I am still shocked to be here at this point. I never would have believed it would happen. Just goes to prove the answer to the question "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time." Not that I go around eating elephants. I'm a vegetarian! ;) But to accomplish a large goal--just begin. God will help you.

Some treasures that really spoke to me from today's reading:

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 16:55-57

I love this. We have all been stung by death of a loved one. But Jesus has overcome death.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." 1 Cor. 16:13-14

I like how the admonition to be strong and firm is balanced with the instruction to do everything in love.

"But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Cor. 1:9

What trials may be in my life, that are actually a blessing to me if they cause me to see how helpless I am, and how much I need to rely on God. . .

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor. 4:18

I want new eyesight. To be able to see eternal things. . .

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Cor. 5:17

O Lord, make me a new creation.

I will savor these last few days of Bible reading. And when I am done--I think I will have to start over. I want God's Word to me to be as the air I need to breath. And I need to breath every day.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 67!

Good Morning!

Well, here we are. Our last day of reading entirely in the Old Testament. Hard to believe, but tomorrow's reading will take us into Matthew, and the New Testament will go by REALLY fast.

While I am thrilled to be moving into the New Testament, at the same time it is with a tinge of sadness that I move out of the Old Testament. I have spent so many blessed hours reading this portion of God's Word. But that's all right. I'll definitely be back!

Meanwhile, there are still some real treasures to be gleaned in today's reading. We often do not hear much about all these little short books jammed up at the end of the Old Testament. They all kind of blur together. It's even hard for me to be able to answer my family when they ask me what book of the Bible I am reading in. Some of these are only two chapters long, and I may be moving through three or more books each day as I am reading now! To be honest, I don't even pay attention to what book I am reading in--I am just concentrating on reading the words on the page! Then when I run across something that really speaks to me, it is kind of like "Whoa, where is THAT gem found?" and I have to look up to see what book I am reading in.

So enough of my musings, and on to today's treasures. . .

Here is a verse that is precious to me. It is one that we chose to bless our son with, when we were writing up the parent speech for his 8th grade graduation ceremony:

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Isn't that beautiful? Have you ever really thought about God rejoicing over YOU with singing? He loves us so much, He is so pleased with the unique person that He created that He breaks out in song. We are so important to Him that He gave his Only Son. . .

And more gems from today:

"'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty." Haggai 2:8

Praise the Lord, God is not limited by OUR resources! It all belongs to Him. He has no shortage.

"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 1:3

Did you catch who is speaking in that last verse? It is the Lord Almighty. Not the Lord Weak. Not the Lord "I would like to but I'm sorry I can't." No, it says three times that it is the Lord ALMIGHTY. And look at what He promises--He promises to return to us.

Another beautiful verse--

"'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 4:6

This is how we can accomplish things. Not by any power that we have, for we do not have any! But by God's power. And He does not lack in power.

Well, I need to get on with the day. Think about these treasures today. And remember that God is rejoicing over you with singing.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 66!

A treasure from today's reading:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Isn't that beautiful? Instruction summed up in just three points. This is what we are to do, how we are to live. 1) act justly, 2) love mercy, 3) walk humbly with our God

I especially love the last part. We are to walk WITH our God. It doesn't say we are to go on ahead all by ourselves. We are not to trail behind picking our way through life the best we can. No, we are to walk WITH God. He is right there with us, no matter what journey we are taking at that time. Whether it is an easy day, or a difficult one, He is there.

Beautiful words. Even more beautiful Savior.