A Message from Your Creator

Hi Everyone!

I know--I know!  It has been a long time since I posted last!  Since the day after Christmas, to be exact!  I have been around--just busy on things that take a higher priority.  Around the beginning of January, a friend of mine asked me some questions about the Bible in 90 Days reading program.  She knew this was something I had some experience with--in fact, I have even led several groups in the 90 Day reading program.  From my first experience with reading the entire Bible through in 90 days, I learned how vitially important having someone to check in with, and a sort of reading coach, so to speak, really was to my success in sticking with the program.  When I was kinda bogged down in reading some sections of the Bible that were hard for me--either hard to understand, or hard as in I simply did not enjoy reading about what was happening in that Bible book--I learned that the fact that I had someone I was to check in with weekly kept me from dropping out.  I didn't want to let my mentor down!  And when I finished the program, I was so very very blessed, and so thankful that I had not quit when the going got rough!  Anyway, it was realizing how important having a mentor to me was that made me volunteer to be a mentor in the program several times.  

Then most recently, my friend started asking me about the program.  The on-line program which I worked as a volunteer mentor for is no longer operating the same way it was--so I couldn't just simply send her over to that web site.  So I decided to go ahead and plunge in, and agree to be her mentor.  As a mentor, you are not required to be actively doing the 90 Day reading program yourself--it was only required that you HAVE done the 90 Day reading program in the past.  But I knew it means so much more when the mentor actually IS doing the reading along with you.  Then you are each reading at the same hard parts of the Bible at around the same time.  ANYWAY, so when my friend comitted to really wanting to do this reading program--I committed to being a mentor for her and doing the reading along as well.  

So in a nutshell--that is where I have been this calendar year!  I have been reading the entire Bible through in 90 Days--and it has been a blessing!  My friend and I are not finished yet--we started later on in January, so still have approximately a month or so still to go.  But we are getting there!  And when I am reading the Bible through in 90 days, that is all that I have time to do--it takes me around one hour of reading a day--which does not leave me very much time left for posting on my blog.  And therefore I disappeared--into the pages of my Bible.  Into reading more of His letter to me.  Into thinking more about what I am supposed to learn from those parts that are not my favorite.  Into reflecting as to whether I am doing the same thing as the people I am reading about.  Into Him.  Which is just fine with me.

It has been a blessing.  I had not done a 90 Day Bible reading program for a couple years, so it had been a while.  I know when I do cross that last finish line--the last chapter in Revelation, I will close my Bible and sit there awed.  Amazed at what God has done.  Amazed at what God will do.  Amazed that He loves me THAT much!

I ran across the following list somewhere--I do not remember where.  All things about your Creator.  I hope it blesses you.  And may you spend some time today thinking about Him--for I know He is thinking about you!

Until next time!

~Susan

I am familiar with all of your ways. Ps. 139:3 
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matt. 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Gen. 1:27
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jer. 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Eph. 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Ps. 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
I knit you together in your mother’s womb. Ps. 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Ps. 71:6
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matt. 6:31-33
I will never stop doing good to you. Jer. 32:40
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Ps. 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Phil. 2:13
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isa. 40:11
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. Jhn. 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. Jhn. 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Heb. 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Rom. 8:31-32

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?

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 37--Friends

Hi Everyone!

After a long absence due to a family trip--I'm back! :) But since I just returned today and have much to do before sleep, this will be short--but I did want to share a couple thoughts. . .

Currently in my Bible in 90 Days program, I was reading in "Day 37" today, which happens to be almost the entire book of Job. Not always viewed as the happiest book in the Bible, I must confess. But there are so many good points to ponder from Job's story.

First of all, it is made very obvious that Job did nothing wrong. The Bible clearly says "This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil." Job 1:1 God had richly blessed Job, for if you keep reading it also says "He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East." Job 1:2,3

He sounds like a great guy, doesn't he? Certainally the type you would want for a neighbor. He would always be honest and upright and helpful. And God greatly blessed him.

But when you keep reading Job's story, it soon looks like God is cursing him instead of blessing--and for no reason. Job hadn't sinned. He hadn't changed his mind about God. He hadn't lost his trust in God, he hadn't forgotten to pay an offering or to say his prayers one night. He hadn't slipped up in a diet and eaten something fattening. No, Job hadn't done ANYTHING wrong at all--he was still the same Job--upright and blameless. Yet his circumstances changed dramatically.

Reading the Bible story, we are let in to a behind the scenes picture--one where Satan is allowed to test Job, and the problems are coming from him, not from God. But Job didn't know this. Yet watch his actions. Does he complain? Well, yes, he laments anyway. Complain, not really. He does say that "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21 Just read the story in the Bible and refresh your memory of all that was done to Job in Satan's test. In the very same day, in fact, at the very same time--one right after another, Job is informed that his oxen and donkeys were stolen, his servants killed, fire burned up the sheep and their servants, raiding parties stole the camels and killed those servants, and a mighty wind knocked down the house and killed his children--ALL of them.

Then, Satan inflicts boils on Job's skin so he is in constant pain. Finally Job's friends show up. And what do they do? Tell Job how sinful he must be and encourage him to just go ahead and curse God and die. Have you heard the expression "With friends like that who needs enemies?" Well, that's exactly what I was thinking as I was reading this story! Not only did Job's friends not help him any--either physically or emotionally--but they were discouraging him and telling him to do wrong!

I couldn't help but think of how important it is for us to be careful in choosing friends. And how even with being careful to choose wonderful, Christian, encouraging friends--we still need to ultimately cling only to God. All others will fail us. They are weak, sinful humans just like we are. But there is One who will never fail us.

Dear Father--I pray for You to use me as Your instrument. May I be an encourager, not a discourager. May I help hold up others, and not tear them down. Make me disappear, until only You remain.

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 20 "Words"

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for the long silence on my blog--but I've been busy! I know all of you have been too. I loved doing the Blogging through the Gospels, as it was a nice slow pace where I could read one chapter each morning and still have time to pick out a thought that really spoke to me and then write about it. But now I have shifted once again back to reading through my Bible in 90 days. I am even trying to help some others do the same by being a mentor this time. I am loving it--but it takes me all of the hour I have each morning for my quiet time. So. I have discovered I can do my Bible reading in that hour--or I can blog during that hour. But I cannot do both--that is, not when I am keeping up the pace of the Bible in 90 Days Bible reading schedule. . .

But I really will try and share on here a bit more. I have had lots of THOUGHTS I wanted to share. But have also been trying to get ready for the new school year, with ordering curriculum, assessing my choices, rearranging our school area, getting some testing done for my son, etc. It really doesn't matter what the paticulars are. I have discovered that ALL of us are ever so busy. We can just say "I have been busy with ________________", and then fill in whatever it is. It may be with caring for a sick family member. It may be with moving. It may be with home improvement projects or gardening or ANYTHING. But the end result is the same. We are busy. And I want to make sure that whatever I find myself busy with as I go through my day, I do not want to be leaving God out in my "busyness."

I was reading in 1 Samuel this morning, and ran across some words that really get my attention. I remembered when I read them today that they had also stood out to me last time I was doing the Bible in 90 Days program. It is 1 Samuel 3:19, and it reads like this:

"The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground."

Just think about that for a minute. Samuel did not let any of God's words fall to the ground. How many words do you get thrown at you every day? People speaking to you, radio and television broadcasts, e-mails, Facebook, music lyrics, bills, magazines, and other snail mail--words surround us all day long. Sometimes I get tired of all the noise. This past week I went shopping in the mall with my husband trying to help him find some shoes for him for work. The "background" music in the mall seemed to be anything but BACKGROUND. It was more like "in your face" music, and it was such a relief when we left the mall, even though we were unsuccessful in finding shoes. After a while, I just start to tune out some of the words that are around me all day, and I don't even notice them any more.

But there are words we do not want to tune out. God's words. His precious love letter to us. The Bible. The Truth. It does not take very much time in reading the Bible to discover how much God loves us. That is why Satan does not want us to read it. He crowds our lives with all kinds of things--he doesn't care if it is good things or bad things, as long as it is enough to keep us from reading God's letter to us. Because when we read the Bible, we are no longer in any doubt about how much God loves us. And we won't believe Satan's lies about God any longer.

So spend time reading your Love Letter today. And do not let any of God's words fall to the ground.

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Have you ever thought about reading your entire Bible through in 90 Days? It is an amazing experience! Learn more at Mom's Tool Box, www.momstoolbox.com

The Bible in 90 Days--Day 5!

Good Morning Everyone!

Can you guess what I have been up to lately? Yes--I'm reading the Bible through in 90 days--again! :) This will be my second time doing this. Those who have been reading my blog for a while will know that I just did this from January through March, 2011. It was a wonderful blessing, I learned so much and felt so good to have accomplished it--finally! But Bible reading is like eating. We need to do it every day! I can't just read the Bible through one time, and then say "Well, I've done it!" and then never read it again! I did the Blogging through the Gospels after I completed the Bible in 90 Days program, and that was wonderful as well because the slower pace gave me a chance to think and reflect more, in a way that it is not possible to do when you are reading through at a faster pace.

But--I was so blessed by participating in the Bible in 90 Days program, that I wanted to somehow help others be able to accomplish the same. So I volunteered to be a Bible in 90 Days mentor for this next session. It is fresh in my memory how challenging this program is, and I wanted to be able to encourage and cheer others on in their Bible reading. It made a big difference to me in sticking with the program when I knew my mentor was praying for me each day. How could I just lay in bed in the morning when my mentor was praying for me to accomplish my Bible reading that day???? Impossible! So now I am praying for all the ladies in my group--they each have their own unique challenges working against their being successful. There are SO MANY things, both big and little, that get in our way of quiet time with Jesus. . .

Anyway, I just wanted to share a verse that stood out to me in today's reading. We are currently on Day 5, which is Exodus 1:1-Exodus 15:18. VERY exciting part of the Bible! Moses in the rushes along the side of the Nile, the burning bush, bricks without straw, plagues everywhere. Finally, the first born are struck down and Pharaoh lets the people leave--and then changes his mind and decides to chase them!

Things looked pretty impossible to the Children of Israel--and they were. They had no way of escape, and here was Pharaoh and his army bearing down on them, getting closer and closer. Yet Moses tells the people "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13,14

Do not be afraid. Stand firm. See deliverance. Be still. These are things that God is still speaking to you and I today. When we are following His direction, we can be sure the He will fight our battles for us.

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Come read the Bible with us! www.momstoolbox.com

P.S.--Yes, I realize that it says "Happy New Year" at the bottom of the kitty picture--but I thought he was adorable anyway, even if this is not January! And besides that--isn't each and every day from God a new day for us?