Bible reading= something I know I should do, need to do, and feel guilty about not doing enough.
I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I have been a Christ-follower for over two-thirds of my life and I have never been able to read the Bible in its entirety. I have tried many times to make Bible reading apart of my daily life, but I have never been able to discipline myself to study it on a regular basis for any length of time. Sure, I have been in church my whole life and have heard many, many teachings about God and Jesus. I even went to a Christian college where I took classes like New Testament, Old Testament, Theology, and Evangelism. I have done Bible studies on my own and with others, and have spent time reading daily devotionals periodically. So, I have learned a lot, but I know there is so much more that I am missing. I know that God has so much more waiting for me to learn if I will just open my heart up and take the time to read what is in there!
I also that know it sounds kind of crazy to say that I have actually read so little of something that I hold so close to my heart. However, I have read and know enough about what it teaches to make me a believer. I know that it says Jesus came to Earth, lived as a man, died a terrible death, and took my sins away through all of it. Most importantly, I know that because of this, I am able to and do have a relationship with the God that created the universe. I know that He really does love me and care about every detail of my life. I know that His plans are bigger than my own.
Since I am so confident in what I do know about God, I must discipline myself to learn the Bible and indulge myself in what else He has to teach me through it.
I really do not know why I have such a hard time staying focused on reading the Bible. I have started from Genesis probably about ten times and have made it all the way into Leviticus a few times. I have started in Matthew just as many times and have made it to Romans or so. However, I can never stay disciplined enough to make it through the whole Bible. Worse, I am quick to forget the details of what I have read when I stop.
Obviously, what I have been trying for years is not working. When talking to Chris, he said that he has the same problem. Actually, he has been doing some research lately about different Bible reading plans and came across an article here that suggests reading one book at a time…20…yes 20… times in a row.
So, he asked me if I was interested in trying this method with him. He thought I would say no because I would be overwhelmed by that big number. Actually, I feel the opposite. It comforts me to think that I only have to focus on doing one book at a time and being able to really learn what it is teaching me.
The article suggests starting with the the shortest book which is Third John and continuing through the New Testament in the order of shortest to longest.
So, Chris and I plan to start this method today. There is no time limit for how long it takes us, just as long as we stay focused on reading when we can. We also plan on journaling about what God is teaching us and sharing it with each other. More importantly, we are praying that God will give both of us a thirst and passion for His word and that through reading it so deeply, He will reveal to us what He wants us to learn.
Do you have a Bible reading plan that works great for you? Please share with me if you do!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The End of an Era.
Many of you may know that almost a year ago Chris lost his job at the bank where he worked. Although, we knew that his job may be in jeopardy, it was still somewhat of a stomach-turning surprise when he came home and announced that he didn't have to go to work the next day. Even though we were in shock, I was still a little bit happy that it actually happened. Chris hated his job and had been trying to find a new one for years, with no luck. He was miserable there. When you spend all day long being miserable you come home and stay miserable because you know that you have to be back at that same miserable place bright and early the next morning.
We had been praying for years that God would open a door for him and get him out of his bank job. This was our answered prayer, we figured. Not exactly the way we had hoped, but he was out of his job. As upsetting as the situation could have been, we both tried to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing, knowing that God does a have plan for our family.
Just six weeks before this happened, we had taken the plunge and put the kids in preschool/daycare three days a week so that I could take a day shift position at my job. The kids were finally getting in to a good routine and were loving their new school. Since we had high hopes that Chris would find a job really soon, we decided to keep them there for the time being.
Then right before Lily's third birthday, and just a month after the job loss, we found out that baby #3 was on the way! This news was a bit of a surprise, even to us. I'm quite sure our families and friends thought we had lost our minds. Even though the timing was not necessarily what we thought was ideal, we were super excited to add another precious baby to our family. We knew it would all work out somehow.
Weeks passed and turned into months. Chris applied for job after job, after job. Nothing. He rarely even had an interview. He had a few promising leads, but none of them turned into anything.
I began to fear that he would never get a job, really.
I just did not understand it sometimes. He has a degree, is smart, and communicates well. Why wasn't anyone hiring him?!
He even had "connections". He had an interview that a totally awesome friend, Kelly, had helped him get in October. He thought it went great. We both had such high hopes that this would be the job! But, he did not get it.
As the months passed, sometimes he was depressed over the situation, sometimes I was. We both tried to stay positive, but it was hard sometimes. I knew deep down that God did have a plan, but it sure was hard being patient to find out what it was.
In the fall, we decided the time had come to take the kids out of school to save some money. Chris became Mr. Mom as I worked full-time.
This was one of the many blessings that came out of our situation. Chris was able to have bonding time with both kids that he would have never had the opportunity to have while working full-time.
I have to say though, I was jealous sometimes. He was getting the opportunity to be a stay at home dad and I had longed to be a stay at home mom for a long, long time.
We had to deal with new challenges as a married couple that we had never had to deal with before. It was really hard sometimes. Really hard.
Finally, in February something truly miraculous happened. I almost didn't want to believe it happened because I didn't want to get my hopes up once again. Chris received an email from the lady that he had interviewed with in October. She said she was hiring again. Apparently he interviewed well enough for her to remember him and wanted him to interview again!
So on February 22 he went to interview. I sat at home, 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant, anxiously awaiting a phone call from him. When the phone rang, I timidly answered and asked him how it went. He happily announced that he was offered the job!!!
I can't even express what I was feeling at that moment! It was the strangest sense of relief, yet at the same time a feeling that only my faith in God can explain. Amidst the frustration I had felt time and time again in those ten months of uncertainty in our family, I always knew deep down that God would open a door when the timing was right. So, in a way, I completely expected Chris to announce that he got the job.
It just so happened that God decided to bless us doubly that day. Later that night we went to the hospital so my labor could be induced. Our third sweet baby, Ellyson Grace, was born shortly after midnight the next day!!
What a day for our family! Two major life events, a job loss and a new pregnancy, both which started in May of last year, both the root of a mirage of emotions, came to an end all within a fourteen hour period!
So, with that, there was the end of what seemed like an era for our family.
I can't even express how much God took care of us, as He always does, during those months. Our marriage is now stronger than ever before and our faith in God is even stronger!
It even worked out perfect that Chris didn't start his new job until three weeks later, so he was able to stay home with me after the baby was born.
He has now been working for a couple of weeks and is loving his job so much! We know that he is exactly where God wants him and that is so exciting!
We are so grateful to you Kelly for helping him get this job. If you are reading this, please know you are awesome and we love you!
We had been praying for years that God would open a door for him and get him out of his bank job. This was our answered prayer, we figured. Not exactly the way we had hoped, but he was out of his job. As upsetting as the situation could have been, we both tried to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing, knowing that God does a have plan for our family.
Just six weeks before this happened, we had taken the plunge and put the kids in preschool/daycare three days a week so that I could take a day shift position at my job. The kids were finally getting in to a good routine and were loving their new school. Since we had high hopes that Chris would find a job really soon, we decided to keep them there for the time being.
Then right before Lily's third birthday, and just a month after the job loss, we found out that baby #3 was on the way! This news was a bit of a surprise, even to us. I'm quite sure our families and friends thought we had lost our minds. Even though the timing was not necessarily what we thought was ideal, we were super excited to add another precious baby to our family. We knew it would all work out somehow.
Weeks passed and turned into months. Chris applied for job after job, after job. Nothing. He rarely even had an interview. He had a few promising leads, but none of them turned into anything.
I began to fear that he would never get a job, really.
I just did not understand it sometimes. He has a degree, is smart, and communicates well. Why wasn't anyone hiring him?!
He even had "connections". He had an interview that a totally awesome friend, Kelly, had helped him get in October. He thought it went great. We both had such high hopes that this would be the job! But, he did not get it.
As the months passed, sometimes he was depressed over the situation, sometimes I was. We both tried to stay positive, but it was hard sometimes. I knew deep down that God did have a plan, but it sure was hard being patient to find out what it was.
In the fall, we decided the time had come to take the kids out of school to save some money. Chris became Mr. Mom as I worked full-time.
This was one of the many blessings that came out of our situation. Chris was able to have bonding time with both kids that he would have never had the opportunity to have while working full-time.
I have to say though, I was jealous sometimes. He was getting the opportunity to be a stay at home dad and I had longed to be a stay at home mom for a long, long time.
We had to deal with new challenges as a married couple that we had never had to deal with before. It was really hard sometimes. Really hard.
Finally, in February something truly miraculous happened. I almost didn't want to believe it happened because I didn't want to get my hopes up once again. Chris received an email from the lady that he had interviewed with in October. She said she was hiring again. Apparently he interviewed well enough for her to remember him and wanted him to interview again!
So on February 22 he went to interview. I sat at home, 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant, anxiously awaiting a phone call from him. When the phone rang, I timidly answered and asked him how it went. He happily announced that he was offered the job!!!
I can't even express what I was feeling at that moment! It was the strangest sense of relief, yet at the same time a feeling that only my faith in God can explain. Amidst the frustration I had felt time and time again in those ten months of uncertainty in our family, I always knew deep down that God would open a door when the timing was right. So, in a way, I completely expected Chris to announce that he got the job.
It just so happened that God decided to bless us doubly that day. Later that night we went to the hospital so my labor could be induced. Our third sweet baby, Ellyson Grace, was born shortly after midnight the next day!!
What a day for our family! Two major life events, a job loss and a new pregnancy, both which started in May of last year, both the root of a mirage of emotions, came to an end all within a fourteen hour period!
So, with that, there was the end of what seemed like an era for our family.
I can't even express how much God took care of us, as He always does, during those months. Our marriage is now stronger than ever before and our faith in God is even stronger!
It even worked out perfect that Chris didn't start his new job until three weeks later, so he was able to stay home with me after the baby was born.
He has now been working for a couple of weeks and is loving his job so much! We know that he is exactly where God wants him and that is so exciting!
We are so grateful to you Kelly for helping him get this job. If you are reading this, please know you are awesome and we love you!
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