Thursday, May 28, 2015

B90 day 29, 30, 31

There wasn't much to say with Day 29, it was primarily genealogy.

Day 30
Thinking about:
1 Chronicles 12:32
'Men of Isasachar, who understood the times & knew what Israel should do.. ' I want to be someone who is wise about the time

1 Chronicles 15:13b
'We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way.'

1 Chronicles 21:17
Sin always reaches further than we think and costs us more than we were prepared to pay.

I am amazed at this, 1 Chronicles 22:14-16, David did all this even though he wasn't building the temple, and he didn't even live to see it done.

Day 31
2 Chronicles 1:1 Solomon established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

Praying God establishes me as a mom and a homeschool teacher.




Idols

Good morning!  I am sitting on my bed, with the window open, & I hear a glorious symphony of sounds as the birds greet each other, the thunder rumbles quiet and distant, the gentle snore of two dogs sprawled out between my husband & I, and the whirling of the fan overhead. Glorious, glorious, glorious.  Thank you Jesus!!

Yesterday I read an emailed blog post from Sacred Mundane written by Kari Patterson.  Have you heard of her?  She has a blog and has also authored some books on Kindle.  I love to read what she writes.  Well yesterday the email contained a LOT of posts so I scrolled through them and one caught my eye.  When I opened the blog post titled 'Why We Can Be Friends...And Why We Can't' I wasn't expecting God to meet me right there and teach me something, I was more curious about the statement.  Her post talks about how idolatry affects us, even our ability to offer friendship to people.  She speaks about Timothy Keller's teaching on the subject & gives examples so you can see where idolatry could be creeping in and skewing your friendships.  Having just read through Israel's fall from following solely after God due to idolatry, I was intrigued.  Well, as things usually go, I was called away before I could think too much more about it, but all day that post kept popping up in my thoughts.  After I got my kids settled in bed last night I went back and re-read the entire post.  Uncomfortable and sad I realized I have quite a few idols in my life.  I quickly googled Timothy Keller + idols.  Wow.  I sat hunched over the tiny screen of my phone for the next thirty minutes scribbling notes from this teaching.  Then I found these questions and this morning when I went back I found these notes.  Awesome, so very awesome.

So this morning as I hear the gentle pitter patter of rain that has, for now, quieted the birds and the thunder, I greet my day armed with hope for tearing down the high places I have unknowingly given space to rise.

PS I will do a B90 post a little later today.

Monday, May 25, 2015

B90 Day 28

finished reading last night :)

I love this :
2 Kings 23:25
'Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.'  What.A.Legacy.

If you are reading along B90, check out Amy's Mom's Toolbox, she has some awesome resources for the next four books.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

I Am Caught Up!!

yippee!!  I did a marathon reading session last night because I couldn't sleep, and it feels so good to be caught up!!!

Very few things from days 25-27

1 Kings 13
Was the old man punished for lying to the man of God?  If God was speaking directly to the man of God why did the man of God think God would suddenly speak through the old man, contradicting what He'd said earlier?

I had never noticed this before but in 1 Kings 10 vs 24, it says the whole world sought an audience with Solomon because of the wisdom God had given him!!

The best picture of teshuva is 1 Kings 8:47&48 - realize you have done wrong, have a change of heart, turn back to God with all your heart and soul.

I love Solomon's prayer recorded in 1 Kings 8!!!  It's beautiful.

Friday, May 22, 2015

B90 Day 24

As for God, His way is perfect;
The Word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the LORD?
It is God who arms me with strength
And makes my way perfect.
2 Samuel 22:31-33

...observe what the LORD your God requires:
Walk in His ways,
and keep His decrees & commands,
His laws & requirements, as written in the Law of Moses,
so that you may prosper in all you do & wherever you go.
1 Kings 2:3

Thursday, May 21, 2015

B90 Days 22 & 23

love these :

2 Samuel 5:24...because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you...

2 Samuel 6:22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.  When is the last time I worshipped God with such abandon?

2 Samuel 7:10, God please plant me.

2 Samuel 7:24 You have established Your people Israel as your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

Got cold chills over:

2 Samuel 11:27...But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.  I always grew up with a romantic notion about David and Bathsheba.  As I read on into chapter 12 where God sends Nathan to David I realized something.  Why does our sin seem pardonable in our own eyes, maybe something to giggle or blush at, but more times than not something we don't give a passing thought to?  But when we see our sin in someone else's actions, words, or attitudes it causes us to roar with fury?

Day 22

2 Samuel 15:25&26
I want David's peace and acceptance.

I don't understand Joab.  Is he a good guy or someone who is hot headed?  Does David trust him or is he angry at him?  I go back and forth depending on what portion I am reading.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.;
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation.
2 Samuel 22:2&3


Tuesday, May 19, 2015

B90 Day 21

1 Samuel 17:58....didn't Saul recognize David from 16:21?

For the first time I noticed that David's brothers and his fathers household gathered around him after he fled Saul, chapter 22:1, I am sooooo glad they rallied around him.

I don't think I have truly ever appreciated the full weight that David bore each day, the fact that the majority of the Psalms he wrote show that he turned again and again and again to God....wow.  What a gift we have been given in this selection of Scriptures.

One thing that confuses me : why do they use an ephod now to inquire of God? (1 Samuel 23:9)  Wasn't the ephod what ensnared Gideon and his family?  (Judges 8:27)

Forgot to add one of my favorite moments between Jonathan and David, 1 Samuel 23:16
'And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped hm find strength in God.'   I pray we each have a Jonathan in our lives!!!

Sunday, May 17, 2015

B90 Day 20

I love this selection of scripture.  I get to read about two of my heroes, Hannah and Samuel.  What is there to be said that hasn't already been said about both of these biblical characters? As a mom, I cannot imagine having a heart like Hannah's, so desperate for a child, yet so willing to give that gift back.  Her heart was centered on God and God alone, leaves me asking, is mine?  I love Samuel's heart and passion for God.  It weaves through his life with such a rich vibrancy, it's incredible.

1Samuel 3:19
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.

Does this verse mean God was careful to do what He promised or Samuel was careful to keep all of God's words?

Thinking about, 'Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?...'1Samuel 6:20

B90 Days 17...

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS VERSE
Joshua 21:45 'Not one of all the LORD'S good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.'

Don't understand Joshua 22:20, doesn't each man die for his own sin?  Or does this point to how no man is an island and how our sin inevitably spills over onto other people?

Want to live out Joshua 24:23...specifically 'yield your hearts to the LORD'

Day 18
Judges 8:27 why, oh why did Gideon do this?  After God met him, answered and reassured his fears, why would he do this?

Day 19
I can't help but feel sad over Samson's decisions.  He was probably at his most humblest at the end of his life.  How different would it have been if he lived that way, not just died that way?

Love the book of Ruth.  Especially verse 12: lmay you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

Friday, May 15, 2015

B90...what day am I supposed to be on?

I was SO excited, I started the week off completely caught up, but alas I end the week many days behind.

This week was bumpy, busy, adventurous, tumultuous...and everything in between.  So tonight and tomorrow are going to be one of those epic read sessions in which I feel like my eyeballs are going to explode.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

B90 makeup post

Day 15-17
Where does time go?  *sigh*

Day 15 favorite
Deuteronomy 29 vs 30 need this reminder quite often, the secret things belong to the LORD our God...I will never have it all figured out!

Thinking about
Deuteronomy 29 vs 19&20

Day 16
Running behind...still reading

Love Joshua 1:8, do NOT let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night...
How different will my life be when I am finally able to do this one thing?

Day 17
Hope to at least start it today so tomorrow's reading won't feel insurmountable.  It is hard to do this amount of reading on top of all of my other daily responsibilities, especially coming off of close to three weeks of sickness.  But it is not impossible.  I just haven't been using my time wisely the past few days.  I am at least staying in the Word everyday, which is soooo much better than I have done in the past.  I usually let a few days worth pile up, do a mass reading....let a few days pile up and again read until I feel like eyeballs are going to explode.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

B90 Days 13&14

I LOVE Deuteronomy.  It is one of my very favorite books in the Bible, & I love the Sh'ma.  It was the very first longer passage of scripture my children and I memorized together, it reminds me of the Mezuzah my grandmother (& great-grandmother) had on their door posts, and it reminds me of what's important in my day to day parenting journey.

HERE is one of my favorite ways to recite the Sh'ma with my kids.

I want to remember chapter 7 verse 22, especially when I feel discouraged.

I am still reading for Day 14, it is full of hope and encouragement and a continual reminder to hold fast to God.

Some of my favorites...

Chapter 8 verse 5
'So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you to help you.'

Chapter 10 verse 21
'He is your praise; He is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.'

Chapter 11 verse 12
'It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.'


Friday, May 8, 2015

B90 Day 12

Doing: still reading

Thinking: Numbers 16:38a, 20:12

Treasuring: Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should change His mind.
Does He speak and then not act?
Does He promise and then not fulfill?

Wondering: Why did the Israelites grumble and complain before first asking for what they needed?  Do I do that?

Thursday, May 7, 2015

B90 Day 10 & 11

I am amazed at God.  Utterly amazed.

Day 10
In chapter 26 of Leviticus He tells of rewards for obedience and punishment for disobedience.  My favorite part?  Verse 40.  If they confess their sins...verse 41...then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled... Verse 44 'Yet in spite if this, when they are in the land of their enemies,  will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them.  I am the LORD their God.  

There is always hope.  As long as there is life, there is hope because He is the LORD, our God.

I absolutely love the priestly blessing in Number chapter 6 & I think this is beautiful.

Day 11

Still reading!

Numbers 14:44 'Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved toward the camp.'
How many times have I landed myself in a cauldron of steaming, stinky trouble because I made a decision (or series of decisions) based solely on my presumption that God would do x, y, or z?  Ack!!  Too many to count.  I don't want to operate from a place of presumption, I want to exist in a place of peace and blessing.

A Different Way

Very little in my life has ever gone the way I imagined or unfolded how the books assured me it would.  My dance career, friendships, school, pregnancy, parenting, running a house...

I am different, my kids are different, our homeschool is different.  Sometimes, honestly more times than not, I feel insecure in our differences.  I feel like I never measure up, but then I realize I have grabbed the wrong measuring stick.  God never intended for me to look like anyone else other than myself.  

I often have to actively search for out of the box ways to teach my kids, out of the box ways to deal with each day's challenges.  I was talking to a friend of mine recently regarding the challenge of dealing with a chronic medical condition, how do you approach life so as not to let it overshadow everything?  Where do you find the balance?  What do you do when others don't understand?  When they have expectations of you that you just can't meet?  She said something that I have thinking about ever since.  You make peace with that.  I have to accept that there will be no way that others will understand because each day is sometimes so overwhelming, so challenging that if you survive it, if you glimpse beauty along the way...it's a success!!

So here is one of my out of the box ideas...I wanted to share in case it helps someone else.  I have a huge collection of greeting cards that my father in law left behind, I have considered how I could best put them to use.  I have decided to write and mail one to each of my kids every week.  I am going to tuck a scripture into each one, a prayer to encourage them, and then one tidbit of knowledge to pass on to them.  Maybe a headline or current event, rewritten for their level of comprehension, maybe the words to a hymn to help them memorize it, or a math challenge for them to work on...kind of like a version of task cards. I have noticed they treasure any card or note or letter they get, maybe I could touch their heart, instruct their minds, or give them a slice of joy on an otherwise hard day?

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

B90 Day 9

We are still feeling crummy :(

Favorite verses from Day 9 : Leviticus 17:11
'For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.'

Leviticus 20:7&8
'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.  Keep my decrees and follow them.   I am the LORD, who makes you holy.'

Leviticus is hard to read through.  It is full of so much information, some things confuse me, some things bother me...in chapter 21 God tells Moses to tell Aaron that if any of his descendants have a defect they may not come near to God to offer the food if God, it goes on in verse 23 to say that they may not approach the altar, and thus desecrate God's sanctuary.  Why or how would that desecrate God's sanctuary?

Monday, May 4, 2015

Day 7 catch up, Day 8

Day 7

Favorite verse: 33:11 'The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with His friend...'

God put sooooo much thought into preparing Israel to make atonement for their sins, it really makes me uncomfortably aware of how flippant I am about my own sin.

Day 8

Still reading today's portion.

Favorite verse: Leviticus 10:3
'Among those who approach me
I will show Myself holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.'

Why can't there be yeast in the Holy place?  Is it because yeast represents puffing up, like pride?

There are several types of offerings: burnt, grain, fellowship, sin, & guilt...I really want to understand each one, how do they represent the coming Messiah, how did Jesus fulfill each one, or are there portions to be completed with His second coming?

Sigh B90 Days 7&8

this cold is soooo not fun.  I didn't get any reading done yesterday so today will be a catch up day in between taking care of three sick kids, reading aloud to them, and trying to restore some semblance of order to my household.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

B90 Day 6

I am almost there for today!!

Exodus 19:5&6a
"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.  Although the whole earth is Mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

If I lived during that time would I still struggle to obey His Words, or would it come more naturally?

Friday, May 1, 2015

B90 Day5

I am tired.  My kids have colds, one has had a cold that's hung on for more than a week which has now morphed into a sinus infection.  Not fun.

I am still reading today's selection, I hope to finish before bed.

The verse that caught my attention this time is Exodus 9:15, God says, 'For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.'  Perspective.  He is all powerful, we are here in this moment because He wills it to be so.

I am curious about God hardening Pharoah's heart.  He refers to it several times before we see it unfold, and I am sure this question sounds silly, but why did God hold Pharaoh responsible for something He caused to happen?