Bible in 90 days week one check-in

 Week one is done!  Right before week one kicked off, our 17 yo dog got hurt and is paralyzed.  This bumped his care level up to all-consuming.  He is dependent on us for everything right now...much like having a newborn all over again.  I am exhausted and so have learned that if I am going to read, I need to tuck that into my early morning routine and utilize breakfast and lunch time to read as well.  By bedtime, I am done.  I cannot string two sentences together, let alone do any concentrated reading.  

The most surprising part of this journey for me is always two fold.  The realization of how much time I waste during the day (rarely all in one setting, but five minutes here, five minutes there...it really adds up to an embarrassing amount).  Second, as I am in God's Word more I realize that I talk about it more.  I use examples to teach our girls, I filter news articles and/or real life events through His perspective.  Which leads me to ask myself, on the days when I fail to get into His Word, when I am not reading it, thinking about it, meditating on it...then, when I go to speak and think...whose words am I speaking and whose filter am I thinking through?  

MINE 😟.  

I don't have anything wise or glorious to say on my own, I will always be biased by how I see _____, how I think about _____, how I feel about ____.  So then how can I be sure when I am pulling from my words, thoughts, feelings etc; that they are true?  And I am not being deceived?  What standard am I measuring it against?  If you have chosen Christ as your Savior, His Word is your standard.  His Word is to be stored in your heart, it is to be upon your tongue, it is to consumer your thoughts...B90 is a great way to reset my (&your) calibrations.  

The hardest part of this reading journey is recognizing the precision of God's Word, His unchanging nature.  And then looking around at American Christianity and recognizing how far I often find myself from where He has asked me to walk.  Oftentimes, I feel like a fruit-fly - flitting from here to there, prone to wonder, getting swept up in the latest thing (admittedly, we do have a lot of "things" that unfold in this house...dog things, medical things,...).  I need an anchor to tether me, guide me, protect me.  His Word is that tether, His presence is that anchor.  In obedience and faith, my heart is secure.  

I have read every day.  I have read to myself and aloud.  It has been BEAUTIFUL.  I created a fun tracker in my bullet journal to color in, I am using a NIV journal Bible.  I knew if I pulled out my study Bible (which I LOVE) I would get sidetracked and I just wanted to read and jot down questions/things I want to remember.  

To those that maybe got off track this week, feel overwhelmed, or have more questions than answers...I have one piece of advice for you.  I have been there; many, many times.  Just keep showing up.  Pick up where we are supposed to read today (Exodus 29:1 - 40:38 for full version, Exodus 32, 34, 40 for overview version) and simply start again.  Write down your questions - but don't get caught up in them right now. Hang in there and just keep showing up.  God is faithful, He will not, can NOT fail you.

THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

Bible in 90 days starts tomorrow morning!!!!  Gather your supplies together and let's do this!!

If you are doing the full plan you will read through the entire book of Genesis and most of Exodus this week.  If you are doing the overview plan you will read selected chapters from Genesis and Exodus this week as well.  

Check-in begins next Sunday.  Even if you don't read and/or complete your readings, please check-in anyway.  

I am praying for you guys - this is going to be awesome!!  

Tanner

 I snapped this picture this past week.  We were watching a movie and my girls were knitting, when I looked over and saw Tanner curled up with my stuffed piglet and Buddy peaking over a pillow in the background.  SO sweet.  Tanner is 17 years old.  We moved here roughly 15 years ago when I was five months pregnant with my youngest.  Six weeks after she was born, I took my then four and two year old to the pound in search of a puppy.  We prayed right before we went in, asking God to give us wisdom in choosing a dog.  

When we walked down the aisles, all of the other dogs were jumping around, barking, so excited.  But in the middle sat this roughly two and a half-year old rat terrier/beagle mix.  He looked so sad.  My four year old said, "Mommy, that's him.  That's the one for us."  We brought him home and he has been so patient as my kids have grown, so patient with us as our lives have dipped and swayed with struggles.  He has been patient as we have added and lost other pets over the years...in one word he has been faithful.  

Tanner is in the doggie vet hospital.  He is paralyzed because he fell trying to get on the bed and a disc is bulging. We have been treating arthritic issues for a few years, so we aren't entirely sure if he fell because the disc slipped or if the disc slipped/bulged when he fell trying to get on the bed in the middle of the night.  Our box springs and mattresses sit on the floor, in part due to Arendale (long story short, he chewed on connector pieces of the bed frame and after trying everything else, we disassembled the frames) but after we lost Arendale, we decided to keep the beds off of the frames to make it easier/safer for Tanner to get on and off the bed.  We have tried stairs/pillows etc; and he won't use them - I am honestly not sure at this point he can even see them.  

We use gates and try our best to keep his running and jumping to a minimum - but even at 17 (somedays barely being able to walk), he hits what we call his "wild" hours.  It is as if someone transports him back to being a puppy again and he bounds around with a big ol' grin on his face, tongue hanging out - sooooo happy.  Those times I find myself running around yelling, "watch out, be careful, don't let him jump, watch that he doesn't plow into the gate" and in the midst of it all, Tanner, my kids, and Buddy (the Chihuahua) are running around giggling and barking and just having the best time.  

This accident comes just roughly six months after losing Arendale.  I cannot stand the thought of putting another dog down.  I am still not over the trauma of making that decision with Arendale.  I am praying that Tanner recovers his ability to walk, so that he can live out his last days with dignity and joy.  I don't shy away from the thought of taking care of him, I am willing to do what it takes, I just want to honor his faithfulness.  I want him to be able to use the restroom (even if it means diapers and/or slinging him).  I want him to know that he is loved.  I want him to be comfortable and to be given the chance to recover, as painfree as possible.  He is not in pain right now (the vets assure me), he doesn't show any signs of suffering - I know that he cannot live forever, but I want his end of life to be full of joy and compassion.  Will you pray for our dog Tanner?  My youngest is having the hardest time, he is her best friend - their bond is so sweet.  Thank you.

Knees, news, & tidbits

About six years ago I tore my ACL.  I elected not to do the surgery.  I did rigorous PT and got back to a doable place - I could bike, run, and walk.  Then in the fall of 2019 I broke my pinky toe (on the same side as my torn ACL) and then two days after Christmas of 2019 I re-tore my ACL.  This time through PT was a bit more difficult because my toe was still very painful and swollen (it takes fooooorever for a broken toe to completely heal).  But I was determined and worked hard at PT and got back to an ok spot.  

Last week I tripped over one of our puppy gates and the foot that caught was on the leg with the torn ACL.  I felt my knee slide out and then back in to place.  *sigh*  

The recovery has been much better - I haven't even made a doctor appointment, I know the exercises to do (exercises I am supposed to do every day for the rest of my life...) exercises which for some reason I hate to do.  It is not that they are hard and it is not that I hate exercise, I actually LOVE to exercise, but I guess because I "have" to do them, it inherently makes me cringe at the thought of doing them.  Does anyone else do that?  I "have" to eat this vegetable, so I try every way not to, I "have" to drink 64oz of water, so I put it off all day until bedtime...on and on it goes.  So, as cheesy as it sounds, I am going to change the phrase "have to" to "get to".  I get to do knee exercises to strengthen my legs, I get to eat a variety of vegetables, I get to drink clean drinking water...because I am grateful that I have exercises and the ability to do them, that I have access to a variety of vegetables and clean drinking water.

Does anyone else almost want to pull their hair out reading the news?  I have tried a variety of tactics to help with this - I want to stay aware of what is going on around me, I want my kids to have a perspective that is larger than their home life, or even community life.  But how in the world can I read headlines like this "mice raining from the sky in Australia?" with a calm perspective and not totally freak out?  Or the airstrikes in Israel?  Or the destruction and devastation in Burma?  Or the migrant surge at the borders?  On and on and on it goes.  And skimming the headlines is not the answer, because often they are so grossly exaggerated that it gives a much worse picture than what is actually going on, and when I read the article I often times think did the journalist even read their own story???  I know they are supposed to be attention grabbing, but fictional bloating is not the same thing.  Do you guys have any ideas?  Do you read or listen to the news?  Avoid it altogether?  

I absolutely love The Holy Mess' site.  She is so neat and offers such great resources for losing weight and/or eating healthier.  She said her doctor told her about this idea to eat from 30 plant sources a week, and she posted two amazing posts about how to get more veggies in your diet and how to get more fruit in your diet.  One simple change I did this week was to eat one prepackaged bag of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit first thing in the morning as I study my Bible and sip my coffee.  It is called the Antioxidant Mix from Orchard Valley Harvest.  Delish!  I think it is a good idea to buy prepackaged if you are prone to snacking on nuts and seeds as you go (these little guys are VERY good for you, but pack a HUGE wallop of calories if you aren't careful) or if you are curious about different nuts, seeds, and dried fruit and don't want to buy several containers of each in case you don't like them.  Or maybe a bit of both???  Anyhow, once you find a combination that you like, buy the individual containers and meal prep the bags (or reusable containers) ahead of time - more cost effective, less time consuming, and will ensure you grab a healthy option when you are hungry.  Next week, I am going to try eating my veggies first and my fruit last (I like ending a meal on a sweet note!).  What healthy eating changes are you making or habits are you building?

I am REALLY really excited for Bible in 90 days - it starts exactly twelve days from today 💖 canNOT wait!!!!

B90 plan choices for summer 2021

Here are two PDF links I found online to choose from - one is the traditional Genesis through Revelations, read every single chapter in the Bible in 90 days.  The other one is a lighter reading load - it says adapted for kids, but I love the chapters they chose and think it is good no matter how old or young (or between the two 😀) that you are.  

This is the traditional plan .

This is the modified version.

The plan for now is to start on May 24th.  Cannot wait!!!!!

May Reading Stack

My to-be read stack this month includes a little bit of everything...

Continuing on in the book of Romans.  I am having THE best time reading slowly through Romans.

I am going to read through the Bible in 90 days, I sent an email out this morning to a few friends (& acquaintances) but if you want to join, I will post when I plan to start and whether we are going to do the Chronological or traditional B90 Genesis - Revelation.  Let me know in the comments if you plan to join in.  I have done this a few times and it is always such an awesome experience.  If you want to join in - there are three ways we are going to be doing a weekly check-in - 1) here on the blog, 2) through email, 3) on Instagram.  If you want to receive the email, leave me a comment and I will not post it but will add you to the email list.

The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart

Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola

Janice VanCleave's Food and Nutrition for Everyone

The Father's Tale by Michael O'Brien

Magic Treehouse series (just for a fun history overview)

What is in your stack this month?  

It's May!!

I cannot believe it is May already.  Five months into the year, it just seems like it has zoomed by.  Our oldest had a birthday last month kicking off the celebrations around here.  Each month from now until Christmas holds so many things to celebrate - birthdays, anniversaries, mother's and father's day....so much to look forward to.  I am also excited because our doctor appointments are starting to wind down (in terms of frequency).  I hate seasons like the one that we are wrapping up - on the highway almost everyday - spending hours of our week driving to and fro...it does allow for some great conversations - but I love being home.  I love teaching my girls.  I love reading aloud.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE my husband working from home.  I do not love when I miss the mornings or afternoons (or worse BOTH) with him here.  

I read the MOST beautiful, challenging book last week.  Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh.  (Anne Graham Lotz wrote the forward).  These two women spent time in prison, in one of the most notoriously brutal prisons on earth, for their faith.  INCREDIBLE.  Not only were they imprisoned for their faith, but they continually shared and relied on the truth of Who Jesus is without wavering.  This story is like reading a modern day version of The Hiding Place.  Highly recommend it!!

I wish you and yours a gloriously beautiful Monday 💖