The Year in Review

True to form, we are knee deep in a horrible virus.  I don't know what it is about this time of year, but even as a kid, I was always sick.  Unfortunately, it seems like genetics are stronger than any preventative vitamin or anti-bacterial and washing of hands, because my kids (young adults) are, as per usual, knee deep in the trenches with me.

*sigh*

It has been over a week of coughing, sneezing, sleepless nights, runny noses, fevers, aches and pains, and now tummy issues.  I am SO tired of laying in bed, but don't feel like doing much else.  I feel like my tongue will forever just taste halls cough drops.

I haven't read anything this week, I have fallen asleep re-listening to A Soul Cold as Frost, but as I have slept off and on I don't feel like I can accurately log it as read.  So, I am going to do a year-in-review post because I don't want to forget the good books I have read, the things I have learned, and the things I have most enjoyed...

First of all - favorite reads of 2024 : 

(I originally set my reading goal at 104 books, but the year started off VERY rough and we had a LOT going on, so I shortened my goal to 75 and ended up reading over a hundred anyway.)  

My favorite part of 2024 was completing the Chronological Bible read through.  I know I have said this before, but at the end of last year I'd already met my reading goals, our Bible study was on break from before Thanksgiving until mid-January, and so I was left with this pocket of time that I didn't want to waste.  I decided to try to complete a 90 days jaunt through the Bible.  But this time I was determined to conquer the chronological plan.  I had tried (and failed) to read chronologically through the Bible in 90 days several times.  I can do the regular plan (and have several times) but there is just something about the chronological plan that I could not complete.  I printed off my check-off sheet (but preferred the app for the old testament plan) and off I went.

What happened was unexpected.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED it.  God met me on the pages and as I slowed down, used a journaling Bible, and wrote as I read - it was MIND blowing.  God is so incredibly faithful and His Word proves that over and over and over again.  So this was my favorite part of 2024 - the time spent in His Word. (*note about B90 at bottom of post)

My favorite fiction reads : The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt and Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell (btw - I asked and it WILL be out on Audible late January!!)

My biggest regrets: Every year, no matter how old they get, I always get a Christmas picture book for my kids and this year I bought The Christmas Blessing by Erin Guendelsberger and it is THE WORST CHRISTMAS picture book!  It warped the Gospel, did not even mention God (not once!), did not mention Jesus by name (THE ENTIRE NATIVITY IS ALWAYS AND ONLY COMPLETELY about Jesus) and it was JUST TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE.  Complete waste of money and time. 

Spying on Miss Mueller and Cinderella in Skates were two others that I wish I had skipped and not read.

Prayers answered : so many of these are too personal to share here and are not my story to tell, but God's faithful love and provision are MIND blowing.

New things I discovered this year:

W@l-MaRt's Gingerbread coffee (this is SUPRISINGLY soooooo yummy!!)

How to Faith a Life on you-tube.  I LOVE this channel.  And her Bible!  

Snackle boxes - have you heard of these?  We ran across them first on Am@zon, but found them cheaper at W@l-MaRt.  Google these - they make THE PERFECT DIY fruit or veggie tray type thing.  Add carrots, broccoli, cheese chunks, mini pretzels...etc;.

Job 36:21 - this verse - it was featured in an article written somewhere about patiently enduring hard times.  It hit me - the warning in this verse - just because you are overwhelmed or tired or anxious for a hard season to draw to a close - there is NO excuse for turning to anything outside of God.  Especially, guard against this temptation when you are weary of the hard season.

And lastly.  Heard THE BEST idea yesterday - instead of New Year's Resolutions and goal setting this year and instead of choosing a word of the year - why not choose an attribute of God to govern your year?  Here is the post : click here.

*B90 is a good way to get a overarching view of the Bible.  The way it is set up, the volume of reading you are required to do per day, it forces you to plow through and see the overarching themes in the Word of God, but it is NOT a good way to dig in and dig deep.  I think everyone should do B90 at least once in their lifetime, BUT I will say B90 is a HORRIBLE way to do the chronological read through.  The Chronological is (in my opinion) designed to be read slowly and read deeply and to ask a LOT of questions along the way.  I would NOT recommend it as a B90 plan.  

In case you are interested : Blue Letter Bible has a great chronological plan, as does one I found on a Bible app (it is literally called : ReadingPlan App) and you will find the plan I like under the default plans. (it was created in 2009 by John A. Battle.)  This year though I am going to try Growing4Life's Chronological Reading Plan and on her blog she includes a free pdf of this, so click over to this post to find it.