Media Monday: Girls LIke Me

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it has been a while since my last post. I thought for sure I'd have more time during this summer, but that hasn't been the case. I'm preparing for my final semester of grad school, but I'll be done in December - finally done - and after that my schedule should settle into a routine.

This year, since I've been so busy, I wanted to try something different with my Bible reading. Instead of figuring out which books and chapters I want to read, I have been using devotionals and reading their choice of scripture and what they have to say about it. It has been really helpful to me, and I wanted to share some of them with all of you.

The first one is Girls Like Me, by Shelbie Mae. 

The author uses stories of women from the Bible and her own personal stories to highlight issues that we, as girls or women, face, and how God was faithful in those situations and will be faithful in ours. I'm already learning a lot about these remarkable women from the Bible, and I'm learning a lot about myself too.

Now, you certainly don't have to, but if you want, you could even take a notebook and pair these devotionals with journaling. You could choose a verse that stands out to you, or just talk about what you read that day.

I have found journaling scripture, my thoughts, and prayers to be very helpful lately, although I haven't paired it with a specific devotional yet.

Here is the book link. It's a free e-book on Amazon, so if you have a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone, you'll be able to get it free. It is available as a paperback if you prefer that, but it isn't free.

I'll be sharing several devotionals over the rest of the summer. I hope you find them as useful as I have. I'd love to hear what you think of them.

Until next time!

Chronological Reading Plan

Hello everyone! I hope your 2020 has gotten off to a great start!

I remembered that I forgot to mention the reading plan I was doing this year, and I wanted to share it.

This year, I've decided to read the Bible in chronological order. If you remember, in 2018, I read it in order from beginning to end. I did this using the Bible app on my phone, Bible Gateway. I'm using this app for my reading again this year, and I'm sure most Bible apps will have this option. But if you don't have an app that offers the chronological option, or just don't like to use a Bible app for your daily reading, I wanted to offer a list of the readings in chronological order.

I'm not going to do a blog post for my readings this time. I'm still in school to get my Masters in Library Science, and I just got a full-time position at my library, so I won't have time to post every day, but I do hope to be able to post quite a bit, and I'm still working on the eternity series I mentioned.

So, this list is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I have just started the reading.

https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/chronological/next

Please let me know in the comments if you find any errors, or if you have a preferred Bible app or reading plan, and why.

I look forward to sharing more with you this year as well.

Eternity Series

Hello everyone!

For this series of posts, I want to take a look at eternity, and how we will live once we have finished our mortal lives. This will be in three parts: Heaven, New Earth, and Hell.

Now, I'm not going to speculate or offer up guesses.

Rather, I'm going to look at what the Bible says about each of these places, and I will also link to other well-researched articles and posts about them.

Lately, I've just really wanted to learn more about Heaven and the New earth, specifically, and I thought I might as well include the other option for eternity while I'm at it.

So, stay tuned for this series! It's going to take a while for me to figure out how I want to set it up and to do research and to actually write up the post, so I can't guarantee a date. Just know that I am working on it, and that if you have any suggestions for those or other posts, or if you have any questions you'd like me to try to answer with my Bible research, let me know.

The Book of Kings and Elijah

Finally! The book of 1 Kings is interesting again! I feel so bad for saying that. There were some good things to be learned from the kings who ruled after Solomon. I guess I just don't find the account of those rulers as interesting or relevant to my life.

Finally, however, I am into the part of 1 Kings that starts Elijah's story. After him, I'll be reading Elisha's story. I'm so super excited!

I have a few thoughts about Elijah so far, but I want to wait and give Elijah his own post.

I really do love reading my Bible, but there are some books I relate to better, and some stories I find more interesting than others. Maybe I shouldn't think that way...

Still, I am slowly reading my way through the whole Bible. One day, I'll know right where my favorite verses and stories are, and I'll be able to go back and read them all over again. I have no doubt I'll learn something new every time, as often happens.
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"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word" (Psalm 119:11/16

Small Books

Lately, I have been reading the smaller, lesser-known books of The Bible. They're fascinating. I don't completely understand all of them, but that will come in time.

Don't ignore them. They are just as important as the more well-known books, and I find that I learn something new from each of them. It really doesn't take long to read them, either, if that is a concern.

I haven't finished reading them all yet, so I don't have a favorite. I am, however, really looking forward to reading Hosea. I had never heard of it before I watched Amazing Love (located in my movie recommendations). I haven't read it yet, because I chose to read around it. I have no explanation, other than the timing not feeling right. I'll get to it soon though. Also, soon I will try to do blog posts about each of these smaller books. Perhaps that will help me to understand the parts that confused me.
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"The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet" (Nahum 1:3).

The Bible is Not a Menu!

The Bible is not a menu from which we can pick and choose what we want to eat. The whole book is meant for our consumption, even if some of it gives us indigestion. We can't decide to follow some rules and ignore others. God did not give us these rules to be harsh, or to take away our fun. He gave us these rules for our protection, because He loves us, and wants us to be with Him.

We can't just say "Well, this verse doesn't fit with my personal beliefs, so I'll just ignore it." Our beliefs should change if we read something in God's Word that contradicts them. We should learn and grow and change so that we can be close to Him.

Just because we think one sin is less than another, doesn't make it true. We may commit one sin and think "Oh, at least it's not murder," but no sin can enter heaven. We must not consider one sin less than another, and we must ask forgiveness for all sins, no matter how "small" or "inconsequential" they may seem to us.

It's important to read God's Word and absorb it - all of it. That way when Satan tries to tempt us with pretty lies, we will recognize them for what they are, and be able to resist.

Now, remember that when Jesus came to earth the first time, he fulfilled the Old Testament, and that's why we no longer have to make animal sacrifices and such. The lessons and teachings of the Old Testament should not be discarded or disregarded, however.

It's also important to read scripture in context. Now, the Bible can be quoted and misquoted scripture by scripture for teaching, rebuking, correcting, etc. But it's important for us to know the context in which the scripture we're reading is used. After all, though you can eat just a slice of bread, and feel kind of full, it requires other elements to make a meal - and it tastes better too!

For example, I can quote this popular verse by itself.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Or I can go back to verse 20 and quote verses 20-23 together for a more complete picture.

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:20-23).

So, while some verses can be used by themselves (like the Proverbs), it is important to remember that we have to read them in context so that we aren't confused about the whole meaning, so that we don't mislead ourselves or someone else with a misinterpretation.

The Bible is not a menu.

Daily Reflection

I intended to post once a week, if I was lucky. Instead, this blog (my personal - but not private - journal of musings and reflections) has become a daily task I anticipate eagerly. That's a really good thing, I think.

I had so many thoughts backlogged that it often takes restraint to only post once a day! There were so many topics I wondered about, and wanted to research, but hadn't because of a lack of motivation. Well, now the motivation has found me, and it seems I can't stop. Nor do I want to! I really enjoy writing down topics for further consideration, and then picking the topic that most speaks to me on a given day, and writing a post about it.

This blog has given me a reason (though learning about God is reason enough) to reflect and search my thoughts and feelings, and read the Bible even on days I may not feel like it. And some days I really don't feel like it. I generally want to read my Bible every day, and I am enjoying learning from God's Word much more than I used to, but I still have days where I struggle with simply wanting to watch one of my favorite movies and not think about anything (particularly if I've had a busy day).

We need to commune with God daily. I think we need to read His Word daily too, but I also think that it's okay to miss a day sometimes if you really don't feel the need,. but it's important not to make a habit of it. Though, if your inner voice is telling you to get up off the couch and read your Bible (like mine is as I'm writing this) then you should go do it.

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"Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11).