Blog? What blog?

Oh yeah....that thing I write on occasionally.   Well, we finally got all the unexpected things taken care of this week.   I have been busy trying to get caught up on school stuff, the "Bible in 90 Days" readings and wash enough laundry to clothe a small village in Africa.    Yeah, I'm a little behind on the Bible reading, but I am still hanging in there!  I've been really pushing to keep up, because I know so many other people are doing it as well.   That has been a big motivator.   But, it does take a lot of time to read 15-16 chapters a day, in addition to all my other daily "chores", so blogging is often the last thing I think about!   I will try to find more time!

B90: Day 5

Today's reading was Exodus 1-16.   Several little nuggets caught my attention.  The logistics of the "Exodus" itself are so amazing.   So, here's a SOAP for you.

Scripture:  Ex. 12:37-38  "And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.   A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds." 

Observation:  A mixed multitude, hm, never noticed that before...  My footnote says it could mean "persecuted minorities, or other slaves who came with them. Or Egyptians who had intermarried with the Hebrews, and even God-fearing Egyptians could have been included."      12:48 seems to back this up by stating, "If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord..."      

Application:  Not all of the people that God delivered in the exodus were the "obvious" people, the ones with the clear bloodlines running all the way back to Abraham.  God can make a believer out of anyone He chooses, and I am so grateful that He saved me from my depravity! 

Prayer:  Lord, I pray that you would help me to look beyond the obvious and help me to focus on the eternal.   Help me to remember that it's what You see inside a heart that counts.  

B90: Days 2 & 3 and other stuff....

Hi! It's been a busy weekend at our house!   I did read though, and I am still on-target with my reading guide.     I didn't read straight through the past two days, though.    I can tell that made a huge difference in the impact that the scripture reading had on me.  I will have to find a way to read either before the kids wake up, or after everyone is asleep....     But, even though I don't have a specific verse that spoke to me, I did have an insight or two.

The B90 daily email has a "Something to Ponder" topic in it.    Today's was, "What mistakes of his parents did Jacob repeat?"     I actually expanded on that question in my reading and took a look at the trends the whole family seemed to have.     The biggest sin that kept being passed down in this family was: deceit.   Abraham had Sarah lie and say that she was (merely) his sister on TWO separate occasions, to save his own hide!  Then, Isaac did the same thing to Rebekah, Gen. 26:7.  Then, Rebekah takes the deceitfulness even further by encouraging and helping Jacob steal his brother's birth-right.    Then, we see Jacob years later, as he returns home and Esau comes to greet him.   He tells Esau (paraphrase), "Go on ahead, we'll be right behind you, but we're traveling slowly..."    Instead of going to Esau's home, he turns and goes another way!  Why couldn't he have just told him he was going to go another direction?   It keeps on going, with Joseph's brothers lying to their father about his death when they had in fact sold him to merchants.  Why can't this family just tell the truth?! 


What's interesting to see is that despite the complete lack of faith they show at times, they still always return to God and He continues to guide and love them.   That's good to know, isn't it?

Another neat thing I noticed was that Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham together.   Even after Ishmael had been sent away and basically disinherited.   Gen. 25:9  


I am using an old NIV Bible, one I bought back in high school.  I also used it in boot camp and for a little while before having children.  My notes and the things I underlined back then are a neat little "blast from the past."    I had forgotten about some of the things God showed me back then.

So!   If you're still thinking about trying to read the Bible in 90 days, I encourage you to give it a try!

On another note, I am having some computer issues!  I don't know how those links showed up in my first B90 post.  I did not link to the word "e-cl-i-p-s-e" with an ebay ad to the Twilight series.    I think I may have a virus on here somewhere, so I will have to figure it out.   Ugh.

More soon!! 

B90: Day 1

Happy New Year!  
If you saw my post from the other day, then you already know I am joining a group of people who are reading through the Bible in 90 days.    Today was Day One!     Of course, we were up late last night watching fireworks, so this morning was a little bit lazy and slow-starting.   But, I was able to get an hour by myself to go read.    The first 16 chapters of Genesis went by pretty quickly, probably because I have read them so many times before!   (We'll see how fast it goes once we hit Chronicles, or Numbers...)      Even though I've read the book of Genesis many times before, several things stood out to me today in a totally new way.    I am going to use the SOAP technique that Mom'sToolbox uses to share one with you.

Scripture:   Genesis 1:16 "And God made the two great lights -the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night- and the stars."    

Observation:  What stood out to me was the use of the word "light" to describe the moon.   The sun is a no-brainer, duh, it gives us light.  But, the moon isn't an actual light at all, it merely reflects the sun's light.    By being there to simply reflect the sun, the moon is fulfilling its God-given purpose and is able to "rule over the night."      Day-in and day-out, the moon does the same thing...   Occasionally, it gets to take part in one of those eclipse-thingies, but mainly it just goes around and around, making the sun look good.    Or is that really all?  Every calendar I see in my house has the phases of the moon on it, showing me when I can expect a full moon.   We can't look directly at the sun, but go ahead and stare at the moon all you like!   We've sent astronauts to the moon, circled the moon, we sing songs about the moon, etc. etc.    So, regardless of its simplicity, the moon has a big role in God's plan.  

Application:  How in the world does this have meaning to me?  Well, basically, I felt God using that scripture to show me that my role as a wife and mother might seem monotonous or plain sometimes.  There are days when I would much rather sparkle all day and be the big, flashy "sun," if you will.  But, God has called me to be a constant, Christ-reflecting light in our home.

Prayer:    My prayer is that God will help me be satisfied and fulfilled in the role He has placed me in.  I hope that I can be a better reflection of His will for me and my husband's vision for our family.   I pray that God will show me when my attitude or desires are starting to "eclipse" my husband's role and help me to back off, graciously.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow's reading will reveal!