Two years ago as 2009 was winding down I ran across The One Year Chronological Bible at Barnes & Noble. This was at a point of change in my life: I had recently been laid off from ALSAC/St. Jude after 16 yrs and I was heading into a new year with a lot of uncertainty about what laid ahead of me. So, at that moment I made my resolution to read thru the Bible in a year, something of which I had never done before. I had recalled a time earlier in that year during a Christ College class when Iva May introduced this concept of reading thru the Bible chronologically, and I was intrigued but I also felt a little intimidated by the task. But once I made the decision and began praying about it, I remember my anticipation grew and I couldn't wait for the new year and my daily Bible readings to get started.
2010 will be a year I'll always remember. It was a year in which my daily quiet time became the best part of my day. For the past 10 years or so I had developed the habit of getting up early around 5-530 for a quiet time 5 days of week before getting ready for work. Now, the challenge would be to get up knowing I had nowhere to go for the day, but this Bible reading plan gave me something to look forward to. I began every day reading the assigned passage and followed Iva's daily commentary on the passage in her blog. I also began journaling again - occasionally recording my thoughts on the scriptures, and writing down my prayers for what was going on in my job search. It was truly a transformational year in my understanding of the Bible and my relationship with the Lord.
So here it is on New Year's Eve 2011, and once again I'm looking forward to the new year so I can begin my next journey through the Bible. This year I'm using my new ESV Study Bible (I read thru the NIV in '10), but I'm also taking a different approach. A few days ago I ran across this article on the Gospel Coalition Blog Bible Reading Plans for 2012 , and I was intrigued by one of the links -- a Two-Year reading plan. One of the drawbacks, or challenges, of reading thru the Bible in a year is on some days there is so much reading that you don't have sufficient time to reflect and pray about what you are reading...I recall some days I didn't have it in me and I just wanted to read the passage simply to get through it and not fall behind. With this Two-Year Bible Reading Plan , there are some "catch-up days" built in between the endings/beginnings of each new book, and also a daily Psalm or Proverb reading. Also, I'll be reading the companion book to this plan, "How to Read the Bible Book by Book", by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart in order to get a better understanding of how each of the 66 books in the Bible fit into God's grand story.
With this plan, my prayer is that I'll have more time for reflection, prayer and general understanding of the scriptures. Also, as the author of this plan, Stephen Witmer suggested, I'd like to look for a "best thought" for each day -- something to meditate on throughout the rest of that day...a key truth from the Word of God, or a promise from God, or even a memorable verse, or something that is applicable to my life and most importantly, something I might be able to share with my girls or anyone I may encounter who needs to hear the Good News.
I'm looking forward to what God has planned to teach me in the coming year -- or in this case the next 2 years. Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Words to Live By
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" Psalm 119:11
Nothing warms my heart like seeing my girls faith in God and love for Jesus. Their excitement in memorizing verses, such as the one listed above, learned at Kid Venture Sunday school is a proud moment for a parent. What gets to me is why I struggle with the same excitement in memorizing scripture for myself. My challenge seems to be a matter of priority and just an inability to successfully recite key passages that have meant so much to me at one time or another over the past 10 years or so. 3 verses come to mind:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
So why memorize scripture? Some say at the moment of temptation to do something wrong, meaningful verses will rush into your memory to correct you. The Bible says, put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Eph 6:11) And, the promises of God are a constant source of encouragement in a world in which we face daily challenges.
I have no doubt that I can do a better job in memorizing scripture if I just put the effort into it. I was blown away last year in Downline when Kennon Vaughan recited the entire book of Ephesians as I followed along in my Bible. It was truly inspiring, so my challenge to myself is to remember this moment, and take it as a challenge when my girls memorize verses to take them on for myself and ask them to quiz me as well.
I'll close with this picture of a verse that meant so much to me back in 2009 when I went on my first mission trip down to the Gulf Coast to repair homes damaged from Hurricane Ike. For weeks leading up to the trip I decided Joshua 24:15, "...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.", would be my daily memory verse in my prayers preparing me for my trip. And I encountered God on that trip when one of the houses we worked on had this painted on their front door.
Nothing warms my heart like seeing my girls faith in God and love for Jesus. Their excitement in memorizing verses, such as the one listed above, learned at Kid Venture Sunday school is a proud moment for a parent. What gets to me is why I struggle with the same excitement in memorizing scripture for myself. My challenge seems to be a matter of priority and just an inability to successfully recite key passages that have meant so much to me at one time or another over the past 10 years or so. 3 verses come to mind:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13
So why memorize scripture? Some say at the moment of temptation to do something wrong, meaningful verses will rush into your memory to correct you. The Bible says, put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Eph 6:11) And, the promises of God are a constant source of encouragement in a world in which we face daily challenges.
I have no doubt that I can do a better job in memorizing scripture if I just put the effort into it. I was blown away last year in Downline when Kennon Vaughan recited the entire book of Ephesians as I followed along in my Bible. It was truly inspiring, so my challenge to myself is to remember this moment, and take it as a challenge when my girls memorize verses to take them on for myself and ask them to quiz me as well.
I'll close with this picture of a verse that meant so much to me back in 2009 when I went on my first mission trip down to the Gulf Coast to repair homes damaged from Hurricane Ike. For weeks leading up to the trip I decided Joshua 24:15, "...as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.", would be my daily memory verse in my prayers preparing me for my trip. And I encountered God on that trip when one of the houses we worked on had this painted on their front door.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The significance of Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh
A little background on the wise men (or Magi). The wise men first appeared in the O.T. during the Babylonian captivity around 600 BC. Daniel actually saved their lives (Dan 2:1-9) and gave specific prophesy as to when and where the Messiah would come. These Magi were actively seeking the Messiah, and traveled over 300 miles to find Jesus, while the Jews were not.
Each of the gifts they brought has significance:
Gold: Gold was given to kings, and this child would become King of Kings (Isa (9:6-7)
Frankincense: This was a holy incense that was used to worship God in the O.T. (Exo 30:34)
Myrrh: This was a nice smelling resin used for many purposes including embalming. This gift showed they knew this little baby was born to die.
In reflecting on these gifts to Jesus, the Magi recognized His Sovereign Dominion (gold), His Sinless Deity (frankincense), and His Sacrificial Death (myrrh).
This Christmas, think about what you will give to Jesus.
Monday, December 19, 2011
What I'm reading
Laurie introduced the course and the 4 Elements through this short news clip: http://www.lauriebethjones.com/find/pep.html
Knowing how much I enjoy personality/strengths assessments, I knew I was in store for an interesting seminar with the other 50 or so members/staff of CUMC.
Using the 4 elements of earth, water, wind, and fire that God used in creation, these also can be used in describing 4 different personality types. We begin by thinking of adjectives that describe each of these elements, to name just a few...
Earth: solid, predictable, consistent, grounded, measured
Water: reflective, flowing, supportive, flexible, cleansing, cooling
Wind: change-oriented, energetic, spontaneous, inspiring, creative
Fire: hot, passionate, focused, consuming, hungry
We quickly identified which type seemed closest to us and we split up into these 4 groups for further discussion. She talked about how Jesus referred to Himself as "living water", and the scriptures describe Holy Spirit as being "wind" or "fire". Adam literally means "made from clay"(earth).
Also, we profiled characters in the Bible...David = Fire/Wind (bold as king and full of expression as writer of psalms) Solomon = Earth/Water (attention to detail in building the temple/a peacemaker full of wisdom in writing of the Proverbs) And, another illustration -- the God of the Old Testament as Fire/Earth and the Jesus of the New Testament as Wind/Water.
I have yet to take the PEP assessment but I'm certain I'm an Earth person, and I look forward to reading this book and receiving the profile of my assessment soon. I'll return to share my thoughts on this.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Most pivotal event in world history
On Wednesday we remembered the attack on Pearl Harbor, an event that occurred 70 years ago. Dec 7, 1941 is one of those dates, along with Sep 11, 2001, that is etched in people's minds as important days in our world's history.
Personally, the day that you were born is a day that is obviously significant, and the day that Jesus was born is most significant of all, and yearly we honor this day. We remember Christ's birth and His death and resurrection each year as well, but do we remember/celebrate another clearly significant event in the history of Christianity?
This was the question posed by Sandy Willson from 2nd Presbyterian at this week's Amen men's bible study. I am enjoying this year's study on the Book of Acts, and this week we looked at Acts 9:1-31, "On the Road to Damascus". In terms of the Church and the world we live in today, the day of Paul's conversion is clearly the most important day -- the most pivotal event since the Day of Pentecost.
Just think what the world would look like had Paul not been overwhelmed by the living Christ and turned him from persecutor to the greatest missionary who ever lived. The New Testament includes 13 letters (epistles) that Paul wrote, recounting his 3 missionary journeys, and his "4th"journey (letters written from prison while in Rome). These journeys opened the door for the Gospel to spread and was the source of Church growth for the entire world, all from one man. I'm thankful for Paul.
Personally, the day that you were born is a day that is obviously significant, and the day that Jesus was born is most significant of all, and yearly we honor this day. We remember Christ's birth and His death and resurrection each year as well, but do we remember/celebrate another clearly significant event in the history of Christianity?
This was the question posed by Sandy Willson from 2nd Presbyterian at this week's Amen men's bible study. I am enjoying this year's study on the Book of Acts, and this week we looked at Acts 9:1-31, "On the Road to Damascus". In terms of the Church and the world we live in today, the day of Paul's conversion is clearly the most important day -- the most pivotal event since the Day of Pentecost.
Just think what the world would look like had Paul not been overwhelmed by the living Christ and turned him from persecutor to the greatest missionary who ever lived. The New Testament includes 13 letters (epistles) that Paul wrote, recounting his 3 missionary journeys, and his "4th"journey (letters written from prison while in Rome). These journeys opened the door for the Gospel to spread and was the source of Church growth for the entire world, all from one man. I'm thankful for Paul.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Welcome to my blog!
Not sure what got into me this morning but I've created this blog and I have an some thoughts on possibly being active here but who knows. I created my first blog on the ballpark chasers site back in 2008, and I had all intentions of being active there with my thoughts on baseball, and I was for a while at least...see Sept 2008, when I was all caught up in the Astros last season playoff push: http://www.ballparkchasers.com/profile/DutchVanDuzee
But as it turns out those thoughts have been few and far between. I'm more likely to share my quick thoughts and observations on FB and twitter these days.
For this blog, I'm thinking more general reflections (we'll keep most of the baseball talk to the baseball blog), about my life as a dad, husband, research manager, Facebook friend of 193 people (and counting), social media enthusiast, ballpark chaser, CUMC member and faithful follower of Jesus.
In the days ahead I'll be thinking about the purpose of this blog and motivations for sharing my thoughts here for all to see. In my quiet time over the past few weeks I've felt the urge to pick back up on journaling...this has been something I have done regularly at times in my life, most recently during my extended career transition. Also, I've begun journaling in Nicole's "Between Me and You" book, which I completed the same book for Taylor several years ago. It will be interesting to look back on some of the thoughts I shared in Taylor's book after I recollect memories to put into Nicole's book. Maybe this is why I'm here now writing this? Well, that's all for now...
But as it turns out those thoughts have been few and far between. I'm more likely to share my quick thoughts and observations on FB and twitter these days.
For this blog, I'm thinking more general reflections (we'll keep most of the baseball talk to the baseball blog), about my life as a dad, husband, research manager, Facebook friend of 193 people (and counting), social media enthusiast, ballpark chaser, CUMC member and faithful follower of Jesus.
In the days ahead I'll be thinking about the purpose of this blog and motivations for sharing my thoughts here for all to see. In my quiet time over the past few weeks I've felt the urge to pick back up on journaling...this has been something I have done regularly at times in my life, most recently during my extended career transition. Also, I've begun journaling in Nicole's "Between Me and You" book, which I completed the same book for Taylor several years ago. It will be interesting to look back on some of the thoughts I shared in Taylor's book after I recollect memories to put into Nicole's book. Maybe this is why I'm here now writing this? Well, that's all for now...
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