Warning!

One of the projects on my to-do list this fall is to make a photo book of our recent travels around the country.  So far, progress is very slow.  This is a daunting task!  Trying to sort through thousands of photographs to find the favorites and the best and the ones which most clearly tell the story of our adventure is overwhelming!

As I have been identifying favorites, this is one that made the cut:

 

 

 

Signs like this one were present in many of the rest areas as we traveled across the Southwest.  Some of them were phrased a little differently.  Rattlesnakes may be present.  So read one of the signs.  We don't typically have signs like that in rest areas here in the South. 

 

I chose that photo for my photo book because it was a part of our experience on the road. 

 

I also chose it because it's a good reminder for daily living.  There are hazards everywhere.  That's why we need to have our guard up.  Always.

 

There are rattlesnakes.  And roaring lions.  And wolves in sheep's clothing.

 

Be on guard.

 

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  (2 Peter 3:17-18 NASB, emphasis mine)

 



Your Password Is Incorrect

We live in a world that requires a password for everything.  Access to your smartphone.  Or to Facebook.  Or to Twitter.  Or to online banking.  Or online shopping.  Or to retrieve your voice mail.  There's a password for everything.

Have you ever forgotten a password?  Oh, the frustration!  And if you forgot the password and you also forgot the answers to the security questions that would help you retrieve and reset the password........

It's a nightmare. 

We went through that a couple of times over the summer.  And then again, yesterday, Al forgot a password that he had just reset a few weeks ago.  We had written it down on the day it was reset.  But because we were on the road, it didn't get written down in the place it normally would have.  Which meant that yesterday there was a search to find where it had actually been written down.  Eventually we found it, after much searching and frustration.

All that frustration reminded me once again how thankful I am that, when it comes time for me to enter Heaven, I won't need some combination of letters and numbers and special characters.

Because Jesus paid it all, and because I am in a personal relationship with Him, there is no other password needed.  I will enter Heaven, as the old gospel hymn said, in the merits of Jesus who for sinners bled and died. 

No other password needed.  Thank You, Lord!

"Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."
(1 Peter 3:18 NASB)

Done Any Eavesdropping Lately? An Encore Post

Go ahead and admit it.  We all do it.  Listen in on the conversations around us.  I'm not talking about the hide-behind-the-door-like-a-sneak-so-you-can-hear-the-conversation-between-your-parents kind of eavesdropping.  I'm talking about just listening in on conversations that happen around you, the conversations that you aren't really a part of.  In the restaurant.  In the doctor's office.  At church.  In the mall.

When you listen to those conversations, what do you hear? 

Here's what I've heard a lot of lately:  complaining, whining, grumbling, negativity.  It's too hot.  It's too cold.  It rains too much.  It doesn't rain enough.  The coffee is too hot.  The coffee is cold.  The coffee is too strong.  The coffee is weak.  The tables are too close together.  It's too crowded.  I don't like that song.  The music is too loud.  Why don't we sing my favorite song?  Why are the chairs arranged this way?  The chairs are too close together.  The chairs are too far apart.  I don't like drums.  I don't like guitars.  On and on it goes.

There's a recurring theme.  What I like.  What I don't like.  Me.  I.  My.

Even among those of us who call ourselves Christian, there's an awful lot of complaining and grumbling and selfishness.  Maybe especially among those of us who call ourselves Christian. As though life is all and only about us and our own personal preferences. 

That's sad, isn't it?  Because the truth of the matter is, as Rick Warren wrote in The Purpose Driven Life, it's not about you.

Is this how we are displaying Jesus to the world?

I challenge you to pay attention to your conversation today. Really listen to yourself.
Eavesdrop on your own conversation, not just the conversations around you.  What's the dominant theme?

Certainly we live in challenging times.  The economy.  ISIS.  Border security.  Self-serving politicians.  The list of challenges could be very long.

And people around us are hurting.  Because of illness.  Or bereavement.  Or some other circumstance.

 But our joy isn't based on circumstances, is it?  Our joy is in the Lord Jesus.  And shouldn't that joy should be reflected in our conversation?

"Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."             (Philippians 4:8 ESV)

"From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers [and sisters], these things ought not to be so."  (James 3:10 ESV)

"Through him [Jesus], let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."  (Hebrews 13:15 ESV)

"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude jesting, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."  (Ephesians 5:4 ESV)

"Do all things without grumbling."  (Philippans 2:14 ESV)

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."  (Psalm 19:14 ESV)

Seasons

We began a new season this week.  I love this time of year!  Fall may be my favorite season.  Cooler temperatures.  Leaves changing colors.  All things pumpkin.  What's not to love?

This week I'm in a different season for another reason as well.  For me this week has been the season of getting back to normal.  While we could certainly debate what normal is, and I agree with whoever first said that normal is a setting on the dryer, this has been a week of trying get back to regular routines. 

After three months on the road, living out of suitcases and sleeping in hotel rooms, this has been a week of adjusting to being at home.  A week of enjoying the blessing of sleeping in my own bed.  It has definitely been a week of doing laundry, which is finally caught up, and of unpacking suitcases, getting things back into their proper places, and of trying to reestablish some sense of normal.

Seasons change on a regular basis; we can look at the calendar and know that.  Summer, winter, spring, and fall are all part of the rhythm of life.

There are other seasons as well.  Seasons of adjustments.  Seasons of getting back to normal.  Seasons of health and seasons of sickness.  Seasons of joy and seasons of grief.  Seasons of youth and of old age.

Seasons change.  But even as they do, how thankful I am that, through every change, our loving Heavenly Father remains the same.

"This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  (Lamentations 3:21-23 ESV)

Living Loud for Jesus

Some time ago, I came across an article about the 11 things the parents of boys should know, or some title similar to that.  I think the article originally appeared in the Huffington Post, which is not a publication I typically read, and when I tried to find the article again to verify the title, I couldn't find it.  No matter.  What I particularly remember from that article is the author's point that boys are loud.

The article was written by a woman, and apparently one who had never spent a lot of time around little boys.  I, however, as a mother of boys, was not surprised by this point at all!  Before we go any further, let me clarify.  I hate generalizations.  Hate them!  To say that all boys are this way and all girls are that way is both unfair and inaccurate, but debating that isn't the point of this post.

What I can tell you, from my own experience as a mother, is that boys can be loud.  They may not always be loud, every moment of every day, but they can make a lot of noise.  At least it seemed so to me.  In fairness, even though I grew up as a quiet, shy girl who spent most of her time with her nose in a book, I am sure there were days when my mother, who was herself the quiet type, thought I was very loud!

Children, both boys and girls, can be loud.  They play with an enthusiastic abandonment that doesn't really notice, or care, if their enthusiasm is disturbing someone else. Children arrive in the world with loud cries, making their presence known.  They cry loudly when they are hungry or sleepy or wet.  And that living loud continues until some grownup along the way convinces them that they are making too much noise and need to be quiet. 

I think there is a lot we as adults, particularly as Christian adults, can learn from the enthusiasm of children.  Children live loud.  They live with enthusiasm and abandonment.  They are not particularly concerned with what other people think.  They radiate joy.  They don't hold back.

Think about that, about living loud, as it applies to the Christian life.  As Christians, are we living out our faith with enthusiasm and abandonment, or are we holding back because of a concern about what other people will think?

Are we, as Christians, living loud for Jesus?  Are we, you and I, living a Biblical Christianity or a cultural Christianity?  Are we more interested in what the culture thinks of us, or in what Jesus thinks of us?

In a culture that increasingly tries to marginalize or silence any expression of Christian faith, what does it mean to live loud for Jesus?  How can we live loud for Jesus today?

Something to think about.

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!"             (Psalm 96:3 ESV)

There's No Place Like Home

"There's no place like home."  (Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz)

Eleven weeks. 11,676 miles. 33 states. 37 hotels. Several thousand photographs.  And far too many restaurant meals.  Now we are finally home, and I have to agree with Dorothy.  There's no place quite like home.

To say that we are tired after such a journey would be a massive understatement!  For the last couple of weeks, we have pretty much been on auto-pilot.  Just going through the motions.  Dreading the thought of yet another meal in a restaurant.  Not even wanting to have to think about reading another menu and deciding what to eat.  Weary of loading and unloading the van yet again.

In the midst of the weariness, there were some high points during these last few weeks.  Time with family and with special friends was woven into the schedule, and that really helped get us through. 

On Friday we were both as excited as little children on Christmas morning!  After a final family breakfast with Brian, Emily, and Christopher, we put our little fur baby in the van and set out on the long journey home.

This was really a welcome sight!

 

 

 



Just a few hours later, this......

 

 

And then the photo I had been waiting to take.......

 

 



 

 



After all those miles, and after all those weeks, we were finally home!

 

It was wonderful to sleep in my own bed!  To be in my own shower!  To have coffee out of my own coffee pot!  In my own favorite coffee mug! To sit in my own comfy chair!

But even as I'm enjoying being home again, my thoughts are also turning toward the day when I am truly finally home.  As much as I am loving being home again here, how much greater will be my joy on that day when I am truly finally home. 

I'm looking forward to that day.......the day about which Jesus spoke when He said, "In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  (John 14:2-3 NASB).

Looking forward to that day when "we shall always be with the Lord."  (1 Thess. 4:17b NASB)

I'm looking forward to being finally home.

 

But just think of stepping on shore-And finding it Heaven!
Of touching a hand-And finding it God's!
Of breathing new air-And finding it celestial!
Of waking up in glory-And finding it home! 

(Don Wyrtzen)

 

 

A Hotel in the Flight Path, and Other Distractions

We are in Tampa now, the last stop on our road trip around the country.  Earlier this week we were in Miami, in a hotel very near Miami International Airport, where every few minutes another plane takes off.  As it takes off, it flies right over the hotel where we were staying.  And it's loud.  Very loud.

Fortunately that doesn't go on all night.  But with great frequency and regularity, all day long, plane after plane flies right overhead.  It's very distracting.

On Tuesday, after I did the final touches to class set-up and took attendance in Al's classes, I spent the rest of my day [attempting] to catch up on some Bible study, and also [attempting to concentrate on] the pastor's message from last Sunday.  I say attempting to because those planes were very loud and very distracting.

In addition, just when I was really digging into my Bible study, the housekeeper showed up to service the room.  In most hotels where we have stayed, the housekeeper can clean the bathroom, make the bed, replenish the coffee, and empty the trash in less than five minutes.  Not this housekeeper!  It took twenty-five minutes for her to do the same tasks.  It was very distracting.

And she was wearing some very over-powering perfume.  That, too, was distracting, as well as being the cause of a great deal of sneezing!

As we have been traveling around the country, I have observed a number of distracted drivers.  They are eating while they drive.  Or they are talking on the phone.  Or they are texting.  That last one causes me the most consternation.  Even though it's a distraction.  And even though it's against the law.  And even though it defies common sense.  Still people text while they drive.  Young mothers with babies strapped into car seats texting as they drive down a busy interstate.  Teenagers.  Businessmen.  Truck drivers.  Young and old.  Male and female.  All texting as they drive through the city or through the countryside or down busy interstate highways.  Really, is anything so important that it can't wait just a few minutes until you get out of traffic?  Is that text so important that it's worth risking your life or someone else's?  Texting and driving is a major distraction.  And it's so much more than that.  It's dangerous.

We had our first near-accident of the trip yesterday.  Thankfully it's just an almost-accident, rather than being much worse.  As we were leaving Miami, it was dark and raining.  Was that other driver texting?  I don't know.  Was he more focused on his morning coffee and biscuit than on his driving?  I don't know.  What I do know is that because one driver apparently wasn't paying attention, another swerved into our lane to avoid him, and we were very nearly hit.  Just inches away from disaster because somebody was distracted.

Distractions are part of the fabric of our lives.  Airplanes.  Housekeepers.  Other drivers. The telephone.  The doorbell.  The ding from the cellphone.  The neighbors.  The neighbors' children.  The television.  Social media.  Politicians.  On and on the list could go.

What are we to do?  How do we deal with the distractions of life?

While we can't go through life with blinders on, we must learn to focus.  You have perhaps heard the saying, "wherever you are, be all there."  That's good advice.  If you're driving, focus on your driving.  If you're with your children, give them your undivided attention.  If you're studying, tune out the distractions and focus on the subject at hand.

We must learn to focus. We must learn to prioritize our time. And while we certainly need to be aware of what's going on in the world around us, we need to learn how to tune out the noise.  It doesn't come naturally to most of us; focus is a learned behavior.  It's something we must practice.

Learning to focus starts at the beginning of each day when we deliberately choose to focus our attention on God and on His Word.  When we make a fresh commitment for the day.

Staying focused may mean we have to say "no" to some things.  It may mean we have to give up some things, even some good things, so that we can focus on the best things.  It may mean some time away from the television or from social media.

Staying focused means that we deliberately set aside time for Bible study.  It means that we give time and attention, not just to reading the Word, but that we also give time and attention to actually studying it.

Dealing with life's distractions requires focus.  And discipline.  It may require a list of priorities for the day. 

Above all, living a life of focus and dealing with distractions requires the help of the Holy Spirit.  It doesn't come naturally.  But as we focus our attention on Jesus, His Spirit at work within us will guide us in dealing with the distractions of life and will lead us to a life of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."  (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)

Even in the flight path!

"....fixing our eyes on Jesus....."  (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

Life on the Road: Counting

After traveling more than 10,000 miles since July 6, we are now in the final week of this adventure.  As I sit here in yet another hotel room, this one in south Florida, I am counting the days until we return home.

Two classes today.  Travel day tomorrow.  Two classes in Tampa on Thursday.  After all that, an 8 hour drive on Friday, and then we're home.  Or perhaps it will be 9 hours.  Or maybe even 10.  It all depends on traffic and road construction and how many times we stop to take a break.

But no matter how long it takes, on Friday we will be home.  And I am ready for that!

I'm counting the days [and the hours and the minutes!] until we're home on Friday, but I am also doing counting of another sort.  As I look back over the weeks of this journey, I am counting blessings as well.

Certainly I am giving thanks for our safety as we have traveled all these many miles.  A lot of miles, and a lot of hotels, and a lot of meals in hotels and restaurants.  We have traveled safely, with no accidents or even near-accidents, no illness other than a few sniffles here and there, and with no real problems of any kind.  That is truly a great blessing and I am thankful!

Over the course of this trip we have had occasion to spend a little time with friends and family in various parts of the country.  Most recently, this past Sunday, we were blessed to spend time with two of our very best friends, worshipping together and then sharing a delightful meal.  We've done a lot of that together over the years, and as we chatted over lunch, it was such a joy to call to mind many of the experiences we've shared in the nearly forty years we have known each other.  How thankful I am that the Lord brought us together all those years ago!  How thankful I am for the way the Lord has used Wayne and Linda in our lives and in the lives of so many others!  How thankful I am for all the years we shared in ministry!  How thankful I am for all the years of our friendship!  And how thankful I am that once again over a Sunday lunch, we could talk and laugh and share our hearts!  So today, as I'm counting my blessings, those few hours this past Sunday shared with such special friends are among the things I am counting.

Today I am counting.

Counting the days and hours until we are home again.

Counting all the ways God has blessed us along this journey.

Counting my blessings. 

 

"Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name then one by one;

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done!"



(-lyrics:  Johnson Oatman, Jr.)

 

 

 

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits." (Psalm 103:1 NASB, emphasis mine)

We Must Not Forget

It's that day again.  The anniversary of that awful day when planes flew into towers and our lives were forever changed.

All across the country today there will be moments of silence and remembrance.  Prayers will be offered.  Flags will be flown.  Which is as it should be, because we must not forget.

We must not forget that we were attacked.  We must not forget that people died.  We must not forget the families and friends of those we lost that day.  For all of us, life changed on that day, but for those who knew someone personally, that change is even more poignant.

There's a sense in which it is impossible to forget, because life as we had known it changed that day.  We are no longer quite so naïve as we once were.  We realized on that day that we are vulnerable.  That there are people out there who want to kill us.  We must not forget that.

We must not forget September 11, 2001.

Yet even as we grieve those who died on that day, and as we find ourselves becoming apprehensive, and as we see the horrors being inflicted by ISIS, and as we wonder what will happen next, there are some other things we must remember as well.

We must not forget that God is still God.

We must not forget that God is sovereign.  That God is in control.  That He has a plan and a purpose for all things.

"His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation......he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand."  (Daniel 4:34-35 ESV)

We must not forget.

No matter what has happened in the past. 

No matter what is yet to come. 

Because....

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea."  (Psalm 46:1-2 NASB, emphasis mine)

Life on the Road: The Red Card

In the ten weeks we have been on the road, we have stayed in more than thirty different hotels.  Most of those hotels have been Marriott properties.

Because my husband travels a lot and spends a lot of time in Marriott hotels, he has achieved Platinum Elite status with that particular hotel chain.  As a result, our room key cards are platinum and are marked platinum elite, and those key cards give access to things like the Concierge Lounge (when one is available) and free coffee and other perks.

But at our hotel in Maryland, we didn't get a platinum key card.  We got a red card.  It gave the same access.  Free breakfast.  Free dessert.  Free coffee.  The only difference was that it was red.

As Christians we have a red card of a different kind.  Our red card access comes through the blood of Jesus, shed for our sins.

Because of that shed blood, we are in an eternal relationship with the Savior who offered His own blood on our behalf.  And because of that shed blood, we now have access to an eternity in Heaven in the presence of the One who shed His blood for us.

That is infinitely better than free breakfast!


"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.......In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us."  (Ephesians 1:3, 7-8b NASB)

Life on the Road: Five Minutes Have Been Added....

We spent a couple of days last week in Towson, Maryland, a suburb on the north side of Baltimore.  Our hotel was across the street from Towson University, a large and apparently prestigious university I had never heard of.  As we were leaving the Baltimore/Washington area on Friday morning, the GPS (we call it Margaret) said "Five minutes have been added to your route."

Then "Three minutes have been added to your route."

Then another "Five minutes have been added to your route."

At one point "Thirteen minutes have been added to your route."

I'm not sure there is any way to avoid delays during the morning rush hour on the Beltway.  Maybe we should have left in the middle of the night.

Delays are frustrating.  Especially when you just want to get on to your destination.

In this case, however, the delay turned out to be a good thing.  Without the delay we would not have ended up at the Chick-Fil-A in Chester, Virginia, at just the right time to have a surprise encounter with a friend from our Connecticut years.  So all the threes and fives and thirteens gave us the chance to see little Amy Lozier, now all grown up, married, and a mommy of three! 

Life is like that.  Full of unexpected delays.  Times when we are forced to go at a slower pace than we might like.  Times when we have to wait.  Times when things don't go according to our plan.

All of that is part of life.  And often - not always, but often - one of the benefits of the delays is a serendipitous moment like we had on Friday with Amy.  A completely unexpected blessing!

Delays teach us patience.  Delays teach us that we are not in control of everything.  (Of anything, really!)  Delays teach us to wait.  Delays especially teach us to wait on God.  And to trust His timing. 

And that's a really important lesson to learn.  Remember that one the time five minutes are added to your route.

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD."  (Psalm 27:14 NASB)

I Want to Pray Like That

Last spring our pastor called our church into a 40-day period of prayer and fasting.  Beginning this week, our church is again in a special prayer emphasis, with focused prayer meetings each Tuesday evening.  This emphasis on prayer has me recalling our Life Group's study of Daniel, which we completed at about this time last year.

Have you spent any time lately in the Old Testament book of Daniel?  It's powerful stuff!  Daniel has a lot to say to us.  About things that have already taken place.  And about things that are yet to take place.

And Daniel has much to say to us about prayer.  If you read the first part of Daniel 9, you'll find Daniel praying.

In his book The Handwriting on the Wall, Dr. David Jeremiah says, "this prayer is an example of what praying ought to be." 

And I think to myself, I want to pray like that.

Daniel began his prayer by saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments."  (Daniel 9:4 ESV)

Daniel began with praise.  With adoration.  With worship.  Daniel knew His God.  He acknowledged God as God.  In notes from a previous study of Daniel, I found these words I had written in the margin:  Daniel prayed as if God is God.

I want to pray like that.

After Daniel acknowledges who God is, he goes on to the next section of his prayer, found in Daniel 9:5-15.  Once he has acknowledged God, then he confesses sin, the sin of his people.   He is very specific in his confession.  This is a lot more than a quick "forgive us our sins" before rushing on to make a request.  It's much more than a tag line at the end of a prayer: "forgive us our sins.  Amen."

"We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.  We have not listened.....To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame.....because we have sinned against you."

As I read Daniel's prayer, I realize this is how we......how I.......should be praying.  As we pray for our cities and our states and our families.  As we pray for our nation and our world. 

I want to pray like that.

What's wrong with our nation is not about me pointing fingers at what they have done......the politicians and the pagans and the perverts.  It's about what we have done.  About how we as a nation have sinned and turned aside from God's way.  I'm part of the nation.  You are part of the nation.  We as a nation have sinned against God.

Daniel worships.  Daniel confesses.  Only after that does Daniel make a request.

I want to pray like that.

Daniel begs forgiveness for his people.  "O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem.......O Lord, hear.  O Lord, forgive.  O Lord, pay attention and act."  (Daniel 9:16, 19 ESV)

I want to pray like that.

Daniel's prayer was not about Daniel.  It was not Daniel-centered.  Daniel was not a selfish pray-er.  The focus of Daniel's prayer was the Person and the character of God.

"For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy."  (Daniel 9:18 ESV)

I want to pray like that.

Daniel's prayer is a good example.  It's a good model to follow. Especially when we're tempted to point fingers at others for all the problems we see around us.  Or when we're focused on ourselves instead of on others.  When we fall into the "life is all about me" trap. 

We're living in tough times.  But so was Daniel.  He and his people were in exile in a foreign land.  Even so, his focus was not on circumstances, but on God.  In spite of tough times, he continued to pray God-centered, rather than self-centered, prayers.

I want to pray like that.


"Lord, teach us to pray."  (Luke 11:1 ESV)

Clouds

As we have traveled around the country, I have photographed a number of clouds.  I find them fascinating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think about when you see clouds?  Do you dread an impending storm?  Do you look for animal shapes in the shapes of the clouds?

 

Or do you think of something else?

 

How about this?

 

 

"For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations."  (Ezekiel 30:3 NASB)

 

"I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him."  (Daniel 7:13 NASB)

 

"And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."  (Matthew 24:30 NASB)

 

"Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." 

(1 Thessalonians 4:17 NASB)

 

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds."  (Revelation 1:7a NASB)

 

The next time you look up at the clouds, be reminded of that.  He is coming with the clouds.

 

He is coming.

 

The day of the Lord is near.

 

Are you ready?

 



A Challenge

Have you ever heard someone say their Bible reading has gone stale?  Are you one of those people?

Or have you, or someone you know, ever struggled to find a Bible reading plan that works for you?

Or are you, or someone you know, one of those who says "I don't read the Bible.  I just use a devotional book."

I confess that last statement always breaks my heart.  How can words written by a person, however eloquent they might be, compare to the Word of Almighty God?

If any of those scenarios apply to you, I'm here today to challenge you to join me in a Bible reading plan.  The challenge is for the next four months, September through December.  If that's too much for you, then join in just for September.

Many years ago I heard someone say that if you want to get to know the heart of God, you should read the Psalms.  (I don't remember who I first heard say that, so I can't give credit.)  That's where the challenge begins.  In the Psalms.  We will be reading five Psalms per day.

Here's how it works.  Beginning today, read the Psalm with the same number as the day of the month.  Today, read Psalm 1.  Then add 30 and read Psalm 31.  Add 30 more and read Psalm 61.  Then Psalm 91.  Then Psalm 121.  That's the five Psalms for today.  Tomorrow, you will read Psalm 2, Psalm 32, Psalm 62, Psalm 92, and Psalm 122.  And so it goes.  Save Psalm 119 for the 31st day of the month.  (Which means you will have to continue with this plan on into October!)

We are all well aware of the book of Proverbs being known as a book of wisdom.  Wisdom has been defined as seeing life from God's point of view.  With that in mind, we're adding Proverbs to our Bible reading plan.  Read one chapter of Proverbs each day, again reading the chapter with the same number as the day of the month.  Today, read Proverbs 1.  Tomorrow read Proverbs 2, and so forth.

Added to our plan will be a reading from the New Testament Book of Acts.  Again, we will read one chapter per day, which will mean we finish Acts a few days before the end of the month.   Added to the challenge to read one chapter of Acts per day is the challenge to mark each time you see the words "Holy Spirit".  Use a highlighter or a red pen or a colored pencil, or whatever means you normally use to mark your Bible.  I mark the Holy Spirit by drawing a red cloud around the words and coloring in the cloud with a yellow pencil.  You do what works for you.  The point of the marking is to see how God worked through His Spirit in the early church.

If you want to take this challenge a step further, keep a journal of what you learn about God through this process or what God is teaching you as you spend time in His Word.

It was in the wee hours of this morning that God spoke to my heart and said you need to do this.  And you need to invite others to join you.

I'm not abandoning my current reading plan; rather, I'm enhancing it.  I'm adding this to the reading plan I was already following.

Whether you choose to follow this plan in addition to or instead of your current plan, I invite you to join me as we read Psalms, Proverbs, and Acts together.

I'm excited about all that God is going to teach us through this process!


"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."  (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)