The LAST Weekly Bible Reading Update

I finished reading the OneYear Bible NLT! I have been thinking that recording my Bible reading for anybody to read might have been a bit much. Maybe it was boring to some, or maybe it seemed like I was showing off. Thank you for hanging in there with me - I needed to be able to record it because typing it up helped me stay accountable. Did I always understand what I read? No! Do I remember everything that I read? No Way! Was I always focused when I read? Of course not. I can say that making it a discipline to read the scripture changed my life and I hope that I remember that this next year and for years to come.

The December 30th passage, Malachi 2:15-16

15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.^[a] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,^[b]” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

The passage in Proverbs, speaking of the virtuous woman, from the December 31st says:

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
26 When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
27 She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.

28 Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
31 Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Sometimes I scoff at this lady, but truly I admire her. If only I could be like her. I am still a work in progress. God bless you in the new year as God continues to work in you!

Weekly Bible Reading Update

I am sitting here at my in-law's house enjoying the cold snowy weather. I missed writing last week, but the weekend before was filled with moving. Because of the move, out internet was disconnected and it won't be re-connected until we get back from our Christmas trip. I hadn't been writing about our trip, because we were trying to surprise Kirk's mom and dad. Although, Kirk and I messed up several times, we did succeed in pulling off a great surprise!

I am almost to the end of reading in the One Year Bible. Moving and getting ready for the trip kept me very busy, so I had gotten behind in my reading. I just caught up today. The passage that I want to highlight for last week's reading was in the December 16th reading. Micah 6:8 "No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

The passage I want to highlight in this week's reading is in yesterday's reading, December 22nd, Proverb's 30:18,19 "There are three things that amaze me - no, four things that I don't understand:how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman."

God bless you this week and I hope that you have a happy Christmas day and that you take time to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

My daughter has lost both top front teeth within a few days of each other. After the first tooth was lost on Friday the tooth fairy messed up (again) and forgot to trade the tooth for some money, so she got a little extra the next night. She was so excited about getting 5 bucks for a tooth that she was wiggling the other tooth extra hard. She has her eye on something at the store that she would love to be able to buy.

All I want for Christmas is to be moved into a new house and be able to see all my loved ones. Yes, I said it. We are moving into a new house. I have resisted talking about it until it was actually in the works. We are suppose to be moving soon, but I am not for sure when. We are suppose to be moved out of our house by Friday....mmm... Life with Kirk Evans makes for an exciting ride....which is sometimes a bit stressful.

I have been a bit stressed not only because we are moving BUT because I was trying to study for my final in my Constitution class. I took the test last night. The test went well, but I won't know for sure for a few days. Our church's live nativity was last weekend and this weekend. Since Kirk and I are tour leaders, there are lines to remember. Now that the test is done, my hope that is in a week, all the rest of my stress will be behind me. Of course I will have new stress... but I will leave that for another post.

Weekly Bible Reading

I am posting a day early, but I have a busy week and I wanted to get this done.I am still caught up on my reading, but I am highlighting December 5th's reading in Hosea.

Hosea 1:2 NLT "When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute,^[b] so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”

The story of Hosea always speaks to me. Paralleling God's relationship with Israel to having a relationship with a prostitute is a very vivid picture to me. The end of the story is even more inspiring - that Hosea brings his wife back to love just how God brings Israel back to Himself to love. AND the real story is that He is that way with us. He wants to redeem us from our sin. That reminds me of my favorite book called Redeeming Love, written by Francine Rivers. It might seem like a book just for females, but I encourage men to read it as well. It is a powerful story, written with the story of Hosea in mind - read it, I know you will love it.

Weekly Bible Reading Update!

Happy December! I am caught up on my reading and I hope that I can stay caught up through the end of the year. I wanted to highlight a passage selected for November 30th, I John 1:7-9

"But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

I have, in the past, fooled myself, claiming that I have no sin. Sitting in communion praying for others because I thought that I didn't have my own problems - that was foolish and shame on me. It is humbling to admit my own foolish mistakes. My hope is in having a faithful and just Heavenly Father who forgives my foolishness. My desire is to live in the Light, and I hope that you desire that as well.

Since this is December, I hope that you are thinking of ways to keep "Christ" in Christmas and not to get wrapped up in the pressures of the Season. God bless you!