WEEK 52. Dec 31. The OMEGA. And He shall reign forever and ever!

Congratulations!  Today, we finished reading through the Bible.  I am feeling so proud of everyone who came along with me this year.  I know some of you finished the WHOLE THING, and some of you didn’t quite complete the whole thing.  That’s OK.  Because tomorrow, we can start over with Genesis 1:1.  I am committed to do it again in 2016.  Starting  tomorrow. 

In 2016, I am going to focus on looking for the secret treasures that are hidden throughout the Bible in plain view.  Will you join me? 

To complete this final week, here are my condensed observations from the Revelation:

Dec 28, day 6.  God is the Alpha and the Omega.  The beginning and the end. 

Dec 29, day 7 The great harvest.  Believers will be saved.  Non-believers will be destroyed. 

Dec 30, day 8 Be careful.  Don’t be deceived.  Earth’s corrupt system is doomed. 

Dec 31, day 9.  It is done.  I am coming.   Soon.

All I can say is this: as bad and scary as the previous chapters of the book of the Revelation were, the final 3 chapters were just splendid.  SO full of joy and hope and excitement.  What a happy ending.  And I am looking forward to it, aren’t you?  We simply cannot understand how wonderful it will be to live in God’s presence forever.  But if you think of your best day, the most perfect weather, and the happiest time you have ever had, it will be multiplied beyond imagination.  Forever.  No fear.  No sadness.  No fear.

…God’s dwelling place is now among the people.  And he will dwell with them.  (wow)

…I will be their God and they will be my children.  (wow.  wow.)

…the time is near. ..Look, I am coming soon!

Amen, come Lord Jesus”.  Amen.

Thank you for reading with me.  May God bless you for your faithfulness.  I am starting over tomorrow with Genesis 1 and I will be in touch.   I invite you to join me and invite a friend. 

Peace be to you and grace from Him / Who freed us from our sin / Who loved us all, and shed his blood / That we might saved be.

Sing holy, holy to our Lord / The Lord almighty God / Who was and is, and is to come / Sing holy, holy Lord.

Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein / Rejoice on earth, ye saints below / For Christ is coming, Is coming soon / For Christ is coming soon.

E’en so Lord Jesus quickly come / And night shall be no more / They need no light, no lamp, nor sun / For Christ will be their All!

watch it and listen to this song here: 

https://youtu.be/Mg4L__c-QBo

DEEP PEACE OF CHRIST TO YOU,

AUDREY BRENDEL

December 27. Weeks 50 and 51. God and sinners reconciled!

We have finished reading James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude, and finally, the Revelation! 

Can you believe that we are in our final week of reading? 

I had forgotten that James and Jude were Jesus’ brothers.  (Or half-brothers, if you want to get technical.)  I spent some time pondering this.  What would it be like to grow up with Jesus?  He would have been the oldest, so he would be everyone’s big brother.  And he probably helped watch over his siblings when they were young.  I wonder if Mary and Joseph had told his brothers and sisters about who Jesus really was.  It would have been like a family secret, waiting until the right time to be revealed to everyone else.  I wonder if maybe they were a little jealous of Jesus.  (That almost feels sacrilegious, but I’m pretty sure that is how I would have felt, because I can remember plenty of little sibling conflicts even in my “normal” family.)    And then, when Jesus began his ministry as an adult, I wonder how long it took for his brothers and sisters to really believe that he was sent from God.   And that he was really God in the flesh.  I wonder how James and Jude became church leaders.  Did you notice that James was written about 49 AD and Jude was written about 65 AD.  I wonder what took place between them during those 16 years?

One of the most interesting insights I have gained this year as a result of reading through the Bible is what a huge change was ushered in because of Jesus ministry, death, and resurrection.  It was amazing that the doors opened to everyone to be able to enter the Kingdom of God.  The Jewish rituals and customs gradually changed.  The forbidden foods were allowed.  The previously unclean, outcast,  & condemned were able to boldly approach God’s throne.  Everyone was on equal ground before God.  Everyone could call him Father.  Everyone could have eternal life.  There was much conflict between the Jewish “church” and the Gentile “church” and I guess there still is.   I think about Paul and how hard it would have been to accept him after his earlier days of persecuting the church. 

I guess the bottom line is this:  human nature hasn’t changed after all these years.  We are still a little fearful and mistrusting of people who aren’t “like us”.  But we keep trying. 

A few favorite verses:

James 1: 25

“Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it…… will be blessed in what they do…”  “ intently” means to meditate on, the ruminate, the ponder, to really be intentional about it…   

James 3:18

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.                  Or, as the “Message translation says:  You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?  Treat people right. 

James 4: 8: Come near to God, and He will come near to you. 

I really like the writings of Peter.  He kept his focus on the future. 

Chapter 1: verse 4  “This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you.” 

 And verse 17: “Live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.”

And Chapter 5: verse 7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 

Does it seems strange to be reading the book of Revelation at Christmas time?  It does for me until I remember that our sentimental Christmas images of the sweet baby and the manger and the star and angels are only a part of the incarnation…”Veiled in flesh, the God-head, see”    His birth, the incarnation,  was his first coming into the world.  And he is now in the world through the Holy Spirit. “Light and life to all He brings”   But his FINAL coming is when it will all "come together" ..”God and sinners reconciled”    

If you have time, read this familiar Christmas Carol, but with an eternal viewpoint:   

Hark!!  The herald angels sing!
Glory to the new born King!
Peace on earth,   and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled! 
Joyful all ye nations, rise!
Join the triumph of the skies!
With the angelic host proclaim;
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!” 
Hark the herald angels sing!
Glory to the new born King!

Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time,  behold Him,  come;
Offspring of a virgin’s womb…
Veiled in flesh,   the Godhead see…
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleas’d as Man with man to dwell. 
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark the herald angels sing:

Glory to the new born King!

Hail; the heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail; the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings.
Risen with healing in His wings. 
Mild, He lays His glory by.
Born that man no more may die!
Born:  to raise the sons of earth
Born: to give them second birth
Hark!  The herald angels sing;
“Glory to the new born King!” 

And so, now we have come to Revelation:

Let’s face it, the book of Revelation is full of strange symbols, scary events, and weird images.  Some of it we plainly understand.  Some of it sounds like the evening News.  Some of it reads like the apocalyptic movies we have all seen.  It’s easy to get distracted when we read this book, so I decided not to get hung up on trying to analyze or interpret what I am reading this time.  I am reading and listening in the “Message” version and I look for the “Main Thing” in each day’s readings.

Here is what I have observed so far: (It’s not scholarly or proper.  These are  just my own impressions, condensed.)

Day 1: December 23.  Chapters 1-3. 

This is an oracle, divine message.  Don’t give up.  Stand firm.  Don’t give in.  Hold on.  Don’t quit.  Fear nothing.  Remember, God wins, in the end. 

Day 2: December 24.  Chapters 4-5. 

Everyone!  Lay down your crowns (your power and your prideful self) and humbly submit to God, the King of all creation. 

Day 3: December 25.  Chapters 6-7. 

He sits on the throne, and He shall reign forever and ever!  King of Kings!

Day 4: December 26.  Chapters 8-9. 

Be quiet.  Watch what happens next.  It’s gonna get bad. 

Day 5: December 27.  Chapters 10 -13. 

Wow, Some people will still not believe, no matter what. 

We will finish the Bible in 4 days.  Hang in there! 

KEEP READING!
Audrey 

December 14. Weeks 48 and 49. God himself is with us, Emmanuel.

December 14.  Weeks 48 and 49.

Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews.

Whew!  We have covered A LOT of territory in the last 2 weeks.  These letters from Paul are packed full of information.  (and of course, Hebrews is different from the others)

It was helpful for me to remember that Paul wrote many of these letters from prison.  He was often in danger and conflicts, and it sounds like he was full of urgency to finish telling as many people as possible about the message of Jesus while he could. 

The letter to the Philippians is probably my favorite of Paul’s because the key word is JOY.  Not happiness, but a settled peace in the midst of problems swirling around you.  We have all been there. 

A favorite scripture from Philippians that is good during this Christmas season is 2: 6-11, which is called the “kenosis” (Greek for “emptying”).   This is a beautiful passage that reveals the mystery of God becoming human during the incarnation.  We can never fully understand or explain it but we simply embrace it as truth.  Once we embrace it, God gives us the ability to fully believe it.  He confirms it to us. 

   Jesus, Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

HOW SILENTLY, HOW SILENTLY 

THE WONDROUS GIFT IS GIVEN...

Colossians 1:27,27 reveals the Mystery: Christ in us.  Again, hard to explain.  You just embrace it.

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

SO GOD IMPARTS TO HUMAN HEARTS THE BLESSINGS OF HIS HEAVEN...

Most of Paul’s letters end with a blessing.  I found a beautiful truth in I Thessalonians 5:23:

“May God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through.”  WOW, God Himself….   HIMSELF.  I’ll post that on my mirror today and ponder it.  God.  HIMSELF.  Not some deity that is far removed from us, but God himself.  … the God of peace…  In this world of trouble and problems, peace is not removal from conflict, but calm in the midst of the storm because we have confidence in Him , no matter what. 

Another mystery about the incarnation was revealed was in I Timothy 3:16. 

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
NO EAR MAY HEAR HIS COMING, BUT IN THIS WORLD OF SIN...

Did you notice how many times the word “rest” was used in Hebrews 4? 

Hebrews 12: 28, 29. 

 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our “God is a consuming fire.”
WHERE MEEK SOULS WILL RECEIVE HIM, STILL, 

So, during this Advent season, we choose to step out of the anxiety of consumerism that is swirling all around us and ponder the mystery of the incarnation; God with us.  Emmanuel.  God himself.  The God of peace.  Emmanuel.  God. With us.  Christ in us.  Emmanuel.  
THE DEAR CHRIST ENTERS IN.  

DEEP CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS TO YOU,
KEEP READING!
Audrey 

November 28. Weeks 46 and 47. Nuggets from Paul.

Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.

Wow, we are really moving along fast now.  Sometimes reading an entire book in one sitting. 

For the remainder of the New Testament, I have switched to the “Message” version to listen on my phone.  It has really helped me hear what Paul is saying in a fresh, contemporary way.  I have always found Paul hard to read because he is so long-winded and honestly, he sometimes rubs me the wrong way.  So I have been looking for nuggets of truth in what he is saying instead of getting hung up on cultural practices and little details.  And what I have discovered lately is that I am paying attention to how the basic doctrines of Christianity were being formed in those early days. 

I have observed that women were included in the new Way.  I had heard that before, but this time, since I am reading big chunks of scripture at a time, I am seeing it for myself.  And I am seeing that the original Christians could not help but talk about it because they had actually seen Jesus for themselves after he was resurrected.  Nobody could take that away from them.  They absolutely knew it was true.  (read I Corinthians 15, verse 6)

Also, I think it is fascinating to think about how the doors to the Kingdom were suddenly open to everyone, not just the Jewish people.  That must have been so exciting for non-Jewish people, but it also must have been really hard for the Jewish people to accept it, after all those generations of being exclusive. 

A few favorite nuggets from Romans:

Chapter 6, verse 17….”You have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.”  Wow, isn’t that a cool verse!   

Chapter 7, verse 6…”We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”  (How freeing!)

Chapter 8, verse 9…”You are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit.”

Verse 17 …”We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”…That one blows me away if I REALLY stop to think about it.   

 Did you see the mystery hidden in Chapter 11: verse 25 – 26?

Chapter 11, verse 33-36 is a beautiful poem or song:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! 

_______

So, we will keep reading with imagination and watch for new nuggets, mysteries, and insights! 

November 13, Weeks 44 and 45. Walking with John, the disciple Jesus loved…

I am combining 2 weeks of reading here. 

During Week 44, we read through the book of John.  I have always liked the way John presents Jesus right from the beginning of his book:  As Eternal.  As God.  As the Creator of everything. 

I noticed that in the first chapter, in verse 39, when Jesus first started meeting and gathering the people who would be his inner circle, a couple of the guys went to where Jesus was staying and “spent the day with him”.     Just think of that.  What would it be like to spend the day with Jesus?  Getting to know him, eating a meal with him, talking to him, becoming his friend.  Wow.   And in Chapter 4, in verse 40 and 43, Jesus spent 2 days in Samaria.  Imagine Jesus staying with you for 2 days. He would be a house guest that you never wanted to say good-bye to.  And what makes that story even more compelling is that he reached out to a group of people in Samaria that were not accepted at the time.  He was getting ready to change everything forever… 

When Jesus met with Nicodemus in Chapter 3, I saw again the repeating theme that God knows our heart.  (see verse 21)

I noticed in Chapter 5, in chapter 24, Jesus said that if we believe him, we have already “crossed over from death to life”.  That gives me courage and hope.  No matter what happens to us in this life, we have already crossed over.  We already have eternal life. 

I love Chapter 10, verse 16.  Jesus was talking about US!  Wow.

Chapter 11: The relationship Jesus had with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, has always intrigued me.  What would it be like to be Jesus’ special friend?  To keep a guest room ready for him to stop by and spend a day or 2?  And I had never noticed before, but in verse 10, we learn that there were plans to kill Lazarus also, because of the unexplainable miracle that had happened to him. 

John and Jesus had a special relationship.  I think John “got” Jesus.  Several times, as John retells the stories of Jesus, he said that Jesus already knew what people were thinking or going to say.  That’s because John had the insight to recognize that Jesus was God.  There is an old legend that when John reclined next to Jesus at the last supper the night before he died, (Chapter 13, verse 23) John heard Jesus’ heartbeat, and he recognized that it was the heartbeat of God.  It changed John forever and that’s why he wrote with a slant on the eternal.  True?  We don’t know, but I like to think about knowing Jesus that well.  And actually, when you think about it, we really do. 

One more observation about the book of John:  in chapter 19, verse 25 – 27, we read that Jesus’ mother Mary went to live with John after Jesus died.  We could write an entire book about that.  What an honor to be chosen to be Mary’s “adopted son”.  I think Mary must have had many things to tell John after Jesus died.  She must have filled in a lot of the blanks in the story for John.  Wouldn’t  you love to be able to listen to those conversations!

And we read through the entire book of Acts during the week of Nov 1 – 11.  This book, written by Luke, is one of the most fascinating books I have read so far this year.   Again, I noticed the little medical observations that Dr. Luke mentioned throughout.  It is so interesting to read about how the early church quickly formed and became a movement.  And how they struggled through all the details and debates and decisions as they reconciled all the rules and rituals with the new life of freedom available to EVERYONE who accepted it.  The scripture is beginning to seem more contemporary.  

One final note about Acts:  did  you notice how Luke mentioned that he was traveling with Paul several times?  (he switched to“we”) Luke is giving a first person account of what happened.  If you have traveled in that part of the world it is easy to visualize their travels. 

So now, we are beginning to read Paul’s letters to the various new “churches” as the movement grew.  The final weeks of the year will go quickly!

Keep reading with imagination and watch for new insights! 

Week 43. Walking with Dr. Luke...

Last week, we read through the entire book of Luke in 8 days. Reading it this way helped me pay attention to things I had never noticed before.  Since we believe that Luke was a physician, I made a little note “Dr. Luke” every time he mentioned medical details…and there were lots of them.  And I look forward to reading Acts since Luke wrote that book, too. 

I like to imagine that since Luke was not one of the 12 disciples, he must have interviewed lots of people to get his facts.  Luke was Greek, not Jewish, so he found some of their rituals especially interesting.  I imagine that he must have talked to Jesus’ mother Mary, to record all the details about her pregnancy, and the conversations and things that are recorded in the first 2 chapters of Luke.  How else would he know that she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”…(chapter 2)  and that she and Joseph “marveled at “ what Simeon and Anna said about Jesus when he was being presented in the temple after his birth in Chapter 2…and about Jesus getting “lost” when he was a boy?    

People walked A LOT back then, of course.  Mary and Joseph walked to Jerusalem every year for the Festival of Passover.  I “googled” this, and I think it takes about a week to walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem.  So this annual trip must have been a highlight of their year, like a vacation.    Can you imagine how it must have felt to “loose” your 12 year old boy for several days?  I think Mary must have told Luke about it.  It certainly would have been something that stood out in her memory. 

Since Luke was a physician, he recorded lots of healings.  Can you imagine what it would be like to be crippled for many years, with an atrophied body, rejected because you were “unclean” according to the Jewish rules, and be suddenly healed by Jesus?  It would change your life forever.  It always surprises me when I read that Jesus told some of the people he healed not to tell anybody about it yet.  Wow, how could they NOT tell EVERYBODY?  And all your friends and family would know immediately, just by seeing you.  Jesus’ power was just too strong to keep quiet about it. 

“…and the people tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all…”(Luke 6:19)

Keep reading, with imagination! 

Week 41 and 42. Walking with Jesus in the New Testament. (I am combining 2 weeks here.)

In the last 2 weeks, we have finished reading Matthew and Mark.  For me, it was interesting because I have read them both many times, but this time I heard and read things I had never noticed before.  

   I use a yellow highlighter and mark things that “speak” to me and use a pencil to circle and ask questions.  All the parables are fascinating.  Sometimes we understand the “meaning” right away, but other times it seems like there are still questions.  “What did he mean?”  One thing I noticed in Matthew is that Jesus talked a lot about the future…”The end of the age”.  It is interesting to hear him speak about future judgment.  We don’t like to talk about that much today, but it’s there.  And he knew the scriptures from what we now call the Old Testament because he had grown up hearing them and of course, he understood them.   He talked a lot about the kingdom of heaven.  Some of it is still mystery, but we can somehow understand much of it when we listen with our hearts with the help of the Holy Spirit.  

“I will open my mouth in parables.

I will utter things hidden since

the creation of the world.”

Matthew 13:35.  Psalm 78:2

The healings are interesting to read about.  Jesus had so much power that sometimes people just touched the edge of his clothes and they were healed.  Wow.  (Matthew  14:36.)

When we read Mark, did you notice how much it paralleled so much what we had just read in Matthew?  Many of the same stories, told almost exactly.  Matthew and Mark were written many years after these things had happened.  It would be like American World War 2 veterans writing down things that happened to them during their time in Europe.   The same, but different.  

Remember that Matthew was one of the 12 disciples.  But Mark “John Mark”was not one of the 12.  He was a contemporary of Paul.  Wasn’t the INSIGHT on page 1144 in our Bible on Oct 15 interesting?  Look at it again.  Mark was not one of the 12 disciples, but perhaps he hung out with them and he had personally known Jesus. 

I like to think about what it would have been like to have lived during that time when Jesus was on earth…   One thing I pondered this week was the story about the “Last Supper”.  (page 1145, Mark 14:12 – 17)  I imagine that this nice Jewish family owned a large house.  Maybe they had added a big room upstairs (like a bonus room) so they could use it during the Jewish festivals throughout the year. 

  They made it large enough so that all their family could come in for the holidays.  Maybe they rented it out sometimes for other friends and neighbors to use for special occasions.  It was a room they enjoyed a lot, and they had made lots of good memories up there, sitting around the big tables, lingering over happy mealtimes. They had prepared it that week for the big annual event: Passover.  It had been cleaned, ritually cleansed, so it was “Kosher”, and they had already set up the extra tables and chairs.  They had gathered the food for the Passover meal and had pressed the good tablecloths. They had cut the herbs and flowers and had set up the candles and lamps for evening lighting.   The little kitchen was full downstairs and meal preparations were at full swing when these 2 guys showed up and asked if they could use it.  I can imagine myself opening the door to that request.  I would probably put my hands on my hips and say “Are you serious? “ I’ve got all these people coming in for the weekend…Sorry, but the room is already set up for our family and our guests”...  But then, maybe this Jewish family had been going out to see and hear Jesus for the past few months.  Maybe God had already impressed on them that they were going to be part of something special.  Maybe they had not told anybody about it, but just told the kids not to come home this year because they had made some other plans.  And maybe they had prepared the room upstairs for guests, but were not sure who they would be.  They just somehow knew that they needed to be prepared for what would happen.    They must have had some doubts about it.  Then the knock at the door.  And there they were.  Somehow they were not surprised.  They took the guys upstairs and showed them the room that was already clean and ready.  And they enjoyed having the 2 men around that day as they helped them prepare for the big meal...  Roasting the lamb.  Baking the bread.  That night, I wonder if the family helped serve the meal to the guests.  I wonder if they were invited to join them upstairs.  Or, maybe they ate their lamb and herbs downstairs in the little cramped kitchen and listened to the men laughing and talking upstairs.  And at the end of the meal, they could hear them sing together. Then they heard the footsteps and muffled voices as the group left, down the steps, and disappeared into the night.  The next day, I wonder how they felt as they cleaned up the room, washed the tablecloths, put away the folding tables and chairs till next time.  Were they pleased and honored?  Or a little resentful of the disruption?  In the next couple days, they would learn about the arrest and trial and crucifixion.   The whole neighborhood was upset.  Some of the neighbors said “Good riddance. Now things will get back to normal around here.” Some said “they killed the Son of God.  What will happen to us now.”   Some said “That was not the way we thought it would happen.  Now there is no hope for us.  Nothing will change. Our future is bleak.”   

I wonder if the Jewish family with the big bonus room just kept quiet for a few days about who had eaten upstairs on Passover night.  I wonder if they were a little afraid that they might be in trouble.  But I imagine that after the resurrection and the weeks of excitement that followed, they were so happy that they had allowed Jesus and his inner circle to be their secret guests upstairs the night before all the bad things happened.  I think if I had been the owner of the room that I would have folded those tablecloths and put them away in a safe drawer as a very special reminder of my special honored guests.  And I would take them out from time to time to look at the wine stains that were still there.   And be glad that I had been willing to say yes. 

Let your imagination loose as you read the New Testament.  Try to feel the sun and gritty breeze. 

 Smell the smells.  Taste the olive oil and bread.   Feel the little rocks in your sandals.  Listen.   Ponder.  

keep walking...

Audrey 

Week 40. The New Testament...and we begin...

I was happy to start reading the New Testament this week.  Finally!
If you are just joining me reading through the Bible, I want to tell you that it is hard to get started because it is a new habit.  There are no hard rules.  You can read first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, at night instead of a TV show, or at bedtime.  Or what ever works for you.  Just do it.
Here is what works for me:
I read first thing in the morning (with a cup of coffee). This time works best for me.  I often wake up before the alarm, and often my first thought is anticipation of what I will hear and read.  So I think that after 278 days of this, it is becoming a good habit!
 I turn to that day's reading, read the "Overview", then I turn on my phone APP and listen to the scripture of the day as I read along. I use the free "Bible "App on my phone to listen.   (When you open this app, it is called "YouVersion." " The Listeners Bible")
The icon looks like a little Bible, like this:

and you click READ, select the book and chapter, and select a version.  I listen to the NIV because I can read along in the Daily Walk Bible.  BUT, I also find it very interesting to listen again later to the same scriptures in the MESSAGE version because it is so contemporary and refreshing.  I sometimes listen while I am getting dressed for the day, or sometimes I listen in the car.
 I find that LISTENING to the Bible helps me pay attention and hear things in a new way.

(Just tap the arrow to turn it on and tap it again to pause or stop.  The next day, you just resume where you stopped. )

 I like to make notes in the Bible, so I use a yellow highlighter when something shimmers or "speaks" to me.  I think of these as hidden treasures.  I use a pencil to circle or underline or make little notes or comments or ask questions.   Yes, my Bible is getting all marked up!

After reading the scripture of the day, I read the "My Daily Walk" and the "Insight."
Then I pray about what I have read.

What I have already found pretty cool this week as the New Testament has just begun in Matthew, is that we are now ALREADY beginning to read some of the fulfillment of some of the Old Testament scriptures that we read back in the Winter and Spring and Summer.    It has been interesting to read the Bible all at one time like this, instead of just picking scriptures here and there out of sequence.  I am getting the BIG PICTURE and getting a better sense of how everything fit into history.  And how LONG it took.  And that God is not in a hurry.  It's not over yet.

IF YOU GET BEHIND, every 7 days there is a day of " REFLECTION & WORSHIP" so you can use that day to get caught up.  If you get behind, just turn on your Bible app and listen as you go about your day.  You will find it pretty easy to catch up that way.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"  
Matthew 11:28

I am praying for each one of you every morning.  (about 6:30 - 7:00 AM, if you are wondering)
thanks for doing this with me.
May God bless us richly and fill us with understanding.
...and keep on reading!
Audrey

week 39. The Old Testament...who knew?

Congratulations!  I am posting this a few days late because today we finished reading the OLD TESTAMENT!  YEAH!!!

I don't know about you, but this is the first time that I have actually read every word.  I confess that I had read "through" the Old  Testament before, but had actually skipped over the parts that I found boring, or that I did not really want to read.  

But this time, by actually reading every word, I discovered many hidden treasurers that I had never known before.  I also found verses that were familiar (maybe from songs) but I had not known where to find them.  

Here is an example of a hidden treasure I discovered in Zechariah in chapter 9, verse 16, 17:

The LORD their God will save his people 

on that day

as a shepherd saves his flock.

They will sparkle in his land

like jewels in a crown.

How attractive and beautiful they

will be! 

There are many things I do not understand, but that is OK.  There is much mystery  that we cannot know yet.  But this I do know:  

I believe that God is in control of everything.  

The Old Testament has confirmed to me that God is the creator of EVERYTHING. 

The Old Testament has confirmed to me that God is sovereign over EVERYTHING.  

The Old Testament has reminded me that God wants our full attention and devotion.  

The Old Testament has reminded me that God knows our heart and intentions.  

The Old Testament has reminded me that God knows about all the bad stuff going on and it will be dealt with.  

And over and over, I read that God wants to restore us and redeem us and renew us.  

God always forgives us like a good father.  

God always cares for us tenderly like a good shepherd.  

And God  promised us eternal  life with Him.  wow.  

Now, as we start the New Testament, we will read about the fulfillment of many of the prophecies through Jesus Christ when he lived on planet earth. But we will also read about many prophecies that have not happened yet.  We get impatient.  We question and wonder if maybe we misunderstood.  But one of the main things the Old Testament has taught me is that God is not in a hurry.  He's not worried.  He knows what he is doing.  His timing is perfect, even though sometimes it looks like the "bad guys" are winning.  Many terrible things have happened over thousands of years on earth throughout history, as we have read in the Old Testament.  But God takes care of people who sincerely seek him.  He gives us PEACE OF HEART.  That is enough for now.  

I welcome new readers who are joining us for the New Testament.  We will finish in 3 months.  We can do this! 

If you have read the Old Testament with me, you can leave a comment here, or if you don't want to post a comment for the world to see, please send me a private email to tell me.  

You can send me an email here: TAB1431@aol.com and I promise I will not add you to a mailing list.  I would just like to hear from you.  

Let's keep reading! 

Audrey 

week 38. Sept 20. Living with confidence in Hard Times.

This week, we have sailed through the short books of Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.  Hang in there, we are almost finished reading the Old Testament!

I am still highlighting the positive promises I read about God's goodness.  Some of my favorite verses are from the little book of Habakkuk. I remember this verse as a line in a song:

Today, when we listen to all the bad news and we almost despair and feel like there is no hope.  

This scripture  (Habakkuk 3: 17 - 19) just shines as a reminder of God's eternal goodness and sovereignty:

Yes, things are bad.  Might get worse.  There are no guarantees, except this: God continues to be our strength during the hard times.  

Today, Sept 20, we read the book of Zephaniah.  Did you notice how many times it says "the day of the Lord"?  I counted 6 times.  

I found this good definition on "GotQuestions.org"

Question: "What is the day of the Lord?"
Answer: The phrase “day of the Lord” usually identifies events that take place at the end of history (Isaiah 7:18-25) and is often closely associated with the phrase “that day.” One key to understanding these phrases is to note that they always identify a span of time during which God personally intervenes in history, directly or indirectly, to accomplish some specific aspect of His plan.

If you are curious, you might want to read more about the "Day of the Lord" here:

http://www.gotquestions.org/day-of-the-Lord.html#.Vf6TLF5h7lY.gmail

Be silent before the Sovereign Lord.  

for the day of the LORD is near. (Zephaniah 1:7)

So, no matter what, Peace of Christ to you.

(and keep reading, till next week) 

Audrey