Bible Reading Challenge - January Update

YES!! I made it!! - 1 month down, 11 to go!

For those of you already in the habit of reading your Bible everyday, this may not be much of an achievement, but for me, it's been great! Admittedly, there was one day I forgot about it, but our pastors are not expecting perfection and have given us the weekends for catch-up, review, etc.

Ok, seriously, how sad is that - there was one day I forgot. I forgot to spend a few minutes listening to what my Lord and Savior had to say to me that day through His word. And there were other days where I was reading the words, but not really "hearing" or digesting them. Sarah Markley had a great blog post a few days ago titled "Living Like He's There". I encourage you to read it (Sarah - my friend - pointed it out to me to make sure I didn't miss it). Anyway, this post uses the illustration of a married couple spending the day in a theme park but being so distracted by keeping track of the kids, conversations with others, etc. that they spent the entire day together but where never really "with" each other. She relates this to the days when we are living in God's presence, but not really acknowledging Him. I have been guilty of that this month. Now that I'm aware of it, let's see what next month holds...

Intentional Friends

So Sarah and I have made a commitment to each other this year - Intentional Friendship. What does that mean? For us, it is the agreement to set aside time for each other twice a month for accountability, sharing, learning, and just catching up and having fun. Admittedly, there are days I would so much rather just go home and crash in front of the TV, but by the time we're done with our evening and I can head home, I feel refreshed and encouraged.God is really blessing our commitment.

We tried this last year, but it didn't work out like we had planned. Life got in the way - work, ministry, family - and we didn't follow through. This time is going to be different. This time we're not trying to do this alone. We have enlisted the assistance of a very mentoring couple in our Life Group at church. They have permission to ask how we're doing on our commitment, and have agreed to help us if we're having difficulty keeping it. God never intended his children to live life alone or work through it by themselves. When we enlist the help of those we love and trust, we can encourage each other along the way.

John 3:27-30 (MSG)

My Bible reading assignment today led to one of those "Ah Ha!" moments for me:

John answered, "It's not possible for a person to succeed—I'm talking about eternal success—without heaven's help. You yourselves were there when I made it public that I was not the Messiah but simply the one sent ahead of him to get things ready. The one who gets the bride is, by definition, the bridegroom. And the bridegroom's friend, his 'best man'—that's me—in place at his side where he can hear every word, is genuinely happy. How could he be jealous when he knows that the wedding is finished and the marriage is off to a good start?

"That's why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.

I can identify with seeing my brother getting married and standing at his side but then wanting to step back and just let the day be his.

I really like it when I find a translation that puts things in terms i can understand. I realize this is not a litteral translation, but I understood this concept like I never had before!

Bible Reading Challenge

The year is starting off with another challenge. The pastors of my church have put together a reading plan to take the congregation through the New Testament in one year. They've even tried to help those of us who spend all day in front of our computers by providing a feed we can subscribe to that emails a reminder of the day's passage each morning.

I'm gonna give it a shot!