The Bible is God’s love letter to us and I am a hopeless romantic.

In 2010 I read through the Bible in 90 days with Mom’s Toolbox.  I LOVED that method and can’t recommend it enough!

In 2011, I didn’t make it all the way through.  God and I spent a lot of time in James and Isaiah.

This year, I am reading The One Year Chronological Bible NLT (One Year Bible: Nlt).

Most of us know that the books of the Bible are not in chronological order.  Job is, in fact, one of the oldest known books of the Bible but in a traditional Bible is somewhere near the middle.

Cover via Amazon

I love delving in to the Word and looking at it through a different lens.  I am obviously only into day 3 of this reading plan  {today includes readings from Genesis and I Chronicles} but am excited to see how biblical events unfolded in “real” time.

This reading plan requires 15-20 minutes a day {unless you are me and are constantly cross-referencing with your Bible software and getting sidetracked by word studies}so it is very doable for anyone.

Spending time in the Word is the only way to remain connected to the Vine.

Care to join me on this chronological journey in 2012?  I will be posting my thoughts from my reading each Friday and would love to have some readers join me.  Let me know in the comments if you plan to follow along!

*an affiliate link is contained in this post and I would receive a small commission if you purchased the Bible through that link.*

I grew up listening to Psalty sing praise songs and Adventures in Odyssey play on the radio on Saturday mornings.

But I was an adult before I learned the true story of what Jesus sacrificed to save me while I was watching an Easter play in 1998.

The story came to life with the actors and choir and I was moved to the core of my heart by the story of the cross.

Jesus won me to Himself that day.  And, I have never been the same.

I have tried to be much more intentional about sharing the stories of the Bible with my children.  We open the Word for wisdom, guidance and direction.  When my boys were small, they loved hearing the story of Daniel and the lion’s den and the three men {whose names I know but am not going to attempt to spell} in the fiery furnace.

Now that the boys are older, we tend to focus on different stories, like Gideon’s fleece or King Hezekiah.  Men of courage and valor.  Men willing to make the hard choices at the Lord’s prompting.

I was so blessed to review this amazing new way to tell the stories of the Bible.

The music and lyrics truly bring these biblical stories to life.

Two of my favorites include It Must Be You (MOSES) sung by Bart Millard and Broken Praise (JOB) by Todd Smith.  I enjoyed every.single.song!  Jeremy Camp, Natalie Grant and many other talented Christian artists provide some of their best work for this CD!

I was moved to tears by these songs, peacefully lulled by the lyrics and moved by the musical movement of the stories God wrote.

This is what is being said about The Story:

THE STORY is an unparalleled project from the best-known artists in Christian music. The songs on THE STORY take timeless biblical stories and provide a completely new context into how God’s story of love and redemption intersects with our story of brokenness and failures resulting in a new story of hope and rescue. The CD contains 18 all-new songs written by multiple Dove Award-Winners Nichole Nordeman & Bernie Herms, produced by Brown Bannister & Bernie Herms, and a stellar line-up of artists across all major labels. (Music Inspired By) THE STORY is based on a collaboration with authors Randy Frazee (The Heart Of The Story) & Max Lucado (God’s Story Your Story) as well as Zondervan’s bible The Story.

You can find The Story at Amazon.com and on iTunes.

The Story (watch this video on YouTube for a sneak peek)

This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for family and friends of all ages!

*This is a sponsored review.  I was provided with The Story for my feedback.  All opinions and stories expressed are my own.

I have been a busy bee this week!  I wanted to let you know of a few places you could find me:

I was honored to be interviewed by LaTara Ham-Ying about the Bible study I recently wrote, Cutting Through Money Clutter on her blog talk radio show.  You can listen to the show anytime by clicking here.  I would love to know what you think.

I also am continuing my monthly series, Tackling The Talk, over at The M.O.B Society this week.

Then, I never thought I would do this EVER!!! but I joined Sarah Mae’s Frumps to Pumps challenge.  For 31 days I am going to get up and get dressed {for myself, for my husband and to see if it increases my productivity}.  I have to admit I spend way too much time in yoga pants and sweatshirts.

So, just for your viewing pleasure {and accountability} here is what I wore for the last two days

Monday 10/17/11

and day 2:

Tuesday 10/18/11

So, that should catch y’all up!  What is going on in your lives?

Image via Wikipedia

“but no man can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison”. James 3:8

Sarah Mae wrote a post several months ago that featured a story from the movie, Doubt.  I can think of no better way to address the topic of gossip and slander than to send you to read that post.

Over a year ago, a friend of mine gave several of us in a ladies Bible study a challenge about the fresh water/salt water spoken of in James 3.  We talked about our words to our spouses and our children and whether or not we were speaking fresh water words or salt water words into their lives.  To help us keep this in mind, she gave us all a handful of paper clips and a handful of gems {like you would see on costume jewelry}.

The challenge was for us to begin our day with the jewels and paper clips in one pocket and as the day went by to slip a jewel {for fresh water words} or a paper clip {for salt water words} into the opposite pocket.  This served as a tangible reminder each day to be mindful of the tone of voice I used and the words I chose to speak.

It was a very convicting exercise.  I remember the first week after we started the challenge, we all came to Bible study joking confessing that we could make a necklace out of our paper clips from the week, not the jewels.

When I read this chapter of James, the memory of that exercise came to me.

“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.  Matthew 12: 34b

I went and got out my bag of paper clips and jewels.  I need a refresher course.

This post is linked to the James read-along, hosted by Marla Taviano.

{Then, my co-leader of an upcoming biblical community (you might call them small groups or cell groups) asked me what I thought of starting off with James?  I love it when God does stuff like that}

This week, we are supposed to share the things that stood out for us in the first chapter of James.  I could write three posts but to avoid boring my readers, I narrowed my comments down to 4 key verses that speak to my heart.

Verse 4: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. (NIV)

The Message says it like this: “So, don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way”.

This verse made me think of parenting.  When our kid is in the temper tantrum phase {happens around 2ish and then again around 13ish, trust-me-on-this} we want to fast forward through it and get our sweet, complacent baby back. {or is that just me?}  But, if we don’t walk through this phase with them, not giving in to the tantrum and teaching them appropriate ways to deal with frustration, then we are not ever going to have a mature and well-developed adult child, right?

Or, you can think of it this way.  I often prayed, when first diagnosed with MS in 2008, for God to heal me.  Take this cup from me, remove the thorn from my side.  I wanted out of the trial.  A get-out-of-jail-free-card of sorts.

This is what the Matthew Henry Commentary says about verse 4: We should not pray so much for the removal of an affliction as for wisdom to make right use of it.

God cured me right quick of the desire for him to remove my illness from me.  I had a head on encounter with Him about it and have never looked at that trial in the same way sense.

On to verse 12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

So, is James saying that *gasp* the trial brings the eternal reward, not the favor of man or blessings on earth?  That the trials we face here are the path to the eternal blessing that awaits us in Heaven {that which we can’t even begin to comprehend?}

Okay, on to verse 22: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.

This is one of those moments in Scripture where God is giving us clear instruction.  Where He is saying, Don’t just do this, do this too.  If we read the Bible and then do not apply what we learn to our lives, we are engaging in useless religion.  God does not want us to have only head knowledge…He wants His word to penetrate our heart and spur us into action.

and, lastly one of my favorite verses in the Bible:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultess is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

The word for widow in the Greek is “chero”, meaning bereft, robbed, having suffered loss, ALONE.  We are called to care for women who are alone, who have children and who have no one to care for them.  It doesn’t matter what happened to get them to that place.  Jesus sees their future and so should we.

And, please don’t skip over the second part of this verse, the AND.  We are to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.  Does that mean Jesus wants us to avoid the world and the sinners that live in it?  Not at all or He wouldn’t have left us with the Great Commission. I do believe that we are to guard our hearts.  It is easier to succumb to darkness than shine light.  As Christians, we are responsible for being so close to Jesus that we can discern what is of Him and what is not.

Oh, friends, I can’t wait to dive into this book more with you over the next several weeks.  Treasure awaits us each time we open the Word of God and ask Him to speak to us!

Putting this last ninety (ninety four if you want me to be perfectly honest) days into words is proving more difficult than I thought it would be.

Renewed passion for the Word of God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  II Timothy 3:16-17

Renewed conviction for the sin that so easily creeps in.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  Galations 5:19-21

Renewed gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 52:5

Renewed reverence for God’s majesty.

Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?  You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.  In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed  In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.  Exodus 15: 11-13

Renewed commitment and laser focus on my ministry.

But they were scheming to harm me so I sent messengers to them with this reply, “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.  Why should the great work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”.  Four times they sent me the same message and each time I gave them the same answer.  Nehemiah 6: 3-4

Renewed patience for God’s timing.

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27: 13-14

I could go on and on all day with the gems God shared with me during this concentrated time in His word.  It was so worth it and my prayer and hope is that this fire that has been ignited for the Word continues to burn strong in my life and the rest of those that joined in this challenge.

A special thanks to Amy from Mom’s Toolbox for starting this movement online and encouraging me along the way.

I would have wanted to mull it over with a friend too.

Clear my thoughts.

Have someone to talk about all that had occurred in the last three days.

To discuss what it all meant.  And then there were the rumors from the women who had visited His tomb and found it empty.

Then, when confronted with the power of what had happened in the last three days, from the One that had led them for the last three years….what do you say?

How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  Luke 24:25-27

What do you say?

The crucifixion and the resurrection were all for a purpose. Planned from the beginning by the One who made us, knowing that we would need a way out.

That the Word would become flesh.

Living flesh whose breath was extinguished for me.  For you.  For the world.

We are all guilty of not noticing.  Not believing.  Not knowing the magnitude of God’s love for us.

What do you say?

I say thank you, Jesus.  I say How great is our God.  I say I believe.

What do you say?

Mike and I will celebrate our 13th anniversary in July.  Every year we celebrate the fact that we have beat the odds, particularly for how young we were when we got married.  Today Sheila encouraged us to look back and think about what we wish we had known when we first became husband and wife.  By sharing those things the hope is that couples who have not been married for quite as long can benefit from the things we have learned in the trenches of marriage.

Here is my (by no means conclusive or exhaustive) list:

• Love is a verb not a feeling.  I do not always “feel” in love with Mike.  I hope that doesn’t sound mean because it’s not.  Most of the time those feelings have little to do with him and more to do with me.  With how busy I am, where I am in relationship with God, my fatigue level and illness.  Do I always love him?  Absolutely.  Why?  Because love is a decision, a choice, an action.  And I make the choice to love him everyday, the decision to be the best wife I can be every day and look for ways to act out that love (like putting the toilet paper so it rolls over even though I am an under girl)
• Date night is not neglecting your kids. I remember how guilty I felt each time (which was rarely back then) that Mike and I would go out alone.  I would spend the whole time calling home to make sure the kids were okay and when I wasn’t calling home I was talking about the kids.  It was years before I realized (after a marriage conference) that spending alone time with my hubby was vital to the health of our relationship. We began making that time sacred, focusing on us and our relationship, doing fun things together (love riding the motorcycle) and our marriage greatly benefited from it.  Let go of the mommy guilt.  A healthy marriage is actually one of the best things you can do for your children!
• Make sure you are on the same page.  So many of our early arguments could have been completely avoided if we understood where the other was coming from.  We frequently sit down and check in with each other to make sure we are working toward the same goals.  If you don’t understand something your spouse said or it seemed hurtful, double check with them.  I am amazed at the times I have told Mike something he said hurt my feelings and he looks at me like I have horns.  The way he said it or his choice of words was not meant to hurt me.  Huh?  Would’ve never known that if I hadn’t asked.
• In your anger do not sin.  The Bible is your life manual and it gives great advice for what NOT to do when you are angry.  Notice God doesn’t tell us not to get angry, He wired us to have feelings and emotions.  Our mandate is to not let the anger get the best of us and lead us to sin.  To lash back, to say hurtful things, to go to bed fuming about something your spouse did, to give the silent treatment…all of those are red flags that we are letting our anger cause us to sin.

I could go on and on with the things God has revealed to me during the last twelve years.  For more sound advice on marriage visit Wifey Wednesdays.

First, my vlog for Monday Mingle, hosted by Eighty MPH Mom.

The questions this week were:

Do you have siblings?  Did you want more or less siblings when you were growing up?

What was your wedding song?

Did you do anything special for Valentine’s Day?

Tell us something special about your spouse/partner

Here are my answers:

Then I need to give you my Mamavation update.  I am down another 2.3 lbs this week (which is absolutely amazing considering all the awesome food we had at Blissdom).  I have not been able to walk outdoors because there is 4 feet of snow on the ground but the hubby and I did a lot of unpacking/cleaning so I am assuming that is where I burnt off most of the calories.  I continue to drink ice water and the occasional glass of juice with club soda.  I know that staying away from soda is really helping with the weight loss.  We have switched completely to whole wheat bread (still getting a little complaining from the family on this) and brown rice in my quest to make the switch to whole grains.

Last but not least is my Bible in 90 days progress. Confession time:  I am behind AGAIN.  Having the hubby, kids and 3 dogs cooped up in the house with me all week, after falling behind while at Blissdom, has me still in Job when my #b90days gals are in (one of my favorite books) the Psalms.

I have a plan to catch up (that is how I caught up the last time I was behind) and with the kids (hopefully) going back to school tomorrow I can get back in to my normal routine.

I also need to say that it was amazing to meet so many other women going through the challenge.  Some of us got together for coffee Friday morning at Blissdom and sharing our thoughts, struggles, insights and more was incredible.

That is all for this fine Monday morning!  Head over here to see my menu plan for the week and to enter to win some money saving coupons.

Fast forward three and a half years and I somehow figure I should get out my measuring stick (so to speak)…see how far I’ve come towards that plan.

Of course, I do not measure up to my own expectations.

And then I start saying things like this “I should be farther along with {x, y, z}.  If I’m ever going to fulfill this burden on my heart I should at least be at point {j, k, l} by now” and “I knew I was unworthy of this call, God got this one wrong” and “I should be doing more to make this happen” and “what did I do wrong?”

Interestingly enough, the sermon at last night’s midweek service was on Psalm 23.  And I learned something I did not know.  The valley of the shadow of death referred to in verse 4 translates from the Hebrew into the valley of swirling shadows.

Hmmm, swirling shadows.  Could this be shadows such as:

a period or instance of gloom, unhappiness, mistrust, doubt, dissension, or the like, as in friendship or one’s life?

OR

a dominant or pervasive threat, influence, or atmosphere, esp. one causing gloom, fear, doubt, or the like? (definitions courtesy of dictionary.com)

Could it be that the enemy wants me to be surrounded by the swirling shadows of mistrust and doubt?

Could it be that God is leading me through the last three and a half years, not in abandonment of the vision He provided, but in preparation for it?

Is it not in the valleys of life that we stand to learn the most?

So, today I am thankful for the promise of Romans 8 (if you have time read the WHOLE chapter) especially, verses 15, 18-21, 28-31, 37-39.

Exactly what I needed to hear this morning:

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship [or daughter-ship, in my case] and by Him we cry Abba, Father.  Romans 8:15

Oh, yes!  That is all I need to do- cry out to Him who is with me all the time. The One who is faithful to complete the good work in and through me for His glory (and in His timing).  God’s measuring stick does not compute accomplishment or human “doings”.  He cares far more that I am leaning on Him throughout the journey.

For more Thankful Thursday posts, click here.