90 Day Bible Journey, Week 9

Part of what happens to us as we experience the Bible as we have in the past eight weeks, is that we become transformed in the process—transformed from our before person to our after person.  For some of us the transformation will be radical; for others, very gradual; for still others, somewhere in between.  So let’s take a few minutes to assess ourselves.

How have you changed in the last eight weeks?  Is it simply a matter of modifying your routine a bit, or do you sense something deeper and more significant going on?  What might it be?

If you don’t sense a change in yourself, does someone in your family or close friends sense anything different about you?  Or is it possible that you are resisting changes that God is inviting you to make?  If so, can you or someone close to you think of how you might overcome this resistance?

Here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Jeremiah 33:23 through Jeremiah 47:7

Tuesday:  Jeremiah 48:1 through Lamentations 1:22

Wednesday: Lamentations 2:1  through Ezekiel 12:20

Thursday: Ezekiel 12:2  through Ezekiel 23:39

Friday:  Ezekiel 23:40 through Ezekiel 35:15

Saturday:  Ezekiel 36:1 through  Ezekiel 47:12

Sunday:  Ezekiel 47:13 through Daniel 8:27

 

Thankful Thursday

“ To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” ~Emily Dickerson

While reading through some blogs today I came across this quote and to me, it is really thought provoking,  Yea, even I can be moved by something thought provoking!  HA!

I am so thankful for my life.  I know that I can get so caught up with daily mishaps, disappointments and if I dare, politics and the unsettling lightening speed that our country is heading to “hell in a hand basket”.  (did I just say that?)  Forgive me.  Ahem, my point is, living is everything.

I live for my Lord and Savior, my husband, my children.  Making a life, going to the grocery store, work, and I could go on and on.  When I read the above quote and sat there and thought about it, I was startled!  For me, it puts things in perspective.  What else is there?

Today, I am thankful for life and all that comes with it.  The good and the bad, and today I am clinging to this verse:

Rejoice in the Lord always:  and again I say, Rejoice.  Philippians 4:4

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 8

A day late, but finally!!  I guess the beginning of Spring has knocked me for a loop!  Hmm, that could be a Proverb!  HA!  Speaking of Proverbs, here is a list of some.  Which one is your favorite and why?

The truly righteous man attains life, but he who purses evil goes to his death.  Proverbs 11:19

As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.  Proverbs 26:14

Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.  Proverbs 29:5

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.  Proverbs 1:17

He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.  Proverbs 11:29

The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.  Proverbs 21:12

Better to live in the desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.  Proverbs 21:19

The last one makes me laugh because it reminds me, what I say to my husband and kids all the time…”If mama isn't happy, nobody’s happy!”

Here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Isaiah 14:1 through Isaiah 28:29

Tuesday:  Isaiah 29:1 through Isaiah 41:18

Wednesday: Isaiah 41:19  through Isaiah 52:12

Thursday:  Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 66:18

Friday:  Isaiah 66:19 through Jeremiah 10:13

Saturday:  Jeremiah 10:14 through  Jeremiah 23:8

Sunday:  Jeremiah 23:9 through Jeremiah 33:22

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 8

Wow, it’s Monday morning, after 10am and I forgot to write a post for this week….shame on me.

Maybe it was a late of watching CNN or just maybe the celebration of Higgins birthday this morning pushed me over the edge and made me forget all things on my to do list, but don’t worry, I’m on it!

For right now, I am going to give you the verses for today and I will post later today, the verses for the rest of the week along with Mister Linky.

Today verses to read are….

Isaiah 1:1 through Isaiah 13:22

First Date-FF

This week’s Flashback is about first dates and the prompts are…

When was your first date? You can choose either your first date ever or your first date with your spouse - or both! How old were you? What did you do/where did you go? Did anything memorable - either good or embarrassing? If it was your first date ever, did you continue to date that person? If so, how long? If you are sharing the story of the first date with the person you married, did you know he/she was "the one" or did it take a longer for love to bloom? Any other memories you wish to share about those wonderfully awkward first dates?!

Wow, where to begin.  I guess you can say that my first official date was with my husband.  I have racked my brain and I honestly never remember going out on an official date with a guy, until Jeremy. 

I know that we were at least 16 years old, but I can’t remember if we went on our first date in the 11th or the 12th grade.  I guess that’s bad of me not to remember, but I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast!  HA!

There was no really set thing we planned on doing.  We went to four different restaurants before we finally settled down at one.  It was a Mexican place named Cuco’s and it became one of our favorite places to eat!  We sat there at that restaurant for what seemed like hours just talking.  After that, there really was not much else to do before I needed to be home, so he took me home and we sat in my kitchen and talked more.  Nothing awkward, it was basically perfect…AWWW!

Jeremy was very serious about our relationship and me, not so much sold over the top ready for marriage, like he was.  I think I always knew we would be together, but needed a little time to figure that out on my own.  But, 21 years later (give or take) and almost 19 years of marriage, I’ll have to say, we are still completely in love!  Again, awwwwww!!

If you want to join in, hop over to Linda’s and tell us about your first date!

Today I Am Thankful For..

The absolute beautiful weather today in the great state of Tennessee.

My husband.  After a rough night, actually a rough week, still loves me for me.

My children.  Although I call them A-N-I-M-A-L-S on a daily basis, they are my animals and I love them for their uniqueness.

Hop over to Greg’s for the rest of Thankful Thursday!

Winners Of Celebration

I finally got around to the drawing , yay!

Random.org says the winners are…

 

The winner of the $5 Starbucks card

is # 2 Sara

The winner of the Bath & Body Works, Butterfly Flower

is # 8  Jenny

CONGRATUALTIONS!!!

Sara, please e-mail me at jpdbj(at)dtccom(dot)net with your address and I will get your card mailed out to you.  Jenny, I know where you live so your lotion will be on it’s way!

Thanks everyone for partying with me!! 

So is the time change kicking anyone else's fanny?  I am wiped, completely and totally not functioning.  It’s just a little hour, so what’s the deal?  Oh well, have a great day!

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 7

Seen on a bumper sticker:  “Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity.”

Okay, here’s the deal.  I have had a busy week, a very busy Sunday and after a long day of getting ready for our March Missions Madness at our church, I am just landing myself at home and it’s after 10pm.  So I am going to skip all the questions this week…consider it a free week of answering questions. 

Take this time of answering questions and jump around and encourage those that are on this journey with us!

I hope all are still pretty much current with their readings, and those who are not or have fallen behind or even those who have just started, you can do it!  Read a little extra each day and you will catch up in no time!

Here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Psalm 89:14 through Psalm 108:13

Tuesday:  Psalm 109:1 through Psalm 134:3

Wednesday:  Psalm 135:1  through Proverbs 6:35

Thursday:  Proverbs 7:1 through Proverbs 20:21

Friday:  Proverbs 20:22 through Ecclesiastes 2:26

Saturday:  Ecclesiastes 3:1 through  Song of Songs 8:14

Sunday:  Isaiah 1:1 through Isaiah 13:22

Time To Celebrate!

Woo to the Hoo, today I turned TWO! 

Break out the confetti and the party hats, because today my blog turned two and we are celebrating!!  Wow, two years of yakking away in the virtual world of blogging and meeting great friends along the way!

Instead of getting presents, today I am giving them!  Just because I have bored you to tears on my endless random craziness for  two years, I figured y’all deserved something…HA!

Up for grabs will be two of my favorite things…

Coffee on me, a $5 Starbucks Gift Card.

And…

One of my favorite smells,

Bath & Body, Butterfly Flower lotion.

If you want to one of these, leave a comment and I will draw for names sometime between tomorrow and Tuesday morning.   

Friday Flashback

Welcome to the debut week of Mocha with Linda’s      Flashback Friday!

This new meme's purpose is to have us take a look back and share about a specific time or event in our lives. It will be fun to see how similar - or different - our experiences have been!

The question I choose to flashback with is, how old were you when you got your first car and what was it? 

I was 15 and begged my dad to buy me a Chevy Chevette….an orange one.  What was I thinking?  I can tell you, apparently  I wasn’t thinking, at all!  I just wanted a car, any car and I would be 16 soon and I needed a car.  He granted me my wish!  Here is a picture of one, trust me, mine never looked as good as this one, ever!  HA!

Mine looked more like this one…

But I was in love with it, at first.  Then I started driving it to school.   Oh the fun me and my friends had keeping this thing rolling!!  The more I drove it the more things would break or fall apart.  The poor little thing shook so bad that we held the radio button steady so it would not shake off the station.  I always carried around gallons of water so we could fill up the radiator and parked on any kind of incline so I could pop the clutch when I was ready to leave, or I had to having someone give me a push!! 

Good times!

If you would like to join in, pop over to Mocha with Linda.

Blissfully Happy

So I was just thinking…Am I where I thought I would be today in life?

We were all young, foot-loose and fancy-free, at some point.  Some, a long time ago and some of us, just yesterday.  So am I where I thought I would be? 

I always knew I wanted to be married and a mother at some point.  Mostly, I pictured my self as a high-powered attorney, fighting the toughest court cases and of course, winning.  A corner office in a high-rise with a beautiful view of the city. 

Instead, I fell in love and life happened, babies came and now I work in a church office as a ministry assistant.  I have an office, not in a high rise with a view of the city, but a cute little room in the middle of our church and there are no big cases that I have to argue over, unless it’s about where to eat lunch .

Family situations are hard and I never thought we would endure things we have.  Broken dryers, flat tires and unexpected bills are inevitable.  All in all, we are in good shape

Laughing with the kids, playing games, enduring through tough teenage drama.  It’s the little things to be thankful  for.

Last night, I woke up and my husband and I carried on a conversation at 1:30 in the morning until we fell asleep again.  This morning, he drove me to work, just because, no other reason.  We share a special bond and a deep love.  We do fuss at times, but for the most part, it’s over silly stuff and nothing life shattering.

Life is good and I am blissfully happy. 

So are you where you thought you would be?

90 Day Bible Journey, Week 6

There is an old story about three sons who left home, went out on their own, and prospered.  Getting back together, they bragged to each other about the gifts they were able to give to their elderly mother.

The first said, “I built a big house for our mother.”  The second said, “I sent her a Mercedes with a driver.”  The third said, “I’ve got you both beat.  You remember how mom enjoys reading the Bible?  And you remember that she doesn’t see very well anymore?  I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible.  It took elders in my church 12 years to teach him.  He’s one of a kind.  Mom just has to name chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it.”

Soon after, Mom sent letters of thanks to her sons: “Milton,” she wrote to one son, “the house you built is too big.  I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house.”  “Gerald,” she wrote to the second, “I am to old to travel.  I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes.  And the driver is so ride!”  “Dearest Donald,” she wrote to her third son, “you have the good sense to know what your mother likes.  The chicken was delicious.”

Clearly the mother enjoyed the present from her third son, though presumably not in the manner he intended!

I am getting off a little bit from asking Scripture questions and what you may of gained this week from your readings to find out a little about how you are feeling…

Are you enjoying reading the Bible this way, in 90 days, than other ways that you may of read your Bible before?

Did you expect to feel this way?  Why or why not?

Has it been overwhelming or easy-peezy lemon-squeezy, reading so much scripture each day?

Have you had to cut out anything that you normally do during the day to accomplish this goal?  If yes, what and how do you feel about it?

Are you behind in your readings?  If so, how do you feel about it?  Do you plan on catching up, or just taking it one day at a time.

Okay, I am going to go ahead and answers these question, because clearly I am terrible about posting my answers the next day!  HA!

I am enjoying reading the Bible in 90 days.  I have learned so much more by reading larger amounts and it is keeping my interest much more than reading tiny bits at the time.,  I honestly did not think that I would feel this way.  I was worried that I was going to get overwhelmed, but so far so good, so for me…easy-peezy, lemon-squeezy!

I have had to cut out some TV watching.  Two shows completely and the rest I DVR so I can watch without commercials.  At first, I was a little bothered, but as the time goes by, I really have not missed it to much.

I am a little behind in my reading.  It’s been a tough and busy week.  I hate being behind, not so much because I am behind, but I am very goal driven, and when I set a goal, I want to reach and I fall behind, I get bothered.   I do plan to catch up, not because I feel that I have to, but I feel if I don’t and for some reason fall further behind, the task will get daunting and I will become discouraged.

If you have fallen behind, don’t get discouraged…this week we will be entering into one of the best loved, most read books of the Bible.  Hopefully, this will help you, as I am hoping it will help me catch up!!

Okay, here are the verses for the week:

Monday:  Nehemiah 13:15 through Job 7:21

Tuesday:  Job 8:1 through Job 24:25

Wednesday:  Job 25:1  through Job 41:34

Thursday:  Job 42:1 through Psalm 24:10

Friday:  Psalm 25:1 through Psalm 45:14

Saturday:  Psalm 45:15 through  Psalm 69:21

Sunday:  Psalm 69:22  through Psalm 89:13

A Green-ish Random Dozen

Here is my Random Dozen!  I missed a couple of weeks, but I’m back!!

1. Do you prefer even or odd numbers? Any particular reason?

Even numbers….I guess I am just odd that way!  HA!

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being "not at all" and 10 being Carly Simon-worthy, how vain are you?

Maybe a 2…I really am not vain at all, but there are a few times I do worry about how my wrinkles are looking!

3. Among these Irish stereotypes, with which do you identify most closely? Talkative, Proud, Inquisitive, Love to party, Hot-tempered.

I am quite talkative, but a little hot tempered too.  It is really to close to call.

4. How lucky do you consider yourself?

I am right up there, not winning the lottery lucky, but very lucky in the poor, not a lot of money kind of lucky.  I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband and kids!

5. What is the subject of your favorite post that you've written?

We had a little bit of a snowy situation last year and I got scared coming down our driveway, slammed on brakes and slid. Jeremy was a real brat about it and then on his way home, he wrecked his truck.  Such a proud moment for me!  If you want to read it, go here.

6. Describe March weather where you live in three words.

READY FOR SPRING!

7. How apt are you at detecting blarney when you hear it? (Smooth talk, flattery)

I am spot on, like a blood hound.

8. How "green" are you, environmentally speaking?

Not so much.  We live in the country with no recycling and the dump that we take our garbage off to is not that “green” with all those recycling bins around!  We do recycle our cardboard, simply because our dump has a place for it. 

Also, we do save our cans and tin foil and Bradley takes them with him when he makes a scrap metal run to the local junk yard.

9. What is your favorite song this week?

I have sang this song all week long!  It is very fitting for our lives right now.  I have been working on a blog post about this, and maybe soon I will share it.

10. You are walking along and see a coin on the ground. What denomination does it have to be before you will stop to pick it up?

I pick up any and all I can find and get totally excited when I find money!  My dad has always picked money up no matter what the denomination so I learned from the best!

11. Complete the sentence: "Every time I look outside my window ...."

It is snowing in Tennessee.  Y’all I am ready for Spring!

12. What was the #1 song on the day you were born? See this site to find out.

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie.  Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry.

And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye. Singin’, “this will be the day that I die.”

“This will be the day that I die.”

Sorry, I just broke out in song…

American Pie - Don McClean, click here is you want to hear it.

And that folks is all she wrote for this Random Dozen!  See ya next week!