We're moving... TO EGYPT!!!

Most of us are familiar with the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt after many years of oppressive slavery. Have you ever wondered how they got there in the first place? Admittedly, until reading the story of Joseph's family reunion, I have never really thought about this. Soon after a series of God-ordained meetings between Joseph and his brothers, Jacob packed up and moved to Egypt. He took ALL of his family and possessions in hope of seeing his beloved son Joseph again. I presume he was also hoping for Pharaoh to deliver on his promise to Joseph for "the best of the land of Egypt" and that his family would "enjoy the fat of the land."

I encourage you to spend a few minutes looking at a map of Jacob's journey from Canaan to Egypt. The map shows the likely Exodus journey hundreds of years later, but you can also trace Jacob's journey from Hebron to Beersheba to Goshen. To look at a map of the current Egypt and Israel may further bring the story and journey to life. These were real people and are real places!

Toward the beginning of Jacob's journey, he arrived in Beersheba and offered sacrifices to God. Through this specific scripture (Gen 46:1), I am reminded to worship God as I go. "Go" can be to the grocery store, to church, to help a neighbor, while cleaning the house, or as I'm moving my family from one city to another. All too often in my check-list life, I think, "If I can just get these chores done, I can sit down and be quiet with God." Does that sound like Martha or what? (I am so much like Martha!) I know this is a wrong, self-sufficient mentality and I can learn from Jacob who started his journey to Egypt by worshipping God.

I think it's very interesting that through the famine, a Hebrew guy who was Pharaoh's right-hand man, gave food to the Egyptians in exchange for their land. Joseph was essentially helping to build Pharaoh's empire. In verses 47:20-21, we learn that "Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh... and Joseph reduced the [Egyptians] to servitude." In contrast, the Israelites acquired property , were fruitful, and increased in number. This was God's promise. In just a few short chapters from now, the situation drastically changes and the Israelites become the enslaved. We will also continue to read that regardless of the situation the Israelites find themselves in, God is faithful to His people and keeps His promises!

HE'S ALIVE!!!!!

As I read these chapters, I had to think how Jacob (Israel) must of felt when he heard his son Joseph was alive. What joy and happiness he must of felt. God must feel that same joy and happiness when one of his children finds Salvation. They were dead in sin and now they are alive for all eternity.
I can't help but wonder if Joseph didn't enjoy playing with his brothers when he first saw them. He made them believe he thought they were spies and sent them back home with orders to return with their younger brother. He then secretly put their money back into their sacks. Imagine the fear they felt when they discovered it. Now the ruler (Joseph) would think them a thief as well as spies.
After their return, Jacob was very afraid that if they took Benjamin he might never see him again.When they ran out of food, he had to send them back with Benjamin. (Did you wonder why was it that they were out of food but could send back fruits and almonds to Joseph) Joseph brought all the brothers to his place to eat then sent them on their way but not before ordering their money returned along with his cup which was to be secretly placed in Benjamin's sack.
Once they left, Joseph sent his men after them with specific instructions to accuse them of rewarding evil for good. They were brought back to Joseph where he told them who he was and invited them and their father to move to the land of Goshen where they would be taken care of.
Joseph must of been reminded of God and how he works when his brothers bowed before him.God knew all this would take place and worked it out for their good.
We are now going into our third week of reading God's word. Let us remember Psalm 92:13 "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." Keep reading God's word and be blessed.

From the Pit to the Palace

The story of Joseph is AMAZING no matter how you look at it! In today’s reading, God’s hand is SO CLEARLY evident. Joseph finds himself in prison where he receives critical experience for where God is going to be taking him. This chapter also makes it clear that only God could give the gift of interpreting dreams for Pharaoh. Dreams were critical to the ancient Egyptians and often important decisions were based on their interpretation. So when the magicians and wise men could not interpret it, the chief cupbearer just so happens to remember about Joseph in the prison who could interpret dreams. When Joseph is brought out of the prison, I absolutely LOVE how he gives God all the glory for his gift when he says in chapter 41, verse 16, “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but GOD will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (emphasis mine). After Joseph successfully interprets his dreams, he is put in charge of all of Egypt second only to Pharaoh himself…from the pit to the palace…bam!!!! One of the things I love the most about God is that His timing is ALWAYS so perfect and sometimes he works lightning fast just because He can!! I love that!!! Joseph then very wisely handles the responsibility of the position to which he has been promoted.

Enter the wicked, jealous brothers…now they REALLY need help due to the horrible famine that has taken over the entire area. This portion of Genesis is now shifting from focusing on Joseph’s rise to his high position to his relationship with his brothers and father. Notice God’s hand again as he allows the famine to occur, which in turn brings Joseph’s brothers to Joseph in Egypt to seek relief from the famine. In the end, this will bring the twelve brothers to the land of Egypt and fulfill the prophecy of the Israelites spending 400 years of slavery in Egypt, which will in turn bring about The Exodus, one of the greatest events in all of history. Again, God’s hand so clearly at work in these two chapters!

So, what can we glean from all of this? What is God trying to say to us NOW? Here are a few things that God put on my heart:

• God is in control of EVERYTHING ALL OF THE TIME!
• God and God alone gives us all of the gifts and talents we possess and we need to use them for His glory no matter what!
• Even though you may be in the “pit” now, you will eventually be brought to the “palace”, even if this does not happen until you get to heaven.
• God’s timing is so impeccably perfect.
• God is VERY concerned not just with your relationship with him, but also your relationships with other people. Remember the two greatest commandments Jesus gave to us: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)
• God honors obedience…period.

So, we are at the end of our second week together and WOW is God using this blog to do some amazing things! I cannot begin to express to all of you how much my life is being changed through this journey and how excited I am about the new look God is giving to me into his Living Word. Thank you for coming alongside me and sharing your thoughts and heart with me! How are you all doing? How has this blog changed your walk with the Lord???

A Baby Changes Everything...

Oh, the countless baby showers I've attended! I love to celebrate new birth. One thing I know, a baby changes EVERYTHING! From what milk we buy, to what car we drive, to how much money we save, to what color paint we put on the walls.....the impending arrival of a baby causes us to re-think our every move. A baby will change everything, we know that.

In this passage we learn just how drastically a baby changes things, and just what lengths some will go to in avoiding the experience altogether. The Bible says, Judah started hanging out with a new friend. He got himself a Canaanite wife and they had three boys. The first named Er (go figure) and the second, Onan. Well Er "erred" greatly in the sight of the Lord and so God slew him. That's all we know. So Judah, told Onan to take his brother's wife and preserve his brother's name by giving him an heir. Only one problem.....the baby wouldn't be his, it would be his brother's. This means that the inheritance of the first born would no longer go to the next in line, but to the new heir. Not to mention the great responsibility of providing for the child. Oh, don't get me wrong.....Onan was more than willing to take the wife. The Bible says Onan "spilled his seed" on the ground, that he refused to give an heir. And how did God feel about Onan's actions? God slew him also. A baby would change everything, and Onan knew that.

God had commanded His children to be fruitful and multiply time and again. How do you survive in a pagan land? Out-birth them! :) He tells us that "children are a blessing....the fruit of the womb a reward." God help us to take Him at His word!! We are told to nurture our children and bring them up in admonition of the Lord. Babies grow into strong warriors! Arrows to slay the enemies! God did something wonderful for us, He sent us a Baby. He sent our Savior through the bloodlines of these fallible people, because this Baby would change everything,God knew that! Have you met this Savior?

"The Coat of Many Colors that Mama Made for Me..."

I have heard that song by Dolly Parton play over and over in my mind since reading again the story of Joseph and his "coat of many colors." I wonder who made it for him - his mother, one of her maids, a servant girl?

From the description in the Bible, it was a long robe with long sleeves, unlike the usual robe which was normally sleeveless and came only to the knees. So, it stood out as special even if it wasn't the bright striped colors that I remember seeing on the posters in Sunday School as a child. His father "loved him more than any of his other children." Right there - a problem. Perhaps that is what started the jealousy with his brothers.

Envy and jealousy - there we have it showing up again in this chapter. How that gets us in trouble over and over. "If only I had this," or "if only I could do that" - I've said it and thought it more times than I care to remember.

And what were the results - a plot, a plan, a scheme? And then, worse - a scheme, a plan, a plot to cover it all up. Can you imagine hearing your father "weep" over a son that he thought was dead, and you can't or won't say anything to ease his grief? Every time they heard their father cry, or talk about what Joseph might have been or might have done, they surely had guilty feelings. Hard to live with yourself I'd think. At least Reuben planned to go back and release Joseph from the pit. Did he leave to check on the flock or maybe he was hunting? Only he waited too late. They "sat down and ate" while Joseph was in the pit. I hope it was far enough away so they could not hear his cries.

I'm certain they eventually had regrets, as we all do - over something we have done, something we should not have done; something we said, or something we left unsaid.

Thank God - for His mercy endures forever. "Nothing is too hard for the Lord" - His plans were not thwarted, in fact, perhaps this was the plan He had for Joseph so that he could eventually save the twelve tribes of Israel. God can certainly turn our thoughtless acts or our planned schemes into something glorious if we will but surrender and let him.

The long road home

When my husband and I lived in Fort Worth, Texas, our trips home were something we always looked forward to. We missed our family and friends here in Georgia, and we waited and prayed for the day that God would bring us back closer to home. I wonder if Jacob anticipated moving back home while he was living with Laban? Absence and time has a way of "romanticizing" our memories. I can imagine that, after all Laban put him through, it was very easy to imagine the grass being greener back home.

Regardless of how he felt over the years, I bet that as he started home, every troublesome memory and worry came flooding back. With every step Jacob's trepidation probably grew. How will he be received? What will happen? He was obviously repentant and felt bad about what he did to his brother. Either that or he was just afraid of him. Jacob sent elaborate gifts Esau's way to try and placate him. He made provisions to protect his family (showing obvious favoritism...but that's a whole additional post). He did all that he could do, but even that wasn't enough to ease Jacob's mind.

This is the first time we really see Jacob pray. God spoke to him before, but here we see Jacob actually seeking God out and reminding him of His promise. And then we see Jacob wrestle with "a man". The "man" was God, and Jacob wouldn't let him go until he blessed him. I find it amazing that God "couldn't overpower him." Obviously, God could have. And God could have easily gotten away. God had made promises to Jacob- promises that He couldn't fulfill if Jacob was dead. Perhaps God didn't want to get away. I believe that He wanted to bless Jacob, but was waiting to see how badly Jacob wanted the blessing. Because he persevered, he received it.

The times when worry or dread threaten to overcome me are when I am alone, in the dark of night, trying to fall asleep. Jacob was in a similar situation. I'm guessing you may have been there too. What do you do then? Do you wrestle with God? God has made promises to us as well. He wants to bless us. God wants to be our blessing. He wants us to want Him badly enough to persevere in seeking Him out. I don't know what your "road home" looks like, but I hope in includes a few "wrestling matches" with God along the way. If we persevere in our spiritual life, just like Jacob (now Israel), we'll find forgiveness, blessing, and the conviction we need to "struggle with God and with man and overcome." (32:28) That puts a whole new spin on my prayer life!

Isn't it interesting that the name God chose for Jacob and for His chosen people was "Israel" which means "he struggles with God?" The Lord knows, it was a fitting name for that nation, as well as for us today. It's amazing that the God of the universe draws near to us, and waits to be "struggled" with.

Time To Move On

Have you ever felt envy towards someone? The kind of jealousy that makes you act ridiculous? Proverbs 27:4 reads, “Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.” I know I have done foolish things because of jealousy. It is consuming.

Our reading begins with Rachel’s envy towards her sister Leah. Rachel was obviously the one Jacob loved the most but Leah was being blessed with children. Can you imagine the constant tension in this family? Instead of seeking the Lord, Rachel looks to Jacob to rescue her from her own misery, and then she uses one the old tricks of sending in the maidservant. The competition heated up after this. I am so thankful that God uses our mistakes for the good. Aren’t you? Oh and what are mandrakes?

God did hear Rachel in her desire to have a child and she conceived. After Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob had decided to head back to his homeland. Jacob had worked for his father-in-law for 20 years and his payment was Leah, Rachel and all the speckled and spotted or black goats and sheep. Laban didn’t want him to leave mostly because of how prosperous he had become with Jacob. So after God had increased Jacob’s flocks and herds Jacob decided to leave in secret. When he told Leah and Rachel about his plan they agreed to go. They took with them all that belonged to Jacob except Rachel stashed her father’s household gods. After three days Laban realized Jacob and his family had left and Laban went after them. God warned Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob, after-all God told Jacob to go. Laban still confronts Jacob and asks why he left in secret and why did he steal his gods. This angered Jacob to be accused of taking the gods. After Laban searched the tents and did not find them (Rachel hid them), Laban proposes a covenant of friendship between them. They erected a pillar and heap of stones to represent their convenant. “Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.” Gen. 31:55

What have I done?!?!?!

I can only imagine this was the sentiment at some point for many of the characters we read about in these chapters.

We learned at the end of Genesis 25 that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. As eldest son, Esau was entitled to the birthright and his father's blessing, which means he would have receive at least double a portion of inheritance from Isaac. Isaac was a VERY rich man. I wonder if Esau had this thought as soon as he finished his lentil soup and his stomach was full.

In a New Testament book (Hebrews), Esau is used as an example as we are instructed to watch for discontentment. We know from Hebrews that God considered Esau's act immoral and godless. The Message cleverly translates this instruction (Hebrews 12:16-17):

"Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears."

In Genesis 25, this story is just beginning. In Chapter 27, we see Rebekah and Jacob scheme to deceive Isaac. Because of their deception, Isaac gives his blessing (and birthright) to Jacob. This is of course God's plan, but I have to be honest and say that I have a hard time with this. I just want to say to the whole lot of 'em, "That is not fair!" On the other hand, the reality is that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup! I wonder if Esau had any idea of the seriousness of the impulsive conversation he had with Jacob over a bowl of stew.

Here are some things that God brings to my mind as I read this passage:

1. A seemingly minor act of impulse can potentially have significant, negative impact in our lives. I need to be very careful to consider consequences before acting on my impulses.
2. Rebekah's manipulative actions challenge me to check my motives in my relationships and dealings with other people. I think women especially have to be careful with the temptation to manipulate and make things happen.
3. God is gracious and merciful to the undeserving. God chose Jacob for His purposes not based on Jacob's previous behavior and poor choices. God promised Jacob His presence and blessings.
   

Next we read about Jacob making his way to live with and work for his uncle (Laban). Now, it is Jacob's turn to be deceived. Jacob makes a deal with Laban to work for seven years in exchange for marrying the younger daughter, Rachel. After seven years, Laban tricks Jacob and gives him Leah. This story gets me every time and is another "That's not fair!" story for me. Jacob gets his beloved Rachel after spending the bridal week with Leah, but he has to work another seven years for Uncle Laban.

Leah longed for Jacob to love her. She believed that because she was bearing Jacob's sons that he would love her. After three sons born of Leah, Jacob apparently still did not love her. Finally, after the fourth son was born, Leah chose to praise the Lord instead of waiting for Jacob's love. She stopped having children and I believe that she had finally found contentment in knowing God. What a lesson we can learn from Leah!

Genesis-The lineage of Abraham

In Chapters 25 and 26, I am reminded that some things have not really changed all that much. It shows us a rivalry between brothers (Esau and Jacob). We tell lies when we think the truth will cause us problems. Issac told the people of Gerar that Rebekah was his sister instead of his wife. He feared that they would kill him if they knew Rebekah was his wife. God intervened allowing Abimelech to see that Issac and Rebekah were married. Abimelech then ordered that who ever touched them would be put to death. Next, we see where Abimelech told Issac to leave because he was afraid of Issac becoming to powerful and taking over. After Issac left, Abimelech went looking for him and Issac wanted to know why he did. They agreed not to hurt one another and made a covenant then went their separate ways.
The message to me says to trust in God in all things. If Issac, Rebekah, and Abimelech would have trusted God to take care of them, they would not have had the troubles and misunderstandings that they went through. God's way is always better than ours. Yet, we often say, "God, this one is no biggie, I can take care of this". Then we wonder how we got in such a mess! God can and will help us through our little problems as well as the big ones. We just have to learn to trust Him and ask for His help.
I trust as we go on our journey of reading the Bible that we grow closer to God and learn to depend on Him for everything in our every day life.
One other side note, as you read the begots, don't you wish they named their children names like Tom, John, James and other equally simpler names?

Testing...Testing

I would be remiss if I did not start out my post at the end of our first week together by saying how amazing ALL of you women are! Just in the first half of the book of Genesis I have had SO MANY new insights given to me by all of you and I have read through the Bible five times! You all are such a blessing to me and I cannot say enough about how thankful I am to be among such incredible women!! I cannot wait to see how God is going to continue to use this blog to bless all of us as we press on through the Bible.

Honestly, I was really hoping that I would NOT get this part of Genesis because I do find it an EXTREMELY difficult one to understand and to rectify. I have asked myself each time through the Bible (and on other occasions) why in the world would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son to Him and the son that all of God's promises would come through? If he does in fact go through with the sacrifice, it would nullify all of God's promises made to Abraham thus far. Not to mention the fact that losing a child is the worst thing that could possibly happen to someone on this earth and God was asking him to do exactly that! I have wrestled long and hard with God about this and I have done some research and here is what I have heard God telling me:

1) Abraham had such incredible faith in God that he believed all along that God would provide a way of escape (see verse 8 of chapter 22).

2) Abraham believed that if he killed his son Isaac, God would raise him from the dead.

3) God was showing a foreshadowing of what was to come for Himself. After all, He would sacrifice his only Son for us on the cross to redeem all people from their sins.

Having said all of that, I have to ask myself if I would have been able to do what Abraham did. If you are a mother, you can easily put yourself into the pain that this test of faith would have caused! At the VERY last minute, the angel of the Lord told him not to go through with the sacrifice (I still have the belief that the "angel of the Lord" is Jesus Christ Himself!) and sure enough, just nearby in a thicket, a ram was caught to be used for the sacrifice to the Lord. WHEW!!!! Just in the "nick of time"...right? Let's remember that the Lord is ALWAYS right on time...ALWAYS!!

Also, God did not spare His Son for us. Jesus did get sacrificed for us as the perfect Passover Lamb to redeem ALL sins for ALL people for ALL time! And He did it willingly and lovingly just for YOU and just for ME! So Abraham's act of absolutely amazing faith ensured that God would in fact make Israel a great nation and ultimately bring the Savior into the world through the tribe of Judah. All because of ONE man passing an unfathomably difficult test of faith!

Don't miss the other two chapters! Abraham loses his beloved Sarah and Isaac gets himself a wife. The one thing I want to be sure you do not miss is the fervent and consistent praying by Abraham's servant while looking for a wife for Isaac. God answered his prayers immediately! But notice the servant completely relied on God to provide the wife God wanted Isaac to have. May we follow this example in our prayer lives as well!

Okay...so...how are you all doing? Are you staying caught up with the readings? Is there anything that you just flat out do not understand and would like to ask questions about? PLEASE, PLEASE do not hesitate to post any questions, concerns, or comments you have about our readings! That is what the blog is for! Let me encourage you to press on. Don't give up! You will not believe the incredible blessings you will receive for reading the entire Bible! Do you hear God talking to you? What is He saying? Listen well my dear sisters in Christ!!! You are greatly loved as daughters of The King!!

Should I put it back?

"Hey Mom, what's this?" Many mothers cringe when those words come from a five yr old boy! "I don't know, son, where'd you get it?" I replied. "From my ear." Driving a big suburban down the road at the time, I could barely make out an orange-colored substance on my son's finger. I informed him that it was earwax. "Oh," he says, "what's it for?" I explained in my best homeschooling voice about the necessity of earwax and it's importance in God's plan for protecting our ears, and it must have made an impression because the next words I heard were, "Should I put it back??!?!"

Has your son or daughter ever explained life in such a way that your couldn't help but laugh? You know, sometimes a child has more understanding than we adults do. Sometimes their advice just makes sense! A friend recently sent a video clip of a 9yr old boy explaining why we should read through the whole Bible....that the Bible was "kinda like scene selection of a DVD movie....if you just go in and watch certain scenes you won't get a full understanding of what God is saying or doing, so we should watch the whole movie." Some parts you may just want to take out all together! Today's reading passage has several of those scenes, in my opinion.

We find Lot, alone at the gate of a very wicked city. The angels who have been sent to rescue Lot and his family, find themselves face-to-face with the evil in the land. That's scary. (Lot doesn't earn any parenting stars in this scene, either.) Upon fleeing Sodom, Lot's wife disobeyed the Lord's command not to look back and is immediately turned to a statue of salt. That's strange. Lot and two of his daughters find themselves in a cave, and whether or not the daughters' motives were honorable in carrying on the family name, their tactics certainly were not. That's bad.

We then flash over to Abraham and Sarah, where he tries the whole "Just tell them you're my sister" line again. That's inaccurate. We find God faithful to His promise to Abraham, rescuing him yet again. When the family was celebrating a special day in the life of Isaac, his mother caught his half-brother teasing him and declared, "Hagar's got to go!" So Abraham sent his son, Ishmael, and the mother, Hagar, on their way with nothing more than bread and water. That's harsh.

Sometimes we are tempted to take out parts of God's word because it's not politically correct, or it's uncomfortable to think about, or it doesn't fit picture of God we've created in our own minds. Think about this.....are there some parts of your own life that you'd like to take out? Maybe some embarrassing moments or horrible mistakes that caused terrible consequences? I'd like to challenge you to consider this thought... maybe God reveals Himself during those times, in ways that He wouldn't ordinarily. He is His strongest when we are weakest. His grace and mercy exceed our greatest imaginations! Remember our girl, Ruth? She was a Moabite woman included in lineage of David.....descended from one of Lot's daughters. Remember Rehoboam? He was King Solomon's son.....descended from the other of Lot's daughters, an Ammonite. Both of these peoples were enemies of the Hebrews, but God's grace has no limit! He proves His grace in stories like these!

I'm asking you to reconsider "deleting" parts of God's story. Everything in His word is important to us knowing Him more fully! Timothy says "All scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." Don't skip parts of His word, but instead ask yourself, "Should I put it back?"

How Often Do You Laugh?

Laughter is good for the soul - right? Yes, but not when we laugh at what the Lord tells us. It was interesting to me that Sarah "overheard" what the Lord said to Abraham. Was she standing by on purpose trying to overhear a conversation, or was she standing there prepared to wait on their three guests? I think if I knew the Lord was speaking to my husband, I'd be waiting nearby to "overhear" what was being said. Would you?

Sarah laughed. Was it a laugh of mirth or sarcasm? Maybe it was disbelief? I don't know - I think it was disbelief. She was old and had waited a long time for a child. And then there was the matter of Hagar and her son . . . "Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?" No. I know that. We know that. Why can't we always believe that? Why do we sometimes give up? Why can't we take that to heart and trust? He says He will never leave us or forsake us. That He is our shield. That He is our very great reward. All of His promises are true. Believe that He knows where you are and what you need - what your hurts are, your disappointments, your worries. We just have to dig deep into our faith and wait on the Lord. And remember . . . "nothing is too hard for the Lord."

Losing control

I am a planner to the core. It's a nice way of saying I'm a control freak. :) Anyone else know what I mean? If so, then you'll get that what struck me most about the first verses of today's reading is not as much what IS there but what ISN'T. God tells Abram to "Leave your country (familiar setting, surroundings, culture...grocery store where you know where everything is) your people (friends, culture, town where no matter where you go you run into someone you know) and your father's household (parents, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, home...where your memories are) and go to the land I will show you.

Gulp. I don't know about Abram, but I would have asked God for some sort of map, or maybe a detailed 10 year plan outlining provisions, locations and a timeline. You know, God did the same thing to Noah a few years back. With all the detail he provided about the dimensions of the ark, he left out one thing. A rudder. Noah was going to have absolutely no control over where that massive ship went. God gave them both what they needed to know and expected them to trust Him with the rest.

One of the most common questions we all wrestle with is God's plan for our lives. We want Him to outline that 10 step plan. We think it would be easier to simply follow the steps marked out on a map than blindly follow the Maker of all that we'll be stepping on. It gives us some measure of feeling like we're in control. What we forget is that we aren't really at all- and weren't meant to be. We are just a few short chapters from the creation. God made us- our world- does He not have the ability to lead us through it?

God promised Abram he would make him into a great nation and bless him. That's not being alone and in need. He promised he would make his name great and that he would be a blessing. That's purpose and the promise that he would not be forgotten. God would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him. That's protection. All people's on earth would be blessed through Abram. That's a legacy. God promises all these things to us- if we'll follow Him in life.

It's wasn't long into this journey that Abram met with difficulty and fears. He took matters into his own hands once- and even in that God reminded him that He was in control when He rescued Sarai from the Egyptians. That crisis averted, he faced quarelling family members and had to fight trained soldiers to rescue his nephew from his own selfishness. At the end of all this, God met with Abram to remind him of his promise and protection. And it's here- at the beginning of Chapter 15 that we meet the heart of the matter.

"I am your shield, your very great reward."

The reward wasn't the land or wealth. Abram wouldn't have needed a shield if the journey wasn't going to have some adversity. The reward and protection was the God Abram would meet on the journey. I committed to follow God at the age of 7. Since then I have certainly made my own plans and tried to take matters into my own hands more than once. I've also wrestled with God over plenty of places He wanted to lead me or made my own protection in the places He sent me. To say that things haven't turned out the way I expected would be a gross understatement.

At the same time, I don't feel that anything is missing from my life. Not because God gave me more than I asked, or because He has given me everything I want, or even that it is always easy. I don't feel that anything is missing because God guided me to places and things He knew I needed that I never would have planned for myself. God's plan for me was so much better than my own. I know that if I am faithful to Him, he will do all for me He promised to Abram. He won't leave me alone, or in need. He'll give me a purpose and protection. And He has plans for me to leave a legacy. My part is to remain faithful to the details. Details like...

"Love the Lord your God...Love your neighbor as yourself...do not covet..."

God tells us in the Bible the details of how to live day to day. How to be husbands and wives, children, coworkers and friends. If we strive to live today for Him, the days turn to weeks, the weeks to months and the months to years. God's plan for you starts with putting one foot in front of the other in obedience in the small details of your life. In whether or not to participate in a certain conversation. In how you speak to your children or husband. In choosing to help the people around you or not. We aren't responsible for the design, just the pieces we've been given. That is SO freeing to me! More than that, God grants us the privilege and blessing of being able to have a relationship with the God of the universe. What we were created for to begin with.

"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness."

That's faith. And it's the "detail" that defines all the others. What do you need to trust Him with?

Life on Earth Begins Again.

I love the first verse of today’s segment of reading. “But God remembered Noah…” This reminds me how merciful our creator is. There was justice to be served and when it was done he remembered his faithful servant Noah. When I think of this story I imagine what it would be like to be shut in the ark for 150 days or more. Noah knew the flood was coming but he wasn’t told how long it would last. I wonder if his family complained or if they were grateful all along for being saved. I relate this to my own life. I know I have complained about some things being difficult when the very task was a direct blessing of the Lord. Do you know what I mean?

Then the day came when the waters had receded and the land was dry. How exciting to be on land again! Noah built an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings to God. What a faithful man of God. This is when God made His promise to never again flood the earth. He made His convenant with Noah and gave a great sign, the “RAINBOW!” Can you imagine what that rainbow looked like? Also, did you notice the change in diet now that the world was different? God told them that from this point on you can eat meat. I wonder what Noah and his family thought about that after only eating fruits and vegetables their whole life?

I noticed that God did not expect mankind to be sinless at this point. He even said in chapter 8 verse 21 “…every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood…” And sure enough, not long after leaving the ark I read another act of sinfulness. I want to be honest in my writing here and say that in reading verses 20 - 21 of chapter 9 I couldn’t tell if Noah was being sinful or not, but regardless, the result of his drunkeness was nothing good. My question is, did Noah know that the grapes would ferment and cause such behavior as to end up laying naked in his tent? From this his son Ham dishonored Noah and Noah cursed Ham’s son Canaan. Shem and Japheth received blessings because of their act of honor for their father. They covered their father’s shame.

Chapter 10 gives us the beginning of nations on the earth after the flood. God had commanded that Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply on the earth. He wanted them to spread out over all the earth. Well, in chapter 11 we find that again mankind is doing things his own way. People began to all gather into one place. They decided to build a great city and they wanted to exalt themselves. So, the Lord decided He needed to go down there and straighten this out. From this we have all the different languages of the world. By confusing their language, they were unable to continue their plans.

Now, we come to Abram who is a descendent of Shem, one of the blessed sons of Noah. We are given the background of the faithful Abram and his family. And the beginning of the journey to the land of Canaan. Please share your thoughts on today’s reading. Thank you Lord for your living Word.

The First Geneology Lesson

How to summarize thousands of years of rich history in a single BLOG posting?!?!?! For starters, there is a little bit of excitement for everyone in these four chapters... marriage to one or two (or maybe more?) wives, child birth, a cheerful offering and a not-so-cheerful one, jealousy, anger, murder, deceit, wickedness, loneliness, and flooding.

These chapters also are the beginning the "begets" and are very thorough references for any genealogist out there. We now know the first 10 ancestors in the family tree of any one of us who is living today.

Here are the stories of three of our more well known family members...

Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve. They were farmers (Abel raised animals and Cain worked the soil). They both made offerings to the Lord, but the Lord was pleased with Abel's offering. Cain became angry and jealous of Abel and therefore killed Abel. Cain then lied to God about it. How much better would things have been for family if Cain had followed God's instructions to do right? Instead of doing what God told him to do, Cain took matters into his own hands, which resulted in forever losing his brother, family, home, land, and future provisions from the soil. How much better would our lives be if we just did what God said was right? If I'm honest with myself and God, I am more like Cain than I care to admit.

After a couple thousand years of man reproducing, God saw the wickedness and corruption of man and was grieved. However, God found favor with Noah and his family because Noah walked with God. I can only imagine that Noah's stay on the ark was a very curious, tiresome (lots of animals to feed), and lonely time. However, God provided for, protected, and cared for Noah and his family while EVERYTHING else on the earth died. What a wonderful testimony of how much influence we can have in the lives of our families!

Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start!

Ms. Boots, kicking us off!! She will be your weekly Sunday contributor. Don't forget, you can find the reading list as well as a link to the scripture at the bottom of the page.

Genesis- The Book of Beginnings Chapter 1-3

In the first three chapters of Genesis one will find the creation. God created everything in and on the heavens and earth. He created the plants and trees for the animals and man to eat. He created the animals, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. He created man to take dominion over all. This was also the beginning of sin, as the serpent tempted Eve in the garden. Without Genesis, you and I would not be here today. A big bang did not happen and "here we are" neither did two monkeys get together and have a baby. Can you imagine leaving the country and the border patrol asking you where you are from and you saying, "I don't know, I heard this loud noise and boom... there I was." or "my parents were monkeys and they couldn't talk to me to tell me where I came from." No, our God made us in his own image for we are wonderfully and fearfully made.

- Boots

Roll Call #2

Introducing your final three contributors! Save the best for last right?

My name is Barbara. I am retired and live with my husband of 46 years (best friend and soul mate) and a three year old chocolate lab named Polly in our dream home that we built some 10 years ago here in small town America. (Yes, I've been married 46 years to the SAME man) . We have two children - a son and a daughter - and six wonderful grandchildren, ages 5 to 18, and another one on the way. I am honored to be part of this Blog and consider it a privilege to be in your company!

I asked Jesus into my life when I was 10 years old - but this long journey has had peaks and valleys along the way. God has been and continues to be faithful to me - and has led me on paths I never imagined - step by step, but always hand in hand. I had decided in late December to "read through the Bible" this year and was amazed and surprised when this offer was extended to me - so now we will be on this trip together. Welcome. I am anticipating great things.

Things I love: pansies blooming in the spring; mountains in the fall; beautiful colored yarn; hummingbirds; pecan pie. old hymns; puppy's breath; sitting by a fire; the aroma of sugar cookies in the oven; hiking in the woods, rocking a sleepy baby; all creatures great and small.

What is the first thing I do in the morning when I get up? Open my bedroom blinds, greet the day, and check the weather channel.






Hello everyone, my name is Boots and I'm the spirited old lady in our group. I am a retired widow and althoughI don't live with any of my family, I still have a very large family. I had 5 children (one of whom is deceased and in heaven) and a stepson. Soon I will have 17 grandchildren and 10.3 great grandchildren. Michigan is my home state so you won't find any grits and hog jowls in my refrigerator. In fact, if I told you how empty it was you might feel tempted to feed me. I'm looking forward to taking this journey with y'all(yes, I did learn some Southern talk.) I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior at a young age while at a Bible Club in school. My first time reading the Bible through was when I was a teenager and each time since I have never failed to learn something new. I trust this new adventure will leave us all encouraged by the new things we have learned both from study and each other.

Hi! My name is Amy! I grew up on a small farm in south Alabama, so I am a country girl at heart. Growing up, I wanted to do everything my two brothers did and still wear a dress on Sunday. My goal as a youth was to go to college and become a career woman. I graduated college, worked five years as a graphic artist, then gave it up to be a mother, and homemaker - His ways are not our ways. I have been married 8 years and we have 4 children together, ages 5, 3, 19 months and one is still being knit together in the womb. I am also a step-mom to a spirited young lady who will soon graduate high school. I confessed Christ as my Savior at the age of 12 but didn’t truly begin a close relationship with Him until I was in college. An unlikely friend took me under her wing leading me to the path that has brought me to where I am today. By nature I am timid and I would love to run from anything challenging, but the Spirit inside of me makes me determined to conquer those challenges. If someone were to write the story of my life, the title might be “Never Say Never.” Therefore here I am accepting a challenge to read through the entire Bible in a year and blog about it. I hope you will join me and gain a closer, more intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father.

Roll Call #1!!!

Alright ladies, it's time for us to get to know one another. In case you're having first day of school flashbacks, let me explain what "Roll Call" is. Four of your seven contributors will be introducing ourselves in this post. Never fear, the other three are lined up and getting ready to introduce themselves as well. You lovely followers, please post a comment with your name, family information, and why you are looking forward to reading through the Bible this year! Let's get started! We can't wait to meet you! Remember, reading starts this Sunday. I'm like a racehorse reigned in at the start line. I'm so excited I can barely contain it! It's about time we got excited about reading the Bible, right?

Hello! I'm Natalie. I am an ICU nurse, and I live in a cozy little house with my husband of six years and our two sweet kitty cats. Our older cat, Marigold, is me with fur on. My husband laughs at how similar we are sometimes. She's independent, schedules her life around meals, and likes to curl up in the sunshine to sleep. I'd like to think I was that cute, but I don't think I can compare. I accepted Christ at the age of seven, and my life has been a testimony to God's faithfulness since then. No matter where I tried to turn or run, God's love always pulled me back. It has been one grand adventure to surrender to the Lord and I have loved falling more and more in love with Him. To me, God's word is His love letter to us. It tells one great story that we don't get to just read, but take part in. I am so looking forward to seeing how God is going to use His word, and everyone on this blog, to change my life this year.

I'm Jaybrena! I am a homeschooling mom of three children, ages 13, 10, and 7. I made a decision to ask Jesus to be Lord of my life at an early age, but it wasn't until my early twenties that I began to fall more in love with Him. (Something about marriage and having children causes you to draw closer to your Creator, I suppose!) I'm so excited about this journey together with you, and fully expect to grow closer to our Lord and Savior to know Him more! You will probably learn that I love any excuse to plan a family outing! My family and I recently went to the theater together for the most recent movie release in the Chronicles of Narnia series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"......my favorite character is the mouse. I just love that Reepicheep!

Hello everyone! My name is Mindy and I am SO excited to be joining you all on this VERY special journey! This will be my fifth time reading through the Bible in five years. The Word of God is alive and life-changing! I am married to my amazing husband (my special man!) of over 16 years and we have two precious daughters, Jordan (13) and Aby (10). We live in the country on about 18 acres and we have four beautiful horses, four fantastic dogs, and countless cats (but one special one that lives in our house with us). Animals have a VERY special place in my life, but horses are my passion. My husband is a high school math teacher and football coach and I am a preschool teacher at Faith Christian Academy where my girls attend school. I accepted Jesus as my Savior at about 12 years old, but have really, really matured in my walk with the Lord in the last 10 years, reaching a whole new level of relationship that I had no idea existed! I cannot wait to see how God is going to speak to me during this fifth time through the Bible. By the way, my silliest prized possession is the head lamp that I wear so that I can see what I am doing when I go out to feed my horses at night! It is AMAZING what the "light" can do for your vision! :)

Hi! My name is Terry. I am a full time wife, mother, and employee of Information Builders (software company headquartered in New York City). I enjoy movies, reading, organizing, and triathlons. I need to find some motivation in the triathlon area this year :). I will be working on my scrapbooks on Wednesday evenings at Oak Hill and am currently reading the fourth book (Drums of Autumn) in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

My personal relationship with God began during my freshman year of college. Since then, I've had ups and downs in my walk with Him. However, God continues to be faithful and gracious to me as he draws me closer and closer to Him. In the summer of 2008, my family moved from the busy suburbs of North Atlanta to a slower "country" life in Williamson, GA. We have enjoyed the slower pace of rural Georgia, MUCH less traffic, and the occasional hot air balloons that we see flying over our property. God had bigger plans than we knew with our moving to Williamson. He led us to Oak Hill and we felt like we were home as soon as we walked through the doors. We have been so blessed by our new church family and have made many wonderful friends in the short time we have been there. This is the first time I have attempted to read through the Bible in a year and am excited about the challenge and the accountability :) I am honored to be a part of this group of women as we join together on this adventure. Please join us, read along with us, and share your thoughts and comments along the way!

Stay tuned...more great people for you to meet coming up next! Don't forget to tell us who YOU are!

Instructions and Happy New Year!!!

Welcome! I thought I'd take a second to explain how we ended up here and give you directions if you're interested in following. This past Easter, my husband and I did a passover meal with our families. It was similar in ceremony to what Jesus would have done with his disciples when he ate the Last Supper. We did not eat just bitter herbs and bread though. I cooked some very yummy food if I do say so myself! (I really have to give credit to Ina Garten because they were mostly her recipes :) But more than that, I saw a distinct link between the Old and New Testaments- a thread woven through that I hadn't seen before. That was the beginning of my desire to actually read through the Bible. Add to that a study I did called "Covenant" by Kay Arthur and I was more convinced than ever.

I say "actually" read through the Bible because I've started several times before and usually make it to Numbers before I run out of steam. I'm getting pretty well versed in Genesis....

Anyway, this is the outgrowth of that desire. I know there are other women who have had similar struggles and we could all benefit from the accountability. I also hope that by doing this some people will see the Bible through new eyes. The more I read of it, the more I become convinced of it's truth, find my comfort in it and guidance. It truly is "a light to my feet and a lamp to my path." I have no idea what your 2010 looked like. It did not rank as best in my list of years gone by by a long shot. But this I do know, God wants to reveal his truth and love and infinite power to you in 2011. God's word is his primary means of communicating with us.

So, if all of this sounds like something you want to "get in on"- here's what you do! Simply sign up to follow the blog by clicking the "Followers" link on the sidebar. Then, read your Bible! The reading plan we will be following is listed on the bottom of the blog. Each days reading contains a link to Biblegateway.com that you can click on to see that day's passage. You can use the link or find it in your own Bible. It doesn't matter what translation you use. Whatever works. There will be an additional six contributors besides myself- one for every day of the week. Each day someone will post on the passages we'll be reading together. Those posts will be about how that days scripture spoke to or convicted the contributor. We do not make the claim of being expert Bible scholars- just people who God speaks to through His word. Hopefully us sharing how he does that will encourage you to keep reading. Our different contributors are from all different stages of life, so there is bound to be someone you can relate to.

Finally, after you signed up to be a follower of the blog, please comment on the posts as you feel led. What you add will make this blog richer and more meaningful, as well as encourage us as contributors to keep going. Also, please pass the link on to any women in your life who you think would like to follow us as well. While we have started this for the women in our church, we would love for it to become something much more than that! We will officially start posting and reading on January 16. Happy New Year, and happy following! Can't wait to hear from you!