The Bible In A Year

I was missing my sweet Lexi today and when I was getting ready to do this post I saw this in the picture file. Me and my sweet Lexi in 1994 or 95. Time flies. She is in Florida visiting her Dad, he got married last week. She has been gone for two weeks already, I miss her.

I also just finished an hour or so ago my Bible In A Year program over at http://www.christianity.com/ and I am excited about that. I was supposed to have finished on June 17 as I started it on June 18, 2008. Okay, so I was a few days late finishing. But I did it!! Yay!! Just for fun I decided to look back on my post for June 18, 2008. As it happens I did two posts that day. I spent most of 2008 on a roller coaster, I was up one minute and then down as soon as I listened to the lies of our enemy or things weren't going my way. Sure enough June 18, 2008 was no different. As I was reading the second post titled "Mother Fluffer" I just laughed and laughed. Hard. My hubby rolls over in bed to ask what's so funny and I would be horrified for him to see it so I say "stuff".

I knew before I looked at last year's post when I decided to read the Bible again that I would find myself in a bad place. I knew it would be something hugely embarrassing (and it was) but I wanted to see it. I wanted a confirmation of the work God has done in me this past year. WOW. Nothing like using a blog for a diary and then looking back at the transforming power of God.

Today conviction hit me like a brick as our Pastor was preaching about not giving up. He was kind of sort of poking fun (in a teaching way) at roller coaster Christians and I was thinking maybe God had him add that part in for my benefit since it didn't have anything to do with the sermon and Pastor said he felt like somebody in the church needed to hear it. I had such a hard time getting off the roller coaster and admittedly I still struggle with it somewhat. It was a bondage I was tied to and have only gotten off starting in November. I had been thinking about it all day after the Pastor had been talking about being on the Christian Roller Coaster and how funny that I would look back on last year's post from when I started my Bible In A Year program and it had two posts, one up and one down. Way down.

What have I learned since I started the Bible In A Year program? Since I did everything I needed to do to give everything to God and rest in Him? Well, that's a post in itself but truly what a journey I have been on.

The most important thing I have learned from my journey with God that began in 2008 is that in ALL things I must place my total and UNWAVERING faith/trust in the fact that God is with me and He is in control. I must know who I am in Christ (please look at the top of the sidebar and print these things out for you to speak out loud in your own life daily).

That sounds like an easy thing to do but it was not for me in this particular area. Yes, I handled every stinky thing that ever happened to me with grace until I came upon the stinky valley of finances. I always earned excellent money and so did the hubster. Who knew the year I'd decide to quit and be a stay at home mom my hubby would also get laid off from an industry that won't be hiring any for at least another year and he got laid off in June of 2007. Ah, yes, not knowing month to month if we would survive did me in. No grace in my actions for this valley. Yes, I am still a little ashamed of myself. But in my defense when you can't feed your family and you can't pay your bills and you may actually be homeless can cause a human being to twitch a little. So I twitched, a lot in my soul. Before the layoff issues I would have told you I had great faith if you asked me about the state of my faith. I really thought I did. I was blind to the plank in my eye.

I am so grateful for these last 365 days. So very grateful. Have you ever read the entire Bible? Can I tell you that I have read it fully 3 times. Each time I have read it God has worked a beautiful transformation and each time I was done my relationship and walk with Him was more amazing than when I started. This last time was more amazing than anything I have ever experienced as far as God actually moving and molding me. If you have never read the entire Bible can I pretty please encourage you to do it now? You can even do it on the computer!! You are on the computer right now..... reading this...... all you would have to do is click on this link
and sign up for Christianity.com's Bible In A Year program. You can do it in just about any translation you want and they have different programs to choose from too. I read the NIV and did a combination of reading a 2:1 ratio of Old Testament & New Testament daily. Worked for me. I can assure you of the fact that if you are looking to come closer to Him then committing to and reading the word each day will do just that. It doesn't take very much time to do it. You can read the entire Bible, yes you can. Think about it if you haven't please. If you don't think it will change you then all you have to do is read this blog from back in the beginning and it won't take too long to see you are reading from a different person, the old me. Yep, that ole girl is gone and once again He has done a work. If you haven't done it, won't you let Him do one in you? You'll never regret it and the worst that can happen is that you will read the best written and best selling book in the history of the world. And no, I don't mean one of the Twilight series books, lol. You don't want to get to heaven and say sorry Lord, I never got to it, those Twilight books were too awesome. I mean you have seen Edward haven't you Lord?

Was that thunder I just heard?