Last Sunday David McNeely Challenged us by God's grace to read our Bibles for the next 30 days. Not because he loves us more if we read our Bible, but because it helps us get to know him.
This is simply a place for you to share your experience. If you already have a plan you're following please continue to do that. If you have no idea where to start, here are some suggestions.
1. Find a place and time to read every day.
2. Find a person to share with what you're learning. This blog could be your person.
3. Have a plan to follow. If you don't know where to start, read a chapter of John every day.
So, when you get on the blog, just click on "comment" at the bottom and share 3 things.
What did you read?
Which verse or thought jumped out?
Is there anything different you should think, feel or do as a result of the truth you learned?
This is a place to express your thoughts in writing and be encouraged by what the rest of our church family is experiencing.
I'm excited to go on this journey with you the next 30 days. I'm going to start reading John this morning.
Oh, by the way, you didn't have to be on the retreat to participate. Please jump in!
Ok, I'll go first.
ReplyDeleteToday I read the first chapter of John.
Verse 5 stuck out to me like a sore thumb.
"The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it".
I need to have that hope and reminder. Sometimes it seems the world is so broken and dark. BUT the darkness has not over come the light. So even when it seems dark there is hope.
I'm walking in that truth today.
Today, I was reading before i left for work and eventually ended up in the Psalms. I wasn't really reading in a certain order or anything, I just stopped and read a few different passages that stuck out to me. While reading it really hit me that these are David's prayers to God. Like, WOW. He's just freely communicating with God about all his thoughts and troubles.
ReplyDeleteI wish my Prayer life was like this. That I could easily Go before the Creator of the universe, and just have a conversation with him.
I think most Christians see prayer as more of a ritual type thing, and feel as if there is alot of pressure on you when you pray. I can't tell you the number of times when I've been at church or in some other group and someone gets called on to pray and they respond with "No... I'm not good at praying" or "I can't! I'm scared to pray infront of people." I've done it too.
I want to know why things like prayer and reading the bible are so hard for us Christians. We were created to worship and communicate with God right? So why do we struggle with these things that should be so natural for us?
This morning I'm in John 2.
ReplyDeleteThe verse that jumped today was verse 11. Turning water into wine was the first of Jesus' "signs" or miracles. The verse said that these signs "manifested his glory".
What is going on in my life today that will manifest his glory? Is there anything miraculous in the way I live and love? I long to walk in the supernatural today in the way I speak, think and act.
In 10:24 we have been reading Ruth and After last weekend at sky ranch and going through Habakuk, Ruth in some ways is making more sense.
ReplyDeleteIn Ruth Naomi is the mother in law of ruth and orpah, the sons of namomi that ruth and orpah married along with naomi's husband died, so Naomi,Ruth and Orpah were left on there own in a foreign land, and naomi told the girls to goback to there familys because they still had a chance at a good life. Orpah left but Ruth refused she said to naomi..."where you go i go where you live i live, your people are my people, your God is my God" she went with Naomi back to her home town where there living family was. Through all the bad of naomi and ruths life God still provided and Naomi and ruth had unbeilevable trust and faith in God that things would be okay!
through both Habakuk and Ruth i have learned that God is the great provider even if you are going through something hard now but God is there and presant through every thing.
ALOHA FROM HAWAII!!!
ReplyDeleteThis morning i woke up and i have been reading with everyone back home. I was reading John 10 this morning. In the scripture Jesus talks to the Jews about how he is gods son. A part of scripture that stuck out to me was John 10:14 when he says he is the good shepherd, his sheep(Us) know him like the father knows him, and like he knows the father. God spoke to me and is telling me that we all have to be his sheep. God wants us like he said to enter the gate(JESUS). He even says that we the sheep only recognize the shepherds voice(Jesus voice). God says when we are approached to another voice, his sheep wont recognize it and will turn/run away. We as a people have to really aim to be the sheep.
1. LISTEN TO HIM LIKE A SHEEP LISTENS TO THE SHEPHERD.
2.TURN AWAY FROM OTHER VOICES. TRAIN YOURSELF NOT TO RECOGNIZE THEM. (Temptation, Bad Habits, Or Negative People)
3.AS A SHEEP YOU HAVE TO ENTER THE GATE(JESUS). YOU WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. AND YOUR SHEPHERD(JESUS) WILL DEFEND YOU WITH HIS LIFE.
This is what gor has spoken to me. I MISS MY IBC family sooo much and i cant wait to see all of you again! I love all of you! Mahalo -Michael Williams
Mike! Thanks for chiming in! We miss you.
ReplyDeleteI am in Morgan's bible study too. There was a verse this week in Ruth that talked about Rachel and Leah. I have heard their names so many times but I always get them confused with others in the bible. I went back to Genesis and found them. They both married Jacob. Their story of jealousy was so interesting that I stayed up past my bed time :) Ha anyways I went through Jacob's family tree and saw what his family did. At the retreat we talked about how God does things for us we don't understand, because His knowlegde is infinite while ours is just finite. Many people in Jacob's lineage did things that were wrong before God's eyes, but they all contributed to His greater plans. Reading about the lives of people in the bible is very interesting :)
ReplyDeleteThis morning, my bible study started out with a story about a woman who had committed murder. She was in the courtroom, facing the judge, as he said to her, "Lisa Murray, I hereby sentence you to forgiveness and freedom. Go now, and leave your life of sin." I was like, what??
ReplyDeleteBut then they related the judge to Jesus in John 8. Those words are the exact words Jesus said to the woman who was about to be stoned to death for adultery.
Jesus took the punishment for our sins. He died for our imperfectness. Instead of dying, all we are to do is ask for forgiveness. Confess and repent. AND have a change of heart. No longer go on in our life of sin, but with Jesus in our hearts, live a life of honesty and purity with the strength of God helping us along.
That was my prayer this morning, that God would make known to me all of my sins and help me conquer them.
I'll be praying for all y'all to :)
danielledendy.tumblr.com
John 4 this morning.
ReplyDeleteWorship in spirit and truth.
Isaiah 1 and 2 this morning to start heart prep for teaching Sunday night...
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately 1:16 stuck out the most. It's a verse of repentance.
I'm blown away by the fact that God doesn't want my service without a heart of repentance and purity. Spending some time in repentance now.