I just got my book yesterday and I'm looking forward to this, as well. I'm listening to The Bible Experience Audiobook, which is a reading with different people reading the different characters and there are sound effects. I listened to the first part of Genesis and the first part of Luke this morning. I heard water as the narrator talked about the rivers in Eden, I heard birds and animals in the background during the scenes in the garden, and I heard Eve screaming in agony as she gave birth to Cain. In the narration of Luke, I absolutely got chillbumps hearing Elizabeth and Mary's exchange with one another.
I'll be reading, too. But this is a great way to start my day as I do my workout at the gym at 6am.
My daughter, Krysta, age 29, and I have partnered to journey together on this adventure. We carpool and this gives us a great way to share. Use this a great tool to open up conversation with your FRANS and love ones.
Situation normal for me, 5 days into it and I already have one and a half pages of questions in my "daily pages" to research. Now I remember why I never made it past Genesis the last time I tried reading the Bible...
I hope I'm not breaking any rules here, but I was hoping we would be sharing our thoughts on what we're reading rather than just THAT we're reading. So, I'll go first on that... and if you ignore me, I'll just keep on doing it, so you might as well join in! :->
This morning, I was listening to Genesis and the story of Noah. I'm sure it was the 8 millionth time I've heard or read it, but something new occurred to me...
The description of the world at that time, violence, corruption, evil... the Bible says everyone was acting that way but Noah. Noah didn't go with the flow (pun intended.) While everyone else did what they pleased, he did what was God-pleased.
Steve made a point on Sunday that folks back in Bible days were just like folks today, except without ipods and cell phones. I believe that. So, with folks being folks, you KNOW that Noah caught some flack for being different. But, he did it anyway. He didn't go with the flow. And when God told him to do something really weird, he did it, despite what others may have said or thought. He let God's way be more important than the ridicule of a bunch of folks he didn't want to be like to begin with. Can I do that?
We all know how it turned out... we are all descendants of Noah, because everyone else was wiped out. So, we've got it in us, at least a molecule or two, to go against the flow. Like when folks are gossiping about someone, or when I want the biggest piece, or the most attention, or to be heard, rather than to hear someone that needs me to listen to them. Everyone else acts that way. But, I want to tap into my little bit of Noah, and go against the flow rather than with it.
Jesus carried that theme to the extreme... "bless those that curse you..." "forgive them, they don't know what they're doing..." "if someone takes your shirt, give him your jacket, too..." Not what everyone else would do. He was in touch with his inner Noah. I want to do that, too.
ok I am going back to the 4th of Jan. and I was reading Luke and what caught me was when Jesus said "Behold I tell you no prophet is accepted in his home town." Why is that? It does not even have to be a prohet, I just returned from a trip to Phila, Pa. were I was born and raised and in the city we have neighborhoods, and each neighborhood pretty much has its own nationality, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish and so on, and some of those places are not in a really good part of town, so many people including myself assume that if a person is from a certain part they could not possibly amount to much. what got me it is not true, Media, society labels people, places and things, and I am just as guilty, People live where they can live because that is what they are able to do. I was raised at a time when girls only went to college if they wanted to be a Doctor, Teacher or Attorney, other then that you were done school after 12th grade and you went to work. I don't know where I am going with this now, except sometimes I myself do not feel I can become or do something because of where my home town was. I believe I am good however sometimes not good enough, a few years back I did not feel I was good enough to ask to have hands laid on my grandson, I believe in laying hands, I just did not believe it would work if I asked to have it done, and I didn't I asked someone else to ask Pastor Steve to lay hands on my grandson. Thank God today, I do not feel that way anymore, because I am worthy and God loves me and I am His Child. Last night I did Luke 5 and 6 and the Sermon on the Mount is awesome, Jesus tells us exactly how to live and the promises that are ours if we follow Him, sometimes I make it so difficult and I hear Him say trudy it is not that difficult.
Hello all! I stopped and re-read that "no prophet is accepted in his hometown" too. Relating to my life experience, I thought back to when I was at Mem St and working part time at Great Dane in Mem while going to school earning my engineering degree. At that point I transferred to Great Dane in Georgia for 3 years growing as an engineer. I was promoted back to Great Dane Mem as the Plant Engineer yet most people there still saw me as I was before (a kid in school) rather than a semi-experienced engineer that I had become. So that's how I rationalized it's meaning, but who knows, I could be waaay off the mark. I have committed myself to read the entire Bible this year (which I have not accomplished as yet in life) and I will not get bogged down if I don't understand it all. I will leave that for the experts... and my future. I look forward to the discussion here - Greg Ladd.
Gregg- You are guaranteed not to understand it all. You are also guaranteed that the parts you need to understand this time through, you will understand, because that the Holy Spirit's job. And the Holy Spirit has a really good work ethic. ;-) The really, really, really cool thing about the Bible to me is that it says what I need to hear when I need to hear it. A word of comfort or a word of strength or a word of wisdom... whatever I need to get through the next little bit of time down here.
Trudy- I used to live in Pittsburgh (Mexican War Streets near AGH), and I know exactly what you mean about the neighborhoods. Pittsburgh isn't really a city, it's a few hundred small towns all stuck together. I loved what you said about the sermon on the mount... and Jesus only talked about what we could do, not what where we came from. That made me think about who he was talking to... his disciples. They weren't "fancy folks" they were just plain people who could do great things if they chose to follow him.
I've only been at Heartsong for a short time, but you are one of the small handfull people that I know by name... you stand out that much as an awesome child of the king... which makes you a princess. A woman who is taking some of her own time and effort to make things nice for others. Coming from Pittsburgh made you who you are, which speaks well of the 'burgh in my book. -Jennifer
It took me a while to figure out how to post here. Well actually, I gave in and asked Ted for help. Thank you Ted. It will say tbruehl, but it's really me, Jil.
I'm asking God to help me be smarter than I am and to have visual pictures of the Scripture I am reading. It's working (the visual part).
This is so wonderful, I love reading your comments, its' like a BIG, small group. Nice.
Today, Luke 8:25 "Who is this that commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?"
OH, the storms of life. How hard, freightening and lonely you can feel when your life is all upside down and stormy. Luckily, we don't have to weather them alone. The one who calmed the storm is always with us, "Don't be afraid; just believe.
I just started the life journal as of today (Jan. 19th) so I'm playing catch up but it's well worth it. I'm a preacher's kid and have grown up in church and around the bible all my life but as I begin to re-read some of these scriptures, new revelations are coming through. I consider myself very spiritual but didn't include reading the bible on a regular basis as part of my regimen. However, I've been wanting to get back to reading the bible for building a firm(er) foundation. I just might be surprised how I will grow even more. Wow...I'm looking forward to this. (smile)
Happy New Year we are looking forward to this too.
ReplyDeleteHi all, I'm interested in where this will lead us. I look forward to getting started.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to journaling as well.
ReplyDeleteI just got my book yesterday and I'm looking forward to this, as well. I'm listening to The Bible Experience Audiobook, which is a reading with different people reading the different characters and there are sound effects. I listened to the first part of Genesis and the first part of Luke this morning. I heard water as the narrator talked about the rivers in Eden, I heard birds and animals in the background during the scenes in the garden, and I heard Eve screaming in agony as she gave birth to Cain. In the narration of Luke, I absolutely got chillbumps hearing Elizabeth and Mary's exchange with one another.
ReplyDeleteI'll be reading, too. But this is a great way to start my day as I do my workout at the gym at 6am.
Jennifer Shambrook
Here we go - onward and upward. I'm looking forward to this Life Journal experience. Other than today's reading, I'm current!!!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, Krysta, age 29, and I have partnered to journey together on this adventure.
ReplyDeleteWe carpool and this gives us a great way to share. Use this a great tool to open up conversation with your FRANS and love ones.
Situation normal for me, 5 days into it and I already have one and a half pages of questions in my "daily pages" to research. Now I remember why I never made it past Genesis the last time I tried reading the Bible...
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not breaking any rules here, but I was hoping we would be sharing our thoughts on what we're reading rather than just THAT we're reading. So, I'll go first on that... and if you ignore me, I'll just keep on doing it, so you might as well join in! :->
ReplyDeleteThis morning, I was listening to Genesis and the story of Noah. I'm sure it was the 8 millionth time I've heard or read it, but something new occurred to me...
The description of the world at that time, violence, corruption, evil... the Bible says everyone was acting that way but Noah. Noah didn't go with the flow (pun intended.) While everyone else did what they pleased, he did what was God-pleased.
Steve made a point on Sunday that folks back in Bible days were just like folks today, except without ipods and cell phones. I believe that. So, with folks being folks, you KNOW that Noah caught some flack for being different. But, he did it anyway. He didn't go with the flow. And when God told him to do something really weird, he did it, despite what others may have said or thought. He let God's way be more important than the ridicule of a bunch of folks he didn't want to be like to begin with. Can I do that?
We all know how it turned out... we are all descendants of Noah, because everyone else was wiped out. So, we've got it in us, at least a molecule or two, to go against the flow. Like when folks are gossiping about someone, or when I want the biggest piece, or the most attention, or to be heard, rather than to hear someone that needs me to listen to them. Everyone else acts that way. But, I want to tap into my little bit of Noah, and go against the flow rather than with it.
Jesus carried that theme to the extreme... "bless those that curse you..." "forgive them, they don't know what they're doing..." "if someone takes your shirt, give him your jacket, too..." Not what everyone else would do. He was in touch with his inner Noah. I want to do that, too.
Lord, please help me.
-Jennifer
ok I am going back to the 4th of Jan. and I was reading Luke and what caught me was when Jesus said "Behold I tell you no prophet is accepted in his home town." Why is that? It does not even have to be a prohet, I just returned from a trip to Phila, Pa. were I was born and raised and in the city we have neighborhoods, and each neighborhood pretty much has its own nationality, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Polish and so on, and some of those places are not in a really good part of town, so many people including myself assume that if a person is from a certain part they could not possibly amount to much. what got me it is not true, Media, society labels people, places and things, and I am just as guilty, People live where they can live because that is what they are able to do. I was raised at a time when girls only went to college if they wanted to be a Doctor, Teacher or Attorney, other then that you were done school after 12th grade and you went to work. I don't know where I am going with this now, except sometimes I myself do not feel I can become or do something because of where my home town was. I believe I am good however sometimes not good enough, a few years back I did not feel I was good enough to ask to have hands laid on my grandson, I believe in laying hands, I just did not believe it would work if I asked to have it done, and I didn't I asked someone else to ask Pastor Steve to lay hands on my grandson. Thank God today, I do not feel that way anymore, because I am worthy and God loves me and I am His Child. Last night I did Luke 5 and 6 and the Sermon on the Mount is awesome, Jesus tells us exactly how to live and the promises that are ours if we follow Him, sometimes I make it so difficult and I hear Him say trudy it is not that difficult.
ReplyDeleteHello all! I stopped and re-read that "no prophet is accepted in his hometown" too. Relating to my life experience, I thought back to when I was at Mem St and working part time at Great Dane in Mem while going to school earning my engineering degree. At that point I transferred to Great Dane in Georgia for 3 years growing as an engineer. I was promoted back to Great Dane Mem as the Plant Engineer yet most people there still saw me as I was before (a kid in school) rather than a semi-experienced engineer that I had become. So that's how I rationalized it's meaning, but who knows, I could be waaay off the mark. I have committed myself to read the entire Bible this year (which I have not accomplished as yet in life) and I will not get bogged down if I don't understand it all. I will leave that for the experts... and my future. I look forward to the discussion here - Greg Ladd.
ReplyDeleteGregg- You are guaranteed not to understand it all. You are also guaranteed that the parts you need to understand this time through, you will understand, because that the Holy Spirit's job. And the Holy Spirit has a really good work ethic. ;-) The really, really, really cool thing about the Bible to me is that it says what I need to hear when I need to hear it. A word of comfort or a word of strength or a word of wisdom... whatever I need to get through the next little bit of time down here.
ReplyDeleteTrudy-
I used to live in Pittsburgh (Mexican War Streets near AGH), and I know exactly what you mean about the neighborhoods. Pittsburgh isn't really a city, it's a few hundred small towns all stuck together. I loved what you said about the sermon on the mount... and Jesus only talked about what we could do, not what where we came from. That made me think about who he was talking to... his disciples. They weren't "fancy folks" they were just plain people who could do great things if they chose to follow him.
I've only been at Heartsong for a short time, but you are one of the small handfull people that I know by name... you stand out that much as an awesome child of the king... which makes you a princess. A woman who is taking some of her own time and effort to make things nice for others. Coming from Pittsburgh made you who you are, which speaks well of the 'burgh in my book.
-Jennifer
test
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to figure out how to post here. Well actually, I gave in and asked Ted for help. Thank you Ted. It will say tbruehl, but it's really me, Jil.
ReplyDeleteI'm asking God to help me be smarter than I am and to have visual pictures of the Scripture I am reading. It's working (the visual part).
This is so wonderful, I love reading your comments, its' like a BIG, small group. Nice.
Today, Luke 8:25 "Who is this that commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?"
OH, the storms of life. How hard, freightening
and lonely you can feel when your life is all upside down and stormy. Luckily, we don't have to weather them alone. The one who calmed the storm is always with us, "Don't be afraid; just believe.
Jil Bruehl
I just started the life journal as of today (Jan. 19th) so I'm playing catch up but it's well worth it. I'm a preacher's kid and have grown up in church and around the bible all my life but as I begin to re-read some of these scriptures, new revelations are coming through. I consider myself very spiritual but didn't include reading the bible on a regular basis as part of my regimen. However, I've been wanting to get back to reading the bible for building a firm(er) foundation. I just might be surprised how I will grow even more. Wow...I'm looking forward to this. (smile)
ReplyDelete