Struggles With Reading The Bible In One Year

I have been trying for a few years now to read the entire Bible in one year. I have tried several different plans and I just can't stick with any of them because I feel like when I read several chapters a day, I come away feeling so empty and defeated because I don't remember most of what I read. I feel like people are always encouraging Christians to read their Bible in one year. Why? What's the point? Where did this idea come from? Am I less of a Christian if I don't do it? Are we, as a society, in such a hurry to the point of feeling like we need to rush through the Word of God? That's what I feel like I am doing when I try to do these plans. It's like we have come up with this game of Bible reading so that we can pat ourselves on the back because we were spiritual enough to read the Bible in one year. I have struggled with this for such a long time because it is talked about so much that it's to the point where I feel like a failure because I haven't been able to do it.

I am not trying to bash anyone who does read their Bible in one year. If you are someone who can remember everything they read and meditate on it, that's great! I am not one of those people. I have to meditate on smaller passages in order to understand what I just read. I know that I will not always understand what I read, but I still don't want to feel like I am rushing through the Book that I love so much. Has anyone else struggled with this? How do you study the Bible every day? Please comment below as I would love some suggestions! Thanks for reading my rant!

Abundant Life...There You Are!

God has given me new perspective and caused me to be extremely excited about life in a matter of days! I had the opportunity to go on a trip with the students at our church Thursday and Friday. What can I say? It was Awesome! It wasn't awesome just because of the cool stuff we got to do. It was awesome because I got to know a lot more of the kids than I had previously! It was awesome because I finally feel like I am doing what I have been called to do! We have spent much of our marriage trying to do youth ministry and for one reason or another, it hasn't happend. I am so grateful to God that we have finally found a church that said, "You want to serve? Come on!" I am so excited about where the student ministry is going! We have a great Youth Pastor and a great leadership team to work with! I truly believe that God is going to do amazing things this year and I am so blessed and excited to be a part of it!

I wouldn't be me if I didn't quote a song here, so this is how I feel right now. This is from Little Boy Heart Alive by Andrew Peterson.

Come to the Father
Come to the deeper well
Drink of the water
And come and live a tale to tell

The pages are turning now
This is abundant life
The joy in the journey
Is enough to make a grown man cry

With a little boy heart alive

Ancient Words

I just had to share the lyrics to this hymn that I fell in love with this weekend at the BSF Leaders Retreat! I have been looking for a song that I can focus on this year and I have found one! This year I am praying that the Word of God will come alive more than ever in my life. That I will fall more in love with it each day. I pray that it will change me and make me more like Christ. I pray that as I share it with others that I will see God's power in a very real way!

Ancient Words

Holy words, long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
O let the ancient words impart

Words of life, words of hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world where'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me, changing you
We have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

Holy words of our faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
O heed the faithful words of Christ

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me, changing you
We have come, with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

Martyr's blood stains each page
They have died for this faith
Hear them cry through the years
Heed these words and hold them dear

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me, changing you
We have come with open hearts
O let the ancient words impart

Looking Forward to 2014

Happy New Year! The first half of 2013 was a little rough and the second half was filled with new beginnings! The first half of the year looked something like this.

Sad things:

1. Battled depression

2. A friend passed away

3. Good friends moved away.

4. I started getting numbness in my left hand and after x-rays and visits to the chiropractor every 10 days, it's still there. There is an MRI in my future.

Good Things:

1. My brother got married!

2. I started children's leadership at BSF!

The second half of the year was good.

Sad things:

1. We were sick for Christmas.

Good things:

1. Logan is in school full-time and loving it!

2. My aunt got married!

3. We bought a house that has already been a huge blessing!

So, that was 2013. Through everything I went through I am so grateful that I had the support of my wonderful husband, family, and friends. However, I am most grateful for the love my Heavenly Father bestowed on me through it all and grateful that I have learned to trust Him more than I ever have before. I didn't accomplish all of my goals, but I am happy with the one's that did come to pass. I am really looking forward to 2014 because I think I have finally found some direction with how to proceed with some long term goals! It's really exciting! Today, I applied to be an ABA Line Therapist to work with kids who have autism. I want to be a teacher! So, here are my goals for 2014. Some are simple and some are going to take a lot of work.

2014 Goals:

1. Read at least 30 books.

2. Start my business with Norwex.

3. Eat more meals at the table as a family.

4. Apply to Liberty University Online in order to start in the summer or fall. (as long as I have a job by then)

5. Do everything I can to get financial aid (although, I will not take out any loans).

6. Go on vacation to somewhere we have never been before.

7. Take full advantage of every minute I have to spend with the people I love.

Abide

This song has been on my heart a lot lately. We are starting a new season in our family. We are getting ready to move into our new house! It has been a very stressful time but, it has been a very growing experience. I have felt God's presence and my need of Him in this whole process. I have learned to really trust Him and that worrying about anything is useless. God will take care of us and He will do what is best for us in His own time. He is faithful. This song is about abiding in Him. For the first time in a long time, I feel that I have finally been doing just that and I pray that I keep that as my focus.

Abide - Jenny & Tyler - Open Your Doors - Copyright 2011 One Eyed Cat Music (BMI)

Music and Lyrics by Tyler Somers (BMI) and Jennifer Somers (BMI)

You strive, o man, and you strive again, your heart too proud to rest

You labor on, singing those songs, to cover your weakness

Do you fail to recall who you really are and Who caused you to be?

Return o man; return and rest, to a burden light and yoke easy

Abide in your Savior

Abide in His love

The labor of God is to trust in the Son

All you possess...do you forget, as if by your own strength

you earned it? No. He gave you all, everything you have.

Your righteousness, your life, your breath, your daily bread and wine,

His blood, His flesh, His love, His death, Your faith and endless life

Abide in your Savior

Abide in His love

The labor of God is to trust in the Son

Open up your doors

O my heart and soul

Open up your doors

Let the King come in

Let the King come in

Abide in me Savior

Abide in me Love

And daily I'll take my cross, follow after you Lord

Abide in me Savior

Abide in me Love

The labor of God is to trust

Nothing Is Wasted

This week has been melt down after melt down with me. I don't know what is going on with me but, it's time to take the necessary steps to find out what it is. I'm dealing with a lot of emotions lately. I'm trying to figure out if what I'm going through is depression or if there is something more wrong with me. I've had people try to explain what depression looks like and I am still uncertain if that is what this is. I have never been depressed before so, it's hard for me to know if that is what I'm going through. I have been having a lot of physical problems that I don't understand. I am 32. I shouldn't be exhausted all the time to the point of feeling like I can't do anything. So, I'm going to make an appointment with a doctor to get a check-up. Please pray for me that I will take this step because I have been putting it off for awhile out of fear of what I might find out.

I have been reading about Joseph the past couple of weeks and how he suffered so much but, still had success in his life because he relied on God. I feel like this time in my life is the worst suffering I have ever had to endure and I really want to come to a place of relying on God because I know that I am going through this because He is going to use this for some purpose He has. I know that there is hope in my circumstance and I'm just ready to deal with what I need to deal with and move on. I have been reminded of a song lately that is really speaking to me and I know that out of all of this, "Beauty will rise."

Nothing Is Wasted

The hurt that broke your heart
And left you trembling in the dark
Feeling lost and alone
Will tell you hope's a lie
But what if every tear you cry
Will seed the ground where joy will grow

Nothing is wasted
Nothing is wasted
In the hands of our Redeemer
Nothing is wasted

It's from the deepest wounds
That beauty finds a place to bloom
And you will see before the end
That every broken piece is
Gathered in the heart of Jesus
And what's lost will be found again

Nothing is wasted
Nothing is wasted
In the hands of our Redeemer
Nothing is wasted

From the ruins
From the ashes
Beauty will rise
From the wreckage
From the darkness
Glory will shine

Why I Left Facebook

I don't even know if there are people who read this unless they see a link on my Facebook page. So, it's possible that I'm writing this to thin air. A few weeks ago, I was astounded at some things I was seeing on Facebook that made me really angry. I will not go into it on here for the very reason I left Facebook. Reason  1: I often got really angry because of some things that I have had to deal with on there and I would just fall apart because of it. I would obsess about it for days and be really stressed out and fuming. So, my husband told me once again that he would advise me to leave Facebook. This time, I listened.

Reason 2: I feel like Facebook can cause a lot of disunity among friends and fellow Christians. I think people  have the idea that they can say whatever they want on Facebook and it doesn't matter if it hurts other people because they can't see them. There are a lot of people out there that I never see or talk to in person. I have no idea what their lives are like or really who they are anymore. I only get the piece of them that they put on Facebook and sometimes, though this doesn't included everyone, that piece makes me wonder what has happened to the person I knew. So, in order to keep from changing my view of people that I love, I left.

Reason 3: This is the biggest reason I left. We have been studying in my Bible study class about giving up personal gods. I realized that Facebook had become a god in my life. I was so addicted, I would check it several times every hour because I didn't want to miss anything. As I did this, I was neglecting responsibilities I have in my real life. I was also neglecting people that are right here in my world. I also think that, for me, Facebook was a cop-out of having to call people on the phone. I miss talking to people and hearing their voices. I want deeper relationships with people than Facebook could ever provide. I was spending more time on Facebook than I was with my son and that breaks my heart.

So, that is why I left. I'm not saying that Facebook is evil or anything but, I, personally, can't handle it right now. The funny thing is that I really don't miss it that much. I do miss seeing what people are up to but, I don't miss the need to constantly check it. God is doing a lot in my heart right now and I am so thankful that He finally got through to me about this.