Jan
6
A Year of Change: Bible 09
January 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
In the U.S., that has been the call in politics. But, as I look at the numbers on my Dashboard for myBibleJournal, I find it hard to change. 237 posts before this one, in 63 categories and 194 comments (without spam, I might add). That is really cool and I am humbled by it. This all came about because of my desire to read the Bible, the support of my friends and home team and the opportunity to reach others. I accomplished my goal and it is time to reach for another.
With that being said, I am excited to start a new chapter in assisting others in their read of the Bible. As I start this year, I introduce: Bible 09.com. Why the change?
- I am clearing myBibleJournal.com for a more ambitious way of reaching people for Jesus. I think that it is a great domain that can be used for an even higher purpose. I have been researching the software and I believe that it can be a great place for others to grow.
- I truly believe, along with others (find out more by clicking here, here, here and here )that this is the year that we need to be reading the Bible.
- I am changing servers. This is boring computer stuff to most people. So, nuff said…
- Technology has changed. I think that the new blog is better looking, easier to read and more fun to look at!
- It’s God at work. I don’t know what else to say…
So I hope that you might change your feeds or bookmarks to http://bible09.com/ and follow the next phase of my reading. As always, I thank you so much for joining me in this journey and it is my continual prayer that this helps you in your read. Read on…
By the way, I can’t believe it, but there were 26,197 spam comments that came in as well. I don’t wish that you could see the content of those! Join me now at Bible09.com.
Dec
29
Looks Like We Made It
December 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Sorry, I had to use the title to get the Barry Manilow song in your head, but I DID IT! Cover to cover I read the Bible in a year. Well, it took me a little over two years to actually do it and I started over at the beginning of the year and did it in less than a year, but I did it. My Bible and I did it. We made it. WOW, it is pretty cool.
It is all pretty summed up for me in the last day of reading of Revelation:
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” Revelation 22:7 (NLT)
What’s next. To read it again. It’s funny and I am embarrassed to say it, but when I first starting reading the Bible, I did it almost as a “bucket-list” type thing. To say that I had read the entire Bible. And I am excited about the accomplishment, but it did something to me. This has begun a lifelong habit of reading the Word and applying it. So now I start the new year with a telephone book sized Study Bible that I got for Christmas to dive in even deeper. I am fired up and I am excited about sharing in the next year with tools to help my friends do the same.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11 (ESV)
Thank you again for joining me on the journey. We’ve only just begun (yet another cheezy 70’s song reference). Get ready because we are only getting started! Here we go…
Dec
24
God loves us!
December 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Man, what an awesome day it has been! I got to spend the whole day with my family, we served together pouring love into babies in the nursery at church while their parents attended service and then we got to attend that service which was just plain amazing. Everybody that served in it was just radiating their love for the Lord.
But, a highlight of my day was to spend time with my friend Ryan. He is the son of a woman that works with my wife and fortunately, they got to attend church with us and along with his dad, we got to eat dinner together. You see, Ryan is special in that he has Down’s Syndrome, along with many other ailments. That is not what makes him special though. He is special in the fact that he just is so full of love and hope. When you are with him, he makes YOU feel special. The joy that comes out of the guy is just contagious and it was a special gift to me this Christmas and I will never forget it.
In thinking about dinner with our family and Ryan’s family, it reminded me of how much God loves us. Like Ryan, he makes us all special. He loves us all so much that He gave us His Son. I think we get so wrapped up in the Nativity story on this day that it is easy to forget:
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. - Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16 (NLT)
I feel like when we celebrate this time of year, we tend to focus on the fact that Jesus just erases our sins, but it is so much bigger than that. God came to experience what we deal with because He loves us so much! Really, if you were God, would you put yourself through that? I would have to say that I would probably not, but He did and I am just so thankful that Jesus came this day because God loves us. There is nothing more awesome than that. Simply amazing. Merry Christmas.
Dec
21
Thanks Greg
December 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment
As I sat down to write tonight, I was going to post about something somewhat different, but as will happen, I got to checking my RSS feeds and Twitter before writing and I saw something that I felt I needed to say.
You see, I was going to write about how excited I am to be finishing reading the entire Bible in just 9 days (I read ahead today) and how encouraging it is to have such little pages at the end as it was intimidating to have so little in the front to start out. It’s like seeing the finish line and just wanting to sprint there. It is so exciting.
But, then I read the posts from Gary Lamb and Perry Noble, two guys are doing some pretty remarkable things down in the southeast and are pretty avid bloggers. It was in these posts that I saw the influence of my friend Greg Rohlinger. It is because of him and his initiative with our church to travel “Route 66″ (the 66 books of the Bible. Very clever) that I am able to write this tonight.
The thing is, Greg just brings it. And not just to me, not just to our church body, but to others on the other side of the country to help show the glory of God to those that have not seen it. I just had to take a moment to share my thanks for Greg with others. With blogging, folks come from all over the world to check in. It is my prayer that you can have somebody in your life that inspires you like Greg has in mine. Chances are, he could be helping them! Thanks buddy.
Dec
17
Mission Statement
December 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Man, today was busy, but quite nice actually. I got a couple of books about blogging and it got me fired up. I am excited to see what God has in store for me in 2009. I actually got in the zone and was working on some business ideas, but I took a break to do my daily read. It was in Micah that I was reminded of how I need to run my business (and life!):
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NLT)
I am working on multiple projects, some where I am going to find myself in debate with others. This verse is going to help me when I get passionate about my viewpoint to remember that it is Him that I must answer, not those on the other side. It was awesome to see when I was getting worked up about what I do. Thanks God for showing me that tonight.
Dec
16
Thrown from the boat
December 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Ironically, I was going to post this last night, but I didn’t. God has a funny way of working that way. I will start with this morning and work my way backward. Let me explain…
This morning I woke up to the news that a friend of mine who has been working in the same job for nearly 20 years had been laid off from his radio station. Now in radio years, that is a really, really long time. Plus, he was a high profile guy at the station, which is why I found out about it on a trade website.
A lot of people are finding themselves in this situation, as did I just about four months ago. Which led me to my thinking while reading Jonah. In my situation, I had been working for myself when I got the call to join up with a company that I had been with and loved. I thought it might be a new start with them, at a great group of stations and I was thrilled. When I was let go just a year and a half later, it brought me back to Jonah. When God wanted him to do something, he went in the opposite direction:
But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord sailing to Tarshish. Jonah 1:3 (NLT)
I was not trying to run from what God wanted me to do when I took that job at the radio station. In fact, I thought it was heaven-sent! But, in retrospect, I believe He had other plans for me:
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” the groaned. Jonah 1:10 (NLT)
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Jonah 1:15 (NLT)
What we believe are setbacks are sometimes just learning experiences for what God is really calling us to do. It is easy to get in the routine of a job, but He has perfect timing and we just have to be looking for what He has for us next. I know he is really going to work in me and I have never been more excited in my life.
I hope that this is taken as a sign of encouragement and not as making light of what has happened to others that may have lost their jobs. I know, it is hard and scary, especially if you have been doing something for a long time. I am not at all downplaying the severity of it. I am praying for everybody who might be going through this and hope that they might see God’s hand in the situation. It is incredible what we can take from His Word. Let’s keep reading to see where we can find more answers.
Dec
13
I am not a Professional, but I play one on the Web
December 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Not really, but I thought that it was a funny reference to the old commercial “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV”. I don’t claim to be a professional, I am just a guy who likes to share thoughts about reading the Bible. I got a fondness for an Old Testament prophet tonight, Amos, who while being drilled by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, says:
But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’ Amos 7:14-15 (NLT)
I will be completely honest here, I never, ever thought in my wildest dreams that I would get through the entire Bible, let alone blog about it. But, it has been incredible and I am just getting started. There is some really cool stuff coming that I am excited to share, but I just need the time to get it done. Your prayers are appreciated.
And, it is my prayer that a non-professional blogging guy who tends to websites can help others like me to hear the Good News. Thanks God for giving me the inspiration in Amos tonight. More to come…
Dec
12
Wall Street via Israel
December 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Let me start off by saying that I do not mean to be super political, but I had an interesting observation during today’s read that I felt really had relevance with the current state of the world economy. Allow me to also say that I am not relating the economy to the destruction of Israel by God. But, I really thought this spoke of the people involved in money matters today:
You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgement closer. Amos 6:3 (NLT)
Hello, does this sound like the boom times of the last 15-20 years? “Oh, this real estate market is never going to go down!” Look, you have to plan. What goes up must come down. And the higher it goes, the harder the fall. I am not trying to be glass half empty, but you have to prepare. Have the banking and auto industries done this? Guess not, they are getting bailed out. So it was ironic to read the following verses:
You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions, You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end. Amos 6:6-7 (NLT)
It could just as easily say “You fly your private jets to Washington and take retreats to the St. Regis…” Very ironic. Who says that the Bible is not applicable today?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not about not making money. Far from it. But when it becomes what you worship, what you live for, there’s a problem. And the thing is, they should have seen it coming! But, they pushed away every thought of coming disaster…
Hopefully I wasn’t too much on the soapbox here. I really am not angry about it. In fact, I pray for these business leaders and the people who work for them. And I pray that we can all learn from this experience as the Israelites learned from the wrath of God. Interesting stuff.
Dec
10
Build each other up
December 10, 2008 | 1 Comment
When I began this blog, it was to keep me on my Bible reading with the help of friends who would stop by to read and comment on what I was reading. It was with the following verse that this was established:
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. Jude 1:20-21 (NLT)
It has truly been a blessing to write about what I am getting out of the Bible and sharing it with others. And I want to share this blessing with others, but I am a bit stuck. Last night, Carrie was checking out the site and she said, “I love to read it, but I just don’t want to comment.” Without her knowing it, she kind of blew my plan out of the water. But, this was a good thing.
I come to you now. In expanding this site, what do you think would be most helpful to you? Here is what I have come up with so far:
- Make it a community site, like Facebook or MySpace. You would have a profile and your own blog to join the conversation. This is where I have been leaning, but I am not sure enough people would want to add another profile and password to their lives. Some people just don’t want to write, but they love to read. I totally get it.
- Make it a magazine site, with others writers other than me to share their observations as we go through the next year reading through the Bible.
- Keep the way it is.
The bottom line is this: I feel God is leading me to add more voices and visions from the Word here. The Bible speaks to everybody in different ways to different people. If everybody saw it the same way, we would all go to same church! But we don’t and I love that everybody gets it differently. Let’s discuss, debate and revel in the Word of God. That is the vision for the site and I want to do it in a way that reaches the most people.
So, what do you think? I am ready to start a movement to get everybody reading in 2009 and I want to provide the tools to help everybody continue through the year, but I need your help. Comment below and let me know and let’s see how many people we can get to read the Good News this year. Thanks.
Dec
7
Stupid Hallmark Movies
December 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
After a wonderful day at church and a student ministries mentors meeting, I got home to a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie about a guy with Tourette’s Syndrome who wanted to be a teacher. Of course it’s a Hallmark movie, so he overcame his shortcomings to become a celebrated teacher in Atlanta. I was overwhelmed with what the movie was about, but it was because of the love that surrounded the character that I was able to relate with the love that surrounds me.
Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.
Psalm 125:1-2 (NLT)
Tonight at the mentors meeting, I was surrounded by about 35 of my fellow servants at church. I can’t tell you what it means to me to work along with these people to help make a difference in the lives of teenagers. I am totally overwhelmed tonight as I write this (seriously, I wrote twice, so I really mean it) to think about the blessings that I have and these people that take the Walk along with me. Thanks to all of those that I serve with and to God for surrounding me with them and His love. WOW. Good stuff…
And yes, I shed a tear or two. Stupid Hallmark movies!