eighty08

It's a new year . . . we have a new dog (Zuzu: a 4 month old Golden Retriever) . . . the Christmas tree is down and only one bowl game is left . . . well 2 quarters of it anyway.

The main purpose of my blog this year will be to record my journey through the bible. Our teens (some of them) ar committing to read through the Bible to be among 80 who will read through Scripture in '08. We did this in 2004 and set a goal of 40 and we had 57 finish. I have really enjoyed going through the Daily Bible (a bible in chronological order broken into 365 readings) for the past three years. I cannot begin to describe what a blessing it has been.

So each day (mainly for my own recollection . . . and perhaps to leave a legacy for my daughters so they can see what the Word meant to their daddy) I will try to record my thoughts . . . my own BIG IDEAS (which is what we have asked each of the teens to do as they read).

I am caught up on the reading but a bt behind in my blogging but now that I am back from the National Youth Conference (last week in Atlanta), I can begin to let the overflow of scripture pour out into these paragraphs . . .

DAY ONE:
-Did you notice the FIRST acts of God was to "separate light from darkness" and in so doing set a model fo what we would spend each day doing . . . separating light from darkness in our own souls.
-God created seed-bearing plants: they were CREATED TO CREATE. (So were we.)
-Dod you notice the FIRST command GOD gave to man. ("Have sex.") Let's not forget it was HIS idea.
-the first words however spoken by Satan: "Did God REALLY say . . . ?" (and separating light from darkness has not been easy since.)
-Adam was apparently WITH Eve when she was tempted. So why did he not protect her. This was the first example of a lack of male leadership.

My biggest questions of the day:
-What kind of animal did God kill to make the garments of skin? What kind of sound did it make as it died? Did Adam hear it? What was his response to seeing something DEAD for the first time?
-Did it really take SEVEN days? How is this possible since the sun and moon to make day and night did not come along until the fourth day?
-Were the trees created fully grown?

DAY TWO:
-The scariest phrase in most of the bible: "Sin is crouching at your door. It desires to haev you but you must master it." (yikes)
-How crazy is it that relatives from 900 years would still be coming to the family reunion??
-Can you imagine: "I rememeber what your great great great great great great grandfather used to say . . . well, here I'll just let him tell you . . . "

DAY THREE:
-God said: "Wheneve I bring clouds on the earth and the rainbow appears . . . " Apparently rainbows need clouds.
-Sam Bagwell and I laughed at the notion that some animals made it through the flood onlty to come off the ark and be sacrificed.

One Cow: "Wow, I need to stretch my legs. I can't wait to get out of here. Hey, what is that great smell? Soemthings cookin'!!!"

Second Cow: "It's dad."

DAY FOUR:
-the "plain in Shinar" becomes a place of rebellion, arrogance, and sin
-Where are the plains in Shinar in MY life? (those places where I become the focus of attention and where I seek to make a name for myself)
-What does God do when we make ourselves the "gods."
-Like with Babel, HE comes in and "confuses" us. Man, can I remember times when my fleshly plans got confused.

DAY FIVE and SIX:
-I love the name of the well "Beer Lahai Roi" (the Living One who sees me)
-I also like to think Abraham laughed not because he through God was joking but it is like when something so good happens you cannot do anything but laugh . . . like when your team makes a miraculous comeback, or when you see someone you have not seen in a long time

-Funniest Moment: Abram to Sarai: "Honey, put the walker down and let's go into the tent for a few minutes."

DAY SEVEN:
-My favorie part of this passage over the past five years has always been God saying to Sarai: "I will return to you at the appointed time next year . . . and you will have a son." When I was growing up, the phrase "at the next appointed time" was always used during a closing prayer and always meant "the next time we show up for church." I LOVE how here it means when GOD comes back to check on things!!!! When God come back to me at the appointed time, what will be different about me?

These are my BIG IDEAS. From now on, I will likely just share for the day of that reading. I imagine I will not always be caught up with the reading, but I love digging into the WORD an seeing the notes I jotted down LAST YEAR and how much I have changed in what I have noticed and more importantly in what I NEED TO HEAR.

Keep reading. The story gets better.