Running behind!

Story of my life...I'm such a procrastinator, but I am determined to actually finish this reading plan.  So I must nip this procrastination in the bud right now!  I'm currently running two and a half days behind schedule on my bible reading, but I'm going to catch up tonight.  Work is busy, as always.  I have a cold.  There are clothes to wash, meaningless posts to read on Facebook, time to waste on Netflix, but those things will always be there.  There will always be distractions to keep me from accomplishing my goals, but with God's help, I'm not going to let that happen this time.

So I'm going to read...

Three chapters of I Chronicles....

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!

Today is a special day.  August 8th is my Pawpaw's birthday, and this is his first birthday since he passed away earlier this year.  Yes, it is a special day because my family has always celebrated his life, and though he's not with us this year, I know each of us has remembered him in our own way.  Naturally, sadness has touched our hearts today because we wish he were here to celebrate just like every year before.  But can you imagine how much better Heaven is than an earthly birthday party?  It's really kind of silly to even compare the two.

So no more sadness today....  Just a few moments ago, it occurred to me that today is a special day in my life, too.  Today is the 30th anniversary of my infant baptism.  My mother has always told me that I was christened on my Pawpaw's birthday, and I always thought that was cool, but it hasn't held much significance for me until this year.  Now I feel somehow infinitely, cosmically connected to this man.  So you see, he isn't really gone.  Of course, he's not physically present, but he lives on in our hearts and our memories.  And on this day, that's reason to celebrate.

Pawpaw on his 93rd birthday

0.5% Complete!

I finished Day 2 of my bible reading plan. I have really enjoyed the selections, but I must be diligent about paying close attention to the words instead of letting my mind wander as I'm prone to do while reading. This is especially difficult in the I Chronicles passage! But I know it's important to know who begat who (...or is it whom?). Anyway, just think... each person listed in that lineage is a soul that once lived and breathed on this Earth, and in some way, either big or small, had an impact in the faith we have today. Mind blowing, if you think about it.

Good night, y'all!

First Day of School...Challenge!

So today was the first day of school, at least for faculty and staff.  We will have 3 more days of professional development before the kids join us next Tuesday.  I'm usually pretty pumped up about starting a new school year, but I must admit that this year, I was not so enthusiastic.  But I'm glad to say that this morning (after hitting the snooze button just a few times) I was able to drag myself out of bed, get ready for work, and even arrive a few minutes early!  I can say that it was actually a pretty good day.  I feel like I got a good bit accomplished, and that always makes me feel good!

The beginning of a new school year always makes me think about new beginnings in general, and that excites me!  I have been thinking a lot lately about something I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.  So a few weeks ago, I decided that today, August 1, 2012, would be the day that I begin a reading plan to read through the entire bible in one year.  Most people start these things on January 1, and I really had great intentions of starting a reading plan this past January...but I didn't.  Then it dawned on me that my life really revolves more around the school year than the calendar year.  What better time to start my reading plan than the first day of school?!

I'm reading the ESV Study Bible plan that can be found on YouVersion.com.  You can sign up for a free account and choose from a vast number of plans!  Some are whole bible, part bible, devotional...all kinds.   Not all of them are for a full year either.  You can even download the app on your smart phone and read the bible anywhere you are.  Pretty. Cool.  So who's with me?  I'm bound to need encouragement along the way because a year is a long time, and I'm a procrastinator.  Big time.

Today's reading consisted of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Genesis 1, I Chronicles 1, and Luke 1:1-25.  Good stuff!  I'm really excited to dig deeper into God's word in an earnest, honest effort to draw closer to Him throughout the year and beyond.  I pray for His blessings on this school year and for His guidance as I delve into the Good Book and seek His wisdom and will for my life.  Wish me luck...or even better, pray for me!

(See...it is possible to write a blog post today and not even mention Chick-Fil-A!  Ahhhh, I was so close!)

July 16, 2012

Scripture from my devotional tonight as I listened to the waves....