Mark 14:27-31, 50 NLT

“All of you will desert me,” Jesus told them [the disciples]. “For the Scriptures say,

     ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

“But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 

Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” “Peter,” Jesus replied, “the truth is this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

“No!” Peter insisted. “Not even if I have to die with you! I will never deny you! And all the others vowed the same…Meanwhile, all the disciples deserted him and ran away.

When we first met Peter, I doubt that any one of us would have believed that this blustery, self-confident fisherman would deny Jesus. Not Peter! He was the person that Jesus was depending upon to build the church. But Peter denied Christ as Jesus said that he would. Peter cried. (Mark 14:72) If Peter had never felt humility, shame or guilt before, he certainly experienced them when he denied Jesus.

I sometimes read passages like this  and wonder how I would have behaved. Am stronger than Peter? Do I love Jesus and God more than Peter did? Certainly I would have been there when He wanted and needed me to be there for Him.  Would I have denied Jesus?

It seems to me that we “run away” frequently. We say we are Christians. As Christians we are expected to follow the great commandments:  Love God with all your heart, soul, and might and love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19-20 to “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” NLT

In other words we need to speak up for Jesus whenever we can…not just in church or in Bible Study or when other “church people” are the people to whom we are speaking.

No! We are to speak to the world about Jesus. When we do not, our silence denies Jesus just as loudly as Peter’s denials. We need to feel ashamed, gulty, humbled, and cry as Peter did.

How can we say we are Christians and not speak Jesus’ name in public? I am guilty as well. Recently, however, I have discovered almost by accident that it is not so difficult to talk about Jesus to other people as I thought it was. We just need to do so. It is easier than you may think. People are hungry for Jesus…but they may not know it. If we wait for that “perfect time,” to teach, witness, affirm we may be denying Jesus the rest of our lives. Jesus is our  Savior. We must tell people about Him. If we do not, the forces of evil will win.

I do not want to face Jesus and have Him ask me, “Carol, why did you deny Me?

Carol

Bible Breath:

Jesus, make me your witness.

As I continue writing on our blog, I am reminded how much alike writing and praying are in this context. When a person prays, he/she expects that God will answer. Now, of course, we want God to answer the way we want Him to answer. We also want Him to answer sooner…not later. We want Him to answer in our time when we think it would be most beneficial. God answers in His own time when He knows we will benefit, if we are listening. In addition, we want God’s answer and our answer to be the same. Sometimes, God’s answer is something entirely different from what we want. We know that, but we still want to have our own way.

Writing is sometimes similar…at least it is for me. When I write on a forum or blog, it is with the expectation of some kind of response. That is true for most of what I write unless it is my personal writing. I do not think that most of us write a letter to another person without the expectation that the person will respond. He/she may not respond, but that is the expectation.

That makes me take another look at why I am writing on here. Yes, it is with the expectation of response…from someone. Otherwise, why is there a blog in the first place. It is for discussion. Therefore, I need to establish another reason to write if I am not getting a response. Actually, one of the reasons “should” be that I write to the glory of God. Right now, I feel that I am writing for the Glory of God part of the time. I think God is probably getting a good laugh at what I am writing right now. God might even telling me to stop whining!

I also write because I enjoy writing. It is a wonderful means of conveying thoughts and ideas…but they are written in the wind if nobody reads them. It has become harder and harder to write when there is no response. I am, in effect, writing for myself. I would say I am writing for God, but He already knows these things. Maybe this is truly one of those time when “it is the thought that counts.”

I remember when people told me that I needed to have some interactive elements on our website. Now, we have Read the Bible in a Year with the accompanying blog. I could not think of anything which was more interactive and valuable than that. Much to my disappointment I am the only person who is using this feature of our website. If others of you are reading this, I invite you to join me on this journey through the Bible. It is a rewarding experience.

I am told, “These things take time.” Perhaps I am impatient. I am in the second year of reading the Bible in a year on our website. I am waiting…just as we wait for God to answer our prayers…and I have trouble waiting patiently; but I know I must continue for it is God’s work to reach out as far as we can. On a computer we have the opportunity of reaching out to the entire world. Can anything be more breathtaking than that?  

Yes, it would be even more breathtaking if people came to Christ because of our computer ability to reach out to them with the Word of God!!

Bless one and all,

Carol

“Every Scripture is God-breathed…”   2 Timothy 3:16 

A pastor I met on the internet introduced me to the idea of Breath Prayers. We are told to “pray constantly” which I have difficulty doing, but I think in some context it can be done…at least by those who practice praying…yes, practice. Maybe praying comes naturally to some of you, but it does not come naturally to me.

A breath prayer is a prayer of about seven words which are breathed. Pastor Connelly has suggested that we write down our prayers and pray them every three hours. Here is a page he has written about breath prayers:

http://biblethroughseasons.com/Bible%20Breaths.html

Therefore, I am going to share my breath prayers with you from time to time so you can see how I do them.  There are many, many other ways.

I take my prayers from the Bible reading for the day. Today the reading was Psalm 37.

Breath Prayers:

     Trust in the Lord and do good.    verse 3

     Delight yourself in the Lord.    v. 4

     Commit your way to the Lord.    v. 5

     Wait patiently for the Lord.    v. 7

     The meek will enjoy great peace.    v. 11

Another benefit of breathing the prayers is that it helps me to keep the scripture in mind throughout the day.

Below is a more knowledgeable discussion of breath prayers and the different ways they can be used.

http://www.saint-augustine.org/_nov07/ef1107e.htm

God bless one and all,

Carol

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”1

Is the above statement true for you? It certainly is for me. All my life I have wanted to do something that really was important for people…that mattered to them, made their lives better in some way, enriched their lives…and not just a couple of people either. I wanted to “save the world.”

As I became a bit older, I decided that I would “save the United States” in some way…and then the state of Indiana. For some reason I was not able to accomplish these things.

Then I became a group home manager for six men with retardation and some physical problems as well. For these six men, I could make a difference. I could see that they attended church. I could teach them how to behave in public so that they were not ridiculed. I could bring our family Christmas Eve tradition to the group home. Did anyone understand? I don’t know, but one of the men asked if we were going to do it the next Christmas. I said that we were; he said, “Good.”

Then came a time when I was unable to work at the group home any more. What then does a person do? After realizing how much I allowed my work to define me, I had to turn another direction. It took a long time. And I was unable to go to church; I also did not think to read the Bible much. I read, listened to music, and learned to paint…not well, but I learned.

These tasks I had to do as if they were “great and noble,” or my life would not have made any sense to me at all. I am not quite certain that I ever attained “great and noble,” but I was trying at least.

Years went by. Health problems became worse, better, and worse again…just as they do with everyone. But I had a church visitor…not from my church. I was visited by a man who was and still is a Jehovah’s Witness. He would come with his little girls. That man knew that I was a Methodist and would always be a Methodist…but he came four or five times a year.

When I moved, he found me and continued to visit. I watched his kids grow up, and I met his grandson. This man taught me about discipleship. He had a noble task and did it no matter how many doors were slammed in his face. He was doing God’s work, and there was no doubt about it. His was a “noble task” indeed.

Eventually, I got a computer…and decided to do our church website with no knowledge at all of what I was doing. I began reading the Bible, went back to church when they installed an elevator, and I am now here writing about doing small tasks nobly. We must. We are God’s children. We can serve Him well by doing our “small tasks as if they were great and noble.”

Carol

1 Helen Keller

I said to a man who stood at the gate of the year:  ”Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.”

M. Louise Haskins

I was unable to write at the beginning of  ”our” New Year so I great everyone at the beginning of the Chinese New Year…so Happy New Year to one and all. It is the Year of the Ox. However, for you and me the most important thing about the year is that it is God’s year.

I am hoping that once again this year some of you will join my in reading the Bible in a year…and commenting upon what you read, think, and feel as well. And it would be an addition if we could discuss how various scripture affects our lives today.

Last year I tried to write every day, but that was a bit much for me. This year I will write at least once a week. What I write may or may not pertain to the scripture for the day. Today is a good example. 

If some of you are behind, that is okay. You can begin with today’s readings, or you can read two or three daily scripture until you catch up. Reading the Bible is not a race. It is a joy. All you need is the desire and just a tiny bit of discipline. If you are like I am, you will find that you just can’t wait for the next day’s reading. I thought I would have a terrible time with self-discipline when I first decided to read the Bible in a year. I had said I was going to do so for a long time. Finally, I did it…and I continue…not because I am some kind of odd person, although I may be, but because I truly enjoy doing so. Every time I read a scripture I find something new. You may have heard people say that, but for me, it is true.

Therefore, I once again invite you on this sacred jouney…one we can take together. By the way in the Bible reading for today, Moses had just seen the burning bush and had spoken to God.

Blessings to one and all,

Carol

Genesis 1 – Revelation 22:21

A year has passed. For anyone who has stayed with me, we have had the pleasure of reading the Bible this year, 2008. I found reading the Bible on the computer every day very odd indeed because I have read the Bible in book form previously. And there is something to be said for each format. I am not certain what exactly. I prefer reading Bible in hand.

But it has been a wonderful experience, and I am going to continue. I invite anyone else who is reading this to join. Maybe we can get some discussions going this year. I have to admit that I have been surprised that so few people have appeared on these pages on the website. One of the things the “gurus” told me about building a website was that it needs to be interactive.

I could think of nothing more interactive than reading the Bible and sharing with one another. I was wrong evidently. And at times I have felt that what I did on here didn’t matter. And then I understood that it mattered to God, and that was all that was necessary on my part. All I can do is present the resources. Other people must decide whether they will or will not use them.

There are wonderful people to meet in the Bible. There are Adam, Eve, Moses, Gideon, Nathan, Deborah, David, Uriah, Darius, Joseph…several of them…Mary and Mary and Mary, Peter, Paul, Ananias,  and last but not least Jesus. He is not just an acquaintance but our friend and Savior.

And I am going to continue with the blog. I started off like a house on fire, but I wasn’t able to keep up that pace so I am going to try to write once a week. That, for me, is probably more reasonable.

I thank those people who have taken the time to comment on my writing this year. It always makes me smile when I see that somebody has commented. If  he/she agrees or disagrees I smile nonetheless. I cannot help myself.

I have just finish “Revelation.” I must say that is a perplexing book. I can see why there was such a debate about whether it should be included in the Bible. But like the angel said to John who had fallen to his knees to worship the angel. “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” And that is what I shall do. I hope you join me.

Carol

Something happened this morning which has never happened in my 67 1/2 years.

I awakened thinking about God. And I was smiling from ear to ear. And it was such a good feeling I hope it happens again. It was just the neatest thing under the sun.

I went to sleep thinking about God because we had a meeting of the six of us who take communion to nursing homes and people who are home-bound for one reason or another. We shared our experiences, problems, if any, and shared communion together. It was a wonderful experience.

I have been trying like crazy to make God the top priority in my life. This one day, I have a little bit of evidence that I just might be succeeding a little bit. Thanks be to God!

What an extraordinary thing to have happen!! What a blessing!!

If you have never had this happen, I pray that it happens to you. I think you will be just as surprised and delighted as I was. It feels like a special blessing this day.

Carol

With Thanksgiving and praise:

“I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”  Psalm 7:17

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.” Psalm 28:7

“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.”  Psalm 30:11-12

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.  For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.  In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.  The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.  Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for He is our God and we are people of His pasture, the flock under His care.”  Psalm 95:1-7

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”  Psalm 100:4-5

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:56-57

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.”  2 Corinthians 2:14

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (grace)!”  2 Corinthians 9:15

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of God because of you?”  1 Thessalonians 3:9

(All quotes from the NIV)

Carol

2 Samuel 11-12

I know this is not the Bible Scripture for today on the website, but it is on another Bible Study that I am doing.