Week 1

My soul, my soul magnifies the Lord -- he has done great things for us!

Week fifty-2

Last week of 2012:):)

Week fifty-one

Gloria - in excelsis deo; Worthy is the Lamb that was slain - - - holy holy is He!

week forty-nine

The hopes and fears of all my years . . . were met in You that night

Week forty-nine

Exalted -- He is exalted!!

week forty-eight

Blessed Be Your Name!

Week forty-seven

How deep the Father's love for us; how vast beyond all measure!

Week forty-six

What can wash away my sin?

Week forty-five

Glory glory, Hallelujah He REINS! HE REINS!

Week Forty-four

My heart will sing - - no other name  - - Jesus, Jesus

Week Forty-three

WOW! 10 weeks to go until we've completed this year's Journey! Sweet!

Week Forty-two

O! I'm running to Your arms, I'm running to Your arms; the riches of Your love -- will always be enough -- nothing compares . . .

Week Forty-One

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus . . .

Week Forty

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider . . .

Week Thirty-nine!

All I know is I'm not home yet!! WHHHHHEEEEEEEE!

Week Thirty-Eight

I'm amazed at Who You are!!!

Week Thirty-seven

Peace be still -- the Father loves you

Week Thirty-Six

Jesus draw me close; closer Lord to You -- let the world around me fade away . . .

Week thirty-five

Amazing Love! How can it be? That You my King would die for . . . me!

Week Thirty-four

As far as the East is from the West -- is one scarred hand from the other

Week Thirty-three

Here I am to Worship ! !

Week thirty-two

"Surrounded by Your glory; what will my heart feel?"

Week thirty-one

Starting fresh!

Week Thirty!

Hey! We made it into the 30's!  The year is ticking by!

Week Twenty-nine!

Colossians 3 is WONDERFUL!  I love how he starts out with a call to set my sights on the realities of heaven. The realitites -- it's REAL!.  and the fact that we'll share in Christ's glory -- why me? That's the last thing I deserve, how kind and very very generous of Christ to let me share in His glory!

A greedy person is an idolater. According to the Big 10, you shall have no other gods before me. I struggle with greed all the time in many different forms. Only God can save me from myself.

Quite a comparison: anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language, liers vs. tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, making allowance for each others' faults, forgiveness, love. Which attributes do you look for in a friend? What kind of a friend are you? am I?

Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. Let it rule -- that means you need to cast out, rebuke worries and fears; make room for His peace.

Week Twenty-eight

Livin' in the Sonshine

Week Twenty-seven

A week of celebrating freedom in many ways! It'll be fun to see if we can spot it in the readings this week:)

Week Twenty-six

So I'm back tracking to yesterday!  Even though it's Monday, I'll read Sunday -- Sorry Chris if I messed this up:)

God working in us seems to be a theme that pops us!  It's in 1:6 "God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it's finally finished on the day" (apparently it's a life-long work -- we're continually in process" It's a few verses down in 11 "filled with the fruit . . . produced in your life by Jesus Christ (I love thinking of our works simply as fruit that springs from those roots going down deep into relationship with Him)  The connection is the roots in the ground -- the fruit is only a bi-product) and finally we see it again in 2:13 "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (this gives me GREAT hope! Because a lot of times I'm lacking the desire to be good!! and along with desire, He gives power -- what more could the H.S. give us to be victorious?"

I appreciate Paul's firm grasp on the bigger picture. Didn't matter if he was a prisoner -- no complaining there. In fact in 1:14, he sees it as an advantage causing others to gain confidence and boldly speak!!

Again, Paul wasn't worried about "groups" or "churches" in 1:18. He left motives to God and rejoiced that God's word was being preached by any and all. We should be as generous!

1:27-30 reminded me of the movie Miracle.  "Who do you play for?"  "We are in this struggle together -- fighting together for the faith together for the faith, which is the Good News!!"

Week twenty-five

Looking forward to the words ahead:)

Week 24

Man alive! What kind of a blessing Christ gives us!! vs 3 He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms!!

God loved us, chose us, decided in advance to adopt us, purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son!  Are you feeling LOVED yet??

I like how Paul prays that God will give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you can grow in your knowledge of God.  We are foolish if we think that WE have all the answers! HE has the answers, and it's HIS Spirit that gives the wisdom and insight. It is a feeling of JOY when I feel that wisdom and insight happening inside of me!! But again -- it's HIM that gives it, nothing in me.

2:15 & 16 talk about how the Jews, the Gentiles are all brought together through the gift of His Son. No one has an advantage over anyone else. God's gift is available to all -- isn't that wonderful? Reminds me of His gift of the Sabbath. You can't buy it, you can't hoard it, you can't claim it's in your country -- it's a gift of time; available to all.


And you can't help but love 3:16-18. Reminding us that God has glorious, unlimited resources!  Also reminding us that Christ will make His home in our hearts (awesome) and how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. I don't think about that enough -- it's a truth to rest in; serenity!

Week twenty-three

30 weeks to go until we complete our journey:)

Week twenty-two

Paul says Jesus is to "deliver us from this present evil age" I guess every age has its evils -- seems like things have gotten pretty raunchy in this age as well as back in Paul's day -- but God is BIGGER than all our raunch!  For Paul, it is a marvel that we are so soon turning away (vs 6) Why do we always default to turning from the One who can actually save us? Why do I do that?? I think that's why practicing living in His presence is so important -- otherwise our attitudes get in the way.

Doncha love in 2:6 where it says "God shows personal favoritism to no man? He loves everyone with deep consuming love. Somehow that reminds me of the picture I get in "The Shack"  It says it again in 2:20 "The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" I know I've heard/said that many times -- but don't you find it amazing; that the Son of God would take such personal and painful interest in Me? You?

I appreciate the emphasis on faith as the key -- especially the reminder in 2:21 that "if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" Paul really nails it there. It sounds like the law does have a purpose: "the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Also, somewhere it says faith comes by hearing the word. So maybe it's hearing, doing, faithing, justifying? One building on another and each level takes us deeper into relationship. Relationship is God's goal for us:)

A final reminder in 3:28 "we are all one in Christ Jesus" Let's just keep it that simple -- we're all in the same boat, in need of a Saviour; a God who loves us no matter who we are, what we do - - a God of patience who works with me one step at a time! (I need to be just a patient with the people around me - whew, I'm not very good at that) a

week twenty one

Hoping to post enroute to S.C. -- if nothing shows up from me, please know -- I'll still be reading all of your thoughts:)

Week twenty

Out of the teens -- into the twenties!  Woot woot!  Love plowing through the Word with my friends!

week nineteen

another week - - bring on the Sonshine!

Week eighteen

Whew! figured it out!

week seventeen

week sixteen

WOW! Week 16 already! finishing up on 4 months of scripture -- cool:)

week fifteen

Ahhhhhhh -- spring has arrived -- looking forward to more sunshine each week:)

week fourteen

Here we go into the season that honors the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, our Friend, our Guide - - don't get so caught up in the distractions/frustrations of the week that you miss the miracle of that story!!

Week thirteen

Sorry I'm late getting this week's blog going! Thanx for your patience:)

week twelve

WOW! we're almost through 3 months of year 2 of blogging:):)

week eleven

Here we go again:) A new week with new thoughts:)

week ten

here we go!

week nine

aaaaaand . . . into March we go!!

week eight

another week of amazing reading:)

Week seven

another week in the word:)

week six

here we go!

week five

Here we go into February!!

Week four

Rain!

Week three

SNOW!

week two

here we go!