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how to read your Bible

Good morning friends, I am being over run with spiders SPIDERS. Yuck. Good thing God has freed me from my arachnophobia. Yesterday afternoon Dad came over and mentioned the many spiders in the yard. I didn’t know he ment bajillions of 8 legged creatures surround us. Each time you open the front door a new web has been formed over it. Through the glass I could see nearly one hundred little guys crawling around my porch and up the house.

In order to get out yesterday I had to swing a broom to knock them lose then stomp on as many as I could while they made a run to get inside the house.

Driving to meet the bus and pick up the kids my heart was still beating fast from the gauntlet of spiders when I had to vere into the ditch to avoid hitting a skunk.

The spiders and skunks are here, soon the snakes will be back as well.

Oh the country life. There are some parts I hadn’t missed.

By the way today we are reading John 11.
Some good stuff there. I’ll be back on later to talk about it.
Oh and today is “Pray for the Spiders to Go Away Day”

"Scripture Serendipity" a phrase recently coined by
Miss
Marla. I mention it because this post is soaked with it. She describes it as
"unintentionally reading or hearing the same passage of Scripture twice in a
short period of time".   I’ve expanded it to any time God keeps
bringing the same scripture before you, be it in a sermon, a devotion, through a
friend or a on a billboard by the road. It could be over a period of a day a
week or even a year. Either way He’s speaking directly to you through his Living
Word.

Last week I was reading John 10 (Yes I admit I skipped ahead. I can’t help
myself, I’m addicted. Actually I’ve read this chapter multiple times this week.
Each time a new truth jumps out at me)In my first read through I was moved to
write down John 10:16. God told me that verse was meant specifically for someone
and I was to give it to them.
So I wrote it in my journal and on my heart, waiting for God to show me who it
belonged to.

Saturday I read over John 10 again. This time the passages about Jesus being the
good shepherd stood out to me even more.
John 10:4  . . .his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-"
 

John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
 

John 10:28-30 "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one
can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and
the Father are one.

I thanked God for holding me in his hand, I thanked Jesus that he is the good
shepherd and I asked that he help me hear his voice and to follow.  I asked
him to use me to touch a heart for him that day.

Saturday night we went to a Heart’s Afire community meeting.  This is a
interdenominational gathering of people who have been on a Walk to Emmaus. 
We had a pot luck which was followed by a service with singing, praying, a
message and communion.  This month an Episcopal Priest/Preacher (what do
they call themselves?) had been asked to do the service.  Over the years
I’ve come in contact with this man in various forums, through Emmaus gatherings
as well as other Community Events in which many of the local churches unite. 
While I’ve know him for some time I’d never seen him in all of his Episcopal
garb.  Having virtually no experience with the denomination I know little
about Episcopal or their doctrine so I watched and listened intently as he
brought life to the liturgy I am quite unaccustomed to.  It was actually
very enjoyable!  In his message he mentioned Christ as the "Good Shepherd" 
I smiled as he quoted some verses from John 10.  While he didn’t give the
reference I knew from which verses he was speaking.  I thought to myself
about Marla’s term "Scripture Serendipity" and I smiled.  I sat listening
intently, trying not to notice the white robe or the rope around his waste,
trying not to focus on the differences of our churches but the similarity of our
faiths.  It was then that God told me the verse I had been given was for
him.  God told me I needed to share this verse with this man, this priest,
this "Father".  God told me I needed to ask him if I could pray for him.

Now you may ask how do I know God was telling me this.  Well look back
at the verses I mentioned above.  I know his voice because I am his. 
I am his sheep.

Anyhow.  I told God No.  Forget it.  I am not going up to some
Episcopal Priest and telling him God has given me a word for him.  There
was no way I was going to ask this man if I could pray for him.  We’re not
talking comfort zone here were talking comfort hemisphere and I was out of it. 
After all I don’t even know what the Episcopal believe, what if he thinks I’m
crazy!  Right?  Besides, I thought, he just quoted verses from this
very chapter so obviously he already knows the one I’ve got.  So I didn’t
do it.

Later in the car I while half listening to Kurt I stared at my shoes.  I
suddenly blurted out to him "God told me to do something and I disobeyed!" 
Well that got his attention! "What?" he asked.  I explained what God had
told me to do and for whom and that I had said no.  Kurt then went on to
explain to me the obvious that I should have listened but then backed it up with
some personal info on this specific man.  Apparently God is moving him on
to other ministries and he won’t be serving in the church he’s in much longer. 
"Crap!" I say. (I know, not so spiritual but I’m being transparent here so
you get the real story like it or not)  "What now?" Kurt asks.  I
tell him the verse I’d been given and then I lament that it actually had been
for him and I was terrible for disobeying God.

So, what was Kurt’s response?  He picked up his cell phone which just so
happened to have the number and called the Episcopal Priest.  Kurt straight
out told him that his dear wife (yep that’s me) had been given a word
from God for him and that she was supposed to have given it and prayed over him
and she  disobeyed so before she gets struck by lightning we’re coming
over.  Then he turned the car around and headed for the guys house. 
Then he looked at me and told me that next time God tells me to do something to
just do it and it would be a lot easier.

So we got there, and I did it.  It wasn’t easy but I learned a lesson. 
Well a few lessons.
1.  If you ask God to use you he will.

2.  Don’t try to be the judge of who needs what.  If God gives you
a message for a homeless person on the street give it.  If he gives you one
for your Pastor or even for the Pope give it.

3.  If you do plan on disobeying, keep your mouth shut and don’t tell Kurt
about it.

To tie the story up: Sunday in Pastor John’s sermon he used the very verses I
had written down when explaining how he knew when God was speaking to him. 
He quoted the same verses as I had written in my Journal about the sheep knowing
the Shepherds voice.  Not to mention that he did his sermon on communion
and discussed the same often forgotten verses I studied Monday and Tuesday when
doing my own study on communion.  Scripture Serendipity.  Thanks God.

Matthew 5:44
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

OK friends today we are reading
John 10

If you have yet to join us then jump in! Today is the day to do it! You’re not behind, you’re just getting started. Let’s go.

I’ve got a multitude of thoughts on this passage. Give me a little time to shower and get ready for my day and I’ll be back to share.

Also fair warning. I’ve been given a multitude of posts. I’m hoping to sit down later and type them all out. Thanks to handy dandy postdating, you should be receiving them in nice little increments of the day/week.

Read up, and get ready to share. I’ll be back.

Aside: Thought I should also let you know that today is Pray for your Brother n Law Day. If’n you don’t have one pray for mine: Brian, Chad, Joel, and Mark

My dear friend Joyce sent me this link. I laughed/cried so hard when I read it that my son Char-Ka-Joshua thought something was wrong with me. This my friends, is my life:

My Son … Whatshisname

John 9

Today we’re reading
John 8 (very powerful)

I went over my notes on the previous two chapters for something to share and I had almost copied the entire passages. I really encourage to read and meditate on those two, they were fabulous!

This morning I received Janae’s take on chapter 7, here’s what she said:

I think that John 7:16-18 are very important verses. Even Jesus encouraged people to test what He said. People have to be very careful of who they follow, because there are many “preachers” who are out for personal gain. Even when they say the right things and quote the right verses, many times there true motives will shine through clearly if one wants to look for them.

If I have to pick something out of chapter 7 I’d say verses 37-39 really stood out to me:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” 39By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Nae emailed me and reminded me I hadn’t posted what we were reading. That doesn’t mean I didn’t read it just that I didn’t get on line.

I hope that those of you joining in were as wise as Janae and figured out that what we were reading Tuesday was John 6 and Wednesday was John 7

(We skipped Monday because . . .well I don’t know why. The email she sent with her comment only referred to John 6 so I’m guessing we’ll just skip Monday.)

Here’s what Janae had to say about it:

I didn’t get anything from you yesterday, but I figured we were reading John 6. I like the verse where Jesus says “38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” Shouldn’t we all strive toward that attitude. We’re not here to attain our own goals, but those that God has in mind for us.

See folks that’s all I’m looking for. Just a simple little statement that tells us what stood out to you. Come on and join us. Even if you have your own personal Bible Study (and you should) it’s only one little chapter and it keeps us all on the same page pages and maybe even a little accountable.

Sami, Lacy, Sarah, P-Jami, Mom, Julie, Beth, Sheila, what are you reading today? It doesn’t even have to be what we are. Just share with us.