Read the Bible in a Year Week 17

Week 17
Sunday, April 30              Exodus 4:1 - 6:27
Monday, May 1                Exodus 6:28 - 9:35
Tuesday, May 2                Exodus 10:1 - 12:42
Wednesday, May 3           Exodus 12:43 - 15:21
Thursday, May 4              Exodus 15:22 - 18:27
Friday, May 5                   Exodus 19:1 - 21:36
Saturday, May 6               Exodus 22:1 - 24:18

The Gift of God

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

The Gift of God

For it is by grace you have been saved, 

through faith—

and this is not from yourselves, 

it is the gift of God— 

not by works, so that no one can boast.

In other words, you can't get into Heaven just by doing good deeds. You have to have faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Good deeds are done by those who follow Him, and those deeds are rewarded in Heaven with crowns which we will throw to the feet of Jesus. Like a famous Pastor once said, 'I don't want to meet Jesus empty handed.' To read about the Five crowns, click here.

God's Not Dead

This quote is so true. I've seen evidence of it time and again.

We just watched "God's Not Dead II" tonight and I thought it was an excellent movie. I'll be posting some quotes from both the first and second movies over the next week or two, just in case you didn't see them.

Read the Bible in a Year Week 16

Week 16
Sunday, April 23              Genesis 35:1 - 37:11
Monday, April 24             Genesis 37:12 - 39:23
Tuesday, April 25             Genesis 40:1 - 41:57
Wednesday, April 26        Genesis 42:1 - 44:17
Thursday, April 27           Genesis 44:18 - 47:12
Friday, April 28                Genesis 47:13 - 50:14
Saturday, April 29            Genesis 50:15 - Exodus 3:22

Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)

Praise to God for a Living Hope

Praise be to the God and Father of our 

Lord Jesus Christ! 

In His great mercy He has given us 

new birth into a living hope through the 

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 

who through faith are shielded by God’s power 

until the coming of the salvation that is ready 

to be revealed in the last time.

John's Vision of Christ Revelation 1:17-18

Revelation 1:17-18 John's Vision of Christ

When I saw Him, 

I fell at His feet as though dead. 

Then He placed His right hand on me and said: 

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 

I am the Living One; 

I was dead, and now look, 

I am alive for ever and ever! 

And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Daily Bible Verse Daniel 7:13-14

Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV) Daniel's Dream

“In my vision at night I looked, 

and there before me was One like a Son of Man, 

coming with the clouds of heaven. 

He approached the Ancient of Days 

and was led into His presence. 

He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; 

all nations and peoples of every language 

worshiped Him. 

His dominion is an everlasting dominion 

that will not pass away, 

and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

Challenge: The Great Commission

Daily Bible Verse Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, 

to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; 

but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the 

Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

and teaching them to obey 

everything I have commanded you. 

And surely I am with you always, 

to the very end of the age.”

The Great Commission wasn't only for the eleven disciples; it is given to all of us. We are all tasked to fulfill these duties. Think about ways that you can spread the word of God. We have the ability to change the world, even if it's one soul at a time. See also, The Starfish Story.

Read the Bible in a Year Week 15

Week 15
Sunday, April 16              Genesis 17:1 - 19:29
Monday, April 17             Genesis 19:30 - 22:24
Tuesday, April 18             Genesis 23:1 - 24:67
Wednesday, April 19        Genesis 25:1 - 27:29
Thursday, April 20           Genesis 27:30 - 30:24
Friday, April 21                Genesis 30:25 - 31:55
Saturday, April 22            Genesis 32:1 - 34:31

Jesus and the Easter Bunny

This was too cute not to share. Apparently, I'm not the only one who's confused about how the Easter Bunny reconciles with the Resurrection. This little girl has given it a lot of thought.

Video found on youtube

Jesus has Risen

Mark 16:1-7 (NIV) Jesus Has Risen

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Flower in the Woods

Photo by Charlie Young

Good Friday - Jesus Dies

Luke 23:44-47 (NIV)
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 
for the sun stopped shining. 
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
When he had said this, he breathed his last.
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous Man.”

Good Friday - Man Saved During Crucifixion

Luke 23:39-43 (NIV)

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this Man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Good Friday - Jesus is Crucified

Luke 23:32-34 (NIV)

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with Him to be executed. 

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals—one on His right, the other on His left. 

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

And they divided up His clothes by casting lots.

This fulfilled the Prophesies of Psalm 22:18 and Isaiah 53:12

Good Friday at Daybreak

Luke 22:66-71 (NIV)
 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 
“If You are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. 
But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
They all asked, “Are You then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You say that I am.”
Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from His own lips.”

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter and commemorates The Last Supper when Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples. Before the meal, He washed the feet of His disciples to teach us humility, and that we are to serve others.

John 13:15-17 (NIV)
"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

Leonardo DaVinci "The Last Supper"

Afterwards, He broke bread and shared wine with them. This is Communion which is celebrated in churches to honor Him and what He did for us.

Luke 22:19-20 (NIV)
"And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you."

Afterward, when Jesus was praying in the garden, He was arrested.

Little Goose in the Big City

There's a new influx of residents flocking to downtown Dayton. No longer just the "in" place to live for Gen-Xers, but now some of our fine feathered friends are reversing the direction of "Urban Flight" back toward the big city.

This handsome single is perusing the town for the perfect place to roost. The suburbs were once the ultimate destination for a high-stressed just-want-to-get-away-from-it-all generation, but for this new breed of city dwellers, downtown is hip, artsy, and only for those individuals who have the discernment and character to appreciate what the city has to offer.
So, "welcome, new neighbor!"

Daily Bible Verse Luke 22:47-48, 52-54

Luke 22:47-48, 52-54 (NIV) Jesus Arrested
47-48

While He was still speaking a crowd came up, 

and the man who was called Judas, 

one of the Twelve, was leading them. 

He approached Jesus to kiss Him, 

but Jesus asked him, 

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

***

52-54

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, 

the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, 

who had come for him, 

“Am I leading a rebellion, 

that you have come with swords and clubs? 

Every day I was with you in the temple courts, 

and you did not lay a hand on me. 

But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”

Then seizing Him, they led Him away 

and took Him into the house of the high priest. 

Peter followed at a distance.

Daily Bible Verse John 12:27-33

John 12:27-33 (NIV)

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 

‘Father, save Me from this hour’? 

No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 

Father, glorify Your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, 

“I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 

The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; 

others said an angel had spoken to Him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not Mine. 

Now is the time for judgment on this world; 

now the prince of this world will be driven out. 

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, 

will draw all people to Myself.” 

He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.

Writing for Transformation

Left to Right: Omope Carter Daboiku, Grace Curtis,

Furaha Henry-Jones, Melody Moezzi

Writing for Transformation

43rd Annual Writers' Workshop

Sinclair Community College

    Today I attended this amazing workshop funded/presented by the English Department at Sinclair Community College. Furaha Henry-Jones headed the event, bringing together the awe-inspiring talent of Melody Moezzi, Author and Keynote speaker, Omope Carter Daboiku, Storyteller and Memorist, and Grace Curtis, Poet. 

     These wonderful, wonderful women have, in one short afternoon, totally changed my outlook on writing, and maybe even in how I think and look at life. They are bold, brave, courageous women who are actively living the lives they want to live. To someone like me, who has been feeling old and "stuck" in my current life lately, hearing them was like being granted permission to change my current path; they all shared a common thread of advice: "do what you want to do, be who you want to be." I needed to hear that, to be given that permission. 

     My notes look as if I attended a motivational seminar instead of a writing workshop, but I believe the two go hand in hand. Every writer, that is every person who writes (I write, therefore I am a writer!) goes through this emotional roller coaster. We can be on a writing streak, loving every word, every syllable, shedding tears of joy at the genius of our prose, and then, BOOM! BAM! ZWING! the tears become pools of self-berated despondency at the horrible, sickening, disgusting garbage we've slung at the page, daring to think of it as literature, miserable in the belief that there is no creativity, no talent; it was just wishful thinking. We decide to give-up, vow never again to touch pen to paper or keystroke to electronic-device-of-your-choosing, when KABOOM! inspiration strikes and we're back to the proverbial drawing board, hunched over like a predator over its prey, pounding away at the keys (maybe even cackling), once again rejoicing at our own self proclaimed genius, wondering how in the world could we have ever doubted our brilliant gift?

Or, at least that's what happens to me. 

   Three completely different women, and I was able to relate to each one on several levels. Their messages were:

Be authentic.

Be bold.

We are experts of our own stories, and each of us has a story to tell.

Know yourself, and know what you have to say.

Just do it. (one of my personal philosophies, see my post "Do It")

Write to heal, to purge, for the joy of it.

Don't be scared.

     Lastly, I'm going to toot my own horn for a second...after the workshops, there was an open mic session, and as emboldened as I was from the day's workshops, I bucked up, sucked it in and read a very personal poem that I had written. I have never done that before. Most of what I write, I keep to myself, so "yay, go me" :)

In Grace's workshop, we each wrote a poem about a random item. Here's mine:

Crackle, crumble, dry and square

plastic wrapped, but please beware,

if uncovered, naked, bare,

freshness wanes, but do you care?

I think "no", as my soup is cupped,

and the cracker serves to sop it up.

by Shari Young, 4/10/17

Daily Bible Verse John 12:23-26

John 12:23-26 (NIV)

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the 

Son of Man to be glorified. 

Very truly I tell you, 

unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, 

it remains only a single seed. 

But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, 

while anyone who hates their life in this world 

will keep it for eternal life. 

Whoever serves Me must follow Me; 

and where I am, 

My servant also will be. 

My Father will honor the one who serves Me.

Palm Sunday April 9 2017

Palm Sunday: Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

photo by: Nariman El-Mofty/AP

found at: NBCNews

Today, Palm Sunday is scarred by terrorism. At least 38 people have been killed in Egypt while attending church services. See the full story here. I am speechless, horrified. Please join me in prayer for the victims, their families, their country, and their killers.

Palm Sunday commemorates the celebration of Jesus' return to Jerusalem.

Each of the four Gospels tells of this event: Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-38 and 

John 12:12-16

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;

    see, your King is coming,

    seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him.

Peace be with you all. God bless.

Read the Bible in a Year Week 14

We've reached the end of the New Testament, and will be starting through the Old Testament. I think that's pretty exciting!

Week 14
Sunday, April 9               Revelation 13:11 - 18:20
Monday, April 10            Revelation 18:21 - 22:21
Tuesday, April 11            Genesis 1:1 - 3:24
Wednesday, April 12       Genesis 4:1 - 6:22
Thursday, April 13          Genesis 7:1 - 9:29
Friday, April 14               Genesis 10:1 - 12:20
Saturday, April 15           Genesis 13:1 - 16:16

Daily Bible Verse Matthew 21:1-5

Matthew 21:1-5 (NIV)

 As they approached Jerusalem and 

came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, 

Jesus sent two disciples, 

saying to them, 

“Go to the village ahead of you, 

and at once you will find a donkey tied there, 

with her colt by her. 

Untie them and bring them to me. 

If anyone says anything to you, 

say that the Lord needs them, and 

He will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

See Zechariah 9:9

Daily Bible Verse Matthew 12:38-40

Matthew 12:38-40 (NIV)

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Him, 

“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation 

asks for a sign! 

But none will be given it 

except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 

For as Jonah was three days and three nights 

in the belly of a huge fish, 

so the Son of Man will be 

three days and three nights 

in the heart of the earth.

Daily Bible Verse Matthew 17:22-23

Matthew 17:22-23 (NIV) Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

When they came together in Galilee, He said to them, 

“The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 

They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” 

And the disciples were filled with grief.

Daily Bible Verse Romans 8:1-4

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

Why Christ died for us

 Therefore, there is now no condemnation 

for those who are in Christ Jesus, 

because through Christ Jesus 

the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free 

from the law of sin and death. 

For what the law was powerless to do

because it was weakened by the flesh, 

God did by sending His own Son 

in the likeness of sinful flesh 

to be a sin offering.

And so He condemned sin in the flesh, 

in order that the righteous requirement of the law 

might be fully met in us, 

who do not live according to the flesh 

but according to the Spirit.

Daily Bible Verse Romans 6:8-10

Romans 6:8-10 (NIV)

Now if we died with Christ, 

we believe that we will also live with Him. 

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, 

He cannot die again; 

death no longer has mastery over Him. 

The death He died, 

He died to sin once for all; 

but the life He lives,

He lives to God.

Girl About Dayton on Living Dayton

Girl About Dayton will be on
Living Dayton today, Monday, April 3rd
to talk about the upcoming Dayton Crafty Con.
The show begins at noon on WDTN. Tune in!

Read the Bible in a Year Week 13

Did you know?
The Epistles are arranged from longest to shortest, so Paul's Epistle to the Romans is the longest one and the Epistle of Jude is the shortest.

Week 13
Sunday, April 2              James 2:14 - 1 Peter 1:21
Monday, April 3            1 Peter 1:22  - 2 Peter 1:4
Tuesday, April 4            2 Peter 1:5 - 1 John 2:17
Wednesday, April 5       1 John 2:18 - 2 John 11
Thursday, April 6           2 John 12 - Revelation 2:29
Friday, April 7                Revelation 3:1 - 8:7
Saturday, April 8            Revelation 8:8 - 13:10

Daily Bible Verse Romans 6:5-7

Romans 6:5-7 (NIV)

For if we have been united with Him 

in a death like His, 

we will certainly also be united with Him 

in a resurrection like His. 

For we know that our old self was 

crucified with Him 

so that the body ruled by sin 

might be done away with, 

that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 

because anyone who has died 

has been set free from sin.

Camp Nanowrimo 2017 First Day

Today is the first day of Camp Nanowrimo!
NaNoWriMo is the nickname given to National Novel Writing Month which I participated in 2011, 2015, and 2016. This is a mid-year event to help those of us who need to be held accountable in order to focus and write the novel that all of us have buried deep within. I've been working on this novel for six years and am only on Chapter 2. While that may sound pathetic, I should explain that I've written the entire thing once, and I've re-written the first Chapter (which is rather long) at least 8 times, but then I get frustrated and stuck and tell myself that it's terrible and no one will ever want to read it, and I'm not really a writer anyway,...but guess what??? It turns out that everyone who writes has those exact same self-defeating thoughts and fears! I'm not alone! Plus, I'm part of a fantastic Nanowrimo community right here in Dayton, OH. We encourage and support each other, share information. It's almost impossible to describe, but it is incredible, and I'll keep coming back for more, and who knows? Maybe in another six years I'll have finished four whole chapters of my book :D
Writing is my "thing" right now; my hobby, my passion. It's what keeps me going when everything else seems to be falling apart. It gets me out of bed in the morning, and sometimes keeps me up late at night. It keeps me sane.
Write On!!!


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