Seven Degrees of Me

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Read the Bible in a Year - Weeks 1 and 2

Read the Bible in a year with me:

Week 2

Sunday, January 8, 2017 - Read Matthew 17:1 - 19:26

Monday, January 9 Matthew 19:27 - 21:46

Tuesday, January 10 Matthew 22:1 - 23:39

Wednesday, January 11 Matthew 24:1 - 25:30

Thursday, January 12 Matthew 25:31 - 26:68

Friday, January 13 Matthew 26:69 - 28:10

Saturday, January 14 Matthew 28:11 - Mark 2:28

Week 1

Sunday, January 1, 2017 - Read Matthew 1:1 - 2:18

Monday, January 2 Matthew 2:19 - 5:37

Tuesday, January 3 Matthew 5:38 - 8:13

Wednesday, January 4 Matthew 8:14 - 11:1

Thursday, January 5 Matthew 11:2 - 12:50

Friday, January 6 Matthew 13:1 - 14:21

Saturday, January 7 Matthew 14:22 - 16:28

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Bible Verse Isaiah 40:6-8

I wanted to share these verses to emphasize that nothing in this world is certain; material things won't do you a bit of good after you die, but one thing is certain, and steadfast, and true...that is God's love for you. He is always, always there for me. He answers every single prayer. It may not be the answer I want, and it may not be within the time frame that I want it, but He always, always answers.

"...The voice said, "Cry out!"

And he said, "What shall I cry?"

All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the LORD

blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands

forever."

Isaiah 40:6-8 NKJV

John MacArthur* wrote of this:
"Isaiah elaborated on how transitory humanity is: here today, gone tomorrow. People pass away like plants under the hot breath of the withering E wind. James used this illustration to teach the folly of trusting in material wealth (James 1:10,11). Peter used it to illustrate the passing nature of everything related to humanity (1 Pet. 1:24, 25).

*MacArthur, J. (1997). The MacArthur study bible, NKJV. Thomas Nelson.
Visit Grace To You to hear sermons by John MacArthur.
(I highly recommend this bible. It has been an invaluable asset in my bible studies.)

Friday, January 6, 2017

January Blues

January blues seem to be a yearly thing for me. It's amazing how I can go from feeling energized with all of the exciting things I'm going to do in the new year, to depressed - completely depressed - within the first week. This January hasn't even been bad, weather-wise; well, today is.

Typical Ohio winter day: grey, wet, dark, cold, windy...it sucks the energy right out of me. I tend to overthink things, too, which doesn't help. It lends itself to getting overwhelmed easily, which leads to a type of psycho-paralysis (my term, not literally paralyzed) and so I just sit, and think, and worry, and stress. It becomes a vicious cycle that is difficult to break away from.

Luckily, when I decide that enough is enough, I can work out of my funk, in one of several ways:

Count my blessings. I am so grateful for everything in my life, and for my life, but sometimes, I lose sight of that, so I literally make a numbered list of everything that's going right in my life, and praise God for His grace and mercy.
Find something in my everyday life that makes me laugh. There's a man who stands out on a corner in downtown Dayton and dances for the traffic. He was even out in the rain dancing and smiling. The squirrels outside my window make me laugh...today one was running up the side of a house across the street. He ran up to the window sill, sat (and actually looked like he was peering in the window) and then climbed back down, ran over to a tree, ran up and then down, and then repeated the whole thing. Yes, I realize this makes me look terribly pathetic, sitting around watching a squirrel, but, it helped, so :-P
Call someone - on the phone - not a text, or an email, an actual, person to person interaction.
Meditate. Sometimes I just need to clear my mind of all that clutter. So, I sit quietly, close my eyes, and just focus on my breathing. More often than not, God will use that time to show me or tell me what to do.
Pray. I am sure to praise God, and thank Him for everything, first; then, I speak to Him about whatever is troubling me.
Read the Bible. All the answers are in there.
Write. I have an ongoing journal that I keep and just let it all out. I can say whatever I want; no one is going to judge me, and it really relieves a lot of anxiety. If it doesn't work, I write in my paper journal, with a pen; I think it works better than typing, but that's just me.

If you have any ways that you work through depression, feel free to share them in the comments.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Jesus Loves Me

I absolutely love this song; came across it yesterday when I was writing and wanted to share it.

This is Chris Tomlin singing "Jesus Loves Me"
(not the children's song).

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Why Christianity? Part 1

I received a writing challenge last weekend to retell a story from the Bible, in my own words, to emphasize what is important about it to me, and what I would want to tell someone else who had never heard of the Bible story. It occurred to me, that this would be a great idea for other aspects of the Bible, as well, and could also incorporate my testimony. So,...

Why Christianity?
#1 Because, Jesus loves you.
When I was a child, I went to Sunday School almost every Sunday. We would sing, "Jesus Loves Me" almost every Sunday. There was never any doubt in my mind that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. There was no reason to ever question if I had faith in Him because I just took it as fact what the Bible said, that He loved me, that He died on the cross to pay for my sins, that He promised me eternal life in Heaven, and that one day, I would be with Him, and the Father, and the Holy Spirit forever.

I feel so blessed to have been taught these basic truths, and want to share them.

Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong,

They are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died,

Heaven's gate to open wide;

He will wash away my sin,

Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! loves me still,

When I'm very weak and ill;

From His shining throne on high,

Comes to watch me where I lie.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay,

Close beside me all the way;

He's prepared a home for me,

And some day His face I'll see.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

The Bible tells me so.

Monday, January 2, 2017

Bible Verse for the New Year

Hebrews 13:8 NIV

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

*******

Read the Bible in a year with me:

Sunday, January 1, 2017 - Read Matthew 1:1 - 2:18

Monday, January 2 Matthew 2:19 - 5:37

Tuesday, January 3 Matthew 5:38 - 8:13

Wednesday, January 4 Matthew 8:14 - 11:1

Thursday, January 5 Matthew 11:2 - 12:50

Friday, January 6 Matthew 13:1 - 14:21

Saturday, January 7 Matthew 14:22 - 16:28

Annual Post

It seems my good intentions (aka "resolutions") start out pretty well with each new year, but, by the end of the year, it's all "try again after January 1st." So, now that the first of the new year has rolled around, it's time for all of my do-overs. I'll try again to do things that I deem important, but most of which are just day-fillers; things to worry about, focus my attention on.

This new year's focus, and daily focus, I want to be rooted in the bible, and I'll tell you why.

I wrote a sort of "poem" the other day, or maybe it was just a ramble, about death. Towards the end of the piece, it was clear to me that I was the "Observer." The focus of the poem was to show how dying looked to two different men. The one man, named "Hope", didn't want to die, but towards the end, he saw hope, he saw his family and friends who had passed before him, and he was at peace. The second man, named "Dread", thought he wanted to die, but when he saw the gates of hell open before him, he was terrified; he could find no friends or family because in hell, there is only isolation. I picture it as an eternal sensory deprivation chamber, but maybe that's just me. The thought of anyone I know dying in that way, and especially, spending eternity that way sickens me, especially if there were something that I could have said or done to prevent it. We're all called to be witnesses and disciples for Jesus, but I've always felt uncomfortable coming right out and saying anything for fear of offending someone, or angering someone, or being questioned and not knowing the answers. By being merely an "observer" to this life, I have no purpose. God has given me the gift* to write and create (or at the very least, the gift to believe that I have such a gift), and there's no excuse for not using that to tell what I do know. If anyone has any questions, I can find someone to give you an answer, or, surprise of surprise, I may know the answer.

So, we'll see if my newest, latest resolutions last past today. I'll post that poem tomorrow (at least, I intend to.)

Happy 2017.

*To learn about Spiritual Gifts, read 1 Corinthians Chapter 12.