Sports

Project 365: 207 - My Background, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Now that is a serious motorcycle.

This is amazing.


Guy Walks Across America

On Sunday those of us who participated int he New Testament Challenge finished reading the New Testament--in 63 days!  That's quite an accomplishment, but as my good friend, Mark Geppert, always says, "It isn't how many times you've been through the Bible, but how many times the Bible has been through you that counts!"  His meaning is clear: APPLYING God's word is the key.  In order to apply God's word, though, we do have to have it in our minds and hearts.  That's why I want to encourage you to KEEP READING God's word.  On Sunday, I offered a few ways to do that, and I want to post them here in case you didn't make it to worship at New Life.

1. Do the New Testament Challenge again.  Just go back through the previous 63 blog posts and get the readings for each day, and read them again.  After all repetition is the mother of learning!
2. Read a chapter of Proverbs each day of the month. Proverbs has 31 chapters and most months have 31 days, so just read the chapter that corresponds with the day of the month. (Since a new month starts on Thursday, it would be a great time to start reading through Proverbs.) When you get to day 30 (or 28 for February) in the months that don't have 31 days, just read to the end of the book.  Then start over on the 1st with chapter 1.  If you'll do this for a couple of years, you'll gain wisdom from the wisest man who ever lived and have it available for your daily life!
3. If poetry, music and prayer appeal to you, consider using the "formula" in #2, and start reading 5 Psalms each day of the month.  Since there are 150 Psalms, if you'll read 5 a day, you'll read through the Psalms each month AND you'll be exposing yourself to some of the most powerful prayers ever written!
4. The Gospel of Mark has 16 chapters. If you'll start reading chapter 1 on the first day of the month and then read a chapter a day through the month, you'll read through Mark twice a month (again you'll have to read a couple extra chapters on the last day of the month).  As you read through Mark a couple times a month for the next six or eight months, you'll find that the main events in Jesus life, ministry, death and resurrection become fixed in your memory, which is extremely helpful as we seek to live in Jesus every day!
5. Many standardized "through the Bible" reading plans are available on the internet, in the front of many Bibles, and there are actually through the Bible in a year Bibles for purchase. 

The KEY is to READ God's word and then APPLY it in our lives!  Congratulations to those of you who completed the New Testament Challenge---NOW keep on reading and applying God's word--or as King David put it "Hiding God's Word in your heart"--so those who may never have taken the time to read it, will experience it through You.  After we've been through the Bible, the challenge and opportunity is to have the Bible go through us, to God's glory and praise!

Sunday, March 28, 2010 Reading for the Day Revelation 20-22 Focus on Revelation 21:5

In the final two chapters of the Book of Revelation we find ourselves in heaven.  One of the most powerful statements in these chapters is:  I am making all things new!  Jesus told us that in order for us to go to heaven we must be born again.  Here at the end of the New Testament we find that God has finally established those who will reign with Him forever!  In order for that to be the case, each of us must be made new.  Yes, we have been born again and have inherited eternal life, if we have trusted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  Yet, as we die to this life, or as Jesus returns and we are received into heaven, the reality is we and every other thing that will remain is made NEW, by God in that moment.  This is what we wait for all our lives after Jesus becomes Lord of our lives!  This is what separates our faith in Jesus from all the other religions of the world.  We aren’t going to be recycled through thousands of incarnations here on the earth.  We live once, and then we die once.  Then all of us who trust Jesus will be raised to new life to live with Him forever.  We’ve read about it since we picked up the New Testament and started working our way through the gospels. Now, we read about it again as we come to the close of the New Testament.  That’s because eternity IS a reality, and living in eternity with Jesus is our end experience as human beings who have trusted in Him.  Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus, Our Lord!  Amen.

Congratulations to all of you who have stayed with the New Testament Challenge through today and who have read the entire New Testament in 63 days!  Now, as you look forward to tomorrow here are a few suggestions of what to do next to continue growing in God’s word:

1)   Go back to the beginning of the New Testament and read it again.  After all, repetition, is the mother of learning!

2)   Go to Genesis and start reading the Old Testament.  If you continue to read at your same pace of 20-30 minutes each day, you will complete the Old Testament in about four months!  (A big suggestion here:  When you come to portions of the Old Testament that seem boring to you—SKIP over them and go on to the next section of interest.  Some portions of the Old Testament are rather draw on a first reading (and a second or third for that matter!), so don’t let that you sidetrack from reading all the great passages found in it.

3)   Consider a repetitive reading program such as the one that follows to deepen your understanding a certain Scriptures.  For example, read one chapter of Proverbs each day and one chapter of the Gospel of Mark each day.  If you do that you will read through Proverbs one time each month (It has thirty-one chapters), so if you read a chapter a day, you’ll read through it each month.  In addition read one chapter in the Gospel of Mark each day.  Mark has sixteen chapters, so if you read one a day and then double up on the last day or two of the month depending on whether it is a 30, 31, or 28 day month, and you’ll read through Mark’s Gospel twice each month.  Some also like to read 5 Psalms each day, since there are 150 Psalms, and by reading five each day you will cover the entire book each month.  This repetitive reading helps a person grow deeper in his or her faith, and also to gain some mastery of specific Bible texts.  

Whatever you choose—KEEP READING!  Keep filling your mind and heart with God’s word, and pray for Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit that you’ll understand it and apply it in your life.  As you do that you will grow more and more into the full stature of Jesus!

Heavenly Father, I thank You for every person who has taken the New Testament Challenge and finished the readings!  Fill each of us with Your Holy Spirit that we may continue to learn and live Your word, and bring Your love and salvation to the world.  This we pray in Jesus’ name.

Flickr does not like my panoramic shots sent from my phone.
It scales them back to the size of thumbnail. Yuck.
So I had to edit my Project 365: 204 - Gone Camping
and
Our view while drinking coffee on the dock. Relaxing.

Project 365: 206 - Winds Brewing, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

One of the storms as it brewed up some wicked winds from this past weekend.

This weekend the San Diego Comic Con took place. I did not attend, but one of the panels that literally caught my eye was for the Green Lantern movie. Ryan Reynolds, who played Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, will play the Green Lantern. Blake Lively co-stars, and she received a lot of attention due to her low cut blouse. Wow! I can not wait for the movie.

Project 365: 205 - Sun vs. Storms, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

This a cool background of the sun and a severe storm competing in the sky. These storms we have seen this weekend have definitely been the most severe that we have ever endured in our camper. It has survived but our Steelers canopy did not. It collapsed from heavy, heavy rainfall. But no one was injured and nothing else was damaged. We had good times with some great people.

Our view while drinking coffee on the dock. Relaxing., originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Gone camping again. This time at Guilford Lake in Ohio. It's HOT!

This is the view from the back of our camp site.

Project 365: 203 - After (Haircut), originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Project 365: 202 - Before (Haircut), originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Wordless Wednesday - Video, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

WordlessWednesday

Project 365: 201 - Bee, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Buzz....

Project 365: -200, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Yesterday, my Dad came over and cut my grass while I did the trimming. As we finished we sat on the porch consuming a beverage (beer), because it was five o'clock somewhere.....

As we sat there there, two hawks were dueling in mid air, real close to our house and garage. I grabbed a camera in hopes to catch some of these mid air acrobatics. Of course as soon as the camera was handy, they moved their air show else where, I could still here them, but they were no where in sight. Later as I was working in the garage, I heard a call that sounded very close, aha, one had landed on our roof. He sat there for quite a while. Pretty amazing!!!!

Bethany in a hat., originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Another one that makes me smile!!!

april16, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

I imported some images from an old online account to my current flickr account. This is one that makes me smile!

Project 365: 199 - Rays, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

I snapped this shot with my phone as we arrived home from Pizza Hut for dinner.

This a deer the girls have named lucky. She has what looks like scar tissue over her left shoulder. It kind of flaps all over as she runs. She visits our property most evening and mornings. You know we are not a hunting family when we name the wildlife on our property...
0718000840.jpg, originally uploaded by ninelives.1972.

Friday, March 26, 2010 Reading for the Day Revelation 13-16 Focus on “The Beast”

So much ink has been spilled down through the ages about who or what the “Beast” may be.  Those who take a “preterist” view of Revelation, meaning they think it was written primarily for the first century audience to whom it was written, believe the Beast was Rome and that the antichrist was either the Emperor Nero or Domitian.  Those who take the view that Revelation was written for a later era have seen many Beasts and many antichrists.  The reality is we don’t know whether John’s words were intended for his day or ours or both.  I believe it was written as ALL of Scripture was written—for the time it was written and for all other eras of history.  After all, God’s truth is ALWAYS true in every era.  The problem with identifying any particular person as the antichrist is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the person who makes the prediction.  The person then tries to identify other people, places and events as fitting into the scheme from Revelation 12 and following.  Using that process has made a lot of people “non-prophets” throughout history, because they have been wrong.  What all of us can learn from these chapters is that at the end of time evil will seem to prevail.  Anytime evil “seems” to prevail we can be sure that the appearance is deceiving because God has never lost control of the universe He created.  At times evil DOES win a battle, but the war is ours.  We need to remember that Revelation doesn’t end with the Beast on the throne. It ends with GOD on the throne!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your written word.  Thank You for making it clear that while evil wins a fight or a battle, You are ultimately in control.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit that I may honor You when evil comes my way, and that I may win the ultimate victory as well.  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.