I Finished the Bible!

After two years of what was supposed to be a one year reading plan, I finally finished reading the Bible.

Due to me cracking down and not allowing myself to read anything else for a little while as I finished, I am sorry that I didn't do my monthly Reading Link-Up for March! It will be back for April. :) 

Y'all, I can't encourage you enough to read the whole Bible. I don't know why I waited 23 years to read it all the way through. I had read a huge percentage of it throughout my life, but never purposefully read all of it until now. (I had started a few times without finishing.)

It was eye opening. Convicting. Encouraging. Life-giving. Exhilarating. Arduous at times, I'm not gonna lie. I especially struggled with Ezekiel for some reason. But EVERY book in it is amazing, especially how it all flows together and points to Jesus. At times I would feel so humbled and grateful not only to be reading it, but to know how many copies and different versions I have of the Bible not even just in my home, but on my phone as well. I have the WORD of GOD at my fingertips constantly! It's mind boggling, really.

Here's one of my favorite spots in our house -- our reading nook in the office. 

This is a chair and ottoman that my parents got when we moved to their current house in 2002 I think. They recently updated their living room furniture and we were grateful to receive the comfy, blue chair! I've already spent so much time there, especially in the early morning light. It honestly helped with my Bible reading routine, knowing exactly when, where, and how I would be reading it. 

Another thing that helped tremendously was the app that I used: the YouVersion Bible app. There are many different plans to choose from with shorter or longer time goals, and also choices of what you actually want to read each day as you go through it. I chose to do the Old Testament and New Testament at the same time every day, so I had a few OT chapters and usually one NT chapter daily. I really liked it that way for my first time. 

I was so happy to see that completed plan! Each day it told me what percentage I had completed and how many days I had left which was quite motivating. I loved checking off each day. :) When I did get behind, I could tell it to "catch me up" and it would bring it up to date for me. (I obviously had to do that a few times!)

I think the next time I read it all the way through I will do it chronologically, but we'll see. For now I'll be focusing in on some specific books and passages, and also doing a few Bible studies that I'll fill you in on. :) 

The Lord has taught me SO much through this time of reading His Word. After I finished, I had a twinge of sadness not unlike when I finish a compelling fiction series. But I quickly realized that I have no reason to feel that way, because God's Word is living and active and will teach me even more the next time I read it! And the next. And the next. You get the idea!

How about you? Have you read through the Bible? And what way worked for you? 

Respecting my Husband: His Spiritual Leadership

I'm doing a 31 day series about Respecting my Husband! To read about why I should respect him and go to a list of all 31 days, please visit my 31 Days of Respecting my Husband post.

Day 10: Respecting His Spiritual Leadership

I could do a whole series or write a book on this topic alone (kinda like the sex one). But I'll try to keep it short. :) 

My husband is my leader. (Eph. 5:22-24). This includes spiritual leadership. I think this can be hard for wives because we tend to have the desire to control things. It's one of those things that God is constantly teaching us about. But to respect Jordan's leadership I need to let him take the reigns. 

One huge way to do this is to just simply encourage him in it. Instead of forcing him to do something or nagging him about it, I can make statements like, "I love it when you pray with me. Hearing you pray for us really gives me strength. I'd love if we could do it more!"

Another way is to ask him questions about the Bible or what I'm currently studying. I always have a ton of questions, and yes I can look up commentaries or dig deeper into my study Bible, but I really love asking Jordan my questions. He usually points me in a new direction or brings out something I would have never noticed myself. Just the experience of talking about God's Word and spiritual things regularly is a great way to respect him as a spiritual leader. It lets him know that I value his opinion and knowledge and want to learn from him. We can always learn from each other.

One thing I need to be asking him is how I can help him spiritually. I admit that I definitely don't do a good job with this; I ask him how I can pray for him but most of the time I don't go deeper than that. I am his helpmate (Gen. 2:18), which means I am to be his helper in everything. He might need me to encourage him to read his Bible, or help him set apart time to start a new Bible study, or pray with him. 

Of course, it is always a wonderful idea to pray for my husband! Even if he hasn't given me something specific to pray about, I can be praying for all kinds of things for him. One book that has helped me pray for him since we first got married is The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional by Stormie Omartian. It's not to be used as my only time of prayer for Jordan, but the different topics get my mind going with how to pray for him. 

Like I said, I could go on and on but I'll stop there for now in this series. I'm sure I'll come back to this topic later on the blog. :) 

Respecting my Husband: His Desire for Me (Sex)

I'm doing a 31 day series about Respecting my Husband! To read about why I should respect him and go to a list of all 31 days, please visit my 31 Days of Respecting my Husband post.

Day 7: Respecting His Desire for Me (Sex)

God wants me and my husband to have sex. 

He created it. It's a gift for us. Do you want to see where He talks about it in the Bible?

"The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control." - 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 (NLT)

"Drink water from your own well - share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love." - Proverbs 5:15-19

And there's more than that, but that's a good place to park for today. Did you notice some of the commands in those verses?

• Do not deprive each other of sexual relations.
• Share your love with your spouse.
• Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
• Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
• Let her breasts satisfy you always.

Woahhh, God. Getting kinda specific there, aren't we? A little TMI? 

I don't think so. I am so grateful for these words and that He's clear about this.

I repeat, God wants me and my husband to have sex.

Sex is an amazing thing. It is a time of intimacy like no other. It's honestly one of the top ways I can show love and respect to my husband. I could go on and on about this, and maybe someday I'll do a whole series specifically on sex, but I'll try to keep it short for today.

I am honored (and flattered, really) that Jordan desires me. Do I want to be that "fountain of blessing" for him? Do I want him to be "captivated by [my] love"? YES YES YES and yes. Of course. There are many ways that I can do that - by serving him, complimenting him, supporting him. But a huge way I can do that is to have sex with him. OFTEN. The amount is different for everyone, but going back to Scripture, it should be whenever it's desired, really. 

And I don't mean sex that seems like service only. I think a lot of the time when authors approach this subject (especially in Christian spheres) they focus on the man's need. And while yes, that is true, for a wife that just sounds kinda weird. Like another thing on a list. He needs dinner, toilet paper, his underwear washed, and sex. Hmm. How about let's look at it in a more positive way? Although it may be a need, it's more than that - it's a DESIRE. It's a fountain of blessing. It's captivating! Take absolute pleasure in it. 

Wanting to have sex with my husband, taking pleasure in it, is a huge compliment to him. Especially when I let him know that I want him through my words, body language, and actions. Sex isn't something to just do quickly before we go to bed. We can talk about it. We can be spontaneous or we can look forward to it. We can take pleasure in it at any time of day. I can initiate it. He can. We can mix it up. It's awesome! 

And yes, there are times when I'm tired. Or when I'm mentally distracted. (I'm sure this happens a million times more when kids are in the picture.) But does that mean I should deprive him of it during those times? The Bible says no. Unless we have set apart a time for focusing on prayer/fasting to abstain from sex, we should be doing it. And you know what? When I do it in spite of being distracted or tired, I don't regret it. Not one bit. It actually improves my mood, brings me closer to my husband, and helps relax me. Now if I'm sick/feeling horrible or he is, then obviously we need to be loving and compassionate enough to want to take care of each other rather than say "Hey, babe, are we setting apart time for prayer? Because if not, you should have sex with me."

That's because this whole sex thing - It's not about me. It's about loving, respecting, serving, and pleasing my husband. Putting him before myself. Like every part of marriage. The fact that it's amazing for me too is just a wonderful benefit. :) (Thank You, God!) And when we are both focused on pleasing the other person...well let's just say that makes it even more incredible. 

See you tomorrow for Day 8 - Respecting my Husband: His Kingdom (Home).

Feeling Inadequate.

I'm leading a small women's retreat this weekend. 
It feels weird to even type that out. My friend Brittany (who played basketball for me and was my assistant coach with JV) is a senior at NC State University and president of the Christian sorority there. They have a retreat for their executive board at the beginning of each school year right before they welcome their new members.
Brittany asked me to lead it and my first thought was - wait, how old am I? She's 21...am I not just 22 still? No? 25? Really? Well then.
(I'm stuck at 22 in my head. I don't know when that feeling will go away. I'll keep you posted.)
My second thought was yay! Another awesome opportunity! Thank You, Lord! So I responded with a "yes!" after I talked to Jordan of course and received his encouragement.
Then came my third thought....what in the WORLD am I doing? And I had a mental panic attack. A huge sense of inadequacy. I tried to think of all the reasons I'm qualified to do this: I just worked at camps with girls that age, I've led multiple Bible studies, it's not that big of a group, I help Jordan lead our youth group, I've coached girls for years, blah blah blah. Didn't help.
Because guess what? None of that matters! 
I'm feeling inadequate because I AM inadequate.
The awesome thing is that I serve a Savior who is absolutely, completely beyond adequate. I will never be fully prepared or feel "worthy" to teach His Word to others. I fail Him daily. But He showers me with grace! 
I claim this amazing passage of Scripture:
 "9 And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
You know how people always say, "God will never give you more than you can handle." 
That statement is misleading and NOT accurate. It is commonly taken from 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises us we will not be tempted beyond what we are able to withstand - there is always a way of escape from temptation.
God will and has absolutely given me more than I can handle many, many times. 
Things that have brought me to my knees or even to my face on the ground crying with no words. No way to humanly express the hurt, the pain, the frustration other than just repeating over and over, "I can't. I just can't."
Because I truly can't handle it as a broken, sinful human. But...JESUS can. The HOLY SPIRIT can. 
God will never give me more than HE can handle.
God will never assign me a task that He won't equip me to do for His glory. Through His strength. Since I have been redeemed and have surrendered my life to Christ, I have the power of the Holy Spirit in me! Ahhh! That brokenness and sinfulness has been replaced with Jesus' power and righteousness.
Just thinking about that makes me want to jump for joy! I have seen it proven over and over. So that's the promise I rest in every day. He must increase, I must decrease. (John 3:30)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13 (I bet you've heard that one before.)
I still struggle with inadequacy (obviously) but that's the wonderful thing about having a relationship with God. I can read His Word and be reminded of His promises to me. I can pour my heart out to Him and be comforted, knowing I have the peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) I can talk to other older, wiser believers about it. I can look at godly examples and see that they struggle with the same thing and look to Jesus as their strength.
I love how Beth Moore literally gets on her knees and prays, giving her sessions to the Lord right before she speaks. You better believe that's what I'll be doing this weekend!

*Disclaimer - that is a cardboard cutout of Beth Moore. At her conference. Haha.*

A Fresh Start.

Thanks for your words of encouragement on my last post about being in a rut.
I'm always going to have my ups and downs in my walk with the Lord and other areas of life as well. (Otherwise it wouldn't be life on earth, right?) It's an excellent reminder that I can't do it on my own strength - I need HIS power. Including how He works through people like my husband, family, friends, and people like YOU. :)
I started the James Bible study by Beth Moore a few weeks ago, but I'm just now really getting into it. It's been a huge help to me to dive deep into a specific study in addition to my daily Bible reading. Not that reading the Bible isn't enough - it definitely is - but this kinda gives me the kick that I need.

Jordan and I also joined a new gym! Since we moved, my membership at Planet Fitness has NOT been convenient. The closest one was 17 minutes away. Not a good motivator to go. 
Jordan has been working out at a boxing gym for a year, but since his year is over we decided to join the same gym near our house together. 
And let me just tell you that I am SORE from working out three days in a row. I know that's not a lot but I had only been doing one or two times a week which wasn't cutting it for me. Yeah, I have a job that keeps me on my feet and up and about all day, but I need to SWEAT at least 4 or 5 times a week. I really want to work out 6 times a week like I used to, so that's the goal. 
Whether it's a Zumba class or elliptical and weight training at the gym, or a "Rockin' Body" video by Shaun T here at my house, I want it to kick my butt into shape.
So those are a couple of boosts for me to get out of my rut. So far, so good. But ask me again tomorrow when I'm dying from doing "Booty Time" tonight....(that's a Shaun T video, I'm not giving you TMI don't worry.)
Hope everyone else is having a good week so far!

I'm obsessed with Podcasts.

Something I've been trying to focus on lately is trying to fill my time with things that are profitable to me spiritually during times that I normally don't.
I don't know if that made sense. Times such as getting ready in the morning or cleaning...but mostly when I'm in the car. I don't have a really long commute, but it is 25 minutes each way which adds up. 
I've never enjoyed listening to anyone talk until I started having a daily commute. So then I started listening to the radio....and most of it is trash. If not trash, then just meaningless chatter. And I don't want to listen to depressing news or political banter.
I started listening to my Bible reading in the morning since I had some catching up to do, but that just wasn't working. I like to actually READ the Bible - reread verses, make highlights, mull over it, etc.
So I then turned to Podcasts. So far it's been all David Platt for me. And it's been OH SO GOOD. I'm borderline obsessed.
If I'm even in the car for 5 minutes I'll turn one on. And then I don't want to stop. It's like I've all the sudden become some sermon junkie. But it seriously helps my mind and heart so much! I find myself thinking about it all throughout the day.
Being a Christ follower is such a daily commitment. If I go a few days without reading His Word or talking to Him, it makes SUCH a negative difference in me. 
Kinda sounds like marriage, huh? But I'll save that for another day... :)

Take heart!

I thought I would have a little more time for blogging lately. I unfortunately was wrong. Maybe this weekend after we take our youth group to the youth rally things will be a tiny bit less busy.

Usually I'm an extremely upbeat, optimistic, bubbly person. But lately it's just been rough. I'm exhausted and have honestly been a little down. Yes, I'm SO BLESSED beyond measure and I'm involved in a lot of great things. I'm thankful for my job and all of my activities. I guess I'm just a little weary lately. 

And you know what? Being weary of this world and all that it throws at me and requires of me is not a bad thing necessarily. It makes me rely on Christ's strength and not my own. It makes me realize that this is not my home - my home is an eternal one in heaven. (Philippians 3:20-21)

It makes me rest in a promise like this one, which I have displayed to constantly remind me at home.

I pray that you can rest in this promise today too. No matter what our battles here on this earth are, we already have the victory in Christ.

I DON'T want to do this - but it's worth it.

The other day I started writing a post asking advice for how to adjust to working full-time and not taking away from my time with God.
Not that my whole day isn't God's - it is. I just know that to be able to truly focus on Him throughout my day, I have to surrender it to Him in the morning. For me it HAS to be in the morning. If I spend time in the Word and in prayer in the morning it changes my whole day for the better because it affects my mindset.
So then after thinking about this, and starting to write about it, I realized exactly what I needed to do.
And I didn't want to do it.
But I have to do it.
Or else my relationship with God and the daily surrendering to Him will suffer. And that can't happen.
I have to wake up super early.

from designzzz.com

Ugh. Ask my husband and he will tell you in 2 seconds that I am NOT a morning person. In the least. I've been known to say all kinds of crazy things when his alarm has gone off only to fall right back asleep and never remember it. I've had full phone conversations with my mother and gone back to sleep and never knew they happened.
One time Jordan's alarm was going off and apparently I sat up in bed and yelled, "Seriously?!" and slammed my fists down on the bed and flopped over and went back to sleep. Or so he tells me.
So this is no easy feat for me. But it is worth it. I mean my relationship with God is the MOST important thing in my life. So having a specific, set-apart time in His Word and in prayer is imperative.
Yes, I can be in prayer throughout the day. And yes, I have a devotion time with Jordan at night. But I can't cut this precious time out. No way.
So I will rise early and I will praise the Lord for making a new day and that His mercies are new every morning! Because I am so BLESSED and most of all I am thankful for how he has REDEEMED me! 
(And Jordan will hold me accountable. Haha.)
So how do you make sure you have enough set-apart time for the Lord in your busy day? I'd love to hear about it!

Oh, how I need You, Lord.

Please listen to this song.
I was introduced to it about a year and a half ago when my husband (then boyfriend) sang it at church and I could not hold back the tears. I never can. When I cannot put into words what I need to say to the Lord, this song always comes to mind.
Oh, how I need Him. Oh, how I love Him. Oh, how I want to love Him more.
His strength is made perfect in weakness, and my heart rests in His grace.

The Swift - I Need You

My heart is restless in me
My wings are all worn out
I'm walking in the wilderness
And I cannot get out
I need You, Oh, I need You
Blessed Savior come
I need You, Oh, I need You
Fill the every longing in my soul

CHORUS
Oh, how I need You, Lord
I need Your perfect Word
With tearful eyes to see 
The sin that I afford
I need to weep and pray
For all the thousand ways
That I have failed You just today

My bed is soaked with sadness
My sadness has no end
A downward spiral of despair
That I keep falling in
I need You, Oh, I need You
To You my soul shall fly
I need You, Oh, I need You
Yaweh, how I love You more than life

CHORUS

Your silence is like death to me
So won't You hear my desperate plea

Today my soul is soaring
Way over mountains high
Though I can see the valleys
They're all just passing by
It's not that I am stronger
Look at my feeble wings
But I've been lifted higher
Yaweh's lifted me in His own strength

Oh, how I love You, Lord
I love Your perfect Word
With tearful eyes to see 
The God who always will endure
Now I will celebrate
For all the thousand ways
That You have shown me grace
And made my heart in grace to stay
You've made my heart in grace to stay
Lord, make my heart in grace to stay

I need You, Oh, I need You

encouraging strangers in Starbucks.

So I'm sitting in Starbucks. (No - not for coffee. You know I don't like coffee. But I sure do love hot chocolate.)

from thenextweb.com

The girl beside me is reading her Bible. She's been reading it for a good 20 minutes now. Very cool.
So the baristo (Is that what you say when it's a guy? I don't know but he's a guy working at Starbucks so yeah) leans over the counter and tries to get her attention. She doesn't hear him so I tell her that he wants to tell her something.
When she looks up he says,"It's such an encouragement for me to see you reading the Word. Thank you for doing that. That's awesome."
She smiles and says thanks and then thanks me for getting her attention.
Um...holy upliftnedness. 
Basically this is what happened:
Girl reading Bible --> Guy encouraged --> Tells her --> Girl encouraged --> I witness all this --> I'm encouraged.
Why don't we do this more?? It literally took 5 seconds for all three of us to be encouraged. We are strangers. But it doesn't matter. We are brothers and sisters in Christ!
It's little moments like that when I think to myself, "Wow, I love being a part of the body of Christ."
So this is what I learned tonight at Starbucks:
1. Reading God's Word is amazing and ALWAYS worth my time. It can encourage others too.2. When I see other people in the Word, or helping others, or anything positive really - why not tell them thank you? Why not mention that they inspire me? I talk about negative stuff way too much - I should be focused on encouraging others!3. The first step of encouragement is being observant. When I'm in my selfish little bubble and oblivious to the world around me, I'm not gonna be very uplifting.4. Life is way too short to not be kind to people. Really, genuinely kind - overflowing with the love of Christ. No matter where I am. Or if I'm in a hurry or stressed out or worried or anything else that could hinder me. 
Praise the Lord for the encouragement of strangers!
Have you been uplifted by a stranger recently?