It's the B I B L E, yes that's the book for me!!!

Since the day we found out we were pregnant with Joey I began to pray for her.  I pray that she will come to know Christ at an early age, that she would long to know her savior and that one day she would understand and accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us sinners in order to live with him in heaven for eternity.  When she was a baby and I was nursing her before bed, I would pray over her.  When she started eating food, we would pray with her before meals, and when she turned one, my cousin Lori and fam gave her this Bible....

We would read from it's pages to Joey when we thought about it, but weren't really dedicated to the cause.  Later that year, we were challenged by a video shown at church.  It talked about people relying on the church to provide children with the spiritual education they need and how that doesn't make sense knowing that kids attend once weekly.  From that moment on, Johnny and I decided we were going to read Joey her Bible each night among other things.

We earmarked the pages each night and continued the stories the next night.  Once we had read her Bible from cover to cover, we got out the marker and personalized her Bible a bit.

We put her name in it....

 

.....and we started taking note of how many time we have read through her Bible.

We ask Joey questions as we read like "What was that story about??  Can you point out Jesus in the picture??" and so on.  

Some nights Joey doesn't want to read her Bible, and she even says "No Jesus!".  It makes me sad when she says stuff like that, but I know she's tired and doesn't really know what she's saying.  Other nights she's like this.....

....saying stuff like "We read my Bible now?" or my favorite "One more bible story?"  And even though she does have nights where she is opposed to reading her Bible stories, we press on and read...sometimes through her talking, and fidgeting....we read.

We are so diligent with getting our daughter in the Word and it has really forced me to take a look at my own Bible reading.  

Am I in the Word everyday, even when I don't want to be, even when I'm tired, and when I have a headache, and when we have a workout to do, and all I want to do is go to bed?  

The answer is no.  

Now if you look at the picture of Joey's Bible, you can see we have read it from cover to cover 4 times, and at this moment we are almost through it again.  I can't say that I've ever done that with my own Bible.  I have sat down with lofty goals of reading my Bible cover to cover. I have started many a reading plan only to fail them all.  Something always comes up ya know??  EXCUSES are what comes up.  

I thought, why am I so diligent with Joey and how are we able to keep up the reading with her.  I decided it was because of the accountability we have with our 2 year old and the deep desire I have for her to know Jesus.  On the days I forget to read to her, she comes running with her Bible asking me to read to her, and on the days she doesn't want to read, we press on even though it's tough. Accountability is the key!

My friend Jan issued a challenge to her facebook friends.  She was starting a reading plan to read through the Bible in a year.  I looked at her challenge and ignored it at first but then I couldn't get it out of my head.  I checked out the reading plan and still decided against it.  I began thinking about the example I'm setting for our children with my Bible reading habits.  How can I expect Joey and Sammy to be in the Word if I'm not modeling that for them?  So I took the challenge.  Now if you know me, you know I don't like to loose, and if I set out to do something, I prefer to finish strong. I feel I can win with this because we have accountability with the other women in the group.  There are people looking out to see if I'm reading.  If I have questions, there is a group of women I can go to and ask anything.  I can do this, I need to do this, I have a desire to know God more, and I have a desire to show my kids what living for Christ is all about!

So long story long, I will be reading my Bible cover to cover this year.  Please ask me how it's going and ask often.  I know that even just reading God's living word will impact my life greatly and I pray it sets a good example for my girls! It's not a resolution, it's a devotion to myself and God!  Here we go!!!  Amen :]

Coming On The Clouds With Fire.....*Updated*

So as mentioned before, we are doing a study which starts this week in church on Revelation.  I am super stoked!  The imagery and truth in this book of the Bible is intriguing and powerful!  In Rev 1:7 it reads:

"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."

Today I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, and I came across some amazing pictures.......They reminded me of a song that I actually had to plug my ears and sing just so I could remember the words.  Bret walked in and caught me during this process, kinda embarrassing, but I digress.  The song is called Hosanna.  It always brings me to my feet when played at church.  When I have the privilege of singing this song for our congregation, my nerves melt away, and I loose myself in the lyrics.  The are amazing.  The first line of the song reminds me of this picture painted in Revelation 1:7...it goes like this I see the King of Glory coming on the clouds with fire. The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes.......Which leads me to the amazing photos found today.....If this isn't as close to Jesus coming on the clouds with fire without him actually coming on the clouds with fire, I don't know what is!  Feast your eyes on these beauties and enjoy!

(Found on The Pioneer Woman's Blog)

(Found on The Pioneer Woman's Blog)

(Found on The Pioneer Woman's Blog)

(Found on The Pioneer Woman's Blog)

Amazing right???  The rest of the song is just as good as the 1st few lines, so I've put the video of the song below andwritten the words out for you below....Please read these lyrics, and enjoy, it is truly one of my favorite songs!

I see the King of Glory, coming on the clouds with fire

The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes.

I see His love and mercy washing over all our sin.

The people sing, the people sing

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation rising up to take their place

With selfless faith, with selfless faith.

I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek

We're on our knees, we're on our knees

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for your Kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest

Man, those last few verses are another blog in and of themselves with what's going on in Haiti, and all over our world.  We are so blesses to live in a place where devastation isn't lurking at our doorstep at all times!

The End is Coming......

We are about to start a series at church called "The Apocalypse". It's a study on the entire book of Revelation and I am so completely stoked I can't even contain it! Jan has been planing the music/drama/video clips and such for this series along with help from many others. Here's Jan's most recent entry
from her blog (hope you don't mind me using this Jan :) that got me even more excited about this upcoming series...It's thought provoking and gives great insight on what we can expect over the 10 week series.....

We (McKinney Fellowship) are getting ready to begin a series called The Apocalypse which is a study of the entire book of Revelation. So, I am waist deep in planning services for that series. What a book to foster creative ideas for services!! I am loving it. (If you are a McFBC'r, just a heads up... You won't want to miss any of the 10 weeks! You never know what you're gonna get.)

Today I am working on the service for Revelation 4 & 5, which is the description of the Throne room in heaven and the worship that goes on there. What a scene that is. The colors, the sounds, the creatures, the worship. AMAZING! Here is an excerpt.


Rev. 4:2-8
2At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!


If you have never read the rest of those 2 chapters, I encourage you to do so. I really never tire of reading them over and over. It gives me such hope for what is to come.

As I was reading and looking for music written from the verses in these chapters it occurred to me afresh that this is not a scene that was made up by John or something that will take place in the future. It is happening right now. 24/7/365 All the time these creatures with wings and eyes all over themselves and the elders with their crowns and the thunder and lightening and sea of glass making all of this envelop those in it... it is happening right now, as you are reading this and will continue to repeat itself after you finish. Over and over and over and over into infinity.

The are songs that we sing in church on occasion that are written from the words found here. Agnus Dei, Revelation Song, Holy Holy Holy, and several more. All of these songs always seem to "just work" when we sing them. People engage, they worship. Why is that? What is it about these songs that enable people to worship more fully than with some other songs? Want my theory? (Sorry if you said "no", it's my blog - you're going to get it anyway.) I believe they work because we are joining with heaven in worship of the Holy God that is already going on, has always gone on and will always go on . For just a moment in time, it is on earth as it is in heaven. What a thought that is. I almost can't wrap my mind around it.

I so long for the day I can be in that place forever. Worshipping with every ounce of all I am . So for now, I settle for getting as close to that as I can as often as I can for as long as I can. How about you? When is the last time you entered in to the throne room and spent so time casting your crowns down and worshipping your maker? Join me - won't you? Click here, close you eyes and just worship!

I mean are you kidding me, I am so excited I kinda want to pee a little....that's right folks, I said pee a little! Check out this video teaser of the series and let me know if you want any info on it, it's gonna rock!!!