New beginnings

 

Happy New Year! 

So I was going to make this month’s blog a video blog , but I didn’t like the way I looked. I  kept having to start over again and I’m really a writer anyway so there then.   (I do have pics and a short video though) This got me thinking how most of us don’t like looking at ourselves in mirror or how we look on video.  I think some of us had to just get over this in this day and age  of zoom video and conference calls.  But seriously I’m not one to take selfies.  However, we really can not avoid looking in the mirror before leaving the house or just starting our day.  We need to.  I mean, how would we know how to fix ourselves or comb our hair or had something on our teeth.  And it wouldn’t make sense to just look in the mirror , see something wrong and not do anything about it.  

James 1:23-25 says For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 

And so began my 2021, spending some time taking a look into the mirror and reflecting.

I started this year with a 21 day prayer and fasting.  I fasted from social media. This enabled me to turn off the worldly voices and  really spend some time with our God in the Bible and listening to his voice.   It allowed me to take the time to  reflect and take a look in the mirror. And I’m going away with some changes.  Its time to change things up in my bible reading or study and devotional time.   And another big change I’ll share with you at then end of this blog. 

What did  I learned in my 21 days of prayer and fasting?  During this time, I was very excited to put into practice this new method of Bible studying, that I read about in Jen Wilken’s book, Women of the Word.  But before I get into that, I thought I’d share a little background, an origin story if you will. Don’t you just love superhero origin stories? 

Anyway, 

I grew up in a church that didn’t really teach me to read the Bible.  Once a week, I would hear the scripture read aloud during service and that would be my only time I really heard the Bible. 

Other wise, I would get the rest of my ‘bible exposure’ . From teachers, text books, and sermons.  So basically Other people telling me what the Bible said or was supposed to say.  Even in high school, I went to private school, we had ‘religion; classes, learned the Bible but never really taught to read the Bible.  Then I remember one teacher telling us in class after someone brought up the question about how do we know if how do we know if what we were learning is really true or right. To which she replied because this is the one true religion and that was that.  It was as if we were told, this is what you’re supposed to believe and just shut up about it.  Don’t ask anymore questions. Then there was college, where I was exposed to many different religions and belief systems. So I thought, well what makes one religion superior over the other, or one correct one and the rest false.  Doesn’t God love everyone anyway? 

Then I remember someone telling me that the traditions and beliefs I grew up with weren’t biblical at all and therefore not really necessary , not true , false even.  I felt a little attacked by this , but mostly confused.  So everything, I was taught growing up was false?  Well not exactly as I would come to learn later. 

This was really confusing times for me.   I didn’t  know it at the time but I had a spiritual hunger starting to brew.   There was only one thing to do, to read the Bible for MY self.   I wanted to read the Bible myself to come up with my own interpretation for myself without anyone else telling me their interpretation.  I wanted answers!  I want the truth!  (Tom Cruise impression from A Few Good Men) Oh, but would I be able to handle the truth?  

This next picture is the first bible I bought myself and you can see how my resolution is evident in the dedication page. 

By this time, I was in medical school.  And wouldn’t you know it, there was a group of med students who met once a week for bible study.  So naturally in my quest for the truth, I would join.  But you see, God was already working behind the scenes because it was here where I would make connections which eventually led to an invitation to church which led to the moment I stood up in that church and accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.  So did I immediately get answers? Not really. But  a relationship was established.  And this marked the beginning  of a wonderful and beautiful relationship that gave me a heart to want to learn more about my creator. My motivation changed from just seeking answers to wanting to seek more from this new relationship.  So I started to read the Bible with fervor. That was 20 years ago and I’m still reading it now. 

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.   -Psalm 119:11

This was my first memory verse.  I just recently journaled this into bible. The anatomical heart is significant since I  memorized this verse while I was attending medical school.   I never lose marvel at God’s design in the human body.  So as you see by this pretty picture, last year I stumbled upon a new passion for bible journaling-that is drawing relevant pretty pictures directly into your bible. From this I stumbled upon christian bullet journaling and from that I learned about this new book. Yes, Pinterest can be a slippery slope, but I believe in this case God used it for good.  I loved bible journaling but I wanted to go deeper into the Word in an actual study.  I wanted it to mean more than just a pretty picture. 

The year is 2021, and the word our church received was follow. Well I thought it was initially follow but now it changed to Forward. No matter, I’m going with follow because it works here.  

Then the word, I received was ‘Jesus’.  I know, obvious right? but it works. 

And this is what I have for my Journal title page. 

So this year I wanted to change things up in my bible reading.  For years, I’ve been doing the ‘Bible in a year’ reading plans, which is absolutely  fine for some people. 

However, I  often found myself getting tired by the time I got to the New Testament.  This year I wanted to focus on quality and getting more out of my Bible reading time, not just checking it off my to do list. 

Then I came across this new method in Jen Wilken’s book.

 

First she talks about common pitfall we tend to fall into when reading the Bible.  We must remember the Bible is a book about God.  Sounds pretty obvious right?  Yet she points out that we tend to make it a book about us, always searching for what we can out of it, a particular answer or looking for a solution to a personal problem.   I was guilty of this when I started out, young in my faith and confess was still doing this.  looking for the answer, searching for truth, right and wrong.  

She also notes that bible study should be an investment rather than an ATM machine. 

With information at our finger tips, its easy to get trapped into the ATM method of just reading a verse, or devotional then coming away with a warm fuzzy feeling and you’re done for the day. However, with this method, you really get into the background and wrestle with the word. The Bible is meant to be studied with an inquisitive mind. The most important skill is learning to interpret first before reaching for commentaries or other study guides.  This allows you to really wrestle with the word and wait to hear from God Himself.  

The following pics are just some materials I invested to aide in my study.  

She also recommends getting a double spaced copy of the Bible passage you’re studying so you can write freely on the pages, questions, highlighting words I didn’t know etc. 

 Since I live in house with 3 students who are constantly using the computer and printer, I was afraid I’d run out of printer ink fast so I took the liberty of buying a loose leaf bible , pages unattached so I could do this all for the low price of $50 which I think is the price of a printer cartridge anyway.   What can I say? Some women buy purses and makeup, I bought a printed copy of the Bible.  In the following video, I share what I’ve learned so far. 

This has also changed the way I bible journal.  As you can see in the picture below, it now reflects what I’ve learned in my study.  At the top is supposed to be a map (didn’t exactly come out the way I wanted) symbolizing the 12 tribes scattered abroad,  James is addressing at the start of the chapter.  In the top right hand corner I drew a globe with stick figures symbolizing the christian family believers world wide as we might be considered, scattered abroad so in this way James is also addressing us, the Christian believer. 

I also have to mention this other book, that I recommend for anyone who can not bring themself up to open up the Bible in the first place or perhaps just got stuck in a study rut.  It's ok, I was there too.  'Inspired', by Rachel Held Evans talks about how to fall in love with reading the Bible again.   I highly recommend if you find yourself in this place. 

I now leave you with this quote I came across on social media of course, but I thought it fit perfectly in this situation. 

 I think it’s perfectly fine to get biblical insight from different books, sermons online, commentaries.  I’ve been doing this for years.  But please, I encourage you to open the Bible and read for yourself, pray to God for yourself and Worship for yourself.  God has prepared a delicious filling meal for you.   I’ve been feeding on it this past month and its been so enriching.   This past prayer and fasting time really allowed me to spend time with God and get deep into the word with this method that I intend to continue to use.  And now there are days where I can not wait to get back to my bible.  I might only spend 15-20 minutes at a time. I might not come away with a warm fuzzy feeling and even sometimes end up even more confused. God uses this process to really work it out and speak to me.   And those questions I had when I was young in my faith are slowly being revealed, but that’s a blog for another time. 

What is God teaching me this month?  So much!  Seriously, James is rich full of lessons.  It really made me take a look in the mirror whether I wanted to or not.  But I will sum up with this:  I’ve learned a lot about humility because James is convicting, let me tell you. I went through a situation at work that I don’t think I’d be able to handle if I wasn’t so deep in His word. God is good!  

Thank you for letting me share, but before I  sign off I leave you with a word from the Reverend Billy Graham on the subject. 

-Hopefulgirljanette, sober for 5 years, 6 months, and 19 days.

P.S. this will be my last post for awhile as I’ve felt a call to work on writing my book so I ask your prayers for that endeavor.  May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you!