Here we are on the 9th day of the new year, and I still haven’t written a status update or anything else on the blog. I have a lot that I’m mulling over and pondering and working through toward understanding, just not anything I’ve been blogging out loud about until today.
First of all, I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big New Year’s Resolution maker. The beginning of a new year is a good time to re-evaluate, though, so here’s what I’m trying to do as of this January 2013:
- Exercise more and eat healthier - yeah, cliche, but true - I may never be the size and weight I was back in college, but I can be a better steward of the health and body God has granted me and take better care of it than I have been.
- Write....something, even if no one but my family ever sees it.
- Visit Facebook less, thereby reducing self-inflicted stress from that crazy source.
- Work on some Scripture memory.
- Be patient with the project of growing out my hair. My friend who cuts my hair is being really patient with me, working toward the style I want. I took her a picture of the actress who plays the mayor/queen in “Once Upon a Time,” and asked, “Do you think my hair would do this?” She thinks yes, but it will take quite a few months to get it there, so that’s what we’re doing. Growing out my bangs is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done hair-style-wise. I am growing to like it, though, because I’m beginning to see the end result taking shape. Slowly.
- Pray daily for my husband and children. Should be a given, just making sure it's a stated resolution.
That’s a good start for now.
For daily Bible reading this year, I am going through the same chronological plan I used last year, but not going to let it legalistically bind me if I get behind, daily chapter from Proverbs, and reading through the book of John several times first, then do the same with other New Testament books. I’ve found that when I only do a through-the-Bible program, sometimes my devotional and steeping and pondering and application of passages tends to suffer, so that’s why I’m not worrying if I get it all in on the posted day and adding in a book to read more than once. (I don’t use the word ‘meditation’ because the meaning of it has become so warped anymore, though were I to use it, I’d mean steeping and pondering and applying the Word, not something mystical.)
Other reading this month: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (obviously a translation, since I do not know French). I am liking this much better this time around. I attempted to read it once years ago, and got bogged down in it and never got very far. But this time, I saw the movie first, something I almost never do, and now that I know what a great story it is, I’m liking the book much better. I LOVED the movie, by the way.
I’m also re-reading The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur. The reason I am, is that I’ve been feeling anxious,frustrated, a bit discouraged, and.....well....I’m having a hard time coming up with exactly the right adjective to describe just what I’m struggling with as I have come to the conclusion that there is a very gapingly large lack of discernment in the Evangelical world today. I’ve come to the conclusion that if something is popular, I’m immediately wary, and that I do not trust our popular evangelical leaders to protect the flock from error. I do not like having to be this way, but I am finding that is where I am these days.
Look up "Jesus Culture," "Bethel Church," "New Apostolic Reformation," and "Judah Smith" for starters on some things that are being mainstreamed and set before our youth without any caveats and see if it doesn't concern you a little.
As to what else I've been mulling, the original version of this post had a long section here on some things I've been pondering and working through, but I rethought having that long-winded thing here and I believe I'll just point you over to the Team Pyro blog for an idea of what I've been thinking about and concerned about recently. Frank Turk is writing a series and doing a much better job than I can in discussing Passion 2013. He pretty much is getting at the crux of the issues I'm working to process, too, and doing it thoughtfully and well. Here is part 1 and here is part 2, and his clarifying comment at 7:51 AM on today’s post is excellent. I’m looking forward to what he’ll post tomorrow in the ongoing discussion.
As to what else I've been mulling, the original version of this post had a long section here on some things I've been pondering and working through, but I rethought having that long-winded thing here and I believe I'll just point you over to the Team Pyro blog for an idea of what I've been thinking about and concerned about recently. Frank Turk is writing a series and doing a much better job than I can in discussing Passion 2013. He pretty much is getting at the crux of the issues I'm working to process, too, and doing it thoughtfully and well. Here is part 1 and here is part 2, and his clarifying comment at 7:51 AM on today’s post is excellent. I’m looking forward to what he’ll post tomorrow in the ongoing discussion.
