I have a confession to make, part of the reason I chose to journal the New Testament over the next year is because I am enrolled in an 8 month class for Bible teachers and I knew it was going to be a lot of work in addition to creating monthly journal plans. I was doing what self help gurus suggest, thinking of my future self, and I’m glad I did because this class is a lot so far! However, we also serve a gracious and benevolent Heavenly Father, I say that because already thi

Did you see it? Did you behold the message that followed this word? Or did you glance over it, like I did? Depending on the version of the Bible you are reading, behold appears around 40 times in the book of Matthew.   The Oxford English dictionary defines “behold” as a verb meaning to see or observe (a thing, or person, especially a remarkable or impressive one). Biblical use serves as a powerful imperative meaning look or see here. A command urging readers to pay close atte

A good friend and I decided on New Year’s Eve that we would do a 40 day fast together starting on January first. We’re reading a 40 day devotional together and checking in on each other daily. As I have stated here before, just last year in fact, I am not one for resolutions. But I do like to take stock of what’s working and what isn’t, especially at the beginning of a new year. Our decision was prompted by her admitting that she eats way too much sugar and feels like she rea

Happy New Year!   Does the New Year fill you with a sense of dread or does it energize and excite you? I have always had mixed feelings about the New Year. As I said last year, I gave up resolutions a long time ago but I do love the idea of planning for the coming year. Resolutions, to me, are rooted in giving something up, subtraction rather than addition, and frankly, most of us don’t like giving things up. Because of this, I loved it when our pastor spoke last Sunday about