52 Weeks in the Word

  Today we begin week 13 of our 52 Week journey!  A few of you have shared you are trying to catch up on your reading.  If you are one of those, just know you are not alone.  And also note that last week's reading had shorter chapters, so it shouldn't be too hard to catch up. :) Last week we began reading the book of 1 Samuel.  The first 20 chapters of this book were rich with examples of encounters with the Lord.  The book begins with a heartfelt prayer, a plea from a woman's soul, to the Lord for a child.  Through last week's reading we saw how the Lord not only honored that prayer, but also how Hannah was obedient by giving Samuel to the Lord to minister with the priest, Eli.  The Lord was able to use Samuel to guide or minister to the Children of Israel until the day he died.    A brief recap of Week 12's discussions: David volunteered to defeat Goliath, but reminded us in 1 Samuel 16:47 that "the battle is the Lord's".  Him alo...

  Week 12!  I know for several of our readers, last week was a difficult week with many challenges in your personal lives!  We are praying for you.  We want to encourage you all that we serve a faithful God, and I'm sure you all can share testimonies about that!   Last week we finished the Books of Judges and Ruth.  Judges had some interesting parts that brought up some questions, and the Book of Ruth was more of a refreshment read after reading Judges.     A brief recap of Week 11's discussions: Jephthah made a vow to sacrifice what first comes through the door to greet him when he returns home.  That ended up being his only child, his only daughter.  The question was raised, did Jephthah offer a human burnt sacrifice to the Lord?  Human sacrifices were against the law that they were under at this time.  Some believe she went to live a life serving in the temple, never marrying or gaining her inheritance.  ...

Yay!  You are doing great!  This time of year is usually the time people begin stepping away from their reading.  Spring is in the air, and many other activities can fill our time.  If you've found yourself behind on your reading, don't give up!  Take some time and listen to the Word while you are walking, cleaning, or even driving!  Get caught up and join us for our discussions!   The Book of Joshua gave us a look at the way the Children of Israel occupied the Promised Land.  We also saw after Joshua died and was no longer their leader, that next generation decided to worship false gods and did not know about the power of the One True God who had delivered them, time and time again.  In Judges we see the Lord sent certain people to help deliver them out of the hands of the enemy.   A brief recap of Week 10's discussions: Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun and the moon stand still during a battle, and it did! We find that Ca...

Can you believe we are ready for Week 10?  You all are doing great with your reading, and keeping up with the discussions.  Again, I want to encourage you all to have a moment of prayer with the Lord prior to your daily reading.  Some of the reading can be difficult to grasp in understanding or why it seems to be repeated over and over.  Let the Lord reveal what HE wants you to take from the reading. A brief recap of Week 9's discussions: We learn they were supposed to read the law at the Feast of Tabernacles every 7 years; however, they were also supposed to be telling these things to their children, including what the Lord has done. God and Moses both knew the Children of Israel were not going to listen and would turn from God after Moses dies because they didn't listen very good while he was living! Moses goes up on the mountain and sees the promises land and dies, and God buries him. Joshua now is leading the children of Israel, about to cross the Jordon and take...

Last week we began reading the book of Deuteronomy, and we were reminded of what the Lord had done for the children of Israel.  Had we already read almost the exact same accounts previously?  Yes, but we have also seen that when something is repeated in the Bible, we should pay attention!  A reminder of God's provision, goodness, and mercy is never a wasted moment.  We see that Moses was passing this information on to the children of Israel who did not have first-hand account of these events because they had not yet been born.  It is important for us to pass on our testimonies to future generations of what we have seen the Lord do.   What are some examples of God's character that we read about in Week 8? In Chapter 4, we read He is a jealous God. We also read He is a merciful God. A brief recap of Week 8's discussions: The children of Israel messed up several times, yet God kept His promises and they are given the Promised Land.  However, Moses, t...