January 20, 2014, Military Monday, Genesis 1-3, Jeremiah 29:10-14

I still have yet to figure out the details. I know how I would LIKE to do this. I would like to have multiple posts with prayer, Bible reading, memorization and journal, and a whole digest that you can subscribe to according to interests. However, I don't want to drown you in four different posts, and I can't figure out how to set it up so you can subscribe to individual ones. I have an idea, but I need to research it some. If anyone has any suggestions beyond a website I have no clue how to do, I am listening.

BUT, for now, let's get this party started!!!

PRAYER

I try to always start my morning with prayer. Usually before I'm out of bed, my Lord and I have started chatting. I've been asked a lot about how I pray. Simple, I talk to God. Nothing more complicated than that. I'll do a longer post on this some time in the future, but for now, let's get to our prayer strategy topic: Military Monday. One thing you need to know. I take out military very seriously. They are not a nebulous group out there fighting bad guys to me. To me, these are the guards God puts in place to protect the life I value for my children. These men and women keep people with destructive mindsets and plans from destroying our lives by destroying the way of life we have  and the values we hold. In my mind, these are our personal guards set in place by my God, and I speak to Him about them as such.

You can pray these words or pray your own. Up to you. This is just how I pray...

Daddy, thank you for the men and women who stand for my children and me everyday. Thank you for the families who hug and kiss them goodbye and sending them to dangerous places to guard us by protecting us from terrorists and those who would destroy us and what we value. Daddy, today I ask that you would  be with every man and woman serving my children and me in harm's way. Give them courage to believe for good things. Give them strength when they are ridiculously exhausted in every way. Give them comfort when they lose one of their own. Daddy, be with them in a way only you can. Be the brother in arms that holds onto them. I ask for your supernatural protection over them. I ask that plans of the enemy would come to nothing. I ask that bombs and IEDs and grenades would detonate in the hands of those who would attack the men and women you have assigned to protect us. I ask you to be their guard before them and after them. I pray that a thousand would fall at their right hand and then thousand at their left. I ask you to be crazy good to them. And, Daddy, let them sleep peacefully. Still the nightmares. Still the memories. I know you have given them this assignment. Give them peace in the fulfilling of it. I ask for your miraculous healing on the minds, souls, and spirits of these men and women to stop PTSD and other battle related problems so these men and women are not victims to the war but victors over the enemy. Set them free from what would torment them. Bless them with peace, Daddy. Bless them with peace. Lord, you are a God of war. War for them. They need YOU to be the one fighting for them. Thank you for your faithfulness. To you be all the glory, Amen

Do you have a Monday topic? Want to share with the rest of us?

BIBLE READING

I am too ambitious sometimes. I wanted to do three different Bible reading plans: 1 chapter a day, 3 chapters a day, and 5 chapters a day. However, I simply cannot figure that out, and if anyone ends up on a different pace, I want them to be able to easily find thoughts on the chapters they are on, so I think the easiest way is 3 chapters a day. That will get us through the Bible in a year. Since we aren't going for deep stuff here, this is a pretty good pace. Even my teenagers are doing this with me, so, let's jump in.

Genesis 1--Okay, I love this part. "In the beginning, God created." It's totally dark. Nothing is there. No reason to expect anything new. Looks dead as a cosmic tomb. Then, this voice speaks to the tomb and says, "Let's light this place up," and He does. I have no clue how many times in the last 3 years I've meditated on this and flat out clung to it because it looked dark and dead, but my Daddy can take a tomb and create a universe exploding with life. He can make a new life for me too.

Summary of chapter 1: Perfectly ordered creation that God declared was good.

Genesis 2--Whoa! I'm slow! All these years, and I just got this. Check this out. "God planted a garden." He didn't just speak and plants pop up. This was a well-planned, intentional garden. He planted it specifically with these that look good and taste good. This was designed JUST FOR MANKIND. Talk about an attention to detail!! OH. MY. GOODNESS. It is like a suitor preparing the perfect setting for the perfect date!!! If I stopped right there, it would be enough for me to chew on for awhile. God Almighty set up the perfect date. Just wow....

"And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." So God sets up this perfect date, and then says, "But  I will give you the option not to choose me. Despite how much love I pour out on you and how obvious I make it, I will give you the option not to love me back." My breath has caught in my chest, and I am trying to wrap my mind around this kind of sacrificial love. Someone who loves this wildly and fully...who is willing to not be loved at all...What kind of God is this? Once again, I am...just rendered speechless by the crazy depth of His love and selflessness.

By the way, I'm not afraid of the "helper", man and woman topic, but I'll tell you, this is something the Lord is really speaking to me about right now. The concept of "helper". I won't get into it here because it is a discussion of great theological entrenchment, but maybe I'll talk about it on Undaunted Reality some time.

Chapter 3--Folks wonder how Eve could have been so stupid. How could she trade paradise with God for something so stupid? I don't know. I look myself in the mirror and ask how I do that very thing almost every day.

Some of my thoughts. Yours?

 

MEMORIZATION

Jeremiah 29:10-14 is what I am working on. My goal is to have it done this week. Right now, I have verses 10 and 11 done.

This is what the Lord says, "When seventy years are completed for Babylon,
I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to you
to bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the Lord,
"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you."

I plan to work on verse 13 tomorrow. By the way, this is how I memorize things. I break them down into thoughts or sections of verses or sentences.

What are you working on?

BIBLE STUDY/JOURNAL

 

So much going on in my head right now about Jeremiah 29:10-14. On one hand, I want to be disciplined and cover everything I said I would. On the other, I don't want to get in trouble for being proud of how I perform again, and I'm still thinking this through and trying to listen as I memorize and meditate, so for today, you saw a big bit of my journal on the reading part. I didn't mean to comment so much, but prayerfully, it'll bless someone. For now, I'm going to go meditate on this some more.

What are you meditating on?

Wow. It's done. The first REAL blog post for Gypsy Ponderings is done. Honestly, I could stay right here and spend a few hours, but I don't want to bog you down. I know you are busy, and I am going to spend some time considering Jeremiah 29.

I hope you enjoyed our first day together and come back tomorrow!! Let me know how you are doing on this journey, too. Okay? Praying for you!!!