Bible Reading & Prayer in 2013

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

~ Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV 1984 ~

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail."

~ Winston Churchill ~

As I prepare for 2013, one of the first areas of consideration for me is my personal spiritual growth. I’ve had a lot of people ask, “What do you do?” to grow spiritually. Bible reading and prayer are two of my most helpful spiritual disciplines. There are others I do as well, but these work really well for me. I have to be intentional in carving out time for these things because - personally -  I find I can end up wasting time if I do not plan it well, and this plan will help me – again, personally – not waste time.

Here’s an inside look on materials I plan to use in 2013. I hope it can help you in some way and, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

2013 Bible Reading & Prayer Planning Guide

Bible Reading

·         Proverbs (1 Chapter per day)

I’ve done this for years at the suggestion of a man who disciple me. I read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the date of the month (i.e. Dec. 25, read Proverbs 25). As there are 31 Chapters in the Book, I’m never left without a Proverb to read daily.

·         Psalms (5 Chapters per day)

I use a little mathematics to work this plan. There are 150 Chapters in the Book of Psalms. On the first day of any given month, I will read Psalm 1, then add the number “30” to each number (i.e. Jan. 1 + 30 = 31) until I get to the end of the Book (1, 31, 61, 91, 121).

One thing that tripped me up a little in my Psalms reading was the fact the longest Chapter in Scripture, Ps. 119 – with its 176 verses – is contained in the Book. I decided to break the Chapter up into smaller portions that I read throughout the month. [This means, on the 29^th day of each month I only have a small amount of chapter 119 to read (29, 59, 89, 119, 149)].

If it works better not to complicate the issue and just read all 176 verses on that day, go for it. But for me, I feel I had to break it down since I have chosen to do a large amount of other daily Bible readings.

·         YouVersion (Life Journal Read Through Plan)

As my Psalms & Proverbs plan is Old-Testament centered and consistently repetitive, this read-through plan helps me get to other parts of scripture and ensures I’m reading all of the Bible.

·         biblegateway.com - Verse of the Day, NLT and/or NASB translations

I subscribe to biblegateway.com and the verse of the day comes into my email. It is usually the first thing I read in the mornings via smartphone device.

Bible Study

·         "Jesus Calling," Sarah Young (Devotional)

My wife purchased this book for me this year. It is a one-page devotional thought.

·         "Time to Get Serious," Tony Evans (Devotional)

I first read this in college and have re-read it as often as I could ever since.

·         Selected Books of the Bible – Padfield

Evangelist David Padfield has posted several different Bible studies for free at the website http://www.padfield.com/. Padfield’s background seems to be Church of Christ, if that matters to you (my background is not Church of Christ, but that certainly doesn’t keep me from enjoying the studies).

·         "Lord I Want to Know You," - Kay Arthur

Part of the book’s description reads: “When you know God more fully by studying His names -- Creator, Healer, Protector, Provider, and many others -- you'll gain power to stand strong. You'll find strength for times of trial, comfort for pain, provision for your soul's deepest needs. And your walk with God will be transformed.” I could use some of that in my life, so I’m going for it.

Prayer

·         "Simple Prayers," Kenneth & Karen Boa

This is a simple, daily prayer guide I’ve used for a while. It takes the reader through Scriptures written in a prayer-filled direction. This is a helpful book for someone who wants to take an intentional daily walk in prayer.

·         Mastermedia International Media Leader Prayer Calendar

This calendar is available in print or by email and provides the name of a media executive and a cultural influencer to pray for each day. Located at http://www.mastermediaintl.org/resources/media-leader-prayer-calendar/, it only takes a minute to pray for all types of media folks. I really enjoy this moment daily.

MUMS Resources

I recently spoke at MUMS (mothers-of-preschoolers group) at Southland Christian Church. After my talk, the ladies sat around tables and discussed resources they believed were good for marriage, parenting, child-rearing, etc. Here's a look at that list:

BIBLE RESOURCES:
The Jesus Storybook Bible
The Comic Strip Bible
The Beginner's Bible App

PARENTING RESOURCES:
Bringing up Girls/Boys by Dr. James Dobson
Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman
Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie O’Martian

MARRIAGE RESOURCES:
Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O’Maritan
The Love Dare
Love and Respect book and study
This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence by John Piper
Love & War By John Eldredge
Wild at Heart By John Eldredge
Captivating by John and Staci Eldredge

ONLINE RESOURCES:
North Point Community Church
“Future Family” Series
Andy Stanley

CONFERENCES:
Family Life Today - A Weekend to Remember Conference http://www.familylife.com/events/featured-events/weekend-to-remember

MUMS!

What a blessing to speak at MUMS today!

Topic: How to get your man to lead

A: You don’t. Instead: Rest Easy. Be encouraged & empowered that the Lord can, will and wants to have your man lead. Rest Easy in Him.

I would suggest to you that the key to getting your man to lead has a lot less to do with him, and a lot to do with you and even more to do with the Spirit of God – working through your spouse and through you.

No matter the situation – Rest Easy. God is really in control.

Tips from my heart

Be humble

Consider: “I THINK this is how my husband should lead, but I RECOGNIZE God knows EXACTLY how my husband should lead.”

Jer. 9:24

Ps. 25:9
Ps. 18:27

Prov. 11:2

Be clear

Be clear, get to the root of the issue, do not nag. Communicate.

Prov. 14:12

Prov. 26:24

Prov. 25:24

Be gentle

Prov. 15:1

James 3:17

Be strong in the Lord

In the Lord, not in yourself. Let the Spirit be the Spirit. Be empowered in Him alone.

Joshua 1:9

Is. 41:10

Prov. 14:1

Be in fellowship

Don't be in bad fellowship. Be in fruitful fellowship.

Gal. 5:13

Phil. 4:8

Be obedient.

Gal. 5:6b

For in Christ Jesus…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.



facts - TRUTH - feelings

     Life comes at 'ya pretty fast. When life is really flying, I sometimes wonder is something true or do I simply feel it's true? It's good for me to pause every now and then, look around, and take inventory on what's going on. One of the more helpful tools in my life lately has been the Myers-Briggs/Jung Typology Indicator (complete an assessment here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp).

The Myers-Briggs has been very helpful in my navigating what's going on in life. It's helped me personally from "going crazy" at times, and it has helped me help walk others "back off the ledge" in processing their own situations lately.

I am no expert in the Myers-Briggs assessment, so if you have detailed questions, you'll need to ask someone more qualified. However, I do know that my personality "type" is ENFJ. When I read about the portrait of my type, I am impressed that so much of the description is true. I do become a little uncomfortable, however, reading things about my make-up that are true but not...nice? One of those things with which I'm currently trying to deal with is the "Facts vs. Feelings" issue.

It seems, most of my life, people operate almost fully as "Just the Facts" or "...but I Feel..." kind of folks. I've certainly done this. Both ways - JUST facts or "...well I feel!" As I allow wise people to invest in my life I've learned that either side, taken to its extreme, is probably not a good thing. I've sat through seminars and conferences where the "Fact" people have bashed the "Feelings" people and vice versa. I'm sure I've been a basher myself. It seems all of us may be greatly influenced by our biases. I'd like to suggest to you that the "truth," the better way to deal with oneself and those around us, may be somewhere in the middle. This may be uncomfortable to "I see every issue as black and white..." personalities. It is uncomfortable to me! I thought I'd share the discomfort today, or, at least, give something to ponder as we try to go through life and deal with self and others better.

What is your Myers-Briggs personality type?
Are you a "Facts" or "Feelings" person?
What are your initial thoughts about those who are your personality opposites? Is this healthy?
How can you improve?

#TameTheTongue... 5 Thoughts

As my wife and I are speaking to our children about taming the tongue, and as I Tweeted/Facebook Statused several Scriptures regarding the topic, here are a few thoughts on the topic. Please "Comment" if you have thoughts:

- I believe the chances of children taming their tongues increase with the efforts of parents to tame their tongue. See book suggestion on my blog page that I've purchased to try to help me tame the tongue.
- Though our parenting efforts are most always aimed at shepherding our children's hearts, I believe taming the tongue is a pretty important behavioral issue & attempt to nip bad practices swiftly and fully.
- I've observed, there are many poor models of adults who have never tamed their tongues. Our children are watching. Therefore, I believe it's fairly important to choose your friendships wisely.
- I've also found it very effective, upon encountering other children speaking in a manner we don't find acceptable in our home, to pull our children off to the side immediately to debrief what occurred and to help them understand that imitating their peers will not yield good results.
- Writing counts as a voice, and we monitor notes our children write to us and to one another. I try not to allow the kids to "bottle up" their feelings to long. If the kids are having bad thoughts or attitudes, I want to teach them to process those, pray them through and to produce words - even "hard words" in as creative and positive a tone as possible. I want the kids to know they can speak hard words - the truth in love - and still tame their tongues at the same time.

I still feel I'm learning a lot about the topic of taming the tongue. I enjoy learning, and believe it's an important part of my journey as a disciple.

What comes to mind when you think of the topic, #TameTheTongue?

Keep Skating. A Disciple's Story.

I'd like to believe my wife and I and many of our friends are completely sold-out to the idea of being and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Disciple-making, then, would begin in our own home and by the power of the Holy Spirit continually pouring out of us in every way, in every waking moment of every day. Disciple-making is an intentional process, one in which we might find ourselves seeing continuous opportunities to teach, learn and lead the things of a life in Christ Jesus. I believe we had an opportunity like this just a couple of days ago.

My church's children's ministry hosted a family skating night. My children were so very excited (and, if you know them, imagine their normal excitement multiplied about ten times. They were amped!). During the last couple of minutes of the drive on the way to the rink...it happened...one of those moments when something is said that makes this disciple-maker say "Ooooohhh, That's like the life of a Christ-Follower!"

My wife turned off the radio (which in our car usually demands silence...musical family) and the three of us sat quietly...for a second. :-) She began speaking and said words like these: "Kids, you need to know, you are going to put on your skates. You are going to fall. It is going to hurt when you fall. You are going to get up, and you are going to keep skating."

My wife's description of the events to come was not optional. It was more of a command & promise kind of deal. Have you ever noticed that oftentimes, when people talk about the promises of Scripture, they sometimes fail to mention that some promises, at least in parts, are not ones that might make you happy? [Like, "In this world you WILL have trouble..." or all of Proverbs' promises for wicked or foolish behavior.] My dear wife, knowing our children and their skating ability called out promises and commands. The greatest commandment in her statement, in my opinion, was the one to Keep Skating!

"The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked."
Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)

All human beings, at least some time(s) in their lives, fall. The fall - just like in skating - may or may not be (your) fault! Life can sometimes feel like you were "minding your own business" when someone or something just plows right into you!
Falling Hurts! The Godly can and must, through the power of the Holy Spirit that is in them, get up again. Falling, I hate to say, is a great judge of one's faith. It is difficult to fake people out or put on a show regarding our faith when we fall. Falling hurts. Badly. When we fall, will we rise again, or will we be completely overthrown into calamity? Are we really Godly or are we not?

I believe life is hard. Sometimes, because of what I get to experience in my own life and in those with and to whom I minister, it seems there are more bad moments & days than good ones. How then is it possible to still enjoy life?

Answer: God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) within the Christ-follower allows us to get up...and keep skating.

I believe God (and my wife) would advise us today, "Keep Skating."

How are you today? Where are you with faith in Jesus Christ? Have you fallen (even if the fall was of no fault of your own)? Does/did it hurt? How do you plan to "Keep Skating?"