Change of plans

Bible reading plans, that is.  :)

Last November, I tried to write about my new reading plan, but God had other ideas.  I was finishing up a chronological read through of the Bible (reading along with a great group of women on FB), which had followed my first EVER reading of the entire Bible.   After looking over several different possibilities, one plan just jumped out at me, despite the somewhat lengthy name: Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System.  The concept was fairly simple:  Divide the books of the Bible up into several different lists (10, to be exact) and then read one chapter from each list every day.  Some lists would be completed quickly (reading through Proverbs), others would take much longer (Genesis through Deuteronomy).   Since one of the touted benefits was getting to really know where different books are located at in a physical Bible, I decided to set my Kindle aside and pick up my main Bible.  After printing off the bookmarks, I was ready to go, and began in late November.

I have absolutely loved reading through the Bible this way, to my surprise.  Being in so many different places in the same day really has allowed some of the bigger themes to show through.   Starting each reading in the gospels, but then reading from the perspective of the law, the epistles, Psalms, Proverbs, history, prophets, or the early church really gave a better feel for how the Bible fits together.  There were so many times in these past six months that a scheduled reading had to be God-set ~ like winding up on the story of David and Abigail on the first anniversary of the Abigail revelation.   Seeing so many of dates and notes jotted down in my Bible as I flipped back and forth was such an encouragement on days that were dark and dreary.  And yes, I really did gain a much better feel for where different books are at in the Bible.  :)

But for the summer, I'll be setting aside my ten bookmarks for a different plan.   Memorial Day through Labor Day, it's time to dig in for reading the Bible in 90 days.  The timing is interesting, as there's a possibility of some big changes to my husband's work coming.   And despite the outcome of that situation, we probably need to make some changes to the way we approach things as a family.  Wisdom and guidance on that will be much desired!

So as my scheduled reading in Psalms today reminded me:

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see what He has done and be amazed.  They will put their trust in the LORD.  Psalm 40:3

I can't wait to see where God meets us this summer, and where we are by the time Labor Day rolls around.

Some days you pray

Some days you pray . . . not for a specific outcome, but for God's purpose to prevail, whether that looks like the plans in your heart or like something different.

Some days you pray . . . to make it through the day.

Some days you pray . . . for those around you to either rest in God's peace or follow the stirrings of the Spirit, and the wisdom to know which is happening in the midst of confusion.

Some days you pray . . . in desperate thanks that someone bigger than it all can see the outcome and is going before you.

Some days you pray . . . because there's not much else you can do that matters, really.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Praising

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.   Proverbs 19:21

How appropriate that this is the final proverb that my 1st grader is memorizing for the year!  A dear friend sent one of the variations of this (Proverbs 16:9) to me the other day as I was fretting about how things would go this week.  And then it appeared in my scheduled Bible reading yesterday.

Perfect timing.  Because honestly, last week I was drifting too far into the realm of "this MUST happen" ~ and losing sight of the who would make it happen.  This week brings the possibility of a change in our daily lives, but the reality is, unless we have our focus on the right person, even the best of changes will fall short.

So I'm praising the One who holds our future, who has a plan for us that will unfold when the the time is right, and praying for patience as we wait to see whether this potential change is part of that plan.

Foundations

There's a house just across the street that always has had such a nicely landscaped yard.  No weeds in the flower beds out front, the grass always trimmed right on schedule . . . in contrast to the overgrown flower beds and grass in dire need of a mowing here.  I'll admit, there have been times I've looked out the window and felt the guilt creeping in . . . guilt for not keeping the flowers weeded as well as the former owners, or for letting the yard go a few too many days in between mowings.   Small children, homeschooling, and teaching schedules will do that to a yard.

But over the past week, some interesting things have been happening.  At first it was a curiosity . . . the neatly manicured hedges were ripped out.  Then came the truck loaded down with steel beams and railroad ties.   As we watched out the window in between lessons, holes were knocked in in the foundation and the beams maneuvered under the house.  By the end of the day, the house had been lifted high enough for someone to crouch down and walk underneath.  Today though, it really got interesting.  Quietly, without any roar of loud machinery, with just the buzz of a small Bobcat and a few suspendered & straw hatted workers,  a temporary support was built and the house was simply slid over to the side, completely off the foundation.  Just like that. 

How often our faith is like that house!  It looks neat and put together on the outside.  But there are small tell-tale signs that something isn't quite right.  Maybe tiny cracks appear, or the door that once opened so smoothly has started to stick.  As we investigate, we realize that some of that put together appearance is just decoration . . . the landscaping. The foundation may look solid from the outside edges and seem to fit together oh-so-neatly.  But what is underneath, at the heart?  Leaving it alone seems easier for the time being . . . but in the long run, leads to collapse.  The scary part comes next, when holes are knocked into that oh-so-nice looking foundation.  Holes of questioning?  Of doubt? Will the whole thing come crashing down?

Temporary supports find an opening through those holes, though.  And before you know it, you've slid right off of the old foundation and found that the temporary beams can support it even while balanced on what seems a precarious stack.  Maybe that's you, or someone dear to you, and it appears that faith has slid completely off of its foundations and is in a whole different place ~ that scary place of being "up in the air."  We try to push back onto the old foundation, to put things the way they were.  We don't realize that this is temporary and necessary for a solid future.  It's hard to trust that the temporary supports will hold steady. 

But the old foundation is now exposed for what it truly was ~ not a solid, neat, tight-fitting base, but a mixed up conglomeration of things that worked and things that didn't.  Of strong walls alongside crumbling ones.  Essential plumbing running throughout old ruins.  All previously hidden behind a neat outer facade that looked strong. But now rebuilding the foundation can begin and strength restored.  No longer covering up the crumbling weak spots with something that looks good but won't hold.  But building a solid foundation of truth and grace and love and trust and listening and obedience.  Cementing together bricks of relationship and community and unity in Jesus.  Restoring a foundation that is strong enough to weather the rains.  So that when you slide back onto the foundation, it holds, and is stronger than it ever was to begin with.   Trust the Master Builder . . . He knows what He's doing.

(We'll keep watching the construction across the street.  Because maybe in addition to strengthening a foundation, something brand new like a basement will be dug in preparation for that solid future.)

PS:  Today, they put up steps to the front door (which is 5 feet or so up in the air) ~ looks like life is going to continue in the midst of construction and being "up in the air" ~ which it should for us all.  :)

Sightings

One of the things along this journey that I really enjoy are the sightings of the name Abigail (or sometimes Abby) in places and at times when I least expect them.  Some are incredibly meaningful, like finding the story of David and Abigail scheduled for as one of my daily chapters on the anniversary of when it all began.

Others are just fun.  Seeing the name Abigail on a placemat in a toy store, right at eye level.   The name of a little dog in a story, things like that.  This week has had a few sightings as I began reading in 1 Chronicles, and have seen a couple sightings on Facebook.  But this morning's sighting fell right into the fun category. 

Backstory:  A few weeks ago we visited my parents.  One of the things we always do on a visit is to check out the local thrift shop there.  This last time, we found an interesting children's book about the Hebrew alphabet.  The book introduces each letter by telling a story about it, based on its shape or some other characteristic.  We've giggled together as the letter Gimel thought he was a gamal (camel), cheered on Peh as he helped the shofar with a sore throat, and celebrated with little Yod as he discovered how important he was, even as the tiniest letter.  Of course as the reader of this book, I turned to my knowledgeable friend Google to figure out how to pronounce the names of the unfamiliar letters.  Sure enough, a video of kids at Hebrew school singing the Aleph Bet song gave us what we needed.

 My two have decided that they really enjoy hearing different versions of songs about the Hebrew alphabet, so we've been watching some online.   Some versions are fun.   Some are simple.   And then there are those that  just really, really, really leave you with your jaw agape.  (Seriously?  A smurf-like conehead, a princess, a half-dressed frog, and toothpaste-like oompa loompas?  Of course, this one would have to be the boy's favorite.)

That brought us to this morning, as we ran across the Israeli version of Sesame Street in our search for other versions.  My sister had just been regaling the kids with tales of her trip to Israel and all the sites she had seen, so we decided to watch some of the videos of Grover visiting Israel.  As Grover was being introduced to the other muppets, I caught a name that sounded familiar - Avigáyil - yes, Abigail.   (That's the Hebrew writing of it below her picture.)   So our fun sighting of the day is a very, very pink and purple muppet from Shalom Sesame.    (Today's post has been brought to you by the letters Aleph, Bet, Gimel, and Lamed.)