A Challenge to Read . . .

I finally made the commitment upon my 40th birthday. I was going to read the Bible through from beginning to end. I’d never done it before.

I’d studied all the books in the Bible–but not in order. The many guides available to help me read through the Bible didn’t appeal to me. So I planned my own steps to achieve this goal.

No Time Restraints: I knew my reading would be enhanced if I didn’t pressure myself with a completion date. I purposed to read each day. If I missed a day I didn’t panic. I just picked up the next day where I left off.

A Commentary Companion: When I finished reading a chapter in the Bible, I then read the same chapter in a commentary. There are many word pictures in the Old Testament. They meant nothing to me in my 20th century life, but everything to the Israelite of old. I needed help in understanding what they meant.

As there are Bibles there’s a wealth of different commentaries. I chose a simple, one volume commentary which addressed all the books in the Bible in an understandable way. It provided me just enough information to understand what I was reading, but didn’t overwhelm me with complicated, in-depth scrutiny.

One Chapter at a Time: My goal when I sat down to read was to complete one chapter–both in the Bible and the commentary. This kept me focused on the text at hand and assured that I had understanding of what I'd read before I moved on.

Each time I read a chapter in my Bible and commentary, I recorded the chapter number on a piece of paper. When I was ready to begin the next day, there was no confusion as to where I left off the day before--my accomplishment to date was before me. I also recorded the date I began each new book. These small steps encouraged me through the months.

What benefits did I gain? I gained the flow and focus of the Old Testament which has sharpened my knowledge and my understanding of Israel. It’s not necessarily facts that I learned, or relearned; but the humanness of the books, and God’s hand in the stories, has broadened my appreciation of the history of my faith. Although I was more familiar with the New Testament books, using the commentary broadened my understanding of each book which made them come alive. And the flow of the books deepened my understanding of how they connected.

Reading the Bible through from beginning to end is a conquerable challenge! It took me 2 years and 4 months to complete and is one of the best things I have done in my life. Since then I have taken the challenge twice. It’s a long-term goal that will enhance your daily life and impact your future service for years to come.

Take the challenge! Your prize is a greater appreciation for God’s Word, and the reward of reaching a goal that will satisfy your soul and enhance your relationship with God.

The Right Atmosphere

Note writing is an important ministry in encouraging others, so I’ve created a work area that will draw me to it and inspire me to write notes. My writing room is a small back bedroom in our home. My desk sits next to a window that looks out into our backyard. I’ve surrounded myself with my favorite baskets which hold cards and notes of all varieties and for all occasions. A bulletin board on the wall in front of my desk holds favorite pictures, published works, a calendar and inspiring sayings.


My husband, Jerry, put up a wren house just outside my window. (You can see it in the top picture.) The first week it was up a family moved in, and I enjoyed watching the development of new life. I also see a variety of other birds in our yard, and we have our own deer to enjoy. I enjoy watching the changes of weather here in Maryland where we enjoy all the seasons to perfection. Watching the snow fall as I write inspiring words to others is very soothing.

On the walls in the writing room are some of the manuscripts I’ve been fortunate to have published. Although I don’t write for publication now, the encouragement from seeing these works help me to continue on with the work God has given me.



“Beauty is food for the soul, balm to the spirit, inspiration for anything worthwhile we do with our lives.” Those words were written by Thomas Kinkade in his book, “Lightposts For Living,” under the subtitle of “Living in the Light of the Lovely.” He continues, “All you have to do is be conscious of the spaces around you and begin shaping them into environments that to your own eye are lovely and inviting." The throw of Longaberger baskets always makes me smile!

The atmosphere created in my room encourages me to share God’s love with others.Whatever you do, sewing, knitting, crafting, pottery, writing, anything . . . create a place that will inspire and encourage you as you labor in your work. Like a small back bedroom that just beckons you to come and create awhile–the right atmosphere!

Timing is everything . . .

Thursday morning as I was driving down one of my favorite “animal spotting” roads on my way to work, I saw this hawk land on a tree stump. I was able to pull off the road and snap a few shots of him. He had his eye on a groundhog half way between us. Either the groundhog was too big or the hawk didn’t like me sitting there because he finally flew away.

I had stopped earlier to snap a new lamb, and as you can see the grass was too tall and I only got the top of it’s head. He's there in the center of the picture below. An older lamb is above him to the right.

That five minute delay put me in perfect timing to catch the hawk land on the stump. It would have been a missed opportunity if that new lamb hadn’t caught my attention.

Then there were two . . .

Last week was rainy and overcast but it didn’t stop me from sighting some new calves at a farm I pass. Needless to say my thoughts were, “How can I get a picture?” I just couldn’t get close enough to them . . . and it rained all week! Each morning I’d turn into a parking lot next to the farm, but the animals were either too far away or the rain was too hard.

Thursday morning was overcast but clear when I turned into the parking lot once again. Right before my eyes was Mom and her twin calves! I had the joy of seeing my very first calf stand on its own. What a thrill! For 25 minutes I watched one calf wobbling around, then the second calf stood up and wobbled too! They sure weren’t pretty from all the rain and mud, but in my eyes they were beautiful!

I’ve never taken so many pictures of one event. It was a red letter morning for me. And, with a little careful maneuvering, I changed my course to work and even made it there on time! Give me an extra 15 minutes any day to have the opportunity to stop and capture a “serendipity find” in my travels.

This spring I’ve had baby leaves, newborn goslings and twin calves. I can’t wait to see what treasure God will provide next!

Quotes to Ponder . . .

Words from the past can educate us . . . challenge us . . . thrill us . . . depending on who said them and what they pertain too. I mentioned in an earlier post acquiring the book: Draper’s Book of Quotations for the Christian World. Today I want to share with you some quotes I found under the heading of “Jesus Christ” and the men who wrote them.

“All we want in Christ, we shall find in Christ. If we want little, we shall find little. If we want much, we shall find much; but if, in utter helplessness, we cast our all on Christ, he will be to us the whole treasury of God.”

Henry Benjamin Whipple (1822-1901)

Henry Whipple was the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota. He also served parishes in Rome, New York and Chicago. He was a champion for the cause of Native American groups. He is best known outside of Minnesota for his dedication to the welfare of the American Indians and for his missionary work among the Dakota and Ojibwe of Minnesota. He was referred to as “Straight Tongue” by Dakota Indians because of his honesty in dealing with them.

“By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade.”

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Erasmus was given the best education available to a young man of his day, in a series of monastic or semi-monastic schools, most notably a school run by the Brethren of the Common Life where he gleaned the importance of a personal relationship with God. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood but did not actively work as a priest very long. Erasmus lived through the Reformation period. He has been called “the crowning glory of the Christian humanists” and prepared important Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament. Two of his works are: Handbook of a Christian Knight and Foundations of the Abundant Style.

“I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Charles Spurgeon is known as the “Prince of Preachers.” In his lifetime he preached to around 10,000,000 people. He was a prolific author and his works have been translated into many languages. He pastored at New Park Street Chapel in London for 38 years, and his powers as a preacher made him famous. At this time I am reading through Look Unto Me: The Devotions of Charles Spurgeon by Jim Reimann.

“You never get to the end of Christ’s words. There is something in them always behind. They pass into proverbs; they pass into laws; they pass into doctrines; they pass into consolations; but they never pass away, and after all the use that is made of them they are still not exhausted.”

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (1815-1881)

Stanley was the leading liberal theologian of his time in England. He was untiring in literary work, and though this consisted very largely of occasional papers, lectures, articles in review, addresses, and sermons, it included a third volume of his History of the Jewish Church. The subjects to which he looked as, the most essential of all–the universality of the divine love, the supreme importance of the moral and spiritual elements of religion, the supremacy of conscience, the sense of the central citadel of Christianity as being contained in the character, the history, the spirit of its divine Founder–have impressed themselves more and more on the teaching and the preaching in the Church.

Information on each person was obtained from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Words from yesteryear . . . never grow old.