ONE WORD 2012
Pick one word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve by the end of 2012. Mine is Humility. What’s yours?

Check out My One Word and One Word 365. Melanie from Only a Breath has offered to create a free word button for your blog (see mine above with the word heiress). To get a free button customized for you, click here.

GETTING IT RIGHT  Here is an article by Paul Tripp about getting the little things right. He says, “The character and course of a person’s life is not set in three or four grand, significant moments. No, the character of a person’s life is shaped in 10,000 little moments. You carry the character formed in the mundane into those rare consequential moments of life.”

THE NEXT BILLY GRAHAM MIGHT BE DRUNK RIGHT NOW  Russell Moore says, “Jesus will be King, and his church will flourish. And he’ll do it in the way he chooses, by exalting the humble and humbling the exalted, and by transforming cowards and thieves and murderers into the cornerstones of his New City.” God uses who He chooses!

COMEDIAN TIM HAWKINS ON BAD CANDY Hope you like funny!

CARRIED TO THE TABLE BY LEELAND Music Video

A HOME-GROWN CURE FOR A SHORTENED ATTENTION SPAN (SAS)
What Happened to My Attention Span?

I’m that person they talk about when they write articles about Shortened Attention Spans (SAS) due to the Internet and the constant access to digital information.  (Notice the link above? I had to stop writing and find an article to link. I didn’t read the whole thing, sent it to my Kindle for later, but the info looked pretty good. Let me know.)

I prefer my information in short paragraphs and preferably bullet-pointed. Give me a list of 5 solutions, 10 tips, or 3 danger signs and I will print it right away and put it on the read pile. The guest bed in my office serves as a credenza of sorts and is piled with books and papers. I constantly send things to my printer, my Kindle, my phone, the guest bed and OneNote. I save, save, save for later and later never comes.

I was that way before the web but I had to rely on books so information came at me a little slower. Now I have to train my eyes to the article I am reading and keep my mouse arrow off the side bar lists. It doesn’t have to be flashing or screaming my name. My eyes just wander around like a crazy person, looking for something to click, craving a craving. Never satisfied with what I am reading, always looking for that next savory tidbit. Needless to say I end up like the dieter who wants chocolate cake but eats a carrot, unsatisfied!

Having said this, I was manic again today, saving links and searching for articles to post. I wanted a list so I could just pull them out on Favorites Friday. As I was amassing this list I was convicted that I was going to post without reading, kinda like I did above. I got the first paragraph down and thought, “This sounds good, I’ll save this to OneNote.” I did this repeatedly.

I started thinking that this is sometimes the way I read and study the Bible. I just want one verse to go on. Don’t make me look for the context, just given me some meat to eat. Don’t make me read it slowly and meditate on it. I underline, highlight and mark words and verses for later. I write them on memory cards, I post them to Facebook, I stick sticky-notes on the pages. Instead of solid food  I end up with a lukewarm glass of milk.

I have decided that my brain, time and spiritual life are worth more. I will conduct my own intervention!

Here is the list of things I am going to do to increase my attention span (bulleted, no less). Oh, and I underlined the main points so you wouldn’t have to read all the extra stuff.

On the Internet:

• Be in the moment. Be committed to getting the information I needed when I turned my computer on. This is easier said then done. It requires focus, which is a problem for those of us with SAS but it can be done. I am usually looking for things related to Bible study, theology or home management. What am I doing over on the Zappos site looking for shoes? Oh, the scrolling link on the side bar. Concentrate! Can I do it? Yes. I. Can!
• Don’t surf out of boredom. This causes a huge accumulation of random stuff that I then don’t know what to do with so I print, send, pile and save. 
• Turn off the computer and each session. I will practice turning off my computer so that it is a hassle to run in and do a quick search that takes an hour.
• Determine to read the articles completely before they are printed, sent, piled or saved. This will require a commitment to the information. I want to make sure it is worth my time now, or later. Reading the first paragraph will help weed out the stuff unworthy of my time. But, if I like the first paragraph I will buckle down and read the rest.
• Build a libray of favorites that are “go to” sites, and use them! What is all that stuff in my favorites? They should call it Storage. ‘Save to Storage’ should be the command. It’s where I put things I don’t know what to do with, but don’t want to lose or give up. Usually it isn’t organized very well, so I can’t find anything and  I end up going out and searching for more. I am a favorites hoarder and I need intervention!

In my Bible study and reading:

• Be prepared. I will get comfortable and make sure I have everything I need. It is a wonder I am so out of shape considering how many times I get up to go get something I forgot before I can settle in. Reinstitute the Bible study basket that holds everything I need. Well, except my coffee.
• Be in the moment. This is God’s Word. He has important things to tell me. I don’t miss a single story my daughter tells me about the grandchildren. I can recite them word for word. But, I sometimes listen half-heartedly when the Lord is speaking. I will open the ears of my heart by being fully there.
• Pray first. I have a Helper to keep me focused and on task. He is ready to take what I read and help me understand, remember, and apply it. With His help I can spend a lot of time on one thing and not get distracted. I need to call on Him every time I open my Bible.
• Take my time. Everybody knows nothing good and deep comes from a slap-dash approach to Bible study. Sure there will be times when I just need to open and go. To meet with God for a moment in His Word but this shouldn’t be my habit. I will slow down. I will read carefully. Even the genealogies, okay, maybe not every time with the genealogies. But, slowly, meditating.

This is my home-cure. If I carefully apply this according to the directions on the bottle I should begin to see some relief of my symptoms soon. It is a reversible condition. The damage done to your brain and my free time is not permanent. It will require the dreaded “double d’s” of discipline and determination, in regular doses but…I can do it! Yes. I. Can!  Can you?

Abiding,
Janice

PS. I am going to go read that article I posted without reading. See, practicing what I preached already.
PPS. I make light here but a “controlled” search will show you that Internet addiction is a growing problem not only affecting users attention spans but other areas of their lives and relationships.

Walking Bibles
“Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law
 and obey it with all my heart.” Psalm 119:34

Determine to PRACTICE whatever you read. Christians should be walking Bibles, living the truths written. The Word is not only a guide to knowledge, but a guide to obedience. A holy reading of God’s Word, results in our fleeing from sins, and practicing the duties commanded.

“I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I
 might obey Your word.” Psalm 119:101

Read more by Puritan pastor Thomas Watson.

How do you know if you’re really born again? What does it mean to be holy. . . to love God? Find answers to these and other questions as you take a look back at the fundamentals of Christian beliefs.

Beginning Wednesday, January 18 at 6:30.
Aloma Church

For more details or to register please contact Janice at abiding@cfl.rr.com.

Should I read the Bible in 2012?
Yes, I should, and will, read the Bible in 2012. That is a real simple question to answer and a simple task to accomplish because I am a Bible study leader and spend several hours a week in God’s word.

But the task I haven’t been able to manage in my Christian walk is reading the ENTIRE Bible in a year. I am a great starter and a terrible finisher. I bet some of you know what I mean. How many times have you read about the Creation, the flood, the stories about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph? Maybe you made it to Exodus and suffered with the Israelites in their salvery and rejoiced in their escape from Egypt with Moses. BUT! Then you hit Leviticus! How often I have said this and heard it, “I was fine until I got to Leviticus then I lost it. I guess I’ll never read through the entire Bible.”

I am hesitant to begin again. I am afraid I will once again be marking February as “Read Through the Bible Failure Month”. I look back at all my attempts, all my quittings, all my slacking off, lack of discipline and become overwhelmed. My heart droops low and says, I don’t want to be a disappointment to God again, I don’t want to make a new commitment that I know I probably won’t keep.

All this runs through my head as I prepare my bookmarks for a reading plan I have commited myself to. Yes! I did. I remembered that God loves me whether I read through the entire Bible in one year or not. I am convinced He is a God of new beginnings (no matter how many I need). I started to dwell on the fact that His mercies are new every morning. I began to pray that the Holy Spirit would sustain me throughout the year to complete a journey through His inspired Word. My hope and desire have surged.

What about you? Maybe you read through the Bible yearly. Pray for those of us who struggle. Maybe you are starting a new read-through plan this year. Rely on the Spirit of God, not yourself. Maybe you don’t even think that you need to do this. Consider that all of the Bible is God’s words to you. Ponder the idea that He has things to say to you that you can’t even imagine. Things that will prosper and bless you.

I am starting with a fresh attitude and a complete understanding of my own weakness. Here is what I heard from James MacDonald the other day. Maybe you don’t feel like reading the Bible today. Don’t wait – do it first and feel it later! Amazing! I needed to hear that, do you? Don’t wait til you feel it, just do it!

Below are some plans for reading through the Bible and some articles about why and how. Choose a plan that will work best for you. Set your heart toward this task and let God open the doors of desire, willingness and victory.

Here is the plan I am using. I am going the boot-camp route because I want the challenge. It is called the 3650 Challenge.

Gospel Coalition: Bible Reading Plans for 2012

More Bible Reading Plans at WordWise Women

S.O.A.P Plan for reading the Bible and journaling

Do you need to plan? See what John Piper says.

Here is an article by Noel Piper that is full of grace and encouragement to get through the entire Bible. Start anytime, read anywhere. Love this. I am sticking with my decision to use the 3560 plan but I will use Noel’s method next year.

My prayer for you is that you will be in God’s Word. Maybe you can finish in a year, maybe you stretch it to two or more. Just read it! Don’t let another day, week, or year go by without hearing all the Lord has to say to you. I’m really excited, how about you?

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5

Lyrics for My Savior, My God

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior

I take Him at His word and deed
Christ died to save me; this I read
And in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

Chorus
My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior’s always there for me
My God: He was, my God; He is
My God is always gonna be

Yes, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring;
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

While waiting for surgery I went back and forth with myself about whether I should have this -ectomy. I had read some negative stuff on the internet and thought maybe I should control it with diet, and cleanses, and all that. Some even stated that letting them take my gall-bladder was akin to giving up my first born. I was torn between the panicky thought of having another attack and the idea that maybe life would be worse without that little body part.

In the end I went for it. I am glad I did because everyone tells me it was the best thing they ever did. I don’t think I would go that far but the assurance that I will never have one of those attacks again gives me peace of mind. And, though everyone tried to convince me that I could now eat whatever I wanted I had to pause and think. That was what got me into this situation! Did I want to continue the practice that murdered my gall-bladder? Maybe it would be my heart or my liver next time. Did I want to systematically Little Debbie myself to death?

I came away with a new sense of my body. Wow, what you eat really does matter! Like I didn’t know that! But I didn’t practice it. So, we are changing our diet and going the healthy route that includes a noxious green powder we swirl into our orange juice in the morning. Once we gag that down the rest of the changes have been good and we are feeling the results.

This brings me to the Bread Crumb Trials. Earlier in the year declared 2011 the Year of Frugality. Retirement is coming and while things aren’t tight I want to learn to live on less, to want less and maybe need less. So now I have made it the Year of Frugality and Healthy Living. Lest you think that all the fun has gone out of my life for good I must tell you I am having a blast!

So, in the Spirit of Healthy Living I have been replacing the bad food with good and the processed food with the more natural and homemade options. In the Spirit of Frugality one day last week I decided to make my own whole wheat bread crumbs. I had a half loaf of stale whole wheat bread and a half bag of stale whole wheat hamburger buns floating around my pantry waiting to be repurposed so I went for it. Two birds with one stone, frugal and healthy!

Armed with an episode of Healthy Appetite with Ellie Kreiger, a food processor and two sheet pans I began. I ground up the breads and spread them out on my pans. One my nice shiny Pampered Chef pan and one my old dark non-stick pan. I put the shiny pan in the oven and checked and stirred and checked and stirred. After some time out they came. Toasty and crumb-like. Beautiful. I couldn’t wait to make those healthy baked-not-fried fish fingers. I set them aside to cool and smiled over them. So proud!

Meanwhile I popped in the other pan. Before the checking and stirring began, they burnt. To a crisp, burnt! I was so disappointed. Half of them gone in a flash. I couldn’t figure out what had happened. The method, the same. Oven temp, the same. Diligence of checking and stirring, the same. What happened? You may have guessed. The pans, different! While the perfect pan gave the perfect result, the other brought nothing but a trashcan full of burnt potential.

Now maybe you are wondering how I can pull something spiritual and encouraging out of all this. Never fear, it’s in there! As I dumped that pan of crumbs into the trash I thought about the Lord and the trials and afflictions He allows into our lives. I remembered James 1:1 that says that testing will have a perfect result, if we endure we will become perfect, lacking nothing. And in 1 Peter 1:7 that even though our faith be tested with fire it will stand the test and result in praise, glory and honor to our Lord Jesus.

I realized that it’s all about the pan! I picked the wrong pan!  What the Lord showed me was that He always picks the right pan. The right test, trial or affliction. He knows exactly what it takes to bring a perfect result in us, He knows exactly how much fire our faith can stand. He is frugal, not wasting anything in our lives so that we will become conformed to the image of His Son. And isn’t that spiritual health, to be like Jesus?

So even if you think a current or future trial, difficulty or affliction will singe your bread crumbs, trust me, trust God. He  has you in the right pan!

I don’t know about you but I hate cleaning my fridge. If I would keep after it as I go it would be so easy. And, I do that right after I clean it. Those shiny glass shelves and purposeful looking food items inspire in me a commitment to purge and clean often.

But, let a few too many leftovers invade, a bottle of salad dressing we didn’t like take up sticky residence on a shelf and a bitsy chunk of expensive cheese get moldy in the Deli drawer and all bets are off. I am a failure! Don’t try to talk me out of it with organization techniques and self-esteem pep talks. I am a failure in the Clean Refrigerator Club. I have been for 30 years of marriage and even before that and I don’t see anything changing soon.

The worst thing is I do it so rarely that once I take all the shelves out I can’t remember where they go and how to get them back in. While my mayo is going bad on the kitchen counter, I’m wresting with those nice on-the-door compartments. Thank goodness my husband works from home. But, I have to say, he had a hard time figuring this puzzle out too.

Okay, you’re wondering what this has to do with anything, much less spending time with the Lord. Well, I’ll tell you. As I was hauling all those plastic containers out and scrubbing down the shelves I began praying. I began thanking the Lord for His abundant provision. I prayed for those who don’t have enough to eat much less a refrigerator to keep it in. I thanked God for the electricity that runs the fridge. I hear Japan may be losing all access to electric power if all their nuclear power plants go down. How long will it take them to recover.

I began confessing to the Lord that I am not a good steward of what He has provided as I threw away food I could have found a use for but was too lazy. I did think I might be able to find a recipe online to use up that half jar of Plum Sauce I bought back when I thought I would cook Asian Cuisine. But, I don’t remember what it smelled like fresh and I didn’t like how it smelled old so I tossed it. (I did save the jar but the label is a booger to get off!)

So, I thought I would share with you that any task can be turned into an opportunity to spend time with the Lord. He won’t care whether you’re cleaning the fridge or the toilet. He loves to hear from you. He loves to be invited into whatever we are doing. Practice will make perfect!

Abiding,
Janice

David Platt – What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel – Romans 15:20-24 from Southeastern Seminary on Vimeo.