Our 'Bible in a year' journey continues...

As you know we have been working our way through the Bible as a family, and this is how we're doing... 

• Genesis ☑
• Exodus ☑
• Leviticus ☑
• Numbers ☑
• Deuteronomy ☑
• Joshua ☑
• Judges ☑
• Ruth ☑
• 1 Samuel ☑
• 2 Samuel ☑
• 1 Kings ☑
• 2 Kings ☑
• 1 Chronicles...

WOW! 12 books down - and lots of them are quite big, so we're further through than I thought we'd be! It has been fascinating, reading stories that we've grown up with, but actually thinking about them in more depth. I actually have a great book that I'm going to start to go through along side the study - to give even more depth. Its a book written by someone in our extended family, and I've mentioned it once or twice in the past. 

            

It's called 'An overview of the Old Testament' and it was written by John Malseed - my dad's cousin. I've recently got the second book as well, in preparation for moving into the New Testament later in the year. 

It's a great way to really concentrate on getting the most out of what you are reading - for example - this is one of first pages, looking at Genesis.

So I'm beginning to work through the chapters up to where we are reading now, and hopefully I'll then be able to do it alongside - maybe even slightly ahead so I have something really interesting to add to our discussions! 

Are you working through any plan or study at the moment? I'd love to hear from you! 

Tanya ♥

Sheltering with God - Noah, Joseph and Esther

The video I shared the other day (click here to check it out), really got me thinking about how the people  mentioned made it through their times of sheltering. So I had a wee look at some of them in a bit more detail.

Noah - in Genesis 7 and 8 - was sheltered in the ark when God flooded the earth. Yes, he and his family were saved, but can you imagine being in a boat for any period of time with animals? It’s hard enough when you go to visit one of the farms nearby, or a zoo - the smell alone is strong! But in a confined space it would be horrendous. 

But it didn’t stop there. When the rain stopped (after 40 days), they had to wait until the waters had receded and the boat ran aground (150 days),  then until other mountain tops were visible (2.5 months), then until ground was drying (54 days), and then until God said ‘leave the boat’ (another 2 months). 

It didn’t just go back to normal for them as soon as the rain stopped. They had a long way to go, but God was preparing the earth for them, and preparing them to keep relying on Him. And in the end he was the one God chose to become the father to all the nations on earth today. 

Likewise, things will take a bit of time to go back to normal for us. Even when they stop the lock-down, we will still have social distancing measures, fear of the second wave of deaths, a wariness of being in crowds of people… But remember that before this, during this and after this, God is right there beside us and helping us to do great things for Him!

Joseph - in Genesis 37 to 45 - had a horrible time. From the moment his brothers decided to throw him into a pit, he went through a series of challenges - he was sold, then a slave, then almost-seduced, then stuck in prison, then brought before Pharaoh. What a story! 

Do you think Joseph enjoyed being a slave? Do you think he enjoyed being in prison? I would imagine the answer to both is a resounding no! Yet the one thing he knew was that God had a plan. God was with him in the pit. He took him to Egypt and was with him throughout his slave days, but God also blessed him - so much so that Potiphar saw it and made him head of his house. He excelled but then Potiphar’s wife took a liking to him. Of course he tried to do the right thing - he refused to cooperate with her. And the result? He ended up in prison. 

Now is the time he’d really be questioning - why would God allow me to go through all this only to end up in prison. But the Bible tells us that God was with him in the prison - so much so that the prison guard put him in charge of everything inside the prison! 

So now things are ok - yes he’s still in prison but he’s in a place of power - and now the next crazy thing happens. The two palace workers - the butler and the baker - have been put into prison and they have weird dreams. God is with Joseph again and He reveals what the dreams mean. When he is completely right with his interpretations, he is brought to Pharaoh when he had a weird dream. 

Huh? So now God has brought him to the attention of Pharaoh and he ends up being his 2nd in command… I’ll say it again - what a story! 

God had a plan in all of this. He was with Joseph all the way through. In fact all of this needed to happen in order for the story to move to Moses, then to the kings and eventually to Jesus. There’s always a plan - no matter how hard things look.

Esther’s story is found in the book of Esther, not surprisingly! It is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God. Never. At all! Her story is amazing. 

Her people, the Jews, had been in exile when her story begins. They weren't living in Jerusalem but were scattered all over Persia. They could go home at this stage, but Jerusalem was at war, so many chose to stay where they were. Her personal story also has a sad beginning. We are told that her parents were both dead, and so she was living with her older cousin, Mordecai. 

She is picked to be part of the King’s harem, again not her choice, when the king decided to take all the young virgins of the area to his palace. We aren't even going to start with having to go in to be with the king, not by choice but an order, while he tried all the girls to see which one he liked. 

In her culture that meant that she was now living in the second quarters - reserved for the concubines. No other man could be her husband, this was it for her. As a young girl you can imagine that nowhere in her wildest dreams would this have been in her life plan. Can you even imagine? I can't. 

But when in the palace the king takes a particular liking to her. God is ingrained in her behaviour, how she acts, speaks etc, and I believe that is why the king notices her. And he chooses her to be the new queen. 

The story quickly goes south again, when she realises that one of the king’s advisers has persuaded the king to make a law that basically kills her people. All of them. Annihilation. 

She fast, prays and throws herself on the king's mercy to stop it - knowing that he could have her executed as quickly as lighting - and it is only through her spirit, and God working through her, that the people are saved.

I can’t imagine what it was like for her in there. She experienced loss, being taken from her home, paraded in front of the king, effectively taken against her will, and possible execution. Yet God used something so awful, to save the Jews. She was there at exactly the right time. For exactly the purpose God needed her to do. 

We can clearly see, even though He isn't mentioned once, how God had a plan, and used Esther and her cousin to fulfil it. 

I just love reading more into these stories, as we see God work in amazing ways, through situations we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy (as the saying goes). And it serves to remind us, as we go through these weird times, as we see loss upon loss, that God has a plan and is right in the midst of this, working it out for all our good. I hope this encourages today. 

Day 48 - God's Word always comes to pass

Morning lovely ladies! 

Yesterday I was trying to record some Mr Men stories for our wee kiddies but I didn’t have much luck. I got one recorded, but the second story failed miserably. I started the story 4 times but either one of the boys walked in and spoke, the timer for dinner went off in the background or my phone died... it was crazy! 

It reminded me of all the other things I’ve started and never quite got to finish during this time in lockdown...

Like the bathroom edges - I did the first coat but forgot to finish it with the second...

Like the time I had to wash my laundry all over again because I forgot I’d put it on... 

Like the time I...

Disaster! If you know me personally you will know how easily distracted I am. I’m like the dog I’m Up that keeps seeing squirrles! 

But why am I sharing this? Because we are all human. We are all flawed and distracted and no matter how much we try things will still be forgotten. 

But God is not like that at all. He keeps his word - every single like word. We were learning about the children of Israel coming out of the wilderness and into the promised land - and this verse summed it all up. 

“Not a word failed of any good thing which 

the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. 

All came to pass.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭21:45‬ ‭

God had made some pretty amazing promises to the children of Israel since the start of Genesis - and continued the whole time they were in the wilderness. And when they reached Canaan? 

ALL CAME TO PASS

God keeps His promises ladies and He has promised to be with us always and never leave us. If He has given you a particular word, hold fast to it because it will come true. 

That’s how amazing our God is! 

Day 45 - Getting rid of distractions

Good morning lovely ladies! 

So today you’re going to get another thought from our family Bible times. We’ve got half way through Joshua and yes I am enjoying torturing the boys by singing “Joshua and the battle of Jericho” every time one of them is mentioned! 

Today’s thought comes from a couple of verses. 

“But the Israelites failed to drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, 

so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭

“But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites, 

who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites 

live there among the people of Judah to this day.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭15:63‬ ‭

“They did not drive the Canaanites out of Gezer, however, 

so the people of Gezer live as slaves among 

the people of Ephraim to this day.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭16:10‬ ‭

Sounds like a common problem. When we were looking into this we found that while God had told the children of Israel to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, and that He would help them, they didn’t all do that. 

Some (as above) justified it by making the people work as labourers and slaves instead. They let them stay, to live among them, but made it sound like it was a good idea. 

It just makes me think about all the things in my life that I know I should get rid of, or drive out, but I let them stay and justify why. 

• Oh it’s ok that I have so many books - it’s good to read...
• 
  
• Watch too much tv? I don’t really watch tv at all...
• 
  
• My phone? Oh I just use it to text and maybe play the occasional game... 

The children of Israel didn’t realise at this point in their story how bad it would be for them, having these other nations living with them, eventually helping lead them astray to worship other gods. 

For me - I read when I should be doing other necessary jobs; I may not watch much TV, but as for Disney+ or Netflix - that’s another story completely; my phone is actually an extension of my arm and if I lost it I have no idea how I’d cope - it’s literally got my whole life in it. 

Somethings can seem completely innocent and useful even, but if we let them they will take over and before long we’re neglecting everything around us for it. 

A big challenge today ladies. But God promises to be there with us and help us with everything - even something as ‘silly’ as breaking the hold a mobile phone may have on you. 

Hoping you are having a good week. Keep singing!!

Day 43 - Remembering what God has brought us through

Match of the day is a staple appointment in our house every Saturday night. And it still is even now.

But there’s no football on! So what are they doing??

Each week, instead of looking at the recent games and looking forward to what’s coming up, they are looking back and talking about best bits - like the best game they played, the best players in each position, the best goals...

Deuteronomy is a book of remembering. It is all one big speech where Moses tells the Children of Israel what happened before. They were a new generation and needed to know what God has done before. So Moses told them. All about leaving Egypt, walking through the wilderness and all the times God was there for them. Even when they completely messed up.

Right now, we are all starting to get frustrated, bored, annoyed, complacent...

Staying at home was a kind of adventure for us at the start - when we found new ways to keep busy and went back to trying old hobbies. But now - everyone is feeling it. Everyone is suffering.

But what we actually need to do is remember. We need to remember that there was still over 600 people died of coronavirus yesterday. We need to remember that we are saving lives by staying in.

And we need to remember that God has never let us down and will always be there for us. No matter what.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says

“So be strong and courageous! 

Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. 

For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. 

He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

‭‭

I know we’ve done this before, but take some time today to remember what God has done for you and what He has brought you through already in your life.

God is faithful and He will continue to be - no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.  Happy Sunday!

Day 37 - The first food bank

Deuteronomy 14:28-29

This may seem like a strange verse but stick with me!!

As you know we’re working out way through the Old Testament and the other day we read chapter 14 of Deuteronomy. It’s still a very hard book of laws and rules, but we stopped at this one in particular.

Verses 28 and 29 say -

“At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest 

and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive 

no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, 

the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. 

Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.”

When the 12 tribes of Israel went into the Promised Land, the tribe of Levi - the Levites or priests - didn’t get any land given to them. They were to be God’s workers in the temple and synagogues. So God explained that the people had to look after them.

The great thing about these verses though, is that He isn’t just telling them to look after the Levites. God is telling them to gather food, put it in one place and from there feed the orphans, widows and any strangers or foreigners who were there.

Hmmmm... sounds like something we have...

Yep! We think we discovered a food bank in the Bible!

God loves us to give. And He blesses us WHEN we give. In fact He also blesses us TO ENABLE us to give.

Throughout this lock-down, it’s important that we remember that there are still people in our neighbourhoods, in our towns, and on our streets  that don’t know where they getting their next meal. Families who need help. Elderly and vulnerable who don’t have much.

Girls, this week, when you are shopping and getting your essentials, why not get a few more things and drop them into the food bank. If you can go in and buy some groceries you’re already better off than a lot of those in need.

God loves a cheerful giver, so put a smile on your face and someone else’s this week.

A wee thing I hadn’t considered - if you aren’t actually out and about - if you are self-isolating etc - then you can also donate money to the food bank! Thanks Karen for pointing this out!

https://www.facebook.com/TLCCompassionCentre/

Day 32 - God is always faithful

We’ve been working hour way through the Bible as a family this year, and so far we’ve made it to Deuteronomy so we’re not doing too badly! I can tell you that those last couple of books are hard going! Lots of names and places and laws... but it’s important to read them.

One of the things I really noticed was the pattern that happened repeatedly -

God did something amazing... 🎉

The children of Israel mucked up...😩

God saved them again with something amazing...🎉🎉

They complained... 😡

This happens again and again. The wilderness journey should have taken them 2 weeks. But because God had so much to teach them it took 40 years!

What I realised is this.

Often when we are in situations not to our liking, we pray that God will work, do something amazing or bring us out of it. Once that happens - because God is amazing - we can quickly fall into the children of Israel’s pattern. If things don’t go exactly as we thought or if our new normal isn’t what we expected God to bring us to...

The children of Israel complained...

“If only we had died in the land of Egypt! 

Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 

Why has the LORD brought us to this land 

to fall by the sword... Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”

‭Numbers‬ ‭14:2‬ ,3

We complain too.

“If only I hadn’t had that conversation - now everything is ruined”

“If only I hadn’t left done that...”

“I had life much better over there - I should’ve stayed... maybe I should go back”

What we have to remember, ladies, is that God has a plan. And He is always good. If He has brought you out of somewhere or something, there’s a reason and we need to trust Him.

The great thing is, no matter how much the children of Israel complained and messed up,God was always there for them and He always had something amazing to show them His love.

And for us? He sent Jesus to die, rise again and be our very best friend ever.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; 

Therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:3

Another week in lockdown...

So it's been another week where we've been in the house, staying at home to protect our NHS and save lives. It is not a hard thing to do. It's not like we're being called on to do something like travel to somewhere else, fight or do brain surgery with no training. We are being called to stay at home.

The problem lies with what happens to the mental health of those who are isolated. Mental health is something I feel strongly about - you all have read my previous blog posts! It's something that is very close to my heart - and my mind. I've suffered from mental health issues and depression for the last 18 years and it's not pretty. I have it mostly under control, taking medication every day and knowing that I'll never be able to stop taking it, but I can still get anxious, worried and can get very stressed about things beyond my control.

But God is my refuge and strength. He is the one I can rely on and trust in when all else is failing and not going the way I expect it to go. 

So I've thinking again about the ways I can make sure my mental health is, well, healthy! And I've come up with a few examples. 

• Read a book
• Take a bubble bath
• Sing worship songs
• Have a dance party in the kitchen
• Meditate
• Do something I haven't done in years - like craft or bake
• Exercise 
• Go for a walk in nature
• Take on a challenge - whether its to write letters or climb Mount Everest as you climb your stairs each day
• Learn something new - like a language or a song on the piano
• Keep in touch with people

The last one is very important, but hard for some people. I do not like talking on the phone. I'd much rather text, WhatsApp or email. I love people and I love talking, but for some reason I just can't do the whole phone thing! Don't get me wrong - I will and do talk to people on the phone and I am always lovely doing it (ahem...) but its hard. 

However, writing them letters, or sending out a text each morning is something that comes easily to me, so I do concentrate on those! 

It's all about balance. The balance between what you are comfortable doing (and thus no anxiety) and what pushes you to be a better you (a little stress) is important as the person who lives in their comfort zone, never gets out of it, won't receive the immense rewards that pushing yourself creates, and ultimately doesn't rely on God as much as they should.

So I aim to push myself a little every day, while enjoying all the things that make me me. With that in mind, my goals this week are:

• Finish painting the bathroom
• Declutter the upstairs rooms
• Find 3 new recipes to try
• Play a song on the piano (even if its one I've already played before - baby steps!!)
• Exercise for at least 15 minutes each day

Will I be able to stick to it? Will I feel better for having pushed myself to be more productive and a better person? Hopefully!! I'll update you next week to let you know! 

Day 26 - Remembering what God has done

Good morning to all you gorgeous girls!

This morning I am trying to get back into some form of routine.

Well - that was the plan!! But as we all know - plans change. This morning I slept in - one of those really sound sleeps where you jump when someone wakes you 😂

Anyway, now that I’m up and awake, my plan for today is to figure out a routine that we can follow for the next few weeks, so that mentally, physically and spiritually we are all growing during this time.

One of my tasks today is to think about what God has done for us in the past. And wow - in just the half hour that I’ve been awake, I’ve thought of hundreds of examples.

When life gives you weird moments like these days undoubtedly are, we need to recall days when God was there for us.

In Exodus 20:2-3 God reminds the children of Israel what He has already done for them.

“I am the LORD your God, 

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 

out of the house of bondage.”

So here are a couple of examples from my life...

* When Micah was born with fluid on his lungs, not breathing and with no first cry, and got the last SCBU incubator in NI. He got the best care ever. And so did I.

* When I was pregnant with Ryan and had no symptoms if PND at all because so many people were praying for me.

* When God introduced me to my two best friends - both different circumstances that resulted in amazing times of fun and fellowship. Truly a God thing.

So today - think back on your life and see where God has been there, where He was brought people into your life, opened doors that should have been closed or just amazed you.

Stay at home.

Wash your hands.

Keep safe.

Day 11 - Where are you God?

In times like this, this is a question that gets asked a lot.  

In fact this is the most common question, along with “Why God”, when people go through any type of situation that they don’t understand.   

It’s difficult to see the light when the darkness seems like it’s closing in and taking over.   

But in Genesis, in the story of Joseph, we read this verse -   

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good 

to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” ‭‭

Genesis‬ ‭50:20‬ ‭  

The trite answer to these questions is ‘God has a plan’ but actually that is the truth. No matter what life throws at us, no matter what ‬‬situations cross our paths, God has a plan.   

In Joseph’s life he turned his many trials - from his brothers selling him to him being Potiphar’s slave to him being in prison - around so he could be in the very place needed to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and save millions of Egyptian lives in the famine. And throughout it all God was with him every step of the way.

And God still does that today with us. He turns our trials and our dark situations into things that can and will glorify Him - light in the darkness and life in the barren places.

He has a plan. Even in the middle of this awful virus. Even when it’s people we know and love who are sick...

We trust a God who has a plan and who is always there with us.

Reading the Bible

I haven’t been posting for a while... 

...mainly because I don’t feel as if I have anything worth saying. 

I’ve not been doing very well, mentally, physically or spiritually so I really didn’t think I’d be much of an encouragement to anyone. 

But it’s a new month and I’ve started a few new things so I thought I’d share it with you.

• Reading my Bible
• Praying
• Watching what I crave
• Listening to podcasts 

It sounds like a list that I should be doing anyway, but in truth these things have really been missing in my daily life recently. 

So the other day, I decided to start a reading plan where I will endeavour to read the Bible in a year. I know lots of people who have done this several times over, but although I’ve been a believer for a LONG time, it’s never something I thought to do. And you know my track record on finishing things - not good! But I started the other day and I was amazed at what I got out of day one! It was, as you can imagine, the start of Genesis, the start of Matthew and Psalm 1. But wow - God says a lot! 

Genesis 1 and 2:

It only dawned on me that this was ACTUALLY the first day. Not just the first day of creation or the first day of the week... it was the FIRST day ever. How exciting is that! Sometimes you can read things you have read thousands of times before and something new just hits you - that's how amazing and ALIVE the Bible is!

Matthew 1:

In Matthew as I was reading through the family tree of Jesus, I looked at the amazing women who are mentioned. And when you think about the fact that they were mentioned at all, it shows how amazing and worthy God thought they were. We have:

• Tamar - pretended to be a prostitute to sleep with her father-in-law in order to bear a child in Judah's line because Judah did wrong by her... an intriguing story of righting wrongs
• Rahab - a prostitute who assisted the Israelites to capture Jericho... a wonderful story of faith
• Ruth - a Moabite who travelled to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law after the death of her husband... an amazing story about loyalty and love
• Bathsheba - had an adulterous affair with King David, causing him to arrange the murder her husband... a beautiful story of redemption and transformation
• Mary - called 'blessed among women' and chosen to be the mother of Jesus... the greatest story of all

WOW! How amazing are they! Truly fascinating women who loved God and who God used to further His kingdom and His plan - resulting in the birth of Jesus. How exciting!

Psalm 1:

I love the Psalms - they are songs of worship, to be sung in times of joy, sadness, pain, fear... there is a psalm for every situation. The first psalm is a great place to start - reminding us of the blessings that come when we put God first and the dangers of not. It paints a beautiful picture of a tree planted beside a stream and reminds us that God wants us to be fruitful and that He watches over us. 

So those were my thoughts on my first day of 'Bible in a year'. I hope to share some more with you throughout this year, but I'd encourage you to take the plunge and join me. The Bible is truly alive and I really do believe that God has untold riches to share with us through its pages. 

Blessings xx