What a journey

Three months ago I was struck with the realization that if Christ returned or if I died and saw Jesus face-to-face, I would have not read the entire Bible. I would have to shamefully admit to my Savior that His words to me weren't important enough for me to read them all. Not to mention that at that point in my routine, I was actually rarely finding making time to devote myself to His words.

Thus, I began a challenge within our church to read the entire Bible in 90 days. I wanted to know what the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were about. I wanted to get an overall grasp for the flow of the Bible, the chronological sequence, and the details that I have never understood. I also wanted to make it a habit to set aside time in my day, mainly in the morning, to sit and read my Bible.

After 90 days, I happy to say that I got way more than I planned. The Bible is filled with mystery, scandal, adventure, romance, wickedness, disaster, and punishment. As someone who believes in the Bible's every word and as one who has a personal relationship with its author, however, it was even more. I learned about God - who He is throughout the entire Bible. How much He loves His children and how much we deserve death.

I read as God put the earth into existence. How He sustains everything. I read as His people continually chose other gods before Him. I read as they repeatedly turned away from God for their fleshly desires. And I thought, That sounds like me. 

I read as God sent His only Son to be a perfect man in order to save sinful man who deserved death. I read as Jesus, who did nothing wrong, willingly was mocked, beaten, and crucified in my place. I read as Christ then conquered death and rose again so that I could live with him forever and never fear death again. Then, I read as those who believed in Christ were persecuted: mocked, beaten, jailed, stoned, killed; all because they accepted the free gift of salvation and desired to share it with everyone they met so they too might have life. And I thought, That doesn't sound like me. 

Finally, I read the end. I read that it is a happy ending for some - those who have given their lives to Christ and accepted Him as their Savior. I read that it is an ending of torment lasting forever apart from God for those who don't know Him. And I thought, Who am I going to tell today?

Have you read God's Word? Have you accepted its truths? Dear friend, I cannot impress on you enough that life, peace, and joy can only be found through knowing Christ as your Savior. You must realize that you cannot get life, peace, or joy through any other way than through Jesus.

Now what? A few days ago Hubs asked me what I was going to do after this was over and I had no clue. I knew I wanted to study the Bible in a deeper way, not just reading it through as I had been doing. I had so many questions and thoughts. So, I have picked one of the books and I am going back to read it slower and study its words. I want it to penetrate my life to cause me to live differently. I want to cherish it and commit it to memory. I want to live by it and have it infiltrate my life so much that I base my every thought and decision on it. It is, after all, God's very words written to me. 

We're Back

And I've got lots of updates and stories which will come right after I start laundry and buy groceries. Since I just spent 30 minutes reading emails and catching up on blogs, I should probably get to real life sometime today.

Although our trip did not go as we planned, we still had fun and felt the warmth of the sun.

We saw things we had never seen before and enjoyed just getting away.

Being back is bittersweet. Sweet because I love being in my comfy bed, being around all our friends, and, of course, seeing our crazy dog again. Bitter because it is 32 degrees, cloudy, and not a large body of water for miles and miles....and miles.

Checklist

Toes Painted?

Check!

Flip-flops dusted off?

Check!

Completely packed in only a carry-on?

Check (you bet there are 4 pairs of shoes in there)!

Cold weather confirmed for Kansas?
Check!

See YA!

Freezing Fog

Weeks ago, we had a freezing fog. I wasn't sure what to expect, but found it was one of the more beautiful days in Kansas.

It made these sharp looking triangular crystals form on the trees -all the trees. It was beautiful when you saw a grove of trees together. The dark bark of the trees contrasted so well against the white crystals.

This one looks like rock candy.

We thought it looked pretty cool at work. So I went out and took some pictures.

It was another day to remember what a creative Creator God is. 

What would you do?

You are at the movie theater. You are sitting in your seat, waiting for it to begin when you start to think that you would really rather see that other movie. The one that is in the bigger and better theater down the hall. You find out that it hasn't started yet and you make the decision to switch movies. Do you:

A. Just go into the theater for the other movie and wait until it starts.

B. Stay and watch part of the movie you paid for and slip into the other movie when it starts.

C. Go to the counter, exchange your tickets, and then go sit in the theater to wait until it starts.

D. Stay and watch the original movie.

The Oven Homemade

One of the biggest things I miss in Lincoln, Nebraska was our favorite restaurant, The Oven. There, we were introduced to Indian cuisine and loved it.

In my quest to make new recipes, I found a recipe for my "usual" at The Oven. Excited to try it, I then searched for a recipe for our favorite Indian bread, naan. Last night, I tried both recipes.

First, the naan bread. Super, super easy to make. And delish! The only unusual ingredient that you may not have is yogurt. I added garlic powder to the bread after brushing it with butter, because we like it that way. The Oven serves this bread with a mint chutney sauce - which I also found a recipe for. I will have to make that next time. Click here for the recipe.

The main dish - Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken). Also surprisingly easy to make. A strange combination of spices to marinate the chicken in overnight. Then, just about 30 minutes of cooking over the stove in the sauce. Click here for the recipe.

As I cooked it, I felt like I was walking into The Oven instead of my house! I got more and more anxious to taste it. Sure enough, it has the same taste as my usual dish. Hubs cleaned his plate after having seconds! It went over well.

There are a few things I might tweak to this recipe next time, but overall we were both very excited to have Indian food at home. I am happy because it is easy and CHEAP! Now that I have the spices, It should cost less than $10 for all the ingredients. Plus, it makes soooooo much food, that we have leftovers for days!

By the way, this recipe was so good, I will actually make it for guests! If you come over, it is very possible you will be eating this!

Guess who came to visit?

Cousin Holly!

And my parents, of course. And although Holly hates getting her picture taken, she hates something else even more.

Holly and Ransom's history has been less than good. Holly, like most moody cocker spaniels, hates Ransom. Ransom, like most playful labradors, thinks Holly should want to play with him. This has led to snarls, barks, and growls.

I, of course, am determined that they will be the best of friends tolerate each other to the point of being left alone in the same room without bloodshed.

Walah!

They won't look at each other, but at least they are on the same couch - WITHOUT my encouragement.

They even humored me by looking at the camera! Best of pals one day...I can feel it. And if not, we are light-years further along than the previous meetings. Secretly I am hoping that when I go back out to the living room they will be snuggled up together for warmth...