National Dog Day - August 26th...

Forgot to share this with you... 

Exodus 14:14 (NIV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible (v.14-15):

We should understand v.14 in the context of the Israelites' faithlessness in the light of what God has done. Why is it, after the Israelites cry out in v.14 and Moses rebukes them for their lack of faith, that Moses is reprimanded by God for crying out?  There is a close identification between Moses and the people he is leading.  He is the mediator who connects the people to God (e.g., 32:9-14).  Their guilt becomes his.  

Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible (v.7-8):

Moses publicly passes the mantle so that Joshua will be seen as the divinely chosen successor.  V.8 offers Joshua the grounds for courage: Yahweh goes before him and guarantees his presence.

Week 1's Study...

This week I learned this:

Christoformic Orthopraxy = a way of right living that is rooted in our transformation into the likeness of Christ.

    

    Broken down into roots:

       Christo = Christ or Christ-centered; Formic = form

Christoformic (adj.) = refers to the ways in which we are shaped into the likeness of Christ. 

"If our pursuit of biblically orthodox theology doesn't ultimately have a Christofromic effect on us thereby drawing others toward Jesus Himself, then our pursuit is at best shallow, at worst sabotaged by self-serving movtives."  ~Lisa Harper 

So Why Theology?  Theology is unique because it is NOT something meant to be studied in a way that is disconnected from our lives.  It IS meant to TRANSFORM US!

Our Bible is a collection of 66 books, comprised of Old and New Testaments.  Each of these books points us toward the character of God and tells the story of God.  

The Bible is a grand narrative that points us to Jesus as the ultimate embodiment of God Himself.

The Bible is an incredible, rich story of pursuit, love, and redemption we just can't compare to anything else.

The Scriptures illuminate Jesus for us!

"More often than not, the phrase 'word of God' in the New Testament isn't used to describe a physical Bible; instead, it's referring to Jesus."  ~Lisa Harper

Bibliology = a field of theology all about the Bible; the study of one's belief about the Bible.  Theological study of, or conversation about, our collection of holy books known as the Bible.

• Biblio = from the Greek (Gk) work biblios meaning "scroll" or "book" (from this root we also get the English word "bibliography")
• Logy  = from the Greek (Gk) word logos, meaning "word" or "study"

The study of Scripture is a wonderful Christian spiritual practice that can draw us deeper into relationship with Jesus and is a way we can participate in our own spiritual formation.

Theology, a conversation about God, is an invitation to deepen our relationship with Him as we grow in our knowledge and experience of Him in our lives.

Biblically orthodox theology:

• Biblically = rooted in Scripture
• Orthodox =from the Greek (Gk) roots orthos (straight) and dosa (belief or opinion), in other words, something that is grounded in correct Christian faith and tradition
• Theology = a belief system and worldview based on the promises and parameters found in God's Word

Biblically Orthodox Theology refers to developing our own theological views that are 1) rooted in Scripture, 2) grounded in historical Christian truth, and 3) based on our study of God.

"As we dive deeper into biblically orthodox theology, it's likely that most of us will have to jettison theology we've inherited along the way and sincerely thought was true."  ~Lisa Harper

Jesus, as the true vine, is the source of all of our nourishment and allows us to flourish.  If we are able to see theology as an invitation into relationship, we can remain connected to Jesus, the true vine, and we can bear spiritual fruit.

In John 15:9 (and you'll have to look that up) the invitation into relationship is infused with the love of God.  Remaining in the love of Jesus, then, is vital to our theological study.

And that's all from week 1's study.  I'll share week 2's study with you soon.  

Isaiah 26:4 (ESV)...

Leveled Up ⏫ Today...

He leveled up ⏫ today. He’s looking forward to driving alone. Me not so much😳😢😭. Going to the Wendell DMV was a much better experience than going to Goldsboro. They were so much nicer. We had an 8am appointment and we were driving home by 8:35. Now that’s how it should be done at the DMV. We were in Goldsboro for 5 1/2 hours with an appointment and had to walk away because Tim needed to get home so he could get to training. It should have never taken that long with an appointment.

Word of advice: MAKE AN APPOINTMENT & BE NICE, ALWAYS BE NICE!

Next stop for Tim will be his full Class C when he turns 18 in May of 2026.

#wendelldmv4thewin.

Bardominium Ideas...

We ultimately want to rebuild on our land and put up a Bardominium.  Here are a couple that I really like:

Of the three I like the first one the most.  I totally love the layout of it.  I also love the layout of the second one as well.  I like the third one but I don't know if we will ever actually own an RV and I'm not totally loving the layout of it.  They all have very nice floor plans though.

A bit of History...

 

Every American should put this bit of history to memory.  

The democrats are the ones that want to enslave the people.  They want total control.  The very thing they harp that the republicans are after is what they are after.  They are yelling it from the rooftops blaming the other party when it's their own party that seeks to destroy our nation from the inside out and turn us into a communist country.   If we keep playing follow the leader with the left that is just what will happen if not worse.  Remember Hitler and the concentration camps.  That will be us if we allow it.  

A history that is not taught or remembered is a history that is doomed to repeat itself!

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible:

The God of all strength can give his people exactly what they need at the right time, whether to "soar", "run", or "walk".

The Bible gives us hope for transformation when we surrender our lives to God's purposes.

Romans 12:12 (ESV)...

Footnote from NIV Application Bible:

If the three exhortations in v. 11 (and you'll have to go read it) all relate to service, the three exhortations in v. 12 combine to encourage believers to "stay the course" in their fight against the influence of the world.  

My "New Large Print" NIV Application Bible...

Yes folks I am at the age where I need a large print bible.  Regular print bibles are just too little for me to read out of anymore.  You might be thinking that's what digital bibles are for.  Not for me because I like having a real bible in my hands to read and study out of.  I like to highlight and make notes in my bibles as well.  And yes, I know that you can do that on digital too but it's just not the same as with a real one.  So here's what my new bible looks like:

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)...

Footnotes from NIV Application Bible:

(v.34) The use of the imperative "seek" does not mean to look for something not present.  Jesus has already announced the arrival of the kingdom.  In this context, it means that his disciples are to make the kingdom of heaven the center of their priorities.  

(v.19-34) If we put Jesus at the center of our lives, we will avoid the modern idolatry of worry.  We probably do not think of worry as a form of idolatry, but it is when we allow it to take our eyes off Jesus.  We substitute despair, hopelessness, or fear in place of God and turn to our own efforts at trying to control our environment.  This can be a harsh world, and worry can consume us.  A way of reversing the trend toward anxiety is to look around at what we have and what God has done and then say, "Thank you."  He is our Master and Provider, the One who has given us kingdom life, kingdom priorities, and kingdom values, by which we can truly say, "Thank you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)...

Footnotes from NIV Life Application Bible:

(v16-18) Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings.  Obeying these three commands - be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks - often goes against our natural inclinations.  When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, however, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. When we do God's will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful.

(v17) We cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times.  This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, and determining to obey Him fully.  Then we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers.  A prayerful attitude is not a substitute for regular times of prayer but should be an outgrowth of those times.

(v18) Paul was not teaching that we should thank God for everything that happens to us, but in everything.  Evil does not come from God, so we should not thank Him for it.  But when evil strikes, we can still be thankful for God's presence and for the good that He will accomplish through the distress.

My Greatest Blessing...

Telling our kids often that we love them is so important to their self esteem.  It's important that we build them up as often as we can and that they never have to wonder if we love them because they already know.  

Tim knows because we tell him all the time how much we love him.  He also knows how proud we are of the man that he's becoming because we tell him all the time.  He never has to wonder how we feel about him because he knows.  

Tim knows he is wanted.  He knows he is loved.  He knows that he will always be wanted and loved.  He is God's greatest blessing to his father and myself.  I'm thankful everyday that God allowed me to be his mother and that we have raised him the way that we have raised him.  He is becoming an amazing young man, at 17 (a senior in High School), who knows who he is and whose he is as well.  I know that God has great plans for him and his dad and I can't wait to watch how those plans play out in his life.