The Best Quest

Greetings! Life has slowed down considerably for us now that we are post-Labor Day and into Conference Season here at Camp. Guests are mostly only here on the weekends leaving us time to be home more. You know what that means? Projects. Yes. Here are a few things I've been working on. And when I say 'I', you might guess it requires two.

First, new lighting in the dining room. This here is a nod to the screen porch I miss from our last house. Isn't it so festive though? Warm and cozy.

 

Hanging the lights together was super fun too. And when I say 'together', I mean I held them while Scott climbed up and down a chair driving nails listening to his wife tell him when they were even and perfectly spaced and when they weren't. He loves my ideas.

Enter Pinterest idea. This was my Sunday afternoon project this week. I even managed to do most of this myself. Only needed help with the hanging.

 

I don't believe this will be the final landing place for these cute little Fall lampshades but it works for today.

Did you know that they make strands of lights that are brown, yellow and orange? For Fall? Well they do (get to ACMoore post haste!). You can't really tell from this picture, but trust me, they look amazing up there. You might notice I like lights. Especially festive lights. Just wait 'til you know what. Scott says we singlehandedly keep the electric companies in business in December. Oh how he exaggerates.

Earlier in the summer I saw one of these coffee mug racks and fell in love. I did not however, fall in love with the price. I thought, "Psh, I can make that for way cheaper!". Hence Scott's next project. Technically I did most of the work. I picked out the paint colors and stencils and painted the boards. He only needed to find the boards, cut the boards, space them out, nail them together, screw in the hooks, and hang it on the wall straight. Yup, mostly me.

 

If you're on my Christmas gift list and would like one of these, I'd be happy to whip up one for you. And when I say 'I', well, you know.

Lastly, I made my first order to Lindsay Letters. Brittany, my very creative and gifted artsy daughter-in-law pointed me in this direction a while ago. She may or may not have gone down a few rungs on Scott's favorite list for this. Mid-summer I happened upon a Christmas in July sale. Coincidence? I think not. Naturally, I had to pick up a few things. Are these the best or what? Don't worry Christmas purists, these won't go on the wall until after Thanksgiving. I promise. But I can't guarantee how long they will stay up. That bottom one, though.

Now that you've waded through the fluff of this post, may I share something more significant? I think I've mentioned here before that I'm reading through the Bible again this year. It is the most gratifying spiritual discipline. It is possible to do. The first time I got the notion, not counting the self-imposed feelings of guilt when preachers would suggest it (and after failing several attempts), was when I read biographies of spiritual giants. Can you guess what they had in common? Most of them read the Bible in its entirety multiple times. Clearly this had shaped them, their growth and effectiveness. I was jealous. I want the same thing when I get to the end of my life. So the quest began. 

I can't underscore loudly enough that if I can do it, you can do it. Yes, it's hard (at first). Yes it takes time (we must make it). Yes, you will be tempted to quit (oh so often). Good news - I have come up with a foolproof success plan. Fasten your seat belt, this is really deep. Are you ready? Here it comes...

Get ahead. When you have extra time on a given day, read the next day. When you're in the book of Numbers and it's just lists of names, skim (while noticing important details/change in text) and read several days at a time. This way, when you miss a day (and you will miss many days in a year's time), you won't get behind and discouraged because you'll have a cushion in your backpocket. Trust me, it works!

Another suggestion, don't set a time frame. There's no reason to feel the pressure of reading the whole thing in one year. If it takes 13 months or 16 months, it's still mission accomplished. There is nothing like the feeling of completion, let me tell you. You gain the muscle to know you can do it again. And you'll want to.

Most importantly, read it with the intent to get to know God more intimately. If your goal is simply to endure, trudge through, read it because you're supposed to or check it off a list, you will find it tedious and unfulfilling especially when you get to difficult passages that seem to have no modern day value.

But, and this is a big but, if you read it because you want to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus as many a New Testament book implores, your eyes will be opened to amazing drama, real people you can relate to, and the passion of God's purposes in every aspect of life. 

This time around for me, I'm absolutely thrilled with emerging themes. Things I simply didn't notice in previous readings (This is another reason to make this a repetitive practice because the Spirit opens our eyes to different things at different times of our lives and they apply. Trust me, they apply.).

As I head toward the 2016 finish line, I'm plodding through Ezekiel. Oh Lord, this must be the longest book in the Bible. It is not, but it feels like it. However, the surprise and delight is this....the number of times I have underlined one phrase - "that they may know I am the Lord". Friends, seriously, this is a 48 chapter book and these 8 words have jumped off the page at least once but usually several times in almost every chapter. Don't skip by that too quickly. When we read this much repetition, there's a reason for it. God wants us to notice and pay attention.

Another repeated phrase in this portion, and consistently throughout the Old Testament, is the overriding heart of God's passion (theme #2) - "That they shall be my people and I will be their God. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes."

I can't overstate how many times this appears throughout the entire Bible. Just ask Scott, I marvel to him regularly. Makes me wonder, could it be that simple?

God just wants a people to call His own. He is for us. Our job is to believe and obey. That's it! True, we lose our way often, but He is constantly providing a way for us to find our way to Him (theme #3). He wants to show up and show off for us. He wants to reveal His mighty power on our behalf. He wants us to know He is holy and become like Him in our own holiness (theme #4 - see what I mean about the themes?). I will revisit this one another day because it's huge.

That's the gist. Suddenly it's so obvious. It's not complicated. It is repeated. Again and again. Book after book. He wants us to know Him. It's all there! Had I not made the effort to read this ancient document in its entirety (more than once), I wouldn't have had the thrill of discovering it on my own. I'm not talking deep study people, this is simply reading it everyday and paying attention, asking God to show what He wants to be seen.

One last thing. I mentioned above that the New Testament repeats the phrase "knowledge of God" in many contexts. Think about that for a second. How can we grow in the knowledge of God if we don't seek to learn about Him? And where else can we learn His characteristics and expectations than from the eyewitnesses God has recorded and preserved for us?

2 Peter is also loaded with repetition regarding this quest for knowledge. Check out this promise, but notice the catch:

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence." 1:3 

Oh please, I beg you, discover the wonder for yourself. It will change your life in the very best way.