A Mighty Fortress

I completed the NewThru 30 reading plan this past weekend! I hoped to post more about it, but the summer seems to go by with little planning on my part. As a matter of fact, last week I forgot to take my son to baseball camp. A camp we paid for; a camp that lasted all day, 9-3, everyday. Mother of the year...that's me. The vacation can not come soon enough.

Now back to the reading plan wrap up. There is so much I could say about it, but I encourage you to just try it. Click here and just mark the days according to when you start. Honestly I didn't know if I would make it. There were times that I got behind, but those built in grace days were amazing. Personally I just read through the plan for the sake of reading the Bible as my quiet time during these 30 days. Studying the Word is what I love to do, but this time, I just read it. For once, I didn't talk back, but just listened to what God had to say. It was sweet.

Here's a portion of the last day, Revelation 19:11-16:

"Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords."

Maybe it's the competitive nature in me, but I found myself cheering. Jesus will return and I love that his title will be the Word of God. I don't fully get all that I read in Revelation...o-k probably most of it...but this was exciting to me. It has caused me to sing this song over and over . And guess what? We sang it Sunday as part of our worship time. I could hardly stand it. Enjoy "A Mighty Fortress" by Christy Nockels.

Church

This weekend I spent Sunday at a softball tournament with my daughter. As we made the 45 minute drive across town, I couldn't help but notice all the churches that we passed. Some were starting and people were walking in, the parking lots were filling up. I wanted to stop; something inside me wanted to be in church. For various reasons I have not been able to attend church for quite a few weeks. That's not normal for me. I'm a people person. I want to worship corporately. I want to hear my pastor. As we continued to drive to the park, my daughter started asking questions about the different churches that we passed. She was curious about what they believed and how there services might be different from our church. It was a great conversation to have with a twelve year old and it settled me emotionally.

Today as I thought about it some more, my mind went back to when I was 16 years old. Part of my Sunday mornings included going to pick up my Great Grandmother for church. She would always be waiting on the front porch, with her purse and Bible in hand. No matter how late I was, she always had a smile on her face and was ready to go. That's how I want to be remembered...I hope this feeling doesn't fade.