Changes.

I feel as if my heart is changing as are the leaves with the season.

Except this change is different. This change, within myself, is different from before. This isn't a temporary change.

My life is settling down. I'm finding out who I am and falling into place with who I will be for the rest of my life.

I'd say I'm 'lucky' but I know it boils down to more then luck. According to my calendar I'd say the Holy Spirit came just in time, but I know that according to the Lord's calendar he came not a minute too early, not a minute too late.

It's interesting how a certain kind of love can change your life forever. Like the love my friends didn't show me when I stood up against the path we were heading down. Or the love that strangers rushed to wrap me in, not because of my own merit but because of a love they had been shown.

Sometimes the encouragement I feel is overwhelming, but when that encouragement is gone and all I feel is loneliness the silence is deafening.

If you know anything about me, you probably know I am in love with a man named David. You see, I've loved David for a long time because of his consistent love for God, despite what people said and most of all despite of what he did. David wasn't the greatest man to walk the earth he wasn't even close to perfect. He messed up. A lot. But for years I always said I would marry David, knowing everything I know about him, if it was possible. But think I've found the underlining reason, that drives my love for David and to say the least I was shocked. It's not his manliness or his persistence. I loved David because I am just like him.

I mess up. I lack encouragement. I lack joy. I have days of sorrow. I yearn for mercy.

Psalm 51:9-12 is a clip from David's response to God after he was confronted by a prophet calling him out for cheating on his wife, impregnating a married women, killing her husband and frankly letting his nation down. The verses says, "Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

4/1/2009

I started reading bibleinayear.

I recently finished this, and it was wonderful. Plus 8

I read THEMESSAGE//REMIX PAUSE-and it wasn't until 100 days prior to finishing that I realized how much I wish I had picked any other translation to read. Minus 2

Don't get me wrong, I have a love for The Message and the way Eugene wrote it for 21st century relevance, but I got a little tired of him inserting his theology into God's word. That being said, I am going to keep The Message around for years to come to compare translations and to read for fun, but no hardcore bible studies. Let's be real. Plus 2

Therefore!

Favorite Old Testament books

1) 1 Samuel (DAVID is my favorite OT character not including God duh)

2) JOB!!! (God is SOOOO sarcastic to Job. Yea I said it. Sarcastic. Love Him so much) Plus 3

3) Amos

4) Isaiah (Only because of how obvi Jesus is in it)

5) Ecclesiastes

Favorite New Testament books

1) Romans, Philippians, Ephesians (in no particular order)

2) Jude, Colossians, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter (in no particular order)

It was hard enough to limit myself to those. Sorry about all the ties, I just can not pick. You should see these books in my bible. Pretty much every verse is highlighted. And I don't say that to make myself sound SpIrItUaL, I say that because I am being completely ridiculous. Love them. Can any of us really pick a number one? Or number 2? The books not listed I still LOVE. Plus 1

Gospel's in order of most favorite to favorite

1) Luke

2) John

3) Mark

4) Matthew

They are all pretty close though. Maybe a tenth of a point off. Because they are all lovely. Plus 1

Honestly I have learned so much. The bible is SO relevant (and I don't just say that because I was reading the Message) most of the time when I found a monumental story I'd read it in NIV and ESV. Plus 2

Speaking of, I have converted officially to ESV. AmyKitchel bought me an ESV study bible for my Baptism (which deserves its own blog entry but I've been too lazy to write/busy finishing the bible) and I have been rocked by it. Plus 6

A) I got a code for esvstudybible.org which is my new favorite website. It will read you the bible, you can store your notes about certain chapters, highlight whatever you want and read study material about most verses. Pretty much it's your bible online. I know there are like 10000 sites that do this already but no, I promise this site will change your life.

B) It is awesome. Word. For. Word. (not thought-for-though like NIV or an thought-for-thought translation from NIV...like The Message) Word for freaking word. ANDDDDD with the study bible, (and most ESV's) if there is a variation they list the variation at the bottom. So tight.

Anyways, I am a full supporter of the ESV translation. Obviously any translation is fine because if you are reading the bible in a certain translation it's pretty awesome that you're reading the bible in the first place. That being said, if you are studying the bible and looking for God's Word- I wouldn't take NIV or The Message too seriously. Nothing against them, there is a reason they are considered translations of the bible, just from personal experience I feel like I would much rather read word for word then thought-for-thought.

Sorry about that long rant, Minus 2

Final score = +19!

Read the bible, ftw.

I'd love to say something like, read the whole thing before you make judgments about it but if I'm being honest I think it's pretty sweet that you are reading it in the first place. 20 bonus points. Since I spent this whole post lightly bashing The Message I am going to go ahead and contradict myself, if reading the Old Testament is hard and you can't keep to it-- read the Old Testament in The Message so you understand what is going on and then read it in ESV or another word-for-word translation! Do it!!!!

Final final score = +39!!!!