A Fresh Start

Zephaniah 1:1-3:20

“Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:16-17

Fanfare please….. Done – da – da – done – da – da – DONE!!!!!!

With the publication of THIS post I have OFFICIALLY written through the entire Bible in a Year!!!!! 😀

On March 11^th, 2012 I took a Sunday Siesta that forever changed my life. I was juuuust getting comfy and dozing off when out of the clear blue, like thunder the voice of God the Father Himself spoke to me, “Write Through the Bible in a Year”. I literally sprang from my bed and went straight to my computer to draw up the plans. They were simple at first, not too specific or refined. And I started out of the gate with guns blaring ready to GO. But it wasn’t long before I started faltering. The way I had planned things out, I hadn’t taken LIFE into account. I hadn’t planned for my humanity or my busy mom’s schedule. And it wasn’t long before I was waaaaay behind on my plan. So much so that on August 24^th, 2012 I decided I would quit blogging in the hopes that I might still succeed in the reading portion of the plan. It was a hard decision to make, one that I got a lot of flack about, but it had to be done. I believe in that decision more now than I did then. You know why? Because I never would have made it through this time if I hadn’t taken that break. I know what that break did for me. It helped me to see with clarity, the importance of the blogging element of this challenge. The writing helps me digest what I’ve read, it helps me to formulate how I feel about it and how it applies to my own situation in life at the moment when I’m reading it. And it always does. That break was glorious bliss, knowing that there was no pressure to perform and to please. And yet, it made me hungry. I was still reading, I was still writing, I was still doing everything I had been doing before, I just wasn’t posting, and wouldn’t you know it, it just wasn’t the same. I kept writing thinking, “Gosh this is good stuff”, but then had no one to share it with! And there’s nothing like having something amazing and not having someone to share the experience with. Life was meant to be SHARED!

That “Fast” from the blog lasted about two weeks before I just HAD to share some pictures with my friends. I started posting about once a month… then on December 12, 2012 my first article was published in the (then: Sheridan Reporter) Hamilton County Reporter, so I started posting that weekly onto the blog as well. Then by March 25^th, 2013 I was back to posting daily and not just writing but doing weekly VIDEOS too! I was gearing up to be an official Bible Study Teacher like Beth Moore. But something was still off kilter. There was this HUGE GAP in my posted writings and it bothered me tremendously. Finally after a lot of prayer and soul searching… and quite of a bit of help from Holy Spirit I decided that I needed a fresh start. (If that phrase just struck you like it strikes me today, you may want to read this post and watch the video that goes with it. They’re short and powerful. There is NO SHAME in a fresh start my friends.) Just because I’ve failed before doesn’t mean I should to stop trying. Every morning is a fresh start. Every day is a new day to try again at something you’ve failed in yesterday. Just because you didn’t make it “up the pipe” yesterday doesn’t mean that you won’t make it up today! (Right Sean?)

So on June 1^st, 2013 I started the challenge again. This time with a new plan based on my previous attempt and experience. This time I took my humanity into account and God used scripture to give me permission to give myself a lot more lee-way than the first time. And wouldn’t you know it, when I took into account that I might need a grace day EVERY week, instead of every month, the plan worked SO MUCH BETTER! Not quite flawlessly, I discovered a couple of baubles along the way, typos, and what not, but on the whole I believe that it went tremendously. There have been very few days in this journey where I have not taken the time to write and there have been no days when I planned on reading and didn’t. For as long as I can remember I’ve been trying to read through the entire Bible. From the time I was in High School on, I’ve lost count of the times I attempted reading from cover to cover! Genesis and I know each other pretty well at this point! But I could never make it past Numbers; it was just too much for me. But back then I didn’t have a timeline or a plan of attack, I was just winging it. And I never made it through. UNTIL TODAY!!!!! It may have taken me thirty-four years to get through it, but I DID IT!!!! WE did it! I never could have done this without you guys! Thank you so much for all your support1 It’s been a wild ride and we’re not about to jump off now!

I’m taking the next week “off” from reading AND writing so that I can BREATHE and make a better plan for this next season based on the lessons I’ve learned from this season of writing. Starting June 1^st, 2014 is another fresh start for this blog and this writer. J There are things that I flew with and other that I fell in, and neither gives me permission to quit, but to continue on and to keep trying. I will also still be posting my “book reports” from So Long, Insecurity You’ve Been a Bad Friend to Us by Beth Moore. It’s been a fabulous book so far and I really am enjoying sharing it with you.

This week’s reading covered the Insecurity roots of:

*Dramatic Change

*Personal Limitations

*Personal Disposition

And it REALLY hit home for me today! Sadly, as much as I’d love to share more about it with you, I’m out of space and time. So, I’m not quite sure when I’ll get this one to you; if at all. Maybe you’ll just have to read it for yourself. 😉 Now it’s time for this girl to take a NAP! 😀

Have an AWESOME Memorial Day Weekend friends!!!!!

I love you! But Jesus loves you more!