New Year= New Goals!

Each year I am not really good with resolutions because I don't have or use the discipline to enforce them past a few weeks in Jan!

Well this year is different. I have several personal goals and ministry goals. But the goal I am the most excited about is reading the Bible this year! The whole Bible. I have wanted to for a long time, but have frankly been intimidated by the Old Testament. I love context and knowing all sorts of facts about everything. The only problem with that is I am too lazy to look all of the stuff up! (Sad I know, but I'm just being completely honest!) So this year, no more intimidation, it's time to jump in. I know I may not get it all, but at least I read it all!

So, I plan to write posts about what I read. Maybe not everyday, but about the questions and thoughts I have along the way. Writing this on here is mostly for me, to help hold me accountable.

The Deal:

1. Reading the whole Bible from now until Jan 6, 2012.

2. I am using a chronological Bible reading plan I found on (www.esv.org/biblereading plans)

3. I don't have an ESV just my old NIV Study Bible given by my parents Christmas 2001.

4. I am no Bible scholar and do not claim to be!

5. I intend to learn a lot and am really excited!

6. Any naysayers or critics need not read on :) jk!

Here we go:

A few nights ago I read Gen 1-7.

Here were my lingering thoughts from those chapters:

Genesis can mean: birth, genealogy, or history of origin. Loved this b/c I have only heard of Genesis meaning beginning, which I know is basically the same thing, but I love the definition "history of origin." That def. makes me excited b/c while reading/ getting excited about reading I kept thinking, "it's important for me to know about the first people!" I don't think the Bible is full of stories, It is the word of God and these people aren't characters, they really existed and I plan on knowing about them when I get to heaven!

Gen 1:14 "And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years."

~I so did not remember this, how cool that God wanted us to mark the seasons, days, & years. God knew we would need some way to measure time and He orchestrated that through using the "lights in the expanse of the sky."

Gen 1:29 "I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with see in it. They will be yours for food."

~God is talking to Adam here, I have never picked up on this before that the first food God created for humankind was only fruits & veggies. So God created people to be vegetarians??? I know Jesus talks about the "Bread of Life" and ate bread and fish. So this just makes me wonder what did God intend for us to eat as people.

P.S. I am not becoming a vegetarian b/c of this, but think it is interesting.

Genesis 3: 22 "And the Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

While reading earlier in chapter 3 about the serpent deceiving Eve I thought, it's like she doesn't even know it is wrong. And she didn't. She didn't have the knowledge of good and evil. But she should have obeyed God, bottom line. vs 2:16-17 "And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Gen 4: 15

I have always wondered what the mark was that God put on Cain. I tried to look it up but didn't find anything!

Thats all for now!