What's the plan stan???

What's the plan? 
Option A:   Become one of the many people that started to read the bible but fell off somewhere in the middle and never finished.

Option B:  pick up where I left off and attempt to continue down my chronological path behind schedule

Option C:  regroup and form a new plan of attack.  Possibly the Read the bible in 90 days plan.


Verdict??????

Possibly a combination of Option B and C.

Option B because I like the format of chronological and I won't feel  like a failure.  Even if I did option C with no complications I still would be a little disappointed because I didn't complete my goal of reading the bible chronologically.

Option C is a little more popular and even has an audio version on iTunes.  This would be good for me as I accepted a new job with a 45 minute one way commute....this would allow me to listen to the bible.  Something that would 
a. keep me off my cell phone
b. make my drive go by faster
c. help me to achieve my goal


So what are your thoughts?

confession time

I'm not sure I have mentioned this before but I went to a catholic grade school through the 4th grade.  So, while I have led on that I am a religious novice...I have been to church a lot and said a lot of rosary's.  I have also said a lot of hail mary's and our father's after confession.  Why?  Because even as  a child...I cussed.  Sometimes, no one knew except my little hoodlum friends at catholic school.  But on certain Wednesday's the Priest knew what God already knew....I cussed.  I liked to cuss.  I thought it was funny. 
It is interesting to me that so many people have issues with confession to a priest and say to me "you don't have to have anyone communicate to God for you" 
I honestly don't see confession in that way.  It seems a lot of people have issues with confession.  I just see it as being held accountable.  It is much harder telling someone that you know, someone who believes you are trying to be a good "christian/catholic/whatever"  your sins.  God already knows this stuff.  You aren't telling God anything.  You are telling someone a leader of your church that you have failed and that you will try hard not to fail again. 
I believe that if you tell your mistakes out loud to someone that you respect there is much more accountability.  You are much less likely to repeat these same sins.  They are or should be embarassing. 

Well here's my confession to my blogging community...I have failed in my attempt to continue reading the bible.  My life has taken over and parts of me feel like I am so far behind I can't catch up. 
I think I have failed for a few reasons... I have over-analyzed. 
I tend to over-analyze things.  I'm a science based thinker and I like to research things.  That means I like to read multiple versions of the bible and compare/contrast.  I like to research the archaeology to the bible....is this real or just a really good folktale.  I also like to read other summaries, etc about what I've read....this means I was devoting at least 1-2 hours a day to my bible reading quest.  As life took over my studying fell off and here I am over a month later completely disappointed that I've failed in my quest. 
I don't take to failure very well.  Horribly actually.  But there is a little part of me that says I haven't failed completely.....I am still within the year and I could still read my bible.  I just need to change my approach a little. 
Sigh....
I will decide what to do and keep you/my blogging family updated.

Catching up

I'm going to try to catch up on my bible.  I've missed reading. 

Tonight I'm laying here in bed snuggled up to my laptop...

I was reading from Ruth (refreshing my memory of where I was in my readings)
I forgot how much I like this verse but how I never realized it  was spoken to Ruth's mother in law.  I always thought it was to a spouse.  Ok...here's the embarassing part.  I actually thought this was some Native American saying.  I'm not sure why...I never realized this was a biblical verse.  Learning more everyday.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Darn it life.....

OK well....here's the skinny on where I've been....

Life has taken over.  I've been super busy.  My school has been wrapping up and taking finals, etc. 
I put my house up for sale.
I'm getting ready for a garage sale.
I got a new job.

Whew.

Lots of stuff going on and I have to admit I've been distracted from reading my bible.  The other thing that totally doesn't help is oneyearbibleonline.com changed it's format and I had to renew and all sorts of other stuff so I don't get my daily link to my reading via email anymore....I need to change that because it was really helpful.

OK.....

Getting motivated again.....

I'll be posting more soon.

Thanks for your patience as life took over momentarily.

Coincidences

I'm not sure if things are a coincidence or if it is just that I have been completely non-observant of the religious world until this year. 
I personally like to think it is divine intervention....haha....well I'm not sure about that but it would be fun to think.

• I find it odd that I have met people that think I'm an inspiration based on my quest and blog
• It's crazy to me that people I have never met know what I'm doing.  I guess I forget that I have a blog putting it out there to the world!! 
• that I met a someone that wrote a book about the bible and he sent me a copy based on our meeting
• that a nice lady I met at the bookstore way in the beginning of my quest recognized me and said she was thinking about checking my blog on her way to work today, thanked me for coming into the store and gave me a hug out of excitement that I was still on my quest.
• NPR happened to have a story on This American Life about a son questioning his faith and quoting versus from the bible that I have already read!
• Odd that the largest private collection of biblical artifacts including bibles will be on display a mere 5 1/2 hours away from me!!!  click here to see the info about the display

So  maybe I'm searching for things here...I don't know.  5 years ago...wait even 2 years ago....I never had a conversation about religion with anyone.  I didn't talk the bible or anything else.  I listened when my husbands family would pray before meals and during the christmas gatherings but until last year when my husband and I had to actually read from the bible I honestly hadn't opened one for more than 15 years (if ever)
I avoided the conversation because I felt it was inappropriate.  I avoided it because I always said "religion and politics are two things you never discuss with friends you want to keep"    Now, I still don't discuss it with them....they discuss it with me.  Mostly all of my friends know what I'm doing and either pop into my blog or will ask me how its going.  Some even ask me about a specific topic...most of the time I'm not there yet!    Just yesterday in the car my best friend said to me "I don't know much about the bible.  There's so much I don't know and I don't feel confident talking about to others"  She said she always feels like what she thinks the bible is saying is not what it is really saying and she's reading it wrong.  Despite my best efforts to encourage her to trust herself..I don't feel I made any progress.  She attends church every Sunday and her kids go to Sunday school and I think she even participates in that and some awanas thing...(I'm not sure what that is) 
I'm confused that someone who attends regularly and actively feels so uneducated about her bible and religion.  I'm sure she knows more than she thinks...It's like I feel like there is so much that I have already forgotten but when I speak with others it just comes back to me. 

I have no idea how many more coincidences will occur over the next year but I can't wait because they are kinda fun!! 

Exciting times ahead

I am looking forward to the summer.  Well, sometime after may 15th actually.  I will be done with my spring semester of school in May and I've been having a lot of difficulty staying motivated.  I am ready to get back to fun. 
My bible reading has slipped this past week due to my husbands brother getting married.  It was a lovely ceremony and I was thrilled to recognize some versus from Genesis that were used in the wedding. 
Even more fun that my father-in-law turned back and smiled at me during the rehearsal when the verses were read.  I just whispered.."I know this one!" 

I did faulter in my efforts to become a better person over the weekend.  I told my husband as we were emptying 5 full bags of table linens looking for a sweatshirt for a guest "I'm tired of good deeds. I need a break"  He just laughed and said "no your not" 
He's right but I wish the sweatshirt would have at least been in one of the bags!

I was taking my Dad to the VA yesterday for his yearly appointment with every department in the facility!  At our final appointment with his new doctor the doctor asked if he takes one of his medicines before or after he returns home from church on sunday's.  I replied "He doesn't go to church. He used to but not anymore."  The doctor then said "so my expectation for you is to return to church and to stop chewing tobacco. Doctors order"  We all laughed and my dad said "well she (pointing at me) and my wife do a bible study but they don't go to church either so I don't have anyone to go with."  This resulted in an entirely too long conversation that evening regarding churches and attendance.  I told him if he wanted to go to church which he said he enjoyed that no one was stopping him but him.  He said he didn't like the priest so I got online and found another church a few miles further with a different priest. He then said "well, your mom doesn't want to go." Then I replied "She doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to.  She went many years without you and if she feels she doesn't need or want to go to church but wishes to study the bible and follow her faith in that way....so be it!"  I think it's getting harder for my dad to argue with me.

Here today I sit....lacking motivation for anything but sleep and surfing the web and what appears....

The largest private collection of bibles to be displayed in Oklahoma City Museum of Art!!!

Just click on the above in purple and it will take you to the OKC Museum website with more details. 

I'm going!!!  It's only going to be a 5 1/2 hour drive and I'm there!!!  It is the private collection of the owner of hobby lobby.  The collection will be on display in Oklahoma City, New York City and Rome. 
Oklahoma City seems a little odd in comparison to the other two locations.....but I'm thrilled because I'd never make it to NYC or Rome despite them being on my wish list.

I think looking at these collections may give me all new inspiration for my other quest to handwrite the bible. 
But for now....I just need to keep reading!

Literally?

I was listening to Public Radio the other day and stumbled across a story that struck my interest.  It was on This American Life which I enjoy.  The topic was knowing when to fold or retreat during big moments in one's life.  It started out with a young man who was raised in an evangelical christian household went away to college to become a pastor, took theology classes and started questioning everything in the bible including it legitimacy.  He argued every point as a literal interpretation.  He brought up the following example.
Joshua 10:12 
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” 
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!


So I have had this conversation with  many people throughout my reading of the bible...Do you take everything in it literally? 



I am still undecided on this part.  The scientific side of my brain says absolutely.  It is to be taken literally and this also proves or disproves it.
The other side of my brain (I don't have a name for it yet)  says not to take everything literally.  It may be poetically or symbolically written.



How does the NPR story end?  It ends with the son attacking the father about how false his belief system was but instead of the father attacking or becoming defensive he replies (summarized)
father to son  -  I appreciate how much you have learned in school and how independent you have become.  When I found faith I was desperate. I was at an all time low.  Your Mom and I were about to get divorced and I couldn't find a reason to keep living.  I went to the little evangelical church and at first I thought all those people were crazy.  They had their arms in the air, they were yelling and they were hugging eachother. Well, I kept going and eventually I realized something.  These people all genuinely cared for eachother.  I learned about the bible and I learned that it gave me something bigger than me to believe in and a new way to live my life.  Your Mom and I worked through our issues and we became closer.  What is important about faith is how it finds you and how it helps you.

How great is that for an ending?


What do you think?  Literal or not???