Friday Focus

Week in review:

• continued my journey thru the "Book of Mysteries" devotional.  I am enjoying this devotional very much because it lays out Jewish words, history and teachings that just really give you deeper insight into scripture.
• continued my chronological reading finishing up Job.  I just love when God bursts into the conversation in Job 38 as if to say "Job, you've been talking smack about me...here's your big chance to say it to my face!"  (note: I'm not making fun of scripture here, I look to what the person is going through and apply it and I just identify with trying to do right before God and life goes off a cliff and I'm there complaining about how unfair it is to God when I should recognize that He is sovereign and nothing touches my life without His permissive or decreed will.)
• found that I need to revisit a subject to shore up my beliefs and get a timeline firm in my mind.  End times stuff.  In my mind I know that we struggle with wanting others to agree with our take and when they don't it makes you take a step back and think I probably need to review this subject again.  Our pastor likes to say, remain teachable.  I have always thought that I can learn something from anyone.
• Resumed a ladies bible study.  We are traveling thru Genesis and I went around the room asking what each lady hoped to get out of this time going thru this book and I was completely humbled by their answers.  God is at work in the heart of these ladies and I am so grateful for that.  At the same time I was scared...that I wouldn't live up to their expectations.  Silly me.  The Holy Spirit will add to their knowledge...I'm just directing the conversation and sharing what I know or think for myself personally.  I am grateful that I gained new insights from familiar material.  Each time thru a passage and you gain new knowledge is always something to be thankful for.

Last week I hoped to encourage someone each day.  Sometimes you do this with words, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with a hug, sometimes with a service performed.  I'm happy to say, God gave me multiple opportunities this week.

I think I am zeroing in on this year's spiritual discipline but I want to pray about it a little while longer.  I'll keep you posted.

Looking at the week ahead:  As always, build on the previous week's actions.  I want to remember to ask God to use me each day for His glory.  I need to encourage someone who just experienced a tragedy and I want to be an instrument of His ministry to them and not in my own power so if you send up a prayer this Saturday for me, I would appreciate it.

Finally, I enjoyed reading about the findings at this archaeological dig site...I just love how God reveals the truth of His Word... and for this report on persecuted Christians in other nations...it helps me to know how to pray.

Now I want to hear about you...please tell me about your faith journey this week.