hello

Ok, so we need an in between for full speed and completely stalled. Bri, it's your turn to write and let's try this schedule instead (so we have some sort of deadlines). Post by these dates: (Bri you can have until the 27th- that way I can post by the 28th)

Feb 25 Bri 18, 22, 23
Feb 28 Becca 24-26
March 3 Amanda 27-29
March 6 Bri 30-32
March 9 Becca 33-35
March 12 Amanda 36-38
March 15 Bri 39-41
March 18 Becca 42-44
March 21 Amanda 45-47
March 24 Bri 48-50
March 27 Becca 51-52
March 30 Everyone: comment, conclude, debrief

I think we'll get a lot more out of this if we take our time and let it soak in, but we also need to keep with it. Love you girls. Happy week!

Sorry for the lag!!

Hey girlies! I'm sorry for the lag in posting, its been one of those weeks. Lot's of busy work going on and not as much learning. I miss BA every day, and it gets harder and harder to hold it in. I'm right back where I was...taking care of EVERYONE ELSE and not taking care of myself. my calendar is full of driving people places, late night convos, and volunteering, but i've stopped taking care of myself like I did in BA. (eating healthy and not in a hurry, walking everywhere, sleeping well and for enough time) I look forward to this every night...it just gets lowered on the priority list! I'm working on it though...thank you for the encouragement ;)

Jeremiah 19
Here we get God telling us exactly what is going to happen. Like you guys said earlier, he really doesn't want to do all of these horrible things - he's been delaying it for 19 chapters so far! i was really disgusted by what he was going to to the people - truly terrifying. But time after time after time the people of Jersulaem "were stiff-necked and would not listen to [His] words." ~Verse 15

Jeremiah 20
8: ...whenever I speak, cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.

This whole chapter just sent shivers along my spine. It can be so scary sometimes to be a believer among nonbelievers. To be the bearer of bad news. To be ignored, mocked, and ridiculed because of what you speak of the Lord. I think we've all been there before. I think True Identity brings up a good question...When problems arise, what can you do to keep your eyes on God and not on your problems? We have to be able to see past the problems, past the current state of affairs and towards God's vision. Ain't no denyin it...this is SO HARD TO DO.

Jeremiah 21
On a smaller scale, this chapter made me think of the Christmas/Easter people at church. The people who live their lives, then expect on Christmas and Easter they should maybe go to church to get on God's good side. But then i thought about me, the regular church goer. I go every Sunday, but what am I doing during the week? It's the same offense, ignoring the word of God, half-hearted confession once a week, then asking for things! I don't deserve that if that is the way I'm going to work on constructing and building a relationship with the Lord. No wayyyyy no howww.

Jeremiah 15-17

Chapter 15:
" 'Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;
those for starvation, to starvation;
those for captivity, to captivity.' (15:2)

God is saying how he is going to destroy Judah after Jeremiah (in the last chapter) had asked for mercy. God says, "no way!" These people are beyond help. He can no longer show compassion (15:6).

Jeremiah still wonders why he is mixed in with these people even though he hasn't done anything wrong. And God tells him he has a purpose but because of his people, he will still have to go against his enemies (15:14). And Jeremiah continues to beg, "do not take me away... for I bear your name"

And God then promises that if he repents with "worthy and not worthless words," that he will save Jeremiah and give him a purpose.

Chapter 16:
God finally punishes Judah. The land turns useless. He says do not even have children here because the land will never be worth anything.

10 "When you tell these people all this and they ask you, 'Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?' 11 then say to them, 'It is because your fathers forsook me,' declares the LORD, 'and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me.

And Jeremiah promises to teach them to know the Lord, because He is the only true God and will be the only one to save this land.

Chapter 17:
Cursed is the one who trusts in man and blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.

10 "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

And then he goes on to talk about the Sabbath. If you obey his laws, one being to keep the sabbath holy, you'll be blessed, and if not, you're skrewed.

OK SO...
Basically the people of Judah are too far gone for help. God has searched their hearts and he KNOWS that there is no hope for them. He even says that if they really repented, he would give them a second chance but he KNOWS they will not repent, because they do not even see that what they are doing is wrong. Where we fit in: we can be Jeremiah or the people of Judah. We can realize how much our God does not want to punish us and just wants our love, or we can be selfish do whatever sinful thing we want.


And an update on Becca's Life:
(haha I know this is a long post). So yesterday was Valentine's day. oh jeeze. I actually wasn't one of those newly single bitter girls, but I did get a little sad and I wasn't expecting that. The thought of Ryan actually sickens me, so I wasn't sad about him. In fact, the thought of being with anyone kind of grosses me out right now, so I don't even know what my problem was. I've lately been having a little bit of fun flirting with 3 boys in particular. One of them is the guy from home who told me he loves me, bla bla bla. But yesterday, I talked to him and he was having a great day and actually had a date. And we had a snow day, so I didn't get to see the other 2. It's weird. I can't really explain it, but I don't really want to be with any of these guys, (well, maybe the one from my spanish class, oh goodness), but just pretending that it would be a possibility is kind of fun. So on Valentine's day, that was all shot to the ground and I had to work, running around like a crazy woman to every couple and deliver their special valentine's day dessert. It was fun, but a little stressful. Anyways, I've been on a high for a long time now, and I was wondering when I was going to come down, and I guess yesterday did it for me. I'm really not as loved as I thought I was (I didn't even get a card from my mom), and I should be going to God for this love fill, and not waiting around for it from my dumb friends, or boys, or I guess even my family. haha. (I'm not trying to be sorry for myself, just venting a little.)

Love you girls!

J 12-14

Hey girls! I have a big midterm coming up so I am going to keep this one short. I have 2 main points to make, and they aren't even the biggest points in these chapters, but they are the 2 parts that stood out to me the most - maybe its just my mood.

12:1
You are always righteous, Lord,
when I bring a case before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?

This passage stood out to me because there have been so many days lately where I look at my non-Christian friends and their lives look so much easier. They aren't giving anything up. They aren't being held back by anything but their own choices. I know that the benefits of being a Christian are huge, but sometimes, especially lately, I have a hard time remembering those, and remembering WHY I love this amazing God of mine.

14:14-16
This passage is really long, so I am not going to put it all in here, but basically, wow. God is harsh. He is a punisher. He does it all out of the love for us, but wow. It makes me realize that the worst punishment I have suffered in my life was nothing. Nothing at all compared to what God is willing to put people through to bring them to Him. And that is the key - He does it to bring them to Him. He punishes to help. He punishes out of pure, unconditional love for His children. And with Valentine's Day tomorrow - remember that God is the best Valentine we can have. He loves us always, forever, and most importantly, unconditionally.

Love you girls - sorry its so short! Wish me luck on my stats midterm!

Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow - you are LOVED, you are WONDERFULLY MADE!!!

Jeremiah Chapters 9-11: Fire and Brimstone, anyone?

I'm gonna try a different layout for this response. Just change things up a little bit.

Favorite/Powerful/'think about that' verses:
9: 3
They make ready their tongue, like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me"

9:8
"Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully. With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors, but in their hearts they set traps for them.

Jeremiah's Prayer ( 10:23-25)
23 Lord, I know that people's lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps.
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure-
not in your anger
or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Okay so with that said...what's going on here! These chapters I am certainly not familiar with...these aren't the popular verses read aloud at church on Sunday in a Lutheran church. Some of these verses are down-right terrifying. What do we make of them? I found myself getting on the defensive IMMEDIATELY. Woah woah God...easy does it. I know you're upset, but you wouldn't say those things about ME, would you? At least I'm trying! Nice try, Amanda. I know there are times when I do something wrong, and they try to play it off like maybe God won't remember. And I dont confess it in a prayer and admit my sin. What the heck am I thinking? This is exactly what he is warning us about. He's saying, Guys! Don't you get it? I know EVERYTHING! Why are you building idols and doing all of this blasphemous stuff then coming back to me saying, oh gee, we're sorry. Forgive us. SO INSINCERE! All God wants to do is love us...why do we make it so hard sometimes?

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The True Identity Blurb: At issue --> IDENTITY
9:23-24
Stop and think for a minute about how you define yourself. Is it by your knowledge or wisdom? By your talents, abilities, or strengths? By your possessions or relationships? The sense of pride and accomplishment you find in those things only gives you a false sense of self-worth. God reminds us that our lives are not meant to be about promoting ourselves. Instead, they ought to be about glorifying him. Let go of everything else and find your identity 0 your value, your purpose and your sense of who you are - in knowing God and being the woman He wants you to be.

Jeremiah 6-8

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%206-8&version=31

Chapter 6:

10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen to me?
Their ears are closed ^[a]
so they cannot hear.
The word of the LORD is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.

He’s sitting there yelling out all these threats. If these people have ever had a hard day, it is nothing compared to what the Lord is about to make of their lives. He’s promising to rip everything right out of their lives, and they don’t even care. They are still so stubborn in their ways.

11 But I am full of the wrath of the LORD,
and I cannot hold it in.
"Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.

15 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish them,"
says the LORD.

I can imagine God walking around, pacing back and forth, shaking his head and his fists saying, “oh my me, (haha) they have really screwed it up this time, they have no idea what’s coming to them.” But he keeps shouting threats, for what 3 chapters now? It’s like a parent saying, “you know what I’m going to do…” and hating every second of that punishment. How much he does not want to punish His people.

30 They are called rejected silver,
because the LORD has rejected them."

Chapter 7:

And after all that, He still loves, He says, “change your ways and I will let you live in this place.” It’s almost like the stupid girlfriend that keeps going back to the horrible boyfriend just hoping he’ll change. But really, there is no last chance with the everlasting love that God has for us and He knows that we are really only harming ourselves, “19 But am I the one they are provoking? declares the LORD. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?”

He goes on pacing back and forth shaking his head. They (we) won’t listen, no matter what He says or does. It just doesn’t make sense to me. He knows that we’re really just hurting ourselves (and He’s hurt because of this), and He knows that we will not change our ways, because we are too busy worshipping our idols, and yet He still tries. He still pursues us.

Chapter 8:

And then, the people are hopeless. They chose their own fate. They would prefer death over life (8:3). And He goes on to say how silly we are; how much He has given us, and how we’re still so dumb. We act like Christians, and say “we have the law” on Sunday but then we go on to our day to day activities. And we become numb,

11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
"Peace, peace," they say,
when there is no peace.

I’m not saying that we are these horrible Israelites, because we ARE trying, but we are all sinners and always will be. And all God wants is our love. And compassion to each other:

22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of my people?

It goes along with what Bri was saying; that we can make a difference. Sometimes I’m not fully into my faith because I feel like my life is all laid out for me anyways, and He already knows what’s going to happen, like pre-destination I guess. But it’s MY life! And I can choose. I can choose to be an idol worshipping Israelite and choose death. Or I can be a God-fearing, God-loving woman and choose LIFE!!

Jeremiah 3-5: Making a Difference

Wow these chapters were intense! I am going to try to be short and sweet with this entry so you don't end up re-reading the entire Bible, but there was a lot that jumped out of me from these 3 chapters - probably because I am personally dealing with facing my sins and confessing them and trying to be that one person to make a difference. SO...here it goes!


The first thing I noticed in chapter 3 was God's love for us - without coming out and say it, He does EVERYTHING He can to show us His incredible, unconditional love. Reading through, how many times does God say "Return to me" in one form or another? Soo many, and this longing from Him continues into Chapter 4 and 5. This really made me realize how impossible His job is. We make it so incredibly difficult for Him - we push Him away and struggle to let Him in. And all He really wants is for us to confess that we are sinners. It isn't a hard thing to do - we know we do it. We know we do wrong, and even more importantly, we know that God will always love us and always forgive us and always keep us under His wing. So what are we afraid of?? Chapter 4 continues with this whole idea, although I wasn't in love with this chapter for that reason. 4:30 really got me, though. "What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? WHy color your eyes with paint? You adorn yourselves in vain. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life." In WM we talk a lot about why we get pretty. And there is nothing wrong with it, unless you are doing it for the wrong reasons. Or if you are taking it to a point that is diminishing other important parts of your life. Why are you doing this? For what reasons? Or more importantly, for whom?

But Chapter 5 is the reason I entitled this entry "Making a Difference." Verse 1 is so powerful, I almost wanted to put my Bible down right there. "If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city." Seriously, one person? Out of a whole city? Just one person?!?! How amazing is it that as angry as God gets throughout this book, throughout these chapters, He just wants one of us to be that person to make a difference. He loves all of us, but if just one of us will openly love Him, the deal is made. He's sold on that. Seems desperate, but really, when I think about it, if just one of us is willing to stand up and take that first step, that is all that is needed to make a huge change. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (how many times have you heard this?). I don't know about you, but as God starts to get angrier and angrier in this chapter, yelling and yelling and threating and punishing, it makes me scared of Him. Scared of not being on His good side, at least.

I guess I want to end this before I write a book. But basically, He loves us way more than I ever think He does. He will always forgive me, and He will always beg me to return to Him when I stray. Why can't I put Him first like He does me? Why can't I not want to stray? Why can't I want to please Him above all else? Why do we take Him, His forgiveness, and His love, for granted each and every day?

Jeremiah Chapters 1-2

Jeremiah Chapters 1-2
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations"

WOW. I just love to read this verse over and over and over again. It makes me feel so special and worthy to know that God has handmade me. It is also a reminder that no matter how much control I try to have over my life, God has already set me on my way down His path. I especially like "prophet to the nations". This really makes me think about Argentina and how God sent people to touch me while I was there. You two really helped bring me back onto my walk with Him and I can't imagine it any other way.

These chapters talk a lot about 'making up for' our actions and our sins. Remember when we talked in Romans about excuses? I know I do this every day. Well, I drank a lot that night because there was nothing else to do, and I missed my friends from abroad, but I was sober the next night so it's all even. WRONG. I catch myself in this false sense of judgment more often than I like to admit. I think what God is asking us to do is to be up front with him. ADMIT and REPENT our sins. Don't tell Him that everything's okay and that you will make up for it later.

Did any one else feel like in the middle of chapter 2 God was describing our country? Why have we strayed so far from God? We worship idols like capitalism, war, and even sports - what does God think of us in this state? What can we do to change this? WHAT A DAUNTING IDEA!


Love ya girls,
~Amanda

JEREMIAH SCHEDULE!

HERE IT IS:

7 1-2 Amanda
8 3-5 Bri
9 6-8 Becca
12 9-11 Amanda
13 12-14 Bri
14 15-17 Becca
15 18-20 Amanda
16 21-23 Bri
19 24-26 Becca
20 27-29 Amanda
21 30-32 Bri
22 33-35 Becca
23 36-38 Amanda
26 39-41 Bri
27 42-44 Becca
28 45-47 Amanda
1 48-50 Bri
2 51-52 Becca


So most days have 3 chapters..we are only going M-F, and we are done at the end of the first week of March. Sound good?? LOVE YOU!!!!!

yeah lets do something. This book looks good http://www.changeyourlifedaily.com/product.aspx?i=14515&c=3&sb=1

but there's a gazillion things out there. we could just do what we were doing before. if you want to just go through a book in the Bible, I say Isaiah or Jeremiah. Both have been recommended to me, but I've never read either. Love you both.