Study of Matthew

I want to read the entire Bible in 2016. So I devised a plan. I contemplated many but I decided to start with the new Testament and therefore am reading Matthew currently. The study is two fold. One as I read I will look for verses or messages that relate to the monthly Soul Care theme (Which for January is Fruits of the Spirit-Love) Second I will look for God's voice in my reading. Messages that resonant and speak to me.

Since I did not start reading until January 4th, I had some catching up to do....Monday I read Matthew 1-6 and today I read 7-10. I have made it a practice to read the verses aloud because I have discovered in the past that it really helps me to stay focused on the message.

As I read through the chapters I came across several gems that really spoke to my heart. One is Matthew 9:28 in which Jesus is healing the blind men and he asked..." Do you believe I am able to do this."  To which they answered "Yes Lord."

How many times do we ask God for something without TRULY believing he can do it?  For me personally it is more... that He can do it but I have a specific outcome I want rather than relying on His plan.  Reading this gave me pause because it pointed out that prayer without faith is like casting your line into an empty pond.

 

 

This has always been one of my favorite verses.  Our Father wants us to have what we need and he is always ready to listen and intercede on our behalf.

 

 

 

I found a Soul Care theme gem too. When Jesus was speaking of false prophets he said, "by their fruit you will recognize them."  The false prophets of today may not be like the ones in Matthew...they may be more subtle and pervasive. It is easy to be lead into belief systems, especially in a political year, but what are the "fruits" of those belief systems? 

 

 

Hugs to each of you and may you recognize the fruits of many strong, good trees in your life! 

Looking Forward: 2016

 

Please consider this your open invitation to join me for Soul Care 2016.  Soul Care is a month by month, study, reflection, art journaling, discussion process that's main purpose is to deepen your spiritual connection to God.

 

You can join me here on the blog or over on the Soul Musing Facebook page. "Joining" Soul Musings 2016 can mean different things for different people. Some will simply read and reflect on what is written here or posted on Facebook. Some will comment or add their own thoughts. Some will buy an art journal or planner and create their own course of study or follow the one I am doing. Soul Musings is simply one avenue for you to walk the path God has set before you.

 

I'm excited for 2016!  God wants us to live a joyful life, and so often life here on this (at the moment) very rainy place we call earth can be complicated and stressful. Pain does exist and there are many storms to weather, both real and internally. As our faith grows and we seek God's will, some of those anxieties fall away and we are better able to cope with the multitude of things thrown at us.

 

I'm planning on a slightly different approach to Soul Care this year and I'd like to share it with you.

 

 

This is my new planner. It's a Happy Planner that I created a new faith based cover for. I have some other covers so I will most likely change them throughout the year. Last year I did both the planner and a Bible study so when I was thinking about 2016, I decided to combined both into one location. I'm not sure how it will work but we are about to find out!

 

 

At the beginning of each month there is a monthly page which I altered to work for my faith art journal. I haven't finished filling in all of the things for January yet. 

 

 

 

The inside of the planner has a monthly view and I will basically follow the same format in regards to monthly focus topics.  The first nine months of the year will focus on the fruits of the spirit.

 

Week One is always prayer week. This is a good time to ask for God's guidance for the month ahead and for him to open your heart and mind to Him.

 

Week Two is Bible Week and I look for and read verses pertaining to the monthly topic. It is amazing how often those verses speak to my life at the moment and uplift and guide me.

 

Week Three is Silence and Solitude Week which is the most difficult. Clearing my mind to hear God's voice is hard in this busy world. This year I am going to add the practice of lighting a candle during this reflective time as a reminder that God is the Light of the World and darkness cannot outshine his light.

 

Week Four is Express It Week which is when I tried to art journal my faith in some small way. The creative process opens our hearts to God in a different way than other forms of worship.

 

Any "extra" weeks in the month are bonus weeks to use however I wish.

 

 

 

The weekly views in the planner are set up a little different and I have a bit more room than I did in the spiral bound one in 2015. I plan to decorate each weekly view and use the sections as follows:

 

1. Top boxes will be used for the month Soul Care focus.

 

2. Middle boxes will be for art, doodles. inspirational pictures or other things of that nature.

 

3. The bottom boxes I am going to use to track my Bible study.

 

I am honored to share my ideas and thoughts with you and hope they help you on your journey toward a deeper relationship with God.

 

Hugs to all of you.

 

 



 

 

 

Comfort, The Way, and the Holy Spirit

 

Gospel of John Chapter 14

 

 

"You know the way to the place I am going."  Jesus says this to his disciples in the well know story of "my Father's house has many rooms."  He is talking with them trying to provide comfort as he knows the days ahead will be full of anguish.

 

 

 

When I first read this I thought "you know the way" and while I realized immediately that this referred to Jesus I also paused to consider it in another light. You know the way.... it's something I often think and believe in my heart, that if we follow our inner guidance (our spirit perhaps) that we know what to do in many circumstances,

 

Then Jesus speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit. "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever."

 

 

"But the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said."  I find the whole concept of this the third part of the trinity intriguing. As I read this part of the scripture I felt that some gem of understanding was just outside my grasp. I will pray and muse about the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus ends this chapter saying, "the prince of this world is coming, he has no hold over me."  As we seek a stronger, personal relationship with God, the prince of this world will come, but he will have no hold over us if we use the advocate to help us live a life of truth and love.  

 

Hugs to all and may the Holy Spirit dwell in you so that you may know the truth.

 



Feet, Betrayals and Denials

Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John

Chapter 13 includes a lot of foreshadowing. Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for the upcoming events. First he washes their feet and tells them:

"I your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also should wash each others feet."

He predicts his betrayal and immediately (just like we would today) they want to know, which of us I it that will betray you.

He predicts Peter's denial. The story of Peter's denial is to me one of the strongest, personal stories in the Bible. For someone to love so completely and then be ruled by fear and unable to "claim" knowledge of or friendship with Jesus.

Hugs to each and everyone of you.

Perfume, Money, and the Prediction

 

Gospel of John Chapter 12

Mary washed Jesus' feet with the expensive perfume and Judas takes exception to it, asking why it wasn't sold and used to feed the poor. His real reason for questioning it was that he was stealing from the money box and he hoped to profit from the perfume himself.

 

Throughout this chapter Jesus makes predictions about his death. "You will always have the poor among you but you will not always have me." He rides into Jerusalem on a donkey as his faithful wave branches and shout. His time is near and this he knows, although his disciples are unaware.

 

He spends time in conversation with God and he points out that he could ask, "God save me from this hour." but he does not because it is his very reason for being.

There s still much belief and disbelief among the people. He talks about how he is not here to judge but rather to save and that only God himself will judge.

 

What an emotional time this is for Jesus. Seeing his life's work come to fruitation but the human aspect of him also realizing that this means his death is very near. To know he is welcomed into the city by those who believe while knowing the belief of even his faithful disciples will be shaken when he is arrested.

 

Sometimes I think faith is like this also, both a joyous celebration and a scary commitment.

 

Hugs to each and everyone of you. May your faith grow into a joyous celebration and may your fears be squashed.

 

 

 

Death, Resurrection, and the Glory of God

 

 

Gospel of John: Chapter 11

 

Chapter 11 contains the story of Lazarus and how Jesus brought him back from the dead. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha were calling for Jesus to come heal him, he didn't hurry. There was no need to. The plan was already in place to use his death to glorify God and God's plan for eternal life.

 

Sometimes this story bothers me. I don't know why, maybe for a variety of reasons. It stretches my faith a bit and has me pondering why we don't see such miracles today. I've been thinking about that lately. How different our world of today is from the world of Jesus's time. Perhaps miracles happen every day and we have become too jaded to see them, to recognize God's hand in the overall lives of people. I mean miracles do happen and we call it science. People are "saved" everyday by medicines, treatment and operations, It's not quite the same thing now is it? Or perhaps it is? Who gives us the knowledge, the ability, the foresight, the chance discoveries?

 

I think the whole story is more about making people realize the wonder that eternal life truly is and yet there's something about it that continues to niggle at my brain, to cause just enough unrest to have it popping into my thoughts at unexpected times. It's as if there is a discovery, a "truth" just outside my line of vision, an idea that hasn't quite came into being, waiting for me to reach some conclusion, some optimal point of understanding. Or maybe its just not mine to know.  

 

Hugs to each and everyone of you. Have you ever wondered why I end each post with hugs? A hug is a warm embrace meant to convey, love, friendship, understanding and comfort. I always hope that each post helps you in some way and the "hugs" at the end are meant to express my sincere feelings about you my readers.

 

 

 



August Bible Study 1 John

I know...I know...I haven't finished posting my Study of the Gospel of John yet but honestly I finished it before going to Alaska in June. I just got "off track" of actually writing about it. I'll still be posting all of my chapter thoughts here on Soul Musings but I want to get back to my daily study also.  I put that off, thinking I'd wait till I finished posting the Gospel of Jonh posts but since I'm so slow ....I'm getting restless. I tried some random verses that all focused on the same topic and quite honestly I just couldn't get into that approach so I'm back to picking a book to study.  I'm hoping to get the Gospel of John posts up before the end of July so I can start "fresh" with the new study in August.

I've decided to continue with John by reading 1 John, know as an epistle. An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or a group of people using an elegant and formal didactic letter. 1 John is not the only epistles but it is the one I will be reading and refelcting on in August.

Since 1 John is a shorter book of the Bible I will break it into 5 weeks, one week for each of the chapters. I plan to read and reflect daily and will attempt to get a post up at the beginning of each week with things to ponder and a post at the end of the week with some thoughts. Np promises though because life does happen around here...and well sometimes life is just more important than blogging!

Hugs! I look forward to sharing my experience, thoughts, and questions about 1 John with you.

The Gate, the Shepherd and the Sheep

Gospel of John Chapter 10

In chapter ten we read the story of the good shepherd, probably one of the most common and weel know images of Jesus is him as the shepherd. In reading the account in John I realize the story even has more layers of depth than I remembered from childhood.

Jesus not only tells the Pharisees that he is the shepherd but that he is the gatekeeper and those that enter by other means are thieves and robbers. Although he is referring to others who have come in the past it also makes me think of false phrophets and others that come into people's livesand try to enter the pen, like thieves stealing the spiritual lives of the sheep.

The sheep listen only to the shepherd because they know his voice and recognize him. This is a worry or perhaps a doubt of mine sometimes that I might hear something or feel moved to go in a certain direction and HOW will I know it is God and not just my own will or if I am being lead astray?

Further more there are othe sheep besides those in this pen and they will come to Jesus also: a reference to the Jewish and the Gentiles. Jesus is for everyone and it is made clear in this story that he knows this from the start. It's not a "change of plans" because all the Jews do not follow him. It has been a clearly outlined objective from the beginning.

The hired hand is not the shepherd because when the wolf comes he runs away as he cares nothing for the sheep.  Again this makes me think of false prophets but not just false ones. Our own relgious leaders of today are human. They cannot have the strength or the resolve to see things through as Jesus can. That is not to say that many of them are not strong faithful individuals but just that they are not the shepherd. This makes me think of churches splitting up and following other leaders. Are they going because they feel called to grow spiritual in a different direction or are they pulled off course by the "hired hand", the "leader" they re following?

They will listen to my voice and they will be one flock and one shepherd. Hasn't happened yet but is an interesting and inspiring prediction.

Of course all this did was cause further disputes over Jesus's claims. He is asked: Tell us plainly are you the Messiah?" Jesus replies: "I did tell you but you did not listen."  He states "I and the Father are one." It incises them so that they pick up stones to stone him and he asks for which of my good works am I being stoned?  They replied it is for blasphemy.  Again Jesus challenged them and told them that in their own laws it is written that those receiving God's word are "gods" so how is it wrong for me to say I am the Son of God.  Then Jesus left and went back across the Jordan.

Hugs to you. As we travel through life may we recognize the voice of the shepherd and find eternal life.

Blindness, Investigations and The Son of Man

Gospel of John Chapter 9

Chapter nine is almost exclusively the story of Jesus healing the man who was born blind.  He covered his eyes with mud and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. Upon doing so the man could see.

The story starts out with the disciples asking Jesus who had sinned this man or his parents since he was born blind. Jesus tells them that it was neither but that it happened so the works of God might be displayed.  This strikes me because I think even today people view misfortune, troubles, and illness as being the result of sin. It's not but in reading the verses again I wonder does it even in today's world allow for God's work. In some ways it certainly does even though God doesn't make bad things happen.

 

The Pharisees investigate, question the man and his parents, and try to cast doubt on who Jesus is. The man says "If this man was not from God he could do nothing." But the Pharisees certainly do not want to hear this and they throw him out.

 

Jesus then finds him and asks: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"  He worshiped him saying "Lord, I believe."

 

I think I find most interesting what Jesus says to the Pharisees: "If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."  In other words, had you not declared your own power to know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong you would be "innocent". Yet in declaring that "you see" or that you know the difference you are now accountable for your actions.

 

Sometimes I pray for God to open my eyes so that I might see and understand the path I am intended to walk. There are so many questions that pop up in today's world and things that might have once been a simple black or white now have so many shades that it's hard to tell where one starts and another leaves off.

 

Yet "seeing" can be difficult at times too especially when there is often so little that can be "done."

 

Hugs to all of you and a special hope that you ":see" with new eyes as God leads you on this special journey called life.

 

 

 

 

Stones, Liars, and Children of Whom?

Gospel of John Chapter 8

In this chapter we find Jesus in the temple courts when the teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring in a woman that has been caught committing adultery. They try to trick Jesus into "going against the law" in what he says needs to happen but instead he turns the tables on them by simply saying "let any one of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her." Of course, on one could or did.
I think today we are too willing to cast stones, to see faults in others while turning a blind eye to our own.

 

In this chapter we also have a great discussion between Jesus and the Jews as they tried o determine just WHO Jesus was and whose children Jesus opponents were. This conversation goes back and forth for some time. Jesus states that they belong to their father the devil who is the king of liars. He also contends that they cannot hear what God says because they do no belong to God.

 

I paused to reflect on this part a bit because I can see a great similarity to today. I always thought (and still do in theory) that anyone can hear God's voice but then the more I think of it the more I'm convinced that people can turn a deaf ear to God, or tune him out or ignore him to such an extent that his whispers are no longer viable. That's not to say he stops trying but just that his voice is dead to those that choose to "worship" different things.

 

Remember the whole concept of good and evil as viewed as "becoming" and unbecoming. It's part of the process. As we "become" we are more in tune with God and we can "hear" his voice, his sense of direction, his suggestions more readily. Yet when people turn away from God and become engulfed in humanly desires or evil endeavors they are in the process of unbecoming and can no longer hear the sound of God's call. You don't have to be "bad" or "evil" really to cease to hear God. You can just be indifferent. Indifference can murder the spiritual self as readily as evil.

 

Hugs to all of you. I'll end with my favorite verse from John 8.

 

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." John 8:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festivals, Water, and Doubt

Gospel of John: Chapter 7

Once again in chapter seven we have Jesus speaking of the "living water."  Water gives us life. Without it we would die from thirst. Jesus is the living water of our spiritual lives, without him we die.

There is much talk, questioning and doubt during the time of the Festival of Tabernacles. Jesus's brothers urged him to go to the festival to show himself to the world. "No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret." John 7: 4

At first Jesus does not attend but halfway through he does appear at the festival and begins to teach. There is a great division among people about who Jesus is. One of the main sticking points became the belief that a "prophet does not come from Galilee". Rather it was foretold that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.  Was it not known that Jesus was born in Bethlehem or was the tradition that where you come from was based on your hometown rather than place of birth?

The doubt amongst the Jewish leaders grows and Nicodemus speaks up in defense of Jesus only to be shut down rather quickly.

 

This is a turbulent time. The end is near and even as Jesus knows it, He continues to teach. There comes a time when they try to seize Jesus but no one laid a hand upon him because his hour had not yet come. The crowds begin to waiver towards Jesus asking, "When the Messiah comes will he perform more signs than this man?" This whispering and belief is what incises the Pharisees. They cannot allow Jesus to achieve any momentum or power.

 

On the last day of the festival Jesus again says:

 

"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." John 7: 37

 

It's easy to feel the energy and the mob mentality in chapter seven. It is so similar to secular examples in today's world. New fads, political bickering, disbelief and maneuvering. There is much turbulence in the world today. Yet where is the living water?  While Jesus did not truly act "in secret" he was not an "in your face rebel" either. He was calm, he was assured, and when the time was right he spoke his mind. In chapter seven you sense a certain frustration when the Pharisees assert that he can not testify on his own behalf but overall he simply teaches.

 

Again I ask; In today's world where is the living water? There are preachers on street corners, evangelists on TV and multibillion dollar churches, yet I doubt the living water is in them. If Jesus is the living water, where is he?  He is in the small churches, the individual acts of kindness, the prayers in secret, the songs of celebration and in those that search. He's just not an "in your face" sort of guy. He prefers that those who seek him, find him in the stillness of life, in the smiles of strangers and in the loving touch of a friend. He said "You do not know me or my Father"  Know him, not because you sit in a church pew every week but because you find him in the simple things in life. Things as simple as water.

 

Hugs to all. I'm off on a vacation so won't be posting for a bit. Until then drink of the simple love and kindness of a life well lived and know that He is there also.

 

 

 

 

Nicodemus, the Bridegroom and Eternal Life

Chapter Three

As I noted earlier the focus of John's writing is to outline and record the events that "prove" Jesus is the Son of God. It is the Gospel of Belief!

In chapter three we have the story of Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who meets secretly with Jesus and appears to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. However it doesn't really state that he openly declared this. How like Nicodemus we are sometimes. We proclaim our love of Christ but seldom argue his story with others.

This is also the chapter where John the Baptist explains his relationship to Christ in terms of a wedding. The bride belongs to the bridegroom, The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him. He is overjoyed when he hears his voice. Such is John the Baptist's role with Christ. The joy is his at Christ's arrival and he is more than willing to become less as Christ becomes more. Are we still today, willing to play that role? As we share the good news of our Savior are we becoming less so he becomes more?  Do we proclaim the good news to glorify ourselves or God?

 

One of my favorite parts of this chapter is the explanation of how people who do evil avoid the light.

 

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."  John 3: 20-21

 

I'm currently on Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John so I'm a little behind sharing my musings here with you.  This study is helping me form some powerful connections with the life of Christ, If you haven't started reading John, please jump right in. I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

Hugs today and always.

 

Water, Wine, and Clearing the Courts

 

John, chapter two is where Jesus attends a wedding and turns water into wine. I have to say when reading this part of John, two things came to mind. First turning water to wine seems a sort of "common" miracle for his first. What I mean by common is that it's not on the level of healing someone. Life is important but wine at a wedding not so much. Then I started thinking a bit about it. 

 

 The second thing that make me smile in this chapter is Jesus's response to his mother. "Woman, why do you involve me?"   It brought a smile because it is a very human response to a parent. So perhaps the water to wine miracle was Jesus's love for his mother showing as he appeases her.

 

Healing a person on the surface certainly seems like a more "worthwhile" miracle but really who am I to second guess Jesus. Yet at the same time, Jesus repeatedly stated that he was not concerned with the human body, as it was temporary anyway. In addition, think about it, the wine was transformed from ordinary water, Water that is essential for humans. This basic necessity was transformed into wine, a celebratory drink. In much the same way that Jesus transforms ordinary humans into souls with eternal life. Now that's something to celebrate!  

 

 

Chapter two is also where Jesus clears the temple courts. This is a slightly different Jesus than we normally picture. Here we see him perhaps even a little angry.

 

There are a couple of verses that stand out to me in this chapter.

 

"Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days." John 2:19

 

This is Jesus's response to the Jews who asked him about his authority in the clearing of the courts. They think he is referring to the temple but Jesus is referring to his body and that he will rise three days after his death.

 

"He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."

John 2: 25

 

This was a reminder to me that Jesus knows our hearts, our minds, and our souls, even better than we do. We hide nothing from him and even though we may fool ourselves we do not fool him.

 

Question to muse:

 

1. How can you see God in both the ordinary (water) and the celebratory (wine).

 

Hugs to each and everyone of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light, Believing, and the Word

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." John 1:1

So starts the Gospel of John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This Gospel focuses on recording the signs or miracles that Jesus performs that prove he is the Messiah, Christ.

My "cliff" notes for chapter one look like this...

• This chapter starts out talking about Jesus as the Word.  Also in this chapter John the Baptist talks about Jesus, explaining that he has come before Jesus to testify.

"The true light that gives light to everyone is coming into the world" John 1: 9

• Jesus starts to call his disciples. Andrew, Peter, Phillip and Nathanael.

"Jesus said, you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that. "  John 1:50

One of the verses that "jumped out" at me as I read the chapter was

"I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness." John 1: 23

These words were spoken by John the Baptist when he was questioned by the Pharisees as to who he was.

Musings:

The Word of God becomes flesh in Jesus and is able to interact with mankind in ways never before present in an earthly setting. This light (think shining a light on something, revealing it, illumination and understanding) gives light to everyone in the world. Not just the Jews, even from the beginning the plan was to give this light, this knowledge, this savior to anyone who believes.

Believing is hard though isn't it. I always like to say "I'm from the Show Me State, so I have to see it to believe it." This is a theme that Jesus also alludes to. He mentions it first to Nathanael, when he chides him for believing simply because he was able to "see" him under the fig tree.

Seeing is believing but seeing is not always understanding. The Pharisees and the authorities of the time saw or heard of Jesus's signs, they might have even believed that he did perform them but what they lacked was the understanding. What did his ability to do such feats mean? They refused to link these "signs" to the prophecies of old.

I wonder if I would have "heard" the voice in the wilderness. John the Baptist is saying: I am calling but no one is listening, No one hears me. Sometimes I think that God might feel this way today. So much calling but so little hearing in this world crowded with people, sounds, and worries.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself and to muse on for this chapter.

1. Do you make time in your life for the "light"? Do you allow for quiet reflection and stillness to let the light shine and nurture your soul? If not, how might you strive to do this?

2. What is an example of a time in your life when you saw, believed AND understood God's presence in your life? If you can't think of one, pay close attention in this next week and find a time when God whispers to you.

Hugs to all of you. I'm not a Bible expert; what you read here are my personal thoughts and reflections but perhaps they will be useful in some small way.

May Bible Study: The Gospel of John

 

For quite some time now, I've wanted to do a personal Bible study. I've read many portions of the Bible but I wanted to do a more in depth study. I originally planned to do the study privately. There is much to be said about studying privately, just as praying in secret can be powerful. The plan was to start in May but I got so excited about it that I started a few days early.

 

First, since I'm ME, I did some online research about which book is good to start with. Most of what I read suggested starting in the New Testament and specifically the Gospel of John. I've wrote a bit about John in my Investigating Jesus series.

Second I set up a Bible study notebook to use for reflection and journaling. I decided to do a chapter every day Monday-Friday.

 

I tried to get my friend to join in and she wanted to know what guide we would be using. I didn't really want the confines of a guide. I wanted to read, muse, decipher, and hear the words through my own mind and heart first without having them filtered by someone else's interpretation.

 

I'm five days into the study now and I am enjoying it so much I decided to share it with you here at Soul Musings. I'm hoping I might inspire some of you to dive into your own Bible Study. All you need is a Bible and some paper., You can put it in a notebook or use a spiral bound one.

 

 

I set up a "plan". This shows two months. The pink highlighter are days that are not being used for the "study".  In June we will be gone for quite a while on our Alaska trip and I plan to take along a small devotional but I know I won't be journaling or writing a lot during the trip.

 

 

These are my "cliff notes" for chapters one and two and the verses that resonated with me. I plan to layer some whole journal pages behind these where I can write in more detail about my thoughts or add additional thoughts and ideas that come to me. Some of these may occur well after the study is over.  You could easily do the same thing in a spiral notebook. I might doodle or add color at some point but for right now it is just the "heart" of the study.  

 

As I said I started out with the idea that this be a "private study" but then I kept getting little nudges to perhaps change or broaden my idea about that. So I will be sharing my personal reflections of the study here on this blog and over at Soul Musings Facebook page. If you are interested in following along please join the Facebook group or read along here.

 

Hugs all. I'm a few chapters ahead of you but I will be blogging from chapter one so you can jump right in. It's not too late to start.