Bible in a year.. ha.

Previous plan to read the Bible in a year... aborted.

Too thirsty for Christ's words. We've been spending most of our time in the Gospel or reading Paul's letters... and loving every second of it.

Thoughts from Genesis

So we just started a "Bible in a Year" reading plan. Basically, if we read 3 chapters a day, we'll read the whole thing in a year. It's been 3 weeks, and we're only in the 20's in Genesis. We've reading about every other day, but often jump around, based on what Sunday's message is about, our particular struggles for the week, what's on our hearts, etc.

Maybe we should rename our plan to "Bible in a Year-ish... or 3."


Genesis 1:29 (NIV) "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that he fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'"

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) "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.'"

My thoughts? Reactions?

If Adam and Eve are given permission to eat of any tree with seeds, but they are not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (let's call it TKG&E), this must mean that the TKG&E a seedless tree. As I dug deeper into this thought and wrestled with it for a while, I realized how profound it would be for this tree to not bear seeds.

All of us know basic science - the seeds of a tree indicate that the tree came from another tree, and that those seeds will then disperse to create a new tree... and so the life cycle carries on.

God's existence is infinite. He was not created, He is the Creator. No one, nothing, no power came before him, and none will outlast Him. He is the Alpha and Omega. Interestingly similar to this tree.

Trees have seeds. It's what they have grown from. But it is so appropriate for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to simply exist.

Back to blogging, in the 'Burgh

Hello friends!

I took a few months sabbatical - but I'm back! And writing again from the 'Burgh. This season of my life in Pittsburgh is a little different though - I recently got married, and my wonderful, creative, pure-hearted, God-loving husband has moved out here with me!

He says, "Hi."

I plan on sharing much like I have before, but also hope to document and share my/ our experiences as a newlywed couple. We've also committed to reading the Bible in a year(ish), so I plan on sharing some of our new discoveries as well.

Grace and peace to you!
Ana Sidor... ;)

Coming soon...

I haven't truly sat down to write anything in the past few months. Partly because I've been busy, partly because I've been doing a lot of seeking, discovering, and growing and am not sure how to commit my thoughts into words. I speak truth, and I try to do so in love. And I want to be sure that when I do commit my thoughts into words, that the words are spoken lovingly.

Here are some topics I think I'll be writing about soon:

The living, active Word
(Non) Universal Beauty
Obedience vs. excellence


Ps. 77 days until I'm Mrs. Scott Sidor!

Modesty

This has been on my heart for awhile, but I wasn't sure how to put it into words. But these women say it all. I could not say this any better myself.

Women, please read and consider your brothers in Christ who are trying their best to maintain purity of the mind, body, and eyes. This is a topic that is often talked about, but the "why" behind it is rarely discussed.

http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php


I'm not sure the above address is linked to the same article. Maybe time for a post of my own sometime soon? (1/21/11)

Believer or follower?

There is a difference between believing in God and following God.

Think about it.

Which scenario are you in? Will both get you to Heaven?

Even Satan believed in God. If he didn't, why would he spend so much time trying to turn us away from God? Now, you don't have to have malicious intentions as Satan did to be far from God, but even just a lack of understanding has the potential of putting you in jeopardy from being a believer and not a follower.

Just because we go to church and because we are still good people during the week does not mean that we are followers of Christ. I used to be just that. I was a relatively good person and went to church on Sunday. But I didn't desire to know more about God; to learn about His character. I did not live my life evaluating where my heart did or did not align with Christ's heart. But these things are essential for followers of Christ... to be in love with the person of Christ.

And just to clarify, just because we are following God, doesn't mean that we aren't sinful. Each and every one of us (believer, follower, agnostic, etc) are equal in sin. The difference lies in if we've accepted God's grace and if we allow for the blood to cover our sins.

This blog entry is not meant to be offensive or judgmental, but to spark internal examination of one's heart.

Can I just tell you that...

My heart hurts. And I feel small. But I choose to rebuke the lies that are being fed to me.

He is jealous for me

This is a response I wrote to my Mom's post on facebook about a particularly lovely song called "How he loves." Scott said he liked what I wrote, so I guess I'll post it here.

"He is jealous for me..." Why do we make our God such a jealous God? Constantly putting other things before him... our time, our focus, our energy, our allegiance? Why is it that we can't just sit and be silent before His Majesty, who created us from mere dust? Why are we not so infatuated with Him that don't long to be by His side every second of every day? It amazes me how much He gives us and how little we give Him.

If you aren't familiar, the lyrics go...

"He is jealous for me

He loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of His love and mercy

All of the sudden

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

And I realize just how beautiful you are

And how great your affections are for me

Oh, how he loves us so..."