Exodus

Yikes! Only Day 9 and not only have I only posted twice, but I'm almost three days behind in reading! It was four this morning, but I was able to read this morning before going out. Hopefully I can knock out another day before I go to bed tonight! Anyways, I'm at the church and my notebook is at home, so I only have my notes from today. Let's see what I've thought, shall we?

• LOL at the image of Moses running from the staff-turned-snake. Reading it, I pictured how one of the preachers at the Awakening Conference would've told the story. ("Aaahhhh!! DUDE! Did You see that?!  That stick just turned into a snake!" I know. I did that. Now pick it up. "Uh, wait, what?" Pick up the snake. "Seriously? Pick up this snake?" Yes. Oookaaayyyy....but if I get bit, it's on You!")
• Moses tried every excuse he could think of for why he shouldn't be the one until he finally told God how he really felt-he didn't wanna do it (Exodus 4)
• How would people feel if I name my first son "Mushi"? (Exodus 4)
• "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." (Exodus 9:16)
• Ex.10:21: "Darkness that can be felt". That's some intense, scary imagery right there!
• "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
• Ex.14:21: We tend to think of the parting of the Red Sea as a *whoosh*, a really quick, instant thing, but it lasted all night! (And don't even get me started on that cloud pillar that made it dark on one side, light on the other....AWESOME!)
• Visit us at Elim! We've got 12 Springs and 70 Palm Trees! A true Desert Oasis! (Ex 15:27)
• Moses was pretty whiney to God. I wonder if that's why the Israelites were so whiney to him? The whole "Leadership sets the tone" sorta thing.
• Exodus 16: First mention of a Sabbath other than God's at creation (correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the first one I noticed.)
• Exodus 16:33: I wonder where that manna ended up? Is it still around? Did it get destroyed? Did someone eat it out of curiosity? Because I'd really like to try some manna if you've got any lying around...)

Well, that's it for now! Time to kick off our first Missions Month Midweek program with the kiddos! 

Bible Bonanza-Slow Start

Well, we're on day three and I'm already almost a day behind! I've been soooo tired the past few days, and have had a headache, so I've been falling asleep reading! I should have time to catch up on Saturday, though, so we're on the right track. Here's a few thoughts I've had so far:

• I didn't know "Kenan" was a Biblical name!
• I feel bad for Sarai. Her husband tells her to pretend she's his sister, and gives her over to a king. Not once, but twice! Then, because she can't have children, she tells him to make a baby with her servant...and he does! And when she finally does have a child of her own, Abraham almost sacrifices him! 
• Think about this one: "You are the God who sees me." (Gen16:13) WOW!
• Best way to get what you want? Humility and Flattery (Gen 18:16-33)
• "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" (Gen 22:14). We tend to call our high points our "mountaintop" experiences. But for Abraham, going to the mountaintop was a low (initially). He was commanded to go to the mountain and kill his son. His only son. The son that the whole promise of his future rested on. Talk about a bad day! Yet in his darkest moment, God showed up and provided what he thought impossible. Gives the mountain an all new perspective. 

The Bible Bonanza 2012!

Almost exactly one year ago, I took this photo and started my attempt to read the Bible in 90 days

I failed. I got to somewhere in Leviticus and just....stopped. Not reading the Bible. Just reading at that pace. I got busy and just....stopped. But starting today, May 1st, I'm going to try again. 

Now, you may be saying, 

"But Ashley, WHY would you want to read the Bible in 90 days?! You wouldn't get anything out of it! Besides, I don't even think it's possible to read the whole thing in just three months!" Well, dear, interested friend (or stranger), let me tell you. 

The first time I started this, I loved reading through so quickly. You really get to see the big picture message behind the individual stories. Also, I need to shake things up in my life and reconnect to God in a deeper way, so this seems like a good way to start. And yes, it is possible. I know people who have done it in just one month! And it's on my 30x30 List. Plus, and this may not be a great reason to read the Bible (but it's an honest one), Bragging Rights! 

So to help myself actually do this, I'm telling the world. It's happening! I'm also going to try very very hard to blog every day with something I'm learning or that jumps out to me. And I'm calling it the Bible Bonanza. I know, it's cheesy. But it's fun to say! 

So welcome to the Bible Bonanza! Have you read through the entire Bible at one time? What do you think of doing it in 90 days (or even 30)??

Eric Trap Giveaway!!

This just in! I have two copies of The Eric Trap to give away! 

The Eric Trap is a modern-day fable that highlights the top 5 mistakes kidmin leaders (really, any church leaders) tend to make. You can read my full review here.

If you'd like a chance to win, simply leave a comment with your best leadership tip. I'll pick two winners at random at the end of the day on May 4th. If you're a leader, you want to read this book!

"The Eric Trap: A Leadership Fable"

The Eric Trap: A Leadership Fable

By Jim Wideman, Kenny Conley, Sam Luce, with the Infuse Team

Eric Newman is having a bad week. His ministry, his family, and his pride are crumbling around him, and he's not sure what went wrong or how to stop it. But the most gripping part of his story is that it's our story. Mine and yours. If you are in leadership, at least one of Eric's predicaments has stumped you, too. 

Part story, part instructional, this book is unlike any other on leadership! You'll go from chuckling at Eric's thoughts to being convicted of the same mistakes. Wideman, Conley, Luce, and the rest of the team have interwoven Eric's story with their own experiences and tips to help all of us avoid the top 5 most common pitfalls of leadership. 

I can't recommend this book enough! It's a very easy read in a unique style that can be read in a day.  The team has included thought-provoking questions to help put action behind the ideas. And perhaps the best news, it's not just for kidmin leaders! Any church leader will benefit from the lessons contained in this book. Add this to your list and you won't be disappointed! This is a book I'll definitely be revisiting.

Rated 5/5

Highly Recommended

The Hour of My Discontent

Warning: The following is a peek into the mind of Ashley. This journey should not be taken lightly, as very few have been privileged to this craziness we call thoughts. Actually, I can only think of one.  It's a tad messy. And may not make sense to everyone. But hey, that's life.

See, I feel like I'm made for more. More what? Life, I guess. I'm not 100% sure what exactly that more is, I just know it exists. I feel like I'm supposed to do more than I'm currently doing. Not more in quantity, but in quality. My dreams are so much bigger than where I'm at. Bigger than the dreams of those around me. I'm sorry if this comes off as conceited or whatever, that's not my intent. But I feel like, with very few exceptions, when I try to talk about this with people, I just get blank stares. Or people will come on board with an issue that needs to change, and be all gung-ho, but not actually put action behind the words. Very few people seem to actually understand what I'm talking about. As Belle says, 

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

I want it more than I can tell

And for once, it might be grand

To have someone understand

I want so much more than they've got planned

I'm not content with the usual job-marriage-kids-retire kinda life. I look at my life and think, "If I'm still in this place a year from now, I WILL go crazy".  There's nothing inherently wrong with the job-and-retirement fund plan. But it's not for me. My heart gets restless when I think that is going to be my life. And if I never get married, it's not the end of the world to me. I know for some people its the end-all-be-all and they will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Don't get me wrong, I would love to find a husband. But I'm done trying (if you can call what I've been doing "trying"). However, if I can't look back and see that my life has made a difference, that the world is a better place because I was here, then it's a waste. 

I refuse to get to that point. I refuse....actually, this song says it way better than me:

I refuse. I refuse to be average. I refuse to stay when God tells me to move. I refuse to sit in my little bubble padding my bank account, when there is an entire world out there filled with hurting, dying, lonely people. I refuse. 

I don't necessarily know what's next. I don't even know what the next baby step looks like. I just know that the first step was the decision. The decision that my life will not be the same after this point. So it's time to figure it out. I'm sure it will take some prayer, some crying, some frustration, some sacrifice.

But I'm at my breaking point. 

I'm done with life as we know it. 

Something needs to change and it never will unless I take action. 

So you can join me in this adventure. Or you can stand back and watch. 

Either way, you have to choose. 

I choose to jump off the cliff. 

Goals: The Beginning

So, I've been following a blog for a few weeks that does something I find kinda cool. She posts goals for each month and each week, then follows up at the end of the month/week on how she did with them. Her's are also broken into segments, like do, be, learn...but I'm not gonna go there yet. So, while I don't promise to keep it up, we're gonna try this whole monthly goals thing. And since we're halfway through the month, it will be a little easier- less pressure. Here are my goals for the rest of the month:

• Read and review one ARC in my pile
• Buy a new, whole-food vitamin
• Plan the whole of Missions Month for kids ministry
• Check my FICO Score
• Get my eating habits back under control
• Clean "The Pile" (you don't wanna know....)
• Decide what to study in my quiet time next
• Get a child from Compassion's Longest Waiting list sponsored

I would love for someone else to sponsor one of those kids and tell me about it, so I could feel better, but I think I may have to make some sacrifices and sponsor one myself. I already have one Compassion Kid, but the fact that some of these kids have been waiting for almost a year for someone to love them breaks my heart. Will you love them? Or do you already sponsor a child? Tell me about them!

So there you have it! My goals for the rest of this month. Now I have to do them, or let down the whole internet. Because, obviously, I'm that popular that the entire internet cares what's happening on my little 'ole blog!