Sunday, August 29, 2010

A 7 Day Tour Of Ephesians:



Dear Friends & Readers,

Let me begin with a thank you- and by saying that all of you have been very important fuel to my writing and I appreciate all the encouragement, comments, emails and interactions I have received as a result of your faithful readership.

But more than anything, this blog has been a source of accountability for me, as well as a gauge of my spiritual-life and the time I am spending in God's word.  You may have noticed busy weeks- with little to no posts.  There have been times of dryness, moments in the desert- where I have interacted with God out of duty rather than passion.  And there have been times overflowing with thoughts and ideas as I am interacting more deeply with God and His word.


This season, I have felt a calling to go deeper in my walk with God...and, naturally, to take this blog with me.  Anyone can read their bibles, but I want to take on the challenge of engaging and interacting with scripture on a very regular basis and encourage my readers to do so as well.

I have decided to listen to God's prompting and take a 7-day tour dedicated to a book of the bible. For seven days, I intend on posting solely from the book of Ephesians- challenging myself to interact with and soak in the many lessons to be learned from God's word and challenging myself to read the six chapters of this book over and over again.

I chose this book because it's original purpose was to encourage and strengthen the body of believers....which I believe is something that I ( and I assume the modern church at large) could use a huge dose of today. 

I am also challenging you to come along with me on this tour.  To get into your bibles every single day, to read the chapters over and over, to soak it in, allowing yourself to engage with and interact with God's words and His spirit in your day to day.  I am challenging you to read along with me everyday, reading the verses I have expanded on through these blog devotionals- but even more importantly: to allow yourself to glean lessons directly from God. 

May this seven day period ignite our desires to get into God's word...and not just take it for granted.  I wrote about this a few months ago in a post:

"You see, I, like many other middle-class, American, Christians...own about 6 bibles.  I have a study bible made of leather, my name inscribed with gold.  I have a couples devotional bible, also inscribed with my name.  I have a pocket bible, to carry in my purse in case I am traveling.  I have an online bible, to use while on my laptop sipping on a Starbucks cup of coffee.  And that's just to name a few.

I am sad to say it, but in my affluence and abundance I have lost something.  I have lost the passion for God's words.  The bible has become so common place in my life that I take it for granted day after day.   Don't get me wrong, I read my bible every day....but you see, that's just where my problem begins, I settle for that.
"

Let's not settle for simply that.  Let's take time in our lives to allow God's words to mold us and transform us.
So, if you're interested, tune in September 1st as we begin this seven day tour.  And let's encourage others to join us by passing along this link via twitter, face book, and email.  I'm excited to see what happens.

Will you join me?

4 comments:

  1. Debra, I am glad I "stumbled" upon your blog. I will follow along.

    Before the summer, I had a similar stirring (which is on my blog at
    http://thewoman2woman.blogspot.com) to read my bible afresh and anew, to encounter Jesus again through the scripture. Not only to read the words, but to experience Him through the words and lives of those who wrote the scriptures.

    Look forward to our journey together on your blog,

    Maria

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maria, I am so glad you stumbled upon my blog as well and look forward to taking this journey with you as well! I am excited to see what God has to show us and to share it with one another. Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PKB- Glad you are joining us! We are only three days along so it will be easy to catch up:) Looking forward to hearing some of your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

Love to hear your thoughts...