Chapter 8: Boo to Bildad. It’s a good thing I’m not Job—or Bildad’s friend during my time of great loss. I think his comments in Chapter 8 may have earned him a karate chop or two. Don’t worry, I don’t karate chop my friends, but putting myself in Job’s shoes here–I have a JIE-NOR-MOUS (big;) […]
The Young Family Farm »
Category Archives: Day in the LifeHappy 10 day anniversary of reading through chronologically with me in 2010! 10 days…and how closer to the Lord do you already feel as you commited to read daily to know Him more?! Isn’t it amazing what the Lord does in your mind AND heart when you saturate them with His Holy Word? I have […]  My sweet friend at “Filled With Praise” nominated my blog for this fun award. Thank you friend! You know I think your blog is over the top too:). The award states you have to use only one word answer the questions, pass along to six favorite bloggers, and tell ’em you did so. I’ll be […] definitely praying!!! I will be praying for you! I pray that we both get our approvals before working our way to the top of the wait lists! Absolutely!-your family is already in my prayers but I will specifically remember this request when I’m praying. Praying… And if the time gets close or referral comes, call your local senators office. We did that and they pushed ours through the next day! But hoping it will all happen on it’s own! ~Kathryn Love your answers. You know I am praying…you have to travel with me…have to!!! Andrea…we had our appointment Dec 23rd to be fingerprinted and received our FDL letter back in our mailbox the next WEEK! It was postmarked Dec 28th…I’m not kidding. So don’t freak out…it could happen super quick too!! Jenn Praying for you! Puttting the request up on our Prayer Angels…it will be exciting to see the miracles appear…PRAYER CHANGES THINGS ! Psalm 91 Andrea, Thank you for nominating me. What an honor coming from you. Oh, I will definitely be praying that you would be approved really fast! Looking forward to Thursday! I will certainly join you in praying for a miracle and for expediency!!!! We got our USCIS form back in under 3 months, so it can happen! Love you! Hi Andrea! Remember, me? We spoke on the phone and you answered some of my preliminary adoption questions. Although I rarely comment or post, I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you all! We are praying about moving forward in adoption too. Also, thank you for your encouragement…I am reading the bible with you too. 🙂 I’m praying about the 1600! 🙂 Love you!  Look what I got in the mail today! Yes…2010 is my year of organization. It IS going to happen;). Step 1. The pantry…(I even went to Kroger in the snow to buy…NO not milk or bottled water…but AAA batteries so my label maker would work;) It’s the Brother PT-90 version and might I add I […] Oh my gosh, if you are anything like me (and it seems that you are) you will LOVE your label maker! I am also on an organizing frenzy right now! Although I can’t commit to labeling my cabinets because I change them all the time, lol! =) But one of my goals in 2010 is to find a home for everything…maybe it’s ambitous, I don’t know, but I’m striving for organization! I’ll read the verses in the morning and then post! Oh Happy Day! Beautiful entry (as always) Andrea 🙂 I love your heart. -R Hear your heart on marriage…and I completely agree…as I very wounded and baggage filled person (and 19 marrying a man ten years older) when I married, I had LOTS of emotions…and if I had went with my emotions all the time…well, let’s say sometimes I did and it WASNT GOOD! God gave me the person that completed me and who was perfect for me…even though from alot of peoples standpoint’s…we were nuts! (or more specifically they thought he was!) I love him now more than ever… LOVE studying the Word with you! Were we separated at birth? My label maker is going in my will as one of my treasured possessions 🙂 Love the post today…keep it up girl. Andrea, our family is too reading the bible together. Nightly works for us. We are using The Daily Walk. It has it broken down with bites to ponder the Word ! I have made a copy of your One Year Chronological Bible schedule and it is almost the same. Ya’ll have Chronicles added so I am going to do that too….I always get blue after our time together at night doing our Jesse Tree and that is when Doc suggested the daily reading together. Last night we missed but our Lord loves our hearts to be coming back even when we have missed Him only one day or years…doesn’t matter He is waiting and present. Some of the comments and things you write are exactly what we discuss after the readings. It tickles me to no end that we are all defying “the world” by doing something so precious by being in His word daily. Most of us do but it is spiritual exercise daily. I also noticed that Abraham took care of his estate. He still gave to every child, although the majority went to the promised seed, Isaac. One other thing I noticed is that when Abraham had another wife & more children, he sent them away as well. Do you think he was lacking a little faith there & trying to protect his “promised seed?” Or what? Not sure. I also loved that Isaac & Ishmael came together to bury their father. We don’t know all that went on there, but there’s no evidence of fightings. They were both mourning for their dad. So that must mean Abraham still reached out to Ishmael even though he sent him away. It says that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. Then he asked God to open her womb, so she was pregnant with twins. It also says that Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born. Wow! 20 years of dealing with barreness! I can’t imagine that. My husband & I have been dealing with that for almost 3 & it’s been hard! But back to the twins, them struggle with each other in the womb basically represents their lives in the future. Always a struggle! God told Rebekah that the younger would prevail over the older. Jacob was grasping Esau’s heel, coincidence? I don’t think so. God has perfect plans & He sees them through. just wanted to say I hardly get to comment much about the reading but I’m with ya daily! I love your thoughts about the reading. I actually read your thoughts before I read so I know what’s ahead and I LOVE it! My husband and I are actually reading it together every night. If it’s something I think the kids could absorb, I usually read it out loud to them. Love the reading! What a great start to what will be a great year. We are bringing home our little girl from ET as well through AGCI. Help me with the lable maker thing. I actually have one but I inherited it. I’m all for organization but I must be a rebel. I have visions of one of my sons future girlfriends coming over and then telling her friends/family…”okay…his Mom actually has her pantry labeled…like I could not see where the hot cocoa goes…” and then she feels she can’t measure up…that expectations are high.( ahhh..insert my own experience here…now we are on to something!) I keep pulling it out and putting it back. On a positive note… I have a label stating the machine in the plasitic storage box is a “label maker”. Does that count? Most of the reading is about Abraham’s descendants. The part that stood out to me was when Rebekah cried out to God asking why she was having difficulties in her pregnancy. She was pregnant with twins and the two boys were fighting with each other even in her womb. God explained to her that her sons would be rival nations. The reason this stood out to me was because I remember feeling like this when I was pregnant with Skyler and throwing up for nine months. I remember crying out to God, “Why is this so hard?” I wish I would have received an immediate answer as Rebekah did. Instead, I received an answer much later. Later when we were planning for our second child, we felt God telling us that adoption was the route. It was very clear to us at that point that if I wouldn’t have had a “difficult” pregnancy, we probably wouldn’t even had considered adoption until much later down the road. From the beginning God was writing our story, and we look forward to His perfect ending!  Oh how I love Christmas…and today we are celebrating it in our hearts knowing that guess what??? It’s CHRISTMAS DAY in Ethiopia! Here’s a fun little informative article excerpt I found this morning to share written by About columnist Tanya Davis: Christmas is a major holiday in Ethiopia. More than half of the population of […] I love thinking about our sons both celebrating their first Ethiopian Christmas. The only better thought is that next year they will be celebrating the Ethiopian Christmas in our homes 🙂 All right stop collaborate and listen I won’t continue. But I could. I still *heart* that song. 🙂 Merry Ethiopian Christmas! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the quote by Lucy on Aslan! I even used it in worship one Sunday! No, our God isn’t “safe”….but boy, it sure is wonderful, wild, crazy ride!!! I wouldn’t want any other. You just have to hold on tight when you give your whole life to Him! Chap. 23- well of course this is all part of God’s plan. I believe that when people would die in the Old Testament, they would bury the body back in their hometown. Abraham stayed where God had promised him his land. He asked for a place to bury his wife, paid them (which I think they would’ve given it to him anyways), and buried & mourned for his wife. She was 127 years old! Can you imagine how long they were together!? That had to break Abraham’s heart! Chap. 24- I love this chapter too! Abraham sent out his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. The hand under the thigh oath, I believe is meant to be a personal oath. A study Bible that I read says that Abraham sent his servant back to his country to find Isaac a wife because the people of Canaan were pagans & his son was the “seed” & he wanted a godly woman. So here’s the awesome part! Abraham’s servant prays very specifically! He is waiting at the well & asks God to make it clear to him who he should take back to be Isaac’s wife. So he asks that the girl offer to draw water for him & his camels! WOW! The first girl that came up, Rebekah, did just what he asked! Before he even finished asking God!! He goes to stay with her family & he wants to leave soon. They want more time with her & ask her what she wants. She wanted to go with Abraham’s servant! Wow, don’t know that I could’ve done that. & by the way, Rebekah is Isaac’s cousin!!!!! She seemed to be respectful & submissive to her husband. Rebekah comforted Isaac in his grief for his mother. Later in the next few chapters we’ll see that one of their sons, Jacob marries his cousins (Leah & Rachel) as well. Their father, Laban, is Rebekah’s brother! All right stop, Collaborate and Listen. So much good stuff I’m not sure where to start! I guess first by saying “Merry Christmas!” I learned so much from your post about Christmas in Ethiopia-thanks for sharing. Second, both my husband and I were born in the 70’s and grew up in the 80’s…and still love the music from that era…especially my husband. I think he believes it part of his mission as a parent to teach our children to love and appreciate music from the 80’s. Even our 3 year old will occasionally give us an “ice, ice baby” tune. Now to the really good stuff! So much to this reading today, I love what both you and Charisa shared. I found myself once again grieving for Hagar and Ishmael-and for Abraham too. It makes me feel better that Abraham was distressed about the situation. It would be so disappointing if he easily let them go. And I can’t help but feel a little upset toward Sarah. Wasn’t she the matchmaker to begin with. I am so thankful that God came to Hagar. Jump to chapter 22…I can’t even imagine the incredible pain that Abraham must have felt when Isaac asked him “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Ughhh…it almost takes my breath away. Yes, please let me look crazy in the eyes of the world if it means I’m being obedient to my Savior! Merry Ethiopian Christmas! And wow, I’m looking at Hagar’s story in a whole new way thanks to you!!! |
|
by admin
Love the pictures! Thanks for the encouragement to keep reading…Job has been tough!
Job is killing me. I want to jump in there and give his friends a piece of my mind OR a karate chop or two 🙂
Love the pics. I am not a photographer, but I love great pictures. Your pics are so good.
Blessings,
Amy
well let me just say that you have a gift for photography! LOVED the pictures and it made me miss the beach!
Shannon Tanner!!! Love the pics! I have some similar ones myself. 🙂
keep the photog tips and encouragement comin’! I love it!
Yes, I’m still with you… in case you’re wondering! I keep reading at night, so I don’t often get to be part of the conversation. But I’m still here. 🙂
Although my anger does tend to flare up a bit while reading the supposed “help” Job’s friends offer, lately I’ve been trying to put myself in their position. Who knows the mind of God? They see before them a man they all have looked up to, possibly envied their whole lives… and he is broken beyond imagination. They are desperate for answers, not only for him but for themselves, to somehow save themselves from whatever judgment or trial Job is enduring. They don’t understand… heck, Job doesn’t understand… so his friends are grasping at any and all explanations, ANYTHING that will explain it, give an answer… no matter how unthinkable (or completely WRONG, as we see with the benefit of hindsight, knowing that God is orchestrating this story ultimately for His glory) that answer may be. And Job… even though I know the huge rebuke that’s coming at the end of this book, I still admire his faith in many ways. He rails, he questions, he demands answers, perhaps a bit arrogantly at times… but somehow he does not recant his faith. He is still a model for his friends… whether they see it or not at this point.
I hope that made sense. It’s still early out west, and I wrote most of that with a two-year old sitting on my lap! 🙂
“JIE-NOR-MOUS (big)” –> hehee! =) That made me laugh! Chapter 8: “You’re getting what you deserve” is basically what Bildad is telling Job. Perhaps the most insensitive of all comments you can say to someone suffering. But Bildad doesn’t know the whole story. Only God knows the circumstances behind the suffering. Our main concern when someone is suffering is to offer them comfort and support. Oh Lord, please guide the thoughts in my head and the words of my mouth to be ones of love and comfort, not accusation!
Chapter 9: I just have to quote the commentary on my Bible, because it speaks volumes. “When we feel that God isn’t being fair, we should remember that if he were, we would neer be able to enter his presence. When God is “unfair,” it is always on the side of mercy.”
“Job lamented the absence of a mediator to stand between himself and God. We do have such a mediator – Jesus Christ. We can take our case directly to God because Jesus’ death and resurrection gave us access to God’s presence.”
Wow…doesn’t that make you grateful once again for Christ making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf?
Chapter 10: Job felt hopeless and couldn’t imagine any sort of a future or happy ending. He was enveloped in darkness. We know better though, because we have Jesus’ promise: “Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust me. There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there.” John 14:1-4
Chapter 11: Zophar was mistaking Job’s quest for reason for opposition against God. God allows us to meditate on our suffering. Although sometimes we are not meant to know the reason, the important thing is that we learn from our trials and trust God rather than complain. My Bible commentary (so good) ends this chapter by saying, “Zophar was mistaken because his theology could not allow the possibility that Job could suffer and still be righteous.”
Again…these are difficult chapters to read. Stick to it because the reward is great! Look how much we are learning already!
Love the photog tips…I’m still dealing with my simple point and shoot (although hubby promised a good one before Africa)…do you have any tips for me? I have a major hobby with photography, but I don’t even know where to begin with my little Nikon.
Thanks for walking us through this again…difficult chapters, I know.