Getting a Dose of Daily Bread

It is the 8^th day into September and I am starting my challenge of the month!  I guess the 8^th day in is a little better than the 21^st right?  As I was thinking about what I could do for this month, I entertained the idea of picking up horseback riding or learning guitar.  Actually, I probably would have picked either of those options over the one I have decided on, but they are not possible at the moment.  So what have I chosen for the month of September you ask? 

This challenge is just that...a challenge and I honestly thought about not putting this on my list at all because I know it’s going to be tough for me to do.  The saddest part is that it shouldn’t be challenging at all, it should be something I am excited to do every day. 

Reading the Bible has always been difficult for me, especially on a daily basis.  It has never seemed exciting to me and I have never known where to start.  I enjoy going to sermons on Sundays and I feel like that is enough for the week.  I can reflect upon it and talk about it until next Sunday right?  However, while I do get a lot out of the sermon on Sunday, it is silly to think that can sustain me for an entire week.  God’s word is our daily bread.  From it, we gain understanding of who God is and what it reveals about God helps us grow.  Now think of it like a true piece of bread, one you can actually consume.  It is ridiculous to think that someone can live off of a single piece of bread for an entire week!  How is it any different with reading my Bible?  One sermon can’t really sustain me for that long.

What I love about my church is that they do not tell us every Sunday to read our Bibles.  What they do instead is deliver messages that apply to our daily lives so when we read the Bible, we already know how to relate it to what we are going though.  I can’t remember what it was about the message I heard today that the lit the fire in me but afterwards I felt like there was no greater challenge I could choose for the month of September!  Hopefully I will get into a routine that goes past this month and I pray that my excitement to learn more about who my God is only strengthens.  I can’t wait to share this journey with you!

Language learning update!

While I am taking on this new challenge, I am continuing my commitment of learning Vietnamese and let me tell you...it is still freaking hard! I can describe a picture to you if there is a boy standing under or is sitting on a plane.  I can also tell you that there are two girls chasing after a boy.  And I am pretty confident I could tell you that a guy and a girl are dancing in the picture...for some reason the verb changes hen two people are dancing as opposed to one person dancing alone.  I feel like I have learned and actually retained a lot but I have a lot more to learn!  I was really encouraged when I talked to one of my best friends the other day, only to have her laugh at my attempt to say, “there is a boy and a dog”!  hahah oh well!

In other news: I plan to run a half marathon in January, a bucket-list item I will be checking off for January but I just wanted to give you a heads up since my training process might pop up in later blogs!