From The Beginning

Today we read Genesis 1.

First Baptist Church and several other churches throughout to state and beyond begin a new study today by Gary Permenter entitled Rise.  It is a 50-Day look through the book of Genesis.  As Genesis is the book of beginnings (that is what the name means), the new year is a great time to 'begin' again.
It may be that you need to begin reading God's Word and meditating upon it daily.  It may be that you need to begin to take better care of your body...your finances...your family...your church family. Whatever it is that you need to revisit and put a fresh touch on, I encourage you to begin it today.

It is a new start for me.  I think particularly this morning about four areas.  I want to begin again with my health.  I have made an effort to lose weight over the last year and half.  I lost about 50 lbs. through about August of this year.  However, when school started back and changed my morning schedule and my responsibilities began to ramp up, my exercise and diet began to ramp down. My net weight loss is no longer at 50.  It is time to begin again.

Although I don't care to begin again, I want to make a new year's effort at being the best husband and father that I can be.  I do some things right, but I know I get a lot wrong as well.  I just want to do all I can and be all I can be to help my family be as strong and God-centered as possible.  The beginning of the year is a great time to 'begin again.'

I am thanking God today for what He has done and is doing in the ministry of our church.  I am taking time today, as I have all week, to refocus my attention again on God's agenda for us as a church and strive to plan and prepare for what He has in store this year.  I want to be a better pastor, preacher, and friend to everyone that God has entrusted me to minister to.  

I also am looking at changing some of the focus and purpose of this blog.  I have strived now for over two and half years to provide daily insight into the reading of God's Word for the day.  It is 'cold turkey' writing.  I do not plan it ahead.  I get up at 5 AM, read my Bible and write my blog.  Some days it is not worth writing.  Some days I feel truly inspired.  I enjoy it.  However, I have come to the conclusion that we may have missed the point.  I have tried to teach folks to pray that God would speak, read God's Word, and write about a truth that God showed them for that day.   It is to be a personal message that will apply to your day and help you because God made it real to you.  What God points out to me may be different than what He is showing you.  I find it can be distracting to get an email or text from someone on their reading insight before I get what God wants to show me.   I don't want to be distracting.  I want to be helpful.

I have prayed about what that means for my daily blog.  I feel God is telling me that we have time that could be better spent.  By spending more time prayerfully considering what God is showing me, I could better serve my Lord, my family, my church, and my community not rushing to get a blog out before my day is interrupted by the pace of life.  By others spending time in similar reflection, instead of reading mine, they can receive more personal direction from the Lord.  I believe God has a Word for you and me.  The Word He has for us as individuals is better than any devotion we could read written by others.

Therefore, I plan to change my focus of this blog to be more of a preparation guide for your study.  I am going to attempt to run ahead of you in God's Word and prepare you each week for what God will be showing us in His Word.  This will give me a better opportunity to dig a little deeper and point out overall truth directions instead of daily personal insights.  Will you go with me on this?  I hope so.  For this week we will be reading Genesis 1 and 2.  Tomorrow I plan to give you a few things to consider while you read these chapters this week.

Thank you for reading. I have nearly 50,000 hits since we started this journey together.  That kinda blows me away.  I hope I bring some encouragement and spiritual refreshment to you from time to time.  Let's do this again tomorrow and get back in the Word together.