Monthly Archives: January 2007

To Resolve or Not to Resolve…

Posted in Bible, New Year, Resolutions by


Now I’m not normally one to make a New Years resolution. In fact…I’d say I’m an anti resolution person. Why? Because…I don’t like setting myself up for failure. Think about it how many New Years resolutions have you actually kept? How many resolutions have you made that transformed your life…or made a great impact?

Some folks are very disciplined. They make a resolution…and by golly they keep it…no matter what. Then there are a lot of folks that desire to make change or self improvements. They start out with good intentions…but if by the end of January…they are still maintaining that commitment…it’s an unusual year. There are few folks out there that seemingly make no effort at self improvement whatsoever…and overwhelmingly succeed by staying the same year after year.

But this year…God laid it on my heart the desire
to read through the Bible in a year. Even for one who attends church weekly and is involved in Bible study…I find this commitment a little intimidating. It means that for the next year…I will need to plan and carve out time each day to fulfill this resolution. My days, like so many, are already filled to the brim and overflowing. Getting five hours sleep a night feels like a luxury. But mostly…I hate to fail.

Even with all the possibility of failure…or knowing that I may not live up to this commitment…I believe that reading through the Bible is important. So many people that I greatly admire are rooted and grounded in the Word of God. It’s central in their life. It’s transformed their lives and defined their character. God has been able to use them in a mighty way to make a difference for the kingdom of God.

What am I hoping to gain from this adventure?

  • Keep God first and foremost and central in my life.
  • Daily washing of the Word…washing my mind, heart and soul in the Word of God.
  • Know God better…His character, attributes, mind and heart.
  • It’s harder to sin when I know clearly what God defines as sin…what He hates and what He loves.
  • When I do sin…I’ll be quicker to repent, ask for forgiveness and get back on the right track.
  • Grow in wisdom and knowledge.
  • Make better choices.
  • See clearly God’s hand in the lives of His people…and His ability and desire to care for His people, transform them, change circumstances and even perform the miracles.
  • See God’s hand in my everyday life…and comprehend that He cares for me.

So with some reservations that I might fail…I’ve decided to read through the Bible in 2007.

As if to confirm in my own mind that this is what God would have me do…one of the first callers on Dennis Prager’s radio show on New Years day…was a caller named Susan. This will be her eighth year in reading through the Bible. Dennis was encouraging callers by saying that it is important to make a resolution. Ideally in the areas of Health, Happiness and Character. He maintains that it is better to start and fail that to not try at all. Just to firm up my commitment…I called the Dennis Prager radio show while I was on my morning walk. I was able to get on the show and share my resolution. I was inspired by the earlier caller named Susan and comforted by Dennis’ assurance that it’s better to at least make an attempt then do nothing at all.

I’m also hoping that God will use the daily feeding of His Word in my newest venture “Susan’s God Stops”. What I’m hoping is that this will be a daily blog. With short entries recording God’s work and those times where I can plainly see God’s hand in my life. Perhaps as I record it daily…I will be more sensitive to, see and hear God in a more personal way in my life.

Today’s God Stop…was God making it clear that He desires for me to read through the Bible this year.

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Tears of Reflection

Posted in Emotional Healng, New Year by

This morning as I lay in bed listening to my alarm wake up song “I Can Only Imagine” I didn’t anticipate that this Sunday would be any different from others before it. I didn’t foresee that I would soon be moved to tears. After all…I’ve been looking forward to this year ending…and the promise and hope of a New Year. But God had a different plan.

This past year has been filled with trials and tribulation…disappointment and hurt…even anger and bitterness. Thankfully the Lord did not leave me there in a turbulent ocean where waves of emotion threatened to swamp me. Instead He never left me, nor forsook me. He walked with me each step and each day. In doing so…He brought a healing to my hurting heart.

Yet…I so look forward to this year ending. In so many respects it feels like it’s been the worst year of my life. So many areas of my life were touched. Very little of what I had esteemed and valued last year at this time remained. But God had a purpose and a plan…to refine and purify my life, heart, mind and soul. This refining process can be very painful…thus I want this year to be gone.

I so look forward to a fresh start in the New Year. Taking with me the wisdom from the painful lessons I’ve learned. But moving on…proceeding forward nonetheless. Decisions made…on necessary changes that will enable me to grow and improve.

Perhaps my heart was made tender after listening to Charles Stanley’s message “The Power of a Personal Relationship with God”. Or perhaps I had been thinking too much about this past year…but soon Pastor Bob Kraning’s message not only challenged me but beckoned me to choose.

Choose to live like Elijah when he was weary, spent and fearful…following his great spiritual victory. Wallowing in despair and ask the Lord to take my life. Or look expectantly to the Lord, my great God and Savior, for what He will do in my life in the coming year. I choose the later.

Joshua 3:5 is my scripture verse for 2007…my focus…my mission.

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” – Joshua 3:5

What might my Lord do in my life? That I don’t know…but I do have desires, hopes, dreams and prayers. I want to be prepared for His leading in my life.

Following his message…Pastor Kraning invited whosoever desired to come forward as he prayed for us in the coming year. It was there on the steps, in the shadow of the cross before me that my tears flowed. Grateful for the arms of friendship that stood beside me. Grateful for the pure, unified voice of our congregation as we closed our service. Thankful to God that He will continue to work in my heart…and plant a seed of hope. A seed that will come to fruition in the coming New Year…2007 and beyond.

Lord’s blessings to each you…and I pray a wonderful New Year for you and your families as you seek Him and draw close to Him in the coming year.

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Most Excellent Post

Posted in God's Attributes, Justice, Saddam Hussein Execution by

As I made the rounds visiting some of my favorite bloggers…I discovered a most excellent website. That of Steven Camp at “Camponthis”. Steven wrote a most excellent piece on the execution of Saddam Hussein “The Death of Saddam Hussein…the satisfacton of justice and the sobriety of judgment”. In this article Steven captures the different attributes of God. I do believe I have another website that I need to mark as a favorite.

Below are comments that Steven’s post evoked:

Excellent, excellent, excellent Steve! A perfect blend of the uncompromising holiness, righteousness, justice of God…mixed with his love.

Another quality that we don’t think of in the long list of attributes of God is that of wrath. He is a patient God…and He delays judgment to enable people…give them the time to listen and repent. He is longsuffering…but one day there will be judgment and justice.
That judgment can be abated for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior…and received His sacrifice on the cross as payment in full for the penalty for their sin.
Or…they can remain stubborn and unrepentant…and reap at a time of God’s choosing the penalty for their sin.
There are several problems with this. 1) We don’t know what that day and hour will be. 2) The consequences that we pay for here on earth…are small in comparison to the eternal, unending punishment that we will receive if we fail to accept the one true, acceptable sacrifice as payment for our sins.
God is just and He will repay those for the evil, unrepentant deeds that they commit. He is a defender of the defenseless.
Yet…His heart doth break at each soul which chooses to go their own way rather than to receive the gift that God paid through the death of His Holy, Righteous, Just, Perfect Son Jesus Christ…our Lord and Savior.
Thank you for your excellent article Steve!
Susan Bunts


(On a side note…I have chosen to only post one picture of Saddam…and that’s because I want to make sure that the victims of his brutal regime don’t get lost in the hoopla of Saddam’s execution. They, and what happened to them at Saddam’s hands, are the reason why he was removed from office, tried, found guilty and executed.)

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