the Bible is the living word of God, so real and nourishing! (1 Picture + 1 Experience with the Lord today) 30-day challenge

I was mentioning somewhere else that I started this Bible reading schedule, where you finish the whole New Testament in 3 months. I'm now in my second month and I'm going through Acts... It's not easy, some days I forget about reading, while other days I read 6-8 chapters... The average is to read 3-4 chapters every day. I have to say, even though I read the New Testament many times, going through it again in a consecutive way is so good! The Bible is really the living Word of God - it speaks to us and nourishes us! I love it when I have a 30mins or even 15mins to read the Word... But before then, here's

1 Picture Today - The Greenwich University in London

This is one of the many pictures I took of the Greenwich University in South East London, close to the Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Greenwich Mean Time. It is composed of some old buildings ;) that look very cool, and has lots of large and tall halls for lectures and stuff. Many times when you walk through you hear the students practicing the musical instruments... and when there's a nice weather, there's lots of people out on the grass! I apologize for this shallow introduction to such a wonderful university in London, but to find out more please visit the University of Greenwich website or University of Greenwich on wikipedia, the Greenwich maritime museum website, the Greenwich Mean Time / the GMT, etc. The best thing about this place is that there are SAINTS there, there are homes open around the campus, and there are many seeking students there!

1 Experience with the Lord - the Bible is the living Word of God, so real and nourishing!

What is the Bible to you? Is it just a book of knowledge? Is it a book of history? Or is it a book about God and His plan? Maybe you have read the Bible many times, but did this book become to you a book of life? I grew up reading the Bible, so I don't know as much history of my own country or of the world as much and as thorough as I know the history in the Bible. But at one point in time I had to make my own decision to continue reading the Bible and to continue feeding on the Lord. Actually, every day I need to make this decision - to drop other things and make time to read the Bible.

There are so many ways to read the Bible, but I recently started this "3 months reading through the New Testament" schedule, and it's going pretty good... - especially since there's the lettheword.com website where I can log in with my facebook credentials and input my daily reading! :) And I also have a companion to pursue with! That's so good... Now, as I'm reading through the New Testament, I am so impressed by the life of the Lord Jesus... He had 4 biographies that described many aspects of His life, His reaction to things happening, the persecution and opposition He encountered, the things He taught, the things He did... - so many things about Him.

But the Lord's life was kind of "tragic", since He died when He was 33 1/2 years old... Yet He resurrected and now - as we read in the book of Acts - He is with us all the time! It's amazing to see that the same Peter that the Lord rebuked and exposed so many times, the same Peter who denied the Lord - this one, after receiving the Lord's breath(John 20:22) / after receiving the divine life, he took the lead to speak for the Lord! And in one day there were 3000 people who received the Lord, and on another occasion 5000 more! What a difference does it make when you have the divine life! Peter became so mature, he took the lead in opening the gates of heavens with "the keys of the kingdom of the heavens" for the Jews (in Acts 2) and for the Gentiles(in the house of Cornelius, Acts 10).

As I'm reading the Bible, I'm so supplied and nourished! I love the Lord so much more, and I am so glad I can be washed by the water in the Word! I may not remember everything, but as I'm reading I love the Lord more and I know Him more.... It's not just words on the paper, and it's not just stories - even in Acts where we see that the Christian believers in the first century were persecuted and killed, we also see the Lord Jesus so present with them, giving them peace, speaking through them, strengthening them... There's a flow of the Spirit, there's a sweet church life, there's a speaking of the truth in the Bible... - it's the LIVING WORD OF GOD! I love the living Word of God, the Bible! It is so real, so nourishing!

I am praying that I would continue in this - it's a DAILY matter, a daily slot in my schedule - and I would read the Bible until I meet its Author! Let's pray for one another about this - that we would continue and persevere diligently in reading the Word of God daily... And maybe in the meantime I would get some companions who would also run with me in this!

even though you're busy, you get really, really hungry! - 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord(30-day challenge)

:) A new challenge! At least as far as I see it now, I think it will be something like, 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord today... Since I'm in London, I was thinking to put one picture from London on the blog and say something about it, then share something from what I enjoyed today... I have received a lot of feedback concerning the previous challenge, One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - and it looks like it is very encouraging to find out about our experience with the Lord! O Lord Jesus.... So without further delay, here it is:

Even Though You're Busy, You Get Really, Really Hungry! - 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord Today

This is Archway, close to where I live and work. At 6pm, everyone is running - literally running - to the bus, from the bus, from the office, towards home... you have to dodge people on the street, make sure you don't hinder other busy running people, the people coming off the bus or getting on the bus or running after the bus.... To the Left is the Archway Tower, and straight ahead there's Office Spaces :) and all kinds of companies renting it. Right behind that building is the Archway Leisure Centre(where I go to the gym :) almost every day) And there's Bus 43 :) which goes all the way from High Barnet to London Bridge.

Mondays are usually busy days - lots of things piling up from the weekend, there's a new week in which we need to take care of the urgent and important things, etc. At work is even busier these days - lots of orders, lots of enquiries, people calling to check the stock and more info, others checking what's going on with their orders, etc... It's fun, you can have a decent conversation with many of the people who call. I love doing some customer care from time to time :)

And then there's the daily routine - every day there are some things that you HAVE to do, and specifically on every day of the week there are some things that you know you need to do. Today - Monday - I was so busy that today I almost forgot it's time to take a lunch break! And when I came back from my lunch break - after eating some physical food :) and praying with a brother... - I was so busy that only after 5.20pm I realized, Maybe it's time to go home... - there are so many things that keep you busy that 24h in the day are not enough!

Even though I was so busy today that I almost had no time to take a break, at the end of the day I got hungry - not hungry physically, but I got hungry spiritually! You know, with all the things you do, the things you accumulate, you take care of, or even the things you achieve - they never satisfy you or fill you inward hunger! Things may go well, or things may not go so well - in both cases, you never are satisfied... Even while doing something good, something noble, commendable - achievements or success, failure or distress, nothing satisfies your inner thirst and hunger!

I got so hungry that I knew - I had to get into the Word of God! I had to read the Bible! After a whole day of reading, writing, speaking, etc - I need to eat the Lord! And not only a little bit - but I need to seriously have some "big dinner" of Christ! A "steak of Christ", a solid portion of Christ... So I went to the gym and I got to go through John 4-6 (long chapters, filled with life and Spirit!). Also, I got to listen to almost the entire message 6 from the Crystallization-Study of Psalms(1) on The Organic Shepherding of the Pneumatic Christ. Such a supply to hear again that Psalm 23 is according to God's economy: Christ in His ascension is shepherding us and taking good care of our inner being that we may grow in life, be living and functioning members of the Body, and accomplish God's economy!

It is so good to EAT when you're really really HUNGRY! Just like my previous experience with drinking the real water (and not going for Pepsi) - when you're hungry, don't eat fast food, junk food, ready made food, or all kinds of food that doesn't fill your hunger! Eat the Word of God! And as you're eating, drink of the Lord Jesus by calling and saying AMEN, LORD! It is very good to learn to EAT when you're hungry - eat the Word, eat the Lord in the ministry which opens up the Word of God, learn to turn your heart to the Lord... - and whatever we eat, that's what we become!

Hallelujah, Eating Jesus is the Way!

Making a 3-months Commitment to Read the NT - one meaningful thing I did today (30 days challenge)

Wow, it's not easy to keep up with this, especially when the home meetings are so sweet! Tonight we enjoyed the Lord so much - just appreciating how much God loves us! God fell in love with man - for only God's love can make man just the same as He is in life and nature! ... What made You, Lord, to die for me... - I was Your enemy! Lord now I love You more and more each day - Lord I love You more this very day!

Believe me, the greatest joy on earth is that on Friday night you get together with the saints of all ages, races, colours, cultures, and backgrounds... and just enjoy the Lord! This is THE BEST thing you can do! Of course, on the way home you see Satan's usurping the humanity created to contain God - especially young ones being usurped and spoiled by Satan.... but there's One in us who is the most lovely One - and in the whole universe we just love Him! O, Lord.... nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus! But coming back to the 30-day challenge for today, here's

One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - 

Making a 3-month Commitment to Read the New Testament!

Being raised up in a Christian family - with seeking parents who infused in me a desire to read God's word and a love for the Bible, I have to admit that the older you get, even though you know the importance of it, the reading of the Bible tends to be put aside again and again. I long for this, to have a schedule of reading the Bible consistently, consecutively, and even with a companion that would check on me and encourage me. Recently even more, after listening to some messages from the Team Reunion (saints from Christian Students on Campus), I was convicted, exposed, and enlightened + encouraged at the same time: I can do it!

Since I'm online a lot, even though it's better to read the Bible as THE BOOK, the physical book, sometimes it helps to be reminded online / by email about it! So these days I found these two great tools that help us with reading the Bible according to a schedule, in a consecutive way, and even in a consistent way:

• ReadHisWord.com - a website in "beta", with free registration, which helps you create your own schedule according to the time period you want to allocate to a certain reading. If you want to read the New Testament in 30 days / 90 days or any number of days, there's a filter there and a result that shows you what chapters you need to read every day! There's a calendar, a journal, and even alerts by email. Very simple, but this tool helps you set aside some time - in a scheduled way - to go through the Bible!
• LetTheWord.com - a website in development, recommended especially to the students - you can login with your Facebook account and form a group with someone(either by inviting them, adding them, suggesting it to them, giving them the key, etc). The website is simple - you just post your reading there - your smiling face (your facebook profile picture, unless you change it) shows up there on the board as having read that chapter. What's nice about it is that, according to the burden of the website, this is for READING the WORD with COMPANIONS! So you need to grab one or two companions and remind one another about it! I wish there would be more integration with facebook, as in allowing this api to post on facebook your reading, etc.

But coming back to this Meaningful Thing I Did Today - the Lord has been burning in me to start this, to get on a regular schedule and read the Bible! I began a schedule so many times... and I gave up either weeks or a few months later! But as I did this, I prayed, Lord, have Your Way! Be the initiator! You need me to do this and I also need to do this! - and there was a desperation growing in me... 

So here I am, I found a dear brother to be my companion, we formed a group on the LetTheWord, and now we're going on little by little! Even though I promised myself NOT to start with big bites, I want to go ahead with a 90day reading of the entire New Testament. Lord, what about my time right before I go to sleep?!? I want to learn to redeem my time - and also to fall asleep in a nicer / more positive / more constructive way than browsing, watching, or other things! Amen to the Word of God! Remember: 

Christians love to read the Bible! As loving seekers of the Lord, we will read the Bible every day until we will meet the Author of the Bible in person - face to face!