<font face="Gill Sans, Gill Sans MT, sans-serif">1 Chronicles 16:8-11 SOAP</font>

8 Give thanks to Yahweh; call on His name; 

proclaim His deeds among the peoples. 

9 Sing to Him; sing praise to Him; 

tell about all His wonderful works! 

10 Honor His holy name; 

let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice. 

11 Search for the Lord and for His strength; 

seek His face always. 

(1 Chronicles 16:8-11 HCSB)

1.  We are to tell other people about His great works and deeds.

2.  We are to sing our praises to Him.

3.  We are to seek Him, and when we do, our hearts will rejoice.

Lord, I call on Your name. I will tell of the great works you have done. You have done them not only for me, but so many people in this great world. I praise Your holy name. I sing praises to You, everyday--at home, in the car, at work... I search for You--I want to know You more. I want to be closer to You, a little closer each and every day. Amen.

Today, I'm grateful for:

Lovely friends, Starbucks, Birthdays, An apartment to call my own, Slipcovers, My beautiful daughter (even when she's throwing fits!), My wonderful, gracious husband, My awesome mom & dad...

Birthday 2014 - Turning 30

Well, it's finally here. The 30th birthday is right around the corner on Monday. I always thought I'd feel "old" by now, but honestly, I just feel like me. I'll probably always be a kid at heart and won't ever feel "old". I wonder if this is how some elderly people feel. A young spirit trapped in an aging body. When I'm 80, will I actually feel 80? Or will I feel 30, just with a few more wrinkles and sags here and there? 

We are headed to Charlotte tomorrow, with the intention of hitting up IKEA and The Cheesecake Factory. I like to get out and do something the weekend before or after my birthday wiith my family, just as a little celebration and excuse to spend time with them. Can't wait to see what the weekend has in store!

Verse of the Day - Psalm 100

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalms 100:1-5 NASB)

Verse of the Day

You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of The Lord is near.

-James 5:8 NLT

Verse of the Day - Psalm 34:6

The poor soul cried, and the Eternal heard me. He rescued me from my troubles. (The Voice)

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the might Ocean deep
Its own appointed limites keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at thy word,
Who walked'st on the on the foaming deep,
and calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

-Words by William Whiting, Tune by John B. Dykes

Verse of the Day - Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (NASB)

Verse of the Day - Galatians 6:9

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. (NASB)

Verse of the Day - Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (NASB)

Genesis 14 - Defeat of the Kings

Lot:

• Was living in Sodom
• Taken by Chederlaomer after battle
• Fought for by Abram

Abram:

• When he heard that Lot was taken, he raised an army to help get Lot and his possessions back
• Was blessed by Melchizedek after defeating Chederlaomer and his allies

Sodom and Gomorrah:

• Warring with Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, and Goiim
• Allies with Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela
• Battled enemies in the valley of Siddim
• Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into the tar pits at Siddim

Melchizedek:

• Priest of God Most High
• Blessed Abram after he defeated Chederlaomer and his allies
• Gave Abram one tenth of the spoils of war

Verse of the Day - 1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will  not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (NASB)

Genesis 13 - The Division of Lot and Abram

After coming back from Egypt, there was so much tension between Abram's and his nephew Lot's groups that they decided they had to separate to keep the peace in their family. Lot chose to move to the valley of the Jordan, so that left Abram moving back to the land of Canaan (where the LORD previously had told Abram that he would become a great nation).

After Lot and Abram had separated, the LORD told Abram to "look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever." (Genesis 13:14-15 NASB)

Abram then moved his tent to the oaks of Mamre in Hebron and built an altar to the LORD.

Genesis 11:26-12:20 - Journeys of Abram

What do we know about Abram?

1. Son of Terah.
2. From Ur of the Chaldeans.
3. Wife was Sarai.
4. Nephew was Lot.
5. Moved to Haran.
6. The LORD told him he would become a great nation.
7. Moved to Canaan at 75 years old.
8. After the LORD told him that he would give the land to his descendants, he built altars at home and on the mountain east of Bethel.
9. Continued on to Egypt because of famine.
10. Told Sarai to tell the Pharaoh that she was his sister, so that the Pharaoh would look well upon them.

Working Through the Pentateuch

Right now, I'm working through an inductive study of the Pentateuch--it's 37 weeks long, and I just started week 3.

This is also going to become a place for me to write down some notes and thoughts of my studies so I can keep track without having to necessarily keep my notebooks (I imagine I'll need a lot of them with how much I find myself writing during the course of a chapter). However, I do think I will start with where I am now in the study, instead of re-writing the notes from past studies--there is quite a bit!

Of course, I hope to intersperse these types of posts with posts about life and daily general things that I want to remember down the road...