New Year's Resolutions, Take Two

That's right; it's 10:23 am on New Year's Day, and I'm already on take two of my New Year's Resolutions.

See, I made my breakfast (well, ok, the Jedi made my breakfast), and I was planning on sitting down with my breakfast and my One Year Chronological Bible, which I loaned to mother a couple years ago. So, Mama, with perfect timing, walked into the kitchen, and I asked her for the Bible....having already spoken to her about my intent to read through the Bible again this year.

And that's where take two comes in. She might have left it in a car that died and got junked. She might have loaned it to someone at work. She meant to buy me another one so that I would never know, but she forgot.

No biggie. I just hoped on my cool new netbook, and did a search for an on-line chronological Bible, and voila.... this one is even cooler because you don't have to start on Jan 1. You can set your default start date on any day you choose. So, someone in April can still commit to reading the Bible in One Year, and not feel like they are starting out "behind" and, even better, still be able to read through it chronologically.

So, rather than get up and go fetch my pink pen and devotion notebook, I'm just doing today's devotion online.

I always start with seven specific things I'm thankful for.
<3 I'm still so proud of my kids' attitude, manners, and patience when we spent several hours of Christmas day visiting Bapa in the hospital.
<3 I'm glad Sweetling has a Jedi who cares for her so deeply and understands and connects with her.
<3 We got to spend almost the whole week at home with no outside obligations, commimtments, or appointments.
<3 I love my new penguin blanket and my new netbook.
<3 The Jedi tells me daily, daily, many times a day, how much he loves me and cherishes me.
<3 We got to see Tommy and family over Christmas.
<3 I love spending time with the Jedi, and I'm grateful for all the evenings we have had together this week.

And today's reading is Gen 1:1-3:24. Some thoughts as I read--
--I wasn't really motivated to read Genesis. I felt like, yeah, I know this part already.
--Why do you think God puts in so many references to "each one after its own kind."? He emphasizes that with regards to the plants, the fish, the birds, and the animals.
--Adam and Eve were vegetartians.
--The garden of Eden is always depicted as a "jungle". But the Bible says the "Lord God *planted* a garden..."  I want to see the garden design!
--the NLT version doesn't contain the reference to God placing man in the garden "to work it". Nevermind. It's in verse 15 "to tend it and watch over it."
--How many days, how much time passed between the creation of Eve and the day the serpent came to her? How much time did she have to live in and enjoy paradise before she and her husband sinned and were cast out of the garden?
--Wonder if the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple had any artwork that symbolized the cherubim and the flashing sword that guarded the way back to the garden and the tree of life.Ah yes, Gen 26:31....the cherubim  are there, but not the sword. Though the ark itself was protect by God's glory, so perhaps the Glory of the Lord *was* the sword?

Don't expect this every day. Most days I'm lucky if I manage seven short blessings jotted in my notebook and a few verses read in the midst of breakfast and Toa interruptions.