Today’s Reading:  Ezekiel 12:21- Ezekiel 23:39

Scripture: Ezekiel 18: 28

Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die.

Observation:

By realizing his mistakes and making the appropriate changes, his life will be spared.

Application:

Even though mistakes (big and small) are made which take us away from God, He wants us with Him. He will spare the lives of those who turn away from their sin.

Prayer:

Reading through Ezekiel has been tough. And finding one verse to focus on for today was a challenge. There is so much devastation, frustration and evil.

When I came upon this passage, though, I found it encouraging and a symbol of Your love and what is to come in my reading.

You love each of us. And you want us to be with you and to respect and love you. You want to accept us with our rights and wrongs.. but you want us to acknowledge our wrongs and turn to you.

Thank you, Lord, for second chances. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for offering us love and eternal life with you… just for a change of heart and an acceptance of a beautiful gift in your son.

Please, Lord, help those who think they aren’t ‘good enough’ for you to realize that none of us really are. And then help them realize that you accept and love us anyway, making up for all of our mistakes with beautiful forgiveness and mercy.  And thank you, Lord, for that.

I just finished reading and responding to all of your wonderful check in comments for this week and I felt the need to write a bit more to each of you:

This community of readers and prayers really amazes me. Y’all are INCREDIBLE!

I love to read how honest you are and how encouraging you are to each other. Thank you so much to each of you for joining in our group and trusting me to guide you on this 90-day journey thorugh the Bible. I am so tickled that I get to do this!

Keep plugging away, reading and listening as best you can. And, please, keep encouraging and praying for each other just as you are doing. We only have about a month to go. I want each of you to finish strong in the Lord. The enemy, of course, does not want that to happen. Listen for the Lord. Follow His leading and keep reading.

You CAN do it with His help!

I received this email today from a reader who started a couple days before the rest of us:

Amy- Just wanted to let you know that a few minutes ago I finished reading the Bible! I know it was supposed to be in 90 days, but I did it in 61.

I am so glad that I pushed myself to do this!

I will never be the same and am planning sometime to do this again. I loved getting a bird’s eye view of God’s plan! It is like getting in a plane and viewing His word from above and seeing how it all fits together! Amazing!

So I am assuming that I don’t need to check in anymore on Mondays, correct? Please just put me on your list that I have finished.

Here is my short blog post about it.

Debbie

I sent her an email that  said something like this:

WOW! This is FANTASTIC, Debbie!

I am thrilled that you decided to read with us and I am even more thrilled that you completed your reading of His word already! I can’t wait to hear what He has planned for you next!

I didn’t write this in her note, but I should have…

No, you don’t need to check in on Monday’s anymore. But do stay around… You never know what type of celebrations may materialize for our group!

Congratulations!

Please join me in lifting praises to the Lord for her completion and prayers for the rest of those reading or thinking of joining us next time.

Wow! We are already at Day 57 of the Bible in 90 Days!

To be up to date, by the time you go to sleep tonight you should have read through Jeremiah 47:7 or page 684 in the Bible in 90 Days Bible.

We are definitely in the homestretch… of this adventure, anyway. And I am so glad you are taking it with me.

Unfortunately I cannot control my children’s school calendar and I have to miss tonight’s Twitter party. Fortunately, though, my sister in law, The Happy Housewife, will guide you tonight in my place. She is a Bible in 90 Days graduate, an incredible blogger, great Tweeter and an even better sister-in-law.

She will chat using the #B90Days hashtag. Her Twitter ID is @HappyHousewife, so go ahead and follow her and get ready for a lively chat tonight, whether you are caught up in the reading or not.

To help you get to know her a bit better before tonight, though, I am re-posting a piece she wrote explaining how she did her Bible in 90 Days reading during our last session.

I hope you enjoy her tips and her conversation tonight on Twitter.

Don’t forget to post a comment letting us know how you are doing with the reading or link to your own check in post at the end. Hope you have fun on Twitter tonight without me!

The Happy Housewife plan for Reading the Bible in 90 Days

In order to succeed at reading through the entire Bible in 90 days I knew I needed to come up with a plan. It is pretty basic, but it works!

First, get a Bible bag, basket, tote, container, just something that is portable. My bag contains my 90 Day Bible, a notebook, another book I am reading for Bible study, 2 highlighters and a pen. This bag goes with me up and down the stairs, to church, and to appointments. Whenever I have a spare moment I pick up the Bible and read a page or two. Not only does this help me keep up with the reading, when my children see me, I am reading the Bible!

Second, when I read I always have a highlighter in my hand. When I come across a passage I don’t understand, or I want to study further I highlight it. I also highlight my favorite verses or meaningful passages. When I finish the 90 Day challenge my plan is to go back through the Bible and study these passages. By highlighting I don’t get stuck in a certain portion of scripture and fall behind in my reading.

I have really enjoyed the Bible in 90 Days challenge. One thing that stands out to me is the big picture that is unfolding almost daily. When I read through Leviticus I can’t help but think,

“Thank you Lord for sending your son Jesus to die for our sins! I could never keep up with all those laws and sacrifices! Thank you for providing the perfect sacrifice!

I find that each day I look forward to picking up my Bible and reading those twelve pages. While many of these passages are not unfamiliar to me, many times I feel like I am reading them for the first time. I am excited to see God’s plan for all who are taking part in this challenge.

Thanks, Toni, for the tips on how you are reading through the Bible in 90 days with us!

So… How about you? How are you getting your reading done? And how far along are you? Let us know! And then have fun tonight on Twitter without me.

After you link up and/ or comment, please pick 5 other commenters in our community to pray for. Thanks!

I could really use sme time management guidance from the experts.

I want to do way more than I can ever make the time to do.

So I am asking you, dear readers, for help.

Do you know of any excellent time management resources?

If so, would you please tell me about them in the comments?

I would really appreciate it!

Thank you so much for your help!

*** Missy’s comment below reminded me that perhaps I need to give this request a bit of context…

I am already very much a planner/ organizer girl. I have carried a datebook of some kind since middle school. Yes, really.

Now I am trying to juggle more than is possible and am trying to figure out how to fit it in or what to cut out.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions!!

This summer my children and I began to really enjoy roller skating together. After visiting the roller rink a few times, I even bought a pair of skates for my daughter and a pair for me so we can skate in our neighborhood together while the boys are in school.

Each time I lace up my skates, I can’t help but think back to my fifth grade year… and a few years after that.

My friend Tania attended boarding school in England and brought Rachel, a friend from school, home with her to the States for a school break. Tania’s mom suggested we take Rachel roller skating with us so she could see what American kids do.

“Roller skating?,” I remember thinking. “We don’t roller skate anymore. That’s for little kids.”

We didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings, though, so we invited another friend and the four of us were dropped off at Dairy Ashford Roller Rink.

We walked into the dark building and were greeted by the blast of cool air conditioning and loud music.

We rented our skates, hobbled onto the floor and then began to glide to the music, around and around the rink.

Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper and Kool and the Gang sang to us, among others. The disco ball reflected lights all around as we hokey-pokied, raced and just skated around and around and around. We met kids from other schools and experienced freedom for two hours as we giggled, used our allowances to buy snacks and drinks, and yes, even couple skated with four boys… one of which is now married to another one of my friends by pure coincidence.

Even after Tania and Rachel returned to England, I continued to go roller skating with friends for a few years. I guess I decided roller skating wasn’t just for little kids as I had thought. I would write letters to Tania about the people we met, the speed skating classes I took and the status of the four boys we met that first night. One of them had moved to attend my school the next year and we remained friends for quite some time.

This summer, as I re-entered the rink with my kids, I was greeted with the same carpet-covered walls, ‘No Chewing Gum’ signs and snow-cones  I remembered as a child. Even some of the music was the same, mixed in with more modern stuff and even some Contemporary Christian tunes as well. No, it is not the same roller rink. And yet it is. Are they all like that?

I hope my children enjoy the same sort of safe freedoms there in the years to come as I experienced. I hope they enjoy skating fast with the wind flying through their hair, deciding what toys and snacks to buy with their allowance, singing and dancing to the music while laughing with friends. I don’t know about that couple skating, though. For now my boys couple skate with me and I relish that special skate I take with each.

Ahhhh. Good times at the roller rink.

“Celebrate good times, COME ON!”

What memory are you celebrating this week? Link up and let us know or leave a comment so we can reminisce with you.

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 52:13- Isaiah 66:18

I have a few SOAP posts from the past that have come from today’s reading:

Am I really serving and obeying completely?– Isaiah 58:2-4

I am Icky!– Isaiah 64-6

What about you… What struck you in today’s reading?

Packing kids lunches can either be a struggle or a simple fact of life.

I want my kids to eat healthy meals and I don’t want it to be a big challenge for any of us, so I let them have some (measured) freedom in making lunch choices.

First we look at the lunch calendar ahead and pick the days to buy their favorites. Then we plan the pack days, by me asking asking for their general ideas first, then referring to this list and then planning the main item for each day together. I write down their decisions on the calendar so there aren’t any surprises (except the occasional treat I might pack, or a love or joke note from me) and then we are good to go until it is time to pack.

So what do we pack?

I typically pack a sandwich, kabob or roll-up with a crunchy snack-like side item, fruit and a drink.

(They pick and pack the fruit as I pack the rest. Sure, they could pack their own lunches, but I want to pack them for them at this age.)

Here’s our basic go-to list:

Kabob (use toothpicks or small skewers)

Hawaiian: Ham, pineapple, Canadian bacon

Meat and Cheese: Chicken, turkey or ham cubes alternating with different types of cheese

Fruit: strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple, melon (whatever is fresh!!)

Add something sweet to the fruit: mini marshmallows, angel food cake, banana bread squares

Sandwich kabobs: make a favorite sandwich, slice it into quarters and put on skewers or toothpicks for a new twist

Depending on your kabob, consider adding a dipping sauce in a small container: peanut butter w/ a touch of apple sauce, honey and cinnamon, ranch dressing, yogurt, barbecue sauce.

Sandwich guts/ interior ideas:

Leftover barbecue chicken or pork

Chicken salad with grapes

Turkey, ham, roast beef (with or without cheese)

Melted cheese

Tomato sauce and sliced meatballs

Peanut, cashew or almond butter and thinly sliced apples or bananas (or both) with a touch of honey

Peanut, cashew or almond butter and jelly

• Add berries or bananas
• Add honey
• Add granola

Sandwich exterior ideas other than ‘regular’ bread when we need a change:

Crackers

Pita pocket

2 slices of bread flattened with a rolling pin, stuffed, rolled and sliced like sushi

Tortilla (rolled or toasted on the stove like a quesadilla)

Bagel or mini bagel

English muffin

Hot dog bun

Roll-ups:

Ham, turkey or chicken around a cheese stick

Ham, turkey or chicken rolled up & stuck with a toothpick

I keep this list handy and know my kids will eat from it, but I don’t make any effort toward rotating through the whole thing. Often we’ll go for weeks with the same 3 lunch items. And I think that is okay. Like I said, I try to keep lunch simple and enjoyable… and if all they want is something simple day after day, as long as it meets my nutrition requirements,  I joyfully give it to them.

I also try to get my kids involved in cooking in the kitchen as well as planning. Here’s a link to a post on our guest chef night where you can see another way I get them involved.

Hope this helps you in planning and packing your own lunches. Please share any ideas that your family enjoys. I’m always looking for something new and fun!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday and Ultimate Recipe Swap.

I’m a big fan of the SOAP method of listening and recording what I hear during daily Bible reading, whether that reading be as lengthy as what I might read when following the Bible in 90 Days plan or as short as a Bible in one year plan.

If you aren’t familiar with the

• Scripture
• Observation
• Application
• Prayer

method, I highly recommend you click over to my What is SOAP? page to see what it is all about and how it can help you, too.

Sometimes I even use SOAP alongside other study and prayer plans, as I did when reading the Power of a Praying Wife.

If you post your SOAP observations regularly, please consider joining our ring.

Grab the button and use it on your sidebar and with your SOAP posts.

<a href=”http://www.momstoolbox.com/blog/what-is-soap/” mce_href=”http://www.momstoolbox.com/blog/what-is-soap/blank”><img src=”http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff360/Momstoolbox/SOAP_RING_redo.gif” mce_src=”http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff360/Momstoolbox/SOAP_RING_redo.gif” border=”0″ alt=”SOAP”></a>

Then leave a link to your blog’s homepage here so other SOAP’ers can visit you and see what you have been hearing lately.

As our ring grows, I’ll host regular link ups so we can really work on cleaning up together!

WOW! Here we are at DAY 50!!!!

Stick a bookmark in your Bible and see how far we have come together… Pretty cool, huh?

Keep it up and it won’t be long before you will have read the entire Bible, cover to cover.

I am so proud of each of you for taking on this commitment and following through.

The reading ahead this week can be a bit challenging as we make our way through the books of the prophets. Be prepared to ‘press on’ after reading passages that you may not understand. Just keep reading and He will show you what you need to know when you need to know it.

Please check in by leaving a comment telling us where you are in the reading or linking to a blog post letting us know where you are in the reading (and linking back here).

Then join us on Twitter tonight from 8-9 CST to discuss the reading up through Day 49, or Isaiah 13:22.

A few things we’ll discuss tonight include:

• Do you have any favorite Proverbs? If so, which ones?
• Did any verses in Proverbs make you think of something differently?
• Did Ecclesiastes open your eyes to any new perspectives on life?
• A few different perspectives on Song of Songs

I hope all is going as well as can be for you and that you are enjoying this journey.