Good Morning Girls!  I'm sorry I did not write on Friday.  I was trying to finish the book I was reading.  It is called Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller.  It is actually the second book in a row I have read by him.  The other one was Searching for God Knows What.  I enjoyed these books tremendously.  The author challenged my thinking on religious matters and also opened my eyes to a whole new world it seems.  A world where maybe some of the "people" I had been a little judgmental towards are in fact the ones who have a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian.  Now some of the things he said were flat out whacked out wrong in my opinion.....but hey, he is entitled to his opinions.  At least that is how he presented them-- as his opinions.  He did not act all scholarly and all knowing as in "this is it.....believe this or you will be struck down by lightening!"
Now these books did not change my life the way Destined to Reign has.  They did however give me a new perspective- a greater understanding of what being a follower of Jesus means to different people.  People that do not go to the same kind of church that I do.  People who do not subscribe to all the same things I have subscribed to over the years.  People who try to keep it simple and pure, and all about Jesus.  I liked that part the most.  Especially because over the summer I started seeing that the role Jesus was playing in my life was more of the team Mascot, instead of Head Coach.  In fact, I think I even put Him on the bench for a while!  "Hey Jesus, why don't you go ride the pine for a while......I'm not going to need you for this series".  As you all know......that didn't work out so well for me.  My life was intercepted many times.  I  fumbled a lot.  And the other team had me sacked more often than not.  Okay, enough with the football talk.
These books challenged my spiritual mind.  The author said things I had thought before but never dared say.  They chipped away a little more of my religious attitudes.  They helped me see that I had an "us vs them"  mentality about a lot of different people.  Towards the end of the second book I noticed something else happening.  I noticed that I wanted a drastic change.  Right then and there.  I got so wrapped up not only in what the author was sharing, but also in his way of life, that I wanted to go be part of it.  I wanted to dig out my old Doc Martens, grab my fleece and head back out west.  I wanted to go sit in the coffee shop with him and his author friends discussing these matters of spirituality.  I wanted to volunteer my time and service to the places him and his friend served at.  I wanted to check out his church with his artsy-farsty friends!  it all seemed so fresh and new and exciting.
I called my friend who had recommended the books and told her what I was experiencing.  In fact I told her "I want to move to Portland, grow a goatee, smoke cigars, and sit on the big porch at his house and talk".  She was laughing so hard because she totally understood what I was saying.  She had experienced similar feelings.  It wasn't that I really wanted this new life (I wouldn't look cute in a goatee for one thing), it was just the fact that the author spoke in such a true way that by the end of two books, you felt like you were part of his world.  You were mentally there.  It just made sense that you would physically go where your mind is (I find it good to have my mind and my body in the same place at the same time).
So that's what I was doing Friday morning instead of writing.  I was reading and daydreaming about life in the Pacific Northwest.  Life amongst a much of liberals who would challenge my way of life.  I had a great time.  I also had a great revelation.  Remember how Thursday I left off with saying that I still believed reading the bible was important to our walk with the Lord?  Well, this experience I had....this desire for a new life in this new world.....happened not because the Lord is calling me to grab my Doc Martens and move.  No.  It happened because I immersed myself in this writers world.  Every single day for two weeks I entered this mans thoughts and life.  I read what he believes in.  I read what he thinks.  I read what he does.  By the end, I felt so much a part of it, it seemed only natural that I would go there. 
And when I sat there laughing at myself....picturing my self in am army coat and dreadlocks, I felt the Lord say "this is why I want you to read your bible."  Not to list the rules.  Not to develop a formula for getting from A to Z.  Not to earn points for doing what good Christians do.  No.  The reason is simple.  When you immerse yourself in the Word, the same thing happens that happened to me with the books.  You become the thoughts of the Man you are reading about.  You enter His world.  You experience His life, as if it were yours.  You find yourself daydreaming of conversations with Him.  You find yourself there in your heart and your spirit.  The more you read about Him and get to know Him- the more you want to be like Him. 
It is that pure, and sweet, and simple.  To know Him, is to love Him.  And the best way to know Him, is to spend time with Him in the Word.  Now even if you never open up a bible  God loves you.  You are still highly favored as long as you have asked Jesus to be your Savior.  So don't think I am giving you a "rule" to live by in order to receive God's grace.  NO.  I am giving you a guideline to believe in if you want to know Him more intimately.  And I'm guessing most of you all do.

Love you all way more than growing a goatee-

Jen