SO

     Sometimes people say something, even something super simple, and it has a crazy huge impact on you.  Even when the words were probably spoken or thought about many times before by multiple people, it just seems like sometimes....it becomes a WOW moment. And those moments, for me, tend to stick around and consume my thinking.  Luckily, for me this week I had a WOW Jesus moment thanks to my good friend, Derek.  As he was leading the praise and worship in church this past Sunday, he simply emphasized how much God loved us.  He quoted John 3:16, which I have heard since I was a baby.  But, he focused on the word "so"...... I was very intrigued.... Think about it. I tell Anthony I love him, but when I really want him to know just how much, I add "so"....."I love you SO much."  It seems to carry more weight that way. Throughout the whole service, my mind could not get away from Derek's words, that commonly quoted verse, and that one small word (probably should apologize to the preacher for losing focus on the message, lol).
     In my last post, I said I had found a new creative project to start called Bible journaling.  I've read alot of blogs and have found some really, really creative people to learn from.  I've also tried a few things in my new journal, and I'm so excited in how it's looking! Even used watercolors on one page!  I've also read about creative ways to study the Bible.  One of those ways is called "Verse mapping," which I've never heard of before.  To me, verse mapping is basically a way to just focus on each individual word in a verse and dig deeper into understanding what exactly those words are adding to the overall meaning of the whole verse.
     What better way to try verse mapping than to begin with the verse that would not get out of my head after church last Sunday??? So.......back to John 3:16.....

     After I wrote the verse in my journal, I looked at the words individually.  First, I had to look up the word "so." So means to such a great extent.  What I loved about the word so was that it is an adverb (my language arts side is coming out).  An adverb describes a verb, which in this case happens to be the word LOVED. The word so describes how God loved me...and it means to such a great extent. The extent of his love for me was huge.  It is an extravagant, unconditional love.  Whoa.
     I also looked up the word gave, and Dictionary.com says that to give is to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation. God loved me to such a great extent that He voluntarily gave His Son without expecting me to repay Him...like we could ever do that, right?? As humans, we often give to others, but expect something in return.  Extravagant love...unconditional love....the love that God has for us says it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done or the fact that nothing you do could ever begin to repay, I'm giving this gift. And that gift just so happened to be the savior of the world, Jesus.
     So, as familiar as I am with John 3:16, the past couple days, I've been completely overwhelmed by God's love for me. That verse means something much bigger to me now.  And that was the perfect verse to use to start verse mapping in my new journal.

      I'm adding a picture of my journal page to show how I did my first verse mapping....maybe you'll hear a verse or read one on your own that you want to try this with!

     Thanks for reading!!!

New project :)

I recently discovered a very creative type of Bible study..... Bible journaling! I have read and looked at multiple examples of Bible journals and note-taking in the Bible itself. I am super excited to learn everything I can about how other people use all sorts of art supplies to really dig into scriptures. But, to start my journal, I wanted to simply write out my favorite Bible verse and what it means to me. Even though I haven't fully decided how or what I am going to include in my new journal, I am stoked to begin.... Who knows? You may see more from my Bible journaling adventure very soon!

And so it begins...

My first blog in forever!!!! Eek! So excited to begin a new adventure in blogging.

I am a 34 year old who loves Jesus, my family, my friends, my job, and my cat :). Life is an adventure, and it’s fun when you have people to share it with! My favorite Bible verse is Nehemiah 8:10 “…for the joy of the Lord is my Strength.” I have loved that verse since I was a little girl, but in the last few years I’ve learned that it’s not just joy that makes you strong, it’s the joy we get from knowing, really knowing, who we are in Jesus.

I wanted a place where I can share things that I’ve found to be interesting, helpful, strange, fun, or all of that combined.   I am married to a nurse with a HUGE passion for fishing.  I also have two daughters, ages 14 and 10, and I am a 5th grade teacher at an amazing school in Tennessee. My blogs will be filled with things that are happening with my family and friends and things I’ve learned or am currently learning about life as a Christian wife, parent, and teacher.

Thanks for reading!! I hope to learn all the ins and outs of blogger and post another blog soon!!