100

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." Hebrews 2:1

Good morning, dear friends!

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Today is a blog milestone for me:  100 posts!  I can't believe that I got here. (Some of you reading may wish that I hadn't gotten here!)  Thank you so much for reading and praying for the different needs I mention here.  You are the reason that this blog exists, and I am thankful for the many kind comments, encouraging words, and helpful critiques that so many of you have offered.

On a side note, I was "googling" a Bible verse the other day because I could not remember the reference (oh! how the mighty have fallen!) and the first article that showed up was one of my blog posts, in which I had referred to the verse!  My picture showed up and everything!  Now, that was strange!

I have no expectations or desires of being an Internet sensation with this blog, far from it!  For many years I have enjoyed journalling about my Bible time, and my Christian walk, that now this has become an extension of that time.

It hasn't always been easy.

At the end of last year, I was in a spiritually dry place.  I like to think that everyone gets them, so that I feel better about myself, but in reality, I am the one to blame.  My Bible reading was routine.  My prayer life was stale. I was having a harder and harder time encouraging myself to continue in the work here.

Around Christmastime I heard the testimony of a friend in Christ whose wife had become a stumbling block to him in the ministry.  The Lord used that testimony to plague me during the days and nights to follow.  Was I going to become a casualty in the ministry?  Was I going to keep my husband from fulfilling God's plan in his life?  Was I going to allow my spiritual walk to drag, dwindle and fade out into mere lip service?

Or was I going to do something about it?

This blog was one of the lifelines that the Lord threw to me during that time.  Over and over again I have heard about the need for being accountable to others in the Christian life, and how true that is.  Writing down my thoughts here, and the things that God is teaching me daily, has become more than a good New Year's Resolution, or, as my friend and I have joked about it, a spiritual mid-life crisis.

It was the shove I needed, to dig deep in the Word of God, to get back on my knees in fervent prayer, and to continue in the walk that the Lord has called me to live here in France, in my family, and as a light and testimony to those all around me.

The Bible verse at the top of this blog has become a rallying cry for me this year: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip." Hebrews 2:1

I don't believe that many Christians deliberately walk out on God after having enjoyed close fellowship with Him.  I believe that more often than not, I allow my heart to grow cold slowly, gradually, until I look back after a time of straying, and wonder, "How did I get here?"

This Bible verse reminds me that I know what I am supposed to do, but if I am not paying careful attention, I will allow my heart to forget, my ears to become dull of hearing, and if I don't catch myself first, I will let the truths of God slip from heart.

My challenge for this year has been each day to dig deeply in God's Word, in prayer, and paying more careful attention to the truths that I find in His Word.  I want to look back at 2015 and see that my life is closer to the Lord, my footsteps more closely in tune with His, and my faith strengthened and encouraged.  I don't want to be a casualty, but a good a faithful servant, enduring to the end.

Thank you for walking with me and my family during this journey.  100 blog posts down, many more to come, with the Lord's help...