We are discussing the book, “The Joy of Fearing God,” by Jerry Bridges. {Affiliate link}
You can find the first discussion on chapter 1 here: What is the Fear of God?
The discussion on chapter 2 here: What is Awe?
On this episode I take a detour to talk for a few minutes about defining faith, and then about how we can trust God. We see and experience bad things that God allows in our lives, (things that are not a direct result of a sin we committed, such as miscarriage or natural disasters), so He doesn’t seem “safe.” However, He is good, perfect, compassionate, and loving. We have to come to a place of trusting God, Who isn’t safe, but He’s good.
Chapter 3: Soul of Godliness – Should Christians Fear God? is up next.
I’m attempting to post once a week, but I fell out of my intended schedule. My apologies for that. I appreciate grace:
Life Happens
- I had to put some things on “pause” to get all of our tax info together to send to the accountant. (We file extensions around here, so September is the month I’m getting everything ready.)
- My two oldest daughters are on a hybrid school schedule, so they’re home 3 days a week, completing assignments online. I have to be very involved in keeping their work organized, keeping them on task, and helping with general and tech issues. I’m still trying to get into some sort of routine with it, but their workload is different each week.
- I’ve had to do things like take my husband’s car to be inspected; take our semi-longhair cat to the groomer because it was matted up; and take my car for an oil change.
- We’re planning a 16th birthday party for our oldest and looking into what we have to do for getting her driving permit
- We’re dealing with our oldest having her first boyfriend and meeting his parents
- Driving our oldest back and forth to work
- Driving our youngest to and from school each day
- Driving our middle daughter to and from cheer practice…and two weeks ago, she broke her foot (5th metatarsal) at cheer practice…so it was doctors appointments and x-rays…and helping her carry things/get things, since she’s on crutches
Bigger Projects on my To-Do List
I have a couple other big things on my list to take care of in the near future, too. I need to clean out and organize our bedroom closet. And, we want to make a “teen hangout/man cave” area in the basement. We have a couch and chair with an area rug and coffee table, a couple shelves with board games on them, and a small TV in one corner. There is a card table set up to use for board games/puzzles. We have a small exercising trampoline and an elliptical behind the couch. And we have a ping-pong table to set up. The kids have quit hanging out there due to bugs and spiders on the cinder block walls. I need to take the vacuum down and clean things up, sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the perimeter to deter bugs, finish painting the wall with Dry-Lok to seal the wall that has some moisture, and go through boxes and stuff there, sort it out, and organize it. The way things are going, it seems like it would work best to use the days the kids are all in school to get these projects done.
The Podcast
However, in the midst of all this, I’m going to keep on trying to keep on with a regular posting of the podcast. It might end up an every-other week thing or just taking more time than I had planned to get through the discussion of the book. As it is right now, we will have to definitely go into January.
My husband and I were discussing the podcast and how I fell behind the schedule. I need to have time to read the book and go through the study guide on the chapter, and plan from that what I’m going to talk about on each episode. So there is significant prep time. The recording itself seems to take me 1-2 hours, because I’m usually not able to get it all done at one shot, but I’m going to work on that! Then the editing of the podcast seems to take me an average of 5 hours. I go through it and take out all the “um”‘s, “uh”‘s, “and so”‘s, mis-speak’s, and big pauses or patches of silence. I’m really not a polished podcaster…yet! My goal is to get to the point of sitting down, recording within an hour, and not really needing to edit at all, except to splice in the beginning and ending music.
My hubs thought it would be cool if I could get the author of the book, Jerry Bridges, to come on for an interview. But I’m not an interviewer, not a good question-asker, and not good at thinking quick on the fly. (I.e. Not a good conversationalist!) My goal has never been to do interviews and have guests. Then he suggested the possibility of breaking all the content for the chapters down into smaller episodes, of 20 minutes or less. That might cut down on some of the prep time each week, and some of the editing time, but I’m undecided on that idea right now. So any way we do it, the schedule will be extended.
If you’re reading the book, go ahead and read ahead. I’m sure you’ll still benefit from the episodes as I get them out. I will be posting the memory verses as printables and bookmarks as I come to them.
The YouTube Idea
As for the YouTube live streams I wanted to do, I encountered some technical issues on the day the first one was supposed to happen. It’s not as simple as aiming a camera and pushing a record button. I had to download extra software to stream, try to learn it on the fly, and then see if my computer even has the power to stream. I did the show, but it didn’t work, so I deleted it. The new plan on that is that I’ll have to do some pre-recorded shows for a while, build up a following, and then look at live streams. I’ll be working on posting some videos on the YouTube channel once I get into a better routine for the podcast. Stay tuned for that. You can go to the channel and “subscribe” so you’ll be notified when I start posting videos.
On the show that failed, I made a spiced tomato soup cake and seltzer bread, (beer bread but using seltzer water instead of beer). The cake was okay. The bread didn’t come out well. Maybe I’ll come back and re-visit those recipes later. I look forward to having some fun in the kitchen with this.
The Bible memory verse is Hebrews 12:28-29, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and this offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
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Looking to Christ,
In Awe & Wonder 