51 Days of the Bible

Back in early January, I mentioned that I was going to read the entire Bible all the way through this year. Well, I'll be honest, I have been slacking on that. No, really. Well, I was thinking the other night that I really should do something about that. It really was a great thought, except I didn't do anything with it. Well, time to stop thinking and start acting.

Rather than giving myself another 10 months to procrastinate, I've decided to read through the entire Bible in 51 days. Why 51? Well, the projected launch date for Regenerated Magazine is April 10th, and that happens to be 51 days from today. It sounded like a good goal last night, so I'm going with it!

If anyone else is crazy enough to do this with me, definitely feel free to jump in at any time! To keep track of where I am for myself, I'll be using a bookmark. To keep track of where I am for you, I've created a new backpack page to show you were my bookmark is placed right now, and what books I've finished so far. I'm sure it'll also come up through my writing here as well.

Want to help me? I would definitely appreciate it! Over the next 51 days, you can ask me periodically how my Bible reading is going and make sure I actually go through with this! Accountability is a great thing. I'm off to begin my reading.

Happy Birthday, Kristin!

Just want to put a quick shout-out to Kristin and say, "Happy 19th Birthday!" It's been a blast working with you, starting way too many projects and laughing too hard to breathe the last couple of years. Stay "cool," no matter what country you're in!

Looking beyond the tin can

Well, certain friends have been "poking" me and people have made comments, but it was being mentioned at The Rebelution that finally convinced me it is time to start writing again. It isn't that I haven't anything to say lately -- believe me, I have more to say now than I ever have before -- but I became a little "lost" in moving into my own apartment, pulling ROC back together and watching 24. Pray for me, I think I've become a bit addicted to that last one. (Alex and Kierstyn can attest to that!)

Sometimes you need to look beyond the present to find what you need right now.Right now, I am in my brothers' room, laying on their couch typing. Just a moment ago I went to grab my Jones Soda, but aside from the light emanating from my MacBook Pro, the room is pitch black. I couldn't see a thing! I cautiously began feeling across the floor, hoping I could find it without spilling half a can of soda all over my new NKJV bible that is also on the floor, but I couldn't seem to find it. For some reason, I glanced beyond where I knew it had to be and caught a reflection of the can right in front of me. Of course, I instantly redirected my eyes to the reflection, but it promptly disappeared. I looked beyond it and again saw this faint reflection from the tin can; I was able to pick it up with ease.

It is funny how life can be very much the same. Sometimes we are so focused in the here and now, trying to grasp what we know is there but can't see. If only we would take just a moment to look beyond our current circumstances and focus on The Light, our Savior, Jesus Christ, we might just gain a clearer picture of where we are right now and how to reach what we need. I know it's true in my own life!

Whenever I begin to set aside time for devotions and studying God's word at the beginning of the day, things become so much clearer. And I don't just mean big, life changing decisions, my mind is actually sharper with the little things as well. When I'm working on a website, or talking to customers at work, I can actually tell a difference in how I handle things because I am not so easily frustrated and I'm able to come up with solutions much quicker. And when I'm going against something particularly difficult, if I take a moment and just focus on Him, you'd be surprised how many times an answer simply "pops into my head."

Our God is amazing.

If you can't see whats right in front of you, if you need some perspective, take a moment and focus beyond right now. Spend some time with God, and I promise, everything will look a little bit clearer.

Your Weekly News Report

No, actually, I haven't forgot that I have a blog, I've just been busy, that's all.

And now for some quick updates...

For those who haven't heard, I have officially moved out of the house and into my own apartment. (That's for you Kristin.)

You can volunteer at Regenerate Our Culture now!

The Macworld Expo Keynote is today! If you're like me, you'll be watching for live updates. Yes, I'm a geek. Oh, and on that note (errmm.. the mac note, not the geek note), I upgraded to Leopard this weekend. Time machine is a beautiful thing.

Lastly, if anyone has any recommendations on getting an aircard for a mac, let me know. I don't have internet in my apartment, and that just isn't very helpful when trying to run multiple websites.

Entering 2008

(This is basically a rewritten version of a post from a few days ago. Only this is a lot clearer, since it wasn't written at 1:00 AM.)

Every year millions of people make New Years Resolutions. Every year, those resolutions are long forgotten by Independence Day, if not Memorial Day or sooner. Well aware of that, the last year or two, I just decided I wasn't going to make any resolutions. I was getting tired of making lists that didn't mean anything. What was the point in the wasting paper?

Well, this year I have decided to make a few resolutions, but I'm approaching it in a little bit of a different way. Rather than making a list of brand new things I want to do, projects I want to start or habits I want to make or break, I'm focusing on real ways that I can actually grow this year in every major aspect of my life. Another major difference from years past, rather than resolving to do new things, I'm resolving to continue doing what I'm doing right now. And to do those things better!

Item number uno.
The first thing I'm going to work on this year, is my relationship with Christ. Rather than simply reading my Bible on occasion, I am going to read it as God's written word to me, Jake. I plan to read through the entire Bible in at least the New King James Version, and possibly The Message as well.

I am also going to continue growing my prayer life. Prayer shouldn't just be something that happens when something goes wrong, at the dinner table or at night. That's not a prayer life at all! This year, I will continue to make a habit of talking to God all throughout my day, and not only talking, but making myself open to hearing what He has to say to me.

Item number dos.
This next item for 2008 is something that God has really convicted me on over the past few weeks. I haven't spent a lot of time reading anything other than news or technical articles the past two years, and that is, well, not a good thing. This year, along with reading my Bible every day, I'm also going to read through a lot of really good books. With the help of some friends, I'm putting together a book list for 2008, and as I work my way through them, I'll occasionally write my thought on them here.

Item number tres.
My last major resolution for 2008 is to get myself in shape. I've already started this by doing some basic stretches, sit-ups and push-ups every night, but as the weather gets better, I plan on going jogging every morning, adding weights and pulling cars with my beard.

Well, okay, not that last one, but I do plan on making exercise a regular part of my life. Besides the fact that every guy wants a six-pack, I've realized recently that with everything I want to do, I'm going to need to be in great physical shape to even keep up with this kind of busy life! Anyway, our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, right? I should definitely take care of it!

It's all about discipline.
There you have it, my "Resolutions for 2008." Nothing ground breaking here, really I have a list of things that I should be doing anyway. The only other thing that I am going to resolve this year is nearly an unspoken part of all three of the above items -- get disciplined! It's going to take some serious self-control to stick with these commitments all year, and for the rest of my life! It won't be easy, it won't always be fun, but life isn't all about fun and easy. Do Hard Things, right?

Discussion questions

• Are you making any resolutions this year? Why or why not?
• What are you going to do different in 2008?
• What are you doing to make sure you stick with your resolutions? Writing it down, keeping yourself accountable, something else?
  

Bibles and Buses.. don't mix?

Note to self: If I'm ever on a bus, pull out a Bible and start reading out loud and see what happens.

Christmas With A Purpose

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have had a great day thus far and continue to enjoy the last week of 2007! I, for one, will be looking for some time to write, both for the blog here and just in general. For those of you who haven't heard yet, we're pulling Regenerate Our Culture back to it's feet, starting with the magazine, and I really hope to write a few articles over there this year.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she made a comment that made me think. Somewhere along the way, we've made Christmas about visiting family we pretend to like and stuffing our faces with food. Instead of focusing on Christ and really enjoying our time with family, we've turned instead gluttony and being fake. Where's the "joy to the world" and "peace on earth" in that? Well, today I'm making it a point to really be thankful for what Christ has done for me, I'm going to enjoy spending time with my family -- fairly easy since I actually like most of them... okay, all of them -- and while I'm going to enjoy the food that is always amazing around here, I will not stuff my face. I promise.

Today, and life in general, really is different when you come at it with a purpose. Try it, enjoy the difference, taste the rainbow. Merry Christmas!

P.S. If you're interested in being involved with ROC at all, drop us a line -- contact [at] regenerateourculture [dot] com -- and let us know how you want to be involved! We're still in the beginning stages of pulling it all back together, but we're going to need plenty of writers, probably some people who can proofread articles, and since I'm currently working on the website, I could use some people who enjoy burying themselves in PHP. Once things get rolling, it would also be great to have some people who enjoy photography and graphic design.