Do you ever find yourself thinking that some of God’s ways, at times, seem to make no sense at all? Have you ever been baffled by the injustice and cruelty we see in the world or about the unanswered prayers in your own life?

It’s okay for us to admit it and to be honest about our questions. That’s exactly what the prophet Habakkuk did. In his perplexity, he cried out to God, and he came to God with raw honesty rather than pretty words.

​God did answer Habakkuk, but not in a way that the prophet expected or was happy about. 

From the Old Testament to the New, the eternality of God's Word is clearly proclaimed: 

Job tells us, “I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12). 

Isaiah reminds us that, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8). 

And Matthew records Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

God's Word is like an eternal Love Letter to us!

​Have you ever received a love letter, friend? Did you read it? Did you read it just once, or did you read it over and over again? A Love Letter is a treasure when you love the One who sent it!

​I have long loved the book Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. But today, I am more in love with it than ever because of what Kristen, over at Joyfully Thriving, has done with it.

This past summer, my friend Joy introduced me to Kristen's site. I love what she's done with Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Guess How Much I Love You, and I Wish You More. She writes meaningful, thought-provoking Scripture in the pages of these books! ​Kristen has a free printable you can download here for Oh, the Places You’ll Go. You can buy the printable in her Etsy shop for Guess How Much I Love You. She also sells all three books—with Scripture writing in them—in her Etsy shop.

I downloaded Kristen's free printable for Oh, the Places You’ll Go. Then, I purchased the printable from her Etsy shop for Guess How Much I Love You. These guides helped me create Scripture books for our grandsons.

What if we spent a few quiet moments with God each morning? What if we were intentional about making time for it? What if we committed to doing that all year long and by the year’s end we found that we had read the entire Bible!?

How many times, on January 1, have you committed to reading the Bible from cover to cover in a year? I have made that commitment too many times to count, and I have failed too many times to admit.

​A few years ago though, I used a one-year, chronological order of book authorship, Bible Reading Itinerary.

Did you know that Genesis was not the first book of the Bible written? While plans like this vary somewhat, because it is simply impossible to put an exact date on some books of the Bible, the plan I used begins with the book of Job.

I had the great opportunity to talk with Sue Donaldson on her podcast, Make It Count: Living a Legacy Life, about leaving a legacy for the next generation. 

How are we intentionally doing that?

Plus, I share my husband’s favorite breakfast recipe—Blueberry Banana Bread! YUM!

But what I love most about this experience and our talk is seeing Sue's vision for hospitality! When you get to know her, you'll see that vision in everything she does.

Sue inspires me to be a better host and just an all around better human being, and that's what we all should be doing, right? Inspiring others.

Hospitality can be seen all throughout the Bible. It's a platform for sharing the Gospel.

This is a breakout post from our 27-day devotional, Come and Gather: Family Time With God, or what we lovingly refer to as Gather. You'll find this post featured in Part Two: Days 6-10 A Walk Through God’s Word of Gather.