LESS LIKELY TO FALL APART

"When I look around me, I have got so much to thank God for.  I have so much to praise Him for.  When I think of what he has done and where he has brought me from..."  Lyrics to a song come to mind.

 My very first Bible, given to me some sixty years ago was a Spanish King James Version Bible, although I did not take its truths seriously til later in life, it became my constant companion through out life.

Ready for Sunday church service with my first Bible

  Not that particular one as I do not have any recollection as to what became of it. It was later replaced by an English one.  It was a required book as part of my Christian education through out the years.  I struggled through out the years to memorize certain portions, joined in the excitement of sword drills, and was admonished and shown the error of my ways in my childish mind.  I loved the Day of The Bible celebrations each year in Mexico.DAY OF THE BIBLE CLICK HERE  The very first verse, I memorized was John 3:16, in Spanish. 
John 3:16 (Spanish)
"Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigenito, para que todo aquel que en el cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna." In time, I learned the preciousness and unperishableness of that book. 
God's Word had become a large part of my life very early.
I had an insatiable hunger to learn more about that book that had become such a comfort to me as I moved around from place to place.

I now have seven,  the top three are my to go Bibles, the others for studying

  As life was so transient during those earlier years, I found comfort in knowing that, that book would always say the same thing no matter where I found myself, in joyful times or times of disparity and discouragement. 

1973

The desire to learn more about this book led me to attend Multnomah School of The Bible in Portland Oregon (Multnomah University)
Their advertisement caught my eye, "If its Bible you want.  Then you want Multnomah."  I will never forget how those years molded me and life's lessons were valuable in laying the foundation for the present time I find myself in.   I will never forget my studies in Romans with Dr. John Mitchell.DR. MITCHELL BIOGRAPHY
  Many times he would ask us students a question and we with blank looks or cat got our tongues stared at him in silence to which he in a distinct Scottish brogue would say, “Don’t you folks ever read your Bibles?”  We loved his classes because he never gave tests, yet we learned so much.

  He had an amazing ability to quote Scripture from memory.   
Although, God had been working in my life long before attending Multnomah, I look back on that season as the beginning of heart transformation, learning about God and about myself. It was the beginning of a more intense journey,  the emergence of a slow and painful journey of embracing God's plan for me, a journey I'm still walking.
 

STILL WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF HIS WORD

My top four go to Bibles,  the most used MacArthur Study Bible and Inductive Bible, two in Super Giant Print

In 2005, a good friend encouraged me to inductive studies and gave me this Bible.

Chapter Themes from Psalms

Prof. David Needham was another powerful influence on my life during my time at Multnomah.
I remember him as a very gentle and kind man.  He would tenderly ask "Do you know who you are?" and explain our birthright as Christians. 

His very small office was off to the side of the hall, I had to take to get to my dorm room.  His classes were more like a devotional time and he had such passion for imparting God's love.  He invited us to drop by anytime just to talk, although I never took him up on the offer, I was in such awe of his wisdom.

Each year since 1998, I make periodic reviews of my primary goals in my spiritual life and write the date I read those goals, making a commitment to my self to pursue and cultivate right desires.  Watching these play out in my life have made a considerable difference.

Since 11-7-1998 I have attempted to make these my primary goals

LIFE VERSE~MARRIED LIFE VERSE~A project still in process

Pamela Reeves, another Multnomah professor, had a great influence in encouraging me to write about life, herself, being an author of many books.  In the pyschology type class, she taught, I remember her asking us to choose an animal, we would like to be and why we would like to be it and write about it.
 One of those years, for a semester, I was taking journalism, even writing an article for the school newspaper.  I did not pursue journalism at that time as it took too much "thinking time".  I was pursuing a major in Christian Education with a minor in Missions at the time.
My interest in writing only came about in more recent times as there are many down times while care giving.

  Miss Reeves was a phenomenal, classy lady, and her classes were always full and hard to get into.  She encouraged us ladies to be ladies.  She was dean of women at the time I was there.  Once a month, she would gather us ladies for a talk while the men had a talk with the Dean of Men.

The dress code for most of those years for us ladies, were dresses and skirts.