B90X: Day 31

Hey comrades!
It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Johnny asked them what they were for.
"People held them over Jesus' head as he walked by," his father told him.
"Wouldn't you know it," Johnny fumed, "the one Sunday I don't go and he shows up."


Wow, a lot to get through today! Hope you enjoyed it! :)

1. If someone had lots cast for them to be a musician for the Lord, and they were really young, what would happen?
2. After giving his motivational speech to his son Solomon, and publicly announcing how much of his own stuff he was giving to the Lord personally, what did David charge all the people at the celebration to do?
3. After Solomon asked for wisdom, instead of fame and money, what did the Lord do?
   

Yesterday's questions:

1. Why did Saul die? For his unfaithfulness to the Lord. (He did not obey Him, and he consulted a medium.) ~ v. 10:13
2. Why didn't David battle with the Philistines against Saul? The lords of the Philistines were afraid that he would defect to Saul and kill them instead. (v. 11:19)
3. For what did David gather the people to bring back to the City of David? the Ark of the Covenant (v. 13:2-3)
4. As the Ark was brought into the city, what did David do after he had finished the offerings? He blessed the people in the name of the Lord. (v. 16:2)
5. What did Satan move David to do regarding the people of Israel? To number (count) them. (v. 21:2)

B90X: Day 30

Hello everyone!

One minister says that it doesn't bother him at all if his members look at their watches during his sermons. It does affect him, however, when someone not only looks at his watch, but also holds it up to his ear to see if it's still running!

Today's reading was 1 Chronicles 10:1 to 1 Chronicles 23:32. :) I know I enjoyed the snow days (I'll bet you did, too), but it's time to get our heads back in the game... er... book! :D

Today's questions:
1. Why did Saul die?
2. Why didn't David battle with the Philistines against Saul?
3. For what did David gather the people to bring back to the City of David?
4. As the Ark was brought into the city, what did David do after he had finished the offerings?
5. What did Satan move David to do regarding the people of Israel?

Yesterday's answers:

1. What was Samuel called? "Samuel the seer"
2. Of what tribe were the gatekeepers and musicians? Levites
   

God bless,

       Alysha

B90X: Day 29

Hello!

  Mr. Smith was brought to Mercy Hospital (a Catholic hospital),and taken quickly in for coronary surgery.
The operation went well and, as the groggy man regained consciousness, he was reassured by a Sister of Mercy, who was waiting by his bed.

"Mr. Smith, you're going to be just fine," said the nun, gently patting his hand. "We do need to know, however, how you intend to pay for your stay here. Are you covered by insurance?"

"No, I'm not," the man whispered hoarsely.

"Then can you pay in cash?" persisted the nun.

"I'm afraid I cannot, Sister."

"Well, do you have any close relatives?" the nun questioned sternly.

"Just my sister in New Mexico," he volunteered. "But she's a humble spinster nun."

"Oh, I must correct you, Mr. Smith. Nuns are not spinsters - they are married to God."

"Wonderful," said Mr. Smith. "In that case, please send the bill to my brother-in -law."

 

 
     So I woke up, and realized I hadn't sent this yet, so here's today's (yesterday's) email.

I only wrote two questions due to the extensive geneology in the first 9 chapters.

1. What was Samuel called? "Samuel the s____"
2. Of what tribe were the gatekeepers and musicians?

Here are yesterday's questions:

1. What did Hezekiah king of Judah do that set him apart from all other kinds of Judah (both before and after him)? He trusted in the Lord. (v. 18:5)
2. To which prophet did King Hezekiah send word upon hearing the threat from Assyria's king? Isaiah (v. 19:2)
3. What sign did the Lord give Hezekiah to show that he would be healed? He made the shadow on the sundial move ten degrees backwards --> that means He moved the sun!! (v. 20:8-11)
4. What feast/memorial was celebrated for the first time since the judges ruled Israel in King Josiah's 18th year of reign? the Passover (v. 23:21-23)
5. Why was Josiah unlike any other king? He turned to the the Lord with all his heart, soul, and might. (v. 23:25)
BONUS! Can you find the reference where Josiah's birth was foretold? (HINT: It was in yesterday's reading...) 1 Kings 13:1-2, the fulfillment of that prophecy is found in 2 Kings 23:15-16

B90X: Official Snow Day!

Hello everyone!

   I know almost everyone that is doing this is behind at least a day, and some of you just need a break, so yesterday (Tue, the first) and today (Wed, the second) have been declared snow days! We will start day 29 of B90X (picking up at 1 Chronicles 1:1 to 1 Chronicles 9:44) tomorrow, Thu, the third.

Enjoy your snow day everyone! Drive safely, if you're going to drive at all!

-Michael

B90X: Day 28

Hola mis amigos!!

After church on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided I'm going to be a minister when I grow up.

"That's okay with us," the mother said, "But what made you decide to be a minister?"

"Well," the boy replied, "I'll have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell than to sit still and listen.

lol Hopefully that is not all that you remember when you leave your church's service! :) Praise the Lord with me today, guys!! An amazing thing happened over this weekend. A new transfer to my school found out that his sister's breast cancer had reappeared, so he left on Thursday to head back home for the weekend. (The amazing part is coming, I promise.) I was praying for his sister and family and asked some others to pray as well. What a joy it was to hear from him that the tests on Friday came back negative - Monday's test was just scar tissue!! :) The Lord is faithful, and He always answers. Amen? How has the Lord answered your prayers recently? Please feel free to share!!! :)

Today's reading (as that is really the purpose of this email), is from 2 Kings 15:27 to 2 Kings 25:30. We get to finish 2 Kings today!! So cool!

Some questions from today's reading... which were hard to pick, as there were so many things that stuck out
:
1. What did Hezekiah king of Judah do that set him apart from all other kinds of Judah (both before and after him)?
2. To which prophet did King Hezekiah send word upon hearing the threat from Assyria's king?
3. What sign did the Lord give Hezekiah to show that he would be healed?
4. What feast/memorial was celebrated for the first time since the judges ruled Israel in King Josiah's 18th year of reign?
5. Why was Josiah unlike any other king?
BONUS! Can you find the reference where Josiah's birth was foretold? (HINT: It was in yesterday's reading...)

Yesterday's questions - and answers!!

1. King Joram sent out a horseman to meet the oncoming troops that were riding up to the gates. He wanted to know if they came in peace. when neither of his horsemen returned, he correctly deduced that it must have been Jehu and his troops. How did he know it was Jehu? By his reckless driving.
2. After Jezebel was thrown out of the tower and trampled on, Jehu went in the palace and ate. Then he said to go bury Jezebel, but when the troops went to get her body, what was all that they could find? Only her skull, her feet, and her hands. She had been eaten by the dogs.
3. How old was Joash, the hidden son of Ahaziah, when he became king? Seven years old.
4. What happened to the dead man when was thrown into the grave of Elisha? When the dead man's body touched Elisha's bones, he came back to life and jumped out of the grave.
5. What did Menahem the wicked king make his subjects do to stop the king of Assyria from invading his kingdom? He made them all pay 50 pieces of silver to the king of Assyria.

God bless, guys! May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!

          Alysha

B90X: Day 26

Hey everyone!

Jesus saw a crowd chasing down a woman to stone her and approached them. "What's going on here, anyway?" he asked.

"This woman was found committing adultery, and the law says we should stone her!" one of the crowd responded.

"Wait," yelled Jesus. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Suddenly, a stone was thrown from out of the sky, and knocked the woman on the side of her head.

"Aw, c'mon, Dad..." Jesus cried, "I'm trying to make a point here!"

   

     :)  Mike here. I was sick this week and had to take a grace day, but I now I'm back and ready for more reading. I plan on making up the reading that I fell behind on when I next have free time, or possibly after the 90 days are over. We'll see. I know a lot of you are struggling to keep up, but guess what? We're closer than ever now! :) Day 26! We're almost a third of the way there! I kid you not when I say today;s reading has been one of my favorite days of reading so far! If you haven't read today's reading yet, you're in for a treat! :) 

Ok, ok, ok, there is a certain part of the reading that I simply have to share with you all and have you all watch out for it. It says in ch. 18 of 1 Kings that Elijah tucked in his belt and ran ahead of Ahab and his chariots by using special strength that the Lord had given him. It says this nonchalantly, and it is very easy to skip over, but look at what this just said! Elijah was running faster than all of Ahab's specially bred horses all harnessed together! If you thought Flash Gordon was a cool superhero, you probably never knew about Elijah! He was one fast old man! Elijah, the Biblical superhero of the Bible. Anyways, that was my thought of the day, here, have a few questions!

1. Before meeting the widow that baked him bread, how did Elijah eat when God sent him into hiding?
2. When Baal didn't answer his followers calls to set fire to their offering, other than daydreaming, what had Elijah mockingly suggested their god was doing?
3. In Micaiah's vision, the Lord asked who around to see who could entice Ahab to be lead to his doom. Who replied to the Lord, and what was his proposal?
4. The first two captains with fifty men were burned when they tried to get Elijah. What did the third captain do that spared his life and the lives of his men?
5. Why could you say, after reading 2 Kings chapter 2, that God frowns on people who make fun of old balding men?

And yesterday's answers:

1. What does Solomon request that the Lord do in response to the foreigners who pray in His temple? Answer their request. (8:41-4:30)
2. What did the Lord promise to do if Solomon would walk before Him as David did? To establish the throne of solomon's kingdom over israel forever. (9:4-5)
3. How long was Solomon's reign? 40 years. (11:42)
4. What idols did (King) Jeroboam set up for Israel? Two gold calfs (12:20)
5. Which king of Judah did right in the Lord's eyes? Asa (15:11)

B90X: Day 24

Hello, friends and companions -

I have a question for you. Why was Goliath so surprised when David hit him with a slingshot?



...





...




...


The thought had never entered his head before. *Ba-dum, chhh!!* :D

The first order of business is to admit that this isn't Michael; it's his sister, Alysha. Mike has been sick this week, and he was doing especially poorly today. I called him about a half hour ago to ask a question, and he could barely focus. Thus, I am doing today's email instead of him. Please pray for a speedy recovery when you think of it!

Second item on the docket --> Today's reading! That is (was?? lol) 2 Samuel 22:19 to I Kings 7:37. Keep on keeping on - we're over a quarter of the way through! If anything is worth the time, this is!!

Questions from today's reading:
1. How many mighty men did David have in all?
2. Which of the three judgments for David's sin occurred?
3. Which of David's sons tried to set himself up as king without his father's permission?
4. How long was David's reign?
5. How many years did it take Solomon to build the Lord's temple? His own palace?

Yesterday's answers:

1. What did David do after his first son by Bathsheba had died? He arose from where he lay fasting and praying, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, went into the house of the Lord to worship, and then returned home to eat. (v. 12:18-20)

2. Why did Absalom tell his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire? Joab would not come when Absalom sent for him. (v. 14:28-33)

3. Which son of David took David’s concubines as the Lord had foretold to David through Nathan? Absalom. (v. 12:11-12, 16:22)

4. Where did Jonathon and Ahimaaz hide to avoid Absalom’s servants? In the well in the court of a man’s house in Bahurim (v. 17:18-21)

5. What did the people in Abel of Beth Maachah do to Sheba the son of Bichri and why? They cut off his head and threw it out to Joab and his men in order to stop their attack on the city. (v. 20:15-22)

God bless,

      Alysha Mroczka

B90X: Day 23

Good morning, y all!

Day 23 - Can I get a booyah? We are entering the second quarter of the reading. How cool is that? :D If you couldn't tell, I'm loving this journey, and I hope you are, too!
The chapters for today are 2 Samuel 12:11 through 2 Samuel 22:18. Keep it up!!

Questions for today...

1. What did David do after his first son by Bathsheba had died?
2. Why did Absalom tell his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire?
3. Which son of David took David’s concubines as the Lord had foretold to David through Nathan?
4. Where did Jonathon and Ahimaaz hide to avoid Absalom’s servants?
5. What did the people in Abel of Beth Maachah do to Sheba the son of Bichri and why?

And, of course, yesterday's answers!! :)

1. One of the three sons of Zeruiah was Asahel. What did the bible say he ran like? A gazelle.
   
2. What was Abner to bring with him when he secretly met up with David? David's wife Michal
3. What did God do when Uzzah touched the Ark to keep it from falling? He struck him dead
   
4. Who served as the royal historian? Jehosaphat. lol, I love this name. :)
5. Why was Mephibosheth crippled? Because he was dropped at an early age.
   

God bless,

         Alysha Mroczka

B90X: Day 22

Comrades!

     After a very long and boring sermon the parishoners filed out of the church saying nothing to the preacher. Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the sermons."Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" The pastor was thrilled. "No-one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why." "Well - it reminded me of the Peace of God because it passed all understanding and the Love of God because it endured forever!"

    Today's reading was great! 1 Samuel 28:20 to 2 Samuel 12:10. Here are the questions!

1. One of the three sons of Zeruiah was Asahel. What did the bible say he ran like?
2. What was Abner to bring with him when he secretly met up with David?
3. What did God do when Uzzah touched the Ark to keep it from falling?
4. Who served as the royal historian?
5. Why was Mephibosheth crippled?

And yesterday's questions

1. The Spirit of God was with him.

2. He pretended insanity.

3. Abiathar.

4. He consulted a medium to bring up Samuel's spirit.

5. Ruth, great great grandmother. Rehab, great grandmother

6. The Witch of Endor, yes? I don't actually know more than the fact that a being by that name was an ancestral enemy of the Ewoks.

B90X: Day 21

Friends,

In the beginning, God created the earth and rested.

Then God created Man and rested.

Then God created Woman. Since then, neither God nor Man has rested.

    I know, I know, it says day 21 and not day 20. This is on purpose. We actually ARE on day 21, but I missed sending out day 14, I believe, then sent out 15 as 14 and so on. So, we're actually one day ahead of what we were originally. :) Here, have a few questions. Be warned, they are difficult.

1. Why did David succeed in everything he did?
2. What did David do when he feared King Achish of Gath?
3. Which son of Ahimelech escaped his family's slaughter? (Hint: this was the family of priests)
4. What did Saul resort to in order to receive instruction, even after Samuel was dead?
5. Who were David's great grandmother, then great great grandmother. Ruth, Rehab was great great
6. BONUS QUESTION: Why, after reading today's reading, could one arguably say that God is a fan of Star Wars?

Hahaha, if anyone outside of my family gets the last question right, I will truly be impressed. Here's a hint, the answer lies somewhere in Ch. 28. Consider it a challenge to find the answer before tomorrow! Now, on to yesterday's answers.

1. Who was King at the time of Samson? There was no King! It says that every man just did what he thought was right at the time.
2. In what way were the people foolish after imprisoning Samson (which ultimately led to there destruction)? They let his hair grow back.
   
3. Why did Micah want a Levite serving as his priest? Because the Levites are a chosen people of God.
4. How many times did Boaz actually talk to Ruth BEFORE he suggested marriage? It is only recorded that he ever saw/talked to her once before he proposed.
   
5. Hannah was always tormented by Elkanah's other wife, what was the other wife's name? Peninnah

B90X: Day 19

Comrades!

Who was the best comedian in the Bible? Samson, he brought the house down!

     Today's reading was nice, right? :) It's Judges 15:13 to 1 Samuel 2:29. Before I get to the question's I have an announcement.

*ANNOUNCEMENT*  My wonderful sister, Alysha, has volunteered to take over the emails on Mon, Wed, Fri, due to the fact that I have 8 am classes those days and don't send them out till later those evenings. So every Mon, Wed, and Fri email from here on out will be from my sister, Alysha. Both my sister and I will be using this same B90X gmail account, however, there will be two authors now. If you'd like to get a hold of either one of us individually, my personal email is mail4michael@themroczkas.com and my sister, Alysha's, email is mail4alysha@themroczkas.com  please save these so that you can contact whoever you wish to contact. Or if you don't care who responds to your email's feel free to just continue labeling it "hey mike" or something similar, just realize, my sister may see it and vice versa. :)

On to the questions!

1. Who was King at the time of Samson?
2. In what way were the people foolish after imprisoning Samson (which ultimately led to there destruction)?
3. Why did Micah want a Levite serving as his priest?
4. How many times did Boaz actually talk to Ruth BEFORE he suggested marriage?
5. Hannah was always tormented by her sister, what was her sister's name?

Answers to yesterday's questions

1. Many people know of Gideon's test with the fleece and dew to see if it was really God speaking to him, but there was one test that he asked before that which is left out of many Bible stories. Who was he talking to for that test, and what did he demand? He was talking to an Angel of the Lord, and told him that if he truly was an Angel of the Lord he should stay where he was until Gideon could prepare an offering for the Lord.
   
2. Which did Gideon ask for first? The fleece to be wet and the ground to be dry, or the ground to be wet and the fleece to be dry? The fleece to be wet and the ground to be dry.
   
3. What did Abimelech do to his (half) brothers when he was elected to rule over them? He called all of his half brothers (excluding one).
4. When Manoah (Samson's father) was talking to the Angel of the Lord and asked for the Angel's name, what did he respond with? "Why do you ask my name? .... It is too great for you to understand"
   
5. What animals did Samson catch and tie up to run loose in the Philistine's camp? 300 foxs.

B90X: Day 18

Comrades!

Alright, here's a good one for you.

A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay" the man says, "I attended church every Sunday"
"That's good, says St. Peter, " that's worth two points"

"Two points?" he says. "Well, I gave 10% of all my earnings to the church"
"Well, let's see," answers Peter, "that's worth another 2 points. Did you do anything else?"

"Two points? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans."
"Fantastic, that's certainly worth a point, " he says.

"hmmm...," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart."
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"THREE POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!"

"Come on in!"



    Hahaha, I thought it was great, at least. :) Today was Judges 3:27 to 15:12. Who got there? Let's see if you've got any answers in you.

1. Many people know of Gideon's test with the fleece and dew to see if it was really God speaking to him, but there was one test that he asked before that which is left out of many Bible stories. Who was he talking to for that test, and what did he demand?
2. Which did Gideon ask for first? The fleece to be wet and the ground to be dry, or the ground to be wet and the fleece to be dry?
3. What did Abimelech do to his (half) brothers when he was elected to rule over them?
4. When Manoah (Samson's father) was talking to the Angel of the Lord and asked for the Angel's name, what did he respond with?
5. What animals did Samson catch and tie up to run loose in the Philistine's camp?

And here are yesterday's questions.

1. How did Joshua determine who got which pieces of extra land? He cast lots for them!
2. The Israelites thought that Reuben and Gad had been building an altar for a false god outside of Canaan. What did they discover was actually the case when they went to visit them? They were merely setting up a reminder so that in the future the Israelites would remember that Reuben and Gad had a right to worship the Lord, too.
   
3. What were the Israelites preparing to do if Reuben and Gad had been rebelling against the one true God? Wipe them out with an army, already waiting for the command.
   
4. What "heard" everything the Israelites promised, and would "witness" and "testify against them" if they were to turn away from God? A rock!!!
5. Who wrote the book of Judges? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know the answer to this one, but it's a good thing to have a general idea who wrote what. Samuel wrote the book of Judges.
   

B90X: Day 17

Friends!

    Question. Why on earth do we say Amen instead of Awomen?

... I don't honestly know. Probably the same reason we sing Hymns instead of Hers. ;)

    So today's reading was Joshua 15:1 to Judges 3:27. I think Judges will prove to be an interesting book of the Bible.

1. How did Joshua determine who got which pieces of extra land?
2. The Israelites thought that Reuben and Gad had been building an altar for a false god outside of Canaan. What did they discover was actually the case when they went to visit them?
3. What were the Israelites preparing to do if Reuben and Gad had been rebelling against the one true God?
4. What "heard" everything the Israelites promised, and would "witness" and "testify against them" if they were to turn away from God?
5. Who wrote the book of Judges?

Ok, so for those of you who are wondering who wrote the book of Joshua and why I didn't ask that, there is a lot of controversy over who actually wrote it, so it isn't a clear cut answer. While Joshua clearly wrote certain parts of it, obviously he couldn't record things such as his death and same of the maps don't add up so it couldn't all be from a single primary source. However, in general, you could say Joshua wrote a fair bit of Joshua. :)

On to the answers! :)

1. What is the first miracle that the Lord performs through Joshua, and how was it similar to Moses? Drying up the Jordan. It was similar to Moses and God parting the Red Sea.
   
2. What unlikely person helped hide Joshua's spies once they entered foreign territory? Rahab the prostitute.
3. How did the Gibeonites deceive the Israelites? They pretended to be from a distant land and made a treaty with them.
   
4. Israel's swords killed many Amorites, but what act of God killed even more than all the swordsmen in Israel? A terrible hailstorm.
5. What tribe did not get an allotment of land from the Lord of all the things they plundered? The Levites. God, Himself, was there treasure.
   
6. Why was Caleb and his family allowed their own lot of land in Hebron? He was the spy that didn't stray from God, so he had land promised to him.

Keep up the good work, everyone! :)

-Michael

B90X: Day 16

Comrades!

What two Bible characters had no parents? Joshua, son of Nun & Jonah (he was brought up by a whale!)  ;)

     Hahaha, I had to. :) So today was Joshua 1:1 to Joshua 14:15. Did you get a lot out of it? Let's see what you can answer among these questions. :)

1. What is the first miracle that the Lord performs through Joshua, and how was it similar to Moses?
2. What unlikely person helped hide Joshua's spies once they entered foreign territory?
3. How did the Gibeonites deceive the Israelites?
4. Israel's swords killed many Amorites, but what act of God killed even more than all the swordsmen in Israel?
5. What tribe did not get an allotment of land from the Lord of all the things they plundered?
6. Why was Caleb and his family allowed their own lot of land in Hebron?

    Alright, I don't know about you, but I am amazed at how willingly Joshua obeyed the Lord. I mean, God Almighty is on your side, so when they get to Jericho I would have been thinking something along the lines of: Sneak attack? Full force charge and knock down the gates? How about we make a wooden camel and present it to them as a gift, and we can secretly hide in the camel's stomach and sneak up on them from the inside at night?

     Instead of God doing something that the Israelites could have taken credit for, David Platt (from a book called Radical) makes the interesting point that God did something to purely show he was God and the Israelites were just His followers. No one afterwords slapped the other on the back and said "Nice high C with that trumpet blast" or "When we hit the chorus, those walls couldn't help but fall over!" Nope. God purposely gave the Israelites Jericho to show them that He was, is, and always will be God. Those are my thoughts on Jericho.

   Anyways, on to the answers for yesterday's questions!

1. All the tribes had special possessions given to them by God, but what was the Levites "most treasured possession?" In Deuteronomy 10:9, it says that the Lord himself would be the Levite's special possession.
2. If someone killed a man unintentionally, what would he be allowed to do to escape being killed himself by an avenger? Flee to the city of refuge
3. If a woman's husband passes away, and his brother refuses to marry his brother's wife to preserve his name, what will he his family forever be referred to as?  "the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off'!" lol, I loved this! :)
4. If a man turned away from God, God sent plagues and horrible disasters to deal with him. What was the only thing the man could do to stop these plagues? Repent and turn back to God.
5. What did God give the Israelites to remember Him by after Moses died and they gave in to their evil desires? Some said the law, which is true, but I was thinking about that entire chapter long song in Deuteronomy 33.
   

Hope you enjoyed today's email! Shoot me a reply with your thoughts and answers if you get a chance. Until tomorrow, peace out.
-Mike

B90X: Day 15

Friends,

I know, I know, I know. I missed yesterday. I fell behind, and didn't make time to catch up. Goes to show that everyone has an off day. Don't sweat it, just use a grace day or double book it and read extra the following day (like I did). Anyways, I'm back on track, and I know this is really late, but here's today's readings and questions.

1. All the tribes had special possessions given to them by God, but what was the Levites "most treasured possession?"
2. If someone killed a man unintentionally, what would he be allowed to do to escape being killed himself by an avenger?
3. If a woman's husband passes away, and his brother refuses to marry his brother's wife to preserve his name, what will he his family forever be referred to as?
4. If a man turned away from God, God sent plagues and horrible disasters to deal with him. What was the only thing the man could do to stop these plagues?
5. What did God give the Israelites to remember Him by after Moses died and they gave in to there evil desires?

Wow, for today's reading we finished up Deuteronomy (23:12 to 34:12), and we are starting with Joshua tomorrow! Get ready for more action, because I think we all know of at least one story in the book of Joshua that happens in a powerful city called Jericho...

God bless you and your reading!
-Michael

B90X: Day 13

I know a lot of you are behind, but don't worry! You can get caught back up! And once you do, you'll think twice about getting behind again! :) You all can do it! Today was Numbers 32:20 to Deuteronomy 7:26. Here's a few questions for you all!

1. What land did God say he was giving the Israelites as a "special possession?"
2. What does Numbers say should happen to people who purposefully murder another person?
3. How old was Aaron when he died?

B90X: Day 12

Wow! Today's reading was great, too! Numbers 21:8 to Numbers 32:19. What did you all think of it? I liked it! :) Let's see who was paying attention and who skimmed, today, shall we?

1. There was a snake, that Moses made. What was it's purpose?
2. What was the snake made out of?
3. To my knowledge, there are only two recorded cases of animals talking in the Bible. Can you think of them? (HINT: One we already read about and the other we read about today)
   
4. After conquering the Midianites, the precious metals had to be put through a process to become ceremonially clean. What was it?
5. What was blocking the donkey from going any farther along it's path?

And of course, yesterday's answers:

1. Who did God claim as his own in Numbers 8:16? The Levites
2. How did the Israelites know when to break camp and move the Tabernacle? A pillar of fire and cloud
   
3. What happened after the Lord sent quail to fill the bellies of the gluttonous Israelites? What did God do? All that at the quail died.
4. Why is Numbers 12:3 a hilarious passage? (YES, this means go look it up and read it again really quickly. It's one verse, you'll manage) Moses wrote the book of Numbers, and in it he calls himself the most humble man in the world. (Ok, at least I thought it was hilarious)
   
5. What did God tell Moses and Aaron to do to get water to come out of the rock, and what did Moses do instead? He said to just talk to the rock, but instead Moses struck the rock.

B90X: Day 11

Hehehe,

        Today's reading was great, right? I personally enjoyed it. As well as several others. I thought this reading was so funny. Now I understand why Samson was as stupid as he was in the story with Delilah (we'll be coming to that story soon enough!). Samson was an idiot almost as much as all of Israel were idiots. They repeatedly, time and time again, in today's reading complained to God, specifically saying "We would have been better off dying in Eygpt!". That alone after the second or third time saying it and getting in trouble for it should have clued them in on how upset this made God when they said it! Instead of thinking, even for the smallest second, there were those among the Israelites that were pig-headed enough to complain to God. Not once, twice, three, but at least four times! (Extra Credit for anyone who can tell me how many times the Israelites complained to God in Leviticus).

      Well, let's see if any of you can answer these questions!

1. Who did God claim as his own in Numbers 8:16?
2. How did the Israelites know when to break camp and move the Tabernacle?
3. What happened after the Lord sent quail to fill the bellies of the gluttonous Israelites? What did God do?
4. Why is Numbers 12:3 a hilarious passage? (YES, this means go look it up and read it again really quickly. It's one verse, you'll manage)
5. What did God tell Moses and Aaron to do to get water to come out of the rock, and what did Moses do instead?

And of course, we can't forget the answers from yesterday...

1. Who wrote the book of Numbers? Moses
2. In Numbers ch. 1, what was Moses supposed to record? All those who were old enough to be Warriors in the tribes
   
3. Which clans were recorded? All of them but the Levite's
4. What would the woman have to drink in the test to see if she was faithful to her husband? Bitter water, although I believe some translations read "dusty water"
5. What happened if she lied under oath? It meant she had been unfaithful to her husband.

B90X: Day 10

Hey guys!

Wow! We're in the double digits! Can you believe it? The party is practically over! What a bummer! (lol, that was for the P90X grads).

Anyways, truly, we have come a long way, but we're not done, yet. We've got a lot still to do. Today was Leviticus 26:27 to Numbers 8:14. This is a short email (I'm trying to recover from writing that last one.), so here are the questions.

1. Who wrote the book of Numbers? (you should know this if you've been paying attention to past emails!)
2. In Numbers ch. 1, what was Moses supposed to record?
3. Which clans were recorded?
4. What would the woman have to drink in the test to see if she was faithful to her husband?
5. What happened if she lied under oath?

And of course, here are the answers to yesterday's questions.

1. How often was atonement made for the children of Israel? Once a year
2. Where is the life of a creature? In it's blood.
   
3. What is said of sexual relations with someone of the same sex? "Such things are detestable". No, we Christians aren't just making this up.
4. The Israelites did all of these things to be holy. Why are we to be holy? What do we have to do to stay holy today? We are to be holy so that we may have eternal life in Christ. We cannot ever be Holy. Jesus, however, is holy and covers our sins. Through him, we can be made holy.
   
5. How was the law different for a stranger? This is the trick question. It wasn't different at all. The laws for a stranger were the same as those of an Israelite people. (24:17-22)

B90X: Day 9

Alrighty!

     I can't believe that it is already day 9! We're already a tenth of the way there! Keep going strong everybody, you're doing great! Today's email will be slightly on the longer side, I am have a few things to share, as well as a few cool links for you all to check out! Firstly, I'd like to let you all know we have a new member joining us. He is a friend of mine and my siblings, and he is all-around a really cool guy that goes by the name of Scott Kardel. Scott has worked hard and has managed to get caught up to us in just two days! That is incredible! Everybody give Scott a hand! Well done, Scott.

     Also joining our group is another friend of mine, Lauren Kramer! She is a cool girl who has tried this program before and got to day 16 before she got to busy and had to quit. This time, it's round two for her, and she is joining us on the 16th, ready and pumped. :)

   Alright, next I wanted to share a link that a good friend of mine, Joshua Kaufmann, shared with me. It is a link to a Bible reading program. If you get behind a day or two, and you want to catch up, the hard way would be to try and do double or maybe even triple the Bible reading in a single day. This is a mistake! There is a much more productive way of getting caught up, and this is it. This program will take whatever verse you are starting at and will look and see however many verses it is to get to wherever we are currently in the program. Then, you set the day you want to be caught up by, and the program will count an even amount of verses out for every day that you can read. In doing this, you can read just a slightly larger amount over the next few days while you get back on track, and then go back to the normal schedule once you are all caught up! The best part? It's free! Definitely worth a look, at the very least. Here's the link.

http://www.readingplanner.com/

For those that don't know, today was Leviticus 14:33 to Leviticus 26:26. For those of you that don't know the reading schedule, I have posted it several times on the fb page. I'll give you the link here as well so everyone absolutely has the reading list. Here it is.

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/B90X.pdf

I personally found all of this stuff quite interesting. Can you imagine having to sacrifice something every time almost anything went wrong? That is just crazy! Let's see how well you guys were paying attention in this chapter. Riddle me this, what are the answers to the questions below? ;)

1. How often was atonement made for the children of Israel?
2. Where is the life of a creature?
3. What is said of sexual relations with someone of the same sex?
4. The Israelites did all of these things to be holy. Why are we to be holy? What do we have to do to stay holy today?
5. How was the law different for a stranger?

    Alright, one of these is a trick question as well. Let me know if you can answer any of these questions! Here is the key to yesterday's quiz. I think it's worth taking a look over, because some of the things I found were quite interesting.

1. Who is credited to writing Leviticus? Actually, this is question does not have a straightforward answer. It is presumed that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), but many modern Christians believe they actually had multiple authors. So for now we'll just say... tentatively Moses. ;)
2. How many days is a woman unclean after having a baby boy? 33 days
3. What about a baby girl? 66 days*** See note below
   
4. On which day should a baby be circumcised? The eighth day
5. Which of the following animals was generally considered clean? Camel, Dove, Cat, Pig A Dove was generally considered clean

 

"I was in a group and a feminist brought up this law as ‘sickening’. I had no response, but a woman who was an obstetrician who worked in Afghanistan noted that in Afghanistan (a culture similar to the O.T. Jews by today’s standards) if a woman has a girl the man will want to get her pregnant again immediately, which isn’t good for the woman. If she has a boy, there is no felt need to have another child right away.

Similar views of women were prevalent in that time too. If a girl was born the husband would want a son right away, which isn’t good for the woman. The obstetrician said the extra days unclean would mean that the man could not touch her for that entire time, giving her time to rest before trying to have another baby."

So a likely explanation is that God added the additional time for the woman's safety. Since guys were obsessed with having sons at that time, it could have been dangerous for the woman to be released so quickly after child labor. Again, I can't say for sure that this is the reason behind it, but it seems likely enough.

Keep reading strong, and I apologize for the unusually long email!

 I along with a few others were curious why women had to wait twice as long when they had baby girls. When I looked it up, I mostly just got a ton of women right's forums bashing the Bible and saying it is demeaning, and I couldn't really find an answer, however, one woman made a very interesting theory which I can see to being a very plausible answer, but of course, we aren't certain of anything. Read above to hear what she had to say.

-Your B90X Trainer

B90X: Day 8

Hello everyone!

Leviticus 1:1 to Leviticus 14:32 was today's reading! Hope you guys didn't skim it. It really wasn't all that bad. And just think! All of these sacrifices were things we would have to be doing if Jesus didn't come for us to be our ultimate sacrifice. Thank you God for forgiveness! Well, here are a few questions to see if you were paying attention.

1. Who is credited to writing Leviticus?
2. How many days is a woman unclean after having a baby boy?
3. What about a baby girl?
4. On which day should a baby be circumcised?
5. Which of the following animals was generally considered clean? Camel, Dove, Cat, Pig

And here are the answers to the last email's questions.

1. What is at the top of the Ark of the Covenant? Gold Cherubim
2. What color was the priest's robe? Blue
   
3. What made the Israelites feel compelled to make a golden calf? Because they didn't know what happened to Moses
4. Who was Moses' successor? Joshua
   
5. How many years did the Israelites wander in the wilderness? 40 years

B90X: An encouragement

Dear B90Xers,

I just wanted to say something simple:

You can do this.

I know that this might not have as much to do with some of you, but I kind of got a sense that maybe there were a few of us struggling to keep up with the program. I know that I have found myself busier than I expected, and have been having trouble sometimes. I also wanted you to know that, even as one of the authors on this site and supposedly helping to lead this, I fell pretty dramatically behind in the reading. I think I was 3 or 4 days behind, even in the 1st week of the program. However, I caught up. I just want to encourage you, even if you are struggling or falling behind, you can do it. Don't be discouraged! I get the feeling that there is some spiritual warfare going on, since there are many of us trying to get to know our God and our faith in a deeper and more personal way. Please, join with me to pray with everyone who is doing the B90X! Also, please pray for the two leaders of the B90X sections. They are both putting a lot of effort, time, and work into the reading and the things that they send out to us all.
Thank you so very much.
God bless you all.

May our Lord and Saviour go with you,
-Lilly

B90X NT Matt 13-15 answers, 16-18 questions

Here are the answers for Day 4

1) Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot.

2) John the baptist was beheaded at the request of Herod's daughter, after she danced for him and he promised her anything she wanted in return for the dance.

Here are the questions for day 5, Matthew 16-18.

1) What did Jesus mean when he warned his followers about the "yeast of the Pharisees"?

2) How many times are we to forgive each other, not the multiplication fact, but the solution to it. ;)

God Bless! Today's reading is Matthew 19-22.

~DB

B90X: Day 7

So, I totally thought I blogged this day, but apparently I didn't. This is yesterday's (Monday's) post. I thought I sent it last night, but for some reason it didn't actually send. So you'll be getting two posts today from me. Sorry for the confusion.

Hello all!

So today we finished Exodus! Great job everybody! I know there were parts that may have been on the dryer side (like all the dimensions and rules and such), but we got through it! Who's still with me, so far? If you're behind, catch up! Here are some questions to ponder after you've finished your reading.

1. What is at the top of the Ark of the Covenant?
2. What color was the priest's robe?
3. What made the Israelites feel compelled to make a golden calf?
4. Who was Moses' successor?
5. How many years did the Israelites wander in the wilderness?

Keep up the good work, see you soon!

B90X: Day 6

Comrades!

   How's the reading going? I know this is a late email, but I just barely got my reading done today. It was Exodus 15:19 to Exodus 28:43. It almost made me feel like I was at Harvard studying law... God's law. It definitely was detailed though! Think about it, we know everything about how God wanted stuff handled. We know what most pleased Him, we know what he wanted His temple to be like, and we even know the exact size and shape of the Ark of the Covenant! :) This excites me. Well, here are a few questions to all those that are still with me. If you're behind, it's ok, but be prepared for some double reading ahead of you!

1. Where did the Israelite's arrive, only to find the water was too bitter to drink, whereupon God caused it to turn sweet?
2. What did God provide for the Israelite's meat in the wilderness?
3. What guided the Israelite's through the wilderness?
4. When there was no water to drink, how did Moses provide water?
5. On which Mt. did God give Moses the Ten Commandments?

Hehehe, so how many of you thought I was going to ask to name all ten commandments? Well, I didn't, but if you'd like to learn a cool memory aid in memorizing the ten commandments, go here! http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/how-to-remember-the-ten-commandments-rusty-tardo-sermon-on-commandments-general-100607.asp

Well, I know you're all probably curious as to what the answers are from yesterday, so let's take a peak, shall we?

1. What was the name of Joseph's brother? Hahaha, well, I meant to ask what was the name of MOSES' brother, but nobody called me out on it, so yeah. The answer would be Aaron.
   
2. Who rescued Moses as a boy in the Nile? Pharaoh's daughter, the princess.
3. How many plagues did God send on Egypt? There were ten plagues total.
   
4. What happened to the serpents when the magician's "magically" turned their rods into snakes as Moses did? Moses' rod at the other magician's snakes.
5. Many people believe that Moses and Aaron went directly to Pharaoh as soon as they were told what to do, but who did really talk to first, before asking Pharaoh? The elders of Israel.

Good job everybody, so far! We're almost through Exodus! Only one day left! What a bummer! Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,
-A fellow Believer

B90X NT Day 4

Hey everyone! I took advantage of one of my grace days this week, so that's why I'm late getting this posted. I hope that y'all are enjoying the reading as much as I am! Here are the answers to the questions for days 2 and 3

DAY 2

1) The Aramaic word for idiot or fool is Raca.

2) The Roman Officer of great faith asked for his servant to be healed.

3) The Officer knew that his servant would be healed, because he was in command of many men himself, and he knew that Jesus would be able to order things under his command, and they would obey.

4) This question doesn't really have a direct answer. Please tell me what you guys think!!

DAY 3

1) The scripture Jesus quotes in Matthew 9: 13 is Hosea 6:6

2) Again, no direct answer for why Jesus used this scripture in relation to the pharisees, but I think that it is because the pharisees always offered sacrifices, but they never really applied God's love to their hearts.

3) Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath.

Questions for day 4:

1) Can you name the 12 apostles from memory?

2) Why and how was John the baptist killed?

3) Which of the parables that Jesus told stuck out to you most of all of them.

God bless you guys!

~DB

B90X: Day 5

Hello guys!

Well, today was an interesting chapter. Sorry for sending this out so late, but I'm sure it doesn't really make THAT big of a difference. :) The reading was good, a little repetitive I thought, when it came to all the different plagues, but when you actually step back and imagine how terrible all the plagues were, they were anything but boring. I laughed out loud when I tried to visualize the frogs being everywhere. It almost seems like God was trying to be funny. "I am God, watch me invade your house with... frogs." Hahaha. He could have picked anything. Lions. Snakes. Wild pigs. And yet he picked frogs. While frogs don't seem so terrifying, just think about this for a second. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were so distraught with frogs being everywhere that they were willing to let all there slaves free, literally there only source for getting things done, just to get ride of the frogs. Wow! That is a lot of frogs! Anyways, that is just an observation I had. On to the questions!

1. What was the name of Joseph's brother?
2. Who rescued Moses as a boy in the Nile?
3. How many plagues did God send on Egypt?
4. What happened to the serpents when the magician's "magically" turned their rods into snakes as Moses did?
5. Many people believe that Moses and Aaron went directly to Pharaoh as soon as they were told what to do, but who did really talk to first, before asking Pharaoh?

Well, that's it everyone! If you haven't finished your reading yet, hurry! It's Exodus 1:1 to Exodus 15:18!

God Bless,
-Michael
P.S. here's the answers to yesterday's quiz questions, see how you did!

1. What did God create on the fourth day? The Sun, Moon, and Stars
   
2. What was the name of Cain's son? Enoch
3. Many people believe that only a pair of every type of animal was put on the Ark, but how many animals did Moses actually take on the Ark? Moses didn't take any animals on the Ark! :) Did I get you?
4. Who was the oldest man in the Bible? Methuselah
   
5. You'll notice, one man never dies in the book of Genesis. Who was he, and how did he avoid dying? Enoch, he was a righteous man that God directly took to Heaven, without him ever dying.
   
6. Which of his wives did Jacob love more? Which became pregnant first? He loved Rachel more, but Leah got pregnant first
7. Which of the brothers did not want Joseph to die? Rueben
8. What land did Jacob (Joseph's father) ask to be buried in? Why? The land of Canaan, to be buried with his wives and ancestors
9. How old was Joseph before he died? 110
   
10. What did YOU get out of this chapter? I personally just loved connecting how everyone was related to each other. It's nice to be able to know who was the father of Abraham, and how many wives Jacob had. :)

B90X: Day 4

Hey folks!

Well, today we finished up Genesis! Give yourselves a big pat on the back, there's only 65 left to go... ... that didn't come out right. Hahaha. Most of the books in the Bible aren't even half as long as this first one was, so don't be discouraged! How did you all like Genesis, though? Anything in particular that you'd like to share that stuck out to you? For the celebration of the first book that we completed, I compiled a bunch of cool facts that you may or may not have previously known about Genesis.

• Genesis is a greek word for "origin" or "beginning"
• You just finished reading 1,533 verses! That is 38,267 words, give or take a few for different translations!
• The book of Genesis covers a greater time period than all the remaining 65 books do put together!
• You just read through 4,100 years of Bible history!
• The author of Genesis is believed to be Moses

Ok, since we're at the end, I'll give a few last questions about Genesis, to see how well you retained it. Don't be discouraged if you can't remember them all! This was a lot to cover, and the idea was to just get an overview of Genesis, not memorize the whole thing.

1. What did God create on the fourth day?
2. What was the name of Cain's son?
3. Many people believe that only a pair of every type of animal was put on the Ark, but how many animals did Moses actually take on the Ark?
4. Who was the oldest man in the Bible?
5. You'll notice, one man never dies in the book of Genesis. Who was he, and how did he avoid dying?
6. Which of his wives did Jacob love more? Which became pregnant first?
7. Which of the brothers did not want Joseph to die?
8. What land did Jacob (Joseph's father) ask to be buried in? Why?
9. How old was Joseph before he died?
10. What did YOU get out the book of Genesis?

Hehehe, so one of these is actually a trick question. Look closely to see if you can spot it. ;)

Well, there you have it. Round one out of the way. Genesis, I feel like that was a leg workout. Long, but sooo good. Heheh, perhaps I'm stretching this workout analogy too far. Anyways, unfortunately, we aren't able to stop and just let this stuff sink in, we are boldly pressing on towards our next book. Exodus! Just a little history behind Exodus to get you pumped for it.

• Exodus is greek for "departure" or "going out"
• There are 40 chapters
• 1,213 verses, approx. 32,692 words
• Exodus takes place 300 years where Genesis left off
• Because of the death of Joseph, due to a change in power, Israel has been put into slavery, and are being abused!

This just sounds like an exciting story!! What a cliffhanger! If you thought the USA channel could come up with good cliffhangers, wait till you read Genesis' sequel! This is going to be great, guys! Enjoy the reading tomorrow, and in case you haven't finished up the reading today, it is Genesis 40:11 to Exodus 1:1

Praying that you all stay with it,
-Michael

B90X NT Day 3

So, because I just posted the questions from day two, I'll post both the answers for today and yesterday tomorrow. Here are today's questions.

1) What is the reference to the scripture Jesus quotes in 9:13

2) Why do you think Jesus used this scripture in the context that he did?

3) What act did Jesus perform that drove the pharisees to plot to kill him?

God bless you on your journey!

~DB

B90X NT Day 2

Hey Guys! Sorry this is late! Here are the answers to the questions to day one, and the questions from day two! I hope you're enjoying your reading! Don't forget that today's reading is Matthew 9-12 (If you haven't done it yet) and tomorrow's is Matthew 13-15.

Answers from day 1:

1) 5 women were mentioned in Jesus' genealogy. They were Tamar, The wife of a son of Judah; Rahab, the prostitute who helped the spies escape from Jericho, and survived by hanging a scarlet chord from her window; Ruth, who was faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and married Boaz; Bathsheba, who David married adulterously; and Mary, the mother of Jesus.

2) Jeremiah foretold the murder of boys at the hand of Herod in Jeremiah 31:15.

3) The pharisees thought that they could escape God's wrath because they were "son's of Abraham."

4) The first four disciples/apostles were: Simon, also called Peter; his brother Andrew; James; and His brother John, who were the sons of a man named Zebedee. All four of them were fishermen.

Before I get started on the questions for day 2, I wanted to mention something that stuck out to me. When reading the beatitudes in most bibles, it says "blessed are", however in my NLT bible, it says "God blesses". I prefer the NLT, because it makes more sense to me. It makes those traits listed in the beatitudes even more desirable, because it is God who is directly blessing those who have them.

On to the questions!

1) What is the Aramaic word often used in place of the word "fool" or "idiot" in Matthew 5: 22?

2) What did the Roman officer (centurion) of great faith ask Jesus for?

3) Why did the Roman officer know that what he had asked would be granted?

4) Why do you think the people in the town in chapter 8 asked Jesus to leave after he cast the demons out of the two men?

I would love to get feedback from you guys, please let me know what you think of these questions, etc.

God bless!

~DB

B90X: Day 3

Comrades,

    Today's reading was intense! Less chapters, but I felt like it took longer to read than the last two days. My suite mates got a surround sound system today, so studying on my entire floor has become virtually impossible. Even with two pairs of noise canceling headphones, pillows stuffed under the doors, and asking them to turn it down, I can still hear every word coming out of that system. Prayer would be nice, because if this keeps up I'll be severely tempted to accidentally throw the sound system out the window maliciously. Oh well. At any rate, the reading went great today! What about you? Chapter 36 was a bear to get through simply because it was chalk full of names and ancestry. I'm actually quite proud I got through that whole chapter without skimming, if you didn't, that is ok, but shoot for no skimming! The rest of the stories were actually quite interesting, but not all would be what we'd call child appropriate, due to the multiple wives and various different people having sex. However, this is a real account, so I think it is important to read... just, perhaps not to a child. :)

I've gotten zero responses on the questions so far, anyone getting any use out of them? Should I continue them, or am I just wasting my time with these? Does anybody want me to send the answers to the questions in the following day's post?

1. Which sons of Judah went on a rampage after their sister, Dinah was raped? What were their names?
2. Which of Joseph's brothers name means "praise?"
3. Which of Jacob's sons is Jesus descended?
4. Who is the father of Joseph?
5. What was Isaac's wife's name?
6. Who was Jacob's daughter?
7. Who was the father of Joseph?

I hope you all enjoyed/enjoy your reading today! For those of you that haven't done it yet, it is Genesis 28:19 to Genesis 40:11. Don't forget!

God Bless!
-A friend

B90X: Day 2

Hey guys!

    How was today's "workout?" I personally got a lot out of this. As silly as this will sound, I never connected that the Isaac from the story of Jacob and Esau was the same Isaac of Abraham that was to be sacrificed. For some reason I never made the connection. This is why it will be so much fun reading this! You not only get to read it and learn about it, but you get to know the context which truly can enlighten you.

   Needless to say, if you haven't read today's chapters yet, they are Genesis 17:1 to Genesis 28:19. You're in for a real treat today, the reading was great, it was uplifting and I really got a lot out of it! If you like it, I'd love to hear about what you got out of it and why you enjoyed it. Perhaps you had more fun than I did (debatable)!

   I also wanted to mention something about the footnotes. I have an actual Bible that I am reading out of, whereas some people are reading online, or on their phones and such. I must say this. I really enjoyed reading the footnotes, because when you know little things, you can connect the dots and see the end picture much clearer. It really is a wonderful feeling when you can come across a term and say "Oh yeah! I know what that means because I remember it from 4 chapters ago."

Here are a few questions. If you can answer them all, bravo for knowing your history and/or reading the footnotes. Since I've only had a few people comment back on the quiz questions, and they all said it was easy, I decided to make them a little tougher. :)

1. Many people know that Abraham means "father of many", but what was Abrahams name before he was Abram AND what did his original name mean?
2. Why was Isaac called Isaac, and what does his name mean? (HINT: If you know one answer, you know the other)
3. Lot's daughters each had a son. How many sons did they have total, and what were their names?
4. Here's a tough question. How much did Abraham pay for the land in which Sarah was buried?
5. What did Sarah's name mean? (Ok, so all the Sarah's reading this will probably think this is an easy question, dweebs)

I hope you enjoy the readings! Be sure to make time for it!
-Mike Horton ;)

B90X: Day 1

Hey guys!

    So today was the first day of B90X! Who's finished their reading already? Who's still got to do it? It's ok if you haven't yet, there is still time! The first day is always the hardest! I know you all can find the time for this, so if you haven't read Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 16:16, be sure to do it today! I got a lot out of this, and I sure hope you did to! If you struggled to get through it, that is ok. I have eye issues with tracking the words across the page and haven't ever gotten it completely fixed, so I probably am the slowest reader here. It took me an 1hr and 30min to complete the first day's reading. My sister, who has always been a fast reader finished it in 26 minutes flat. If you fell somewhere between these two extremes you are probably an average reader. If you fell somewhere largely outside of these two extremes, please take some time to consider your options. You can always try the easier version of B90X if you can't commit the time. Rachel Hardy has started just the New Testament B90X (the reading plan can be found here http://churchofcelebration.com/pdf/b90x%20program-1.pdf ), and my brother Jonathon will be starting an Old Testament B90X this coming week. If either of these two options interest you, and you'd like to switch to one of them instead, shoot me an email, and I'd be more than happy to give you more information on the subject.

   So, for those of you how have already completed your reading, how was it? If you'd like to put your memory to the test, let's see how much you really got out of the reading. Here's a quiz, class is in session!

1. What were the names given in Genesis of the three children of Adam and Eve?
2. What is the name of the tower that men tried to build to "walk up to heaven?"
3. What is the most cunning animal made by God, as mentioned in Genesis?
4. With whom did God make his first covenant?
5. What was the name of Abraham's nephew?

   Well, that is all for today! Your reading begins tomorrow with Genesis 17:1 to Genesis 28:19! Good job everybody! Keep up the great work!


-A fellow believer

Day 1 New Testament

Hey everyone! Gotten your reading done yet? I'm going to do my best to post about what we've read on the day we read it, but I have scheduled to read the chapters at 10 every night, so that may be difficult if there's a lot to read. Here are a couple questions about the chapters, just for you to check and see how well you comprehended the passage. I'll post the answers and if there was a significant reason why I chose these questions tomorrow.

1) How many women were mentioned in Jesus' genealogy, and what were their names?

2) Which prophet foretold the killing of two year old boys and younger at the hand of Herod?

3) What fact made the Pharisees think that they were safe from the wrath of God?

4) What were the names and professions of the first four disciples/apostles?

And here's just a random question for me to get a little bit of knowledge about you all. What version of the bible, or versions, are you using in your B90X journey? I'm using the New Living Translation and English Standard Version. Don't forget that tomorrow's reading is Matthew 5-8!

God bless!

~DB

New Testament Schedule

WOW! The fourth is tomorrow! I'm really excited to start this journey. I have a few tips myself.
1) Set a specific time every day to read your Bible. I know that if I don't work something concretely into my schedule, then I'll never do it.
2) If you miss a day, KEEP TRACK of what you missed. Write it down somewhere.

I've made my own chart of the B90X New Testament Schedule, you can view it here: http://www.scribd.com/full/46245544?access_key=key-jll60r1imwf8hg7rdvd

I thought that the chart on the church's website was kind of whack, and difficult to keep track of, so I made my own. I hope you appreciate it, God bless you on your journey!

~DB

Getting ready for the journey!

Hello Comrades,

    Welcome to the journey of a lifetime. Tomorrow (Tuesday the 4th) your reading starts for possibly one of the most intensive reading challenges you've ever had. Don't be discouraged, I'll be right here with you. Each day I will be sending you and email with encouragement. It will highlight key points of encouragement, gentle reminders, and also may have occasional few trivia facts to see if you were reading your Bible with any attention. I don't have a set time that I will be sending out these emails, because my school schedule will be a hectic one this year, so it may be early morning, or you may not receive an email until well after midnight, regardless of when it gets out, it will get to you. Below I have included a few tips to keep in mind while reading to help you stay focused and on top of your reading.

• Open in prayer. Before you begin your reading, ask God to help you focus. This is probably one of the most important tips I can give you.
  
• Find your setting! Everyone reads differently, some like a little background noise, while others need total silence. Whatever it is for you, be sure to find a spot everyday the night before you are reading your next chapter. That way, you won't have to look for that spot the following day and waste more time.
• If you are the type of person that needs music while reading, BE WARNED! Everyone wants to be able to say that they can do this, but there are few people out there that actually gain anything by listening to music while reading. While you may be capable of reading and listening, this may not be the best time to use this skill.
• If you're a techy, you might like the idea of just slapping the Bible on the computer or your phone or i-pod and reading it on there. Technology in this case, however, is not your friend. Recent studies have shown that reading screens on monitors or phones/i-pods can result in a 25% reading ability. This means that you will understand less, and have to read longer. Since this is the case, I urge you to crack open that dusty old Bible of yours (the real one) and blow off the dust. Try it old school and save yourself a ton of time and frustration.
  
• Keep a glass of water at hand, and possibly a healthy snack, like an apple. I don't know about you, but if I have a bag of veggies in front of me while I'm doing something, I'm more inclined to nibble on them, than when I am forcibly trying to get myself to eat something healthy. Having water and food on hand will greatly limit your reasons for interrupting your reading.
• Follow me as I blog out the B90X experience at http://myb90x.blogspot.com/
  
• PLAN YOUR READING THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU READ IT! This is SO important! If you don't plan the time that you are going to set aside for your reading, it won't happen. There are plenty of distractions in this world, and trust me when I say that Satan himself will be throwing all of them at you over these next 90 days. Don't fall into the trap of just "hoping" to get the reading done. Set a time, and stick to it. It doesn't have to be the same time every day, but at least have a set time the night before you read.
• Keep a journal! It doesn't have to be anything fancy. It just will help you with your attention. You can write out every verse that you like in your daily reading, or just write the reference. It's your choice, just do something!
  
• Make a pouch or bag full of what you need. It shouldn't be a backpack, or a suitcase. Just a simple pencil pouch will do. Keep your pencils, pens, highlighters, bookmarkers, and journal all in here, that way you don't have to go collecting them before each reading.
• Close in prayer, and thank God that you completed successfully another reading session! Take in the fact that you just did it.

So that you are aware, it takes me about an hour and 20 minutes to get through a days worth of reading, however, I am a very slow reader so this may not be accurate for you. My sister reads very quickly, and she demoed the first day and was done in 26 minutes flat. It will be different from person to person. I pray that you all will have the strength to stick with me, God bless and good luck!

-Your spiritual personal trainer :)