Faith

I have been really thinking about my faith lately and what my beliefs are, what it means to me and my family, and what I can do about it. It really started when I got this job at a Christian preschool. Although I've gone to church (off and on at times) all my life, I don't feel like I was really applying the message. Then I started working with one of the most faithful (without being pushy) women I've met, Carol. Then Carol was dying and the faith that her family showed was truly an inspiration.
Yesterday our Pastor gave a sermon on understanding and studying God's word. He asked those of us who were willing to commit to reading the bible to stand up so he could pray over us. I decided that this is the time to learn more and I stood up. Last night I pulled out my confirmation bible and decided to start with the Gospel of Matthew. I'm easing my way in, since the Gospels are pretty familiar to me. The one verse I read that made me think was "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one."Matthew 5.33-37
So, why do we swear on a Bible in court still? Why did we ever? This goes against the whole idea. It kind of makes me think of all the things we hear that don't actually come from the Bible, that aren't actually His Word. I have some reading to do.

After I'm done with those, I'm going to find a "read the whole Bible" study guide. I'm sure there is something like that out there. Or I'll just go back to the beginning and work my way through it. I don't know. But I shall be reading the entire Bible in the next few months. Join me if you wish.