in him is the fullness of all things

It's really cool how God uses different people to speak into our lives. Recently, he has used one David Ovienmhada to inspire me to do something that has actually been on my heart to do for a while. Read through the Bible. Cover to cover. A year ago, my good friend Alexis decided that she wanted to read through the Bible in one year and I remember thinking "that's a really cool idea, but I feel like I know so much of the Bible that there is really no need to to read through the whole thing..." so I didn't. One thing that really struck a chord for me when David was talking to me was how he was able to learn a lot about the character of God through reading the Bible. He talked about how cool it was to then read about Jesus in the new testament after reading about God the father in the old and see how they really are one. Something about the way he described this really made me want to experience it first hand and not just take his word for it. So I am doing it! I a...

pc ( uc davis ) So I've been thinking a lot about the Israelites--how silly they were, how slow they were to learn, how easily they forgot everything, and how similar I am to them. Kind of sobering BUT it is also reassuring to see how God's love for them endured through all their disobedience and stupidity because I know he will be as long-suffering towards me. I've been thinking about one story in particular--you may know it. It's the one where Moses goes up to the mountain to meet with God as well as to get the 10 commandments. What does he find when he comes back down the mountain? The people have fashioned for themselves a golden cow. Now I don't know exactly what must have been going through his mind but the first thing I would have thought would be a cow?! Of all the animals that you could come up with to make an idol of... you came up with the cow? Not a bear, not a lion, not even an elephant? Heaven knows that a cow doesn't strike terror in the heart o...