Wednesday, I purchased Microsoft Office.
I own a Mac. Actually my Mom owns a Mac but since possession is 9/10ths of the law, by default we will call it mine (thanks mom).
I run tech for Entourage Ministries (awesome group of ladies- you should check it out on Facebook and Instagram) and we have recently set up our monthly gatherings in a new location (thank you Monterey!). Part of my role is preparing worship slides so ladies can see lyrics as they praise. Getting those lyrics from my Mac to The Monterey’s flatscreens, has been a bit of a challenge.
I have been having a difficult time getting my computer to export the way I want it to, since I am by no means an expert of any kind (how I got to be the tech girl with this ministry is purely the work of God). My friend Laila usually walks me through some navigational steps that get my slides on to the screen in presentable format but life would be much easier if my computer was speaking the same language as the one at The Monterey, which is a Windows OS and Microsoft programming.
To mitigate this issue — my purchase of Microsoft Office was
necessary.
You will never believe how many Microsoft Office options there are now days. After selecting my option and waiting the estimated 5 hours it said it would take to download, I was ready to install my new software! But then… I was met with the dreaded pop up that said must have version 10.12 to run Microsoft, which required one more click, more time, and a power source.
I feel like this whole tech debacle is a small, physical picture of something that happened to me spiritually in October on a 12 hour car ride.
God said impressed on my heart, “I have so many great things for you, I just need you to plug in to me and give me some time to upgrade your spiritual software.”
I think looking back on this journey there are a few things that I struggled with that I can’t possibly be alone in. I am not truly convinced I have found all the answers just yet but I’m relationship with THE TRUTH. All that to says, the last year has been nothing short of incredible and I know without a doubt my journey is only beginning.
I would venture to say I have owned a bible my entire life, but
would you believe I had no idea how to read it?
Have you ever said that prayer that goes something like, “Lord I am going to just open my bible where I land that is where you have something for me?”
Once in a blue moon that random -let’s see where the cards fall- just might prove fruitful not that wasn’t sufficient for me the past year. I wanted to hear God, like REALLY hear Him.
I don’t really know if I pray correctly… is there a correct way?
Besides going to the Father? That’s what Jesus showed us!
I am a devotional junky and I am not kidding or exaggerating! I wanted to hear God so badly I would have 3-6 devotionals going at the same time, hoping at least one would speak to me. But I was still spiritually so thirsty to Hear heart for me, and I had no idea how to talk to Him.
I was in my car alone one day, epic in and of itself I promise, and I simply said out loud, “I know you want good things for me but I have no idea how to get them, speak to me and teach me to listen, I want everything you have for me.” Nothing magical happened but I decided I wanted to know the
stories of the bible, I wanted my bible to be so colorful because of all the things God was teaching me that by the year I end I might need to purchase a new one. I started a chronological plan and took off. I love to read and when I do books come alive, but the bible had never done this for me until I ASKED.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer”
Matthew 21:22
You wouldn’t read a book not knowing who wrote it, or where it
took place, or what it was about, would you? If there is anyone
out there having the same troubles I did, might I suggest a resource for you! It is called http://The Bible Project Home | The Bible Project It only takes a few minutes to watch a short video that will tell you all those things about the book of the bible you are reading and the culture in that time, it will help you tremendously in understanding !!(they also have a podcast.. new discovery!)
So these are the things I started with, when I opened my Bible I
asked God to make His word come alive to me, and before each
book I educated myself on the “facts and framework” so to speak. I think it is safe to say that a lot of people skip over the old testament in many ways, unless you are utilizing the “knowns;” the old stories that are retold in children’s Sunday school classrooms(Moses, Noah, and Esther) and maybe a Psalm 23. Other than that most people don’t know much about the old
testament except what they are told. I think you have to read the bible in its entirety to understand the true redemption story and wow it is powerful, with every book I read I am more amazed at the people God uses!
I was to embarrassed to admit I didn’t know how to study my bible and pray for the things I needed spiritually, and it if it hadn’t been for the women God put in my life, I may have always been so comfortable being a devotional junky, but I am so glad that God challenged my heart and gave me a desire to learn more.
I have been reading the bible in chronological order according to a plan on my Uversion Bible app on my phone, it tells me what to read, and I use my actual bible ( reading from my phone makes my eye twitch hahah) so that I can highlight and write all the cool things brought to mind as I time travel! My prayer is that my bible is the most treasured thing my children receive from me and that in their life time I will mark up so many that they will
never have to fight over who gets it.
So if someone out there is having the same struggles, you are not alone, I am 100 days into my chronological journey and according to my app I am 43 days ahead…. I have a book I just can’t put down and if you are raising kids the Old Testament is definitely for you because the Israelites through some pretty good tantrums! I am now a self proclaimed old testament junky!
So what’s all this have to do with running tech and slides for Entourage on my Mac but with Microsoft Office? Ah, glad you asked!
You know the thing about the pop-up alert, informing you of a
needed update, it often prompts you to Allow or Ignore? You can allow access to your device and receive the update or you can ignore it. We click that ignore button so many times, it takes to much time to update, I have even started the update and canceled because it was taking to long! Why am I in such a hurry that I can’t do something that improves life’s functionality, I would venture to say until I absolutely had no choice but to update my computer I hit the cancel button at least 15 times. Then the time
came when my only option for moving forward, for fresh eyes,
better exports and imports was to sit down and allow my computer an update.
And in that, there was something refreshed and life giving that not only did it change my internal operating system but it is changed the outputs and overflow of my life.
Proverbs paints this picture of Wisdom, which we know is Jesus
personified. In chapter 4 it is conveyed by a Father teaching His child to “turn their ear to His words, to keep them in their sight, and to hide them in their heart because in doing that there is LIFE.”
When I asked Him to speak— I turned my ear to His Word.
When I began to read what He said and not just what people said about what He said—I put His Word into my sight.
And then, when I kept reading and reading and reading, because my soul craved it— I hid His word in my heart.
Allow for the upgrade— it gives life.
Camp Run-A-Muk 
This is gooooood Katie! 🖤🖤 I need this app. I want to start in this journey.
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