Bible in 90 Days eighth week

Today finds us fast forwarding to the end of the Grand Story, completing our reading the entire Bible and seeing Transitions our Market Place ministry end and accomplish it's mission.  This blog intended to maintain a link and fellowship among our sermons, Our Men's Bible study group who committed to B90 and Transitions, a career transition resource.  Time has passed us by and we are at an end and perhaps a new beginning for Bible study and Transitions.
Therefore, we will summarize and contemplate "our next best step" as prompted in our B90 workbook.  The workbook also summarizes what our B90 commitment was designed to do.  The is found handily on the back cover and this is where we'll begin in four main areas:

1.  A deeper RELATIONSHIP with God
2.   A SENSE of accomplishment
3.  A broader and more complete KNOWLEDGE of the Bible
4.  A greater CONFIDENCE in navigating the Bible as well as our ability to apply what we've learned

On a personal note, my testimony is as follows:
1.  I have developed a much greater relationship with God in my prayer life, both alone and with my wife.  This is greatly enhancing our lives together, our spiritual renewal and our "everyday missionary" mission.
2.  I felt I should have read the Bible many years ago and didn't.  Now I have and its definitely created a sense of accomplishment of which fulfills me greatly.
3.  While a long time Bible student, this experience has greatly and definitely improved the big picture.  Mainly through seeing how God reveals Himself with His "instruments", us, who become aware of obstacles and failures. The New Testament takes on a new meaningfulness, especially at Easter when we again, experience God, but this time incarnate.
4.  Spiritual renewal is a human dimension requiring study and meditation and value clarification and commitment in order to be effective.  My confidence in becoming aware of my falleness has increased my ability to apply what I've become as a result of B90.  A simple, personal story may serve to demonstrate:

Last week, the results of my bone density test revealed a problem in my left hip.  This seemed to relate to my problems with sciatica which results in extreme leg cramps and pain at night.  Since retiring, I've developed much more relief but early this week, I developed severe leg cramps which eject me out of bed and onto the stairs where I prop up my body on my elbows, grit my teeth and cry out in pain.  I had lifted a heavy plant, which I knew I shouldn't do, and now I am paying the price.
My wife jumped out of bed and gave me water and a pill.  But it wasn't in time to avoid the eight inch long knife that went into my right hip, twisted itself and put me again, in unbelieveable pain.  I cried out, gripping the hand rail and trying to "presevere" as James admonished but I finally had to curse God.  Immediately, Job jumped out at me and I realized I had failed the test.  Still in pain, but now subsiding, I resolved to replace that reactive response with "God, please,please bless me!!! " in my affliction.  I can't believe the pain Christ must have endured on the Cross.  The lesson is, of course, that even under such duress, Job didn't cave in.  I did.  I have a long way to go but now I am taking a "next, best step".

The journey is to be continued.  God bless you all!