About Us
Let me introduce myself…
I live in Sandpoint, Idaho with my husband, Tyson, and my two kiddos, Peter and Piper. Our life together has had many twists and turns, each one teaching us to trust a little more that God is in control and has our best interest at heart. We have found that the things most worthwhile in the end have required more faith than we thought we had. But in each case, the sufficiency of God’s grace and care has been gloriously revealed.
I do not have a specific time or place that I remember deciding to trust and follow Jesus. Somehow, by His grace, I have felt His nearness for my entire life, even before my Mama became a Believer and introduced me to the church and the Bible. Once I began to formally learn about Him, it all just seemed to confirm what my spirit already knew to be true. Though my desire to please God has been strong for decades, my understanding of the magnitude of what He has done for me in Christ is an ever-increasing process. Just when I think I have grasped His goodness, I realize again and again that I have only tasted a grain of salt compared to the banquet feast He has prepared for us.
I have always loved to write, from journaling to graded assignments to hand written letters. I do not have any real education on how to write. Rather, the thoughts just start welling up in my heart and mind and they are not contented until they find themselves on the page! Writing is an outlet of expression for me. Putting words to something that has moved me is therapeutic and validating.
The things that excite me? To name just a few: Learning more about the AMAZINGNESS of God and His character, long walks, cookies, dance music, Jane Austin movies, going on a trip, Mediterranean food, Seahawks games, and a good massage!
About the Worthwhile Journey Blog
The Sunday before New Years (2020), one of the Pastor/Elders of my church challenged us to join him on a 2-year Bible reading plan. Part of me felt discouraged and ashamed because I have started reading through the Bible probably about a dozen times and have never even made it through Genesis. I have run into one of two issues each time:
- I have overwhelmed myself by trying to read too much each day and it ends up being completely impractical in the midst of real life. I have tried getting up earlier to give myself the time needed to cover several chapters. But, inevitably, the earlier I get up, the earlier my children get up and there goes the quietness I need to read the Bible with any hope of retaining a thing! How do they know that I am awake?! All you mothers know EXACTLY what I am talking about!
- I will get caught up on one passage that I want to dive deeper into or it will prompt me to go somewhere else in Scripture. I cannot seem to stay undistracted enough by the subject matter to actually make any distance. At my rabbit trail ladened pace, it would take me 10 years to make it through the first 5 books of the Bible alone!
Both of these issues have led me to utter discouragement and thus, giving up altogether.
I have been a student of the Bible for about 25 years now and am embarrassed to say that I have never actually read through it cover to cover. I NEED to do it! I WANT to do it! There are probably portions of the Bible that I have never even read. If they have not been a part of the countless Bible studies I have done or referenced in a teaching I have sat under, it is likely that I do not even know it is there! As the Word of God becomes more and more precious to me, this is simply not ok. I don’t want there to be treasures in there that I have not yet seen. If Scripture is the tangible gift God has given to us to reveal Himself, then I don’t want to miss a thing!
So, despite the nagging feelings of cynicism and discouragement I felt as Pastor Kirk invited us all to join him on his 2-year trek through the Bible, I decided to commit. Do I expect to face the same challenges this time around? Of course! But I am hopeful that the accountability of committing to the reading plan as a church body will give me an added bolster that I have not had before. (It also helps that each days reading portions are very doable, even if my “quiet” time gets cut short by the good morning pitter patters of my kiddos!)
I am also hopeful that blogging my way through the Bible for the next 2 years will help keep my feet to the ground, moving forward. There may never be a soul who reads anything that I write (except my Mama, of course!), but just knowing I need to post some reflective thoughts on the week’s readings will give me an added level of accountability. I don’t know about you, but I need accountability! I know there will be some days that my heart is soft and tilled, ready to receive LIFE from the reading of God’s Word. But, I also know that some days it will be an act of discipline. Not because the reading passages are any less inspired than the day before, but because I am human, hormonal, and highly susceptible to all manner of distraction. If you can relate to me, do not let these things be excuses to not commit. It will be worth it! Knowing our God as He is revealed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit and His Word is always worth it!
One last thing, do not get discouraged if you get behind in the daily Scripture readings. For one thing, the schedule this blog follows actually has built in “catch-up” days! (Genius!!) Besides that, if you get behind, just pick back up. Life happens, and His grace is sufficient for all of it. But, please do not give up on reading the Bible altogether. It is essential nourishment for us on every level. Job 23:12 says, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more that my portion of food.” Psalm 119 tells us that His word is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path (v.105), it is sweeter than honey (v.103), it is our counselor (v.24) and it keeps us from sinning against Him (v.11). Deuteronomy 6 tells us to keep His words on our hearts, to talk about them all the time, to have them on the forefront of our minds in all that we do. And God says we are to do this “for our good always, that He might preserve us alive!” (Deuteronomy 6:24) It is always our good that He has in mind.
I invite you to join me on this journey through the Bible! Some days the words will jump off the page straight to your heart. Other days, your mind will be everywhere except on the words on the pages. Certain portions might feel irrelevant to you and your life, but these are the inspired and God-breathed words that He has given us to be transformed by and equipped for all that He has for us to do (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Let your questions come and wrestle through them in prayer. I’m convinced that God loves when we do that. After all, you can’t wrestle with someone without getting pretty darn close. And close to us is His favorite place to be!
With much love,
Your fellow sojourner, Kendra