30 Day Bible Challenge: Luke

Yes. Yes. I know that I'm a three days past the 30 day mark and finished reading it a week ago but this is the first chance I've had to write. So here we go.

Luke is like a good friend to me, mostly to the year I spent studying and memorizing for Bible Bowl. We've had our fair share of fights and several good laughs. I think the best way to describe this recent read is like taking a walk down memory lane. I constantly felt God was saying, "Hey Sarah, remember this?" over and over again.

I was reminded of the power of God. I was reminded of faithfulness of Christ. I was reminded of the challenge that comes with surrendering everything. More than anything, I was reminded of the passionate pursuit God has towards his people.

Why is it so easy for me to forget that no matter how much I long to grow closer to Christ, God desires it a billion trillion times more than I do? That is what I've been reminding myself on the hard days the last couple weeks. It helps.

I'm not sure I'll continue to blog about the next 30 days of finishing the NT. We'll see.

My buddy Chester

June 2007

This is my buddy Chester Throop. This morning his time on earth came to an end. Unfortunately I won't be able to return for the funeral but had been asked to share some things for a memorial video. I've wrestled all day with how to communicate all of Chet's awesomeness and impact in one little post. I guess the best I can do is try.

I'm not even sure where to begin. I could share about the world's longest lecture about pushing in my chair or him insisting on calling my parents by MY full name. I could share about how he would roll his eyes and call me crazy every time I tried to say something funny. I could share about how he would sit in the back row at church waving his hands as if he was directing a choir or the time he walked on stage during worship at VBS to help me lead.

There are so many stories I could tell most of which would make you laugh. Chet was a funny guy! However I think I would rather share about things Chester taught me.

• Chet taught me the importance of laughing. It wasn't always easy to make Chet laugh but when you did, you would laugh together forever.
• Chet taught me the value of consistency. I was late to one our famous monthly pizza parties for some school event and my sisters said he sat and said nothing until I got there. Evidently he thought I forgot and he had been waiting for it all day.
• Chet taught me the power of a name. For the most part Chet would call me Sarah unless he was mad at me then it was Sarah Koutz but he always called my parents, especially my mom, Sarah Koutz. It might not make sense to anyone else but hearing him call my mom by my name spoke volumes to me about how he viewed me.
• Chet taught me about fighting hard. The poor guy spend lots of time with doctors and in the hospital. Even when he had to walk with a cane for a while, it didn't stop him from doing anything including sneaking away to vacuum the auditorium during one of those pizza parties.
• Chet taught me patience. Chet could be stubborn especially it involved doing work at school. When he made up his mind, it was hard to change it.
• Chet taught me about joy. Chet had a joy like very few people. Even when he wasn't feeling well, he would find a way to do something silly and make me laugh.
• Chet taught me about legacy. This week and in years to come people will share stories like mine of how Chester had a powerful influence on their lives. He has left a legacy that encourages you to be a better you. His legacy challenges me to do what I can to leave a similar legacy.
  

I could go on but it would take hours to read if I did. I have always cherished my memories with Chester, now I will cherish them even more. I'll miss Chet greatly. I already do. I'm so thankful God placed Chester in my life. I'm a better person because of it.

Several of you who read my blog have never met Chester. To you I say, live your life sold out for Christ so you can meet Chet while we are all worshiping in heaven.

Chet was not happy I insisted on taking this picture. He quickly removed the sombrero afterward.

30 Day Bible Challenge: RENAMED

Approximately 23 days ago I accepted a challenge to attempt to read the entire New Testament in 30 days. I knew it would be a huge challenge for me for a couple reasons. One, I'm a slow reader. Two, random trains of thought are triggered by things I find interesting when I read. Unfortunately they are very long trains. I knew this challenge would probably take more like 60 days.

The whole challenge has been much more difficult than I expected. Mark caught me off guard a bit. The last week or so I've been distracted by Abraham and Isaiah. This may have been DC's challenge but this is my blog, so I've renamed the challenge the 30ish Day Synoptic Gospels Challenge.

I'm almost done with Luke and will finished the revamped challenge in less than 30 days. Booyah! If the three people reading this are lucky, they will have a blog post to read before those 30 days end.

To the rest of you who successfully completed this challenge, congratulations!