Welcome (The About Me [+ some])

By Kara Parker

This blog will just be my honest thoughts about what I get from a true, honest Bible Study.

But just so you know where I am coming from... a little about myself...

I believe I am a child of God.  I am currently a wife of a Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary student, but am very intimidated by the Bible! I feel like everyone knows more than I do.  (I live on a SEMINARY campus!)So this is my attempt to learn more.

I grew up on the 1st row, 2nd seat of the First United Methodist Church in Newport, AR.  Was President of the youth group.  Active in both conference and district level within the church.

I went to college and my walk with Christ and the Church became very strained.  I never stopped believing in God, just didn't want to meet him for the weekly meeting.  Don't get me wrong.  I would still open the Bible occasionally and attempt to read for various reasons.  Church just wasn't my thing, at that time.

Enter my now husband--Thomas.

He was a youth director at a Methodist church.  I messaged him on the online dating site,we were both on, because he was a youth director at a METHODIST church.  When I attended church with him, I sat on the 2nd row, 2nd seat (moving back slowly but surely!) While attending this church, I did a very intense Bible Study called, "Jesus in the Gospels".  It was DEEP.  The person leading it was the secretary of our church, and the other 2 couples in the group, could have easily passed as my grandparents.  It was an amazing Bible study, that I will never forget.

Back to Thomas.  He grew up Baptist.  He is an ordained Baptist Preacher.  We are now attending a Baptist Seminary.  I am now Baptist, because I fell HEAD OVER HEELS in love with this man!  And believe that he is "The one" that God provided for me to spend the rest of my life with.  We were married in 2011 (twice--but that is a story for another blog), and we had our precious baby boy-- Luke-- in 2012.

I now attend am a member of a Sunday School Class, attend church on Sunday mornings, and attend a monthly Bible Study. 

Is this enough?  Sometimes it's just right.  Other times I thirst for more.  I just recently read a Bible Study by Jen Hatmaker (A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study) that I related to.  It stated that if you start reading the Bible, it will make you want more.  Much like working out.  If you never get off the couch, you really don't want to work out.  But if you get the workout high (I'm more of a couch sitter-- but people talk about this!) you want more!  You want to get out there and actually work out daily.  I have a facebook friend that ran 27 miles yesterday--- TWENTY SEVEN.  She is also the person who we watched (via facebook) her cute belly go from a 6 pack set of abs to a cute pregnant belly.  I am not this person.  I went from a GUT to a bigger GUT that happened to contain a kid. :)  She works for this.  I don't.  Its just not a priority in my life.  But Bible Study, according to Jen Hatmaker, is the same way.  Ya gotta get going, and want it.  Start easy and steady.  Tell God when you are going to meet him, and meet him.  Right now, my Bible Study time (quiet time) is right before I go to bed, while Luke is asleep, and Thomas is doing homework, around 9:00 at night.  If you told me I had to do it first thing in the morning, it would never get done.  God would have to meet me in my dreams!  But 9:00 p.m.  is just the perfect moment of stillness in our seminary apartment.

So, my disclaimer here is that I might use sources.  I might not.  I might be 100% wrong in my translation, but it is truly MY TRANSLATION, and how the Bible is speaking to me.  I believe the Bible is a living word, and speaks to people differently, and even differently to myself at different parts in my life.  I love that.  So here we go....