Where do I put a Bible app?

I like my phone.  I like that it lets me communicate with people.  I like that I can listen to books and music with it.  I like that I can play games, watch movies, access the internet, track my weight loss and work with documents.  I like apps…..too many apps.  Every once in awhile, I feel the need to organize my apps.  So far, I have twelve folders set up for my apps.  There are folders for books, connections, education, health, food, games, money, music, travel, utilities, visual, and productivity.  Herein lies my dilemma.  I have the YouVersion app.  If you’re not familiar with it, the app allows you to access several versions of the Bible, look at sermon notes from participating churches, read daily devotions, etc.  It’s an awesome app, but where do I put it in my organization? It’s more than just a book, so it doesn’t fit in that folder.  It does help me connect with God and other Christians, but I don’t think it quite fits with the purpose of that folder.  The Bible definitely is definitely essential on educating me in the ways of God, but that folder is more for things that I use in my classroom.  Without God, my health in every area of my life isn’t what it should be, but the apps in that folder are the ones that I use to stay on track with my weight loss.  It used to have the label “fat”, but I decided I needed a more positive approach to the situation.  The Bible is food for my spiritual life, but probably doesn’t fit with my apps for grocery lists and recipes.  The Christian walk is no game so that folder is out.  God requires good stewardship and should be the first consideration when deciding how I manage my money, but YouVersion doesn’t really fit in the money folder.  There are books in the Bible that are considered musical, but not really what I was thinking when I created that folder.  How about travel?  The Bible should guide every step that I take, but putting it with Mapquest and Googlemaps is probably a stretch.  The utilities folder is for those things that I use on occasion when I need them, but don’t they don’t really affect my life very much so that won’t work.  The Bible helps me see what God wants for and from me, but visual in this case is for things that I want to look at.  Productivity……hmmm……The Bible definitely helps me be productive.  It is the core of enabling me to live the life that God intended for me.  It encourages me to do more, be more, and love more.  Yep, I do believe that my Bible belongs in the productivity folder.  

Preparations

I know that it's been awhile since my last blog.  All of my writing efforts have been going into finishing my masters.  Now that that is behind me, I am hoping to find myself here more.  So much has happened in the last several months that it is hard to know where to start.  God is blessing me in ways that I never could have imagined.  My gastric bypass was successful and as of today I have lost 83 pounds!!!  I feel so much better.  I was finally able to complete my master’s degree and just found out that my degree has officially posted.  I welcomed a new granddaughter on August 6th!!  I can't wait to meet the new princess.  The biggest change in my life is the blessing that God has given me in a man named Bunky.  Bunky and I started dating in March and quickly realized that we loved each other.  On July 13th, Bunky proposed and I said, "Yes"!!  We are planning to be married at the end of November in a small private ceremony.  So many blessings!!!

As Bunky and I have entered this journey, I have the opportunity to visit him in Minnesota a few times.  I live in the middle of the Bakken.  He lives about a mile out of town away from the road.  It's very quiet there and I can feel the tension leaving me as I enjoy the calm.  I like the place. The house has great woodwork and a character of its own.  It needs a woman's touch here and there, but it is definitely a place that I feel comfortable in.  Bunky has been making some improvements here and there.  He built a new deck and put in a door to the deck from the living room.  He replaced another door and changed the locks so the house would be secure from thieves when he can't be there. He painted the kitchen and invested in some new appliances.  He planted flowers and apple trees.  I asked him why he was doing all of this.  He told me that he was preparing the house for when it will be ours together.  I didn't ask him to do any of these projects, (ok maybe the fridge was my idea).  These are things that he wanted to do for us.  He did these things because he loves me and is looking forward to our future together.

John 14:2 says, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."  Jesus loves us so much that he is preparing a place for us to be with him forever.  When I marvel at how much Bunky loves me and how he is preparing his place for me, I can't help but think that it is so small in comparison to how much Jesus loves me.  I am blessed beyond belief to have an example in my life of how much I am loved by Jesus.