The words St. Peter writes in 1 Peter to the persecuted believers in Turkey are quite haunting.  Peter writes to encourage Christians who are suffering for the faith.  Take a look.

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.  He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.  (1 Peter 2:21)

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer too. (1 Peter 4:1)

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.  Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.  So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.  (1 Peter 4:12-14)

So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.  (1 Peter 4:19)

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.  So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.  All power to him forever!  Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11)

St. Peter would have never made it as a televangelist. 

Ever hear of Evernote?  It's a great way to keep track of EVERYTHING.  Receipts, class notes, documents, menus, recipes . . . you name it and Evernote can save it and make it searchable.  It's a GREAT piece of software.  I use it all the time.  So, I've been thinking about creating my Bible study notes in Evernote.  I can think of several reasons why this might be helpful:

1. Evernote makes my notes searchable.  I could easily find notes on a particular book of the Bible.  I could search my notes for a particular keyword or topic.  Seems to be a really nice feature.
2. Evernote is portable--it goes with me.  I'm not restrained by having to have access to my PC to view these notes.  I can view them on my phone.  I can view them anywhere there is an internet connection.  That's a big plus.
3. Evernote provides one single repository for all of my Bible study notes.  It solves the problem of having written notes in my journal and in various Bibles.

So, I'm going to do a little experiment and keep track of my notes on 1 & 2 Peter (which I'm now studying) in Evernote.  I'll report back here with my findings. 

Of course, if you're already using Evernote for Bible study, please comment on how it's working for you!

Pax.

 There seem to be two camps of people:  those who mark up their Bibles and those who prefer not to.  Both have good reasons for their practice.  I tend to fall in the middle.  I do make some notes in my Bible but not too many and always in pencil. 

1. I often write other Scripture references in the margin that might be important or underline them in red if they’re already included in the cross-references.
2. I’ll also make short notations in the margin if I see particular themes, phrases, or words I want to call attention to.  Again, always in pencil since I may want to change it or correct it later.
3. Finally, I do underline texts that I believe are important or that I want to easily find again.  I try not to get too carried away with underlining, otherwise, before you know it, the whole Bible would be underlined which kind of defeats the purpose.

I think that’s about it.  Fairly simple and straightforward.  However, I am interested in how you mark notes in your Bible?  If you get really fancy, feel free to include a link to a photo of some of your Bible notes.  That might be helpful to us all.

From today's epistle reading:

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2, NLT)

These verses caught my attention this morning. Simple yet profound. Paul directs us to follow God's example, especially in love. Christ is our example as He loved perfectly.  

What would this kind of love look like demonstrated in regular, daily life? After all, all this talk of love is great but let's get a bit more practical. What does it look like in regular ol' life? We find some good examples in the verses that follow:

• "Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you." Paul sets a high standard here which inevitably reminds us that we are all sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness. We certainly haven't "arrived" in our own journey of transformation which is a good thing to keep in mind.
• Avoid "obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes". Instead, let there be "thankfulness to God." How about we offer some words of encouragement to those around us each day? That might be one of the best ways to live a life of love.
• Don't be greedy. There's already enough of that to go around. Remember that people matter more than things.
• Do what is "good and right and true." That sounds a bit vague but I think we'd be safe in saying "live like Jesus." Be compassionate. Show mercy. Offer forgiveness. Reach out to the poor and lowly. (Feel free to add some more to this list).

So, those are a few of my thoughts on today's epistle reading. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

Pax.

It's been a week filled with bad news, it seems.  Because of that, it was nice to open my Bible to one of today's readings and find this:

Romans 8:1–4 (ESV)
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  I certainly take that as very good news.

I also read John 5:25-29.

John 5:25–29 (ESV)
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Again, more good news!  Verse 27 struck me that Jesus is given authority to execute judgment because of who He is . . . "Son Man".  In the original language, there is no definite article in the phrase "Son of Man".  Jesus fully knows us and Jesus fully knows God.  What better judge could we ask for?

On a side note, I really find praying the Divine Office to be valuable because it helps keep me centered and balanced.  With the week I've had, I may not have naturally gone looking for good news but here it is, in today's assigned readings.  I'm always amazed that the Spirit seems to work through the Divine Office in ways that I would never imagine.

So, yes, today starts with some very Good News.  Thank God!