Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and
drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun
during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.
Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and
enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his
work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his
life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
—Ecclesiastes 5:18–20
The day was Ash Wednesday, February 13, 1991. My family and I were on an island in the Caribbean, which was not a well-traveled place because the U.S. Navy had reserved large sections of the island for practice bombing runs. The bombs were no longer falling and the
house we were renting was situated near the top of a hill, providing panoramic views of the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans. It was in that house on that day that I unexpectedly came across a two-year lectionary hidden deep in the pages of the Book of Common Prayer. When I discovered this lectionary, it was if I heard a voice telling me that this was exactly what I needed as a way to come to know the whole Bible. So on that day many years ago, I quietly committed myself to following this biblical road map every day of the year no matter where I was or what I was doing.
And thus began my response to God’s call. I would honor God by coming to know His Word by setting aside time every morning of every day. This journey would be slow, and it would require perseverance. But if I was going to truly honor God with my life, I would have to be equipped with a deeper understanding of God’s Word. And through an everyday encounter with the Old and New Testaments, I began to understand what it meant to walk on God’s ancient pathways.
Think biblically.
—from Eric Kampmann's, Signposts