TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #29

Tea lovers and ones that should be, let's talk about one of my favorite kinds of tea this week...MATCHA!! I love it!! Now I know I say that about all of my favorite teas, and yes, there are many, but matcha is so versatile. It enhances vanilla ice cream's flavor (and obviously changes its color to a beautiful mint or emerald green), it tastes great cold or hot, it tastes great lightly sprinkled on cold fruit, oh the possibilities are almost endless! At the end of this post, I'll give you a website to go to where you can order some of the best matcha (although there are many companies out there that probably sell a great product) and get great recipes for it. Google matcha recipes too. You'll find many great ideas that sound so delicious.

So, you want me to explain matcha a little more? Sure. I hope I give you reasons to try it. "Matcha, or powdered green tea, has a wonderful aroma, silky froth, and rich, mellow taste. High quality Matcha such as ours (the company Hibiki-An, where I get most of my Japanese green tea), is not bitter but smooth and mellow. As one moves up the scale toward the top grade of Matcha, the color becomes a more vivid green and the flavor becomes even more noble, smooth and mellow.Matcha is made from new tea leaves that have been carefully grown under diffused sunlight for 20 to 30 days before they are harvested, steamed and dried. Much Theanine, which is the source of its sweet mellow taste and noble aroma, is created in tea leaves by diffused sunlight. The dried leaves are then ground with a traditional stone mortar and pestle, called a Hikiusu.Unlike tea leaves, where one drinks an infusion made from the leaves, Matcha is consumed in its entirety, so you can directly ingest the whole beneficial constituents of Matcha."

I've mentioned this website before, but I will give you the link again here (I don't get any free tea, incentives, or anything for mentioning these people. I just love them and their tea is some of the best. I like to recommend quality products when I come across them. Their prices are reasonable too.). Go to http://www.hibiki-an.com/. Click on "matcha" in the list of tabs on the left side of the screen. Also click on "recipes" to find many delicious recipes for not only matcha, but other kinds of tea also. Tea isn't just great alone in the cup. It goes pretty far. You can get really creative.

If you've had matcha before, tell me how you like it and what other ways you've tried it, if any, besides just smooth and frothy from the cup. If you have never tried it, comment and tell me if you think you'd like to and in what way. I think that matcha is a neat way to start trying green tea, especially if you're one who has tried it from the bag or loose leaf and have decided that you really don't care much for it. Its powder form will allow you to make it as strong or mild as you'd like, it has a rich flavor, you can add milk and cinnamon and/or vanilla or whatever you'd like to make it appealing. Like I said before, the possibilities are almost endless.

Have a great rest of the week. Delight in your tea breaks or start having one!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Sorry this is up so late, wonderful readers. I've been really busy and not able to get on the internet. There is no Mommy Mondays post today, unfortunately. Hopefully, next week. But for now, join me as I let you in on my late Monday evening, in my Day Book. You can peek in on others at Peggy's place (http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/). Peggy created this precious meme. You can even do your own Day book. Join in.

For Today...September 29, 2008

Outside my Window...I'm at a friend's house doing my daybook, so I see a comfy swing on the porch calling my name (we don't have one at home). It's on a balcony, on a hill, and it looks so peaceful out, even though it's starting to get dark.

I am thinking...that I am glad to be here with my friend and her children. I'm at home when I'm here. We talk, eat, relax, and the reason I'm on the computer at her house is (and no, I'm not being rude and ignoring them while I do this) because mine is not working at home. Everybody here is watching TV right now, giving me time to work on this and other things I needed to do on my computer, but couldn't.

From the learning rooms...earlier today, our learning rooms were mobile, as we had things to do throughout the house today, so we kind of moved around. Thank God we're at home and can be mobile as needed.

I am thankful for...friends who have computers when mine isn't working (lol), Friends who love me enough to let me come to their house any time, Friends who are gracious, and loving, and kind.

From the kitchen...my friend made spaghetti and meatballs for her family and invited me to eat. If I hadn't been full from what I had already made and eaten from my kitchen (seasoned pinto beans in the crock pot spooned over a bed of rice with seasoned green beans on the side), I would have gladly joined them.

I am wearing...navy blue capris, white, leather tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt with my husband's name on it.

I am reading...the book of John and a study on the women in the Bible.

I am hoping...to get everything done on the computer tonight that I need to, not knowing when mine will be working again.

I am creating...crafts, notes, and other things to go with our study on Ancient Greece. We are loving this history lesson. We're even making clothes to model that the women wore back then.

I am hearing...the TV in the background. My friend's family members are watching shows together.

Around the house...things have a soft glow cast on them. My friend has a lovely, well-maintained home. Right now, she has lamps that are casting a soft glow on things here in the living room. It makes the room feel comfy.

One of my favorite things...is doing this daybook. I really enjoy slowing the pace of my life down and doing this every week. It helps me stop, look around, and appreciate things around me. It helps me to remain content. It helps me think of God, friends, nature, work to be done, my schedule, etc.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Help my 9 yr. old with projects, Wednesday morning classes, a few errands, and finally finishing laundry tomorrow. I'm also hoping to finish writing a "talk" I'm doing in Oct./Nov. and finish my Greek lessons.

I don't have a picture thought to share today, but I pray that each and every one of you has a very blessed and wonderful rest of the week.

Pensieve's Poetic License w/ a Cinquain-Autumn theme

Robin at http://pensieve.typepad.com/ has given us another license to wax poetically. I love it when she gets a chance to offer this challenge. Poetry, although I'm not nearly the best at it, is passion to me. I also love reading the other entries that are listed with Mr. Linky at her site for the PPL opportunity. You should click on her link and check them out.

Robin offers PPL to anyone, whether they consider themselves seasoned poets or brave first-timers. You'd be surprised how easy some forms of poetry are to write. Anyone can do it. Everyone should try their hand at it at least once. Below are my feeble attempts at a cinquain. Go to Robin's place for more details on PPL and how to write a cinquain. This offering, the theme is Autumn.

Autumn

dry, crackly

cooling, ending, coloring

excited about the hues, but the blues sets in

Seasons

Autumn

Summer's tail end

fast approaching--Wait! Wait!

Less light, shorter days sadden me.

Fall's here.

Who can tell I'm a late Spring/full Summer person?! I know. I'm in a small minority. Don't be surprised. I've always been the "different" one. ;)

THANKFUL THURSDAY

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”~ Romans 6:4 (ESV ~ emphasis Iris')

Iris, at Sting My Heart (http://www.eph2810.com/), has come up with a wonderful thankful theme and list today. She talks about "change." Oh, sometimes, to some of us, this can be a dreadful word! Who likes change? But think about it. If the caterpillar never underwent change, how would we be able to cast our eyes upon the beautiful butterfly? Aren't our lives as Christians similar? For all of you who have already given your lives to Christ for eternity, let's imagine the caterpillar was our pre-saved state. Let's imagine that we gained the knowledge that our life was spotted, tarnished, ugly, sinful, we were unable to change it, out of control, etc., whether we appeared to be moral caterpillars or not. Something should tell us that we were in need of a major change. So we agree that change needs to happen. Like the caterpillar goes into a cocoon, we go into prayer, asking the God of second chances to do what only He can do--change the old creature into a new one. We go into prayer one way, and like the metamorphosized (changed) caterpillar now turned butterfly, we come out another way, something beautiful, something that will never be the same as it was before, our chains of bondage from sin are gone. We've been set free. We've been rescued from death to life. We've been ransomed. Our tarnished surface is polished. Our inward stains have been washed by the blood of the Lamb.

"Thank You Jesus for change!! If it had not been so for me, I'd be destined for an eternal hell, permanent separation from You. I would be useless for the Kingdom, even now as I live on earth. Good morals or not, I could never see You face to face, as these character traits can't get me to heaven (good character is just the outward manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit because of salvation). I would have no eternal rewards. You would never be able to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Even as a moral human being, all of my good works would be counted as filthy rags. But oh faithful and good God, not so for me. Because of the miraculous change that I underwent in my prayerful cocoon, because of your loving me and pursuing me first, because I answered, because I realized that I'm nothing without You and You're everything to me and for me, some day, I will go from this life to eternal life with You. I will, like the butterfly, get to try out my new body and live eternally sinless. I will behold the beauty that is You, Lord. Thank You Abba Father." Well now, CHANGE is good!

For the sake of Iris's theme, I used change, because we are new (or changed) creatures when we are redeemed by the blood, but let's look a little deeper. Are our lives changed or EXCHANGED? In all actuality, our lives are exchanged with Christ's. We exchange our lives for His. We willingly give ourselves over. Jesus paid it all and in return, we give it all--our lives for the paid ransom. It's like an exchange done at the agreed upon meeting spot in a kidnapping--the person for the money. Picture the kidnapper shoving the person toward the person with the suitcase full of money, and at the same time or simultaneously, the person with the suitcase shoves it over to the kidnapper. "I'll give you what I have in exchange for what you have." Jesus went from life as a man to death on the Cross in exchange for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself. In exchange, we earned freedom. In salvation, we give our lives to Christ, He gives us eternity and life with Him. "Thank You Lord, for the EXCHANGE! What a gift!!"

These are the things that I'm thankful for today. What about you? Click on Iris' link above and see what others are thankful for as well.

TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #28

Did you know that British tea merchants, seeking a trade route that would bypass the battlefields of the Crimean War, introduced Morocco to tea drinking in the mid-nineteenth century? Moroccans traditionally drink green tea (usually Gunpowder) flavored with mint (Mmmm!!!). Boiling water is poured over the leaves and immediately discarded (this will greatly reduce or even eliminate the amount of caffeine). Mint leaves and sugar hammered from a large loaf are added to the tea leaves, and water is again poured in. The tea steeps and is tasted; more sugar and mint may be added. Men--at home, either the father or the eldest son--always pour and serve the tea (alright! I'll let my husband do that!), pouring it in a stream from high above the small glasses--a spectacle in itself and a way for guests to savor the color and aroma before they drink.

What's the most exotic tea you've ever sipped and where? How was it presented and served? Did you enjoy it? Comment and let me know.

If you're new to To the Tune of Tea Tuesdays, come check in with us every week. Sometimes it's just an article (or post) that I think you'll find interesting, but sometimes I have Mr. Linky up and running because we've got something tea-themed going around, and everyone wants to share. It gives you a chance to read other tea enthusiasts' (or ones who might simply be curious about all things tea, but haven't taken the plunge yet!) blogs and comments. Grab a cup of tea or a tisane and join us! Also, go to my "labels" column and look at archived posts under this label.

All thanks be to God--Another blog award--I humbly accept

Oh my word!! Goodness gracious!! My, My My!! Someone else likes my stuff!! My stinkin' little stuff on my blog! Woohoo!! Go God!! You're the one who let me and enables me, and gives me anything good and worthy to say! I just pray that I get better and better at this blogging thing and that I use it to point someone in Your direction, God, as well as have a little fun and drink a little tea!!

e-Mom at Chrysalis (www.chrysaliscom.blogspot.com) has awarded me with the Sharing the Love Award. I LOVE HER BLOG, and I visit her as often as possible. If you haven't already visited her, YOU SHOULD ASAP. She is a very good blogger, so obviously I'm so humbled by her even thinking of me to award this to. THANK YOU E-MOM!!!

Award Rules
This award is created by Crystal at Memoirs of a Mommy in honor of Noah and the donor of this sweet little heart who ENCOURAGES us to SHARE THE LOVE. The rules for this award are to pass it along to some people whose blogs you love. They make you laugh, smile, leave encouraging comments on your blog. You would like to share some love with them because they have uplifted, inspired, encouraged or prayed for you. Please include this paragraph with the link to Memoirs of a Mommy so that everyone know where this award originated.

Now I have to pass this award along. Well, there are many great bloggers out there, so this shouldn't be hard. BTW, if anyone is interested, I have listed 100 Jesus, Bible, Christianity-related things, and quotes in honor of my 200th post celebration post. It took me a couple of days to get it all completed, but it's done. I think you'll be interested in some of the facts, some you'll know already, some you may want to follow up on with more study of your own, and some you may just be fascinated or surprised by. If you have a while to sit down and read through some of them, check it out!

Blessings to you!

MOMMY (or caregiver/mentor) MONDAYS #27

When you pray for your children, do you pray for the friends that they hang around too? Should that be a regular part of your prayer life when it comes to your kids? After all, they're not around you 24/7, and it matters about the influence they're under.


My husband and I were talking this weekend about the fact that as humans, we want to be in control of everything, our lives, the kids' lives, our situations, etc. We know that we shoud relinquish full and total control to God, but somehow, in our human-ness, we take back control and make decisions apart from God before we know it. Well, we CAN'T always control who our children are around, or who they will encounter when we just can't have that watchful eye over them every moment. Even when we are around, there can be subtle things that happen, that we may miss, but the children surely won't miss, that happened before we were aware of what was really going on. What to do? Well for starters, realize that we can't be in control of every situation that our kids are involved in, and we can't always control whom they will encounter.


But, we can pray for the people that they will surely come in contact with, whether we're there or not. My husband and I discussed how people in the church have the misguided notion that if they only expose their children to church kids, they don't have to worry about the problem of having their children exposed to "the wrong kind." Wrong notion! The enemy and his influence is everywhere, yes, including the church. The building of the church holds no special "aura" around the doors that once inside, you're safe, and the enemy can't penetrate the walls or the doors. Children who have worldly influence do come to church. And what's wrong with that? After all, that's where they need to be. If they have any chance of right influence and coming to know Christ (if they don't know Him already), this is the place to be. Christ didn't go around seeking the saved and the near-perfect, He sought the lost and sick. He hung out with ALL kinds.


It is best, we've learned, that we focus less on whom our children may encounter (though we do talk to them about their choices and we do try and steer them in the right directions or away from obvious negative influence) and focus more on modeling Christ in our home, teaching the love of Christ and His Word, teaching right from wrong then talking about and giving our children choices in life (knowing that there is a benefit or consequence to all of their choices--even what friends they choose to hang around), etc. We feel if they focus more on these things and practice them, they will be prone to make better choices when they're out. They get the opportunity, every time they leave us, to put into practice what they've learned. They also get the opportunity, if they choose wisely, to model Christ before the unsaved.


Sometimes I say, "Too bad I can't protect them fully from everything." But that shouldn't be "too bad." I should be glad to commit the Savior and Protector, the very Creator of the children who loves their very souls, to have complete charge of and parent my children through me. I always say, He can do a much better job controlling the things that He creates, than I can. I'm just the vessel He chose to use to parent them in human form and love them. I must stay prayerful, consulting the Creator, and ask for His protection on them. I must listen to His Words on how to raise them and obey those words. This is really all that we can do. We must fully trust God with them. That is hard isn't it? It's right, and it must be done, but in all honesty, it's hard sometimes. Yes, we must relinquish what we realistically have no control of to the one who is in ultimate control.


Pray then, for your children's encounters. Pray protection around your children (their hearts, minds, bodies) when they're out and about. Pray for their decisions when you're in their presence in public places or not in their presence. Pray for their classmates and/or church mates. Some are going to be saved. Some won't. You'd have to lock your kid up in the basement to protect them from potentially bad influences, but that bad influence NEEDS your prayers. What are the goals after all, in life, or what should they be? To glorify God and bring someone else to the saving knowledge of Christ.


NOTE: If you have been reading my celebration post (for my 200th), check back today and pick up where you left off. I'm going to try and finish this post today, but if I cannot, there will be new things to read, I'll get as far as I can get, and we'll be that much closer to 100!! I think doing the post ended up being a larger endeavor than I thought, but I don't regret taking it on. I hope you learned something you may not have known about God or the Bible.

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK

For Today...September 22, 2008

Outside my Window...I'm a little saddened because things are starting to look like Fall, and while Fall colors are beautiful, I'm already missing the brightness, freshness, and green of Spring and Summer. I'm already missing the warm weather, as it is starting to get cooler, especially at night. I'm a warm and hot weather person.

I am thinking...I am thinking about all of the things God taught me this weekend. What a weekend we had here!! The Lord has taught us so many lessons and blessed us altogether this weekend. I'm thinking about the promises He makes to each of His children. He is so faithful!

From the learning rooms...the girls are working on various things. One is studying for a test and the other is working on one of her given subjects this morning. They like to be sprawled out on their beds with their books and folders open. This is their preferred room and studying position.

I am thankful for...the ability to pay our car note this month. We thought that it would be impossible with the financial hardships we've been having, but God, in His love, grace, and mercy, provided for us literally in the 11th hour (or is the saying "the 12th hour?).

From the kitchen...my water is boiling for my morning bowl of oatmeal. Yummy!

I am wearing...black sweat pants, a white t-shirt with black and red writing on it (it says "Behind this t-shirt is the best mom in the world"--my kids gave it to me a couple of years ago for Mother's Day), and those trusty white satin house slippers (what would I do without them?)

I am reading...not too many books on my "want to read list." I've been so busy with studies I'm doing, like The Study of the Women of the Bible, my Greek lessons, etc., that I can't get involved in any other book right now.

I am hoping...that God provides me with a way to make extra money while staying home. I thought I had a job prospect at the end of last week that sounded really good, but after my husband and I prayed and talked about it this weekend, we realized it wasn't the job for me.

I am creating...or trying to continue to create a more loving and orderly home for my family. I'm trying to teach this to my children so that they can prioritize this when they get families.

I am hearing...my daughter flip pages in her McGuffey's Eclectic Third Reader. I love these books. I want to eventually have all of them. I have 3 so far.

Around the house...I'm looking at my clean walls and baseboards and appreciating very much our efforts this weekend, to get them clean. The kids and I washed all of the walls and trim in the house (they had gotten really dirty and dusty) and windows, and my husband cleaned the upstairs bathroom and got all of the cobwebs out of the corners of every room in the house. I really appreciate everyone's efforts.

One of my favorite things...is listening to my girls read with lots of clarity and expression. I also like reading back to them this way.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...running errands for the family, picking my son up from Raiders practice every day, going to the library, doing a TV spot on a local TV station concerning domestic violence--educating the community and offering advocacy and support, going to classes at church on Wednesday, babysitting, going on a date with my husband, and hopefully resting at some point.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

I will need a few cups of this beautiful drink of nature by the end of my busy week. My relaxing cup of aesthetically beautiful and palate pleasing green tea--helping me to slow down and enjoy the small, precious moments in life. Talk about simple pleasures!!

Be Still Sundays

This was pre-posted.

May the Lord impart His wisdom to you today, in such a way that your understanding is clear, and you have the heart to live it out. May His Holy Spirit fill you, His vessel, so that you may be used and controlled by Him.

201st POST ON MY 200th POST CELEBRATION!!

Okay, so it seriously slipped my mind that my last post was supposed to be the celebration of my 200TH post!! Instead, my Thankful Thursday post was my 200th post and that should have been my 201st, if I had planned it right. Oh well!!! I'm so thankful to the Lord for all that He has done in my life that I don't mind my TT post being my 200th. But, I must still officially celebrate with a "hoopla," "song and dance," "all out party" type post (okay, not quite all that!), so, here it is. Okay, truth is, I'm not sure how I want to celebrate. I want it to be different than my 100th post celebration though. What shall I do? I must think of something creative. I simply must!!

Okay, I think I've got it!! I'm going to post about 100 facts about God and the Bible, well-known, perhaps unknown, reminders, promises, names of God...all that good stuff!! Oh now, don't get bored on me already. I know you were expecting something EXCITING, BIG, JUICY!! But, what's more exciting, big, and juicy than some really cool stuff about God and the Bible?!!!! I promise, I think I can make it worth your time. Stick with me. Let's celebrate (instead of little old insignificant me) THE ONE AND ONLY! Are you with me?

1. Is Jesus Christ a man, or is he God? Both. He became fully man when he came down and humbled Himself to be like one of His own creations. (Philipp. 2:5-8) He is also God. He has been here from the beginning (Col. 1:15-18, 19,20)
2. What does the name Christ mean? Meaning: anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word translated "Messiah"
3. The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen. 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen. 22:18), the "Prophet like unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15), "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1, 10), the "Immanuel," the virgin's son (Isa. 7:14), "the branch of Jehovah" (Isa. 4:2), and "the messenger of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1). (this information from christiananswers.net)
4. Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He was not created by a human father and mother. He had a heavenly pre-existence (John 1:1-3, 14). He is God, the Son—Creator of the universe (Philippians 2:5-11). This is why Christmas is called the incarnation, a word which means “in the flesh.” In the birth of Jesus, the eternal, all-powerful and all-knowing Creator came to earth in the flesh. (this information from christiananswers.net)
5. The word "trinity" is not found in Scripture. It is a word used by Christians to express the doctrine of the unity of God as consisting of three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Greek word trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Latin trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. (this information from christiananswers.net)
6. A number of years ago, Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman wrote a book entitled Science Speaks. The book was based on the science of probability and vouched for by the American Scientific Affiliation. It set out the odds of any one man in all of history fulfilling even only eight of the 60 major prophecies (and 270 ramifications) fulfilled by the life of Christ.
   The probability that Jesus of Nazareth could have fulfilled even eight such prophecies would be only 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That's 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. But (and this is a big but), all of the prophecies have been fulfilled except the re-building of the temple and the second coming of Christ.
7. You should know that the church is --
   Built by Jesus Christ. -- (Matthew 16:13-18)
   Purchased by the blood of Christ. -- (Acts 20:28)
   Built on Jesus Christ as the only foundation. -- (1 Corinthians 3:11)
   Not built on Peter, Paul, or any other man. -- (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)
   Composed of the saved, who are added to it by the Lord, who saves them. -- (Acts 2:47) (Information obtained from highstreetchurch.net)
8. Jacob, one of the patriarchs mentioned in Genesis, had twelve sons whose names were given to the twelve tribes of Israel:
   Reuben, Dan, Issachar, Simeon, Naphtali, Zebulon, Levi, Gad, Joseph, Judah, Asher, Benjamin
9. Levi was the priestly tribe. David and JESUS descended from the tribe of Judah.
10. God delivered ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would let the Israelites go. The plagues were: blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain of cattle, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of firstborn
11. The books of poetry in the Bible (OT) are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs), and Lamentations.
12. The Pentateuch (meaning five books) are the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
13. Most people think that Eve bit from an apple. Where did we get that assumption? The Bible does not name the fruit. The important point is that Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
14. How long did it take to build the ark (in Genesis)? About 120 years. WOW!!
15. Where are Sodom and Gomorrah? The ruins of these cities most likely lie under shallow water in the Dead Sea. God destroyed the cities because they were so sinful. Today, the nation of Israel runs oil wells near where these cities may have stood.
16. What is a mandrake (such a thing was mentioned in Genesis 30:14)? It is a plant. It has purple or white flowers. Its root is large and sometimes shaped like a human being. People in Bible times thought that it had magical powers (information taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
17. Manna was a special food that God gave his people, the Israelites. God gave it to them everyday they were in the desert, except for the Sabbath. The Hebrew meaning for the word "manna" was probably "what is it?" The Israelites discovered that manna tasted good and was good for them.
18. Did you know that Saturday was the Sabbath in Bible times? On this holy day, the people of Israel were not supposed to work. Many Christians keep Sunday as a special day or rest day. It is the day Jesus was raised from the dead.
19. When Jewish men prayed, many tied special little boxes holding Bible verses to their arms and forheads called phylacteries. Jesus told the Jewish men that they should not do this as a way to feel or think that they were especially holy. Do we do that? Do we have little things we put on, wear, carry around, etc. that we want people to see so that they can think we're "real" Christians or holy? Are are we allowing Christ to live through us in our day to day lives--modeling Him and His ways--putting on Christ, not things.
20. In the time of the NT, a day's pay was a single coin, called a denarius. This was enough money to buy food for one day and to rent a small room for the night. The coin was made of silver and was usually stamped with a picture of the Roman emporer.
21. A disciple is a learner. A disciple does not lead, but follows. Are you a disciple of Christ? Jesus taught His disciples to preach and teach. He wants to teach you how to follow Him and teach others about Him. Yes, God uses ordinary people (just like the disciples were) like us and makes us extraordinary!
22. Ecclesiastes means preacher or speaker.
23. A prophet is a special messenger from God. There are five major prophet books but only four prophets. These books are called "Major" only because they are longer in length. Every prophet who wrote one or more of these books can be placed in the history of Israel, which is covered by the twelve books of history.
24. The book considered historical in the NT is Acts.
25. One thing that must be understood is that God lives in Eternity, that is, he lives outside of time. A billion years, or fifteen seconds, is the same thing for God. Time has no real meaning to him, beyond his knowledge of its meaning to us. (Psalm 90:2-4) (information taken from my studies and SeekersTrove.com)
26. A covenant is an agreement between two parties. A covenant was stronger than a promise, with the intent of never being broken.
27. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.
28. Most often in Bible times clothes were washed by dipping them in water and beating them with sticks. People who washed clothes for a living used ashes to treat clothes and then whitened them in the sun. (taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
29. The desert owl of Bible lands chooses to live in lonely places and is very afraid of people. Zephaniah uses this picture to show that Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, will lie in ruins (Zeph. 2:14). Desert owls live in Nineveh's ruins even today, because no people are there. (taken from The Adventure Bible for Young Readers)
30. People in the Bible (and also today) prayed in many different places and positions. When Daniel prayed, he got on his knees to show his respect for God (Dan. 6:10). Moses was so upset because of Israel's worship of the golden calf that he fell face down before the Lord to pray (Deut. 9:18). Paul told believers to lift up their hands when they prayed (1Tim2:8).
31. Did you know that Miriam was the only female named in the Levitical priestly lineage in the book of 1Chronicles (spec. 6:3)? Though it is possible that Miriam could have had sisters, women were only mentioned in priestly genealogies if they were prominent and well-known to the reader. For Miriam, her inclusion in the lengthy list was an exception because of her significance in the life of Israel.
32. There were female prophets (they were called prophetesses) in the Bible. Miriam was one, Deborah, Huldah, and Anna (in the NT). There were two false prophetesses though--Noadiah and Jezebel. (side notes from the authors of The Principles of the Women of the Bible-Book One)
33. The Hebrew "Neviah" is the feminine form of the word "prophet," which means a speaker of oracles, one who spoke not his own words, but those which he had received from God.
34. Because of leprosy's contagious nature, in Bible days, those inflicted were required to separate themselves from other people and had to cry out "Unclean! Unclean!" when anyone came into view.
35. God changed Abraham's wife's name from being Sarai (My Princess) to Sarah (just Princess). While the change may seem insignificant at first, when God changed the name, no longer was Sarah to remain just Abraham's princess only, but now he would share her with a family that would multiply beyond belief.
36. Quote from the authors of TP of the W of the B-Book One: "Past faith is no guarantee of future victory--every day we must trust God."
37. Another quote from the same authors: "The main reason for consequences to sin is not the sin itself, but our unwillingness to deal with that sin God's way." (These are great quotes, and although they didn't come from the Bible, they are about God and I thought I'd throw them in for a little variation in the list.)
38. Quote #3: "Every time I sin, someone else is affected. Either they share in the bad that results, or they are robbed of the good that would have come if I had not sinned..."
39. Word study by the same authors the above quotes are by: Rahab's pagan family named her with a mythological and symbolic term meaning "the raging monster" or "the impetuous one." Yet, because of her faith, commended in the NT, this once gruesome term is ever associated with the woman who believed God.
40. Quote #4: "You cannot alter your past, but you can put your past on the altar." I like this one.
41. Middle Book of the Old Testament...Proverbs
42. Middle Book of the New Testament...2Thessalonians
43. Longest Book of the OT...Psalms
44. Longest Book of the NT...Luke
45. Longest chapter in the Bible...Psalm 119
46. Shortest verse in the Bible...John 11:35
47. Longest verse in the Bible...Esther 8:9
48. The longest word (that I can find) is Maher-shalal-hash-baz ( a person's name-18 letters long) found in Isaiah 8:3. The symbolic name meant "Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey," something the Lord had quoted in v.1 of the same chapter.
49. Methuselah lived to be 969 years old.
50. Read the story of the birth of twin boys (Perez and Zerah) where one had a scarlet thread tied on his hand before he was born. Gen. 38:27-30
51. Laws of morality were so stingent for the Israelites (to keep the purity and testimony of the people and the nation) that Deut. 22:22 says "If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel." That's serious people!!! Suppose we had these laws today. Adultery and divorce would probably hit an all-time low. Hmmm....
52. Deut. 22:5 gives the sundry law of men not wearing women's clothing and vice versa. It was an abomination to the Lord. Upon some study of this verse, it is believed that this law was enacted to prohibit such perversions as transvestism and homosexuality, especially under religious auspices.
53. In Judges ch.20, when the tribes of Israel went up against the tribes of Benjamin, the tribes of Benjamin actually had 26,000 men who drew the sword and 700 choice men. The 700 choice men were...ALL LEFT-HANDED! It is said in v.16 that these choice men "could sling a stone at a hair and not miss." With all of that awesome, left-handed talent, Benjamin was defeated anyway.
54. Absalom was said to be the most handsome man in all of Israel. He had no defects from head to toe. He had long, beautiful hair and got it cut once a year.
55. There was a man of great stature in the book of 2Samuel (21:20) who had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot, giving him 24 digits.
56. Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines. It is said that he loved Maacah, the daughter of Absalom more than all the others though. He fathered 88 children.
57. According to statistics from Wycliffe International, the Society of Gideons, and the International Bible Society, the number of new Bibles that are sold, given away, or otherwise distributed in the United States is about 168,000 per day.
58. The Bible was written in Hebrew, some Aramaic, and Greek. (If there is another language it was written in out there, tell me because I don't know it.)
59. The wisest and richest man in Scripture is Solomon
60. The most beautiful woman described in Scripture was queen Esther
61. The justification chapter-Romans 5, The sanctification chapter-Romans 6, The glorification chapter-Romans 8
62. Most ancient writings do not even profess inspiration, but the Bible professes not only to be inspired, but to be the ONLY inspired writing (Isa. 8:20). The central character of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, professes to be the ONLY way to Heaven. Unlike the ancient philosophers, the men of the Bible are men who speak with great power, certainty, and authority. (taken from www.av1611.org)
63. Another interesting design in God's word is His unique way of attaching meanings to various numbers. Developing a basic knowledge of what a number is generally associated with can be very helpful.
    One is unity. Two is division. Three is trinity. Some say four is the earth (?). Five is death. Six is man. Seven is perfection, or completeness. Eight is a new beginning. Nine is fruitfulness. Ten is the Gentile number. Eleven is a mystery to me. Twelve is Israel's number. Thirteen is rebellion.
64. The Author of the Bible is STILL ALIVE, so He can help you understand it (James 1:5; I John 2:27; I Kings 3:5-12). When is the last time you asked the Lord for understanding?
65. Quote: "I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible." Moody
66. Quote: "I enter a most earnest plea that in our hurried and rather bustling life of today we do not lose the hold that our forefathers had on the Bible. I wish to see the Bible study as much a matter of course in the secular colleges as in the seminary. No educated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible, and no uneducated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." Theodore Roosevelt
67. I don't know the author of this quote, but I really like it: "Other books were given for our information. The Bible was given for our transformation."
68. I love the use of words in this quote: "I have always said, I always say, that the studius perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands." Thomas Jefferson (Don't you love "...the studius perusal of the sacred volume..."? I've got to use that.
69. I love this quote too and believe it very much: "I Thoroughly believe in a University education for both men and women, but I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college education is more valuable that a college education without the Bible." William Lyon Phelps
70. A little funny for ya: "Honey, go get mother that grand ole Book that she loves so well," a woman said during a pastoral visit. The girl returned with the TV guide. (Ouch!! This wasn't my little funny. I found it on a website)
71. The word Hallelujah is Hebrew for "praise the Lord"
72. The only two books in the Bible that don't contain the name of God are Song of Solomon and Esther.
73. Despite the fact that most people believe that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, it is more probable that the "great fish" mentioned in Jonah chapter one was not a whale because whales are very rare in the Mediterrean Sea.
74. The last word in the Bible is AMEN, meaning "so let it be" or "may it be so."
75. Another interesting subject that is found throughout the word of God is angels. Interesting Bible facts reveal what angels look like and why they were and are important to Christians. God sent angels to minister to those who are to inherit salvation. Another important fact that God's word shows us is that Christians are not to worship angels. God uses angels to spread good news, do spiritual battle, and to protect His children. He also uses angels to execute judgment. He sent His angels to Lot and his family to rescue them right before He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the wickedness of the people. (taken from christiannet.com)
76. Although the Bible was written over a period of about 1400 years, its text has come to us in a remarkable state of preservation. This preservation was possible because of the large number of manuscripts found.
77. The books of the Bible originally had no chapters or verses. Now that is a cool Bible fact. Most people don't know this, but can you imagine now, reading your Bible without having it broken into chapters and verses. There was also no punctuation like ours used either. If you study the Greek language and text of the Bible, you'll know by words' endings where the text is supposed to stop, etc.
78. The authors of the New Testament appealed to their audience because they all had first hand knowledge of the Person of Jesus Christ.
79. Quote: "A little lie is like a little pregnancy it doesn't take long before everyone knows." - C. S. Lewis (Don't you just love him?)
80. A Bible in the University of Gottingen is written on 2,470 palm leaves.
81. The word ‘Bible’ comes from the Greek word ‘biblia’, a word of Latin origin and simply
    meaning, ‘books’. This word had its beginnings with the word ‘biblos’, which referred to any kind of written document, but originally to one written on the inner bark of the papyrus plant, imported from Egypt.
82. A collection of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible were discovered in 1947 in a cave in Wadi Qumran on the north of the Dead Sea. Among this collection was a 23-foot leather scroll containing the complete book of Isaiah. This copy of Isaiah is unique proof of the reliability of the Holy Scriptures, for the text agrees exactly with what we have in our present day Bible. From a total of 11 caves many more scrolls of different books were discovered. In the early 1960s a special museum in Jerusalem called, the Shrine of the
    Book, was built to house many of the scrolls. (taken from bibleinformation.googlepages.com)
83. The word ‘Armageddon’ only appears once in the Bible, but would be one of the most recognised Bible words today (Rev.16:16).
84. Hebrew words that start with a ‘Y’ sound have mostly been given a ‘J’ sound in our English
    Bibles. The Hebrew name ‘Yehowshua’ becomes Joshua or Jesus in English. The rather long name, ‘Yeruwshalayim’ becomes Jerusalem in English. ‘Yarden’ becomes’ Jordan, ‘Yizreel’ becomes Jezreel, ‘Yeriychow’ becomes Jericho and ‘Yowceph’ becomes Joseph.
85. Jesus is our Mediator in heaven (Rom.8:34; 1 Tim.2:5; Heb.4:14-16, 7:25, 9:15)
86. Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible.
87. Salt is mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible.
88. Names for God in Hebrew: El-Elyon (The Lord Most High-Deut 26:19), El-Shaddai (The God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His people-Gen 17:1,2 Job), Jehovah-Elohim (The Eternal Creator-Gen 2:4, Gen 1), Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord our Provider-Gen 22:14), Jehovah-Ropheka (The Lord our Healer-Ex 15:22), Jehovah-Rohi (The Lord our Shepherd-Psalm 23)
89. The prophet Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead (1 Kings 17:21-22)
90. The prophet Elisha brought back the son of a grieving couple (2 Kings 4:35)
91. A dead man placed in the grave of Elisha also returned to life when his body touched the prophet's bones (2 Kings 13:21).
92. The fish was used as both a secret code and an anti-Roman symbol by those who were persecuted in the early days of Christianity. Why a fish? Not, as one might expect, because in Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Rather, it was because each of the letters in the Greek word for fish, ichtus, are the same as the initials in the phrase Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter: Jesus Christ, of God the Son, Savior. (taken from truebeliever.012webpages.com)
93. The first of the 14 healing miracles Jesus performed was in Capernaum, when he cured the nobelman's feverish son (John 4:47-53).
94. Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. (I couldn't resist this timeless truth)
95. "The truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
96. The Most Common Name in the Bible--There are over 30 Zachariahs, with Azariah a runner-up at nearly 30. Third place goes to Meshullam of which there are over 20.
97. Under sundry laws in Exodus, these were crimes punishable by death: "(Be)" a witch." (or allow a sorceress to live)- Exodus 22:18, "Sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only." (or sacrifice to any God other than the Lord alone would be utterly destroyed) - Exodus 22:20, and "Doeth any work in the Sabbath day." - Exodus 31:15
98. "The truth shall make you free." - John 8:32
99. Jesus really is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
100. John 19:30 says Jesus uttered, " It is finished." Just like this list!

Thank you for reading all the way to the end, if you did. I hope you found this list quite interesting, useful, engaging. I hope it prompted you to look up some of these things for yourself. If you found any error in my information, please comment and let me know. I like to be corrected. I tried to personally look up all of the facts that I got from other sources, otherwise, the other facts were ones that I had studied and found to be true myself. Thanks for celebrating with me.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~ John 8:31-32 (ESV ~ emphasis Iris')

Iris at Sting My Heart has a wonderful Thankful theme today--TRUTH or being thankful for the truth. What is truth? If you took a survey on the street, you WILL get all kinds of answers, but the TRUTH is, THERE IS ONE TRUTH, ONE WAY, ONE JESUS! Are we being religious fanatics, elitists, snobs, etc. when we say this? Well, like Iris said, we didn't say this (and we didn't have to), Jesus says this about Himself. There are no other false gods that have been introduced to man that can make the same claims and assertions about themselves as God and Jesus could and did. Not only did God make the claims about Himself, He literally lived them out. He still does today. No other false one has, nor is, doing that. Won't you praise Almighty God with me today for who He was, is, and will be! Aren't we thankful for the truth that He left behind!!!!

• I am thankful today for TRUTH, good old, unadulterated, uncompromising, loving, transforming TRUTH!!
• I am thankful that the TRUTH set me free!!
• I am thankful that the TRUTH set my whole household free!!
• I am thankful for Truth-Seekers.
• I am thankful that the TRUTH stands on its own and needs no help, additions, or subtractions.
• I am thankful for God whose Spirit helps us recognize truth and distinguish it from error.
• I am thankful for the TRUTH that God allowed to be left behind in His Holy Writ for us to read.
• I am thankful that the TRUTH is being carried to the ends of the earth everyday by those who are on God's mission, whether that's foreign, domestic, or right in our homes!

What are you thankful for today? How does the TRUTH impact you? Join Iris and many thankful-hearted others and see what God has placed on their hearts about being thankful. Go to http://www.eph2810.com/ and read and/or post your own. Thanks Iris, for today's theme.

TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #27

Sorry so late with this post my people. If I'm going to do a post at all in a day, it's usually earlier than this. Now, since I've got the chance to blog today, at this late hour, I thought I'd go ahead and do my usual tea post. I love doing it, and I have people who actually read this post regularly.

We know the importance of fluoride, right? I mean, you hear your dentist talk about it all of the time. (Fluoride, of course, has been shown to fight tooth decay and reduce plaque.) You probably buy your toothpaste based on the amount of fluoride it has, because you know your pearly whites need it. We may also be concerned with having fluoridated water. That could be a great addition to your water source at home. Woudn't hurt. So what does your toothpaste, water, and this tea post have to do with each other? Uhhh...FLUORIDE! Tea has flouride?!! Who knew!! Another great reason to drink it.

(picture from www.matton.com)

Linda Osborne has published that it has been found that "black tea contains more flouride than a comparable amount of flouridated water. Tea also contains calcium, which contributes to strong bones, and zinc, thought to strengthen the immune system and fight colds. It is a source of B vitamins, including B1, B2, and B6, which promote a healthy heart, inhibit free-radical damage, and boost energy. Folic acid, known to aid in blood cell formation and preventing some cancers, is present in tea, particularly in Assam and Darjeeling." These are teas from India. There are many great sources for these and others online. Like I always admonish, check your online source and make sure the company you buy your tea from is reputable, doesn't make outlandish claims about what it's tea can do, has fair pricing for the quality of tea you're getting, and doesn't keep it's tea warehoused too long. Buying the freshest tea possible is very important. Taste depends on it.

Have a great day today. I pray that you find yourself a great black tea and end up with a perfect cup of that perfect infusion and stronger teeth to boot!!

MOMMY (and caregiver/mentor) MONDAYS #26

Don't you just love it, if you have children who are out of the home, and they come back and visit? I love seeing my 18 year old son. When I see him, I'm surprised that he's 18, although he's been 18 since March. I can't get it through my head. It's not that his being 18 makes me seem or feel old, it's that my firstborn is 18!!!


Well, he came over last night, to spend the night with us, and the kids still home are always happy to see him. He picks up where he left off in playing with them, kissing on his "Sissy," going in and out of my refrigerator (as if he's never left), and just generally feeling like he's home. I want all of my children to feel a sense of home, even after they leave. What about you? How does this play out for you if you have grown (or nearly grown--I don't consider 18 grown yet) children?


I'm learning how to transition from needing to be his full-time, at-home Mommy, to being his confidante, his friend, his mentor, and whatever else God would have me be in his life, at this stage. WOW!! I never pictured myself getting here, although I knew it would come. I thought it would look different than it has actually played out. What did you expect? Was it the same or nearly the same?


I want him to know, that despite decisions this year that God and we as parents are not pleased with, that God still has a plan for his life, and he needs to take the necessary steps and daily meditations to get there and/or figure out what that plan is. We want him to know that we pray for him daily and that he is always in our thoughts. What things do you feel you need to pray for your adult child/en (nothing personal you may not want to tell)? Our concern for them sure hasn't lessened has it? Just different.


I thank God that He has allowed me to see this child to near adulthood, one to high school, one finding her way and figuring out who she is and whose she is as a middle schooler, and one still under the shelter and protection of the parent in elementary school. I thank God that He is a God of second chances and third and fourth and...because we don't always get it right the first time as parents. I need the Lord to parent my children through me. I always say the Creator can do a much better job at dealing with His created than one of His created can.


Have a wonderful rest of the day.

THE SIMPLE WOMAN'S DAYBOOK 9-15-08

Won't you join us today, leaving a glimpse into your Monday by posting in your Simple Woman's Daybook? If you've seen this before, then you know what to do, but if you haven't, welcome to my entry of The Simple Woman's Daybook, a neat little idea by Peggy at http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/, that allows you to slow down, look around you, and share a few little simple things about how your day is going and what your plans are. It's not just fun, but it's a way of getting back to "doing LIFE together." The internet is a fabulous tool for such a thing since our world now is so fast paced, we don't get to know our neighbors anymore, and we don't follow the principle of sharing one another's burdens as much as we used to.






Outside my Window...it looks like it wants to be sunny so bad, but the clouds keep bullying. How will it turn out in the end? Only God knows. I pray for sunshine. I feel more chipper then.






I am thinking...my tooth is not hurting anymore!! (I was up all last night, taking Ibuprofen, praying, thinking about not having the money to see a dental specialist...AGAIN, not wanting another root canal and other dental work) I prayed for a miracle with the "teeth trouble" I'm having. I hope to be in God's will with that.






From the learning rooms...the girls are working in separate rooms because I have one who is easily distracted and tends to distract the other one. They work better separated until there is a subject that they can work on together.






I am thankful for...being able to stay home with my children and be here for my husband when he gets home from work. We don't have a lot of money for extras and sometimes the entirety of all of the bills (sometimes, we may have to make payments) because I don't work, but we have decided that the financial sacrifice and smart, tight budgeting has been more than well worth it.






From the kitchen...dishes left over from breakfast, a few things on the table, and the counters need to be wiped down.






I am wearing...khaki capris, a white t-shirt (that has purple writing on it), and those ever-faithful, white, satin house slippers.






I am reading...too many books at once--some verses in Exodus for a study, The Rising by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, and Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke.






I am hoping...to keep the faith in the prayers I've prayed to the Lord and that I don't have to go to the dentist or endodontist, that I can make it through today and subsequent days without suffering with dental problems and pain. God is faithful though. I know that for sure!






I am creating...or helping my daughter put the finishing touches and a roof on her beaver dam we've been working on in science. She's so proud of it!






I am hearing...just the faint hum of the fan in my computer tower, one of my daughter's hands slide across her paper as she writes, and the clicking of the buttons on the computer keyboard. I also hear an occasional truck or car pass by outside.






Around the house...it's pretty neat and tidy. I've set some new rules or shall we say "helpers" in place so that our house stays neater longer. Lately, I'm having to remind everyone of the reasons we pitch in and help each other take care of what God has blessed us with.






One of my favorite things...is seeing the expression of or "the lightbulb suddenly shine" in someone's head of something they just couldn't grasp, or something brand new and delightful, or something they've been wrestling with and the answer just came. I love to see prayers answered for people, God's way. I love to see people who have just learned something new about Christ and their life is forever changed!






A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...my list is almost identical to Peggy's. I just (while I'm working on this daybook) had a phone call from my dentist's office to confirm an appointment I had forgotten about, to get our regular screenings and cleanings done tomorrow. How ironic, considering what I'm currently going through. We also have library books to return by Thursday, and after everything else we have to do for the rest of the week, I'd like to just settle in afterwards and enjoy home too.






Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Looking forward to tea today, if my stomach will cooperate, whether it's iced matcha like the picture above suggests or hot chai,...I'm looking forward to a "tea moment."

I don't take many personal pictures, so I won't have many to share of my own. This picture is courtesy of Mr. Atsui (hope I'm spelling his name right) from Hibiki-An, the name of the company (family farm) in Japan that I have the privilege about once a year of purchasing my green tea from.

Oh my word! Another award I so humbly accept!

My word!! Another acknowledgement!! Somebody (namely Tracy at Seed Thoughts--you get there by http://takeck.blogspot.com) loves my blog!!! Woohoo!! "Thank you precious Jesus. It's only because of you allowing something to come out of this brain to be typed on my blog that I have anything remotely worthy to say."

Tracy, thank you ever so much! I'd be satisfied if someone said, "I LIKE your blog." But to have someone say, "I LOVE your blog,"... well now, not only is that a great honor, but that's hard for me to wrap my mind around. Little old stinkin' me?!! Well, it doesn't change the fact that I still think I'm Little Old Stinkin' Me, but I sure am grateful, and I pray that God gives me something worthy and relevant to say for as long as I can. May He stay exalted while I remain abased.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

Iris at Sting My Heart (http://www.eph2810.com/) invites us to share how we're thankful every Thursday. Won't you join us? Click on the link above and see what Iris and others are saying. See how they're giving credit and praise to God for what He has done. Her verse for the week is “I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.”~ Psalm 52:9 (ESV ~ emphasis Iris') And now, it's my turn to be thankful and praise Him.

• Lord, I am thankful today for the wonderful, in-depth studies at church you've lead me to take, so that I may draw closer to You and do what You ask of me.
• My God, I am thankful again, as I have been so many times before, for the man of God, who is my husband, that he is a man after Your own heart, and his desire is to please you first and then me.
• Father, thank you that you have chosen me and my household to be Your children. You love us, lead us, guide us, convict us, take care of us, have mercy on us, and so much more, just like a father would.
• Prince of Peace, thank you for the peace that you give that surpasses all understanding, when we can't muster it for ourselves, when we need it the most.
• Thank You that You've given us the hearts and minds to praise Adonai (our sovereign God).
• I'm thankful that You're omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
• Thank You today and everyday that You live up to Your promises because You are El Shaddai (The God Who is sufficient for the Needs of His people)
• And last for today, but certainly not least, thank you that you're Jehovah-Rohi (our shepherd-Psalm 23), that because of You, we shall not want, You lead us beside still waters, You restore our souls, You are with us.

Oh Lord, thank You today for ALL that You are to us and for us. I am so grateful and will be eternally.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM #17

SEEING SARAH IN YOURSELF

In one of my classes at church, we're studying the life of Sarah. What comes to mind when you think of her? What have you been taught about her all of your life? Most responses are that she is a great woman of faith, and you hear people often say, "I want to be just like her." Well, in a way, most of us are already like her, but it's not necessarily the positive way we've heard or talked about.


Like we function now, and like Sarah often functioned then, we act like humans. And what do humans do? Err. Sin. Some days we sin over and over and over. Will we ever stop? Well, I think you know the answer to that.


Let's look at the life of Sarah a little closer. While she eventually, as mentioned in Hebrews 11:11, became known as a woman of great faith, an obedient wife, and a woman after God's heart (or at least His promises), she didn't always appear that way in Biblical accounts. In fact, Sarah doubted God because of her age. She heard the promise that God made to Abraham, but it wasn't happening in a sensible time frame as far as she was concerned, so she doubted that it would happen, at least through her. She knew the seed of promise was to come through she and Abraham, but she remained barren for so long. Sarah, I think really wanting to obey God and wanting to see the promised fulfilled, took matters into her own hands. She was going to "make" something happen, even if it didn't happen the way God said it would. Do we do that? Are we impatient with God? Do we believe and stand on His promises, no matter how long it seems to take for them to be fulfilled?


Sarah insists that Hagar, her maiden, be given over to her husband so that a child, that she probably thought that she could raise as her own, could be born and the promise fulfilled. Sarah wanted to get on with it. She also didn't want to be the shame in her culture by not producing a child. There were probably many reasons why Sarah took matters into her own hands. She wanted to obey, but was tired of waiting, she was getting older, she would have been put to shame in her culture, she wanted to help God out, she wanted to please her husband, I'm sure. Can we sympathize? But did her reasons make her sin right? Have we had any of the same reasons or excuses for sinning? Even bigger, have we ever felt that God needed our help? If we didn't consciously feel that way, we sure act like He does sometimes.


Sarah and Abraham also were found to be, well...liars. Hmmm, is this still a human problem today? Abraham convinced Sarah to lie about not being his wife to the Egyptians and again to Abimelech. We can see that she wanted to submit to and obey her husband by going ahead with the lies, but that still didn't excuse the lie. Besides, they may have been able to plead innocent with the first lie, although they suffered consequences for that (God eventually saved them out of trouble), but they had no excuse for lieing about the same thing again, and Scripture proves, again. And of course, they had to suffer the consequences...again. There is even an instance in Genesis 18:11-12 where Sarah not only doubted God, but she lied (to God, of all people!) and said that she didn't laugh when our omniscient God knows that she did. Have you ever consciously or unconsciously called God a liar? Do we ever learn? The great thing is that regardless of Sarah and Abraham's sins (over and over), He still intended to and did fulfill His promises, using them. He was still merciful toward them when they got themselves in trouble. Can you recall God being merciful to you after you've taken matters into your own hands, or after you've sinned over and over?


Eventually, God's promise was fulfilled in Sarah and Abraham's life. God sent 3 messengers to tell Abraham that Sarah would be with child in a year's time (the appointed time). Though Sarah doubted this initially, obviously from studying Genesis and reading Hebrews 11:11, she had no choice but to believe what she had already been told and overheard. She was strengthened in old age to have a baby. You can no longer doubt God if you lay with your husband at, what was it 89 and 99, where apparently you weren't even having sex anymore-let alone a baby, conceive, be strengthened enough to carry a baby 9 months, and then deliver a healthy baby boy. That would make a believer out of me too. I'm sure her "faith issue" changed before conception. Her faith issue probably changed when she even had the notion (or Abraham did) or the desire to have sexual relations with her husband. I'm sure in a few weeks when conception was apparent that just really sealed the faith deal. Sarah became a great woman of faith through her trials. Can you see Sarah in yourself? Unfortunately, I know that I can, especially her errors. But I want to see myself in Sarah as the woman of faith; the woman that, despite her constant and apparent need for God and her need for believing Him at His every Word, learns from her mistakes and draws just that much nearer to Him; a woman that will go down in history, like Sarah, as being "real," but loving God and allowing Him to use her trials, unbeliefs, and struggles as ways that she was strengthened, and tried to help others.


What about you?


I hope you have a wonderful rest of the Lord's day!

TAGGED--8 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

Nice lady Tracy at Seed Thoughts (http://takeck.blogspot.com) has been tagged by her friend Joanne at An Open Book to play along, telling others 8 random facts about herself. The rules of the play-along says that once you're tagged and you post, you must tag 8 other people, and that's how I came into the picture. Tracy picked me as one of her 8 people, and I've decided to play too. Below are the official rules, and then after that, look out for 8 really random facts about me. Leave me a comment and tell me whether you're surprised about what you found out. It's all true though.


Rules:1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.


And now, for what you've all been so anxiously waiting for, because my life is just so interesting (Ha! Just kidding!)...

1. I've told this before on another post, but I'll tell ya here again--I co-owned a pure breed Myotonic Goat (mistakenly and incorrectly called Fainting Goats) farm (Ebenezer Loop M Farms and Lab) some years ago with other family members. We raised for the goat meat industry, for pure breed stock, and for Myotonic goat promotion and care.
2. I wrote articles (2 of them) for the Goat Rancher magazine.
3. I drink green tea more than any other kind and I order directly from a small, family-owned farm in Japan.
4. I am 9 1/2 years cancer-free from a rare cancer that resulted from a molar pregnancy. The cancer was called Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. It's pretty rare. Thank God for my on-going health!! I needed no treatments, only surgery to be cured from the cancer. The surgery got it all.
5. I have 2 sisters and all 3 of us were pregnant at the same time twice. We all have 4 children apiece.
6. I lived in Hawaii for 4 years.
7. I lived in Petaluma California for a year, took the police officer's exams (I don't know what I was thinking at the time), and went through physical and psychological testing, passed everything with flying colors, but never went to or through the actual academy. I ended up moving away.
8. Finally, I have a child on the way to college in the spring, one in high school, one in middle school, one in elementary school, and I babysit one that's a toddler. Yes, my day's are full!

This has been fun! Now let me see who I can tag.

Robin at Pensieve (www.pensieve.typepad.com)

Kary at Palai Schole (www.palaischole.blogspot.com)

e-Mom at Chrysalis (www.chrysaliscom.blogspot.com)

Iris at Sting My Heart (www.eph2810.com)

Gina at Chats With An Old Lady (www.chatswithanoldlady.blogspot.com)

Momma Roar at Lifting Hands (www.liftinghands.blogspot.com)

Christina at Mustard Seeds (www.christina-mustardseeds.blogspot.com)

Linda at Remote Treechanger (www.remotetreechanger.blogspot.com)

I did it!! I was able to think of 8 people! Now I just pray that they don't all think that I'm some crazy wierdo out there that they don't know that much about or don't want to play along with. Sorry guys. You're in my favorites, so I just thought I'd ask if you'd like to play. I was tagged, so I tagged you. Hope you don't mind. Have a great evening.

MARRIAGE MONDAY

e-Mom over at Chrysalis (http://www.chrysaliscom.blogspot.com/) hosts Marriage Monday, and what a precious, thought-provoking meme this is! I love to participate when I have the chance. She hosts this meme once a month, usually on the first Monday of the month. This month was an exception because of the holiday on last Monday. Visit her blog. You don't want to miss out. Even if you don't participate in Marriage Monday, this is a great blog to add to your blog roll and visit often. I've grown to love this blog and I check in as often as I can. Anyway, e-Mom's theme for this month is WHY ROMANCE MATTERS, and she asks this:

What tones down the tension, and tunes up the tenderness? How do you encourage your husband to open up and share his feelings? We want to know.

Here's my two cents worth:

It is just painfully obvious that men and women are wired different. Study after study proves that men love to have their wives share their physical bodies with them and fulfill their sexual needs. That's intimacy and romance to them. Women on the other hand, are usually just as satisfied, if not more so, with sweet, tender touch and closeness as they would be with sex. I know for me that's the case, although I enjoy my husband in relations both ways mentioned here.

I love to feel his tender touch. His hands are strong and they make me feel safe and secure. They physically tell me that he cares. I like to feel his body next to mine when we sit or lay down next to each other. I love the closeness and warmth. That would be enough for me. If I asked him, though I don't need to, that would NOT be enough for my dear, sweet husband.

I've figured out that all things in marriage, to make it successful that is, have to be learned. I mean we can have the natural tendency to be ourselves, but does that fill the need of the other person? Not always. Think about it. I'm a natural nurturer and I like to feel taken care of as well. My husband is a natural provider and he likes to be taken care of, but not necessarily in the ways that I do. If my husband were to just provide though, and not give me any attention, cuddle me, say the right words, affirm my duties and actions, and all the things that make me "tick" as a wife, I would feel neglected. On the flip side of that same coin, if I didn't purposely try and figure out then carry out what made my husband function and "tick," he would surely feel neglected also. I guess I'm saying that we should purposely, by many available means, try and figure out what pleases, helps, and satisfies the other person. We need to study the wiring of the other person and seek to connect and make things work. Doing this doesn't benefit one person, but both. Wouldn't you be more willing to do things for your husband (not by feelings of sheer duty and/or obedience) if you felt satisfied intimately and romantically? Wouldn't he perform or function better towards you if his needs were taken care of? Probably so, in a healthy relationship anyway. Submission to God and His words by both people, will always make the relationship work.

Romance does matter. My husband is an exception, I believe, when it comes to a man being naturally romantic. I don't mean creatively romantic. I mean intimacy-based romance. He is such a sweet man. He really fulfills my needs for touch, the right way, at the right times. He is thoughtful of me, kind to me, fills in the gaps for me when I physically can't do something for whatever reason, rubs my feet, opens my doors, pulls my seat out, gives me looks and stares that assures me that he has eyes for me, and much much more. For all the things I may temporarily moan and groan about, there is much more that he does right. For that I'm, truly grateful. This fills my female needs. While I would obey God and try, with His enabling me, to do the things that a wife should do, even if he didn't give me romance and intimacy, him doing so makes it that much easier for me to function and perform the way I should. God placed the need for intimacy within us women, and we shouldn't have those needs neglected or deny that they are there and need to be filled. When we're single, God takes care of these needs. He is our Comforter and Provider and Friend. If He decides to give us a husband, HE allows the husband to now fill those needs, although we should recognize that no human being alive could fill our needs as completely and rightly as God can.

I encourage my husband to open up and share his feelings with me as well as keep up the good work when it comes to intimacy and romance by meeting his needs. I believe that he would just be this way (romantic) anyway, but he would surely become discouraged if I were not to respond to his needs. While it's unrealistic to say that my husband is romantic and perfectly intimate 100% of the time, this is truly the way he is most of the time,...but, when he doesn't feel like talking or being creative in the relationship to keep "the fires burning," I give him ideas, I tell him what I would like to have happen, I try to be mindful of being consistent about filling his needs, we go to marriage retreats, we read books, we get ideas from other couples, we pray more than anything, and we read, read, read the Word of God.

One of the most romantic times in my marriage was when my husband and I were having a rather heated conversation about something I can't remember anymore, but I know that I was strongly disagreeing. We were dressed for a really formal occasion and had already gone to the function but had no time to go change before my son's soccer game, so we went the way we were. He in a nice suit and I in a beautiful dress of chiffon, satin, lace, a sheer wrap about my shoulders, and semi-high, strappy heels. When we arrived at the soccer game, I jumped out of the car first and headed to the field, assuming that he was close behind me. Big mistake! He literally ALWAYS opens my door for me, no matter what. He was very insulted. He doesn't care whether we disagree or not, he loves being the gentleman and having no one take that privilege from him. He leaned against the car and watched me saunter off, high stepping and moving quickly with an attitudinous "switch" in my walk. It was a little windy so I pulled my wrap (or shawl, depending on where you're from) close to me, cocked my head upward, and kept moving toward the field. Suddenly, I stopped and turned around and realized he wasn't behind me, and I started looking for him. When I looked back a distance, I could see he was leaning against the car, smiling no less!! What was he smiling about, I wondered!! This was certainly NOT a "smiling kind of moment," at least not in my opinion. I had to decide whether to go on to the field with my apparent attitude, or go back to the car. Of course, the sinful nature in me said to just go on to the field. He'll eventually make his way over. He's a big boy, besides, I'm not giving in to his little antics! Ha!! Yeah, right!! I walked back over to the car and he stands there, shaking his head and smiling harder. I got close enough to ask him what exactly he was smiling about, and he proceeds to say this: "I've never seen a more beautiful angry woman in my life. I watched you walk away and I love what attitude, in that dress, with those shoes look like. I wasn't turned off at all. Just the opposite. I wasn't angry anymore, I was capsized. You are beautiful, no matter how you feel. I can't stay angry or disagreeable with you. Come here." I came closer and well...he kissed me and walked me over, arm in arm to the field, staring at me the whole time, reminding me of how beautiful he thought I was. I will never forget this.

I hope you enjoyed this post today. There are more though. If you visit e-Mom at the link above, you can share in the romantic moments of others who participated this month. You can see why they think romance is important. I hope that your marriage is romantic, and if it's not, I hope you and your hubby find ways to make it so. It's worth every moment you put into it.

I share this picture a lot, but it's one of my favorites of us, and he had been being romantic towards me right before this picture was taken.