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.