Blogger Sabbath - Whoa!

Cody takes a blogging Sabbath on a regular basis, but I'm not generally this bad!  Whew!  I apologize! This last week has been pretty crazy.  I wish that I could tell you that something absolutely entrancing had happened, but no such luck.  I've just been busy.  Sad thing?  This was the week the kids were on break, so I didn't have any commitment Wednesday night and the praise band didn't actually rehearse on Thursday night.  Two free nights added to my world.  What did I do with them?  Nothing terribly productive, let me assure you.  I went out to dinner.

Max and I took the new Director of Ministries out to dinner on Wednesday evening.  I figure if anyone is going to get to know me well, they had probably better get to know Max.  He is part of me after 13 1/2 years.  Thursday night I went out with Max and Leonard (Fran had to pay bills - blech).

I have been out and about every night this week and when I did finally get home after being gone all day, I was pooped!  So pooped that I didn't have any intelligent words to share with the world.  Consequently, no blogs.

The next paragraph of this blog is going to sound like a commercial, but I have just discovered one of the most anointed, coolest things ever!  The Bible!  Ok ... not really ... but ... well ...

I ordered "Inspired by: The Bible Experience" on CD last week and it entered my home Friday.  It is the most amazing thing ever. An immense cast came together to read the words of Scripture with passion and anointing. 

If you have 10 minutes - watch this video.  If you don't - come back and watch it later, you will be amazed!

I spent Friday evening listening to I, II, III John and Jude. Then I popped in the book of Romans.  Listened to it all the way through.  To hear someone read these words is simply amazing. I could hear Paul speaking as he was writing the letter.

Yesterday I was working on my Disciple study - we are wading through the law - Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.  But, as I listened to Moses talking to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, I heard it as I would hear a great sermon.  It was inspiring!  It was no longer a drag.  I opened my Bible to the passage I was listening to, and read along as I heard the words in my ears.

All I can say to you is: Get This!  There is such a different level of understanding that comes when you hear the Word of God rather than just reading it.

The early Jews and Christians didn't just read God's word. It was read to them over and over. It was told to them as stories and the letters of Paul were read out loud in the churches.  The stories of Jesus were told over and over again in homes as people gathered together.

You will notice that all of the actors are black.  I love that! There is more passion and yearning in these voices that most of us will ever feel or be able to voice. The talent of Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Angela Bassett, Blair Underwood, Samuel L. Jackson becomes a vehicle for God's Word to be heard by millions.

Hear God's Word. Read God's Word. Let this become part of your very being. Whatever works for you to put the knowledge of the Word of God into your heart ... do it.

Go to Bed!

It is 3:45 am and I am still up. I tried falling asleep, I think I might have drifted off for a few moments, but alas ... to no avail. I'm still awake. I think this is one of those things that goes along with getting old. The worst thing is that I never know when this is going to hit. It's actually been a problem the last few days. And, for want of a better explanation, it's cyclical. So, here I am.

This has been a weird week. I took Wednesday off because I felt horrendous. It actually started on Monday, by Tuesday I felt awful and Wednesday morning I knew I just needed to keep sleeping. Thursday was nuts and Friday evening I had the first of two concerts this weekend for Canticum Novum. I was a little stressed about that.

I slept in this morning until 9:40. I never do that! My body kicks me out of bed by 7:00 at the latest anymore. See, I'm tired. I slept for 1/2 hour this afternoon while Max was watching Ohio State football, but that wasn't nearly enough to keep me up this late. I simply can't get my brain to turn off. Television either annoys me or overstimulates my mind at this point, so the screen is dark.

I wonder why I'm up? In just a few minutes, Leica is going to beg me to take her outside. She can't have this much activity happening with expecting to be let out. I don't blame her, I can't have this much activity happening without heading for the bathroom either!

I was speaking with Fran today about 'Sabbath'. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. In fact, I'm betting that I've blogged about it. But, oh well ... it is still on my mind. When you read Exodus 20 and consider the 10 Commandments, does it occur to you that 'remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy' is actually one of the commandments? It's not a suggestion, it ranks up there with 'do not kill' or 'do not steal'. If we take those seriously, how can we ignore this one?

Since I've been thinking a lot about this commandment in the last several weeks, I was kind of hoping to come to some type of conclusion about how to make this a part of my life. I haven't been able to. I guess I don't even know what it means to me!

In days of yore, the Sabbath was a day set aside for scripture reading and attending church. Nothing much happened and children were generally bored stiff. We have rejected that lifestyle to the point that we work hard every single day of the week and get no rest. We work at our jobs for 5-6 days a week and our weekends become a mad rush to complete all of our personal tasks before we head back to our jobs.

Don't think for a minute that I am not as guilty of this as every one else. I may not do a million tasks and activities during my weekend, but I'm certainly not setting aside a day for 'holiness'. No, I make no judgments on anyone.

But, wow ... it really is time for me to begin to consider what God would like to see my Sabbath look like!

Alright, it's now 4 am. I'm going to run the dog outside and then I'm going to try again for sleep. I may not make it to church in the morning. Poor Max will have to go alone. I think that 3 hours of sleep might be as bad as just staying up all night! We'll see what happens.

Diane, go to bed!

Slowly I Turn, Step by Step

There's an old vaudeville sketch that I would love to be able to quote, but since none of my friends have any clue what it is, I'm afraid it is totally lost on them.

The Three Stooges used it in a movie "Gents Without Cents", Abbott and Costello used it and I've also discovered it in an "I Love Lucy" episode.

If you love me (hehe), you'll learn this sketch enough so that I can feel comfortable repeating it and hopefully perpetuate the joke!

Here is the classic Stooges clip:

Now, here is the Abbott & Costello bit (the guy in the cell with Abbott is another old vaudevillian - Sid Fields):

I Love Lucy (I think this is Emmett Kelly with her!):

And just one more if you want to spend the time - Mike Douglas asked a 75 year old Moe Howard to be on his show.  This is awesome!  The woman ... Julie Newmar.  Good heavens, I'm getting old!

If you hear me say, "Slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch ..." run for your life.  I might punch you in the eyes, rip open your shirt and beat you to the ground! (hehe)

It Smells Like Fall!

I just took Leica back outside and as I was standing there, I experienced a joyful sensation - the smell of dried leaves and freshly mown grass. Ahhh ... it was fabulous!

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. I love the crisp air and the smells that are associated with the changing of the season. I love football season and the excitement that it generates. I've always anticipated the new television series that will be starting up - and even though I am turning off the television, there are still a few that I'm enjoying this year. I enjoy new programs starting and old programs re-starting at church. It's just a great time of year for me.

Bread and potato chips no longer are at the mercy of humidity, food doesn't spoil within 15 minutes on my countertop.

I sleep better at night - the cool air moves through my home, I don't mind having a warm dog snuggling close to me or a rather large cat lying on top of me, my internal thermostat is much happier.

God blessed us with seasons and though I try to be thankful for all of His good things, I am not the person to come to when you want the summer season to be blessed. I whine, moan, and complain about heat all through the summer. In fact, I've even been whining and complaining a bit this fall because it feels as if summer is trying to hang on longer than it should! I will put up with the winter months and I will thrill to the freshness of spring, but when fall comes I light up and become the happy person I want to be all year!

A high of 65 degrees and a low of 37 degrees at night. That is my perfect weather. Right now? I'm in the middle of it. Ahhhh .... thank you Lord!

Another Saturday

Max and I got up early this morning so that we could be ready to get to church early. There was a pet blessing happening. Lots of activity, an incredible amount of time and effort had gone into preparing for this day. Many volunteers had expended time and energy.

7:00 came awfully early. There were terrible thunderstorms last night and this household (among many others in the metro) did not sleep well. But, they had finally subsided and Leica was READY to go outside. The poor thing was wiggling and whining. Out we went and my phone rang. It was Jennie's ringtone ... hmmm ... I'm going to see her in a couple of hours - what's up!

I got back to my phone, picked up the voicemail and ... the Blessing was cancelled. I really thought she was kidding me, so I had to call her back. No, not kidding. Cancelled. I was torn between being quite thankful for having a few hours returned to my world and the fact that after so much energy, money and time had gone into this and so many people knew about it - there would be nothing! I am my father's daughter. Never let people down when they are counting on you.

A few phone calls later and I was ready for my day to wind back down and start later!

Max is off to the Nebraska football game today with a friend and I'm hanging out waiting for Carol to call. I'm supposed to help her install a grading program on a computer and then see if we can make the thing work well for her so that she will have grade reports done in a week or so. If I can do this over the internet with her and stay in the comfort of my own house, I'm certainly going to try that! I would love to have the day to myself (no husband, no activity) so that I can get some writing done.

It's a perfect day for that! The weather is cool, the sky is overcast - who wants to go anywhere! Not this girl.

So ... I'm off ... for awhile. I might be back if my brain gives me something entertaining or interesting to talk about. I have Hornsby playing in the background, a dog snuggled in blankets beside me, the television is off and I have thoughts rolling around in my mind. It's going to be a good day!

Making God Laugh

I hope that many of you are like me in that you believe the humorous moments in your life are shared by God. Sometimes I can practically hear Him laughing at me (or with me as the case may be).

I'll begin this story by referring you to my blog of last Saturday. "Turn the TV off!"

While His command to me was not about actually turning the television off, it was all about my obedience to Him and the fact that I am highly distracted by television. God really isn't asking me to give up the few shows that I find entertaining. What He is asking me to do is turn the television off when I'm just sitting on my butt and being a vegetable. And when I turn the television off, I know full well that the expectation is that I actually participate in a relationship with Him!

The reason for the command was simple. I was complaining about not being able to memorize scripture and God responded with a practical solution.

Well ... I had a very long day today - spent too many hours at the office. Max and I stopped at Jimmy John's for a sandwich and as he took Leica outside for a quick walk, I planted my stuff around my desk and saw he had brought the mail inside and laid it there for me to check. A bill and a package! Hmmm ... what's this?

I nearly fell off my chair, I began laughing so hard as I opened it. Here is the conversation that I had with Max as he came in the back door with Leica.

Diane: Max, do you know how funny YOUR God is?
Max: MY God? Why is He my God?
D: Because you’re the only one I know with a sense of humor as awful as this.
M: What happened?
D: You are never going to guess what just came in the mail?
M: What?
D: What big moment did I have with God this weekend?
M: Turn off the TV.
D: Well, I just got a Nielsen Media Rating survey in the mail.
M:

Yes, folks, I have a Nielsen Media Rating survey to fill out online this evening. Just at the point I am doing my best to be obedient, this shows up. Don't TELL me God doesn't have a sense of humor. And let me just reiterate, this is absolute confirmation of the command from Saturday. Because I honestly believe that sometimes God confirms His Word with a humorous event.

I love Him so much!

Listening to God

I think that one of the things we have the most difficulty accepting is whether we are hearing from God or just making things up in our minds. I'm an old lady and I've been worrying about this as long as I've been a Christian. But, to be honest, more and more, I've been increasing in the confidence that I have in discerning whether or not I'm making stuff up.

You see, God is always consistent. Consistent with Scripture, consistent with telling others the same things and consistent in repetition with me.

For the last couple of months, from different sources, I have been hearing God tell me to turn off the television. Because this is probably one of my biggest addictions, I haven't been paying close attention to Him. But, it has been registering and stirring in my mind.

Then, this afternoon, as I was in the bathroom (I have discovered that is the quietest place around - no distractions. God and I spend a lot of time talking in there), I was talking to God about my lack of ability to memorize scripture. And plain as day, I heard "Turn the tv off." I promptly ignored it, figuring that I had made that up because of my guilt over this. But, I kept talking to God and with no warning, I heard "Turn the tv off."

Well, doggone it! I don't want to! But, I know that it is become quite apparent this is no longer an option. I'm not turning it off completely ... yet, but I will get rid of digital cable on Monday. I asked Max if that was going to be ok this evening when he came downstairs. His response, "Why wouldn't you?" Ok ... confirmation.

Lately, the television has not been on as much. It's been quite discretionary. There are a few shows that I really enjoy. I watch those and then it goes silent or off. We watch some football, Max loves baseball, so the playoffs are on, a Nascar race and then the television really doesn't interrupt my world so much anymore. God's been drawing me away from it for quite some time.

Do I believe He is asking me to remove all visual entertainment? No, not at all. But, you can barely understand my addiction. The television is on all the time! I use it as a distraction. When I don't want to think or my brain is lazy, I just let it run. Sometimes it's on in the background, but my back is to it and I'm not watching a thing.

I'm discovering that there might be a point where the television is no longer important in my home. I can actually watch most of my favorite shows on my computer. We'll see where God takes me on this one. Know that I'm completely desirous of being in His will, but at the same time, I am about as rebellious as one girl who loves her Lord can be! He has to talk pretty loudly to get me to pay attention to changes in things that I'm really addicted to. But, the good news is - He does speak loudly to me when I need to be listening and He causes me to be attentive to His voice.

My only task is to be attentive. I thrust myself into Scripture so that I recognize what He is saying when He speaks to me. And I know that the reason I need to turn off the television is because I need to spend more time in Scripture. When my friends tell me what they believe God is saying to them, I listen and I process. You see, God speaks to me in many ways if I choose to listen.

The Desert

Sometimes insanity hits and you wonder if God really means it. Am I meant to sit here and be driven nuts? Is it really true that I have to put up with a load of horse patootie? And if God says He's hanging out close by, why can't I feel Him? And why is it that everyone around me is in the same place?

Ok ... enough, Diane. For heaven's sake! You have a few crappy days and you are going to start pulling this garbage? Puhleeze.

What do YOU do when you feel like you've entered the desert and there is no oasis in sight? Normally, my response would be to get angry and hide out. Oh, don't think I wouldn't be praying. I always pray. But, my prayers get really self-centered. It's all about me and not so much about God. I talk to people that are in the middle of the garbage with me and we have a hard time pulling each other out. It goes from bad to worse.

But, not this time. I decided that I was going after a pray-er that rocks my world! I sent the email and then I started praying. God talked to me on the way home from work and I knew that I had to send her another quick email to rescind my rant. But, God had gotten to her first. And told her exactly what to say to me.

Verse by verse, she wiped me out with scripture. Not yelling, but reminding me and letting me know that attacks come - sometimes before a big event and many times after. Beforehand to stop the power and afterwards to steal the joy. My joy was creeping out the back door today ... I'd held on alone for too long by myself and I was letting the crap overtake me.

And He sent another friend into my office to just bounce in and remind me that there are other good things happening in my life.

I'm a moron. I'll admit it freely. But, I'm a moron that God loves and even when I'm a whiny, rotten tomato (visualize that, won't you?) He sends hope and joy to me. Whew! I'm a bit ashamed.

Funniest remark today: Max called when I was coming back from lunch.

M: Now, I'm kind of being funny, but don't get upset.
D: Uh oh, what's up?
M: What did you do to piss Satan off today?
D: What? (giggling a little)
M: You know that 300 gigabyte hard drive that we store our entire music library on? It's dead.
D: Are you kidding?
M: Nope. Totally dead. Everything on it is gone.
D: Tell me you have backup!
M: Sure. It's all backed up.

Ok ... so, we have to replace a $150.00 hard drive, but I will never forget Max asking what I had done to piss Satan off. Gotta love the man!

Sleepy ... with more day ahead of me

I generally treasure Monday evenings. In fact, the reason that I'm not in a bible study on Mondays is because I was actually going to try to do some writing in that time off. But, alas (reader be warned: whining is about to occur), I don't seem to be achieving a night off! Last Monday night I spent at Panera with Carol working on grading papers and building her mid-quarter progress reports. Tonight, I have a meeting. Argh. The problem is that I am busy practically every night of the week and I just get worn out after awhile!

I'm hanging out with all of these youngsters (if you aren't 35 yet, you are a youngster) and they have the energy and stamina to do all of these things day after day.

So, here it is 5:00 pm and I know that I have two hours before my evening meeting. Max is out messing around with a friend, I don't have a vehicle and I figure I may as well make the most of my time. I'll keep working. And I guess that I'm going to find myself whining! (hehe)

Enough of that ...

Last night I spent some time reading through the letters of Peter. I read through them and then began again, reading slowly. When I get through this reading, I want to tear them apart and see what is really going on.

I don't know that I've ever really READ through these letters. I've read passages in them and love them. But, as I get deeper and deeper into scripture, I yearn to KNOW these things inside and out. To make them part of my thoughts.

Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart"
Psalm 119:16 "I will not neglect your word."

The other book that I'm beginning to work through is Ezra (Old Testament). It is just so cool to see how God works in the lives of people to bring about His kingdom!

I'll let you know how it's going!

It Comes to a Close

It's been a good weekend. Yesterday ended well. Max and I reclaimed the living room (don't laugh - you have NO idea!) and then we enjoyed it. He watched football while I ironed and then we both took a long nap. The weather was windy and wonderful and I listened to it roar while I was in the safety of my house.

I worked on my Bible Study last night and got things ready for a friend to lead it while I was at a rehearsal this evening. I stayed up late, enjoying the quiet and then off to church this morning. Lunch with friends, home for a nap and then a joint Canticum Novum / Grace College choir rehearsal. Everything was fabulous and it is early on a Sunday evening and I'm about to relax and finish the weekend.

Random thoughts:

We're such dorks in this house. Max is a huge Cleveland Indians fan (baseball - ). He would love to watch the Cleveland Browns play football, but that will never happen in Omaha (unless he goes to DJ's Dugout - a Browns hangout. He watches Ohio State football (can you tell that he grew up in Ohio?). So, last night the Buckeyes won college ball, today the Indians beat the KC Royals. They're headed to the World Series playoffs - it's a big deal for him! And ... the Browns won again today, they don't really suck! Me? I enjoy Nascar, too. So ... the weekends are spent listening to or watching sports.

I love Kettle potato chips. And the best chips in the world are the ones that are folded in half or in multiple folds. Now, how sad is it that I have actually identified this! Carol, mom and I used to fight over the folded chips. Oh, and while I'm at it. I love eating pizza that was baked as a round pie, and then cut in squares, rather than triangles. Because, I love the corners - all that crust! Yum! I have to fight Fran for those. It's a good thing our husbands have learned that they don't get to eat the corners. Oh yea, and that reminds me. I like cake better than frosting, unless it's my cream cheese frosting, but even still - I prefer the cake. And I like cupcakes better than cake, because I don't have to worry about what size piece I might be taking - it's a single serving!

I'm an addict for stuffed animals. Really, it's just plain stupid. I have finally admitted that I buy the things for me and not for some random non-existent child. And I remember when I finally got past the point of having to have a child with me to go to a "kids" movie. That was such a good feeling.

I have a love/hate relationship with the telephone. I hate the stupid thing, but love having access to my family and friends. I would prefer that it never ever ring. In fact, I'm starting to shudder at all of my ring tones. How pathetic is this? Yesterday I finally turned it to 'silent' so that I could ignore it and not even think about it.

There ... that's enough random stuff floating around in my head. It's time to stop and go to bed. Oh, and SCRUBS is on right now - talk about random! I love the show.

When it Stinks Being a Christian

Ok, I started this morning in a foul mood. I was SO excited about finally having a day that I could sleep in. I actually woke up at 5:00 this morning, took the dog out and came back in, turned the television on and watched a stupid movie until 6:30, knowing that I had plenty of time to sleep.

But, alas, it was not to be. Max got up at 8:00 and started moving around. He was gathering the laundry. I just looked at him.

D: What in the h*** are you doing?
M: Laundry.
D: At 8:30 in the morning?
M:
D: Well, damn it. Now, I can't sleep.
M: Sure you can!
D: No, I have to gather up the rest of the laundry.
M: I thought you'd already done that.

I looked around - and could see articles of dirty laundry laying around. He obviously didn't, because he hadn't laid his hands on them and was ready to walk out the freakin' door. He decided it might be time to get the dog outside and away from my wrath. But, THEN he walked back in, picked up the laundry basket and stared at me. Are you kidding me with this?

D: Don't stare at me.
M: I was going to bring back breakfast.
D: I don't want freakin' breakfast at 8:30 on a Saturday morning!

Well, let's just say, that wasn't the best way to start my Saturday, and poor Max knew at that point that his Saturday was going to suck in a big way. Fortunately for him, he was gone long enough that God worked on me a little bit and reminded me that my attitude was actually the problem. See what I mean about being a Christian? I can't even hold a good 'mad' with justification!

So, I've been doing a bit of cleaning - not a lot, but a little bit and I will do some more and then, hopefully I will be able to settle down and do some writing and reading this afternoon while he watches football.

Note to self: On a Friday evening that you are planning to sleep in, be sure to gather laundry AND warn Max not to interrupt your sleep. Oh, and you might want to pray about your attitude today!

Weekends are beautiful

This has been a great week. They generally are in my world, but wow am I always thankful for a Friday evening. Especially a Friday evening with nothing going on. I knew that today was going to be a great day, but I had an awful lot of things that needed to be completed.

Consequently, I've discovered a new caffeinated drink! And I believe I may have had a few too many this week. Whoa! Scooters has a Vertigo Smoothie - ummm ... any fruit flavor (my favorite is mango/strawberry). What makes it amazing? Red Bull. Good heavenly days, I'm 48 years old! Am I nuts? I'm afraid so.

See the problem is, I hate coffee. I just really hate it! So, when we hit a Starbucks or Crane Coffee or Scooters, or any other coffee place, I have to be a little extra creative. I love a good Chai. Iced or hot, I love it. And I love some of the teas - but others are a little blechy (my own word). And I love smoothies. Adding Red Bull? oh my goodness! On Wednesday I got one going into work and then we had to stop after lunch for something and I got another! I tried to justify it by saying (to myself and anyone who would listen) that I had to be at church until 8:30 pm for music rehearsals. Yah ... whatever.

The last two mornings as I was driving to work, I tried to talk myself out of stopping. But, I found myself being annoyed because there was no Scooters on the way to work and I then found myself driving out of my way to get to one. Bad Diane!

We'll see what happens through the weekend - there's no reason to find a Scooters. Can I make it without my fix? It's anyone's guess.

But, my drink this morning got me going enough to start plowing through a very long list of tasks. I stopped long enough to have a nice lunch with Amy and Jen - and then I was back at it for the afternoon. It seems that Fridays are my "Remember Insty-Prints" days. I spend a lot of time on Fridays printing, cutting, folding, copying, on and on. I could whine about it, but this IS the reason I was hired into a job that I love. I generally try to have everything ready for the volunteers who come in to help us out. But, things get jammed up and I end up clearing my desk and finishing projects on Fridays.

I've been a vegetable this evening. Watched some television, laid around on the sofa, had Jimmy John's for supper. I haven't actually had a free evening for several weeks. I'm enjoying the heck out of it! And tomorrow? I've got nothing planned. So, I'm going to sleep late and then I'm going to do some writing. Maybe a little cleaning as well ... things tend to pile up when I run from 8:00 am - 10:30 pm day after day.

Max and I watched "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" this evening. At least the last 20 minutes or so. He gets so MAD when they don't get the answers correct! I though he was going to become apopleptic when the man said 'George Washington' to the question: 'Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826. What other president died on the exact same day?' Fortunately the contestant stopped the game before he answered incorrectly. Max is practically screaming at the television set: ADAMS, it's ADAMS!

You know ... I have a lot of friends who scream and yell at their television sets during football games. I have a husband who screams and yells during simplistic game shows! Oh, it's always entertaining around here.

Tonight, I'm going to be thankful for a beautiful breeze flowing through the house, a dog that is always glad to see me - even when she's just been outside going to the bathroom, a husband who is absolutely wonderful and a God who brings me joy - joy that overflows. It's going to be a great night.

Names of God - Part V

There are many other names of God that describe Him in the Old Testament:

You know the next one quite well.

Jehovah Ro’i: The Lord is my Shepherd – from Psalm 23.

Judges 6:24. Gideon was afraid before God. Verse 22: “When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid, You are not going to die.’

So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it ‘The Lord is Peace’”

Jehovah Shalom. The Lord is Peace.

There are many more examples

El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).

El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).

El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).

El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35).

El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).

El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3).

El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).

El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).

El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10).

And the one name of God that comes forward into the New Testament in the form of a child.

From Isaiah 7:14.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

When Matthew retells the story in Matthew 1, vs. 23 – he finishes the sentence for us.

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel – God with us.

Many of God’s different personalities had been revealed to His people throughout the centuries. I believe that He wants us to learn these character traits and know God through them. But, then one day, the prophecy from Isaiah came to pass. God lived among us again.

Immanu … el. “God with us”.

Of all of the characteristics that God showed to His people and of all of the names that God was named by, this is the name that changed the world forever.

Immanuel – God with us.

God became like us and lived among us. He communicated with us at our level. And things were never the same again. From a tightly-structured Hebrew community to spreading His good news throughout the whole world, God with us describes all that He wants.

God wants to be with us. He wants to be all sufficient for us – El Shaddai, to be our provision – Jehovah Jireh, to be the commander of all of the hosts of the universe and to lead those hosts in battle for us – Yahweh Sabaoth, to be the means of our victory, our banner – Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Roeh – our shepherd, Jehovah Shalom – our peace.

Names of God - Part IV, Jehovah Jireh

JEHOVAH JIREH – The Lord Provides

Abraham called God his provider when God called him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In Genesis 22:7-8, Isaac asks his father where the lamb was for the burnt offering. Can you imagine the sadness in Abraham’s voice when he responded?

Verse 8, “Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’”

Abraham trusted God so deeply that He did everything he was called to do. And when God stayed his hand, Abraham was grateful.

Verse 14, “So Abraham called that place ‘the Lord will provide.’ And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’”

God is my provider. We say those words, but do we really believe them? Could we live our lives as if they were true?

There is no story that I’ve read that affected me like that of George Muller. He was born in 1805 in Prussia. He had nothing to do with Christianity until he was 20 years old. He had been a thief, a liar, a gambler and a drunkard. Even as his mother lay dying, he was known to be roaming the streets completely drunk.

In 1825, a friend invited him to a prayer meeting and he went. His life was profoundly changed. He was already in seminary, though only for the financial benefits. His father was paying his way, but incredibly enough, it was so that George would have a manse and his father would be able to live there.

After George became a Christian, he chose to go into missionary work. His father ceased paying his tuition and he became dependent on God alone. In 1829, he moved to England. He wanted to train as a missionary to the Jews. But, he met a man named Henry Craik, who began teaching him the scriptures and a way of life that George had never known.  He took a job as a pastor of a small church that would pay 50 pounds yearly.  He made a decision at that point to fully trust in God for every provision.

During his life time he received and gave away over 7.2 million dollars. (this was in the 1800s). He established 117 schools which educated more than 120,000 young people. He established orphanages and when he died in 1898, the church that he pastured had over 2000 members.

He believed that he was not to receive any fixed salary. God would provide all his needs. He believed that he was to never ask any human being for help, but to make his wants known to God. He took the command from Luke 12:33 literally, “Sell all that you have and give to the poor” And his final life belief was the literal interpretation of Romans 8:8 “Owe no man anything.”.

George Muller had an immense impact on England, but it was never a financial impact. He believed in God’s provision. He believed in Jehovah Jireh. And he changed the lives of thousands.

Names of God - Part III, El Elyon, Yahweh Sabaoth

El Elyon. We find this throughout scripture. It means God Most High. Remember, El means God. Elyon means “Supreme” or “Most High”.

Psalm 18:13: “The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty profound!

My father had a huge voice. I grew up fearing that voice when it came thundering my name. The problem was that not only was it a strong, big voice, but it was a well-trained voice. The baritone voice would roar through the house when we were in trouble and everyone would duck and cover.

One of my childhood embarrassing moments was because of that big voice. Since dad was a pastor, we didn’t generally worship in other churches. But, every summer we would go up to our cabin in central Iowa. Dad always took a couple of weeks so that we could work on the place and enjoy ourselves. The first Sunday that we were there, we would go to church in town. We had never been in a church with a balcony, so that is where we kids wanted to sit. It was fun for us. However! Dad would begin singing the hymns of the morning and I just wanted to crawl under the pew. His voice was booming out over the congregation. Over the tops of the heads of the congregation! They would turn around and stare at us and I would just shrink. But, Dad didn’t mind. He loved to sing, and he had a beautiful voice. He was not ashamed to be singing praise to God with all he had.

A couple of side notes to that story? When Dad retired, he moved to that community and made that church his home church. Even though he had Parkinson’s and it destroyed his speaking voice, it never affected his singing voice. His booming voice could be heard throughout that sanctuary until he died. And the other side note? I received that big voice and there is nothing more fun for me than singing praise with all I have!

I do have to tell you that God redeems everything. The little girl who wanted to crawl under the pew when her dad was singing, now sings with her heart and that thrilled my father when he would hear me sing.

YAHWEH SABAOTH. The Lord of Hosts.

Max’s very favorite hymn is “A Mighty Fortress is our God”. While I’ve always loved this hymn, it stirs him completely.

If you read through the poem, the second verse tells us about the Lord Sabaoth.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

The Lord of Hosts is the Commander of the Angelic host and the armies.

We see Him in I Samuel 17:45. This is the story of David and Goliath.

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

And we all know what happens when the God of the armies marches against His foes. They are defeated!

Psalm 24:10 affirms a universal sovereignty. This encompasses every force or army whether it is heavenly, cosmic or earthly:

“Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.”

Names of God - Part II, El Shaddai

The first name I want to talk about is one that was made familiar by Amy Grant. El Shaddai. This name means “God Almighty” or “God All Sufficient”. It’s found 48 times in the Old Testament. It is first found in Genesis 17:1.

“When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.”

That verse fills my heart! The Lord appeared to Abraham and said. “I am the God who is sufficient for every need.” I am the Lord Almighty. I am El Shaddai. That’s what He was saying to Abraham.

We see the name again in the story of Ruth and Naomi. In Ruth 1:20, Naomi says, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.”

When Naomi couldn’t understand why her life had been destroyed by the loss of her husband and her sons, she also couldn’t understand why the God who was to be all-sufficient would allow that to happen.

Now, this passage is also interesting in that it tells us something about her as well. The name “Naomi” means “pleasant”. The name “Mara” means “bitter”. Because of her anger at God, who was supposed to be her sufficiency, she went from being a pleasant woman to being a very bitter woman and she wasn’t afraid to say it out loud.

Anger at God causes many of us to become bitter. And we stop seeing His active role in our lives. The story of Naomi and Ruth doesn’t end with her being angry and bitter. She is restored in a way that only God can make happen.

We know the story of Ruth, she meets Boaz and marries him, yet keeps her former mother-in-law, Naomi with her. I want to read to you from the end of this book.

“So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi, ‘Praise to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a kinsman redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.’

Then Naomi took the child, laid him in her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, ‘Naomi has a son.’ And the named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

If you read Jesus’ lineage in both Matthew and Luke, you will discover that Obed’s name is there. Not only was Naomi’s bitterness redeemed as she held her daughter-in-law’s son, but for generations after that, her family was royalty.

God will redeem our bitterness and He is all-sufficient for us … if we just allow Him in to do that in our lives.

The last time we see this name used in scripture is in Revelation 16:7. “And I heard the altar respond, ‘Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.’”.

God Almighty. God All Sufficient. El Shaddai.

Names of God - Part I

Who Do You Say That I Am?

How much do you know about me? Do you know that my heritage is Scottish? Do you know that I was a music major and that I attended three different colleges, but I got through my bachelor’s degree in 4 years anyway? Do you know that I met my husband on the internet and that we were married within 4 months of meeting online? Do you know that I grew up in various small towns around Iowa? Do you know that I was planning to go to seminary but didn’t because my mom asked if I would start a business with her? Do you know that I love science fiction and would love to be able to write in that genre?

Well, now you know all of those things about me – but you would never guess those things if I were to simply introduce myself to you and tell you that my name is “Diane”.

We make a lot of judgments when meeting people based on what they look like, how they speak and how they interact with us. But, we don’t know too much about them until we get to know them a little more deeply.

What do we know about God? We actually approach learning about God quite differently than the early Hebrews did. Our names are not insights into our personality or our background. Some of your names might be family names, but they aren’t going to tell me much about who you really are.

In scripture, the names of God are like mini portraits of His personality and character. When people were given names in Scripture, that name meant something. Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac. His name meant “he laughs”. Sarah explained in Genesis 21:6, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

Ishmael means “God hears”, because God took care of Hagar in the desert. He heard her when she cried out to Him.

I could spend hours teaching you details about the names of God and all of the intricacies of how His name is used in the Old Testament.  It’s actually really cool and would be a terrific study to do.  But, tonight I just want to lift up some of the most important things that God taught His people about Himself.

Many of us know that the Israelites were not allowed to say the name “God”.  It was a sin. When it was written down, only 4 letters signified that name:  Y-H-W-H.  We actually have no idea what the pronunciation of that name is, but vowels were added at some point so that as the scriptures passed from Jewish hands into other cultures and into Christianity, we could actually say the name and write it fully.

YAHWEH – actually those 4 letters comes from the Hebrew verb “to be”.

In Exodus 3:13-14, Moses asks God a pretty deep question. Listen as they are speaking to each other:

“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you”, and they ask me “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’

God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

And God goes on: Verse 15

“God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’”

When we use the word, “YAHWEH”, we are declaring God’s absolute being – the source of everything – without beginning or end.

It’s very exciting to me to see God naming Himself to Moses. But, I also get excited when I see this happen in the New Testament.

John 8:56-59. Jesus is discussing himself with Jewish leaders. They are questioning him and asking if he considers himself to be greater than Abraham. In verse 57, they say, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!”

Jesus’ response: “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!”

Jesus didn’t say that before Abraham was born, he was. He purposefully chose to name himself in the same manner that God identified Himself to Moses. “I AM!”

I’m going to turn over to Romans 10:9. Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Notice those words: “Jesus is Lord”. Paul didn’t say, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is a prophet, or even the Messiah, or a rabbi, or anything else.” Paul identified Jesus with God … the Lord.

In your Bible, if you see “LORD” (all capitals), you are actually reading the name YAHWEH, or another anglicized version is Jehovah.  If you see small letters “Lord”, you are actually seeing a different name – “Adonai”, which literally is a title of respect, “my lord”.  Almost as if you are saying "Sir" when addressing him.

God’s name appears as the fourth word of the Bible. “In the beginning “God”. Now this word is translated from the word “Elohim”. The word “El” – “E – L” means God. “Elohim is the plural form of the word “God”.

We miss so many intricacies of our scripture because it has been translated away from the original languages. If you or I had been reading the original Hebrew from a very early age, it would have come as no surprise that God is seen as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as far back as the creation stories. Just by reading that one word, Elohim, we would have immediately associated this with the words from John’s gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

We would have been able to recognize the plurality of God.

When you read the name “God” in the Old Testament, you are reading the Hebrew word “Elohim.” When you read the name “LORD” (all Capitals) you are reading “Yahweh” and when you read the name “Lord” (upper and lower case) you are reading the name “Adonai”.

We will find YAHWEH ELOHIM in scripture as well. “LORD God”. In the creation story, Genesis 2:4, we read:

“When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens …”

Psalm 59:5 “O Lord God of Hosts, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors.”

Why have we been given so many different names for God throughout Scripture? Each name that I’m about to share with you reveals something more about the nature of God. Each name that we learn in Scripture does not change who God is, but tells us something more about Him.

(tomorrow we will begin with specific names - El Shaddai!)

Names of God: Preface

I spoke at the 6:00 service at church tonight.  I've done it several times before and I've always cheated.  When I wrote the Revelation study last year, I had to write 10 weekly talks.  So, I re-vamped those to fit a Saturday evening service and used them.  Not too much work, just a little preparation.

That didn't seem right this time, so last week when I was in Ohio, I prayed about what I should speak on tonight and after some soul searching, I realized that "The Names of God" would be a great topic. 

It's been a busy week and I tried all week to get to it.  When Thursday came and I had barely started, I panicked.  But, I also prayed.  I still wasn't compelled to go to my backup stash of talks and knew I was supposed to teach this lesson.  I finally had some time yesterday late afternoon and early this morning. I did finish it and found some fabulous information.

Then, this evening I knew that I needed to be in prayer for what God is going to do tomorrow in worship.  And as I prayed, I realized that knowing these names of God was amazing!  I could call Him by name when requesting His presence!  Oh my goodness, I was weeping by the time I got into the middle of my prayer time.

Everyone should know the names of God and what He is called ... So, as soon as I post this - I'm going to begin posting parts of my talk.  There is some great information there and the sooner you know WHO God is by His name, the sooner you will be able to pray in that name!

Stay tuned - it was a 20 minute talk, there's a lot of information.  But, wow ... it's good stuff.  And honestly, not because I wrote it, but because God revealed Himself to us through the scriptures!  Ready?  Let's go!

Trying Windows Live Writer

Max told me this evening about a new blog editor.  So, I'm trying it and so far?  Totally easy.  I downloaded it, sent it to my blog location and I'm writing already!  Let's check a few things out.  Because I'm a weirdo, you have to put up with my psychosis.

Max and I have been laughing over Chris Crocker.  Have you seen this guy?

But, if you have seen that - you have to also enjoy Seth Green's parody of the thing.  By the way, if you haven't clicked yet ... it's not necessarily all 'clean' language.

Well, while you are enjoying those crazy videos, I'm actually pretty impressed!  It was a cinch to add them and to resize the video space on my blog.  Alright ... that was easy, now what else can I do!

Hmmm!!!

Well, that was fun - I can insert a map!  And what I chose was the one thing that Max will never get me to do - traveling the Chunnel from England to France.  I will take the ferry, thank you very much!

Ok, and I can move entire paragraphs up and down or re-size each paragraph separately by using the handles. 

This isn't a terribly interesting blog to you - but I certainly had a good time learning about a new program.  We'll see what happens next!

Are We Done Yet?

Max asked me last night if I thought we were close to being done for the year. Done with loss and massive change, done with death. Done. My response was "I doubt it."

This is what I've learned about God. Things are always changing around Him. When I'm not changing, I'm not within His will. I've also learned that crisis brings me closer than anything else to God's heart. When I'm in crisis, I pray harder, longer and deeper than any other time. I'm beginning to think that God must 'miss' me when things are going well!

I'm also learning that every crisis or rough time or great change is tempered by God's mercy. As I learn to get through these times by relying on His strength instead of my own, I recognize that little bits of me are dropping away and more of God is entering in. I will never get to the point where people see only God in me. I'm too independent and God and I will probably fight over this personality until the day I finally die. I don't necessarily like it that way, but it's my reality.

Doesn't it seem like it would be easier to simply relinquish myself to God? Why, yes it does! And it's not like I don't want to.

So, no. I don't think we're done yet. Poor Max is married to me and God has a lot of work to do in my life. The only fortunate thing is that I'm married to Max. I've never met a man with a stronger, simpler faith. I'm guessing that God knew what He was doing when He brought us together. Max and I tend to balance each other pretty well. Even when it comes to working through our faith.