What not to say or text?

As I was cooking this evening I was listening to the The learning channel and What not to wear was playing in the background. Toward the end of the program when the girl comes out totally made over all I could hear from the female co host was OMG this and that. Probably within one minute she said that phrase 3-4 times. Did I turn the channel off? No I continued to watch but did tell Gracie that she must not know the ten commandments or she must not go to church. Wouldn't it have been a better example to turn the TV off instead of judge the co host?

Jewish traditions can be pretty inspiring to read. Here's one that caught me off guard to the names of our God Yahweh. During the third century A.D., the Jewish people stopped saying this name in fear of defying the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The Jews regarded this name as so Holy they refused to even spell it in it's entirety. As a substitute, they would say "the Name" (Has Shem), "the Extra-ordinary Name," or "the Ineffable Name"

Even the priests while blessing the people in the temple was afraid to say the name "Yahweh". God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to use His name to bless the Israel lites in Numbers 6:20-27. The high priest also used Yahweh annually on Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement, when he entered into the most holy place.

This practice was not only practiced with speaking but also when writing Yahweh. A Jewish scribe copied scriptures and came to God's sacred name, he would set aside his quill and get a brand new one with which to write. After he copied the name, he would break and throw away the quill so no other word would come of that quill.

The Jews honored God's name so much that when Christ stood before them and called Himself "I am," they wished to stone him to death for which they thought was blasphemy (John 8:24, 58-59) It was not Jesus time yet and he slipped away before this could happen.

I am glad we are not bound by this covenant and legalistic attitude. As Jon Hauser stated in his sermon this past Sunday- it would take a whole truck load of chickens for all the sacrifices that would have to be made for sins committed daily. Instead, God came down to us in human form sending His son Jesus to die a cruel death on a cross. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice made for our sins so we don't have to make sacrifices for every sin we commit. We just have to pray to our God for forgiveness

What's in a name?

Everyone and everything has a name and thus a meaning is given to that person, place or thing. When creating my blog I had to think of a name and I had not thought about that part of creating the blog. I wanted it part of me, my goals and my outlook on life. I had heard this quote many times before but it became alive again at the Deeper Still conference! Kay Arthur was the first speaker and she wowed me by throwing Bible verses out every other breath. I want to be like that, able to inhale the Word and in a moment's notice exhale it! She preached on the book of Hebrews but then pulled this verse out of Philippians 3:20. Paul states , "But our citizenship is in heaven." I eagerly await Jesus return. I must remember there is somewhere better than this world everyday so my blog will remind me of this rock I stand.



Society tends to give people names by the way they look. My mom in her later years was funny but quite embarrassing. She would loudly say, "look at that poor fat so and so." I would cringe and hope they didn't hear. I think she meant it as a way to help me with my weight problem. My label has always been the red headed lady did or said that. The older I get I forget names and use descriptions for people. In my toddler Sunday School class I always try to tell Mike about someone by saying so and so child. He knows who I'm talking about without hesitation.



In Biblical times a name was much more important than it is now. It told about that persons identity, character or life. Moses meant "to draw out (of water)," Father Abraham meant "father of a multitude," Hannah means "grace." I think Mike's decision was correct to call my youngest, Olivia Grace, by her middle name- Gracie. Having a child eight years apart from our first born, Emily, was an act of grace from God. I was thirty eight and it had taken much longer to conceive our second child.



In my morning Bible study I read about Moses. When he saw the burning bush and God was speaking from it, Moses asked Him to reveal his name. Moses knew if he could identify his name he would know a lot more about who was speaking to him in such an unfamiliar fashion. The Bible has over one hundred names for God and each reveals and important aspect of His nature or points to one of the ways he reveals Himself. Studying all the different names of God will help me to know God better and his character.



Moses was a Hebrew but was raised in the court of Pharaoh. He had been exposed to many names of Egyptian Gods such as Ra, Anubis, Hathor and Awun. Moses committed a crime and fled to Midian to escape punishment. There he married the daughter of a Midian Priest. Probably her father served the war god Baal or the fertility goddess Asherah, both were gods in Canaan. Both places Moses lived he knew names of many gods, but he didn't know the name of the God his ancestors worshipped. So when the burning bush spoke to him Moses asked Him to reveal his name- he identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do I recognize God when He speaks to me? Am I too busy to sit at the throne and listen for His voice or do I have everything planned from morning to night? I'm the first to admit I over schedule myself too much and don't do my quiet time like I should. I hope this blog will open my eyes to see more of God and His works in my life and others