Doxology, Praise God

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

This song and verse came into mind :).

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Who are You to Tell Me I'm Beautiful?

I apologize for not posting in so long. I've been really packed with school and also I spiritually I need prayer.

This was written by someone I know, and they were fine with their name being placed for credit, so if you'd like to every repost this, please give credit :).


Who are You to Tell Me I’m Beautiful?


By: Carolyn Diez




A few years ago before I really committed my life to Jesus, I was a jerk. Honestly, God has been very merciful and gracious to help turn my life around. I was rude, I lived on gossip, and I focused on what other people thought I should be. I was very insecure, so I tried to make other people insecure about themselves too, so I could feel better about myself. I knew people who were real about themselves, but I only strived for superficial.



I think what encouraged this horrible me, was the people I hung around. They weren’t awful, but they certainly brought me down spiritually. Everything they looked for was image. I grew up being mostly a tomboy, and with a lot of siblings, and with my dad being a pastor we’ve never had a lot of extra money to spend on trendy clothes or hair.



Well that’s what these kids were about. They were all about how you looked, how you dressed and who you hung out with. They were like the queen bees, and they would cast you out of their group if you did NOT fit in. Well no one was really sure that I fit in. I was good friends with a couple of them, I was nice to them, and I trash talked the people who weren’t a part of them, but did I really fit in?



The obvious answer (mostly to anyone who knew me from back then) is that I didn’t. At all. I was desperate for attention and admiration… and I wanted to feel good about myself. It didn’t click that God was the only One who could fill me up with joy and self-worth. These kids made me feel left out when I couldn’t shop at the same stores or wear the trendy clothes… They trash talked with me behind other peoples’ backs, and trash talked me with other people behind MY back. I never had the same bag as them, or my hair was never styled (--in fact, it was in a pony-tail most of the time), they told me I would be prettier with this and with that. I never wore makeup and my clothes were “too modest” at times. They indirectly stated that they were “beautiful” and I was not.



So a year later, after always coming home crying and never feeling pretty, God gave me a lot of amazing experiences; things and people who never judged me on how I looked. They took everything from my personality and faith and assumed it was who I was/am. That year I really started to commit my life to Jesus and I knew I need new friends. So I prayed to God that He would give me new friends that were striving to grow spiritually and wouldn’t be into all the junk the other ones were into…



But, of course, the newly Christ-committed person I was, wandered around looking for these friends on my own, instead of giving the search completely to God. The new friends I found were “nice”. They told me I was “SO PRETTY” and that I fit in with them. They made me feel good about how I looked and how I acted, but the gossip I had been a part of was even worse, and the trash talk seemed to be non-stop. But I seemed to be okay… No one really said anything bad about me… They had actually praised me and treated me like one of them. They had invited me to their parties and welcomed my participation. But only because it made THEM feel good about THEMselves, I realized. I looked just like them, and I acted just like them. Together we were ‘one’ for ourselves, and even though we spoke of Him, we were not FOR Him. As soon as I realized I didn’t want to be a part of something that was not FOR God, it was easy for them not to accept me, not to talk well of me, and to make me feel like a traitor.



Well that’s too bad for them, I told myself. While this process had been going on, God had started placing life-changing, life-valuable, and life-long friendships in my way. They weren’t strong at first… In fact, they were undesirable. But when I completely gave my friendships to God and He gave me noticeable changes of friends, you could tell their “worth.” You could see their love and their own starting passion for God.



They didn’t pull me down spiritually, and in their own ways supported me and helped me to become stronger in the Lord. They weren’t perfect, but neither was I. The only thing that mattered to them was your heart. How we lived our lives out for God and for each other was what mattered. These people were truly beautiful. In fact, I had never seen people as beautiful as the newly found friends I had. They seemed to glow for God and for each other. Weight wasn’t counted, specific eye/hair/skin color wasn’t specifically desired, and in fact, none of the closest of us looked the same. Our hearts matched though, and that’s what brought us together, and hopefully forever.

I was once of the world, and that’s where I found my only temporary happiness. Now, being completely of and FOR God, (of course still a sinful being), my happiness only resides in the continuing joy of the Lord, through friends and family.



The changes/differences are this:



In the dictionary, made by a worldly man, ‘beautiful’ is defined as –

— ‘having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind.’

— ‘excellent of its kind’

‘Beauty’ is defined as –

– ‘the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)’



Other than that TINY, little, bitty ending, how horrible are these definitions of beauty and being beautiful???



THIS is how GOD defines beautiful:



“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,

But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”—Proverbs 31:30.



This passage should be clear enough… But it’s not just for women, I see it in men too… Men who are looked up to for their looks and charm, who don’t seem to fear or display God in their lives are totally unattractive. I know that when I see a man, (young or old), that display God’s love, no matter what background or situation they’re in, I can’t HELP but look up to them and admire them. I know I’m not the only one.



”Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;

And confirm for us the work of our hands;

Yes, confirm the work of our hands.”—Psalm 90:17



God doesn’t favor our outward beauty, but we want Him to be rejoiced with our actions. Actions that come from love, His love, which is the most pure and beautiful thing in the entire world.



”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able

to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”—Romans 12:2.



Once again, such a clear and commanding passage…



Our world seems to be living in this contest. Every person we meet has a ranking, and one of you is going to be higher than the other or just about the same. The rankings are categorized spiritually, mentally, popularity, kindness, etc; anything that makes you a somebody. The world always has a new trend and look, and every time we reach that lifestyle and/or look, no matter how we get there, the world throws a new look or lifestyle at us. This world is sin, and sin has standards, and every time we meet those standards, they rise higher. We’re expected to follow the expectations from sin, and LIVE it out.



People we’re intimidated by seem far higher than we are, but in reality, God’s just waiting for us to live our lives not for people but for Him. I know that this past year I’ve been intimidated by a few people because they seem SO much more prettier and stronger and everything to the more extreme than I am, and they’ve looked down on me as if it were true. Looks and lifestyles are HIS because He made US to worship Him.



I wish kids these days realized that as long as they live their lives out for God, they’ll have so much more admiration and encouragement. But it’s not to take away the fact that we are persecuted for our faith and how we walk in our faith.



“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to

the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” – John 15:19.



“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

—Matthew 5:11.



But we have encouragement…



"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord

Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”—Acts 20:24.



“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is

undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be

the power forever and ever. Amen. “—1 Peter 5:8-11.

I hope you enjoyed :).
Posting soon.
Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

21 Names of God - Part 3/3

EDIT: Extra name :).

This is the last part of my trilogy of 21 Names of God. If you haven't read the first two parts of the 21 Names of God then click them now :).
21 Names of God - Part 1/3
21 Names of God - Part 2/3
They're easy and fun to read not like my paragraph after paragraph of a post ;P.

21 Names of God - Part 3/3:

15. Jehovah-Rohi
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah RO-hee")
The Lord is my Shepherd
*References in the Bible:
Psalm 23:1-3
Isaiah 53:6
John 10:14-18
Hebrews 13:20
Revelation 7:17


16. Jehovah-Sabaoth
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah sah-bah-OATH")
The Lord of Hosts, TheLord of Armies
*References in the Bible:
1 Samuel 1:3, 17:45,
Psalm 46:7
Malachi 1:10-14
Romans 9:29


17. Jehovah-Shalom
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah shah-LOME")
The Lord is Peace
*References in the Bible:
Numbers 6:22-27
Judges 6:22-24
Isaiah 9:6
Hebrews 13:20


18. Jehovah-Shammah
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah SHAHM-mah")
The Lord is There, The Lord my Companion
*References in the Bible:
Ezekiel 48:35
Psalm 46
Matthew 28:20
Revelation 21


19. Jehovah-Tsidkenu
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah tsid-KAY-noo")
The Lord our Righteousness
*References in the Bible:
Jeremiah 23:5,6; 33:16
Ezekiel 36:26, 27
2 Corinthians 5:21


20. Yah, Jah
(pronounced "Yah")
"I Am", The One who is the Self-Existent One
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 3:14; 15:2
Psalm 46:1; 68:4
Isaiah 26:4


21. Yahweh
(pronounced "YAH-way")
"I Am", The One who is the Self-Existent One
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 3:14
Malachi 3:6


*+*+*+*BONUS NAME*+*+*+*
El Quanan
(pronounced "EL kahn-AHN")
Jealous
*Reference in the Bible:
Exodus 34:14

Did you notice that the last two names for God "Yahweh" and "Yah, Jah" are very similar? Yet the references I have in my guide for the names have different Bible references. God has so many names and to think we are just little human beings with a first name, middle name, and last name!

New POLL :).

God bless
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

21 Names of God - Part 2/3

A continual, part 2/3, of the twenty-one names of God (if you didn't read the first, and would like to, it's the post right before this one-- or follow this link "21

Names of God - Part 1/3):

8. El Shaddai
(pronounced "el-shaw-DIE")
The All Sufficient One, The God of the mountains, God Almighty
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 17:1-3, 35:11, 48:3, 49:25
Psalm 90:2


9. Immanuel
(pronounced "ih-MAN-u-el")
God with us, "I Am"
*References in the Bible:
Isaiah 7:14, 8:8-10
Matthew 1:23


10. Jehovah
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah")
"I Am", The One Who Is, The Self-Existent One
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 3:14, 6:2-4, 34:5-7
Psalm 102


11. Jehovah-Jireh
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah JI-rah")
The Lord will provide
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 22:13, 14
Psalm 23
Mark 10:45
Romans 8:2


12. Jehovah-Mekaddishkem
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah mek-KAH-dish-KIM")
The Lord Who Sanctifies
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 31:12, 13
1 Peter 1:15, 16
Hebrews 13:12
1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24


13. Jehovah-Nissi
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah NEE-see")
The Lord is my Banner
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 17:15, 16
Deuteronomy 20:3, 4
Isaiah 11:10-12
Ephesians 6:10-18


14. Jehovah-Rapha
(pronounced "juh-HO-vah RAH-fah")
The Lord Who Heals
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 15:25-27
Psalm 103:3
Psalm 147:3
1 Peter 2:24


I didn't respond to any of the comments over my post, but I did want to respond to Camden's comment.
@Camden: Hmm, I DID look up whether Elohim is plural, and so far I've been finding that it's not-- BUT that's just the meaning that it's not. Maybe it was meant, in how they formed the word, to be plural. I'll see if I check more into it, but I haven't found that it is yet. Thanks for bringing that up. :)

NEW POLL! It's on this post this time. COMMENT AND PICK. At the very end, I'll have ALL of the names of God on there.

Study the names more - they're interesting!

God bless,
~Maiden Of Emmanuel

21 Names of God - Part 1/3

(EDIT: There's a new poll on these posts. Look at the right ---> and scroll to the top. "21 Names of God - Part 1/3, which are your favorite?". Check it out.)

I decided to do a blog post on the many names of God. Honestly, there are more than just twenty-one names for Him, we could call God many wonderful things, because He is wonderful, He's our Creator. But for now, I shall just do a blog post on some names that most people don't know or have forgotten.
**Since they have references in the Bible, and meanings, and pronunciation, I've decided to do seven per blog posts. So there will be three all together. Enjoy. :)**

1. Adonai
(pronounced "Ah-doe-NI")
The Lord and/or My Great Lord
*References in the Bible:
Psalm 8
Isaiah 40:3-5
Ezekiel 16:8
Habakkuk 3:19

2. El
(pronounced "El")
The Strong One
*References in the Bible:
Exodus 15:2
Numbers 23:22
Deuteronomy 7:9
Mark 15:34

3. El Elohe Yisrael
(pronounced "El El-o-HAY Yis-raw-ALE")
God, the God of Israel
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 33:20
Exodus 5:1
Psalm 68:8
Psalm 106:48

4. El Elyon
(pronounced "El EL-yuhn")
The God Most High
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 14:17-22
Psalm 78:35
Daniel 4:34
Acts 16:17

5. Elohim
(pronounced "El-o-HEEM")
The All-Powerful One, Creator
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 1:1-3
Deuteronomy 10:17
Psalm 68
Mark 13:19

6. El Olam
(pronounced "El o-LAHM")
The Eternal God, The Everlasting God
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 21:33
Psalm 90:1-2
Isaiah 40:28
Romans 1:20

7. El Roi
(pronounced "El ROY")
The God Who Sees me
*References in the Bible:
Genesis 16:11-14
Psalm 139:7-12

If you'd like more information on meanings and/or where they came from, I can do another post on that. These are pretty interesting and important. There are way more references in the Bible for these meanings, but four was enough. :)
I hope you did like reading about them, there's still fourteen more to go, so stay tuned in a little!

God bless,
~Maiden Of Emmanuel

Know Who You Believe IN - CANCELLED forever. I owe everyone an apology, explanation, and a new idea...

READ, PLEASE.

Alright everyone, I apologize, but I am not going to continue the "Know Who You Believe In". I thought I could commit myself to a chapter for two Saturdays, but I've been committed to other things and school and lots of places to go.
ANYWHO, I hope you all enjoyed the two posts I did on it. I'm REALLY sorry for those who were reading my posts. Read the book-- it's better than my input and posts (for real, guys :P).
BUT this DOES NOT quit my blogging whatsoever. You guys are still stuck with me forever! :P

God bless-- and keep reading :)
~Maiden Of Emmanuel

"Know Who You Believe" Eight Bottom Line Truths/Truth One: Inner Direction Needed [Paul E. Little] **PART TWO**

NOTE: The words in italics are taken straight out from the book "Know Who You Believe". They belong to Paul E. Little. :)

"This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'" [Jeremiah 33:2-3]
"I need Your divine direction, Lord God." That would be the best way to ask God for His everlasting love. The call from God today has not changed. To each of us He says, "Wehre are you?" He initiates the call, He offers help to fill the "hole in our souls". This is the magnificent connection-- you can actually know personally the only true God in whom you believe!

"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." [Exodus 33:14]
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." [Jeremiah 31:3]

What is God like?
If praying (talking to God) is new to us, we would naturally want to know who God is. Without a clear description, our alternative would be a God of our own construction or imagination. There's are a LOT of people who think God differently than who He. Several are imageries of what would most likely expect from a very confused person. But He's not those at all.

God is a person
We can talk to Him. God is not a ghost or a puff of smoke. He has personality, mind, heart, and Spirit. As human beings, He created us in His image with individual personality, mind, heart, and spirit.
"The Lord will guide you always" [Isaiah 58:11]
"Come to me ... for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" [Matthew 11:28]

God reveals Himself
God has revealed Himself to us in numerous ways. He's shown Himself in His "self-revelation" by His creation. I [also] marvel at the structure of my thumb and four fingers, telling me Someone engenious designed them. God revealed Himself specifically to the biblical writers and told them what to write and they recorded God's thoughts. He told them He had plans for their lives, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" [Jeremiah 29:11]. He unveiled His character and His will for them. The entire message of the Bible, gives numerous details of God's regularly interacting with people. He sough them out, spoke to them directly, taught them, comforted them, and brought lght to their lives.
God directed individuals. He brought Elijah to full-blown victory when enemies challenged the nation's faith in God. He gave Job strong fortitude and deep spiritual insights when trouble hit him. In the New Testament, God spoke to a Christian named Ananias and told him to go to a Hebrew-trained man named Saul, who was praying. This Saul was transformed into the vibrant apostle Paul [Acts 8:11].

"God shows Himself not only in the Bible... but also in the trees, flowers, clouds, stars." Martin Luther

Then we see God's love expressed in His sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to communicate to us. In this act, He gave the fullest expression of His love., showing His desire to keep a close connection between Him and us. "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him." [1 John 4:9].
"In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old." [Isaiah 63:9]

God is love
He loves each of us personally. Motivated by love, He values what we do with our lives. Jesus tells us God numbers the hairs on our head and cares for our deepest needs. The Bible also tells us His love endures forever. He will not leave us when we face temptation. His love draws us irresistably to Himself. "His steadfast love never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." [Lamentations 3:22-23]
His love is shown unmistakably in His actions. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son..." [John 3:16]. That was God's Son! This was love that gave!
Through the Son, God made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God's glory.
He is the exact representation of God's being.
He sustains all things by His powerful word [Hebrews 1:2-3].
He is the One and Only, who has made God known [John 1:18].
"God's love is stronger than fire and destruction, and even in the hands valleys of deepest darkness, His rod and staff are put into our hands and bridges are thrown across the abyss." This was the moving declaration of German theologian Helmut Thielicke.

God is holy
God's natue is inherently without flaw. His instructions--His law-- are for our benefit, solely for our good.
It is not easy to fully comprehend God's holiness. Our world is shattered by senseless and vicious acts of evil that defy explanation. "God, why?" we ask. A simple answer is that God has given each of us the dignity of choice: choose to follow His path or choose to evil and defy the Lord who made us. (I have chosen to follow God's path!)
Our own standards tell us to judge and punish madd murderers and terrorists and to feel justified in it. The little white lies or cheating on taxes we might forgive and feel no guilt about them. But down deep we know little sings become big ones and a second lie is often needed to cover up a first lie. Before we know it, lying becomes a habit. All of us want the other person to be honest. The fact is, Jesus said, all of us need to learn God's standards of holiness and we need forgiveness. ANY sin separates us from our holy God. And His holiness is for our benefit.
Children feel hurt if we see them playing with a box of colored pushpins and we take the pins away. Is that fair? The child might wail and object, but you know it's right. Your desire is to protect the child. Likewise, God could not have slide-rule holiness. He knows where to draw the line.
God's standard is logical. Would God's presence and practice in heaven allow us to vote on our preference: shall we allow white lies or not? (We should NOT allow white lies!) Imagine for a moment if God God would allow even little lies into His presence in heaven. It would be certain to cause arguments, don't you think? God is %100 perfect. He is completely without evil in thought, word, or deed.
God's holiness is far above ours--total, unflawed goodness, a fixed incompatibility with inner or outer evil. His holiness is a comfort! Anything less than perfection would not be God; it would be an imperfect human.
Would God--or could God--make a difference?
"Tell everyone about Jesus Christ, God's Son, He's the best option of all!" (a friend of Little)

Where we are in our journey matters to God. He is calling to each one of us, "Where are you?" We will find His open arms and unparalleled love waiting for us.

"Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian." --G.K. Chesterson.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." [Jeremiah 29:13]

___

The end of Truth One (chapter one). Hope you all enjoyed!

God bless,
~Maiden Of Emmanuel

"Know Who You Believe" Eight Bottom Line Truths/Truth One: Inner Direction Needed. [Paul E. Little] **PART ONE**

NOTE: The words in italics are taken straight out from the book "Know Who You Believe". They belong to Paul E. Little. :)

"Ask any ten people what makes a person a Christian and you'll get ten different answers."

Some ideas may have a grain of truth; others give a far-from-accurate picture. People have several different ideas of Christianity. A lot of it is very far from the truth. Some reasons:
1. A Gentile: anyone not Jewish or an adherent of one of the world's major religions.
(Would an atheist like Madeleine Murray O'Hare want to be called a Christian? --O.O No.)
2. Someone who was born and raised in a Christian in a Christian home or country, or who inherited their faith.
(Can faith be passed on through childbirth? --No.)
3. A person who goes to church.
(Does going into a garage make you a car? --No.)
4. Someone who practices rituals such as baptism, Communion, and/or Bible-reading.
(These activites may have value, but is the all-wise, personal God in the picture? --No.)
5. One who follows the Golden Rule, and leads a moral life.
(Many good, moral people try to live by the Golden Rule yet make no claims to be Christians. Does merely following the teachings of Jesus give us a one-on-one connection with Him? --No.)
6. A person who abstains from specific external, so-called "worldly" practices.
(A long list of "don'ts" or prohibitions might be seen as characteristic of some Christians. How does an emphasis on negatives fit in with Jesus Christ's message, "...I have come, that they may have life, and have it to the full." [John 10:10]? --Nowhere.)
7. Someone who gives casual intellectual assent to a certain list of beliefs.
(This could be a casual assent to the idea of God and Jesus Christ, like saying, "Oh yes, I believe all that I heard in church." Is belief a tentative list of ideas without a personal interchange or connection between the individual and God? --No)
#1 is pathetic. #2 and #3 are linked together in the sense of: there are a LOT of people who think that. #3, #4, and #5 are linked in the sense of: they both re religious "rituals" people believe that will save them.
~So then we all ask the question:

What makes a person a Christian?
(*=Little's stories-->) *Some time ago I gave a talk and Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, on the reasonableness of Christianity. At the end, I opened the floor for discussion. A heavily bearded graduate student stood up, took his pipe out of his mouth, and asked, "Why do you Christians bother?" His underlying complaint of irrelevance went far beyond his words. I was riveted by the young man's honesty. Christian "bother" because truth is at stake.* None of the definitions above give the full picture of the Christian message. Our understanding of the truth is what we believe and trust.

We need direction.
Our firsty bottom-line truth is "Inner Direction Needed". "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'?" [Mark 7:18] That was Jesus speaking the people. Who we are on the inside was (and is!) of utmost importance to Him. It is to us also. A lot--Christian & secular songs-- have a very vast amount of lyrics that have to do with a person's heart.
All of us have questions about Jesus. Several wondering what He has to do with our everyday lives. Does anything matter? Is it even true we can have a personal relationship with Him? Is there anyone we can trust?

"Is Anybody There?" by John Hiatt, 'Well, I'm out here on my own, Followin' a star, Asking on my knees, for some direction, please. And, God, You know that's hard.' If God doesn't care, who does?

God's love is more than you think.
St. Augustine described our life as our "God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill."

Asking questions defines us as humans. We feel we need help from someone outside of ourselves, but (unfortunately) too often, seeking God and praying become our last and feeblest resort.
There is hope.
Throughout the Bible we see our Creator God directing, guiding, encouraging the people He created. He intended us to be in close relationship with Him. From he beginning, He desired a "family" relationship. (Hence, the beginning of the Bible-- Genesis-- God first created a family. The beginning of our lives.) "...Where are you?" [Gen. 3:9] God didn't want to be seperated. He calls to every one of us, whom He created. "Come to me, and I will give you rest..." [Matt. 11:28]

Does a car need a driver?

We human beings were made to be directed and led in life's path in close connection with our Maker. We function best when we get our cues from God. Unfortunately, each of us has indiviudally shoved God out of the driver's seat of our livess. We continue to ratify decision and handle our lives without reference to God. Trying to live life without God, our incredibly wise Creator, is really as silly as being upset because we are dependent on air to breathe-- and then holding out breath in rebeliion! Cutting ourselves from the one available Source of divine, nurturing power is like a tree cutting off its roots. We need God. God changes our dead lives into living ones. Period!
___________________

I hope you guys enjoyed that first half of chapter one.

EDIT: I realized the whole chapter was way too big for one teeny blog post. :P No one would read it at a time. So I decided that instead of three months, this devotions thing will take six months, because the chapters will be split in TWO.

Anyway, I've been loving this book so far. :D

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

"Know Who You Believe: The Magnificent Connection" - Saturdays

EDIT: I realized the whole chapter was way too big for one teeny blog post. :P No one would read it at a time. So I decided that instead of three months, this devotions thing will take six months, because the chapters will be split in TWO.

"Does your faith seem more like a routine than a relationship? Do you know in your heart that God cares about your day-to-day life? Do you want your prayer life to be personal and intimate rather than simply saying words? If you answered 'Yes' to any of these questions, you need to know... You can connect with God! Paul E. Little: During his ministry, Paul Little helped thousands of seekers-- young and old-- to find satisfying answers to the deepest longings of the heart and soul. This wealth of information is available to you now in this easy-to-understand book. If you've been searching, and have yet to be satisfied, maybe the question isn't whether you believe in God, but whether you know personally whom you believe!"

Best-selling author of Know Why You Believe | Know What You Believe

This devotions book is what I'll be posting about each and every Saturday. There are twelve chapters for twelve Saturdays (exactly three months) and I will be going through them all. Let's hope I can stick to that schedule! I'm excited about it actually. As I learn and read each chapter, you can learn with me-- just in a quicker form. *grins* My parents hand me books like these frequently and I actually read a while ago one of the top titles up there ^. It was good, I just never thought to blog about it. But now I'd love to seek God better, and I want to take you all (if you so desire to, as well) on my adventure of seeking Him better. This book is just the way! Of course, my posts might bore you or might be a little long. There is no reason to dedicate yourself to reading them. The only one who needs to give dedication to this is me. If you do read them all - God bless you. *laughs* I'll also be putting up polls about this just to see if anybody is interested really and if you click "awesome!" under this post... Then I'll be pretty sure you might be excited by that too. Comments are loved as always. :)

Little's books are very good and very thorough. My dad wouldn't have handed his books to me if he didn't think so. They are also easy to understand - especially if you're a Christian. I would recommend buying this book yourself. You would have a better experience with reading it on your own than learning through me.

Hope you're just as excited as I am!
God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel