Prayer Request - My abuela

Today is the third day my abuela (abuela is grandma in Spanish) has been in the hospital. She has had Crohn's disease for almost her whole life and my uncles are doctors, so when she gets sick, she just stays at their house. (If you don't know what Crohn's disease is I would suggest you look it up on Wikipedia or something rather. Crohn's disease bad, but not always fatal if you treat the disease well and a person can have a long life with it - but you get sick frequently every year for the rest of your life.) Since she stays at my uncle's houses everytime she gets sick, her going to the hospital is rather shocking and nerve-wracking. She's in her seventies and very weak right now.
She went to the ER because she had a fever of 104 and the fever would not leave. The doctors found out that the infection is actually spread in her bloodstream so her whole body is infected right now and I think they were thinking of a transfusion.
I went to visit my abuela around 6 PM and found out that she would have surgery around 12:30. My dad, my twin sister, more relatives, and I stayed there till the surgery was done and a little after.
They did surgery on her because they had a feeling her intestines were blocked and her intestines were blocked. Food wasn't going down her intestines and she couldn't use the restroom for a day or two. If they hadn't done the surgery on her she would have died in a couple days. Right now her body is fighting the infection and recuperating from the surgery and the intestines that had to be painfully expanded by the food. She'll be in the hospital for at least two weeks if not more weeks at the hospital.
I didn't get home till 3:30 AM this morning but my evening and day had been productive by just visit in the hospital and spending time making her a huge banner with my cousins and siblings.
The banner my cousins and I made for my abuela says, "Las abuelas sostiene nuestras manecitas por un rato, pero nuestros corazones para siempre." The saying we put on her banner means, "The grandmothers hold our hands for a little while, but our hearts forever." All of us cousins traced our hands and signed our names.
My abuela was too incoherent at some point to see the banner but she saw it later and she seemed pretty happy about the banner. Her words don't come out loud and clear, but the adults who know Spanish very well will put their ear down and understand what she's saying.
(My twin sister is the girl in the picture.)
My abuela has been in ICU since Saturday night and she's been there all of yesterday and she's there today. Please pray she heals.

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God by Max Lucado

I do not own this picture of the cover of "Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God".
When I ordered this book I was intrigued by the title, the cover, and the summary. It was about the characters in the Bible! I wanted to do more of a study on some of those characters - maybe I missed something about Joseph, or even more "minor" characters.
When I opened this book, I was semi-excited and I was also continuing with my intrigue. When I actually started reading the book I was disappointed.
There were questions that I've never asked myself, but then there was a reason why I neve rdid ask those questions. I was hoping for a book that would give me Bible references and interesting points on a "character" (who is/are really just a non-fiction person/people). Instead of Biblical references, there was a question I'm quoting from the actual book, "Did Jesus and Joseph arm-wrestle? Did Jesus let Joseph win a couple times?" That is pointless in my opinion-- and second, I already know that Jesus was God in a physical form. Muscle is physical. Hence when Jesus was a young boy, I bet Joseph did win. But really - this book did disappoint me. I found things fake in a certain sense, and just not my taste.
There was a positive about this book though, and the positive of this book was that Lucado pointed out that all of these people - different sins and different stories and different actions - had a chance to play a part particularly in the ultimate plan of God (even the non-Christians) for Jesus' death.

Thomas Nelson was generous enough to give me a copy of this book to review.

This book might intrigue you in the sense of the off-subject questions, so if you'd like to read the book, go for it.

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

Help me, anyone? Comment!

I have been searching and searching for templates/backgrounds for my blog. I have used "TheCutestBlogOnTheBlock" numerous times, and though their backgrounds are nice... I'm thinking about trying another site for the fun of it :).

So! If anyone has any blogger template/background sites (even tutorial on how to do your own background and links and such - because I know how to do some of that!) then please leave a comment with your name/user and the link to the site :).

I can make my own background and banner and I've done links, but I'd much rather prefer to get a template that lets me have to columns on the side so no one will have to keep scrolling all the way down to search for things. I'm lazy ;P.

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

*I would preferably like a site that has black and white backgrounds -- but the black and white backgrounds is not needed at all.*

Construction for now

Note: This is not my "Under Construction" picture.

Hey guys,

I've decided that I really would like to redo my blog a bit with more links and more activities but my blog is unworthy of that right now with the layout it has currently.
I'm going to be reconstructing some areas of my blog so look out for posts but beware that I might have a few links and pictures everywhere on my blog XP.

God bless and stay tuned to my posts :),
~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

Second Blogoversary Today - MOE's blog under redecorating construction soon.

I will post again soon. But I'd like to announce that today is my second blogoversary! My gidget-gadget gizmo thing that tells me when my blogoversary is either wrong or broken :P. Anywho, I'd love to thank all of my fellow blogger-pals for sticking with me, and I intend to have a post of everyone who's been either following me or keeping in touch old and new on here and their blogs :).


ALSO I believe I shall redecorate my blog soon, so if things seem a little messy, just hang in with my posts and blog stuff. My blog will be better I assure you after the messy posts and gadgets and pictures and colors everywhere!

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

God IS Love, He can be your valentine, and so can another - Valentine's Day Special

Song of Solomon is basically like a book about and of love in the Bible. There are also poetic books of the Bible. I'm in the middle of reading the book of Psalms for my devotions, and it has plenty of praises to God and plenty of verses that show how loving God is.

God is Love.

My reading of the Psalms have showed me He is so merciful.
My sinning nature and the fact He sent His Son shows how powerful and loving He is.
David KNEW He wasn't going to forsake him. God is also trustworthy.
Adonai answers prayers as well (and in this post I have a story on my prayer this past week :D). God listens.

There are so many more things about Him. Those are just a few.
BUT Valentine's Day is what I'm focusing on today. I would've posted this on the 14th (the literal Valentine's Day), but I wasn't feeling very well. So here I am two days after.
V-Day is a day on love. And there are different ways people celebrate this day, especially if you're a Christian and single.

Many Christian single young ladies and ladies will take Jesus as their "valentine". But you can just say He is your love. There's a difference between Jesus being the One that holds your heart-- and your valentine.

The definition of Valentine: "val⋅en⋅tine / Spelled Pronunciation [val-uhn-tahyn]
–noun 1. a card or message, usually amatory or sentimental but sometimes satirical or comical, or a token or gift sent by one person to another on Valentine Day, sometimes anonymously.
2. a sweetheart chosen or greeted on this day.
3. a written or other artistic work, message, token, etc., expressing affection for something or someone."

It's a little bit more of a physical sweetheart (that term is used for both a boy and girl) than a spiritual one. But it is true that God holds everyone Christian's heart. :) Jesus saved us, so He has us. And He does show His love.
All the time.

The difference on Valentine's Day is one for physical, but its okay to say Jesus is too. He once was physical. Though not anymore. Which is pretty cool.
I prayed two weeks ago for a cold front on my birthday (last week), when it was pretty hot. Guess what? Almost our whole contry received snow and I got my cold front -- on my birthday and Valentine's Day. You can bet I was praising.

God shows His love many ways.

God is always there for you. Even on days that aren't for a day of love. He IS love.

God bless,
MOE

Miracles happen even in the midst of disaster - HAITI

Most all of you should know there was a terrible earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Very tragic and very sad. Thousands of people died, and are still dying.

But something about Haiti was pretty clear-- most all Haitians were involved in voodoo and witchcraft-- which was/is even more tragic. Our church has some missionaries there that own churches and an orphanage. One couple created and runs the orphanage, and they basically take almost every child that Hatians bring that are abandoned. Along with the orphanage, they also have a clinic there. They take care of children that ned help-- and even adults who need help. They live in Pion, Haiti. So they felt some of the tremors in the earthquake, but not much.

There was one lady, not a missionary, but she had a nephew in the earthquake and he survived in a three-story school building that collapsed during the earthquake. Her e-mail was forwarded through my church and to me. This is what is said:

I have seen many people turning to prayer as their last and only option--it should be a first choice and best choice. It does change things. I'll give you an example. My family has been sharing about more and more of their experiences. You can't tell about all the trials in a disaster like this at one time. Things keep coming out as time goes by. That first night after the quake, it was supposed to rain. The forecasts all predicted it and the Haitians said that the temperature and sky all indicated that it should have rained. Can you imagine if that would have happened? There were so many buried but still alive, the dust everywhere, and even the ones saved were sleeping outside and still in shock. It is cold for Haiti right now and rain would have killed many more people. My family said that their whole neighborhood who was outside that night prayed and prayed for the clouds to go away--as I'm sure many, many others did. It started to sprinkle just a little and everyone lifted their hands and shouted praises and supplications--and it didn't rain at all in Port that night or any other night since then. My sister, lifting up her hands as she recounted this, said that the clouds opened up and the stars showed over the whole sky. Amazing! God is good.



My nephew Louine, that was buried under his school, still suffers from the shakes. He can't sleep through the night. But, his story is a story of grace. He was on the second story of a 3-story building. His class room faced the street. He was sitting in his desk when he felt the earthquake start. He stood up immediately. It didn't take long for the building to collapse. He fell onto his desk instead of being crushed in it like others of his classmates were. But, when the quake ended his head was resting on the folding chair and one arm was under his desk and the ceiling of the 3rd floor was less than a foot above his head. He couldn't even sit up or turn his body at all. For a long time, the students didn't even know that it was a earthquake, they thought that only their building had fallen. But, after a lot of time had passed and no one arrived to help, they believed it had to be a quake and the whole city was affected. They knew they had to help themselves. It was already dark by this time and they only had the light from their phones. They couldn't call anyone. The ones that were still living encouraged each other not to cry or loose hope. They touched hands or feet or any part of the body, if possible, and sang hymns to keep their courage up. At around 9:00 PM, their professor, who was talking up to that point, passed away. He was 'sitting' right behind Louine. Then the students nearest the door were able to move the broken chalkboard to clear a hole near the doorway. It took a lot of painstaking work with their bare hands to clear even a small space. As each person was freed, it opened a small route to reach the others. Louine was one of the last. He is a tall young man and the hole wasn't big enough for him. He had to take the rubble and make the hole larger. By this time, there were people that were helping from the outside. And he made it out. One of the things that struck me the most is when he talks about the period of time when he was waiting for the others to get out. The cement ceiling was less than a foot away but it kept descending. Louine says that he kept passing his hand over his head to see how close the ceiling was to him. When his turn came, the ceiling was resting on his forehead. When he got out, the first people he saw were his dad and our cousin. They had arrived at the same moment that Louine left the building. Praise the Lord! Louine attributes his class being saved because they prayed together. The class next to his had many who survived the initial collapse but they panicked. Louine said his class mates tried to help them to be calm and pray and not to scream but they couldn't seem to stop. After a couple of hours, these students succumbed to shock and their injuries. No one was able to leave. Louine also prays that his professor was able to turn to God in his last moments because he cursed and mocked his students efforts to pray. But, Louine emphasizes that God can change hearts, even at the last moment. When one of his fellow classmates broke down, the rest of the class was able to sing and pray for them. In this way, they were able to stay encouraged and united. Louine thinks that 12-13 students were able to walk out of the rubble and 8-9 had to carried out of the building. Three students died instantly and the professor died after several hours. In all the classes, Louine's had the most survivors. Again, he attributes it to God's grace. The earthquake was at 4:45PM and Louine left the building at 10:30PM. Others followed him until into the early morning hours. Louine didn't leave the scene right away. He knew how the shock left so many tremendously thirsty. He and others went to find water and lowered it to the trapped students below. He believes that saved many others.



Louine wants me to say this to you: I want to tell my story because I didn't know for a long time whether I would die or not. I checked the time on my phone often so as to know the time of my death. But, there came a moment when God spoke to me. He said, 'You will not die, I want to show you my greatness.' Louine says it is for this reason that he not only wants to tell his story, but is able. I can attest to that as he is sitting beside me shaking. I pray that remembering God's grace and love in the midst of all the horror will heal him as nothing else can. He pleads with you to never stop praying because God does not allow anything to happen for nothing. God gives VICTORY.



God bless you, Kristie

Miracles still happen today, and they prove He exists.
God should be praised and exalted, for He is everywhere, and everyone is in His ultimate plan. :)

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

New Years 2010 - Life as we know it and DON'T know it

[[EDIT: I actually didn't realize that I have at least one or two other posts relating to this topic. Your Time]]

Well its the New Year (and a little bit after it). Finally 2010 and most people have been planning on making changes and keeping their New Year's Resolutions.
And then some people aren't.
This post isn't to depress anyone, but its definitely to make you all realize some something if you haven't.

Let me start of with a fact.

According to records of births and deaths (the average): Did you know that every twelve seconds someone dies? And every eight seconds someone is born.

That's a lot of people being born-- and that's a lot of people dying.

But here's something else.

I've already heard of TWO little boys who have died right around New Years.

The first I heard, was in a bad neighborhood New Years Eve, and by the time it was New Years, someone (drunk, assumingly, since people get a bit insane) shot him.
The second I heard, choked on food.

Both were their times, but I'm pretty sure neither of them knew they were going to die. And so far only ONE of them heard the gospel and it is unknown if he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
But when are any of us ready to die?
--When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, believe that He died for us, and repent of our sins (becoming a Christian), we're ready to go to heaven. Truth be told, that's when we're ready. But you don't know WHEN you will.

So becoming a Christian is not something you should delay.

There are a lot of people who don't realize how much God is in control of our lives. You can die in the next moment.

Think about it.
In ten seconds you could-- if God wants you to.

The rapture.
Every Christian could be gone from this world-- whenever He wants to come back for us.

What is everyone waiting for? Those times? Because they won't be able to accept Him the moment death hits them physically.

The poor little boys. One was probably exposed to a lot of junk. Who knew if he really listened to the Gospel. The other one, the same.
I bet you that the one who was eating during lunchtime at his school (in Brazil, I think), had NO idea that the next moment he bit into whatever he had on his utensil or plate, was going to suffer (by CHOKING) and die.
It kind of makes you realize that you don't know how much time you have left.

Since when did we all think about that?
~LIFE is about GLORIFYING the One who MADE YOU~

You know that He sees what you do, what you think, what you say, what you see, what you hear, what's in your heart.
But some people don't listen and don't care. So they spend an eternity in severe incomprehensible pain. Fire, ladies and gentleman.

Which would you rather choose? Glorious golden streets -- or a lake of fire?
Yes, I would like to pick the golden streets, thank you very much.

Life as we know it-- living in peace, knowing exactly where I'm going to go (which is Heaven)-- and as we don't know it.
How long will it take to glorify His name before you lose the opportunity? And how long will it take to realize you only have so much time?

New Year's resolution - Living more for Him.

Blessings,
MaidenOfEmmanuel

P.S. Info I got from those two facts are from the site http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html .
Also, the kids I found out through my cousin, and through a missionary from my church (the one who choked was a student the missionary taught).

God - He loves and exists

I was driving to my grandma's house tonight. And I was listening to this Christian radio with my mom. It was this lady, who's a Christian author (Lisa Harp? the radio just said she wrote the book "A Perfect Mess" or something rather), and she was talking about the book of Psalms. How the book is almost like a diary of David.
Complaining to praising, he just let all of his emotions out. But what she was also stating was that God loves us no matter what. That was pretty cool to hear.
He wants to hear it all.

So what about being a goody-two shoes, or TRYING to be perfect? No one is perfect, but it's nice to be Christlike. No matter what, though, God still shows His love. He doesn't want you working on yourself and not being dependent on Him. He wants to HOLD you-- tightly, and He won't ever let go of you. That's awesome.
Without His love, you wouldn't have hope to live. <-- That's even more awesome knowing He's always loved you.

--Which brings me back to tonight. My mom, after the radio ended there, asked if we wanted to hear anything (my sibs were in the car too). She'll let us listen to our music during carrides, which is pretty nice of her. :) And I think she was happy when I suggested a Chris Tomlin CD (I'm a huge fan of Christian artists and I think I've gotten her hooked on the guy's CD :P). Anywho, as we got on the freeway, the music started and I noticed a ton of car were lined up at a streetlight. We passed them and sped up and more cars we passed, but this time, on the freeway with us. And each and every person's face was focused on something. Yeah, it was their driving, but I couldn't help but think "There is no possibilty that God doesn't exist."
THINK ABOUT IT FOR A JUST A MOMENT.
What if God didn't exist and there was no heaven or hell?
What if there was no God that didn't show us His amazing love? <--[Through Jesus Christ, our Savior, Creation, and the Bible.]

We would be dead. -- But I don't feel dead because I accepted Jesus as my Savior.
But looking at all those people... There's just no possible way that you can just die and stay dead. Never go anywhere. The realization has to hit everyone.
It's IMPOSSIBLE. You've worked so har for -what?- nothing, and then just die? I don't think so. Baseball players to ballerinas to preachers to people who don't do anything. We all will be equal someday. I'll be equal with everyone in heaven, but I'm GOING somewhere. God sent Jesus Christ, His son, to earth to save us all. That's in history.
And that's absolutely cool.

I love the fact that I'm going to live forever, and spend the rest of my life (after death on earth) with Him.

Blessings,
MOE

(BTW, the song by Chris Tomlin was "Sing, Sing, Sing"... Or something liek that. Anywho, it added great affect. :D)

Historically Modest

A friend of mine's sister has a blog called "Historically Modest", and it's a blog of her sewing pieces. She's made skirts and dresses that are all modest and perfect for girls. Though I'm not sure what she does with them, the blog is fun to read. :)
Today is the end of her give-away she was having, but the things she makes are really cute.

Check her blog out: Historically Modest

***POSTING MORE SOON!***

Blessings,
MOE

An answer to prayers gives encouragement to my prayers.

It's been a really long time since I've posted some of my thoughts. And not that any of you would like to hear/read them, I think I'll still post this one. It's really important to me. :)

11:30 P.M--I'm still thankful, 12:00 A.M--Guess what? I'm still thankful!

So mof you have read that post of mine-- and that was last year, when I wrote terribly-- so some of you also beared with me there. I wrote more awful than I do now, it's kind of sad. But this isn't what that post OR this post is about.

The second part of that post, there's a story about a girl (Yali) and her boyfriend (whose name is Robert, actually). I was saying how Robert was not a Christian, and that it would be really nice if he became saved. But it's hard to have a reltionship when you're a Christian and someone else isn't. No I have never experienced that, but my parents have told me that. Some adults, who've experienced it, have told me that, too. So we did have a LITTLE hope. There was the fact that his girlfriend's family is a Christian, and that they would lead him to Christ.
But I also remember a remark from someone (I don't think I was dreaming, I think it was actually from my friend Prism) about how that would be really tough and most people don't recommend it. I respect that comment a lot. It's true. Just like I said up there, since it is hard, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either.

But want to hear something really awesome?
Robert is now saved.
Oh yes, the young man is now walking with Jesus. And it's really exciting and encouraging to hear that. It happened about a few months ago, I believe, and he still hasn't gotten baptized-- but he's following God.

So prayer works most definitely.
No matter what, God listens.
And that encourages me a lot.

I told my friend, who will remain as Lu for now, about a guy that wheeled me down in a hospital the other day.
--> I got another endoscopy done for my stomach (some of you have kept up with my blog for over a year and know exactly what I'm talking about), and when it was finished and I was ready to go to my car, they told me that I needed to be wheeled down, because I wouldn't make it walking (which is such a lovely thought :P).
Now, if some of you remember, I posted about last year-- and the young man who wheeled me then.
Hospital Visit
All in all, the guy bascially didn't even give me a second thought of how I'd appreciate if he talked to me instead of texting a foot away directly across from me. :P And honestly, that's okay-- but this time the guy that wheeled me down really wanted to chat.

And I got a chance to talk to him a little about God and our religions. Now HIS fiance (yes, in a total of five to fiteen minutes, I can find out about when a person wants to get married, what's his religion, and what he wants to be without imposing :P) is a Catholic. And I was asking some questions, and in the end of our conversation he was like "We'll see how complicated it gets." (I did make a remark about that before).
Right now, even though I am most likely never ever going to meet him again, I'm praying for Felix. It'd be awesome if everything-- all of his plans he told me about for his future and stuff would work out, but it'd be even more awesome if he became saved. He's not anything. :P He just "respects [his] girlfriend's religion" but that's it.
For him to become a Christian would be awesome. And though I probably will never know, it doesn't hurt to pray for him.

Blessings,
~MOE

Are bees really this busy?

UPDATE: Guys, if you're very observant, you'll se that I have actually figured out how to put links under my profile picture!!

I'll be cleaning this blog up pretty soon. ;)

Anyway, for those of you who have been following my NaNo blog, sorry that I have not posted in a few days. NaNo, stomach, school, and... well yeah-- has actually gotten me stressed.
MOE? STRESSED? Nahhhhh. :P
Well, November has been pretty busy. But it's easing up-- and I'm getting my own laptop pretty soon. So school will be done faster and easier and yeah... Hahah. :D

I've been meaning to do an important post, but I've been so busy lately... I now know the literal meaning of "busy bee". :P

Anywho, I'll blog a little later. :)

VISIT MY PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG up there! It's just a click away, guys. :P
I'm not the best, but I'd love comments. :)

God bless,
~MaidenOfEmmanuel

What in the "NaNoWriMo"?!

*breathes a heavy sigh of.... exasperation(?)* I don't even knowwhat that sigh was. :P I have officially decided that I'm going to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
WOOHOOO
And I'm solemnly serious with all of those O's. :P I just don't know if I'll be capable of doing it.
BUT, I will for surely give it a try!
(If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, here's a link of my old "about NaNo": "NaNoWriMo".)
My NaNo blog: Bookie's NaNoWriMo. YES, my NaNo blog is NOT updated from last year. It still has Bookworm4God as it's logo, so oh well... But yeah. :)

I already have a title and plot.
Title: The Petals of Rose
Plot: "A foster-girl named Roseis visited by a "counselor", from a certain organization consisting of scientists who want to analyze the student body. Apparently, the sixteen year old girl has a perfect personality to attend this picky school, for she's one of the few hundred chosen. While she's trying to get used to the fact she's not alone always anymore, she's trying to discover herself, but the only way to do that is to follow God and His purpose for her in life.
Pretty soon, she makes a couple new friends, one being her "guidance counselor", and the other being her counselor's nephew. She falls into a habit of journaling her thoughts every day, and expressing herself around her new friends-- but most definitely not around her abusive uncle, who's been hiding crates in her room from who-knows. This mystery has got her curious and she'll do anything to make sure that hatever she's become "involved" with, isn't illegal.
Rose's interesting life is turning upside-down one place, and right-side-up in another. But with the helping hand of God, it'll be perfect in the end.

I hope it sounded interesting. You guys tell me what you think. :) i already started it about a month ago, but the reason I do NaNo is for motivation. I haven't gotten past eight pages. I kind of need a goal for this month to actually work through it. I was capable of finished Cured, I can be capable of finishing this book too.

On another note, I've added a couple more pictures to my photography blog, so check it out, por favor. :)
MaidenOfEmmanuel's Photography: Capturing Creation (URL addres: http://maidenofemmanuel.wordpress.com/)

God bless,
MaidenOfEmmanuel