If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live to God, and he that does not live to God, is dead. – George MacDonald

The Dickinson Journey: Praise to God written in memory of Nancy Davis

The Dickinson Journey: Praise to God written in memory of Nancy Davis: "This is in addition to the original post below. These two articles give more details: Here and Here I wrote this hymn on 1/29/2011..."

The Dickinson Journey: How do you know if you have a call?

The Dickinson Journey: How do you know if you have a call?: "'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull ..."

IHC Dayton Ohio.. thinking of all the saints that are in Heaven tonight while watching this!

http://www.ihconvention.com/home.php

Interesting Day

So had a VERY interesting Day... has something to do with the video below( Beth Moore) and MAJOR humor( in our world) and answer to prayer.. will post as soon as I can get it all together.... Stay tuned for.. THE REST OF THE STORY!!

Beth Moore: The Hair Brush

Wow, what ALL Young people need to hear!!!

http://vimeo.com/22302225

Don't need to listen to this with a critical spirit. Be real, forget he is not from your church.. and LISTEN to the message!!! Might save more of our young people... it is and has been  a problem for YEARS in our churches. Very sobering thought. The video is at the bottom of  my blog page as well.. Bro.Schmidt@ LBC youth Conference.

OK, so this is one of my "secret passions I have been "shy" to share. This is my next list of books I am after!!

 ***From Beth Moore@  LPM Blog

1. A Complete Concordance (like Strong’s).  Find one that corresponds with your translation (Strong’s for KJV, The NIV Exhaustive Concordance, etc.)

2. A good Systematic Theology Book. Here are two great choices:

*Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

*Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson

3.  A good Bible Dictionary – Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary is terrific. There are also many others.

4.   For beginners: Several two (or few) volume sets of Bible Commentaries (My mentor started me on The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament and New Testament Volumes, but there are plenty out there. Your pastor may be able to recommend a set that is most reflective of your church’s approach.)

*You can access many commentaries free of charge online: BibleGateway.com, BlueLetterBible.com, etc.

5.   The 1^st multi-volume set of commentaries I’d recommend is The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (12 Volume Set). They are consistently well written, thought provoking and really practical for teachers. You also don’t have to know basics about the original languages to understand them (They give good insights into the original languages and frequent definitions but the authors are not assuming you have a working knowledge of Hebrew or Greek). If you really love that set and want to keep going, the next step I’d take would be the full volume sets of NIVAC (NIV Application Commentary) and NAC (New American Commentary). Want to keep going?? The next step after that (where you’ll more often need some basic knowledge of original languages) is the Word Biblical Commentary series and New International Commentary of the OT/NT series. And it goes on and on, Sweet Thing! And it’s a head spinner and a blast.

6.  A Comparative Study Bible with multiple translations listed side-by-side.

And, then, start saving your money for Bible Software.   Melissa and I have personally used the following programs and would happily recommend them to you:

• Logos (Beth)
• Wordsearch (Beth)
• BibleWorks (Melissa)
• Accordance (Melissa)

Last thing:

A few of my favorite foundational books about the Bible are:

Baxter’s Explore the Book

Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible For All It’s Worth

Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible Book by Book

Last Last thing (this is Melissa now):

In terms of selecting commentaries, I highly recommend purchasing and consulting John Glynn’s book Commentary & Reference Survey. Glynn’s book will help you make the most of your money when you purchase commentaries and reference works.   The book is basically one massive biblical studies bibliography and he updates it often.  I think it is already in its tenth edition or something.  When it comes to commentaries, not all volumes in a series are written equally.  In other words, some are better than others and so you may not want to purchase an entire series.  Sometimes you can grab an entire series for a great price but other times it isn’t economical or necessary. Instead, you may want to pick and choose individual volumes within a series and Glynn will help you do just that. Also check out www.bestcommentaries.com for a similar idea online.  It is an amazing website.  My favorite feature is the “forthcoming commentaries” tab where you can browse through the commentaries that are due to be published over the next few years.  Also, it goes without saying that commentaries, just like every written work, should be read carefully and critically.  If they are read in such a manner, they can be invaluable to one’s study of the Bible.

A very basic beginner’s biblical/theological library might look a little bit like this:

Are we having fun yet??

Why Study NTGreek?

The languages are the sheath in which the sword of the Spirit is contained." Martin Luther Why should anyone take the time and effort to learn New Testament Greek?  There are dozens of widely accepted English translations for us to use, and a plethora of commentaries on every part of Scripture.  So why take time to learn Greek? If we stop to think about it, the very number of translations indicates the answer to our question.  If we compare translations, we quickly understand the problem.  There are so many translations because there is no such thing as THE "correct" or "inspired" translation of any given passage.  One language cannot begin to render an exact and final translation into another language, because every word and idiom has an area of meaning and the area of meaning in one language only approximately represents the area of meaning in another language. Learning New Testament Greek affords an opportunity never realized in any English translation.  Erasmus wrote in the Preface to his Greek Testament, "These holy pages will summon up the living image of His mind.  They will give you Christ Himself, talking, healing, dying, rising, the whole Christ in a Word.  They will give Him to you in an intimacy so close that He would be less visible to you if He stood before your eyes."  Many are discovering that the God who spoke through Erasmus' Greek New Testament still speaks to sensitive hearts today.  Reading the original text is no mere recital of past events.  Rather, it is a means to bring us in touch with the power of the text and applying its truths to our lives. To the degree a translation of the Scriptures mirrors the original text, is the quantifiable reflection of the translation’s belief in verbal inspiration.  If a translation substitutes a noun for the original author’s verb, an “a” for a “the”, replaces a subjunctive with an indicative, a past tense for a present, and so forth, then at best, the work has been seriously compromised, and at worst, the importance of verbal inspiration has been denied to the reader. True, verbal inspiration extends only to the original wording and sentence order of Scripture, thus excluding all translations ever made, no matter how widely accepted, revered, or good.  However, if a translation has as it philosophical basis not to add or omit anything from the original, then verbal inspiration for the most part is preserved.  To the measure it drifts from this matrix, is the measure verbal inspiration is lost. Instead of translating, many translations “interpret” the author’s "real" intent, as if they knew better what should, ought, might have been written, rather than what they actually wrote.  They legitimize their alteration of the original word(s) on the premise that the reader is actually aided by such help!  When a translation succumbs to this subjective approach, no matter how slight, verbal inspiration diminishes proportionally, and it is as much disregarded as if it had no value. A viable alternative to translations are literal translations.  Whereas literal translations of the Bible are on the increase, they will never enjoy popular reading, because of their necessary “wooden” renderings of the original wording and syntax.  However, it must be noted, their principal aim is not for ease of reading, but a fervent desire to reflect accurately the original. However, in the final analysis, whether we choose to study God's Word from a translation, literal or not, the Scriptures were communicated in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek; all else is translation. A. T. Robertson, a distinguished Greek scholar, wrote in his Preface to the third edition of A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, “The Greek New Testament is the New Testament.  All else is translation.  Jesus speaks to us out of every page of the Greek.  To get these words of Jesus it is worthwhile to plow through any grammar and to keep on to the end.” The study of the original languages may be viewed as the proper understanding of the biblical doctrine of inspiration.  If we do indeed believe that every word in the original autograph was inspired by God the Holy Spirit, then should we not be diligently studying His message to us in its original form? Those who do not know the languages will come short of grappling with the original form of God's revelation.  His revelation came in and through the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages.  It is our responsibility to receive that revelation, to understand it and effectively communicate it to others.  If we have no knowledge of the original languages, then we are halted from exploring the fullness of God's revelation and plumb its depths for ourselves. Consider for a moment the alternative.  Those who do not know the original languages are forced to borrow their ideas from others.  They are slaves to the commentators and Bible teachers (who probably are not proficient in the original languages), and have no means to check their accuracy.  Worst of all, without thorough training in biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, they will never realize they may be passing on in the name of God their own ignorance, based upon an erroneous translation. It has been said more than once, "It is not important to know the biblical languages to correctly interpret God's Word."  Of course, this possibly could carry weight if it was stated by someone who knows them, rather than from a posture of ignorance. Martin Luther, in the year of 1524 wrote,  "In the measure that we love the Gospel, let us place a strong emphasis on the languages.  For it was not without reason that God wrote the Scriptures in two [primary] languages, the Old Testament in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek.  Those languages which God did not despise, but rather chose above all others for His Word, are the languages which we also should honor above all others.  It is a sin and a shame that we do not learn the languages of our Book." And again,   "The languages are the sheath in which the sword of the Spirit is contained." If by learning the original languages we are able to extract truth from God's Word that was previously indiscernible from a translation, then we shall succeed in our goal; not because of what was translated, but because of what has been revealed from God! If the Bible is the Word of God, and the doctrine of biblical inspiration is what it is, then a thorough knowledge of biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek is not a luxury, but indispensable. It has been over thirty-seven years since I responded to the question why it is important to study New Testament Greek.  I began to understand that it was only out of a sense of personal devotion to Christ and a commitment to spiritual renewal in His Church that studying New Testament Greek made any sense. Whatever knowledge of Greek one obtains will be of real value.  However, to complete this course, if it is to be more than superficial, entails three things: study, study and more study.  There is no other way.  The study of the language of the New Testament takes time and anything else is a delusion.  It is my recommendation that you spend a half an hour a day, five days a week.  My personal pursuit of both biblical Hebrew and Greek has been based on the time proven axiom, "Something is better than nothing".  Before long you will be able to read the Greek text for yourself, without the running interference of a translation. It is my sincere prayer that you begin learning New Testament Greek.  Greek is within the reach of anyone who desires to learn.  The goal of this course is to glorify the One true God, Jesus Christ, to be effective communicators of His original Word and servants to His Body, the Church. Dr. William D. Ramey, instructor NTGreek In Session

A few pic's from our Easter weekend.

                              Friday night@Red Robin with my sister.. Shania and I were riding solo        

Cousins

                                     

                                      

                                      On our way home from church

                                            Up Close and Personal!!

Interesting to see a modern view of the betrayal Christ endured

The Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ

April 11, 2009 by Paul Chappell

There is no greater miracle found in Scriptures than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event was the pinnacle event of all time and history. It is His resurrection alone that offers true hope and separates Christianity from all other world religions.

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Act 1:3 records, “he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs.” He are a few of the eyewitness accounts given in Scripture:

• To Mary Magdalene Jn 20:14-18;Mk 16:9
• To the women returning from the tomb Mt 28:8-10
• To Peter later in the day Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5
• To the disciples going to Emmaus in the evening Lk 24:13-31
• To the apostles (except Thomas) Lk 24:36-45; Jn 20-19-24
• To the apostles a week later (Thomas present) Jn 20:24-29
• In Galilee to the seven by the Lake of Tiberias Jn 21:1-23
• In Galilee on a mountain to the apostles and 500 believers 1 Cor 15:6
• At Jerusalem and Bethany again to James 1 Cor 15:7
• At Olivet and the ascension Acts 1:3-12
• To Paul near Damascus Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor 15:8
• To Stephen outside Jerusalem Acts 7:55
• To Paul in the temple Acts 22:17-21; 23:11
• To John on Patmos Rev 1:10-19

Based on the promise of God and the record given in His Word, we know that Jesus Christ is alive. He literally conquered death and the grave.

Now, this awesome miracle is our greatest message. Two thousand years later, in the midst of spiritual and economic decline, we still have hope in the risen Jesus Christ.

HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN!!

Oh Jesus, How Great THOU Art!!! This Easter is different for us, after the past several years, and the journey He has led us on... we have different desires, things that once meant something, no longer hold that same importance.. with each passing month in our home we find ourselves overwhelmed with the FACT that there are people hurting, that NEED JESUS, our saints are going home.. what are WE doing to fill in the gap? I do not know details and that is OK, this I do know... Jesus died on that old rugged cross for me, has saved our family, we are each serving Jesus and want MORE.. More of God, more of the Holy Ghost to fill us, a burning desire to tell anyone who will listen what God has done for us, and HE can do the same for YOU!! I don't care who thinks we have lost our minds, gone off the deep end, and just weird.. Eternity is just a moment away for anyone  of us.. our days are numbered by an Almighty God, IF YOU WERE TO DIE RIGHT NOW, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WOULD BE IN THE NEXT INSTANT YOUR EARTHLY BREATH WAS GONE? If you do not KNOW, ya better find out.. There is no maybe, I am seeking, or later going to get anyone into Heaven. There is only ONE way to Heaven , and that is THROUGH the Blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on Calvary for "whosoever will may come" I did not get it either, took me longer than I wanted to stay in sins grip, I am so thankful that GOD kept after me, drew me in and gave me a KNOW SO SALVATION, I stand on THE rock of ages, He is my corner stone that the builders rejected, and HE is coming soon.... 

I love Jesus, I need more, Lord help me I need more.. I want more.. 

When you love something or someone, dont ya just want more and more? We should, I need, I want a revival in my heart to spread like wild fire in our home that would spill over to our neighbors.I wish we had a big ol bus.. I would go hunting and fill it up and take people to church to hear about this JESUS that can change their life... I tell ya once you get a taste of WHO HE IS, there is never enough learning about HIm, He changed my life completely and I am SOOOOOOO glad HE did!!!! 

This Easter Sunday, HE LIVES in my heart, He walks with me, He talks with me, He tells me I am his own. 

My heart aches for the loved ones we have that are lost, the friends that can't let go of who satan tells them they are to find true freedom in the cleansing forgiving blood of Jesus. I see a world all around us that are on their way to a very real and burning hell.. what are we as the body of Christ doing to try and stop them? True love , true compassion, is telling someone danger is coming, watch out, its going to consume you... 

So this year as a family we decided not to participate in the traditional  side of Easter, the bunnies, the candy, the new outfits, all the things that have NOTHING to do with WHY we remember this day.  I feel so blessed that GOD has so gotten a hold of our girls hearts that they instead want to concentrate on where they are in their personal walk , to try our best to focus on the eternal instead of the temporal. So thankful for the Holy Spirit working in us and on us.. showing us area's we need to grow.. 

So thankful Thats my KING!!!!

I Have Come By The Way Of The Cross

~ On Day Three

~ The Blood Sacrifice 10 08 2010

Quick Note

So today I am trying to gather up a few more loose ends to work on... ( there are many, but that is OK, one at a time) Finish out Shania's 8th grade year, schedule her graduation photo shoot, gown, ceremony, and trip. And map out her HIGH SCHOOL years, one block at a time.. CAN I HAVE A XANAX PLEASE( ok for those of you who do not REALLY know me well, please do not feel you need to keep reminding me how bad those are for you, or how counseling can help, it is a FIGURE OF SPEECH I use often.. ok? just to save ya the trouble of worry and emailing me again :) )  ANYWAY
And now that we have ALL our school stuff back together, can branch back out into the many wonderful and exciting things we get to explore as homeschoolers.. LOVE IT!!  P.E-Art-Music-Drama-debate-Scripture memorization-vocabulary- poetry- Bible history- sign language- to name a few of the "extra" things we enjoy adding to our core subjects. 
Had a nice night out with just my 8th grader and I. ( love those alone times with each one of the girls) and was just reminded AGAIN, how GREAT and MERCIFUL God is!!! GOD IS GOOD!! So humbled by how God has helped us along this journey, so thankful He changed our path we were on back in 2003 and turned it to a new one... we have come a long ways.. I would not trade ONE SINGLE THING for my calling as a wife and a mother and teacher. I get such a kick out of the fact that God allows me to have this time with our girls.. to give Steve the schedule he has so he can be VERY involved in this as well. Just to think how God has been molding each one of us and helping us to become what HE created us to be, HIS servants! Thankful that each of the girls have a heart for Jesus, and serving HIM!! Thankful for a husband that spends his last day off of the week just talking to ME, pouring over the Bible together, discussing everything from A-Z( I need days like that)  of course it does not happen every single week exactly like it did yesterday, still thankful for the time we do MAKE( if we waited for it, would never happen in this busy life) Thankful for Shania and Kaity being willing to help carry the load with Kelsey being down.. 
Thankful that the good Lord gave us another day to do something for HIM!
Praying for each one of you who have shared your burden with me, I count it a privilege to pull up along side you to "bear one another s burdens" as we travel this road toward HEAVEN!! 
Hope everyone is having a good day as you wrap up towards the end of another week.. but this week is not like all the others. May we remember WHY we are Celebrating Sunday, to REMEMBER until HE RETURNS!!


"I serve a risen Savior, he's in the world today.
I know that he is living, whatever men may say.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart." (A. H. Ackey)

Be encouraged God is in control.: Praising God through Difficult Times

Be encouraged God is in control.: Praising God through Difficult Times: "“I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the Lord, w..."

Be encouraged God is in control.: Power of the Tongue: Speaking Death and Negative W...

Be encouraged God is in control.: Power of the Tongue: Speaking Death and Negative W...: "“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” Many of us have heard this phrase before but have you ever notice that i..."

For a dear friend.. May this speak to your heart!

Gaither Vocal Band - Find Us Faithful

Was GOOD to be in the house of The LORD!

WAS SO GOOD TO BE IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD!!!

Bro.Hunt preached a very simple but powerful message, was so encouraging.. Was also encouraging to see the Latino church there again, and how much they have grown in just a few short weeks. Sis, Wanda sang a very encouraging song and did a good job! They had a dinner after the service for all the visitors, but we were not up for staying for that. Auntie Lee Lee spoiled us and sent us home with a WONDERFUL YUMMY dish! ( THANK YOU AUNTIE) 
Just sitting here thinking how BLESSED we are to have the privilege to go to church and worship JESUS ..When all is said and done  He is Really all that matters  

Thankful, Blessed, grateful, and humbled... would sum up how I feel today in just a few short words. 


Praying for Sis,Judy from the Victory Trio today, it is all up to God and all our days are numbered... doesn't make it easy to loose those we love and hold dear to our hearts. BUT she has RAN/and still is a good race, fought the good fight, and if now is the time Jesus comes to take her home...We can endeavor in our hearts to keep the torch burning until He comes for us! 
Life is not easy, but He did not promise it would be, He did say HE would prove the Grace to live it . He promised There will be Grace, There will be hope!! HIS word is enough, it is all I want to cling to.. 
Draw me nearer Lord to thee!!

Disney on Ice Field Trip Pictures # 2