No, not a Martin Luther King, Jr. type dream. I just thought it made a nice title. :lol
I'm a legal secretary in the real world. Around three years ago, I started having a mid-life crisis. I'd been a legal secretary for about 10 years at that point, and I didn't think I wanted to do that anymore. But I make more money than my husband, and so I was stuck. I have always enjoyed writing, and thought I might want to write. I discovered the Christian Writers' Guild, headed by Jerry B. Jenkins of Left Behind fame. The Guild offers a writers' course to help you sharpen up your writing skills. I felt the Lord calling me to take this course. I even sent for an information package. It is a 2 year course and you take two lessons a month. I had hubby read over the brochure, but he said we couldn't afford it. At that time, it cost $1,000 for the course, and you had to have MS Word installed on your computer, which I didn't have. So I reluctantly put the brochure in the filing drawer, and filed the dream in the back part of my brain.
Ever since then though, I check out Writer's Digest magazines from the library. A few weeks ago, the dream came back. I feel the writing urge pull at me again. The Lord told me to start blogging so I can practice my writing. And I looked at the Christian Writer's Guild's web site again, although the price has gone up to $1,480 (for monthly payments) or $1,180 (for one time lump sum payment). I now have MS Word on my computer, but the money for the course would be hard to come by, since the store that my husband worked at closed in November. He has a new job, but it's only part time. Unemployment picks up the rest, but we have too many bills for me to even consider it. I am praying that if the Lord truly wants me to take the Guild course, that He will provide the funds and that my husband will not try to appropriate the funds for bills.
Thanks for reading about my dream! I pray it comes true soon. Have a blessed day!
Diane
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Look up!
I'm going to interrupt my regular posts on prayer to post on Matthew 24. The Lord has laid it on my heart to take this passage apart verse by verse and comment on it. I will post links to articles relevant to some of the verses, and comment on others.
Matthew 24:3-14 (NKJV):
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
With all of what was going on, the disciples thought that the end was near. But Jesus told them that it wasn't. The question "Tell us, when will these things be?" actually refers to verses 1 and 2 where Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, which took place in 70 A.D.
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
The Cult of Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda
Maitreya
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[a]these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
World War I and World War II would certainly fit these verses, along with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
7b And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Famine in Africa
More famine articles
Pestilence - Swine flu - Dictionary.com defines "pestilence" as "an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality." This newest strain of swine flu certainly qualifies as a pestilence.
Earthquakes in various places - This web site shows all the places where earthquakes occurred that were at least 4.5 on the Richter scale.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
As scary as all this stuff is, according to Jesus, it will get worse, especially during the Tribulation period.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Persecution Part 1 - A website listing areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted.
Persecution Part 2 - Another website listing areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
No news articles needed for this verse - it happens in everyday life all the time.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
False prophets - a nice website with a list of false prophets and why they're false prophets.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
There are plenty of examples of this, but click here for just one example. There is another example here.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Good news from Jesus! There is hope for those who endure all these things and make it to the end.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Wycliff Bible Translators want to have Bibles in all languages by 2025. Here is an interesting paragraph:
592 new Bible Translation programs have been started in the past eight years. Wycliffe is involved in 490 of these (83%). This is an increase never before experienced in the 2,000-year history of Bible translation. Just this has reduced the timeline for reaching remaining language communities by 112 years.
Don't let all that's been written bring fear to your heart, for if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will be with you and you will not need to fear.
If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and wish for Him to come into your heart and clean it up and make you a new person on the inside, all you have to do is repent for your sins (or confess that you have sinned). This is called "being born again" or "saved." Here is a simple prayer that you can pray:
"Lord, I know I am a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness for my sins. I believe that You died for me on the Cross. Please come into my heart and make me new. I want you to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life totally and completely to You. Thank you for forgiving my sins and making me new."
Did you say the prayer? If so, congratulations! You are now my brother or sister in Christ. Your first step should be to purchase a Bible. Start by reading the first four books of the New Testament, also known as the Gospels. They will tell you about Jesus. The second thing you should do is find a Bible-believing church where you can learn about being a Christian and you can meet other Christians. I would love to know if you prayed to receive Jesus. Please enter a comment to let me know.
Thanks for reading! Have a blessed day!
Diane
Matthew 24:3-14 (NKJV):
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
With all of what was going on, the disciples thought that the end was near. But Jesus told them that it wasn't. The question "Tell us, when will these things be?" actually refers to verses 1 and 2 where Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple, which took place in 70 A.D.
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
The Cult of Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda
Maitreya
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all[a]these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
World War I and World War II would certainly fit these verses, along with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
7b And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
Famine in Africa
More famine articles
Pestilence - Swine flu - Dictionary.com defines "pestilence" as "an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality." This newest strain of swine flu certainly qualifies as a pestilence.
Earthquakes in various places - This web site shows all the places where earthquakes occurred that were at least 4.5 on the Richter scale.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
As scary as all this stuff is, according to Jesus, it will get worse, especially during the Tribulation period.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Persecution Part 1 - A website listing areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted.
Persecution Part 2 - Another website listing areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted.
10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.
No news articles needed for this verse - it happens in everyday life all the time.
11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
False prophets - a nice website with a list of false prophets and why they're false prophets.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
There are plenty of examples of this, but click here for just one example. There is another example here.
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Good news from Jesus! There is hope for those who endure all these things and make it to the end.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Wycliff Bible Translators want to have Bibles in all languages by 2025. Here is an interesting paragraph:
592 new Bible Translation programs have been started in the past eight years. Wycliffe is involved in 490 of these (83%). This is an increase never before experienced in the 2,000-year history of Bible translation. Just this has reduced the timeline for reaching remaining language communities by 112 years.
Don't let all that's been written bring fear to your heart, for if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will be with you and you will not need to fear.
If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and wish for Him to come into your heart and clean it up and make you a new person on the inside, all you have to do is repent for your sins (or confess that you have sinned). This is called "being born again" or "saved." Here is a simple prayer that you can pray:
"Lord, I know I am a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness for my sins. I believe that You died for me on the Cross. Please come into my heart and make me new. I want you to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life totally and completely to You. Thank you for forgiving my sins and making me new."
Did you say the prayer? If so, congratulations! You are now my brother or sister in Christ. Your first step should be to purchase a Bible. Start by reading the first four books of the New Testament, also known as the Gospels. They will tell you about Jesus. The second thing you should do is find a Bible-believing church where you can learn about being a Christian and you can meet other Christians. I would love to know if you prayed to receive Jesus. Please enter a comment to let me know.
Thanks for reading! Have a blessed day!
Diane
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Prayer - Part 3 - The Lord's Prayer
Tonight I'll be posting on the Lord's Prayer. I will be using the New King James Version for this post, since the wording is more traditional. The Scripture reading is Luke 11:1-4:
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, thatone of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
==============================================================
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
The disciples saw how fervently Jesus prayed, and they wanted to pray that way too, so they asked Jesus to teach them.
Our Father in heaven,
The Father was not just Jesus' Father, but our Father as well and Heaven is where He lives.
Hallowed be Your name.
"Hallowed" is another word for "holy." The Father's name is holy - we should treat it with reverence and awe.
Your kingdom come.
We look forward to the day when God's kingdom comes on earth to reign forever.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Whatever the Father wishes to happen in heaven is done. We pray that whatever the Father wishes to happen on earth is done.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
We pray that the Father gives us the sustenance we need for the day, not only the food that enters our mouths, but spiritual food as well.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Unless we forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive us our sins.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
We are asking the Lord not to put us in situations that would cause us to sin. We ask to be delivered from Satan's power and all the evil things he causes to happen.
Some translations add the following:
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
With this line, we acknowledge that the kingdom of heaven belongs to God alone, and he will reign there eternally in power and glory. "Amen" means "so be it."
Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments. Have a blessed day!
Diane
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, thatone of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
==============================================================
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
The disciples saw how fervently Jesus prayed, and they wanted to pray that way too, so they asked Jesus to teach them.
Our Father in heaven,
The Father was not just Jesus' Father, but our Father as well and Heaven is where He lives.
Hallowed be Your name.
"Hallowed" is another word for "holy." The Father's name is holy - we should treat it with reverence and awe.
Your kingdom come.
We look forward to the day when God's kingdom comes on earth to reign forever.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Whatever the Father wishes to happen in heaven is done. We pray that whatever the Father wishes to happen on earth is done.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
We pray that the Father gives us the sustenance we need for the day, not only the food that enters our mouths, but spiritual food as well.
4 And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Unless we forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive us our sins.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
We are asking the Lord not to put us in situations that would cause us to sin. We ask to be delivered from Satan's power and all the evil things he causes to happen.
Some translations add the following:
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.
With this line, we acknowledge that the kingdom of heaven belongs to God alone, and he will reign there eternally in power and glory. "Amen" means "so be it."
Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments. Have a blessed day!
Diane
Friday, April 17, 2009
Prayer - Part 2
I hope that you enjoyed reading Prayer - Part 1. Here is Part 2.
Tonight's Scripture reading is Matthew 6:5-8 (NLT).
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Tonight's Scripture reading is Matthew 6:5-8 (NLT).
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.
One of the definitions of "hypocrite," per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is " a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion." The hypocrites in this verse are praying in public to make people think they are righteous and holy. The adulation of the people watching the hypocrites pray is the only reward they will receive. Jesus is warning us here not to pray to show off before others.
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Prayer should be a private matter between you and God. When you pray in secret, your reward is the Father' undivided attention. If you make your needs known privately to the Father, He will give you the glory in public. See the difference in reward between this and the reward of the hypocrites in verse 5?
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.
The Lord wants us to be direct and to the point when we are petitioning Him with our needs. You do not need to say the same words over and over again.
8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
The Lord knows everything you need. He knows your thoughts, feelings and needs before they are even expressed in words. However, the Father wants to hear from you your wants and needs.
For Prayer - Part 3, I will post my comments on the Lord's Prayer. I hope you're enjoying reading my posts. Please feel free to comment. See you next time!
Diane
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Prayer - Part 1
A few years ago, I wrote some thoughts on prayer. I thought I'd share them on my blog. I hope you will find them encouraging. For each part, I will post a Scripture and then comment, verse by verse. Tonight's post is on Philippians 4:6-7.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT): 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
We should pray about everything that concerns us, for God is not only our Father but our Friend. He cares for us. We should not worry about where our sustenance will come from, but depend on the Father to provide for us. He knows what you need before you ask for it, but He just needs confirmation that the thing or situation you are asking for is what you really want.
When you pray, always thank God for what He has already given you and for what He's done for you.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
After you turn over your concerns and needs to the Lord through prayer (don't forget to keep them there; that's a subject for another post), you feel such a peace and release. God's peace is much more than we can even imagine. God's peace will guard your heart and mind and keep them pure so you can live each day to the fullest in Christ Jesus.
Thanks for reading! Please comment if you feel led. See you soon!
Diane
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT): 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
We should pray about everything that concerns us, for God is not only our Father but our Friend. He cares for us. We should not worry about where our sustenance will come from, but depend on the Father to provide for us. He knows what you need before you ask for it, but He just needs confirmation that the thing or situation you are asking for is what you really want.
When you pray, always thank God for what He has already given you and for what He's done for you.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
After you turn over your concerns and needs to the Lord through prayer (don't forget to keep them there; that's a subject for another post), you feel such a peace and release. God's peace is much more than we can even imagine. God's peace will guard your heart and mind and keep them pure so you can live each day to the fullest in Christ Jesus.
Thanks for reading! Please comment if you feel led. See you soon!
Diane
Monday, April 13, 2009
Need a movie for your Netflix queue?
If you like musicals (and/or Hugh Jackman), you have to see Oklahoma! After watching Hugh on the Oscar and realizing he can sing and dance, I went to his profile on IMDb.com and discovered he played Curly in this version. The production took place in 1999, so Hugh looks younger than he does now (the son noticed this, since he only knows Hugh as Wolverine). Not only is Hugh excellent in this production, so is British actress Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller. An Australian and a Brit playing Oklahomans. How ironic is that?!?
Or if you can't wait for the movie to show up in your mailbox, you can purchase it here. Happy viewing!
Diane
Or if you can't wait for the movie to show up in your mailbox, you can purchase it here. Happy viewing!
Diane
Welcome!
This is my first foray into the world of blogging. My daughter will probably say "It's about time you entered the 21st century!" LOL! I never got around to setting up accounts on Facebook or myspace. It seems like a lot of work, although I set up my husband on LinkedIn in the hopes of landing him another job. Why in the world anyone would be interested in the minutae of my life via Twitter is beyond me too, although I admit it would be a compliment if anyone were to "follow" me. :)
I hope to use this blog to keep my writing skills up to date, post on things that interest or concern me, and whatever I feel might be of interest to my readers. I will try to post at least once a week, if not more, when the writing spirit hits me. I welcome comments, although if the comments turn too nasty, I will turn them off.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Diane
I hope to use this blog to keep my writing skills up to date, post on things that interest or concern me, and whatever I feel might be of interest to my readers. I will try to post at least once a week, if not more, when the writing spirit hits me. I welcome comments, although if the comments turn too nasty, I will turn them off.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed day!
Diane
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