I found this great new writing blog through the FundsforWriters newsletter. It's called Writing Pays. In yesterday's post on the Writing Pays blog, the author is offering "GUT: How to Think from Your Middle to Get to the Top" by Karen Salmansohn as a giveaway. Check out the blog entry here: http://www.writingpays.biz/2009/10/writing-pays-free-giveaway.html and leave a comment to get a chance to win the book.
Just thought I'd pass it along! I'm working on another blog post that I hope to post this weekend, so stay tuned! See you soon!
Diane
Friday, October 23, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Shield me
There are many names for God in the Bible, both names that describe God and names that are titles for God. As I was reading in Psalms, I was struck by a name for God that we don't hear mentioned much, and that is the name "shield." We usually think of a shield as that large piece of metal that a knight in the days of old would hold to protect him from swords and spears, but according to Merriam-Webster, another definition of "shield" is "one that protects or defends." So "shield" is shorthand for a protector and a defender, both of which are attributes of God.
Below are some verses I found that reference God as a shield. These are some of my favorites, but there are more than just these; a search will turn up several other verses.
2 Samuel 22:31 (NLT): God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
Psalm 3:3 (NLT): But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.
Psalm 5:12 (NLT): For you bless the godly, O Lord: you surround them with your shield of love. (I really like that verse!)
Proverbs 30:5 (NLT): Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who come to him for protection.
Just as we who are earthly parents want to protect our children from anything that might hurt them, God our heavenly Father wants to protect us from danger and harm. Instead of using a large piece of metal to protect us, God Himself surrounds us (see Psalm 3:3 above). Not only does He protect us from physical harm, He surrounds us with a shield of love, as in Psalm 5:12 above. That shield of love comforts us when we are emotionally hurt. When we feel God's presence with us, we are feeling that "shield" that protects us.
Thanks for reading! See you soon!
Diane
Below are some verses I found that reference God as a shield. These are some of my favorites, but there are more than just these; a search will turn up several other verses.
2 Samuel 22:31 (NLT): God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
Psalm 3:3 (NLT): But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.
Psalm 5:12 (NLT): For you bless the godly, O Lord: you surround them with your shield of love. (I really like that verse!)
Proverbs 30:5 (NLT): Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who come to him for protection.
Just as we who are earthly parents want to protect our children from anything that might hurt them, God our heavenly Father wants to protect us from danger and harm. Instead of using a large piece of metal to protect us, God Himself surrounds us (see Psalm 3:3 above). Not only does He protect us from physical harm, He surrounds us with a shield of love, as in Psalm 5:12 above. That shield of love comforts us when we are emotionally hurt. When we feel God's presence with us, we are feeling that "shield" that protects us.
Thanks for reading! See you soon!
Diane
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Everyday people
Galatians 3:28 (NLT):
There is no longer Jew or Gentile,slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The TV station on which we watch the news every evening has started a new feature where they pick a local community and highlight it for a week on the evening news. Last week, it was our community's turn to be featured. On Friday night, the news anchors, the weather anchor, and the sports anchor came to our town's Oktoberfest celebration and broadcasted that evening's news. My husband, my son and I went to the festivities. My son was awed at seeing the news anchors in person. He said, "They look just the same as they do on TV!" LOL!
This is the lesson that I taught my son that evening. The people that you see on newscasts (and anywhere else, for that matter) are the same as everyone else. They all put on their pants the same way that we do. Some people may have different jobs or talents than we do, or maybe God painted them a different color. Or maybe they have more or less money than we do. But we are all the same in God's eyes. No one is any better than anyone else. We are all put on this earth to help one another, to get along with each other, and to love each other. (Yes, the title of this post is the name of a song by Sly & the Family Stone, which was also covered by Joan Jett. Take the time to Google the lyrics. Not all secular music is evil.)
People idolize those who are famous and/or talented, but the only person we should idolize is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who is above all others. We would do well to imitate the way He treated people in every strata of society. He treated all people with respect and love, especially women, who were second class citizens in the times in which He lived. And He forgave those who sinned, and we are to forgive those who sin against us. And He was filled with humility, even when He was being tried by the Sanhedrin and tortured by the Roman soldiers. If we all acted like Jesus, what a different world this would be!
My son is on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend, so I may have another blog post soon, since I don't have to share the computer. Have a great day!
There is no longer Jew or Gentile,slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The TV station on which we watch the news every evening has started a new feature where they pick a local community and highlight it for a week on the evening news. Last week, it was our community's turn to be featured. On Friday night, the news anchors, the weather anchor, and the sports anchor came to our town's Oktoberfest celebration and broadcasted that evening's news. My husband, my son and I went to the festivities. My son was awed at seeing the news anchors in person. He said, "They look just the same as they do on TV!" LOL!
This is the lesson that I taught my son that evening. The people that you see on newscasts (and anywhere else, for that matter) are the same as everyone else. They all put on their pants the same way that we do. Some people may have different jobs or talents than we do, or maybe God painted them a different color. Or maybe they have more or less money than we do. But we are all the same in God's eyes. No one is any better than anyone else. We are all put on this earth to help one another, to get along with each other, and to love each other. (Yes, the title of this post is the name of a song by Sly & the Family Stone, which was also covered by Joan Jett. Take the time to Google the lyrics. Not all secular music is evil.)
People idolize those who are famous and/or talented, but the only person we should idolize is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who is above all others. We would do well to imitate the way He treated people in every strata of society. He treated all people with respect and love, especially women, who were second class citizens in the times in which He lived. And He forgave those who sinned, and we are to forgive those who sin against us. And He was filled with humility, even when He was being tried by the Sanhedrin and tortured by the Roman soldiers. If we all acted like Jesus, what a different world this would be!
My son is on a Boy Scout camping trip this weekend, so I may have another blog post soon, since I don't have to share the computer. Have a great day!
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