The first time I saw it was in 1980. Stamped with a singular Chinese character, I recognized its meaning from the triangular yellow sign. “Yield,” I said aloud, pleased with my first translation of the ten-week trip. Eight years later, I found this same character on a page in my language school textbook. “讓 (ràng) — to let, allow, offer, or permit,” the author …
I was an adult before I realized Aunt Lizzy was actually my great-aunt. I saw her on occasion at funerals, weddings, and random family gatherings that had more fried chicken than reason. Aunt Lizzy looked a lot like my grandmother, who was her sister, but the similarities stopped at appearances. My grandmother was plain and sensible — Lizzy was …
Camak yetser natsar shalowm shalowm kiy batach. Seven simple Hebrew words. But what do they mean? Camak – verb – “to lean against, rest upon; to support or uphold.” I immediately envision a ladder, propped against the house in order to bear weight as I climb higher. Yetser – noun – “a frame, formation; also an intention.” …
Today, we shift our attention to one of the most interesting and possibly surprising pieces of Spiritual Armor: the shield of faith. It is one heavy-duty item. Check out this informational video describing the Roman shield: Now, we learned that the first three, Truth, Righteousness and the Preparation of Peace, were all standard defensive equipment. And, I have …
My precious child, Draw near. Approach Me. Proserchomai. It saddens Me when you cower so. I do recognize your fear. I saw it first in the eyes of your earthly father, Adam and your earthly mother, Eve. They too ran and hid when they acted independently of Me (Genesis 3:8). But you’ve been adopted away from …
“The promise of His presence knows no limit and has nothing to do with how we feel.” Martha Kirk’s quote from her recent post keeps throbbing in my spirit. Indeed, we walk by faith, not by Sight or (2 Corinthians 5:7) Smell or Taste or Sound or Feeling. Each of those sensory perceptions are sourced from our …
“And now, Lord….grant that Thy bond-servants may speak Thy word with all confidence.” (Acts 4:29) What a great prayer… asking the Father for boldness. Especially in light of so much brokenness that we just don’t know where to start. 1. Both bold prayer and bold speaking must be accomplished without hesitation. The opposite of boldness is holding back in …
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14). In the literal Greek, the word “dwelt” means “tabernacled”. Jesus put on a fleshly body set for quick decay to live nearby us where we could get a good look. He tabernacled in our midst. Hummmm….tabernacled – that’s was the Old Testament mobile tent, right? …
