Lesson #1 Notes.. getting into the Word.

I have started a 13-week study with my church called Journey To A Better Life, a study of the book of Ephesians.  We did the first lesson last week (we are doing it on Wed nights)  I am excited.. been craving and feeling a drawing to get back into the Word and it's about time.

I'm not going to post all my notes but just some neat tid bits I learned. The first lesson was for me like a refresher, this study is really good for new baby Christians but I still think I will get alot out of it.. The Word Does Not Come Back Void.

Since Paul is the author or who God used to pen the Book of Ephesians (and alot of the NT) there is going to be alot of info about him and his walk and how and where he wrote these books.   Paul, formally known as Saul, was a zealous Jew, Pharisee who persecuted Christians thinking he was doing God a service.  He had a radical conversion to Christ (read Acts 9) and lived an even more zelous life for the Lord and became an apostle (one who is personally commissioned by Christ).  He wrote the book of Ephesians during his first imprisonment in Rome, 60 A.D.

The book of Ephesians is believed to be a general letter to Christians.. in the Bible it starts out, "To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus" but in older manuscripts where Ephesus would be, there is a blank.  Kind of like a form letter that was sent out where the name was to later be filled in and there is no personal names in the closing of the letter like in Colossians.

I love learning the meaning of words from the Bible and the history behind them.  I think we can get such a deeper understanding then the general English we use today.  In this lesson there were a few definitions from the Greek that I would like to share and maybe chew on.

saint translates from the Greek  Hagios, meaning "separated" and implies availability and usability in God's service.  If you are a Christian who has separated yourself from sin and are dedicated to God you are a saint who this epistle is written to!  The appeal for a saintly life can be found in Romans 12:1 -Holy and Acceptable, in his service.  All saints are in Christ Jesus.. it is important to understand that.. IN Christ Jesus.. because on our own ofcourse we are not worthy, we all fall short and have times of selfishness.  But if we are IN Christ Jesus,  God only sees us threw Christ's righteousness.  In the New Testament believers are refereed to being in Christ more than 75 times, 14 of that in in Ephesians.  This was so neat for me to consider, because when in general we think of a Saint, we think of the Catholic system of a person being nominated and going threw a process of  being able to be called a Saint after they are dead and there has to be some kind of proof of miracles and other criteria, like a saint is P E R F E C T (I'm not Catholic but that is my general impressions I get)  But just because I AM IN CHRIST JESUS, I too am a saint.  Read Romans 8:1 to see the wonderful promise and assurance given to those who are In Christ.

Eph. 1:2 Paul writes "Grace and peace to you" Grace translates from the Greek greeting Charis, where we get our modern day word Karen.   Charis refers to receiving something completely undeserved.  Peace (Shalom) the common Hebrew greeting referring to inner tranquillity, undisturbed by outward circumstances. Read Philippians 4:7- (my notes) God's peace goes beyond human understanding, it will guard our hearts and minds threw Christ.  I know many times I have experienced this and it is awesome to have that kind of Peace, especially when the situation or circumstances or ppl around you say other wise and can't understand why you can be so calm, still have joy, still have hope : )

The word holy  is the same Greek word as  the word translated for saints, only in the singular.  Meaning set apart from the world and dedicated to God.  So to be a saint and to be holy goes hand in hand but remember we are not holy or a saint of our own work or accord. Again we need to be In Christ, only if we are born of God, he is with in us, and God can not sin. (1John 3:9)

(Eph)1:4 blameless means with out blemish or with out rebuke. Read 1 John 1:9 for the context showing that we do sin but what we should do if we do.. (my notes) Confess and he is faithful to forgive and CLEANSE ME.  I know when I have that heavy weight on me, that conviction of the Holy Spirit showing me.. ohh Mary you know that was not right.. and I confess it to God.. that heavy burden is lifted.. I feel lighter right away, relief.. and I know I am forgiven.. I put in caps, CLEANSE ME, to remind myself that he is cleansing me, renewing me, making me a new creation and I will not be the same.

I feel like I have written the whole lesson but really this was just little nibbles and I like restating them, committing them to memory and grounding myself in what I have learned.  You know we retain more info if we repeat it and write it out. : )

Feel free to share your thoughts or comments.

aphorism. Word Of the Day from alphaDictionary.com Can you think of any that you live by?

 • aphorism •

Pronunciation: æ-fê-riz-êm • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A pithy adage, a terse statement of a believed truth.

Notes: Oscar Wilde was an aphorist nonpareil. He constantly created amusing aphoristic phrases like, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about." "Work is the curse of the drinking classes," is not a spoonerism, as sometimes thought, but yet another Wilde aphorism. The adjective is aphoristic and one can talk aphoristically.

In Play: Much of our lives and many of our attitudes are determined by aphorisms. It was not an American but the French writer Voltaire who originally said, "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it." Englishman Edmund Burke alerted us to the conditions for evil with, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Finally, it was Benjamin Franklin who warned us, long before the Bush wiretaps, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Word History: Today's Good Word came to us through French from Late Latin aphorismus, a word borrowed from Greek aphorismos. Aphorismos is the noun of aphorizein "to delimit, define". This verb is made up of apo- "(up)on" + horizein "to demarcate, define". As you might have guessed, the verb horizein also lies at the bottom of Greek horizon, the word referring to the boundary between the sky and earth, which English also borrowed, directly from Greek

I think the Laugh & Lift Daily e-mail group provides an aphorism each day under it's Thought For Today heading.  Today's said: "People will take your example far more seriously than they will your advice" Did not list who was accredited for this pithy saying so I assume it's an Author Unknown.

What is an aphorism that you have heard that sticks with you or can you come up with one of your own to share with the class??

Alex Trebek Raps

Alex Trebek Raps : "

"

Did you know AOL has a Video Blog?? Well.. now you do.. anyway..

OMG this is toooooooooo funny.. It's from the collage edition of the show and Alex has to quote rap songs as the clue.

And for those who have asked.. No Zane did not make it on Kids Jeopardy.  We never did received the Fed Ex that would of confirmed him making it on. It would of been nice if they had sent out a letter or something to let those know who did not make it on, instead of making us wait on pins and needles all summer. But hey.. there is always next time and I am still proud of my boy for passing the test last spring (only 10 out of 70 kids that took it in the STL area could pass it)

Tagged!!! 6 odd or weird things you prob should not know about me lol

I was tagged over on my MySpace mirror blog and did it with ppl who blog over there.. so I thought I would carry it over to J~Land.  heehee

Rules:
Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things/habits about you". People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird habits/things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1.  I belch loud and proud and often.. never said I was a lady.

2. I only wear underwear when I have to..ie when I wear a skirt.

3. When in a cocky mood I put on Roxette's "She's Got The Look" and tell my daughters that is our theme song.

4. Neil Diamond songs is what I listen and sing along to loudly in the shower.

5. I prefer to sleep nude (when I do sleep in my own room)

6. It is hard to sleep in my bed alone when my husband is not home, so I have been sleeping on the couch alot lately with the t.v. as company.

Now... who to tag???

1. Lisa Joe of Damaged Goods

2. Barbara of Life & Faith In Caneyhead

3. Jeff the new AOL Joural Editor that took over Magic Smoke (sniff sniff.. going to miss Joe but maybe we can get to know some stuff and junk about this Jeff guy if he can play)

4. Traci of My life as a transplanted Yankee

5. Christy of Christy's Thoughts

6. Denise of Thats Just ME (she has a very new journal so show her some J~Land Love!)

Good article.. The differnt Needs of men and women

The Different Needs of Men and Women

Les and Leslie Parrott

The other day we received this letter from a newly engaged couple.

"I hear a lot of talk about how men and women have different needs, and I am the first to admit it's true. However, I have a tough time trying to pinpoint these needs so that I can better understand my fiancée. I think she feels the same way about me. Can you help?"

Every cell of our bodies, as men and women, differ. The skeletal structure, for example, of women is shorter and broader. Women's blood contains fewer red cells, making them tire more easily. Women have a larger stomach, kidneys, liver, and appendix, but smaller lungs. Scores of other physical differences may influence the way each person in a relationship feels and behaves. But in addition to the more obvious physical differences between the genders, societal expectations and modeling contribute to a plethora of differences between the sexes – all culminating in several gender-specific unique needs. Intresting to know!

Many relational problems evolve because men try to meet needs that they would value and women do the same. The problem is that since the needs of men and women are often so different, we waste effort trying to meet the wrong needs. If we are truly committed to valuing our life partners, we must not only understand and appreciate our partner's differences, but we must commit ourselves to meeting their unique needs. Notice it said Commit.. serving eachother .. not being selfish??! LOL

Willard F. Harley, in his popular book "His Needs, Her Needs," has given us a great tool to do just that. He identifies the ten most important martial needs of men and women. You may or may not agree with all of them, but they can serve as a good discussion starter:

She needs affection – It symbolizes security, protection, comfort, and approval. A hug expresses affection. For the typical wife, there can hardly be enough of them. Yes! Yes! Yes!  I would love more PSOA (public show of affection) And it is a proven fact that humans need skin to skin contact, hugs, kissess, just to feel that warmth of his breath on my neck or his body heat.. (hint hint)

He needs sexual fulfillment – Just as women crave affection, so do men want sex. And they don't just want their wives to make their bodies available. They need to feel their wife is as invested in sex as they are. Umm.. well I don't see us having too many probs in this area, I have been told we have a very high labeto.. but I think some of my lady friends have either a chemical imbalance or trumatic pasts that doesn't help in the bed room.  But when your man knows you WANT and NEED him.. watch out.. grawwwwwllll purrrrrr lol

She needs conversation – Not just talk about her husband's problems or achievements, but about her problems and her hopes. She needs quality conversation on a daily basis. YES! I do feel a lacking in this department.  He gets to talking about his job, and tecnical terms and it's like whoooooooshhhh over my head or we just talk about superficial things, normal day to day house and family bla..

He needs recreational companionship – After sex, the need for recreation rates highest for men. He needs time spent in a mutually satisfying activity – whether it is sports, shopping, cooking, painting, etc. I think us both taking up golfing will help meet this need.  We have some comon ground to talk about, the tecnnial terms and just the time spent together is soooooo nice.  Can't wait till we can get out on the green again.

She needs honesty and openness – Mistrust destroys a woman's marital security. If a husband does not keep up honest communication with his wife, he eventually undermines her trust and destroys any hope of security. I can say I have never had a trust issue with my husband, but I know others are not that lucky.  If we didn't trust each other I don't see how we could survive our current situation of him working out of town so much.  Life is so much simpler when you are not worrying and fretting if you are being lied to or wondering where your man is wondering off to.

He needs an attractive spouse – A man does not need a supermodel for a wife, but he wants her to make an effort to be attractive to him. He wants her to dress in clothes he likes and do her hair in a style that is appealing to him.  Remember when you first started dating?? How you would go to the nines for him? LOL  Not that I do that, but I do make an effort to shave my legs.  One of my husband's pet peevess is me wearing make up.. he would rather I just have a fresh natural look.. so I get off easy and just use mostizer with sunscreen (keeps me soft and helps stay off wrinkles lol) and when we do happen to go out I just put on a bit of eye liner and mascarra.

She needs financial support – A husband's failure to provide sufficient income sends shudders through the underpinnings of a marriage. A woman needs to know that her husband is taking care of their family's needs and their future. I know this one is a very touchy subject in many marraiges.  A man's ego is so tied into being a good provider and when he feels like he is not.. ohh my cann he be grumpy.  As long as I know my husband is doing the best he can I am happy.  I have told him that I don't want him to work just so we can have STUFF, but just so we can have the basics.. but I think he has forgotten that and seems driven to take the out of town work that provides the higher income.  But I admit it is good to know that he feels taking care of his family is a priority and it is nice to be able to go and get my nails done now and then or go shopping with the girls (not that it happens that often)

He needs domestic support – Old-fashioned or not, most men fantasize about a loving, pleasant home where few hassles occur and life runs smoothly. This is an ouchy one for me.. I feel like I am one of the worlds worst house keepers, book keeper, cook.. I have just not been trained up to do these things well.  But when he is coming home I work my booty off to have the house presentable and plan at least one really good home cooked meal.

She needs family commitment – Wives want their husbands to take a strong role in the marriage and express how important it is to them. They need to see evidence of a strong commitment to family life that is not overshadowed by work or anything else. And this is another ouchy area.

He needs admiration – Honest admiration is a great motivator for most men. When a woman tells her husband (who has been sweating it out at work) that she thinks he's wonderful, it inspires him and keeps him going. I adore my husband and I hope he knows it.  There is so much about him that I respect and admire.  I realy have been blessed because I know he is a rare breed these days.  When I know he has had it hard at work I try and encourage him and remind him of all his good qualities.

Like we said, you may not agree with all of these "needs," but the number of people who have bought and read Harley's book is enough reason to take them seriously and discuss how each of your particular sets of needs differ.  I havn't read this book but it sounds like it may be helpful to some people.  I totaly recomend a book called Sheet Music and Sex Starts In The Kitchen.

Remember, if you commit yourself to meeting the unique needs of your partner, you will become irresistible to each other and insure faithfulness in your marriage. You will build a relationship that sustains romance, increases intimacy, and deepens awareness year after year.  We have been married for 10 years now, high school sweet hearts and I have to say I love him more with each passing year.  It is deeper and wider than the little 16yr old crush and sexual attraction we had started with.  I give the Lord the credit for most of it, because when he is the center of our life and we look to him for guidance, there is Peace and Love and it flows.

Enjoying it all while we can

Balloon Race @ Forest Park STL '06

 

Josh was home for a few brief days.. that is getting old, but when he is here we try and pack in all this family time. I should of taken more pictures but I wanted to enjoy too instead of always being the archiver, shutter bug, family history keeper. 

Friday night we went to a free family/concert event at El Shaddai Ranch.  It was an awesome time, even though it was geared more for teenagers we still enjoyed it.  I wish I could find the name of the artist who performed.. he was fanominal and the kids are begging for his CD.  He was a white, Christian... rapper LOL BUT the boy has got                    

T A L E N T with a POWERFUL testimony!!!!  Sophia and Lilly had to be right up front and Zane was even recognized by a girllllllll that he used to go to school with.  Ofcourse this embarrassed him when questioned about it, he played it off that he barely remembered her (well honey apparently she remembered YOU! ya I am so bad about teasing him lol)

Saturday we went to our first Great Forest Park Balloon Race. We have lived in the STL area for over 9 years now and have never gone, so I was very excited to go to this annual event.  We had a picnic in the park after we could find a parking place and then make the trek behind the Muny where the main happenings were taking place.  By the time the race was starting the kids were sooooooooo tired and whinny it was getting on my last nerve.  So we left after the first few balloons took off.  It was a windy day and I don't even think the Bunny Balloon got to take off.

Saturday night I was determined to go out and have a date night with Josh.  But what I really was craving was adult interaction, socializing and getting a wee bit buzz on lol.  But apparently everyone I know who still goes out and cuts loose were busy and had no suggestions of where Josh and I could go. You have to understand.. we don't go out to bars or clubs hardly ever anymore, isn't consistent with our lifestyle but I don't see any harm in doing it now and then, trying to recapture my fleeting youth.  Josh and I bar hopped a bit, played pool, I even got him to slow dance with me once.  We got a room because you know (in a quiet whisper) hotel sex is fun.  And that was our weekend.  Sunday we missed church, Josh packed up and headed back for the road.  He is estimated to be gone for another month straight.  I won't even go into it right now the conversations and my emotions about the direction his career is taking him and the lonely feeling of basically being a single mom while he is gone..I know others have it worse off then me and there is a time and season... anyway..

Monday I decided to have a special day with Annie.  She played hookie from school and we went to this place called The Plaid Monkey.  We had a Mommy & Me spa day.  Got our nails done and our hair trimmed and styled.  And while it was a cool place for kids, they have parties you can book and all that with dress up, my nails are already smudged and the massage chair is not half as good as the Salon I go to (when I can go) in the Wal-Mart at Lake Saint Louis. Then we went shopping.  Annie needed new shoes BADLY and I also got her a purse and a new outfit.  Ofcourse when I saw the green leather handbag I had to get it (it was on sale!)  I needed a wintry purse and if you don't know by now.. lime green is my color..it was MY color before it became all the rage and everyone else stole it from me LOL.  Then we went to a nice Chinna Buffet.. where I chipped another tooth (ughhhhhhhh will I ever be able to have a toothy smile again??!)  I probably spent too much money but the memories and joy Annie had spending alone time with me is worth it.

loquacious: Word A Day from AlphaDictionary.com

loquacious •

Pronunciation: lo-kway-shês • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Very talkative, chatty, using lots of words, verbose.

Notes: The noun from today's word is loquacity [lo-qwæ-sê-ti] and the adverb loquaciously. A related adjective is loquent "talking, speaking", which turns up mostly in technical writing as in, "Do chimpanzees comprise a loquent species?" This adjective yields a noun, loquency "talk, the ability to speak". The synonym of today's word, talkative, is an accepted lexical violation in that it is made up of a native stem, talk, plus a Latin suffix -ative, two grammatically incompatible constituents. But perhaps I am waxing loquacious myself and should stop here to leave room for a few other comments on this interesting word.

In Play: Today's word is the antonym of an earlier Good Word, reticent "taciturn, untalkative". "Molly was such a reticent child but since starting school she has become positively loquacious." Loquacity can be fun and entertaining or it can get in the way: "We want to keep today's meeting short, so I may interrupt anyone who becomes too loquacious."

*At the ladies meeting Saturday, Norma referred to the telephone as the hell-a-phone. Implying becoming too loquacious is a drain on our spiritual life.  She even suggested that we should put a 20 min. time limit on phone conversations.