Cherishing The Old Rugged Cross

By Tammy Hensel

The Old Rugged Cross has been called one of the most beloved hymns written in the 20th century. In fact I am writing this blog by special request from one of my faithful readers who wrote me of his love for it. I am so glad he asked me to review it, as I have been very blessed by my research on the song and its author. Both the lyrics and the music were written by Rev. George Bennard (1873-1958).

Here are the beloved lyrics:

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross
Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Bennard, who was born in Ohio and raised in Iowa, made a confession of faith in Christ at a Salvation Army meeting sometime before the age of sixteen. When he was that age, his father died and he had to help support his mother and sisters. This delayed, but did not derail, his ambition to become an evangelist. After he married, he and his wife became brigade leaders for the Salvation Army in Illinois, until he was ordained as a minister in the Episcopal Methodist Church. Finally, his dream came true, as he joined the revival circuit as a travelling evangelist in Michigan and New York.

While in preparation for a series of revivals in 1913, Bennard was overwhelmed by the incredible sacrifice of Christ on the cross. It helped him to see his own trials in a new perspective. "'I saw the Christ of the Cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form and act out the meaning of redemption,' he said later." (http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2002/06/daily-06-07-2002.shtml)

John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV

Another related verse mentioned in a couple of my sources as inspiration for the hymn is 1 Peter 2:24: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. KJV

Bennard wrote the music on that day, but the only lyric that came out of his anguished soul was "I'll cherish the old rugged cross." He said later that he struggled for weeks for just the right words to express his deep spiritual experience. He wrote: "I composed the melody first The words that I first wrote were imperfect. The words of the finished hymn were put into my heart in answer to my own need." (101 Hymn Stories, p.255)

He sang his finished work for the first time at a revival meeting in the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon. Mich., with the church choir joining him from his penciled notes.
The old church is now on the National Historic Register known as The Original Old Rugged Cross Church. It was restored and is maintained by The Old Rugged Cross Foundation. It had served as a barn by a farmer who bought it from the church when they moved to a new location.

Below is a YouTube video from the Gaither Israel Homecoming DVD filmed on Golgotha hill. I only wish they had included more verses of this truly great hymn that will be cherished for many years to come.



Sources:
101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck (1982 Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, p. 254-256)

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/b/e/n/bennard_g.htm

http://www.christianhistorytimeline.com/DAILYF/2002/06/daily-06-07-2002.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Rugged_Cross

http://www.albionmich.com/history/histor_notebook/930405.shtml

http://www.the-oldruggedcross.org/history.htm

Goals for 2010 and Beyond

Happy New Year everyone!

Last night I watched the movie Julie & Julia and found it very inspiring. For those of you who haven't seen it, the movie it is based on the true story of how writer Julie Powell gave herself the challenge of preparing every recipe in Julia Child's famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blogging her progress. As she studied not only Julia's recipes, but her life story as well, she became more and more inspired to pursue the two things she really loved to do - cooking and writing.

The movie inspired me in many ways, but especially in my writing. A few weeks after I started this blog in January 2008, I was challenged by fellow writer and editor Lillie Amman to write out my goals for the blog and for my writing. In reading back over that post "Tagged by Lillie" (see link in my blog archives), I see that I was very ambitious in my goals and of course fell very much short of them. But some of that is because God simply took me in a different direction that I envisioned for myself at the time. And as usual, He does know better.

In 2008, I was still very new to the Internet and the whole idea of blogging. I began in 2007 on myspace, very timidly posting my reflections on some favorite Bible verses and then progressing to full blown devotions and Bible studies. I found that I thoroughly enjoy that type of writing. I put this blog up because some of my friends wanted to read those blogs, but were uncomfortable with joining Myspace. I also planned to use the blog as a showcase for my versatility as a writer in the hopes of finding more writing and editing opportunities. That is one goal that I have achieved through it, as some of my devotions and one interview were picked up by inspirational webzines.

In setting my goals for 2010, I am again being ambitious. That's why I'm calling them goals for 2010 and beyond. However, posting my goals here does give me some accountability and hopefully encouragement and prayers from you, my readers.

Goal #1 - Stay on my exercise program.

You may say - that's not a writing goal - but as I discovered this past year, good health provides the energy I need to write. So I have to put my post-therapy exercise program as a top priority, even when it takes me away from the computer. I also have to take breaks to garden and do other things that relax and get the creative juices flowing.

Goal #2 - Work some every week on a book project.

My first book project is a Bible study book on the principles of marriage that my hubby and I are co-writing. He was also inspired by the movie and said as the ending credits began, "We have to get busy on our book!"

While I am still doing some research it has moved into the writing stage and chapter 1 is just about finished. So I hope to begin chapter 2 in the next couple of weeks. I have ideas for a couple of other Bible studies after that one, and am also thinking about turning novelist. I have an idea for a historical novel series that I am already beginning to research. I haven't decided yet if I want to self-publish or look for an agent, but if any agents read this and are interested, please contact me.

Goal #3 - Continue to explore and take advantage of writing and editing opportunities God sends my way.

I really love interviewing and want to always do that even if I turn book author. I also love editing and encouraging other writers in their projects.

Goal #4 - Post blogs on a more regular basis.

Last year I was not able to post as often as I wanted due to health issues. I posted beginning blogs for two series, one on church hymns and another on authors, music artists, and others who inspire me. I want to try to follow-through with those ideas this year and be more consistent with my posts. With my other work, I may not be able to post a blog every week, but am trying for every other week, though perhaps it is best to commit to once a month. Hmm. Sounds like I am already backing out of goals doesn't it. (LOL) But I do want to be practical.

Again, my goals are very ambitious, and a lot will depend on my health. I appreciate all your prayers and especially all the kind comments I get from my readers. God bless you all. :D

Here's one of my favorite songs that always inspires me:

JOY TO THE WORLD - HE CAME AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!

JOY TO THE WORLD - HE CAME AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!

By Tammy L. Hensel

In a sermon during the Christmas season last year, our pastor mentioned that the Christmas carol Joy To the World, penned by Isaac Watts, was actually written about the SECOND coming of Christ, not the first. I was intrigued by that claim so I researched Isaac Watts and the song.

Watts was one of the most prolific hymn lyricists of all times, having written more than 750 hymns. He was also a theologian and logician, writing many articles and books on these subjects, including a logic textbook.

Joy to the World was part of a book The Psalms of David published in 1719, in which he paraphrased several Psalms in his own lyrical style. It was given its present tune by Lowell Mason, who used an adaptation of portions of Handel’s Messiah. Mason’s original name for his music composition was Antioch, but in 1839, it appeared in a collection he edited as Joy to the World with the Watts poem as lyrics.

JOY TO THE WORLD

Words by Isaac Watts (1674 - 1748)

Music by Lowell Mason (1792 – 1872)

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Watts’ inspiration for this particular poem was Psalm 98, which prophesizes the coming of Messiah as victorious king and judge.

Psalm 98 (KJV)

O sing unto the LORD a new song;

For he hath done marvellous things:

His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

The LORD hath made known His salvation:

His righteousness hath He openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel:

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth:

Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Sing unto the LORD with the harp;

With the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets and sound of cornet

Make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

Tthe world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands:

Let the hills be joyful together

Before the LORD; for He cometh to judge the earth:

With righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.

When you think of the lyrics as relating to Psalm 98 and the second coming, it makes the message even clearer. In the time between His first advent and His second, the hearts of men are being prepared to welcome Him with joyful praise. In fact all the earth will praise and welcome Him.

Phil. 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The curse on the earth will be broken. Sin and sorrow will no longer reign throughout the earth or in the heart of man. It is a beautiful message filled with the "wonders of His love."

Revelation 19:7-9 7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."

What a wonderful day that will be! The joy in the Lord we have today is but a foreshadowing of the joy we will have that day. This is the wonderful truth Isaac Watts so brilliantly wrote about in his lyric. I encourage you to sing this song not just at Christmas, but all year long to proclaim - JOY TO THE WORLD - HE CAME AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!

References.

http://www.answers.com/topic/isaac-watts

http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Isaac-Watts

http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Joy-to-the-world

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/joy_to_the_world-1.htm

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/a/t/watts_i.htm

http://www.surfinthespirit.com/music/joy.html

http://www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-worship.htm

Spotlight on Corrie Ten Boom

By Tammy L. Hensel

(Note: This is a new feature for my blog that I hope to post once a month spotlighting an author,music artist, or just someone who has inspired me. This idea came to me while recently unpacking some of my favorite books. Some of those I spotlight may be well-known to you and others may be brand new. I signed up as an Amazon Associate so that I could add an slideshow widget to display books, DVDs, CDs, etc. by or about my spotlight person. I will change the display each month, but also added an Amazon search box so that my readers can still access previously featured products, or anything else available at Amazon.)

Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983) is in my opinion one of the greatest OVERCOMERS of the 20th century. Her writings, especially her book The Hiding Place, based on her experiences as a member of the Dutch underground and a prisoner in German concentration camps during World War II, have blessed my own life in so many ways. I was about 14 years old when I first read this book and it made a lasting impression on me. I read it so much that I had portions of it memorized.

I had the honor of meeting Corrie Ten Boom once in the late 1970s when as a student at Baylor University (Waco, TX) I attended a luncheon at which she spoke. Since that time I have shaken hands with several high profile people the world calls celebrities, but the brief encounter I had with this awesome lady of faith is one of my most treasured memories.

(photo from photobucket.com)



When in 1837 Corrie's grandfather opened a watch shop in his home at Barteljorisstraat 19 in Haarlem, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands, he didn't know the plans God had for the building a century later. Even before the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, the ten Boom home, fondly called "the Beje" was well-known as a place of hospitality where Christ's love was abundant.

Cornelia Johanna Arnolda ten Boom was born on 15 April, 1892, the youngest of four children. Her mother died of a stroke at the age of 63. Her father Casper ten Boom was a well-liked watchmaker, and often referred to in his later years as "Haarlem's Grand Old Man." Her sister, Elisabeth (Betsie), was born with pernicious anemia. Neither Betsie or Corrie ever married. Her sister Nollie, a school teacher, married, and had six children. Willem, her only brother, graduated from a theology school, married and had four children. Also living in her household were three of her mother's sisters known as Tante (Aunt) Jans (pronounced 'yunss'), Tante Anna, and Tante Bep.

Corrie began training as a watchmaker in 1920 and in 1922 became the first female watchmaker licensed in the Netherlands. In 1923, she helped organize girls' clubs, and in the 1930s these clubs grew to become the very large Triangle club. Corrie had a heart for the mentally handicapped and spent a lot of her time sharing the love of Christ with them. She wrote about her experiences bringing the gospel to the mentally handicapped in her book Common Sense Not Needed. When the Nazis occupied Holland they banned all youth clubs, except the Hitler youth. The also prohibited special care for mentally handicapped people and executed many of them.

When Jewish neighbors began arriving on their doorstep seeking sanctuary soon after the Nazi occupation began, the ten Booms took them in, knowing full well the risk they were taking. When word spread to the Dutch underground about the ten Booms house guests, Corrie was approached about doing more to help the effort to oust the Nazis. The underground organization helped the ten Booms build a special room to hide their guests should the Nazi's search the house. The room was the size of a medium wardrobe, 30" deep, with an air vent on the outside wall. The only entrance was a small hatch which slid open to let the occupants in and out.

(photo from photobucket)

The Nazis arrested the entire Ten Boom family on February 28, 1944 after they were betrayed by a former employee. On the night of their arrest a Gestapo officer offered to release Casper ten Boom if he would promise to behave himself. His answer underscored the whole family's courage and commitment to their helping their fellowman.

"Willem led Father up to the desk. The Gestapo chief leaned forward. 'I'd like to send you home old fellow,' he said.'I'll take your word that you won't cause any more trouble.'
I could not see Father's face, only the erect carriage of his shoulders and the halo of white hair above them. But I heard his answer.
'If I go home today,' he said evenly and clearly, 'tomorrow I will open my door again to any man who knocks.'
The amiability drained from the other man's face, 'Get back in line' he shouted." (p. 137-138)

I often wonder if I would have the same courage all of the ten Booms had in the same circumstances. Sometimes when I face something that seems difficult to bear I remind myself that my own trial is very small to what Corrie ten Boom suffered and survived. Corrie's sister Betsie said to her while they were at Ravensbruck, one of the most notorious concentration camps in Germany,

"[We] must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us Corrie, because we have been here." (Copyright 1971, p. 217)

After the war, Corrie set up rehabilitation centers for concentration camp survivors and wounded soldiers in both the Netherlands and Germany. Slowly she began sharing her story at churches and other gatherings, eventually becoming a world traveler or Tramp For the Lord as she called herself in her book about her travels. She authored many other autobiographical and inspirational books including: Each New Day; Father ten Boom - God's Man; In My Father's House; He Cares, He Comforts; He Sets the Captive Free; Don't Wrestle, Just Nestle; Corrie's Christmas Memories; Amazing Love; I Stand at the Door and Knock; A Prisoner and Yet; Plenty for Everyone; Not I, But Christ; Not Good if Detached; Marching Orders for the End Battle; Messages of God's Abundance; Reflections of God's Glory; Common Sense Not Needed; Defeated Enemies and more. I haven't read all these books, but the ones I have read really inspired me. Her writing style is very informal and friendly, as if she is sitting across the table, tea cup in hand, chatting with you.

The Hiding Place" was made into a movie in 1975. Although it is very moving, I really recommend reading the book before viewing the movie. You get such a better understanding of Corrie deepest thoughts and feelings and sustaining faith reading her own words.

Others have also written about her in books such as: Corrie Ten Boom: The Watchmaker's Daughter by Jean Watson, Corrie Ten Boom: Heroine of Haarlem by Sam Wellman, Are All The Watches Safe by Catherine MacKenzie, Corrie Ten Boom: Shining in Darkness by Renee Taft Maloche, Life Lessons From The Hiding Place by Pamela Rosewell Moore, and The Five Silent Years of Corrie Ten Boom by Pamela Rosewell Moore. I have not read these biographies, but just noticed that they are available. Some of them are specifically targeted for young readers. If you know of any others, please leave the title and author in a comment.

In 1977, Corrie, then 85 years old, moved to Orange, California. Successive strokes in 1978 took away her powers of speech and communication and left her an invalid for the last five years of her life. She died on her birthday, April 15, 1983, at the age of 91. Her legacy of faith in the most devastating of human circumstances will never be forgotten.

The Lord led me recently to put up a tribute site to her on Myspace to honor her legacy of faith and to keep her story alive as an inspiration for another generation. Besides my well-warn copy of The Hiding Place, I also discovered while unpacking some old copies of The Hiding Place Magazine published in the 1970s and early 1980s by Corrie's ministry organization Christians Incorporated. I am trying to track down the copyright holder, since Christians Incorporated is no longer active so that I can reprint articles from it on the Myspace blog attached to the site. If you are a member of Myspace and want to add it as a "friend" the url is: www.myspace.com/corrietenboom.

Sources: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Copyright 1971; The Hiding Place Magazine, copyright Christians, Incorporated; Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom; The Corrie Ten Boom Musuem site http://www.corrietenboom.com/history.htm
(from photobucket.com)

Update on my many projects, including website for Cross Reference Writers

Just wanted to post an update to all my readers to let you know I haven't forgotten you. Here is an overview of my recent projects.


Cross Reference Writers
In February we formed a new Christian Writers group here in the Brazos Valley Texas called Cross Reference Writers. We meet the first Thursday of the month on the campus of Blinn College in Bryan. I just finished putting up a simple website for us using Google sites just to give us a web presence. http://sites.google.com/site/crossreferencewriters/ I am also working on post cards to send out to local churches asking them to put a notice about us in their bulletins and newsletters.

Writing projects:
I am now a contributing writer to Brazos Insite Magazine, a regional magazine for the Brazos Valley. My first article came out in May and is about The Holistic Garden complex on the Texas A&M Campus. My next article will appear in July. This is a print magazine, so don't have a link to post.

I am working on more pieces to submit to Churchmouse Publications as they are about to launch their website. They are a Christian syndication group.

My husband and I recorded many of our ideas for our marriage book and I am beginning to transcribe the tape. I have made a book outline and written a preface.

Home and Family:
My younger son, and a niece and nephew graduated from college this month and we gave them a big party, so much of my time early in the month was spent organizing that event. It was fun and we are so proud of all of them!

We are still working on moving into this house we purchased last summer. We are finally emptying out our storage units, which means we are surrounded by boxes again. I am especially anxious to unpack books related to marriage to use as references in our book. I know I have several I want to look at again. I also need to organize the room we have remodeled into an office.

And I am working on my yard, trying to bring some order to the gardens that went untended for a year or more. Need to do that before it gets too hot for me to work out there.

You can see why blogging has not been a top priority with me. Lots to do this summer. However, I will try to post another in my hymn series soon.

Blessings to all!

BLOG PRAYER RALLY FOR NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

This is something that I have done on my Myspace blog for the last two years and decided today to try it on this blog also. Here is how a "blog prayer rally" works: When you visit my blog take some time to pray for the requests here and then if you have a request for a family member or friend who works for any level of government - local school district, city, county, state or federal government - please leave a prayer request for them. You can be general and do not have to even leave their name. Just enough so that we can bring them before the Lord. We especially want to pray for those serving in the military. If you request pray for a member of the armed forces, please DO NOT give identifying information, such as unit designation or the specific town where they are located.



PRAYER REQUESTS

Please join me in praying for our nation and all our public servants and government employees.

PRAY FOR OUR NATIONAL LEADERS: Our president and all those who work in the executive branch. Our legislators, specifically your state's senators and Congressmen. Pray for the Federal judges from the Supreme Court to the Federal District Courts.
PRAY FOR STATE LEADERS: Pray for your governor, legislators, and judges.

PRAY FOR COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIALS: Pray for your county and city officials and all who work with them.

PRAY FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Pray for all employees of your local school districts, especially for teachers and administrators.

PRAY FOR OUR TROOPS: Say special prayers for our young men and women serving in the military, both at home and abroad!

As always, I ask you to keep my son Danny in your prayers. He is currently serving overseas.

PRAYER: Here is the prayer from the 2009 National Day of Prayer website:

2009 Prayer for Our Nation

by Beth Moore, Honorary Chairman

Father in Heaven,

We lift our eyes toward Your Throne, where You reign in righteousness.

Your Word assures us that when Your people cry out in sincerity and humility, You will never turn a deaf ear to us.

We call upon You now, seeking Your forgiveness and favor.

Look over this fevered landscape and heal us, Lord.

Drop knees to the floor and raise eyes to the sky, for we know where our help comes from.

Unite these States again in devotion to You, and blur every dividing line.

Do not give us over to our sins. Give us, instead, over to passionate prayer that moves Your heart.

“May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.”

In the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

Amen

Please leave a prayer request.

The Story That Was Finally Told

This is a short story I wrote over 30 years ago for my high school literary magazine. It won the prize for the best entry. I am thinking of revising it for submission to a literary magazine, so I would love some constructive suggestions from my writer/editor friends.

The Story That Was Finally Told
By Tammy Reynolds (aka Tammy L. Hensel)

The children crowded around the old man like birds waiting to be fed.

"Tell us a story, Papa, please!"

Papa, can tell you a story later, it's time for your nap," said their mother as she herded the children out of the room.

Nathan McHannon lay back in the comfortable armchair which was as ancient as the old man himself. Born in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, he had inherited from his Scotch-Irish ancestors his bullheadedness, his authoritative manner, his compassion, and his love and loyalty to his country and family. All these qualities, plus a deep faith in God had sustained him through the storms of a changing world. His five brothers had died, making him the head of a family of three generations of nieces and nephews. Each had listened and loved his tales of his boyhood antics and struggles of a lifetime.

The old man's wrinkled, weary face was comfortably resting on the pillows; but his mind was not succumbing to the power of sleep. Instead, it had transferred to a different place and time. From the comfortable chair in his grand-niece's Texas farm to a bright mountainside - to a snowy day when he was a young man -- to Clarissa. . . .

The snow was up to Nat's knees as he made his way to Clara's house. He was filled with the foolish, unexplainable joy of a young man in love. She stood waiting for him, a pink glow on her cheeks, chestnut hair circling her face and crowning her shoulders, and her warm beautiful eyes sparkling at him from beneath coy eyelashes. That was the day he had proposed. They had a wondrous time in the snow, full of secret moments and childish games. Snowball fights, snowmen, angels in the snow, skating on the pond --

The ancient mind returned to the farmhouse. The children were there, lively from their nap and clamoring for a story. Nathan looked at them, he knew this would be the last story he ever told. Opening the wrinkled old lips, he spoke in a trembling, cracked voice. When I was a young man, I knew a very beautiful girl. She was full of kindness and love for everyone. In springtime, we collected flowers and took baskets to all the sick and poor."

The old man's voice broke off here. The children were silent. They sensed something was wrong and all they could do was keep quiet.

"One day we were walking in the mountain snow. It was my idea to go skating. I thought the ice was thick enough."

The old man's eyes closed and his voice rose with great intensity.

"Don't go too far until I check the ice. Clara, come back. The ice may be too thin. Clara! Clarissa!

Ninety-eight year-old Nathan McHannon opened his eyes for the last time. He looked at his family. Then he closed his eyes again. A bright light surrounded him and he could see a figure motioning to him. He walked slowly toward it. The figure became clearer now, a flowing white gown, chestnut hair, sparkling eyes, white arms outstretched. With a leap of joy, the man went to meet his bride.

Copyright 1976 Tammy L. Reynolds All Rights Reserved

Easter Blog Carnival

Mary Moss of the blog Divinely Designed/ sent me an invitation to participate in "an Easter blog carnival" by Angela at Becoming Me Thru Him.blogspot.com linking several Easter blogs. I linked onto Angela's blog, but since I didn't get a chance to write a new Easter themed blog this year, I want to direct you to several I posted last year. The links are in my blog archives to the right side of my blog. The first is one posted in January 2008 that includes my original dramatic presentation on the testimony of Mary Magdalene. Then if you click on March, you will find two blogs entitled "Consider The Cross" and "Jesus The Ultimate Fall Guy." Feel free to comment on those blogs.

If you have a post about the true meaning of Easter or want to read some really inspirational blogs, please visit Becoming Me Thru Him.blogspot.com to share in the fun.

Happy Easter everyone. HE IS RISEN!!!

Things You Need To Know If You Have A Blog Or Profile Site

By Tammy L. Hensel

As a journalism student at Baylor I took a basic course in media law which covered much on the “cans” and “cannots” of publishing. I have tried to keep up with changes to these laws through years, but I didn't think about how they applied to the Internet until a couple of years ago when I joined Myspace. (Of course the Internet wasn’t around when I was in college, so it wasn’t covered in my course.) As I viewed profiles, read blog comments and bulletins, I was amazed at how much potential for privacy and libel lawsuits I saw there. Here are a few things everyone who has an Internet site needs to know.

Your profile is your newspaper.

Publishing something on an internet site or forum is like publishing it in a newspaper or book. You are in a sense writing your autobiography on your profile or blog. You own the copyright to all original material you post. No one may copy it or forward it to anyone else without your express permission. But the content does become public information because you are making yourself a public figure. That means that others may gain information about you from your sites and use it as long as they don’t copy it word for word, without attributing it to you. More and more employers, journalists, and law enforcement officers are using Internet social sites as sources for information in their investigations. That is legal because it is public information, regardless of your “privacy settings.”

Keep from crossing the line between free speech and privacy laws.

Invasion of privacy and libel laws that pertain to all media also apply to profile sites and blogs. I have noticed much on the social sites that could qualify as violations of these laws. For the most part this happens because people are just uninformed and not used to thinking like a journalist. They think anything and everything is covered by the right to “free speech.” Or they think of it as private chatter. But privacy and libel laws draw a line as to what may be published about a another person. Sometimes it takes the courts to decide when the line is crossed. I foresee that in the future we will see more and more lawsuits brought against people for things they post on Internet social sites and blogs. So be careful!

The only private Internet communications are emails. In my research I discovered that it violates privacy law to forward emails without permission. Don’t forward or post on your blog anything that doesn’t have express permission in it, such as the words “please forward.” Never forward or even quote from a private letter without permission from the other person.


Privacy and copyright laws apply to your pics too.

You find a box of old school photos and you want to post them on your Facebook page to share with your old friends. However, you are in contact with some of the people, so you can't get permission. My advice is DON’T POST IT! You do own the copyright to that photo because you took it. But privacy law prohibits the publishing in a public forum photos without the permission of the subject. You never know what may embarrass another person.

You do not own the copyright to photos you did not take or inherit, even if you purchased them. So when you get that family portrait made, be sure and ask the photographer for permission to upload the photo to your website. There are photo and graphics sharing sites, such as photobucket, for people to post photos they want to share with others. Remember when you share your photos there you are granting others royalty-free permission to use your photo. I think most of these sites have certain usage restrictions to which members agree. Most stipulate that you cannot use the photos for commercial purposes. Usually the site will have their name attached to the pictures, so people will know where you got them. If there is not you should protect yourself by saying where you got the photo. Never copy a photo or a logo from a site that does not specifically give permission for it.

Be an informed participant!

The Internet is a fun and useful tool for social interaction, networking, and exchanging information. Just remember that the key to avoiding problems is to be informed.

Resources

A good resource I recently purchased is The Law (in plain English) for Writers by Leonard D. DeBoff and Bert P. Krages, II.

Here are some Internet articles I found:

Common Questions & Answers About Copyrights: A Simple Guide for Photographers, Artists, Illustrators, Writers, Musicians and Other Creative Individuals By Andrew "Drew" Epstein

Copyright and the Internet By Virginia Montecino

The Law for Photographers: Do I Need Permission? By Dianne Brinson, a copyright attorney, for PhotoSecrets

Copying Old Photographs: Infringement of Copyright Laws?

If you know of any other good resources, please share them in comments.

The Saint Patrick Challenge

I know I am a couple of days early in posting this, but Tuesday promises to be a busy day for me and I was in the mood to write this afternoon. I just couldn't get my ideas for this blog out of my head. So here it is.

The Saint Patrick Challenge

By Tammy L. Hensel

As a child St. Patrick’s Day meant very little to me except that if I didn’t wear green someone would pinch me. I had no clue who Saint Patrick was or why someone one named a day after him. Most inquires along those lines usually ended with a story of him being sort of a pied-piper who drove all the snakes out of Ireland.

Even today I find there are many Christians who know very little about Patrick or what he really did to deserve the honor of a special day. So I want to share with you an astounding quote I read in The Story of the Irish Race by Seumas MacManus (Copyright 1921 Fourth edition published by Konecky & Konecky. I found this book on the bargain book table at a local book store and being a history buff just couldn’t resist it.)

“The coming of Patrick to Ireland marks the greatest of Irish epochs. Of all most momentous happenings in Irish history, this seemingly simple one had the most extraordinary, most far-reaching effect. It changed the face of the nation, and utterly changed the nation’s destiny. The coming of Patrick may be said to have had sublime effect not on Ireland alone, but upon the world. It was a world event.” (p. 109)

It is impossible in the scope of a blog to write a complete biography of Patrick and all that he did, but I want to hit a few highlights. Scholars differ on where Patrick was born, but it is thought the year was 385. His family lived both in the Dumbarton region in the Northern Roman colony of Briton (Scotland) and in Brittany in Gaul (France). His father was a Roman official in the region and there are records of him at both places during the time period, although most sources I read lean toward the Scottish location as Patrick’s birthplace. Patrick was christened in the Christian church with the name Succat. When he was about 16 years old, he and his two sisters were captured in an Irish raid. He was sold to a farmer and assigned shepherding duties.

Succat (Patrick) later wrote that at the time of his capture he was not living the life of a devout Christian. According to MacManus, “He confesses in his biography that in his wayward youth at home he had forgotten God, and from Him wandered into the ways of sin. Alone with his herd upon Sliab Mis during the day and the night, the months and the seasons, his spirituality was reawakened.” (p. 110)

Like Joseph and David, God used the circumstances of Succat’s life to prepare him for a great destiny. During those years, he learned the language, the customs, and the heart of his captors. He learned to listen for the voice of God and follow His lead. After about six years in captivity, he escaped from Ireland and returned to his homeland with a desire to learn all he could about the great God he now served with all his heart. He traveled through much of the Christian west at that time and spent some time studying under his mother’s uncle, St. Martin of Tours. At some point he had a vision of a man from Ireland calling to him with the words, “come to us, O holy youth, and walk among us.” (p111)

With a commission from Pope Celestine, who consecrated him as Patricious, Bishop of Ireland. Patrick returned to the land of his captivity knowing the perils he would face. He traveled the island, preaching the gospel, establishing schools and monasteries, and tearing down pagan shrines. Despite often life-threatening opposition, Patrick so demonstrated Christ’s love to the people, that soon they opened their hearts to both he and his God.

MacManus wrote “. . . when we contrast the two widely differing natures of the Irish people who before Patrick were carrying the ruthless law of the sword far over sea and land, and that very different Irish people who, after Patrick left the conquering sword to be eaten by rust, while they went far and wide again over sea and land, bearing now to the nations – both neighbouring and far off – the healing balm of Christ’s gentle words. All histories of all countries probably could not disclose to the most conscientious searcher another instance of such radical change in a whole nation’s character being wrought within the lifespan of one man.” (p. 126)

To me this statement is an awesome testimony, not just to the man Patrick, but to his witness for Christ and the power of God in his life. It is clear from Patrick’s own writings that he gave all glory to God for his accomplishments. How many of us can say that we practice God’s love so completely that the whole character of a nation could be influenced by our witness? MacManus adds, “An unquenchable burning desire for bringing souls to Christ was the passion of Patrick’s life. And he pursued his passion with an unremitting perseverance, with a greatness of mind and grandeur of soul that has infrequently been paralleled in missionary annals, and seldom surpassed.” (p. 126)

What a legacy to leave! To me this is the challenge Patrick’s life inspires – to have that same unquenchable desire, passion and devotion to Christ so that I share His love and message to all I meet. Will you also accept that challenge today?

Video: BE THOU MY VISION

This one of the greatest and most loved of all traditional Irish hymns. The music is an Irish folk tune that predates Saint Patrick. While some say the words were penned during Patrick’s lifetime, others attribute it to a 6th century Irish poet names Dal­lan For­gaill. Either way it is definitely part of Patrick’s legacy to us today. It was translated from ancient Irish into English in 1905 by Mary E. Byrne.

Premio Dardos Award - Thank you Lillie

Lillie Amman of A Writer's Word,An Editor's Eye has honored me with the Premio Dardos Award. I am so honored! I humbly accept.

Premio Dardos means “prize darts” in Italian. It is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.


The rules are as follows.

First, accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and link to his/her blog.

Second pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.

It's been a while since I had time to read blogs, so I am taking this opportunity to revisit some of my favorites and peruse some on my "read when I have time list." Some of the writers I am tagging are publishing veterans and some are novices testing their writing skills by blogging. Either way, they are worth noting with applause for being willing to share with all of us.

If you have previously received this award, it shows how much your blog deserves to be recognized. If some of the bloggers I’m honoring do not participate in memes and similar activities or if you aren’t comfortable acknowledging or passing it on, just ignore the award. However, please accept my appreciation for your great blog!

These are listed in alphabetical order by the blog's name

777 Peppermint Place by Linda Yezak

A musing Mom Speaks by Lara

Carla's Pathways - Journaling the Journy by Carla Gade

Chrissy Siggee by Chrissy Siggee (of course)

Heading Home by Lynn Mosher

Iona's blog by Iona Hoeppner

Janey's News by Janey Demeo

Joyful Scribe by Karlene Jacobson

My Walk of Faith by Diana DePriest

Not mine, but God's story by Tammy Rude

On The Write Track book reviews by Linda Schab

The Surrendered Scribe by Julie Arduini

Wordsculptures by Keith Wallis

Write By Faith by Thomas Smith

Writing with God's hope by Janet K. Brown

Hymn Series - It Is Well With My Soul

INTRO

Last year a friend sent me a link to a wonderful site called the Cyber Hymnal, which is now called Hymn Time www.hymntime.com. It has thousands of wonderful church hymns, many which I have loved for years, and hundreds of which I have never heard.

As much as I love contemporary praise music, I think it is sad that we are losing these great hymns in our worship. They are so rich in doctrine and speak of great struggles and victories. So I hope especially my younger readers, will take some time to listen and appreciate these classic worship songs.

A few months ago I began copying the words of a hymn and posting it on my Myspace Dedicated To Christ profile. I tried to change it every couple of weeks or so. Now I feel led to post these hymns as a blog series instead on both my Myspace blog and here. I will include brief histories of the hymns and the writers and composers. I will also add a Scripture reference and a little about how each hymn encourages me. When I can find a video on YouTube I will add it also.

(I know I promised that my next blog series would be on the subject of prayer, and I will still pursue that as I have time. It will take more preparation than this hymn series, and I want to be at a point where I can do justice to it. My schedule right now is so hectic. When I do I will intersperse it with this series.)

I am going to begin the series with one of my favorite hymns: It Is Well With My Soul.

It Is Well With My Soul
Words by Horatio Gates Spafford 1828-1888
Music by Philip Paul Bliss1838-1876


When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Spafford was born in New York, but was living in Chicago just before this song was written. He died in Jerusalem, Israel in 1888 at the age of 60. Spafford wrote this encouraging hymn during a time of great suffering. Actually, I chose this as my first hymn of my series, because rather than writing the story of this hymn, I am posting a video which tells all about it below. That will shorten this first post since it includes my introduction.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Philip Bliss was born in Pennsylvania in 1828. Bliss was a prolific writer of hymns. According to Wholesome Words Christian Biorgraphy Resources (http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biobliss.html) he was "the second most famous Christian song writer in history." He was so moved by Spafford's poem that he decided to put it to music. He first introduced it at a ministers meeting held by D.L. Moody in Chicago in 1876. Over 1000, preachers were present. It was published in his Gospel Hymns No. Two compiled in collaboration with Ira Sankey later that same year. Unfortunately, 1876 was also the year of his tragic death in a train crash December 29.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
I am not sure if Spafford actually based the hymn on these passages, but one site I found about the history of the hymn listed them as relevant passages and they certainly are in my opinion.


Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well:" 2 Kings 4:26

“Praise the Lord, O my soul.” Psalm 146:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. Psalm 46:1-3

Bless the LORD, O my soul:
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD executeth righteousness
and judgment for all that are oppressed.
Psalm 103: 1-6

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27

VIDEO:
"It Is Well With My Soul" narrated by Bill Gaither, sung by the Gaither Homcoming gang with solos by Guy Penrod And David Phelps,


MY THOUGHTS:

I cannot sing this song without tears filling my eyes, especially thinking of Spafford's circumstances when he wrote it. To be encouraged in the midst of so much tragedy has to be a God thing. These verses speak so poignantly of the hope we have in Jesus. No matter what our trials or the storms that assail us, He gives us that peace. The Philippians reference above is the first verse that always comes to my mind when I sing or hear this song. How blessed is that peace that surpasses all understanding. And then the glorious thought this song expresses that our trials here are merely temporary. The One who took our sins upon Himself will return in all His splendor and glory for us!

Please leave some of your own thoughts in my comments.

REFERENCES:
www.hymntime.com
101 Hymns Stories by Kenneth w. Osbeck (Copyright 1982 by Kregel Publications, p. 126-128)
http://www.wholesomewords.org
http://biblestudycharts.com/A_Daily_Hymn
..lmn("n/e/New%20Britain")..

Forming a new Christian Writers Group

Several friends and I are trying to form a Christian writers group our area. We had an organizational meeting last week and are going to have our first monthly meeting this week. We are planning to meet the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. If you know anyone in the Brazos Valley area of Texas who may be interested, please refer them to my contact info posted on my blog. Right now we have about 12 to 15 people interested. We appreciate the prayers of our fellow writers. Thanks, Tammy

A Nativity Reading

In 1982 I directed a Christmas program at church which we called "A Christmas Collage." In was a collection of poetry, music, scripture reading, monolouges and skits we put together. There was not a lot of Christian drama pieces available at that, although we did use some poetry and adapted a dramatic reading from Marjorie Holmes novel "Two From Galilee." I also wrote and co-wrote a couple of pieces and compiled the Scripture readings.

Below is something I put together as a Choral Reading, but it can also be used as a responsive reading in a church service. I have changed it a little over the years as I have used it at various churches. Feel free to use it if you like it.

If you do it as a reading of course you can divide up the readers parts for more than two people. To adapt it as a responsive reading, the LEADER would take the parts of both readers and the CONGREGATION the part of the chorus.




THE NATIVITY
A Choral Reading from Scripture
compiled by Tammy Hensel

READER 1 (Luke 2:1-3):

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

CHORUS (Numbers 23:10a):

Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?

READER 2 (Luke 2:4):

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

CHORUS (Micah 5:2):

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.

READER 2 (Luke 2: 5):

in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

CHORUS (Isaiah 9:6):

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

READER 1(Luke 2:6 ):

While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

CHORUS (Isaiah 7:14):

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

READER 1 (Luke 2:7a):

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,

CHORUS (Colossians 1:15):

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

READER 1 (Luke 2:7b):

and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

CHORUS (Revelation 3:20):

'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

READER 2 (Luke 2: 8):

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

CHORUS (Isaiah 40:11):

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

READER 1(Luke 2:9):

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

CHORUS (Psalm 33:18):

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

READER 2(Luke 2:10-11):

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people, for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

CHORUS (Psalm 32:11):

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

READER 2 (Luke 2:12):

"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

CHORUS (Philippians 2:6-7):

who,although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

READER 1(Luke 2:13-14):

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

CHORUS (John 3:16 ):

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

READER 2(Luke 2:15-16):

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

CHORUS (John 3:12):

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

READER 2(Luke 2:17):

When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

CHORUS (Philippians 2:10-11):

so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Update on writing projects

Several of my submissions to Churchmouse Publications, a web-based syndication publisher, have been accepted. http://www.churchmousepublications.com/ So I am now a syndicated writer. Two of the accepted pieces are poems I had previously posted here on my blog, Early Morning Fling and A Daughter of the King. I will post links if any of my pieces are picked up by online publications.

Also, another one of my blog articles, Boxes, boxes, boxes . . . was accepted by Comfort Cafe for their December newsletter. I will put up the link when it comes out.

My husband and I have started working on our book about marriage, but it is still mostly in the planning stages right now. Don't know when I will have time to write another devotional blog series, but it will definitely be after the first of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Link to recent article in The Breakthrough Intercessor

It seems I was mistaken about The Breakthrough Intercessor not being available on-line. I just found a link to a pdf version. http://www.intercessors.org/magazine/vol29.3_Fall2008.pdf
My article begins on page 24 and is entitled "Internet Intercessor." Let me know what you think.

Morning Devotional

I began my devotions earlier than usual this morning - before I even woke up! When I awoke I found there was a scripture verse and a song of assurance and praise pouring through my mind and my heart. I could not recall all of my dream, but I knew that in it I was worshiping my Lord, who gave His all for me. I am continuing my worship by asking all who read to join with me.

The verse is:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

The song is a great church hymn, "The Church's One Foundation." I think I will be singing it all day, because it is stuck in my head. I could only recall the first verse clearly, although I remembered some lines from other verses. So I looked it up on www.cyberhymnal.com Here are all the words from the Cyber Hymnal (I found that there are YouTube videos of this hymn, but I am having a problem with the speakers on my computer, so I can't listen to them to find a good one to post. I may add it in later after I get that fixed) I hope it blesses everyone who reads it.

THE CHURCH'S ONE FOUNDATION

words by Samuel J. Stone 1866 music by Samuel S. Wesley 1864

The Church's one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

She is from every nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!

'Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master's hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.

O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
Forever shall abide!

Recent published article and general update

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I posted a blog. Life has been quite hectic the past few months with moving into our new home. I have also had a flurry of writing and editing projects and have actually had to turn some down.

In September I had an article published in the fall 2008 edition of The Breakthrough Intercessor Magazine. The article is a first person account of how God led me to my own Internet prayer ministry on Myspace. They titled it Internet Intercessor. It is a print magazine, so you have to subscribe to read the article. Here is the website from which you can order it. http://www.intercessors.org/publications.php

I am still working with author Janice Bloom editing her children's book series. I am working on a couple of other book projects too, including my own book which I am writing with my husband on the subject of marriage. We haven't had much time to work on it since last spring, but I am trying to squeeze in a few hours each week.

I decided to delay writing my blog series on principles for effective prayer until January. I will try to get back to bringing over some pieces I posted last year on my two Myspace blogs. And I may even write some short new pieces if I have time. In the meantime, if you are new to my blog, hope you will review my previous postings.

Blessings to all,
Tammy

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (16)

OMNIPRESCENT AND ACCESSIBLE

By Tammy L. Hensel

The first of the attributes of God I covered in this series are His Transcendence and His Immanence and the last are His Omnipresence and Accessibility. These are all very interrelated. As I stated previously, how God can be both "far and near" is not contradictory, but rather an amazing paradox.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NKJV)
"Am I a God near at hand," says the LORD,
And not a God afar off?
Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?" says the LORD;
Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.

That God is both near and far is manifested clearly in His quality of Omnipresence. This word simply means God is EVERYWHERE. However, that does not mean God is in every "thing," as the pantheistic religions teach. God transcends His creation and cannot be contained within it because He is Spirit.

Psalm 139:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there

1 Kings 8:27 (NKJV)
"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!"

There is no place we can go where God cannot find us or does not see us. Sometimes this is not an appealing thought. Since God is everywhere, we cannot hide our sins from Him. He knows our deepest thoughts. Since we know our thoughts are not 100 per cent righteous compared to the thoughts of God, we are convicted and exposed beside His Holiness.

Isaiah 64:6 (Amplified Bible)
For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God's favor, hurrying us toward destruction].

And yet God wants us to experience joy in His Presence, not shame. That is why He has made Himself accessible to us through the provision of a Savior and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 89:15-16 (NKJV)
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NASB)
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

John 14:16-17 (NKJV)
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever--The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NKJV)
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

To the one who has accepted this precious, free gift of salvation and received the Holy Spirit, the knowledge that God is Omnipresent and Accessible is so comforting. We know that whatever our situation, God is there ready and waiting to help us. And yet, many times we take our communication with God for granted. There are times when we feel God is only far off and not near. We don't know how to approach Him or we think we are so unworthy He couldn't possibly care about us. Sometimes we think He does not hear our prayers.

To the other extreme, we sometimes take God's nearness for granted by not giving Him the proper reverence and praise for who He is and what He has done in our lives. We forget that prayer is a privilege, and begin to demand instead of petition.

I purposely chose to focus on God's Omnipresence and Accessibility as my last blog in this series, because I want to use it as a lead into a blog series on principles for effective prayer. It will be several weeks before I am able to start this new series. However, I want to invite you over the next few weeks to send me any questions you may have on the subject of prayer as comments here or to my email.

While this is the last blog in my Attributes of God series, I pray you will continue to seek Him daily. Feel free to read back over these blogs and invite others to read them.

Video:






Further study:
Using a topical Bible reference, look up verses about God's Omnipresence and Accessibility. Find a passage upon which to focus and memorize. Continue to reflect on all God's attributes each day.

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (15)

FAITHFUL PROVIDER

By Tammy L. Hensel

The Faithfulness of God is one of the most prominent themes in the Bible. I have alluded to it throughout this series. God is Faithful because He is Unchanging (Immutable), Holy, Truth, and Love, etc. His faithfulness to both the righteous and the unrighteous is especially seen in His Justice. As I said in my last blog – He cannot lie. So He always keeps His promises, whether it is through His mercy or through His wrath.

Psalm 89:5-10 (NKJV)
And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?
God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.
O LORD God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O LORD
Your faithfulness also surrounds You
You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise, You still them.
You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

God's Faithfulness is also manifested in the way He provides for His covenant people, even when they are unfaithful.

2 Timothy 2:13 (Amplified Bible)
If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.

The prophet Jeremiah drew great encouragement from this attribute of God. Some consider Lamentations to be the most depressing book of the Bible because it depicts the prophet's heart-wrenching grief over the disobedience of Israel and the judgment being poured out on the nation. In the midst of his intense sorrow, Jeremiah adds a note of hope as he proclaims that as God is faithful in judgment, He is also faithful in His mercy and love.

Lamentations 3:21-26 (NASB)
21This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
26It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.

God's provision of a merciful Savior is His most marvelous act as our Faithful Provider and the ultimate fulfillment of His promises.(see my bearlier blog on that attribute). Jeremiah drew comfort from the knowledge Messiah would one day come. We have the benefit of knowing that promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:17-18 (Amplified Bible)
17So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people's sins.
18For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].

1 Corinthians 10:13 (Amplified Bible)
13For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Romans 8:32,35, 37-39 (NKJV)
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? . . . Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How great indeed is His faithfulness to us!

Video:
Great Is Thy Faithfulness


Further study:
Using a concordance look-up the keywords "faithful" and "trust," and "provide." Choose a verse that speaks to heart upon which to focus and memorize. Make a list of the many ways God has provided for you. Spend some time in prayer thanking Him for His Faithfulness.

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (14)

TRUTH, OMNISCIENT (ALL KNOWING), WISE

By Tammy L. Hensel

One of the most prevalent philosophies in our society today is that truth is relative. We are taught that tolerance is the highest of all virtues and that to claim to know "Truth" is tantamount to bigotry. And yet, Jesus not only spoke of knowing absolute truth, He claimed to be Truth.

John 14:6(NKJV)

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 15:26 (Amplified Bible)

But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me.

Psalm 119:160 (NKJV)
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

We see from the above three verses that Truth is a characteristic of all three Persons of the Trinity, as are all of God's attributes. I mentioned before that the attributes of God are very intertwined, and we can really see how this is true with the attributes of Truth, Knowledge, Wisdom and Omniscience. Truth is an aspect of God's Justice, Righteousness and Holiness. Because He is Just, Righteous and Holy, He must be True. God cannot lie because Truth is inherent in His character. Because He is True and Unchanging, He is also faithful. Because He is all-powerful, infinite and eternal, He has all-knowledge (is omniscient) and is the source of all wisdom.

As humans, we are only able to fathom and receive a fraction of God's infinite wisdom.

Romans 11:33 (NASB)
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! (C)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

And yet, God does want us to understand as much as we can. It is His whole purpose for revealing Himself to us in His Word. Pursuit of the knowledge of God is the most worthwhile activity in which we can engage and it is essential to Christian growth.

Colossians 2:2-4 (NKJV)
. . that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In 2 Corinthians 2, the Apostle Paul compares the wisdom of God to the wisdom of the world. I encourage you to read the whole chapter, but I want to focus on verses 7-8 here: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory; which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

God's plan for the salvation of mankind is not a last ditch effort to salvage a mistake He made by creating us and giving us free will. It is a well-thought out plan designed from the beginning tp reveal God's Love, Mercy, and Knowledge to all who truly seek Him. Through His reasonable, intelligent and marvelous plan He is glorified!

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
"Come now and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are like crimson, They shall be as wool."

To those who refuse Him, it will always be foolishness and unreasonable. Yet to those who seek the Truth understanding is available through the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely give to us by God.
Jude 1:25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever.

Video:
There is a God by Carman


Further study:
Using a concordance look up the key words "Truth," "Knowledge," "Wisdom," "Understanding." Using a Topical Bible reference look up "Omniscience."

Seeking to know God and His Attributes(13)

OMNIPOTENT (ALL-POWERFUL)

By Tammy L. Hensel

That God is Omnipotent (All-powerful) is demonstrated is every aspect of His character. It just makes sense that a God with all the attributes we find described in Scripture is All-powerful. In fact, we do not have to even look into the Bible to see evidence of this attribute, because it is manifested every day in nature and in His dealings with mankind.

Romans 1:20 (Amplified Bible)
20For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification]

Job 26:12-14 (NKJV)
He stirs up the sea with His power, And by His understanding He breaks up the storm. By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?"


God's power is so awesome that the manifestations we see are merely a "whisper" of all that He is. There are men throughout human history who have amassed great power, but it cannot compare to that of our God. Angels, including Satan and his demons, do have supernatural power, but it is nowhere close to the power of God. (See my blog Questions about Satan).Aside from creation of our world itself, by far the most amazing manifestations of God's power are seen in the Resurrection of Christ and in the power He uses to transform lives.

Ephesians 1:19-21 (Amplified Bible)
19And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,
20Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]
21Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.

2 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)
For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you.

The whole Christian faith is based upon the fact that Christ had the power to willingly sacrifice Himself and rise again.

John 10:18 (NKJV)
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

1 Corinthians 15:14 (NKJV)
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

In my last blog, I discussed man's need for a Savior and God's provision of one. When one accepts Christ's free gift of salvation through true repentance and receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it is not the end of the story. Each day the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit works in the believer's life to transform that person.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified Bible)
18And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

This verse describes what should be the goal of every Christian– to be like Christ. Our transformation is not always an easy process, but the guarantee is that God's power is there for all who believe. We just have to keep ourselves plugged-in to the Power Source. (I will talk about this more when I write on God's accessibility.) How marvelous it is that the same power that created our very universe and raised Christ from the dead is available to help us deal with our addictions, our failures, our inadequacies, our fears, our persecutions and indeed every adversity we face in life!

But that is still not the end of the story! Not only are we as believers transformed daily as we walk with God, but one day we will experience the fullness of Christ's resurrection power when we are ourselves receive new bodies.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 (Amplified Bible)
20But the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death].
21For since [it was] through a man that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead [has come]
22For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive.
23But each in his own rank and turn: Christ (the Messiah) [is] the firstfruits, then those who are Christ's [own will be resurrected] at His coming.
24After that comes the end (the completion), when He delivers over the kingdom to God the Father after rendering inoperative and abolishing every [other] rule and every authority and power.
25For [Christ] must be King and reign until He has put all [His] enemies under His feet.
26The last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death.

This is the beautiful, magnificent, exciting plan designed for mankind by our awesome, All-Powerful God.

Video:

MIGHTY TO SAVE by Laura Story



Further study:
Using a concordance or topical Bible reference search for verses using the keywords "power" and "might." Find a verse to memorize and focus upon.

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (12)

GRACIOUS, MERCIFUL SAVIOR

By Tammy L. Hensel

God as our Gracious, Merciful Savior is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. The bottom-line in seeking to know God is to understand our need for a Savior and God's Grace through His free gift of salvation.

Here are some points I covered previously that apply to God as our Gracious, Merciful Savior:

1. God created us to love us and through that love be glorified. His greatest desire is for us to walk in righteousness with Him.

2. Since God is Holy and Righteous, He cannot walk in fellowship with unrighteousness. Therefore, when we in our own selfishness choose to follow unrighteousness the consequence is a rift between God and us, i.e. spiritual death. God's righteous judgment demands that a penalty be paid before our relationship can be restored.

3. In our own lives, we do not want people to love us because they are "programed" to do it, but rather, because they want to love us. True love cannot be forced. God in His sovereignty gives us the free will to choose Him or not to choose Him. He wants us to love and obey Him willingly.

4. God is not looking for people to send to hell, but those who want to be rescued from it! God did not have to provide a way for man to be restored to Him. He could have just wiped man out and started all over again. But in His mercy He chose to send His only son to die to redeem mankind from the destruction our unrighteous behavior (sin) demands.

In the Old Testament, God instituted a system of sacrifices in which the sins of His people were transferred to spotless innocent animals. The animals were then sacrificed to pay the penalty for the peoples' sin. Every time a sacrifice was made the relationship between God and the one making the sacrifice was restored for a short time. But the sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. Each time a sacrifice was made if foreshadowed the coming of One who would suffer and die once and for all as the spotless Lamb of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified Bible)
21For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Even during the old sacrificial system, God looked at a person's heart to see if his repentance was sincere, i.e. offered out of a sincere love for God and desire to fellowship with Him. When a sacrifice was true, it was a "sweet aroma" to God. But when it was insincere it was not.

Numbers 28:6 (NKJV)
It is a regular burnt offering which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

Jeremiah 6:20 (NKJV)
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me."

Both Isaiah 59 and Hebrews 10 are excellent chapters that focus on the need for a Savior and God's wonderful mercy in providing one. Since they are lengthy chapters, I will only post portions of them here, but I encourage you to read them in their entirety.

Isaiah 59: 1-3, 15-17, 20-21(NIV)
1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that He will not hear.
3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. . . . 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
17 He put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head . . . 20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

Hebrews 10:11-14 (Amplified Bible)
11Furthermore, every [human] priest stands [at his altar of service] ministering daily, offering the same sacrifices over and over again, which never are able to strip [from every side of us] the sins [that envelop us] and take them away-- 12Whereas this One [Christ], after He had offered a single sacrifice for our sins [that shall avail] for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13Then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool beneath His feet. 14For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy.

In His mercy God made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Salvation is free to us, but it is very costly to Him. And still, He gives us a choice rather or not to accept His free gift. Just think how you would feel if you were to purchase a costly gift for a friend or relative, only to see your gift spurned and returned unopened. The heartbreak you would feel is only a portion of the heartbreak God feels each time His love is rejected. We must surrender ourselves to Him with a heart that truly desires to walk with Him in righteousness to receive His forgiveness. True repentance includes not only confession of sins, but a desire to sin no more and to walk in obedience to His Word.

Video:

In Christ Alone



Further study: Read Isaiah 59 and Hebrews 10. Use a commentary to help explain difficult passages. Using a concordance search for verses using the keywords "mercy," "grace," "Savior," "salvation."

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (11)

LOVE AND COMPASSION

By Tammy L. Hensel

God created us to love us. When our children misbehave, we still love them. And when they reject our love, it hurts us terribly, but we still love them. God loves us more than we can love even our own children. As finite humans, we often put conditions on our love. God, however, loves us unconditionally because He is the author of love.

Although 1 Corinthians 13 is often called the "love chapter" of the Bible, I think 1 John 4 really deserves that title. While 1 Corinthians 13 focuses on the importance of love, 1 John 4 explains the essence of love, i.e. that God Himself is love.

1 John 4:7-21 (Amplified Bible)
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him].
8He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.
9In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.
10In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
11Beloved, if God loved us so [very much], we also ought to love one another.
12No man has at any time [yet] seen God. But if we love one another, God abides (lives and remains) in us and His love (that love which is essentially His) is brought to completion (to its full maturity, runs its full course, is perfected) in us!
13By this we come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we abide (live and remain) in Him and He in us: because He has given (imparted) to us of His [Holy] Spirit.
14And [besides] we ourselves have seen (have deliberately and steadfastly contemplated) and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son [as the] Savior of the world.
15Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.
16And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
17In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love [b]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
19We love Him, because He first loved us.
20If anyone says, I love God, and hates (detests, abominates) his brother in Christ], he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.
21And this command (charge, order, injunction) we have from Him: that he who loves God shall love his brother [believer] also.

I looked at this passage in-depth in a blog series on 1 John that I posted on my myspace blog in 2006. As I have not posted that series on this blog, if anyone is interested in reading it email me and I will send it to you. Since writing that, I came across an excellent summation of the gist of this passage by author, pastor, and teacher John MacArthur. In Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically (Copyright 2005, Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, TN, p. 86) MacArthur says: "Christianity involves a supernatural relationship with the Trinity. The Spirit indwells the believer, kindling righteous desires and holy affections, pouring out the love of God in our hearts. The believer thus loves Christ and strives to obey Him. Moreover, both the Father and the Son pledge their love to believers, and Christ continually manifests Himself in that love. The believer, then, is the beneficiary of a loving relationship involving Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

This is really the central theme of the whole of Scripture. God loves us enough to want to save us and show us a better way to live. Our response to that love should be to commit all our being to loving and following Him. Integral to that is our love for each other. Jesus said the greatest of all commandments are to love the Lord and our neighbor. The Bible is our guidebook that shows us how to fulfill these two commandments.

Matthew 22:34-40 (NKJV)
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 tell us God loves "the world." and "sinners." That includes all people of every race upon earth.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

One great example in the Old Testament of God demonstrating His love and compassion was when He sent the prophet Jonah to Nineveh.
Jonah 3:10 (NKJV)
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

God's wrath is kept in balance by His love and compassion. While justice demands payment for sin, love demands mercy for the truly repentant. My next blog will focus on God as our Gracious, Merciful Savior.

Video:
Michael Card - Love Crucified Arose




Further study:
Using a concordance or topical Bible reference look up key words, "love," "lovingkindness," and "compassion." Find a verse to memorize and meditate upon.

Seeking To Know God and His Attributes (10)

WRATHFUL AND JEALOUS

By Tammy L. Hensel

"God is not mad at you."

I have seen this quote on billboards, church signs, and Internet sites. The problem with this statement is that it only gives a partial picture of the balance that exists between God's wrath and His love. As I said in my last blog, both flow from His justice and to emphasize one without the other skews our vision of God's character.

One analogy that is used throughout Scripture to describe how God relates to us is that He is a loving parent. As parents we become angry when someone attacks our children or tries to lure them away from devotion to us. We also know that we must discipline our children to help them mature and become responsible adults. We want our children to obey us because they love us, not because they are afraid of us. However, sometimes we do have to add a healthy dose of respectful fear to our loving discipline in order for them to grow into mature adults. It is the same way with our Heavenly Father. He wants us to come to Him out of love, not fear. However, that does not minimize the fact that His wrath is real, powerful, and fearsome!

Revelations 11:15-19 (NKJV)
Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
" We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth."
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

Another analogy that the Bible uses is to compare God to a husband or bridegroom. This is used most often in relation to Israel and to the church. In marriage, we are justifiably jealous when another tries to seduce our spouse. We cannot forget that God has an enemy who constantly seeks to corrupt us and lure us away from following our Lord.

Exodus 34:14-16 (NASB)
. . . for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God-- lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods, and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

Make no mistake about it, we are in a spiritual battle and ultimately each person must chose on which side of the line in the sand to make a stand. Eternal damnation is a real consequence for rejecting God's love. John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible because it emphasizes God's great love for us. However, if we pull verse 16 out of context, we miss the crucial balance between God's love and wrath this chapter presents.

John 3:16-18, 36 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. . . . He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

God is not looking for people to send to hell. Instead, He earnestly desires to save people from it! Condemnation brings Him no joy, but rather deep sadness. The whole purpose of Christ's sacrifice is to save us from that fate. Those who receive His wrath condemn themselves by choosing to follow their own lusts rather than God's gracious provision for salvation. My next two blogs will continue this theme as I look at God's attributes of Love, Compassion, Mercy, and Grace.

Video:
"Adam, Where Are You? Don Francisco


Further study:
Using a concordance look up the key words "wrath," "anger", "jealous" and vengeance. Choose a verse upon which to focus this week.

Seeking to know God and His Attributes (9)

GOOD AND JUST

by Tammy L. Hensel

Often God's attributes of Goodness and Justice are misunderstood. Some perceive God as a malicious Judge who delights in sending people to hell. Others look at all the evil and suffering in the world and think God is unconcerned, absent, or non-existent.

To the opposite extreme, many focus on God's love to the extent that they refuse to accept any suggestion of His wrath and jealousy. Some say the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, but the God of the New Testament is a God of love. Yet, as we have already seen, God is Immutable. He does not change. The Scriptures tell us that God is ALWAYS good and just.

Psalm 98:8-9 (NKJV)
Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

The definition of "justice" is "the maintenance or administration of what is just [right or fair] especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments." (Miriam-Webster's online dictionary) A scale is often used to represent the impartiality and balance inherent in justice. True justice is always based on an absolute standard that does not change. In the case of God, it is based on His very nature and the principles through which He interacts with mankind. Therefore, His judgments are always equitable and serve to further our ultimate good. If His judgments seem harsh to us, it is because we are looking through our finite perspective and do not see the big picture of God's goals for us.

Proverbs 16:11 (Amplified Bible)
A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights of the bag are His work [established on His eternal principles].

To understand the principles upon which God's justice is founded better, we must zero in on what is of the utmost importance to God – the condition of our hearts.

Deuteronomy 5:29 (Amplified Bible)
Oh, that they had such a [mind and] heart in them always [reverently] to fear Me and keep all My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their children forever!

God's deepest desire is to see us become godly people and pursue righteous living. He knows it is the narrow road that brings true joy and peace in this life and prepares us best for eternity. Unfortunately, pursuit of righteousness is not the natural bent of man's heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NKJV)
The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

In order for righteousness to prosper, unrighteousness must be dealt with in some manner. Therefore, God's justice demands a balance between His love and His wrath. This amazing paradox will be the subject of my next few blogs in this series.

Video:
"Awesome God" by Rich Mullins



Further study:
Using a concordance or topical Bible reference look up keywords such as just, fair, judge, justice, good, lovingkindness. Choose a favorite verse to memorize and focus on during your quiet time with God this week.

Seeking To Know God And His Attributes (8)

HOLY, MAJESTIC, RIGHTEOUS, PERFECT, GLORIOUS

By Tammy L. Hensel

The Holiness and Righteousness of God is one of the most important concepts to embrace if one is to have any understanding of the gospel message of Redemption. It is because sinful man cannot fellowship with a Holy God on his own that we have the need of a Savior.

Romans 3:23 (Amplified Bible)
Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.

The word "Holy" is defined by Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness." There may be more verses in the Bible describing the holiness, righteousness, perfection, majesty and glory of God than any other of His attributes. The point is obvious. God is greater than any person or thing on this earth. Therefore, He deserves our worship and reverential fear. Below is one of the most awesome descriptions of the holiness of God as the prophet Isaiah is given a glimpse of the very throne of heaven.

Isaiah 6:1-5 (NKJV)
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said:
“ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said:
“ Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”

The Apostles Peter, James and John were given a glimpse of Christ in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration as described in Matthew 17.

Matthew 17:1-2, 5-6 (Amplified Bible)
AND SIX days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. . . While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him!
When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear.

The Apostle John was later given an even fuller view of the glory of Christ in his vision described in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:13-17 (NASB)
and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,

Notice in each of these passages the response to those who encounter the Holy God is absolute worship and reverential fear. When we read these verses that describe our Glorious Lord, we should be in awe of who He is and His great love for us. God is so far above us, and yet He longs to fellowship with us. As we continue this study we will see the amazing provision God has made to bridge the gap between His Holiness and our sinfulness.

Video: RON KENOLY - I SEE THE LORD
This song is simply Isaiah 6:1-5 put to music.



Further study: Using a concordance look up all the wonderful verses that describe the glory of God using keywords such as "Holy," "Glory," "Perfect," "Majestic," and "Righteous." Find a favorite verse to memorize and reflect upon.

Seeking To Know God And His Attributes (7)

by Tammy L. Hensel

Sovereign King

The Sovereignty of God goes hand in hand with His other attributes we have already discussed in this series. It just naturally follows that a God who is a Transcendent, Immanent, Self-existent, Eternal, Imminent, Immutable, Creator has to be Sovereign over His creation. There are so many both beautiful and also frightening passages that speak to His Sovereignty.

I have chosen here to zero in on a passage that is absolutely amazing, not just because it speaks so clearly to the awesome nature of God, but because it was composed by a pagan ruler, Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet Daniel recorded the event for us in chapter 4 of his book. For brevity I am not going to post the whole chapter here, but encourage you to go back and read it in its entirety. I will begin with verse 28 of Daniel’s narrative. Then at verse 34, Daniel quotes Nebuchadnezzar himself as he gives glory to the soverignty of God.

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of the twelve months he was
walking about the royal palace of Babylon.
30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this
great Babylon, that I have built
for a royal dwelling by my mighty power
and for the honor of my majesty?"
31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth,
a voice fell from heaven:
"King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken:
the kingdom has departed from you!
32 And they shall drive you from men,
and your dwelling shall be
with the beasts of the field.
They shall make you eat grass like oxen;
and seven times shall pass over you,
until you know that the Most High
rules in the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whomever He chooses."
33 That very hour the word was
fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar;
he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen;
his body was wet with the dew
of heaven till his hair had grown like
eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar,
lifted my eyes to heaven,
and my understanding returned to me;
and I blessed the Most High
and praised and honored Him who lives forever:
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth
are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, "What have You done?"
36 At the same time my reason returned to me,
and for the glory of my kingdom,
my honor and splendor returned to me.
My counselors and nobles resorted to me,
I was restored to my kingdom,
and excellent majesty was added to me.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol
and honor the King of heaven,
all of whose works are truth,
and His ways justice.
And those who walk in pride
He is able to put down.
Daniel 4:28-37 (NKJV)


It occurred to me in focusing on this passage that what happened to Nebuchadnezzar is what happens to each of us when we come to recognize our sinful state. We each must reach a state of brokenness where we recognize that despite our best efforts, all our accomplishments mean nothing compared to the glory of God. I will expound on this more in my next blog, which will be on the Holiness of God.

Once we come to that place where we see ourselves for who we really are and God for who He is – our Lord and Savior - then just as Nebuchadnezzar was restored to power, we are restored to fellowship with God.

The other thing I noticed in this passage is that no matter how much power one attains on this earth, no person or created being, including Satan, can override any command from our Sovereign Lord. This episode with Nebuchadnezzar is just a foreshadowing of that day all will recognize His Kingship.
Revelations 15:3-4
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
" Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested.

Video:
You are GOD alone
Phillips, Craig and Dean



Further study: Using a Concordance or topical Bible reference look up keywords Sovereign, King, Lord, Ruler. Choose a verse to meditate upon and memorize this week.

Seeking To Know God And His Attributes (6)

By TAmmy L. Hensel

CREATOR

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
Genesis 1:31 (NKJV)

One morning I woke up in a really creative mood, so I decided to do something using my creative energy. It was work, but it was fun. At the end of the day when I looked back on what I had done, I was so pleased at the results. That is when it dawned on me that that the pleasure I felt was just a fraction of what must have God felt when He created our world. I thought, "If I just magnified this feeling millions of times, maybe I could come close to understanding what God felt when He pronounced all that He made as good." To tell you the truth, I don't remember what I created that day, I just remember the insight it gave me into the character of our great Creator God.

The topic of God as Creator seems to be a hot one these days, especially on the Internet. So I am reiterating what I said in my intro about the purpose of this blog series. It is not my intent here to prove God, His existence, or how the earth was created. The focus of this series is to learn what the BIBLE says about God. It is up to each person to discern how and if these teachings apply to his/her life. Hebrews 11:3 says: "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (NASB)

The role of God as creator permeates the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. There are so many beautiful passages that it was hard to choose which ones to bring out here. I really hope all of you will pursue my suggestions for further study. The Psalms especially give so much information on this subject. I have chosen Psalm 148 to share with you because I think it sums up not only the doctrine of God as Creator, but also the purpose for which He created us.

Psalm 148 (NKJV)
1. Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 And He has exalted the horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.
Praise the LORD!

God did not create us on a whim. He had and still has a wonderful plan. The primary purpose for which God created us is to fellowship with Him through worship

"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being,"
Acts:17:24-28 (NASB)

As we will discuss more in future blogs, He simply created us to love us and receive love from us.

Video:
Wonderful Maker - Chris Tomlin



Further study:
Using a concordance or topical Bible reference find Scripture passages that speak to God as Creator. Key words for a concordance search are: "created" and "made." Choose a verse either from your own search or those I have referenced here to memorize and meditate upon. Think about all the attributes of God found in these verses.

Seeking To Know God and His Attributes (5)

By Tammy L. Hensel

SELF-EXISTENT, ETERNAL, INFINITE, IMMUTABLE

As I stated in my introduction to this series and will probably repeat again, the characteristics of God are so intertwined that it is often hard to isolate them in order to fully discuss them individually. In this blog I will focus on God as self-existent, eternal, infinite, and immutable together because they are so interrelated. However, the passages I am using also reflect other attributes such as Creator, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign, Holy, Faithfulness, Love, Wisdom and so on. I will delve more deeply into those in future blogs.

The calling of Moses in Exodus 3 is an excellent passage for studying the character of God because it reveals so much about Him. It is here that He describes Himself as "I AM" which means the SELF-EXISTENT ONE.

Exodus 3:14 (NKJV)
And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

Unlike man, God was not created. He is self-existent. Therefore, He exists and operates independent of His creation and is not contained or limited by it. Because of this He is also eternal, infinite and immutable (unchanging). He had no beginning and will have no end. Remember also, as I stated in my last blog on the Trinity, that this applies to all three Persons of the God-head. So Christ is also eternal and not created. Why then does Christ say to John in Revelations that He is the Alpha (beginning) and Omega (the end)?

Revelations 1:8 (NKJV)
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

In this passage the terms Alpha and Omega are used to describe the infinite, eternal nature of God who existed before time began and whose existence has no end. This is obvious from the clarification "who is and who was and who is to come." Isaiah 41 is another excellent passage that presents this concept. The Amplified Version gives much insight into the full meaning of the word "everlasting" that is used in other translations.

Isaiah 41:4 (Amplifed)
Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord--the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]--I am He.

The figuarative lanuage used in these two verses is somewhat like our expression "east meets west." Technically, "east meets west" everywhere because at any fixed point on earth one can face either east or west. And because this is true, there is no one place where "east meets west" or where east begins and west ends and vice versa. In this same sense, the words "beginning," "end," "first," and "last" really mean eternal existence with no beginning and no end. Man is finite because he had a beginning, whereas God had no beginning and will have no end, so He is infinite. Because man is finite, He is constantly a "work in progress" always learning and growing, but God is immutable. He does not change but maintains His same nature throughout eternity.

Knowing that God is self-existent, eternal, infinite, and immutable may make Him seem too far above us, as these are some of His transcendent qualities to which I referred in an earlier blog. To me, however, it is encouraging to reflect upon these attributes because it reassures me that He sees the big picture that I do not. And, as I will discuss later, that He created me with a purpose and a plan.


Video:
FOREVER by Christ Tomlin


Further study:
Read the full passages from which I have taken verses, Exodus 3, Revelation 1 and Isaiah 41. Actually, for the Isaiah passage, you might want to read chapter 40 as well. How many of God's attributes can you find in these passages? Using a concordance look up the following words and phrases: eternal, everlasting, forever. What do these passage tell you about the nature of God? How does that encourage you? Please feel free to share some of the verses you find and your thoughts in comments. Chose a verse that speaks to you to memorize and thoughtfully ponder.

Seeking To Know God and His Attributes (4)

By Tammy Hensel

TRIUNE

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut. 6:4 (NKJV)

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. John 15:26 (NKJ)

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Epheisans 4:4-6 (NKJV)

The word "Triune" means "3 in one." Throughout both the Old and New Testaments there are passages that refer to God as One and yet as three Persons. This is another of the awesome, yet hard to understand paradoxes of God's nature. The three Persons are NOT three Gods. All three are revealed throughout Scripture.

Volumes have been written on the subject of the Trinity and it would be impossible in the context of a blog to cover it fully. The main point I want to emphasize for the purpose of this study on the character of God is that each Person of the Trinity is fully God and has all of His attributes. Rather than get into a deep theological discussion and debate, I merely want to share some verses from my personal study. Here are two passages, Isaiah 63:7-11 and Romans 1:2-6, which give reference to all three Persons of the Trinity.

"I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has granted us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.
For He said, "Surely, they are My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely "
So He became their Savior.
In all their affliction He was afflicted,
And the angel of His presence saved them;
In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,
And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
But they rebelled
And grieved His Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.
Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses
Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in the midst of them," Isaiah 63:7-11 (NASB)

" . . the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:2-6 (NIV)

The concept of the Triune God is presented from the creation story through Revelation. I will cover more about God as Creator in a future blog, but I would like here to share a few verses to show that show all Three Persons were involved.

"The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2 (NKJV)

"God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth." Genesis 1:26 (Amplified Bible)

"IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being." John 1:1-3 (Amplified Bible)

"Yet for us there is [only] one God, the Father, Who is the Source of all things and for Whom we [have life], and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through and by Whom are all things and through and by Whom we [ourselves exist]." 1 Corinthians 8:6 (Amplified Bible)

The final verse I would like to share with you is from what has been called the "Great Commission," where Jesus Himself mentions the involvement of all three Persons of the Godhead in this command. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19 (NASB)

Video:
DOXOLOGY



Further study: Using a "Topical Bible" index or website, look up more passages that refer to each Person of the Trinity. Find one passage to memorize and focus upon from those I have listed or from your own study. Please feel free to share your thoughts in comments.

Seeking to Know God and His Attributes (3)

By Tammy Hensel
Transcendence and Immanence

It is hard to know where to begin in describing the awesome attributes of God. He is as, Christ Tomlin says in the music video below, "Indescribable." However, in order to embark on this quest to know Him better, I must start somewhere. So I thought I would jump into one of the most amazing paradoxes of God's nature – His transcendence and His immanence. Simply put, God is far above mankind and yet He is also near to us. He is lofty and yet He is personal.

There are many passages that speak of the transcendent and immanent qualities of God together. Psalm 139 gives an excellent picture this amazing paradox.
Psalm 139:1-12 (NKJV)
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

One of the definitions of paradox listed in Merriam Webster's online dictionary is "one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases." Notice the words "seemingly contradictory." There are many aspects of God's nature that seem to contradict one another. But in reality they provide balance to each other.

The word "transcendent" is defined as "1 a: exceeding usual limits, surpassing. b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience: being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge2: being beyond comprehension 3 transcending the universe or material existence."

In applying this word to God we see that He is far above His creation and operates independently of it. There are aspects of His nature that will forever be incomprehensible to man. Although we can never fully understand all that is encompassed in God's transcendence we can learn much about Him because He is also immanent. He is involved with His creation. "Immanent" is defined as "1. indwelling 2 :being within the limits of possible experience or knowledge" There are certain aspects of God's character we can understand because of how He has revealed them in nature, in the history and teachings of the Bible, in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

I have had conversations with those who are willing to concede the possibility of a transcendent Being, but seem unable to accept His personal interaction with mankind. And yet it is that of which we have the most revelation, particularly in the Person of Jesus Christ. John 14:7-9 "'If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.'Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" Any effort to understand the immanent qualities of God that does not include all three Persons of the Trinity.

To truly even begin to understand the nature of God we must recognize that while He is far above us, He yearns to fellowship with us, and thus has provided a way through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."


Video:
INDESCRIBABLE, music by Chris Tomlin


Further study:
As I mentioned in my introduction, it really is impossible to dissect the nature of God into categories. If you look back at the Psalm 139 passage you will see that there are many of God's attributes mentioned in this psalm of David. See how many you can find? Using a Topical Bible reference book or website, what other verses can you find that speak to God's transcendence and immanence? Choose a verse to memorize and ponder upon for the next few days, either from the passages I used in this blog or your own study.
Please share your own insights in a comment.

Seeking To Know God Through His Attributes (2)

Introduction part 2

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Matt. 6:33 (NASB)

A few years ago I truly began to realize the importance of this verse to my purpose in life. Every relationship we pursue requires the investment of time. Courtship is an important part in every culture when seeking a mate. Spending time with our children is essential to good parenting. It is through interaction with one another that our relationships grow. If we do not invest time in a relationship it soon withers and dies. When we invest time with family and friends we are enriched beyond measure in the joy of those relationships. If you observe two people who spend a lot of time together - it may be a husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, or just close friends - you will see how much they begin to resemble one another. To be so much of the same mind that they can anticipate each other's desires and thoughts.

It is the same with our relationship with God. Spending time getting to know Him is essential to spiritual growth. We cannot become "Christ-like" without seeking to know Him. This of course raises the question, "Can we as human beings ever truly know God?"

First let me state that I believe with all my heart that there is a God who created mankind and interacts with us. However, it is not the purpose of this study to prove the existence of God. God does not need man to prove Him. He proves Himself to the every person who truly seeks Him with a sincere heart.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 6 (NASB)
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible . . . And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
If one is not willing to take that step of faith, to open the door to the reality of God, then that one is willfully choosing to ignore the evidence that is all around him or her.

Of course our understanding of God will forever be limited. The finite cannot fully comprehend the infinite. We cannot put God into a box and dissect Him as many tend to want to do. If we could HE WOULD NOT BE GOD! Just the very concept of an infinite, all-powerful God suggests that He cannot be fully known by His creation. And yet there is so much of Himself He has revealed to us in His Word. It is here that we receive the most complete picture of who God is and how He relates to mankind. In it's pages He reveals to us as much as we can understand of His character and the qualities that make up His very personality.

In a previous blog series on the book of 1 John [posted on my Myspace blog], I sought to demonstrate a verse-by-verse Bible study to encourage my readers who have never tried that to pursue it. Over and over again I emphasized the "context" of the passage. The study on which I am now embarking will be a "topical study." But that does not mean we can ignore the context of each verse. I may not have time to go into great detail about that for each verse I use, but I will try bring out those things that are essential to understanding the particular attribute under discussion. And I urge you to pursue further study of the passages I use. I encourage you to choose a verse or passage to memorize and meditate upon either from the verses I use or your own independent study.

Perhaps I should define what I mean by "Scripture meditation," because I have come to discover that the word "meditate" means different things to different people. Miriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines mediation as "a discourse intended to express its author's reflections or to guide others in contemplation." In applying it to a Scripture passage or verse, it is merely taking the time to think about the full meaning of a passage based on the historical context, the language used, and the author's intent. It is NOT "emptying one's mind" or using Scripture as a "mantra" to invoke a spiritual experience. But rather, it is "filling up one's mind" with knowledge of spiritual things in order to better understand how to apply them to our lives.
Psalm 119:15 (NASV) "I will meditate on Your precepts. And regard Your ways."

Scripture meditation is a simply a tool for intense study, not a technique for a mystical experience. As I will discuss further when I get into the "accessibility" of God, it is not necessary for the believer to go through an elaborate ritual to hear the voice of God. It only takes a willingness to open the eyes and ears of our hearts to His instruction and apply it to our lives. Our hearts can never be satisfied with just the forms and rituals of religion. True Christian faith is a relationship with the living God. In order to grow in that relationship we must spend time with Him every day, seeking to know Him better.

Here is a video by artist Kari Jobe singing "The More I Seek You." I hope that as you listen you will share with me the desire to seek God every day in prayer and in His word.

Seeking To Know God And His Attributes

Seeking to Know God & His Attributes (1)
By Tammy L. Hensel

Introduction: Part 1

From the first moment I met God 38 years ago I have pursued knowledge of Him. There have been times in my life when that pursuit became side-tracked by the distractions of every day life – making ends meet, caring for my family, etc. And yet I always had a hunger to know Him better. Over the years I have heard many sermons and even taught Bible studies on the attributes of God. I had a lot of head knowledge, but I fear only limited heart knowledge on the subject. Of course we will never, while on this earth, ever completely comprehend the fullness of who God is. How can the finite ever understand the infinite? But it is my life-long goal to keep increasing in my knowledge of Him and sharing that knowledge with others.

In 2002 my oldest son left for college and I also started a job with Internet access, which we had not had at home. So as I discovered the possibilities of email communication, I decided to send my son a Bible verse each morning as sort of a "good morning from mom and God." When I found that one could send the same message to more than one person at a time, I began sending them to a few other family members and friends. Over the years my list has grown so that I send the verses to about 50 people via email, and post them on my various social networking sites.

Sometime during late 2003, now with Internet at home, I was inspired to choose verses that related to the attributes of God. So I opened my concordance and began searching out these verses. I also had as a resource my MOMS IN TOUCH INTERNATIONAL (MITI) leaders guide. MITI is an international prayer ministry that focuses on praying for school children. They encourage leaders to begin each meeting with a verse that praises God for who He is. So they had a listing of Bible verses for both the names of God and the attributes of God. Using these two resources I began to choose verses for my daily emails. As I read these verses, I found myself amazed at the things I had been taking for granted about who God is and the misunderstandings I still had about His character.

Over the next few months several things happened to take me even deeper into this study. My doctors discovered that the source of some of the health problems I had been having for years was a ruptured disk in my neck. The more the tests I had on that area, the more my pain increased and my ability to function decreased. By the summer of 2004 I was in intense pain and pretty much unable to do much but sit in my recliner.

That September I had spinal fusion surgery and was in a neck brace for a couple of months. I was unable at that time to really read any books, including my Bible for very long because I had to bring them up to eye level and my arms would soon tire. So I just took a few minutes to copy down verses from my concordance. I had prepared several weeks worth of verses to send out to my verse list, as I could only sit at the computer comfortably for a few minutes each day. But I used that few minutes to send out the verse for that day and look up a couple more using a Bible CD. (I hadn't discovered the Internet Bible resources yet.) I printed these verses out on notecards and then sat in my recliner pondering and reflecting on them.

I just cannot really explain to you how spending hours upon hours in Scripture meditation and prayerful communion with God affected me. It was as if I was falling in love with Him all over again. I began to understand things I never really thought about before, realizing more fully that who God is really does affect who I am. Several months after I began my study of the attributes of God, the pastor of the church we then attended (C.F. Hazlewood of Fellowship of Huntsville Church, Huntsville Texas) announced that he would begin a topical study on the same subject. It is so amazing how God brings instruction on things we most need into our lives at the time we need them! As I listened to those sermons my understanding grew even more. Many times the sermons contained the very ideas I had been thinking about and also clarified a few questions I had.

Because of my health limitations at that time I was not able to really journal most of this 2-and-½-year study, although I did make a few notes on the back of some of my verse note cards. So what I want to do over the next few months is begin again a study of the attributes of God and this time journal my thoughts to you, the readers of my blog. If you want to join me in this pursuit, I hope you will also share some of your own thoughts with me. While I will do my best to communicate the awesome truths I have learned, it is up to each of you to make sure the information you read here does not remain head knowledge, but becomes heart knowledge. That only happens when you apply it to your life.

Below is a video based on the sermon "That's My King" of the late Dr. S.M. Lockridge in which he presents the fullness of God and His attributes. Every time I hear it I am overwhelmed by the amazing reality of who God is.

Busy Summer Days

It seems like I have lived the last few weeks in hyperspeed. Early Monday May 12 we received a phone call that my husband's father had died. He had been in a nursing home since March with terminal cancer so we knew it would not be much longer, but still we were not quite prepared to say good-bye. Doesn't it always seem that way? We have been very busy taking care of business related to probate, sorting through his stuff, etc., which is why I haven't had time to post a blog here for several weeks.

We are also in the process of looking for a house to buy. We have to be out of the rental we are in now by the middle of August. Looking at houses for sale has been quite an adventure! We have been in some gorgeous homes, and in some dumps. We have been in homes that were immaculate, and homes where we have had to pick our way through dirty laundry, pet poop (yes really!), and miscellaneous junk strewn from one end of a room to another. We have still not found the right house for us, but we know it is out there. So we are looking again tonight.

I will not have much time for writing during the next couple of months with moving. However, after much prayer, I have decided to post the devotional series I have been writing for my Dedicated to Christ myspace blog here. I started this series last January and have had a good response on myspace. It is on the attributes of God. entitled "Seeking to Know God." I will post the first one later this week or early next week.

I am also not taking on any new editing projects or P.R. clients this summer. In fact, after I get settled in my new house, I am going to focus on writing a book, so I may not take any more new clients for a while. I will post more about that later.

Now you know what I am doing this summer, so what are you doing? If you have time leave me a comment to share your summer adventures with me and my readers.
Wishing everyone a wonderful, fun, safe summer!

Article Published in Comfort Cafe

My article "Life Lessons From Pain" was published yesterday in the May 2008 issue of Comfort Cafe. This is one of the most difficult articles I have ever written because it is so personal. Some of you know that I had a hard time finding the right venue for it and that it has undergone extensive revision. I am very honored that Comfort Cafe accepted it for publication. This webzine, edited by Ruth Wood, is very inspirational and ministers to women who are experiencing physical and emotional pain. It is a magazine that touches people's lives and makes a difference!

Here is the link to my article if you are interested in reading it.Life Lessons From Pain by Tammy Hensel

One of my dear friends suggested that I write a book based on this article with my main points as chapter headings. I am open to the idea if any publishers are interested. :)

New Editing Project for Children's Author Janice Bloom

Author Janice Bloom has just asked me to edit the 4th book in her self-published Under the Bed Children's series. I am so thrilled to be a part of this book project. Janice's books target ages kindergarten through third grade and are getting a lot of praise from teachers, librarians and parents.

The book series is built around an imaginary village called Clohverville inhabited by the "Ohmadillapicklearoos, Those Villager Dust Bunnies Under My Bed." Chief among the dust bunnies is "Mr. Oh" with his tools of wisdom and experience. Other charming characters include Mrs. Oh, Bo Oh, the Widow Buttons, and a special little bunny named LooLoo Palloo.



Author Janice Bloom and
Illustrator Marcy Woodcock
of the Under My Bed
book series for children
ages kindergarten to 3rd grade.

In the first book Wonderfully Made Under My Bed, three children - Kristy, her brother Bryan and their friend Jesse - learn that each person has a unique gift to share with others. Book 2 Not Afraid Under My Bed is about overcoming the fear of rejection. Book 3, A Grateful Heart Under My Bed shares the secret to true contentment - being grateful for what one has and not yearning for what one does not have. Each book is fabulously illustrated by talented artist Marcy Woodcock. I am so impressed by her work. There is also an excellent companion teaching guide for each book written by educator Linda Rinn.

The fourth book is entitled "Caring Actions Under My Bed" and I just can't wait to read it as soon as Janice gets the manuscript to me. I will keep you all updated on the project. If you are a teacher or a parent of children in the target age group, I really encourage you to visit her website http://www.villagerbookpublishing.com. Janice also has a myspace site under construction. I hope all my myspace friends will welcome her. The url is http://www.myspace.com/characterinbloom

Consider The Cross

Below is another blog from my Dedicated to Christ Myspace site. I wrote this on November 1, 2007 and it is among my most popular blog posts. It was on the 200 "Most Popular Blogs on Myspace" list in the category of "Religion & Philosophy" for about a week. I thought it would be a good one to post here during this Easter season.

In it I mention my bulletin board. For those of you who aren't familiar with Myspace, that is a feature of the Myspace sites that allows one to send a notice to everyone on his/her "friends" list at the same time, like an email forward. The "friends" list is really just a link list to other Myspace sites.

This will be my last blog post for a couple of weeks, as I will be out of town and offline. I encourage my readers to comment, but since I have comments set for approval, so they may not be posted until my return.

Easter blessings to all my readers.
Tammy

CONSIDER THE CROSS

By Tammy L. Hensel
(includes music video "By His Wounds" by artists Glory Revealed)

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart." Heb. 12:1-3 (NASB)

This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. I have left it on some of your sites and blogs as comments, and sent it to many of you as notes by way of encouragement. I may even have blogged on it before, I am not sure. I just watched a video that was posted last night on my bulletin board that brought it to mind again. It is footage from the movie The Passion of Christ put to a song called By His Wounds. When The Passion of Christ came out a few years ago it was criticized for being too bloody. My friends, the cross was a painful and bloody ordeal. We must never forget that! And above all we must never forget that Christ suffered it WILLINGLY for the JOY of saving us. WHAT AMAZING LOVE THIS IS!!!

Often when I send Heb. 12:1-3 to a person it is because they are undergoing suffering and I want to remind them that there is no pain, no shame, no betrayal, no trial, no suffering that we can experience on this earth that God does not understand! Each time I remind someone else, I remind myself. And this video reminded me of that again this morning.

As God the Father, He he sacrificed His own Son and watched Him suffer and die. (John 3:16) If you have ever lost a loved one - HE UNDERSTANDS YOUR PAIN!

As God the Son, He was betrayed by one he loved as a brother. He was ridiculed, mocked and scorned. As this video portrays, He was physically beaten beyond all human endurance. If you have been betrayed, if you have been persecuted, if you have ever felt physical pain be assured - HE UNDERSTANDS YOUR PAIN!

Because of the pain Christ suffered we can have POWER to overcome sin and suffering in our lives. That does not mean we will never experience suffering or disease. It only means that HE will see us through it. The healing that takes place is healing of our hearts - of our spirits - because we are freed from our bondage to sin. But by fixing our eyes on Him, we can endure whatever suffering comes our way as OVERCOMERS!

When you watch this video remember that even this movie cannot depict the horror of what Christ suffered willingly on the cross as payment for our sins. Because of HIS PAIN, SUFFERING, and SACRIFICE we have eternal life! One day we will be pain-free with Him forever! Can we ever thank Him enough? I cannot watch this footage without grateful tears in my eyes for all He endured for my sake.
By His Wounds - Glory Revealed

Jesus The Ultimate Fall Guy

It has been several weeks since I have posted on this blog and I would like to apologize to those of you who have been kind enough to subscribe. I have been tremendously busy, as you will see over the next few months when I add to my "published works" links here. I have several items that have been accepted by webzines and a few more pending. One of them is my "Boxes, boxes, boxes . . . devotional which I had posted here, but have taken down since it will be published.
This morning I decided I really needed to return to this blog. While praying about what to post, I was reminded of a short devotional I wrote in February 2007 for my myspace ministry blog. It includes a YouTube video of the song "Above All."
I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to leave a comment if it blesses you.

Jesus – The Ultimate Fall Guy
by Tammy L. Hensel

During my private worship time this morning I was really blessed by a praise song we often sing at church "Above All" by Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc. I found the words on the Internet and printed them out to use as part of my morning devotional. It is the last part of the song that really caught my attention this morning. These words "You took the fall, and thought of me above all," have circulated through my brain all day encouraging me. As I pondered these lyrics it occurred to me that Jesus really is the ultimate "fall guy."

I did a quick google search to see if I could find the origin of the term "fall guy". I came up with a variety of opinions. In fact the only thing that really was common to all the theories was that it emerged in American slang in the early part of the 20th century to refer to someone taking the blame for someone else.

And that, my friends, is just what Jesus did for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB) "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

THANK YOU LORD JESUS!

Here is a music video of the song.

Home School Teleseminar with Diana LaRue

This Tuesday evening, Feb. 12 from 7 to 8 p.m., I will be participating in a very a very special event. Although I did not home school my kids, my dear friend Diana LaRue has asked me to facilitate her teleseminar on "Homeschooling Over the Long Haul." This will be an on-line conference call where participants will have active participation through the telephone line. There is no charge for the seminar, except personal long distance fees where applicable, but registration is requested. You can register at Diana's blog: http://organichomelearning.blogspot.com

After you register you will receive instructions for the call-in procedure. With registration, you will also be able to submit your biggest question about home schooling for me to ask Diana during the teleseminar. If something happens and you are unable to participate in the live session, those who registered will also receive further information about where they can later listen to the recorded session online.

Diana calls her homeschooling method "Organic Home Learning – How to Home School the Natural, Organic Way." Its focus is on how to translate everyday experiences, hobbies or interests into legitimate high school credits. To help home schoolers "find the learning in life," she said.

Here is a quote from Diana:

"Yikes! Realization hit me just before my eldest daughter was to begin high school—I was going to be responsible for what she studied, for keeping records, and for determining when she met all the requirements for graduation.

The questions came. How was I going to teach it all? What counted as a credit? What about science lab? How would I know what grade to give her? What records did I need to keep? Would colleges accept her transcript? What about scholarships?

And the biggest question… Was I going to ruin her future?

If I'd only known then what I know now. There was no need to fear the high school years. Even a naturally unorganized person like me was able to take on high school and take it on successfully."

Diana LaRue and I have been friends for more than 20 years. She has been married to her husband, David for more than 27 years and is a veteran homeschooling mom with more than 18 years of experience.

Diana is a founding member of H.E.R.O. (Home Educators Resource Organization) homeschool support group and is in her 16th year as newsletter editor for the organization. She is an area contact person for THSC (Texas Home School Coalition) and SETHSA (SouthEast Texas Home School Association) and she is becoming a popular speaker at homeschool events in Texas. She was interviewed about her homeschooling method in 1998 on a program called "Beaumont PTL" on KITU-TV 34. In 2007, she presented a seminar "Homeschooling Through High School" in Jasper and Lufkin. She is listed in Who's Who in American Teachers 2005-2006 10th Edition.

Along with the teleseminar, Diana is also launching a website www.organichomelearning.com which will be up soon. I am so excited that she invited me to participate in her teleseminar event. I hope you will join us and invite all your friends who home school.

Tagged by Lillie - Goals for the year

It has only been a few weeks since I put up this new blog, although I have been blogging on myspace for about 13 months: www.myspace.com/dedicatedpublications
and www.myspace.com/dedicated_to_christ . I was initially very shy about blogging, but it has been an exciting adventure. I am very excited about the possibilities with this new blog.

One of the first friends I made after putting up this blog is a fellow writer and editor Lillie Ammann A Writer's Word's, An Editor's Eye. She tagged me a couple of weeks ago to answer the following questions. I am very honored to be tagged. I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond, but I wanted to give these questions some deep thought. So thank you, Lillie, not just for tagging me, but for making me stop to think and evaluate where I am and what I want to do this year.

1. The most important thing I have learned over the last year.
I guess one of the most important things I have learned from blogging has been not to take myself too seriously. There are always going to be people who don't care for what I write, but there are others who do. The most important thing is to just enjoy it and be myself.

2. What I would like to achieve within the next year.
I would like to put up a regular website and lay the ground work for perhaps publishing my own Christian webzine. I would also like to write more articles for magazines and newspapers.

3. What I wish to learn more about.
Website design and Internet publishing are at the top of my list so that I can fulfill no. 2. I have been involved in print publications for most of my career. I am finding the Internet fascinating and am amazed at the potential.

4. How could I be more productive?
I need to get more sleep, more exercise, and eat better! I am finding these are the key things to having the energy to be more productive. I also need to manage my time a little better to help me stay focused.

5. One new thing I plan to try.
Well, I already tried something new this year! Earlier this month I was inspired by a friend I met on myspace D.E. Navarro and his NavWorks Poetry Forum to try my hand at poetry. I never considered myself a poet, but I am having a blast. I will post some of my poetry here soon. Perhaps in my next post.

6. The blogging tip(s) I have found the most useful.
The number one tip is to have fun. Next is to be yourself and be real. And number three would be to have someone proofread when you can. It is very frustrating to me to keep finding mistakes every time I read back over my posts.

7. The 4 (or more) people I am passing this on to. (please include someone quite new to blogging if you can - to help them along by introducing them to your own readers and giving them some backlinks).
I am at a little at loss as to who to tag here, because most of the writers I have met are on myspace. I would love to meet more writers and increase my networking circle. I guess I will just leave it as an open tag to all who happen across my blog. Please leave me a comment with your link if you accept the challenge!

Press Release Essential Elements and Sample Release For Bruce Chadwick's Illusion Ministry

The purpose of a press release is to interest the news media in covering a client's business or event. It is a key component for any publicity campaign since news coverage is free publicity. Over the past 25 years, I have written many press releases for business, churches, ministries, political candidates, and community events. I have also been both reporter and news editor for newspapers, so I know what editors look for in press releases.

Below is a press release I sent to a newspaper in El Paso, Texas last fall for my client illusionist Bruce Chadwick. It resulted in an interview and feature story in the newspaper. This release is a little longer than what I usually write for press releases, but Chadwick is a client with a unique ministry, so the release needed to be thorough. Most editors prefer short to the point releases with just enough information to let them know if there is a story worth assigning to a reporter. Many times they will not even look at releases that are more than one page. However, some newspapers do print the press releases without further follow-up, so I always try to include all key information and a couple quotes.

Sample press release from Dedicated Publication Services

*************************************************************

Tammy Hensel, publicist (phone)
Bruce Chadwick's Illusion Ministry
Magic by Bruce Chadwick
Attachment: photo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Illusionist Takes Sleight-Of-Hand Into Churches

The glass is suspended in mid-air . . . a lady is made to disappear and reappear . . . he performs feats that seem to defy the laws of physics. People are intrigued and mystified. "How does he do that?" they wonder.

People of all ages love illusion and Christian Illusionist Bruce Chadwick is an expert at weaving the fun, mystery, and excitement of illusion effects with hilarious comedy, whimsical volunteer situations, and a clear-cut presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Chadwick will be performing his "Theatre of Illusion" October 31 beginning at 7:45 p. m. at Word of Life, 11675 Pratt Ave. There will be a Hallelujah Party for kids before the show at 6:30. Both events are free and open to the public.

Chadwick's "Theatre of the Illusion" is a full-scale theatrical production filled with incredible stage illusions. This spectacular program features a lively combination of fast-paced legerdemain, comedy talk routines, volunteer participation, and elegant illusion effects!

"Illusions generate within people a sense of mystery, excitement, and anticipation," Chadwick explained. "I have been an intense student of the art of illusion since I was a child. Most of my training has come from reading books, challenging myself to think and create, innovate, design, and build most of the illusion apparatus we use in our programs."

Other programs offered by Chadwick's Illusion Ministry are his one-man comedy show and his Illusion Ministry Sunday Outreach. The Sunday outreach provides three events in one day including Chadwick's lecture "Christianity and the New Age Movement," which presents powerful information on the differences between illusions, mentalism and so-called psychic phenomenon. That is followed by his sermon "The Illusions of Life" during the church worship service. The third event is an evening presentation of Chadwick's one-man comedy show.

Chadwick is owner of the Illusion Warehouse magic shop, which along with his family -friendly performing company Magic by Bruce Chadwick, is located in Fort Worth. He has performed illusions and sleight-of-hand worldwide for more than thirty years at such venues as conventions, trade shows, fundraisers, galas and other special events.

Chadwick is known among his peers not just as a master illusionist, but also as a master craftsman of illusion. He does a substantial amount of work in the area of special effects and has designed and fabricated illusions for the television and movie industries, theme parks, the Broadway stage, and for many magicians worldwide. He has published several works on the psychology of illusion and is highly regarded among his peers as a creative consultant and expert in the field of illusion mechanics.

Chadwick's formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in religion and a Master of Arts in theatre arts from Baylor University in Waco, as well as a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

"I am one of the most educated illusionists around," Chadwick quipped. "As my relatives say, all that schooling and you make a living doing sleight-of-hand? Kidding aside, the call to integrate illusions and ministry came early in my life and has never wavered."

In Fort Worth the Bruce Chadwick Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) Assembly 138 is named to honor Chadwick and he has been recognized by the national organization with a Presidential Citation for his service. Along with the S.A.M., Chadwick is active in the Fellowship of Christian Magicians and the Texas Association Of Magicians. He is also a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and England's prestigious The Magic Circle.

He has performed illusions and sleight-of-hand worldwide for almost thirty years and is listed in "WHO'S WHO IN MAGIC."

For more information about Bruce Chadwick and his programs go to these websites: http://www.illusionministry.com/. http://www.magicbybrucechadwick and http://www.illusionwarehouse.com.

For more information about the October 31 performance www.tbm.org/upcoming_events.htm or call (915) 855-9655.
-30-

Photo caption: Christian Illusionist Bruce Chadwick



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ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR A GOOD PRESS RELEASE


The most important element in a good press release is the lead paragraph. In any article you want to grab the readers attention right away, but this is especially true with busy editors who receive hundreds of press releases. Who, what when, why, and how should be touched on in the first three paragraphs. Everything after that is just extra information.

Complete contact information is also key. The name and contact information of the person sending the release should appear in the upper left hand corner so that it is the first thing the editor sees. Under that should be a subject line and a listing of any attachments or additional enclosures, such as photos. The release date or the words "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" should divide the contact info from the body of the release.

Quotes pep up any article, so include one to three, but don't overdo it if you are hoping for an interview. If your release does extend to more than one page put -more- or -15- at the end of the page. Put a subject line and "page 2" or "add 1" in the top left hand corner of the next page. Follow this format for each subsequent page. At the end of the article use the -end- or -30-. These are newspaper codes for helping the editor keep the pages in order and know where the article ends. Photo captions may be added after the end note.

Write a short cover letter if mailing the release by post or a brief note to the editor if emailing it. When sending it electronically, put it in the body of the email, not as an attachment.

Feel free to leave questions you may have about writing press releases in a comment. And if you need a press release for your business, organization or event please contact me at the email address given under my bio portion of this blog site.

CLUTTER

Here is a prosaic piece from a journal I call my "heart musings."
Clutter
By Tammy Hensel

Company is coming and I am trying to straighten up my house. There is so much clutter! How could I let all of this pile up? I am aghast at myself. Hurriedly I stuff it into drawers, closets, under the bed, and every unobtrusive nook and cranny I can find. I will just have to deal with it later, I promise myself.

As I work furiously, a question comes to me. Is this what I am doing with sin in my life? Am I stuffing it into nooks and crannies in my heart? Telling myself I can deal with it later - promising God that the time will come.

On the surface, my house looks clean and comfortable. I appear to my friends to have it all together. They say I am so spiritual. But the clutter is still there – in my house and in my heart. Eventually it will have to be dealt with or it will creep out and take over

One day soon we are planning to move out of this house. The day of reckoning with my junk is not far off. I will be forced to take the time to sort through it all and either take it with me or get rid of it.

But the day of reckoning with my sin could come any moment. Can I delay sorting through the junk in my heart any longer? I sure don't want to take it with me!
I drop down on my knees and open my heart once more to the sweet forgiveness that follows confession. What a blessed Savior indeed!

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9

Copyright Tammy L. Hensel November 10, 2006. All Rights Reserved.

Mary Magdalene Video and article

MARY MAGDALENE VIDEO AND ARTICLE

In the late 1980s I wrote and performed a dramatic monologue for our church Easter service which I entitled Mary Magdalene's Testimony. I never published the piece, but have continued to perform it for churches throughout the years. Last year my son uploaded a video of one of my performances onto YouTube and I posted it on my myspace blog. It just so happened that the movie the Da Vinci Code had been recently released and there was also at that time a documentary on television that claimed to have discovered the tomb of Christ. I did not watch the program, but there was a lot of buzz about it and it created a lot of interest in Mary Magdalene. Apparently my timing for posting my video couldn't have been better. I had so many people write to me asking me questions about Mary that I decided to write a little article based on my research of her and posted it as another blog.

Below is the video of me performing my monologue at Fellowship of Huntsville Church, Huntsville, TX on Easter 2006 and the follow-up article I wrote in April of 2007.




Who was Mary Magdalene?

By Tammy L. Hensel

I received an email this morning from a friend who saw my bulletin posting about my monologue on the testimony of Mary Magdalene She asked if I could give her more information about Mary herself. I have decided to write my response to her as a blog in case there are others among you who would also like this information.

Before writing my monologue in 1988, I spent several weeks researching Mary. I was surprised to find her such a controversial figure. I did not have the Internet then, of course, but did utilize my church and public libraries, Bible commentaries, etc. in my research, as well as discuss her with my pastor.

As my intent in my dramatic narrative was to focus mostly on her witness to the Resurrection of Christ, I tried to apply just what the Bible says about her. And that is the Mary I will present to you now.

Who Mary was:

* She was native of the town of Magdala, a town in Galilee, and a woman out of whom Jesus cast 7 demons (Luke 8:1-2)

* She was one of several women who donated both time and money to help support Jesus' earthly ministry and she was a devoted disciple of His teachings (Luke 8:3).

* She was an eyewitness to the crucifixion, burial and the resurrection of Christ (Matt. 27:55, Matt 28:1, Mark 15:40, John 20:1-13, Acts 1:14)

Who Mary was not:

* She was not the woman Jesus saved from being stoned for adultery in John 8:3-11. This woman is unnamed but since this happened in the Mount of Olives region she was most likely a woman local to that region.

*She was probably not the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with perfume and kissed his feet.

There were actually two separate occurrences of this. In one the woman is identified as Mary of Bethany the sister of Martha and Lazarus. It happened in Bethany at their home (John 12:1-4) Although some tradition would combine the two Marys as one, it is very unlikely given the separate Biblical accounts of these two women.

The other occurred at the home of Simon the Pharisee. (Luke 7:33) The woman is identified merely as a "sinner" and her name is not given. There is no Biblical evidence to connect her with Mary Magdalene or any of the other women who are mentioned by name as being followers of Jesus. It is purely supposition that has done so.

Was Mary a prostitute before becoming a follower of Jesus?

The teaching that Mary was a prostitute has no real biblical basis and has come down from oral tradition. All we know from the Bible about her past is that she was possessed by 7 demons. However, it does not take much supposition to believe that anyone possessed by demons led an unholy life. One cannot deny the possibility that this oral tradition did have some basis in fact, but it cannot be proven through the Biblical record.

Was Mary more intimate with Jesus than any other woman mentioned in connection with Him?

This also is a supposition that has no Biblical basis. In fact, the women mentioned as being on the most intimate terms with Him are his mother, of course, and Mary and Martha of Bethany. It is clear that Jesus was close with that family. Perhaps it is the fact that Mary Magdalene was one of the first people to whom He appeared after the Resurrection that has raised so much speculation about an intimate relationship between them. I would submit, however, that He appeared to Mary because she was seeking Him.

And He still is there waiting to touch the lives of all who seek Him with all their heart.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opends the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him and he with Me." Revelations 3:20

Copyright April 17, 2007 Tammy L. Hensel All Rights Reserved

Resume'

TAMMY L. HENSEL

P.O. Box 382 College Station, TX 77841-0382


CAREER OBJECTIVE:
Freelance writing for newspapers and magazines, editing, research and public relations projects.

SKILLS:
I have strong writing, editing and researching skills, and specialize in feature and inspirational writing. I have experience in page design and desk-top publishing preparation of print newsletters, press releases, proposals, publicity fliers, manuscripts, advertising and photography. I have strong one-to-one communications skills.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Present
Freelance writing for newspapers and magazines. Desk-top publishing and public relations consulting including copyediting, manuscript preparation, development of website copy, making promotion calls, writing promotion materials and press releases for small businesses and ministries.

Aug. 2002- Jan. 2003
Feature writer and photographer for the White Hall Journal, Forest Communications, 7400 Dollarway Rd., White Hall, AR 71602; Publisher/Editor - Frank Lightfoot, 870-247-4700.

Jan. 1982 - July 2002
Part-time freelance writing, editing, publication preparation, and public relations consulting out of my home. Projects during this time included articles for community newspapers, preparing two manuscripts for publication, press releases, brochures, newsletters, and PR consulting to pastors and political candidates.

June 1980- Aug. 1981
Texas A & M Research Foundation; Position -Production Specialist. Duties: Assist faculty in preparation of research grant proposals. Work included word processing, editing and administrative duties..

March—June 1980
The Press of Bryan-College Station; Position - News Editor Duties included writing and editing majority of material for publication, taking and printing photographs, and page lay-out.

EDUCATION:

Baylor University, Waco Texas. May 1980 Received B.A. Degree in Journalism and History, (specializations: Christian Communications and Ancient History);
Honors: magna cum laude; Dean’s Honor Roll; Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society.
Career related course work: Semester Internship at Word Publishing, Waco, TX in Public Relations and Writing Services Departments.

Honors - Magna Cum Laude, Baylor University;
OUTSTANDING YOUNG WOMEN IN AMERICA, 1987;
Hobbies & Interests: Bible study & church activities, cooking, gardening, crafts, reading, genealogy, historical research, and drama.

References and portfolio of published articles and related projects available upon request.

Dedicated Publication Services Tammy L. Hensel

The name "Dedicated Publications Services" for my new desk-top publishing business, came out of my profile name for my myspace page www.dedicated_to_christ which is about my faith. I have become known to many of my myspace friends as "Dedicated" that I thought I would use it for my business.

Although the name of my business is new to me, writing and desk-top publishing are something I have pursued for years. While on myspace, I discovered the remarkable networking that is going on among writers and publishers, so I put up my myspace site www.dedicated publications to promote my desk-top publishing services. It has also given me many opportunities to grow and stretch as a writer and a person.

Interviews and personality features are a specialty of mine. I uploaded a few clippings to my myspace site and will post the links in a separate blog. I have strong interviewing, writing, editing, researching and organizational skills. I believe everyone has a story and that it is up to the interviewer to FIND that story. I am definitely a PEOPLE PERSON and I love to meet people from all walks of life. I have interviewed high profile people and people who didn't know they had a story until I wrote it. I really enjoy interviewing community volunteers, missionaries, military veterans and people who are working to make a difference in the world. I like to interview over comers, who face trials with fortitude, grace, and faith.

I am particularly interested in pursuing more inspirational writing. I had two items published in a faith-based webzine this month and will post the links to those in another blog, as well as the pieces I have written for my Dedicated To Christ blog. I am also doing more literary writing these days and may share a few of my unpublished pieces with you.

I have experience in page design and desk-top publishing preparation of print newsletters, press releases, proposals, publicity fliers, manuscript preparation, advertising and photography. I have gained much experience, not only through my professional projects, but through the volunteer work I have done in my church and community. In 1987 I was listed in Outstanding Young Women In America due to my pastor recommending me in gratitude for the donation of my professional skills to church projects. I have also been a Bible study teacher, drama ministry director, and of course been involved in newsletter production, event planning/promotions, and many other areas of service. At one time I was heavily involved in politics. Although it is not something I am interested in pursuing now, I gained much experience which has served me well in my public relations projects.

While I am interested in submitting articles, columns, literary pieces, etc., to magazines and newspapers on speculation, I work on a fee basis for all desk-top publishing and promotions projects. I am not interested in any projects for which I would have to invest capital, work on commission, or share in royalties only after publication. A book that I have found invaluable is The Writer's Market Companion by Joe Feiertag, Mary Carmen Cuito and the Editors of Writer's Market. It includes a list of sample fees that represent the range of prices charged by freelance writers across America. I usually refer to this as a guideline when setting my fees. However, I always take the scope of the project into consideration when setting a fee.

There was some confusion when I first put up my desk-top publishing myspace site from those who thought I was a book publisher. Most of my manuscript projects have been for people who were self-publishing. However, as I learn more and more about Internet publishing I may venture into it. Only time will tell. I am forever seeking to learn new things.

Tammy L. Hensel