1 Tell Me a Story Introduction

Tell Me a Story
#11 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--
Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father

(This blog was posted out of order...I hit the wrong button out of frustration, then in the process of trying to post it in order it seems to have reposted itself...still out of order!  So I am trying again to get it  in the correct order...sorry for the confusion.  Hmmm, maybe the Lord has a reason for some of you to read it thrice!  And maybe some of you missed the other times.  After all "all things do work together for good.  Maybe this is its own parable!  Ha!)

Love Letters: Chew, Chew, Chew

Love Letters:   
Chew, Chew, Chew

#10 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father

This may be the most important article in this series about habits that promote my (and your) ability to communicate with our Heavenly Father.   Why?  Because

Love Letters: Whack or Whittle?

Love Letters: Whack or Whittle?

#9 in the Series:  Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father 

All of us have experienced them. Some we wanted and went after.  Others were “forced” on us by circumstances, our own choices, or the impact of others.  Changes, regardless of what puts them in motion, are almost never easy.

Love Letters: Questions of the Heart

Love Letters:  

Questions of the Heart
#8 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father 

Sometimes, especially when I’m weary of life, my husband will say something about how lucky he is to have me in his life or to have my love.   And I will reply, “Really?”  It is not so much that I doubt him as that I just need to hear it again.

Love Letters: Echos

Love Letters:  Echos
#7 in the Series:  Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father 

Imagine yourself in a beautiful canyon. There are dark green pines and black spruces at one end.  The other end is a sheer rock face.  You raise your voice and shout, “Hello!”  And wall echoes back, “HELLO…Hello..hello…”. It is a humorous experience and often produces laughter which then echoes back more laughter!

Though not all our experiences with scripture are humorous, I think God definitely has a sense of humor and I think he really enjoys it when we interact with him and his word. 

Love Letters: Say What? Part 2

LOVE LETTERS:  
SAY WHAT?  PART 2
#6 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father

As I mentioned in the previous segment, looking up word definitions, synonyms, and antonyms in a dictionary can enlighten and broaden your experience of scripture and your knowledge of and relationship to the Author.

I have recently found yet another resource fo deepening understanding:  The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong, LL.D, S.T.D. Expanded with the Best of Vine’s Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.  This is a GIANT book that contains every word in the Bible indexed to its original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) word.  It does not make me a scholar, but it does make it possible for me to gain new insights into scripture that I would not originally have grasped.  It also enables one to discover that there may be many words in the original language for which we only have one word in the English language.  The nuances of the word differences make for a deeper understanding.

The book is organized in 3 main sections:

1. Old and New Testament words and references
2. Hebrew dictionary
3. Greek dictionary

The first section is organized alphabetically.  Each word is then shown in a phrase from the verse in which it appears.  Then it is indexed to a number for the original language word.  Simply look up the number in the dictionary for enlightenment!

The study on love that I mentioned last time, led me to these entries G#25 and G#26.  At first I was confused because they seemed so similar.  So I looked them up in other commentaries and finally the light dawned!  While in English we use the same word for love as a noun or a verb, in Greek #25 “agapao” is a verb whereas Greek #26 “agape” in a noun.  Thus 1 Corinthians 13 is filled with the word “agape”.  But John 15 is about “agapao” yourself and your neighbor.

And what is “agapao”?  

I started the hunt for understanding about “love your neighbor as yourself “ on Jan 3, 2019.  On Feb 3, 2019 I reflected:

Agapao—unconditional, sacrificial actions prompted by a conscious decision of the giver, irrespective of the worth or value of the object.

Phileo (another Greek Word for “love”)—affection in all it’s varying degrees (but not sexual); fondness, respect, appreciation, passion, friendliness

Agapao—an act of the will. In some instances it seems to also include phileo but not always... But giving agapao can result in the object (the thing loved) giving phileo or agapao in return.  Agapao, because it is an act of the will, can be commanded, i.e., “Love your neighbor.”  (Or the more challenging but just as biblical:  “Love your enemies!”)  It is not dependent on a feeling.  There may not be any emotion in it.  When used of our relationship with God it is often about obedience.  I’m glad he also phileo me…and I him.  I enjoy the fondness, the intimacy, the passion!

It is your turn.  Pick a verse you have an interest in.  Using the Blue Letter Bible app or a Strong’s Concordance look up some of the words in the original language. Let me know how the Lord touches you. 

Enjoy…and free your mustang heart!

Love Letters: Say What?

Love Letters:  Say What?
#5 in the Series:  Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father 

Often times, especially when I am reading an extremely familiar passage of scripture, it is easy to just keep reading.  One way to slow down and really digest it is to pick out the main words and look up the definition, synonyms, and/or antonyms in the dictionary.

Here is my journal entry