Names of God

In 1982 a song was released by Amy Grant called "El Shaddai." Some of you probably remember it. This was the first time I began an interest in studying the meaning of Hebrew names.

The song begins with "El Shaddai, El Shaddai, El-Eloyn na Adonia, age to age you’re still the same, by the power of your name." So in essence, the writer is saying –  One of might, strength and power, you are an all-sufficient God, the most high God, Lord, Lord, Lord, my master, you are the same yesterday, today and forever, all by the power of your name!

There are many benefits to knowing and relying on the names of the Lord. God uses many names in the Bible which explain His character and the way He cares for us. The names God chooses in scripture are meant to reveal His true nature towards us. In Hebrew, names have meaning and knowing a person’s name can reveal valuable information.  I am not a Hebrew scholar by any means; however, I like to use a good Hebrew lexicon dictionary and a concordance to look up words and find their root meaning. They make a concordance based on the English translation, for those of us who do not know Hebrew. It’s important not to rely only on the meaning given in the phrase without looking at the context of the passage too.

Today, let’s look at the word "El". It is an alternative term for the one true God, which comes from a root word meaning "might, strength and power". "El" is almost always officially recognized by an additional word that further defines who God is.

I want to share with you some of the most powerful compound names of God which follow El, their associated meaning and where you can find them in the scriptures.

• El Elyon – God is supreme, or the most-high God! (Genesis 14:18-22, Psalm 78:35) 
• El Chaiyai - The God of my Life! (Psalm 42:8)
• El Sali – God is our Rock! (2 Samuel 22:47, 23:3)
• El Roi – God who allows me to see Him, understand Him and to know Him through His word and deeds! (Genesis 16:13, Psalm 23)
• El De’ot – God of Knowledge! (1 Samuel 2:3)
• El Ha’Oneh oti Beyom Tzarati – The God who answers me in the day of trouble! (Genesis 35:3)
• El Yeshuati – The God of my salvation! (Psalm 88:1, Isaiah 12:2)
• El Emet - The God of Truth (Psalm 31:5)
• El Elohim - God the Creator (Genesis 1:1)
• El Chanun – Gracious God! (Exodus 34:6, Jonah 4:2)
• El Kana – Jealous God who demands love, worship, honor and praise! (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 4:24)
• El Tzadik – Righteous God! (Jeremiah 12:1)
• El Shaddai – The all-sufficient God!  (Genesis 17:1-8)
• El Hakavod – God of Glory! (Psalm 29:3)
• El Olam – Eternal or everlasting God! (Deuteronomy 33:27)
• El Echad – One God! (Deuteronomy 6:4, Malachi 2:10)
• El Rachum – God of compassion! (Psalm 78:38)
• El Palat – The God who delivers! (Psalm 18:2)
• El Hannora - The Awesome God! (Nehemiah 9:32)
• El Gibbor - The Mighty God! (Isaiah 9:6)
• El Haggadoi - The Great God! (Deuteronomy 10:17)
• El Hakkavod - The God of Glory (Psalm 29:3)

The names of the Lord will bring inspiration, especially on a bad day. You can simply read these major names each day briefly noting what great things the Lord has done for you.

Found this wonderful article: THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN

Click the title to go to their site!

THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN TODAY

Often women believe that Proverbs 31 doesn’t really apply to our modern lives. Here at A Virtuous Woman, we believe that God’s Word stands the test of time. I wrote the 10 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman as the mission statement for A Virtuous Woman, but soon realized that it was more than a mission statement. The 10 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman demonstrates how, as Christian women today, we can all be Proverbs 31 Women, even if we are not today, we can strive for tomorrow!

THE 10 VIRTUES OF THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN

1. Faith – A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul. She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15

2. Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18)

3.  Mothering – A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. She nurtures her childrenwith the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisdom, and trains them in the way they should go. (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16)

4. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)

5. Service – A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13)

6. Finances – A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. (Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26)

7.  Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14)

8. Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31: 27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2)

9. Time – A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 )

10. Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beauty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in her life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)

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My Performance + Others’ Opinions = My Self Worth

I am currently reading a book by  - Joanna Weaver Having a Mary Spirit and came across this in one of her chapters. It was so powerful; I wanted to share it with you!

My Performance + Others’ Opinions = My Self Worth

Swallowing this lie caused me to live as though I held a mirror in my hand. I held it up to other people and their response told me who I was. If they smiled, I was a good person. If they frowned, I was bad. If they welcomed me with their expression, I had value. But if they remained detached or looked away, their disinterest wasn’t due to fatigue or a bad day. No. I had obviously messed up and deserved their rejection. I had disappointed them somehow, and made myself unworthy of their love.

And, as a result unworthily of God’s love as well.

Let me tell you, there is no more miserable, schizophrenic way to live! For that particular mind-set pushes us not only to be what God wants us to be, but also what everyone else wants us to be, including everything I think they want me to be. A chronic chameleon, I spend my life constantly changing colors and outfits in order to fit whatever situation I find myself in. It’s exhausting. Futile. Hopeless!

Refusing to play the approval game – yet holding on to the lie- can be just as destructive! Some of us, have failed and experienced the pain of disapproval so often that we have given up and have withdrawn into a shell of hurt, numbness or depression. Shame and regret from the past tell us we will never be different, that we are incapable of changing. Fear of making a mistake any keep us from trying anything at all.

Whether we respond with perfectionism or withdrawal or a combination of the two, the results are just the same. We develop a “have to” mentality toward life rather than a “want to”.  We settle for legalism instead of grace. We miss Christ’s joy and peace in our pursuit of human approval and applause.

Worst of all, we may persist in viewing God as an aloof and distant judge, holding up a scorecard to rate our every attempt to please Him, rather than seeing Him as He truly is – a loving Father on bended knee with hands outstretched and a smile as big as eternity. Praising our every step. Picking us up when we stumble. Helping us walk while He teaches us how to run. Ready with the acceptance and approval we have been killing ourselves to obtain on our own.

5 Ways to make it through the Holiday Season

Christmas time is my favorite time of year even though I don’t bake all that well, I’m not an awesome cook, my decorating skills are limited… 

I grew up in a family, that celebrated Christmas with the decorations & food galore. Holiday parties around the clock, even my Uncle came dressed up as Santa on Christmas Eve to let us open one present early. My mother always hid all the presents in a box by the door ( as if she were mailing it to a friend) and I had no idea until I was a teenager! Ha, she was good. 

We always had a manger that was quite big and we covered the baby with a blanket until Christmas morning. Every year we had a different advent calendar with a small scripture, gift or surprise.  

My favorite part of Christmas, when I lived up North was the snow.  My goodness, do I love snow. Now living in the South, it's quite different without it.  No mittens with dried ice on them and having to hang them by the fireplace to drip dry. No hot chocolate after hours of sledding and making igloo's.

However, what I have for Christmas is family & friends! Time with those I love is the most important thing to me about Christmas.  If it wasn't for my family, children and grandchildren, I don't know what I would do!!!

Taking on too much, expecting too much, or putting pressure on yourself will make for a very stressed holiday.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Let's not lose sight of that!

Here are 5 simple ways to make it through the holiday season.

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare ahead of time. Don't wait until the last minute to do your shopping. I like to start early, so I don't I find myself in a tizzy!  I even wrap the presents and put under the tree. First of all it makes my heart happy that I have something to give and Secondly, it's done early!

2. Enlist Help. I am horrible at putting the tree up and especially those lights, oh dear those lights...  I always ask someone to help me with the Tree! If you need someone to help you shop, ask! Someone likes shopping, even if you don't.

3. Pray. Find what works for you, an advent calendar, a prayer book or just put some instrumental music on and start with thanking the Lord for all He has done in your life. Prayer will get you through any situation with Grace abounding.

4. Relax. Take some time just for you. After all the decorations are up, I love to turn off all the lights except the tree lights and sit and just breathe. Maybe meditate on some words of encouragement, maybe listen to music. But just relax my body. What a better time then at Christmas time.

5. Enjoy. Enjoy your family & friends, if you can. If you have loved ones that live far away, use Facetime or Marco Polo. The technology today can help you stay in touch! 
  
  If you can, make extra time to spend together going to the movies, baking cookies. 

Now that you have all your busy work done, you can enjoy time with friends and loved ones!

Home Birth vs. Hospital Birth

Over the past few days I have been having a conversation with some young women about the choices in having babies, so I decided to share my story.

I had my first child 25 years ago. It was my first and I really didn't know the options out there; plus it was 25 years ago... EVERYTHING is different now!

HOSPITAL BIRTH
I decided to have the baby in the hospital. I took the suggested Lamaze class and I ended up having an epidural. At that time the epidurals were different, as it did not work! It was quite a painful process, however it was my first birth and home births at that time were not very popular at all. We had quite a few complications with equipment, the epidural didn't work...Despite all the complications, I birthed my first beautiful baby girl! Her grandparents were sooooo excited!

HOME BIRTH

Three years later I was pregnant with my second child. I decided to check out my options. Home births were still not the popular choice, however, I found a midwife and she specialized in Bradley. I am not sure if you know the difference between Lamaze and Bradley, however there is a huge one! Lamaze taught me to focus on something other than my body. It taught me to distract myself as best I could with strange breathing techniques. Bradley on the other hand, required that I have a coach and practice 20 min. every single day until birth, along with attending a weekly class.

I can tell you that having this baby at home with Bradley was a beautiful experience, other than the fact that my daughter was flipped the wrong way and upside down and finally after we fixed that little problem, the cord was wrapped around her neck three times. The Bradley helped me to focus on my body, intentionally working with my body and the contractions. It forced me to trust my coach and midwife; when they asked me to begin to relax each and every muscle in my body. I listened and along with the practice was able to manage the pain. It worked so well that when I was told that I could not push for 45 min. I was able to manage that as well. 

My sweet baby came out not breathing and Momma began to pray. No one was concerned except momma of course! I asked the midwife to pinch her or do something!!!! She finally pinched her little foot and a cry released! It was the most joyous moment, a beautiful little girl! I then was taken to the bathtub with candles and the baby placed in my arms for a mommy & baby bath. Had I had this child in the hospital, they would given me an immediate caesarean.

The next child was born, again three years later with the same midwife. Absolutely no complications and the Bradley worked excellent. I even let the older child watch as the baby was born, even thought she can't remember. lol She was a beautiful little girl. 

Four years later, pregnant again, I decided to work with the same midwife. Things were going well. However I had to have a nurse come over once contractions started and administer an i.v. I can't recall the reason, but things went smoothly... until I found out the midwife was out of town! I quickly, because I did not have a plan B, called hospitals and found one that would even allow me to have a hospital midwife and the entire family in the birthing room the entire time. This time, and I believe it was due to the fact that over time my body had changed. I was not as physically, mentally strong as I was with the others. I decided to have an epidural. This time it worked. 

JUST FOR KICKS
On a side note, with the first three babies, I did not have an ultrasound to find out the sexes. Actually I did not have an ultra sound at all, due to the things I had heard about them. With the last child, I decided to have not one, but three. All three said that this little darling was another girl. Well, to surprise us all, it was not a girl! It was a boy!!! Even the doctor had tears in his eyes when the baby was born. I can remember, due to not preparing for a boy, when I first saw him, I thought "she" had a tumor. Come to find out it was a very swollen little boy area... Once we realized it was a boy the entire room screamed with delight! He was our little baby boy we all prayed for!

I am not an expert, but I do have experiential knowledge and my suggestions, is to listen to your own body and make a decision for yourself on what you want. Not what others want for you, but what you want and what you think you can handle. Lamaze did absolutely nothing for me. Bradley was a life-safer, as it really helped through the painful contractions. #lamaze #bradley #homebirth #contractions

I hope this helps you in some of your questions and choices during your special time of life - having babies!