A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—Z is for Zidkenu | by Linda Brendle

YHWH–Zidkenu, more commonly written in English as Jehovah Tsidkenu, is a name that means The Lord our Righteousness. Blue Letter Bible says that the actual name occurs only twice in the Old Testament, but the assurance that God is completely and totally righteous permeates the Bible.

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’      Jeremiah 23:5-6

HodgePodge Wednesday – Blooming, Spiders, and the Pacific Northwest | by Linda Brendle

To participate in Hodgepodge Wednesday, click here.

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you’re planted as we begin the month of May?

My husband and I had planned a retirement that included lots of travel. We envisioned traversing the United States in our motor home and on the motorcycle we would trailer behind us. We also planned to throw in a sailing excursion among the Caribbean islands now and then. However, a series of unforeseen circumstances changed those plans, and we now live in a small East Texas community with the motor home serving as a guest house and the motorcycle collecting more spider webs than miles.

We have made lots of friends at the Senior Center where we eat lunch every day, and David has become the go-to guy for anyone with computer problems. I have become known for my on-going war with the gophers in my garden through a “City Girl” column I writer for the local paper. We are both active in our church, and my first book will be released July 1. Yes, I think you could safely say we’re blooming where we’ve been planted.

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God–Y is for YHWH | by Linda Brendle

YHWH or Yahweh is used in the Bible more than any other name for God. It appears 6,519 times in the Old Testament and was first used in Genesis 2:4. It is called God’s personal name, and He first revealed Himself by it in Exodus 3.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.      Genesis 2:4

¹³ Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”      Exodus 3:13-14

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God–X is for Christ | by Linda Brendle

My first memories of seeing Xmas used in place of Christmas are associated with sitting at the kitchen table, signing and addressing Christmas cards while Mom made date nut rolls and fudge. Our cards were chosen, not for the beautiful images or the poignant verses, but for the price. The least expensive cards usually came in an assortment with some religious ones and some secular ones. Some of the latter cards were completely generic, saying “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays,” but some used the short version–“Merry Xmas.” I slipped those cards to the bottom of the pile, hoping I’d run out of names before I had to use them. Like many Christians, I thought the makers of these cards were attempting to “X” Christ out of Christmas.

Stewardship and Planting Trees | by Linda Brendle

The “tree” is the thin line in the middle.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~Nelson Henderson

I planted ten trees on Saturday–wannabe trees is really more accurate. Connie, one of my neighbors, is in tune with nature and interested in improving and preserving her surroundings. She frequently sends donations to the Arbor Day Foundation, and every time she does, she receives a thank you gift–trees. She apparently has all the trees she needs, or she doesn’t think we have enough, because she passed her last gift on to me.

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—W is for Word | by Linda Brendle

The Greek word logos is translated in the first verse of the Gospel of John as Word. Later in the chapter, John explains that the Word is Jesus Christ.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.      John 1:1

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.      John 1:14

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.      John 1:17

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—V is for Vine | by Linda Brendle

Several passages in the Old Testament refer to Israel as the vine of God. Some of these passages tell about how displeased God was with the vine He had planted because Israel had turned from Him and worshipped idols. The psalmist wrote about what happened to Israel when God withdrew His hand of protection, but Isaiah offered hope in his prophecy of a new vine that would appear later.

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—U is for Undefiled | by Linda Brendle

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;      Hebrews 7:26

This verse describes Christ, not only as the once-for-all perfect sacrifice for sin but also as the high priest who is uniquely qualified to offer His sacrifice to God. Because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was undefiled by the sin of Adam, and because of His personal holiness during His earthly life, He didn’t have to purify Himself before entering the holy of holies.

Part 2 of Interview with Pamela Thorson, Author of Out from the Shadows: 31 Devotions for the Weary Caregiver

Tuesday I reviewed Pamela Thorson’s new book, Out from the Shadows: 31 Devotions for the Weary Caregiver, and yesterday I posted Part 1 of my interview with the author. Today, I’m posting Pam’s answers to my last four questions.

5. What is the most difficult aspect of your caregiving journey?

 Dealing with the loss, especially in the early years. I talk a lot about this in my first book. In his book, Traveling Light, Max Lucado talks about grieving over the “nevers” in our lives. Kevin’s injury was so devastating, we were first told he would never move or breathe on his own again. He could never come home to live. He might not even live at all. He nearly died twice times during the first weeks.

He recuperated enough to come home. He eventually breathed on his own again and regained some feeling and movement. But other layers of loss unfolded around us as new “nevers” loomed ahead: He believed he would never marry and have the family he had always dreamed of. He would never feel the grass beneath his feet, throw his arms around us in a hug, or feed himself a real meal.

We had “nevers” of our own. Our other children lost a normal childhood. We lost the dreams of retirement and travel, or even a whole weekend alone together.

Eventually, joy has replaced the “nevers.” We have gained so much more than we have lost. Caring for Kevin has been an honor. We have a more profound appreciation of the sacrifices our Savior made to care for us when we were broken.

A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—T is for True | by Linda Brendle

A Google search for Names of God beginning with “T” produced several pages, but after eliminating those that began with the or thy, most of the remaining names were related in some way to true.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.      1 John 5:20