Marilynn Dawson's Blog, page 13

Jesus' Claim to be God!

This  list was originally written into the front of my Bible, after being told by a JW that I wouldn't find the claims of Christ in their Bible back in 1988.  I was house-sitting at the time, and a friend had offloaded his collection of JW material, which included a copy of the New World Translation.  I sat down with that, with my Bible, and the JW version of the Greek Interlinear, called the Daiglott.  The following list was still found in their writings as of 1988.  At that time it was still possible to verify Christ's Diety using their own Greek Interlinear and their own Bible.  They weren't able to write out Christ's claim to be God.

 

Diaglott

Matthew 1:23

Mark 5:7

Luke 1:35 - also in NWT

John 1:1

John 4:24

John 10:30,38

John 14:26 - also in NWT

John 16:7,8,13,14 - also in NWT

John 20:28

Acts 4:10,12 - also in NWT

Acts 5: 3,4 - also in NWT

Romans 8:9-11

Romans 10:13

1 Corinthians 6:19

2 Corinthians 3:17 - also in NWT

2 Corinthians 4:4, 5 - also in NWT

2 Corinthians 9:15

2 Corinthians 13:14

Ephesians 4:30

Philippians 2:9-11 - also in NWT

Colossians 2:9-11

1 Timothy 4:1

Titus 1:3,4

Titus 2:10,13

Revelation 1:5

Revelation 2:8

Revelation 22:12,13,16

 

NWT

Genesis 48:14,19,20

Psalms 89:27

Isaiah 6:1,5,8

Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 1:23

Matthew 28:19

John 8:24, 58

John 14:7-10,11

Acts 9:5

Acts 16:13

Romans 10:9

Romans 14:10

Revelation 1:17-18

Revelation 22:12

Mark 2:10

 

Please note this is only a partial list of all the places in Scrpture where God calls Himself by a name in the Old Testamant and Christ applies it to Himself in the New Testament.  This is only a partial list of Christ behaving in accordance with the behaviours attributed to God Himself in the Old Testament.  I would encourage my reader to go to Biblegateway.com, or download a copy of e-Sword, and do their own search for the names and character of God.  Learn why the Pharisees got so incensed at Christ saying, "Before Abraham was, I AM!"

 

An excellent resource for going indepth into this discussion is Lee Strobel's book, "The Case for Christ".  Excellent encyclopedic read!  I recommend it to anyone having to answer this question.

We Each Have a Part to Play in Ministering to Others in Our Lives. . .

So a young man from Freedom's Door showed up to sit and chat with me before service started this morning. He is a babe in Christ, only a month old, and he got talking about listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit versus choosing to do his own thing. I shared with him the pull of doing it the world's way, the choices required to do things God's way, and how we should not try to do things God's way on our own strength. I was sharing how God sent the Holy Spirit to come alongside us as our Comforter, how He guides us into all Truth, and that we can ask for wisdom and strength. When I shared how in my own life, I often ask God to go ahead of me into situations and circumstances I am about to face, he wrote the idea down in his Bible.

 

Service began, and the songs chosen all spoke of how holy God is, of how awesome He is, and our response to that awesomeness. A Word of Exhortation came forward from two people in the congregation, exhorting God's people to be wise to the ways of the enemy, to be alert, to understand who God really is versus who people and other religious groups try to say He is, to be aware and to be prepared for worse times to come upon us.

 

The praise and worship set moved into the sermon where Pastor was preaching on freedom with responsibility. He shared how understanding freedom in the spiritual sense to that of switching allgiance from one Lord to another. He used an example from Abraham Lincoln's life when he freed a young female slave who, when she discovered she now had the freedom to do, say, and go wherever she wanted, chose to go with the President. Pastor said so it is with us, that when Christ comes and frees us from the grip of sin and it's payment in eternal separation from God, that in our newfound freedom, we choose to follow Christ and make Him Lord of our lives.

 

Pastor gave a few questions that all related to applying the concepts found in Scripture to every day life. As I read those questions on the screen, I couldn't help thinking of this young man, and also of my daughter who asks "how" questions from time to time in applying her faith to her life.

 

I came home from church totally amazed at the flow of events and instruction from before the service, to the lyrical worship, to the sermon. A Holy God was instructing His people in choosing to follow after Him.

 

It was an amazing time. I pray this young man went back to his room encouraged, exhorted, and challenged to keep on in his newfound faith. It was so awesome to find myself merely part of the morning's message in his life. It truly is amazing what God can do when you allow yourself to be in the right place at the right time.

 

Thank You Lord.

Over Half-way Through Blog Tour for series, "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey"

Hard to believe, but we are already over half-way through this blog tour!  Volumes One to Three were featured up to October 25th, with Volumes Four to Six being featured from November 1st to November 16th.

 

Six bloggers graciously agreed to take part in this tour, and they each received a copy of the volume they agreed to feature, as a thank-you gift.

 

If you haven't been following along to this point, here are the links to past featured excerpts, and the last two blogs we have yet to hear from.

 

If you click the November 1st link and read all the way to the bottom, you'll notice a link where you can get your own free PDF of this week's featured volume.

 

Enjoy. . .

 

October 11th, Volume One: Excerpt - The Prince of Peace Rides In

Jim Armstrong: The Day The World Retreated http://tdtwr.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/let-the-tour-begin/

 

 October 18th, Volume Two: Excerpt - The Fire of God's Love

Pamela Rose Williams: Christianity Every Day http://christianeveryday.com/index.php/becoming-the-bride-of-christ-blog-tour/

 

 October 25th, Volume Three: Excerpt - Psalm 27

Leslie Jenkins: From a Daughter http://fromadaughter.blogspot.ca/2012/10/becoming-bride-of-christ-personal.html

 

 November 1st, Volume Four: Excerpt - Psalm 30

Victoria Milam: Seeking Peace in a Storm http://seekingpeaceinastorm.blogspot.ca/2012/11/becoming-bride-of-christ-personal.html

 

 November 8th, Volume Five: Excerpt - Lifter of my Head

 Jeannie Pallett: http://Psalm119greaterthangold.net

 

 November 16th, Volume Six: Excerpt - Opening Story Segment

Michelle Nickels: Traveler Gal http://traveller-gal.blogspot.ca/

Is the Pot Calling the Kettle Black?

So I sit here, realizing that a couple events of my day have interesting corelations. . .

 

You see, I began the day by doing the usual; getting up, taking my daughter to work, coming home, getting myself ready for work and off I go. I get to work, get some paperwork out of the way in time for my boss to call the morning briefing. The briefings always start with what I have on the go before going to my co-worker who has his own list of things to get done. My day's todo list was already frustrating enough as it was until my boss decides I'm going about it all wrong and should be handling it his way. Now the definition of insanity is to repeatedly do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results! Needless to say, I wasn't about to return to that method of doing things, but an argument ensued. Rather than lose my cool, I came home and it wasn't till almost 11am before I was able to put into letter form just what was frustrating me so badly as to require leaving rather than toughing it out.

 

Fast forward to a future event tonight that I'll be doing soundtech for, The Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Counselling Fundraising Banquet. This organization does a wonderful job of being there for women and girls who might otherwise abort the young lives growing within them. These women are often left to fend for themselves after they get pregnant, due to boyfriends walking out on them or parents kicking them out of the house. This organization is there for them in many very meaningful ways. This banquet usually features a testimony of at least one or more women who have come through the center.

 

As I pondered the overal gist of my thoughts to my boss in my letter, then began going over plans for tonight, the similarities hit me over the head!

 

The gist of my letter to my boss entailed the fact that I am not the same person he is, that I too have particular ways of doing things that have developed over the years for reasons that regularly present themselves through the course of my work. What I was asking for in essence, was respect for how I've come to do things over the past 17 years in IT. I was asking for the freedom to be me. I was expressing concerns over how trying to be different people to those around me had destroyed me in the past and that I didn't want to go down that road again. My boss is a fellow believer and has been an amazing support to me over the past two years as I've gone through some very difficult emotional/hormonal issues. So writing this letter wasn't easy to do.

 

For many of the girls going through this shelter, they too have been pressured into being someone others prefer them to be rather than the person they are, and it has nearly destroyed some of them too. Rather than choose to abort as others would have prefered, they chose to keep the unborn life and were poorly treated as a result of that choice. Many women out in society as a whole, get quite upset when this topic comes up, claiming pro-lifers are not respecting their "right to choose".

 

Everyone is crying out for respect, crying out to be accepted for who they are and how they choose to live. Some choices are not always healthy, and some of these women have found that out the hard way just as I have in the past in my own choices. But we live in a society that seems bent on creating cookie-cutter images out of everyone we come in contact with. While I see many inspirational quotes around town and on the Internet such as, "be yourself", "you're the only you there will ever be", and others talking about uniqueness and about standing up for one's values and morals, I am still waiting to actually see this lived out among those I come into contact with on a regular basis.

 

The first step in actually living any of this out in day to day life is extending that grace to others, extending that respect to others, and allowing others to be who they are instead of who we, ourselves think they should be. Change begins with me, myself, and I. Am I allowing others around me to be who they are? Am I trying to make other people do things the way I would do them? Am I telling other people to behave the way I behave? They say we hate most in others what we see in ourselves. Am I doing this to others?

 

In some ways I'd have to admit that yes, I am. The biggest issue with the discussion at work this morning was that other techs were not doing things the way I've done them for 17 years and I couldn't fathom how they'd behave that way with their results being so terribly unsatisfactory to the end user. Every industry has acceptable best practices, and I wasn't seeing them in this particular situation, nor was my boss seeing his own list of acceptable best practices being carried out in me.

 

Is the pot calling the kettle black? Maybe. . .

 

Maybe I needed today's time out. . . Maybe I needed that trip through Psalm 69, 70 and 71. I love how frank King David is with God! He cries, he screams, he gets angry, but then he remembers Who really is in control and that he must humble himself before Almighty God and run to Him for refuge. I did that around 11am this morning, and here we are mid-afternoon, with these thoughts suddenly going through my head. I do sense God's correction in how I behaved this morning and now I think I owe my boss an apology.

Prayer With Boots On!

Tonight at mid-week prayer, the subject of intercession as a continual act of being in tune to the Holy Spirit throughout a day as opposed to laborious hours travailing over another's need, was presented.  Not that the second definition doesn't have its place, but God has long impressed upon me the imperative nature of being willing to be part of the desired answer!

 

If we are praying for God's Spirit to move over a city, how are we taking Christ to the street, our workplace, places of education, sports, and the mall?

 

If we are praying for the needs of others in our lives, how are we putting action to those prayers in reaching out to meet those needs?

 

If we are praying for our politicians and decision-makers in our towns, regions and nations, how are we impacting these people for Christ?

 

Driving to get my daughter the other day around dinner time, I saw a guy at a bus stop across from my building.  He was sitting there with his head in his hand, elbows resting on his knees.  I have no idea what he was going through at that moment, but I prayed as I drove past, asking God to meet whatever that need was at that moment, asking God to make Himself real to this person.  I have no idea who they are, but that wasn't the point.  God impressed upon me to pray for that man at that moment.

 

It isn't enough to sit in a room in one's church or sit in the privacy of one's home, and pray for the world around us.  Prayer has feet!  In Ephesians 6 we read of feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace, as the KJV puts it.  This preparation is found throughout Scripture as time spent in communication, in communion with, in developing a deeper relationship with Almighty God.  Christ modelled this by going off numerous times alone, to spend time in His Father's presence.  However Christ didn't merely stay in those times, didn't merely crave those times, and didn't teach that such was all there was to His relationship with His Father.  The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) all paint a very active picture of Christ out there among the people.  He is seen healing, forgiving, touching, sharing, and even sparring with the leaders of His day.  If we truly desire to become more like Christ, then it behooves us to learn how to put feet to our prayers and be God's hand extended to the world around us.

 

As one author put it, Christ is looking for a Bride wearing combat boots!  We can't spend any amount of appreciable time in His presence without inevitably learning what beats His heart and being moved to do something about it.  

"Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey" Blog Tour Half-way Through!

You heard that right!  "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey" has been on tour since October 11th.

 

Six bloggers have agreed to host the various stops along the way.  Each of them will feature an excerpt from one of the six volumes in this series.  You won't want to miss it!  Make sure to catch every leg of the tour with this handy list below!

 

October 11th, Volume One: Excerpt - The Prince of Peace Rides In

Jim Armstrong: The Day The World Retreated http://tdtwr.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/let-the-tour-begin/

 

October 18th, Volume Two: Excerpt - The Fire of God's Love

Pamela Rose Williams: Christianity Every Day http://christianeveryday.com/index.php/becoming-the-bride-of-christ-blog-tour/

 

October 25th, Volume Three: Excerpt - Psalm 27

Leslie Jenkins: From a Daughter http://fromadaughter.blogspot.ca/2012/10/becoming-bride-of-christ-personal.html

 

November 1st, Volume Four: Excerpt - Psalm 30

Victoria Milam: Seeking Peace in a Storm http://seekingpeaceinastorm.blogspot.com/

 

November 8th, Volume Five: Excerpt - Lifter of my Head

Jeannie Pallett: Psalm119greaterthangold.net

 

November 16th, Volume Six: Excerpt - Opening Story Segment

Michelle Nickels: Traveler Gal http://traveller-gal.blogspot.ca/

 

Each of these bloggers are receiving a PDF copy of the volume they feature in this tour.

 

Follow along, and tell each blogger what you thought of the excerpt they featured!  Don't forget to click the link at the bottom of each excerpt to get your own free PDF of that week's featured Volume in the series.

"Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey" Goes on Tour!!! A Blog Tour that is!

You heard that right!  "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey" goes on tour starting October 11th after the Canadian Thanksgiving Celebration.

 

Six bloggers have agreed to host the various stops along the way.  Each of them will feature an excerpt from one of the six volumes in this series.  You won't want to miss it!  Make sure to catch every leg of the tour with this handy list below!

 

October 11th, Volume One: Excerpt - The Prince of Peace Rides In

Jim Armstrong: The Day The World Retreated http://tdtwr.wordpress.com/

 

October 18th, Volume Two: Excerpt - The Fire of God's Love

Pamela Rose Williams: Christianity Every Day http://www.christianeveryday.com/

 

October 25th, Volume Three: Excerpt - Psalm 27

Leslie Jenkins: From a Daughter http://fromadaughter.blogspot.ca/  

 

November 1st, Volume Four: Excerpt - Psalm 30

Victoria Milam: Seeking Peace in a Storm http://seekingpeaceinastorm.blogspot.com/

 

November 8th, Volume Five: Excerpt - Lifter of my Head

Jeannie Pallett: Psalm119greaterthangold.net

 

November 16th, Volume Six: Excerpt - Opening Story Segment

Michelle Nickels: Traveler Gal http://traveller-gal.blogspot.ca/

 

Each of these bloggers are receiving a PDF copy of the volume they feature in this tour.

 

Follow along, and tell each blogger what you thought of the excerpt they featured!

Series now listed on Review Website Askdavid.com

http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/spiritual-journey/2296

 

Just want everyone to know, wherever you read this note, whether on Facebook, goodreads, thebookmarketingnetwork,my amazon author page, betterbloggersnetwork, or any other place this note may show up, that my series is now up on http://www.askdavid.com at the link above.  Volume Six is late due to forgetting it somehow on the first submission run, but  it will be there soon too.

 

This means you can now leave reviews in four places:

 

1) Amazon:  (several locations depending on where you live)

if you are in North America

if you are in nations serviced by the German Amazon website

if you are in nations serviced by the French Amazon website

if you are in nations serviced by the United Kingdom Amazon website

 if you live in nations serviced by the Italian Amazon website

if you are in nations serviced by the Spanish Amazon website

And to my pleasant surprise, if you live in nations serviced by the Japanese Amazon website.  Although only two books are listed there just now.

 

2) Goodreads.com

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475596.Marilynn_Dawson

 

3) Shelfari.com

http://www.shelfari.com/songdove

 

and now 4) Askdavid.com

 http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/spiritual-journey/2296

 

So if you are so inclined to share, please do so.  This is all part of a new author breaking into the literary space in the Christian world.  Not an easy task, beleive me!

First Guest Blog Appearance

From a Daughter: Christian Music Reviews"

Just wanted to share my first guest blog appearance with you.

There may be more coming soon.

Another Note Aimed at Fellow Authors Who Have Liked my page: Shelfari!

How many of you have heard of Shelfari?  I didn't hear about this till just this past month, and finally realized what it can do for an author just this weekend.  The service is similar to goodreads.com, with the major exception that if your books are already on Amazon.com, the info is ready for you to edit and add more.  You can see my page here:

 

http://www.shelfari.com/songdove

 

You can create a widget for your blog or website as well. I've done that for a page on my facebook author page at:

 

https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Daw...

 

 The last major difference between goodreads.com and Shelfari, is that you can link your Amazon associate ID with your widget, so that if anyone buys from your blog or website, you get credit for the sale.

 

Just another way to get the word out. . . .