how am i doing (key word here)?

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:14

Because it is essentially a being/helping verb, when we attempt to use this translation of the name of God as we would normally use one's name in a sentence it's not grammatically correct insofar as our way of thinking is concerned. Yet this name God ascribes to Himself seems so fitting given what we know about about Him from this verse:


⁸ 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8 

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"Verbs are what make the universe alive."

-The Shack - 

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Verb

any member of a class of words that function as the main elements of predicates, that typically express action, state, or a relation between two things, and that may be inflected for tense, aspect,voice, mood, and to show agreement with their subject or object.

via:  Dictionary.com

***


A few months ago

 I watched this short thought provoking video/song for the first time.

 "The Name of God 
is the sound of our breathing."

&

several days ago

I read this:

And our every breath is a murmuring of His name, YHWH

“The letters of the name of God in Hebrew… are infrequently pronounced Yahweh. But in truth they are inutterable….
This word {YHWH} is the sound of breathing.The holiest name in the world, the Name of Creator, is the sound of your own breathing. That these letters are unpronounceable is no accident. Just as it is no accident that they are also the root letters of the Hebrew verb ‘to be’… God’s name is name of Being itself.”

~Rabbi Lawrence Kushner

excerpt via 

A Holy Experience 

***

&

just the other day 
as I was contemplating all of this

I stumbled on a friend's fb status along the same line:

This song [Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God] begins to play on the van's stereo. 

A few moments into it, Aron asks from his seat behind Karen and me, "What's the Holy Spirit?"

Yeah, yeah, I know I probably could have corrected the query to pose Aron's question more accurately, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" but I didn't think of that then, and now I'm glad I didn't, because it was an honest question that needed no correction, just a grandfather's answer, and so I thought for a split second, "Oh, Lord, help!" And who can explain the Trinity anyway?

"The Holy Spirit is like the Breath of God . . . the most deep part of Himself. Breath is what brings life to all things . . . even makes them in the first place. The Holy Spirit is God . . . and God is Love . . . and only Love can give Life."

Aron said, "Oooooh. OK."

God I hope that's right . . . or at least good enough! -mh

My note:  Based on little Aron's response, it seems some things are so simple that only a child can really understand them. 

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²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,  I am sending you.”  ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ..."

John 20:21-22

***

& 

I must admit it's  

only recently 

that I've heard this "teaching", for lack of a better word, that the name of God is the sound of our breathing - but I've been pondering it ever since.

Though I'm no biblical scholar or theologian, I can't help but wonder if there is some truth in the understanding that the most accurate "pronunciation" of the name God ascribes to Himself in Exodus 3:14 is one that we're not even capable of speaking, or spelling for that matter, but rather is one that is most accurately "pronounced" or "rendered" in the sound of our breathing - and that being the very essence of life.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

If so, might that mean that at any given moment and for as long as we are given breath, essentially we are speaking - breathing - living the name of God with the honor and reverence due His holy name - or not?  

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6a

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And for those of us who have grown up with the understanding that the following commandment basically means we are not to profane the the name of God by using it as a disrespectful expletive in a sentence 

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, 

for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Exodus 20:7 

NIV

The NAS translation of it reads:

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,

 for the Lord will not leave him unpunished

 who takes His name in vain.

Exodus 20:7 

NAS

might the understanding that the name of God is the sound our breathing give more depth to its meaning and impact how we attempt to obey (live) it, especially in light of what Jesus revealed in the New Testament to be the greatest commandment from which all the Law and the Prophets hang on:

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

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²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:29-30

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And if there is even some truth in the understanding that YHWH is best translated for us, with our limited ability to understand, as:

a.) a being/helping verb  

b.) the sound of our breathing

c.) the very essence of life, and is

not to be misused &/or taken in vain, then 

might the underlying implication be that

action(s) speak louder than words.

And perhaps then inherent in how we choose to respond in word and/or deed to the events and circumstances around us (that being the only aspect of our personal lives that we seem to have any measure of control over)is where the determination lies as to how appropriately, accurately and effectively we are speaking the LORD'S name in any given breath at any given moment and on a regular basis.

Perhaps it's what we do - and the why behind what we do (or don't do for that matter) - that determines whether or not we are speaking/(mis)using/taking the LORD's name in vain and that most accurately defines just exactly what YHWH means to us personally.

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¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

***

I'm not defending or debating the veracity of the claim that the name of God is the sound of our breathing. And if there is some truth in it then I see it being misused, misapplied and profaned in the new age movement and the like. I'm just sharing my own personal thoughts here as I ponder the possibility that perhaps there is some truth in it. But whether or not there actually is truth in the understanding that the name of God is the sound of our breathing, this closing line of the first song above

"Doubters and deceivers, skeptics and believers, we speak it just the same. 

From birth to death with every single breath, we're whispering Your [His] name."

begs the question 

How am i doing (key word here) at faithfully conveying I AM in the way YHWH intends from one moment/breath to the next in the course of an hour - a day - a month - a year - a decade, etc? 

And, more importantly 

Who, what and how much is being lost in translation?

‎

¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,

                      which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:11-12

looking forward with great joy

Looking forward to two things in 2013.

1.)  Photo-journaling thru' the year w/ a personal challenge I've dubbed: Photo-A-Day/2013 Project 365 - and to posting photo recaps here periodically.  

&

2.) Taking the Joy Dare.  I started it in 2012 but didn't finish. Want to try again. I posted January's prompts here for gifts from God to look for, thank God for and list each day with the intent being to identify at least 1000 (aprx 3 per day) of them in 2013. Click the pic below for more on this.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:16 - 18

Looking forward - with great joy. 

it's beginning to look a lot like ...

C*h*R*i*S*t*M*a*S ....

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland 

...and the stockings were hung by the kitchen sink w/ care
 (my makeshift Christmas curtains : )

Sunday afternoon father/mother/daughter project

 

Festive table to usher in the tree trimming to follow.

The most appropriate attire for this particular party just so happened to be brand new P.J.'s
 I'm thinkin' this may become a new tradition -  as  I have visions of adorable grandbabies years from now  pitter-pattering around in pj's for just such a party as this! :) 

IBC Reinbeer  has a  jolly happy soul effect on all who sip it.

We had a BIG helper for tree trimming :) 

This year our entire tree is simply covered in sparkling snowflakes and stars ...

...with the exception of one special ornament I found in our mailbox recently.  I placed it in plain view bc it whisks me back to the warm Arizona sunshine where I  grew up in the desert with my friend who made it.  She has a rather unique way of warming me up from the inside out w/  her melted glass he-artwork.  After Christmas I'm adding this to my collection of ReAlLy warm stuff! :)

This fella emptied the dishwasher for me the other day! 

Santa's Workshop ...
sleighs & canedeer here on the assembly line
and more reinbeer to be manufactured momentarily

Ugly Sweater Shopping
We searched high & low & I don't think there's a sweater out there that would look ugly
 on either one of these two beautiful girls :)

and

 judging by the crowd of cars at the Salvation Army ...

I can't help but wonder if  the person who invented the ugly sweater party had any idea
what a huge revenue generator it would become for charity thrift stores?! 

snapshots of the season (Winter)

Yesterday pretty much eVeRyThIng outdoors was encased in an icy crust.  For anyone who stopped even a second to see past the stress from slow traffic, slick roads & slippery parking lots, the sheer beauty was simply stunning.  Just imagine how it would have sparkled if the sun were shining :) 

Our lawn

treasuring & pondering privately but with great joy

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 

Matthew 2:9

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

Matthew 2:10 

It's early in the morning as I begin this post snuggled on the sofa with the star lit overhead and barely illuminating the Nativity scene Justine, her daddy and I enjoyed making together yesterday. And here and now I find myself, on some miniscule level, closely relating to Mary in the wa-ay back there and then setting these carvings attempt to convey.

A week ago yesterday (Sunday) my husband and I ventured out to the ocean's edge in the wee hours of morning to watch the star at the center of our solar system rise at dawn above the defining line where the vast expanse of heavens above unites with the earth below.  

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19:1 - 4a 

Little did we know how timely and almost prophetic the "speech" the heavens proclaimed would be for us personally. Just hours later and only a little further up the seashore our daughter's utterance of the word "y-e-s", in response to a question proposed to her, transformed her best friend into her fiance' right before her eyes.  

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises  at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of it's warmth.

Psalm 19: 4b - 6

The two shared their news that evening with those they wanted to tell personally and followed that up with brief status updates on facebook - and, well ... good news travels f-a-ast!  

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Luke 2:17-18 

I'm so very pleased at what we've seen and been told in this regard. Yet these past several days I've withdrawn to some degree from social circles in order to ponder these good tidings of great joy privately and to treasure this time when Alexis' dreams are becoming reality and she begins to plan and prepare for the future. 

And I can't help but wonder,  ... should I be surprised at how this child of mine came to me at dawn of this very day (even as I was writing this post) and, at such a time as this, ...

The end of a matter is better than its beginning and patience is better than pride.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

shared her desire to unite her hand in marriage with that of her groom during a sunrise ceremony?!

But Mary treasured up all these things
 and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

the hands of time - revised ... for such a time as this

Just revisiting & revising this entry I posted over three years ago (April, 2009) because I have no idea where the time has gone, but it s-u-r-e has a way of changing things ...

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Distant Past

(In the previous edition this was simply "Past")

This is one of my all time favorite pictures.

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Recent Past

 (Previously this was "Present")

This is a card David made with help from his parents and gave to Alexis for her 15th birthday. The first time I posted this back in 2009 was the first time David was mentioned here on my blog as Alexis' boyfriend. I cut, pasted and polished up a bit below some of what I shared back then in regards to this photo:

As I'm traveling back & forth thru' time this morning, I can't help but remember that I was 15 when I met my best friend ever/the man I would marry and while I'm in no rush(!), I can't help but wonder if/when daddy and daughter eventually walk hand in hand down the aisle, whose hand will he give hers to in marriage. And I realize that from this day forward...I should be praying - for him. So please excuse me while I go do that - now.

Now fast forward to what has transpired (in what seems to be no time at all - but in reality has been three more years in the making) into the ...

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Present

and sure enough

... while David and Alexis were celebrating his birthday just this past weekend, David asked Alexis for her hand in marriage. A picture speaks a thousand words so click on the photo above if you'd like to link to their sweet engagement story. There is something though that one might not realize unless someone with access to the inside story told them :) That being how beautifully this precious stone reflects the sparkle in Alexis' beautiful blue eyes when she and David are together. It's simply stunning. 

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  And as to the 

Future

Well, it's all becoming much clearer now but ...

 still

 so 

 much 

 remains 

 to be

  seen

It's been said though, something to the effect that the past is always re-viewed with 20/20 vision. And with the advantage that 26 years of hindsight affords my husband and I, even we still can't help but wonder what our life together might have been like if we'd done some things differently in the beginning. I was 15 when we met. He was 22 and I was just barely 18 on our wedding day. When I look at our wedding photo I see two kids(!) making a lifetime commitment.

Fast forward 

to 

Here

 & 

Now

There is no doubt we've made some sacrifices doing things "our way" - but isn't sacrifice at the heart of true love?!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 I Corinthians 13:4-8a

And what if we grew up first instead of growing up together? The only possible advantages I can see to that are that we might have always had more than enough money & maybe we would have made less mistakes. There are certainly some things we'd go back and do differently if we could, but within them is where we did so much growing up together. 

We've always had enough 
of everything but time together.

And knowing now

what I didn't know then, 

 I'd marry the same man

over and over and over again 

in. a. second.

And in growing up together Jeff and I learned so much we couldn't have possibly understood nearly as well any other way, and were therefore able to gently (& sometimes not so gently) guide and encourage this delightful young couple toward becoming much more mature in ways that we were not, ...

for such a time as this.


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