Word Wednesday #37

Mark 5:24-30

24 And Jesus went with [Jairus]; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

In every instance of Jairus' story, there is the interruption: the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus stopped and patiently tended to the need of the interruption - even though to human eyes, this delay cost the life of Jairus' daughter. What is it in my life that I think "interruptions" will harm? Do I forget that God is able to fix any "problems" that may result when I follow Him to serve in an interruption?

The rest of the passage (because it's just amazing!):

 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.

38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.

39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you'd like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 

  <br /><a href=" http://withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com/search/label/Word%20Wednesdays "><img border="0" style="width: 125px; height: 125px;" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l021dQbC6Yvsvc_IGw5AMuhy9uy1kALE_Ymi5xG04GWoQ3l-aFbcW_0zxJxNRyy6ColkhAnRsU76scEQ121Gm49fKb7Y3XNCzCzGjDXRb0_emSMK0QGVBwsWLi90Uw-Cyle83fgl76o/h120/Word+Wednesdays.jpg " /></a><br />

Primer Series - Cover Reveal

One of my main project for 2014 was creating the primer piano series for With a Joyful Noise. Lord willing, all of these books will be available in print as 2015 progresses. For now, you will get a glimpse of all of the covers!

~*~*~

"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

Commands for Masters (Bosses) | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 6:9

And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1)

After instructing the servants, Paul turns to the masters and says, "do the same." In other words, just like the servant should remember that they are ultimately serving God, they are servants of God, and should be doing the will of God. They are not to seek the applause of men or do that which is right in man's eyes, but their goal should be blameless before God, realizing their testimony of the doctrine of God and the reward which comes from God (or punishment for doing wrong).

Added to that, masters are not to threaten but remember that there is One above them - God Himself - and they are accountable to Him. Then, there is a reminder that in God's eyes, all men are equal. He holds the same judgment for the servant as well as the master.

Word Wednesday #36

"And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given." (Mark 4:24)

We have a responsibility to apply what we hear. The more we apply, the more we'll be taught.

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22)

~*~
Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you'd like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 

  <br /><a href=" http://withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com/search/label/Word%20Wednesdays "><img border="0" style="width: 125px; height: 125px;" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l021dQbC6Yvsvc_IGw5AMuhy9uy1kALE_Ymi5xG04GWoQ3l-aFbcW_0zxJxNRyy6ColkhAnRsU76scEQ121Gm49fKb7Y3XNCzCzGjDXRb0_emSMK0QGVBwsWLi90Uw-Cyle83fgl76o/h120/Word+Wednesdays.jpg " /></a><br />

A Couple of Random Pictures . . .

I didn't have much time to play with new photoshoots last week (and if you noticed, didn't post on Friday due to being away from my computer), but here are a couple of pictures that I took in the beginning of December that I just got around to editing. With these pictures, I played around with cropping - because sometimes a fun crop makes the picture pop.

For example, the picture of us friends . . .

This was taken with a wide-angle lens so you see the whole angle of sky and ground. And it gives it a neat look as a 4x6. However, crop it as a 4x3 and you see:

Your eyes are instantly drawn to the people and not the surroundings (after all, if I wanted a picture of the ground, field, and sky, I could have easily done so without the people). I personally like this crop better (or perhaps I have just "discovered" my new favorite crop and like it in many different pictures :)).

And the picture of my sisters (credit my friend Julia for the cute pose idea - I just sneaked beside her and snapped my own picture ;)) . . .

When cropped to a square, you again are less distracted by the excess of trees and ground.

Have you played around with cropping recently? What has been your favorite experiment? 

And for those of you who have been bugging me about more photoshoots, I took another sister out on a photoshoot this afternoon. Come back Friday to see who my newest captive was. ;)

~*~*~

"Remember that thou magnify His work, which men behold." (Job 36:24)

Commands for the Servants (Employees) | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 6:5-8

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:  Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Other verses for servants:

"Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons." (Colossians 3:22-25)

"Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." (Titus 2:9-10)

Between these three passages, we find a list of Biblical instruction for servants:

- Obey masters

     ~with fear and trembling

     ~in all things

     ~not answering again (dispute, refuse)

     ~not purloining (sequestrate for oneself, embezzle)

     ~shewing all good fidelity (credence, moral conviction)

- Work in singleness of heart: to the Lord

     ~not with eyeservice (that needs watching)

     ~not as menpleasers (man-courting, fawning - the idea of flattery) but pleasing their masters

     ~fearing God

- Work as servants of Christ

- Work heartily

- Do the will of God from t

he heart

- Realize the testimony of the doctrine of God they hold

- Realize that reward comes from God (or in contrast, punishment if servants disregard these commands)

Today, these commands should not remain unheeded because we no longer have servants and slaves. Instead, we should consider these commands towards anyone who is in authority over us (i.e. boss, employer, managers, owners).

The matter begins at the heart: we must realize that in any job, work, or task at hand, our goal first and foremost should be to please God. We are His servants and the work we do are a testimony that reflect His work in our hearts and lives. Complaining, murmuring, backbiting, and disputing are not a characteristic of a servant of God. Likewise, stealing, embezzlement, "borrowing," etc. should never be a part of our life. We should show responsibility and be trustworthy. Instead of doing enough in man's eyes or judging our work against our co-workers, we should be working as pleasing God (doing the best we can, being diligent). Our attitude while working is a great testimony - is it positive or negative? Do we realize our influence as a worker? Not only are those over us watching, but also those around us (co-workers, others who might hang around the workplace). Do they see a reflection of Christ in us?

Word Wednesday #35

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." (Psalm 32:8-9)

 God has given us what we need to follow Him . . . but are we stubborn and refusing?

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you'd like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 

  <br /><a href=" http://withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com/search/label/Word%20Wednesdays "><img border="0" style="width: 125px; height: 125px;" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l021dQbC6Yvsvc_IGw5AMuhy9uy1kALE_Ymi5xG04GWoQ3l-aFbcW_0zxJxNRyy6ColkhAnRsU76scEQ121Gm49fKb7Y3XNCzCzGjDXRb0_emSMK0QGVBwsWLi90Uw-Cyle83fgl76o/h120/Word+Wednesdays.jpg " /></a><br />

Commands for Parents (Part 2) | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 6:4, 

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord

What is the Father's responsibility in raising children? In our society, it is often given to the mothers to see after the spiritual rearing of their children. But what do we see in God's Word?

The Mother and Child

" If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:" (Deuteronomy 21:18)

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:" (Proverbs 1:8)

"My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:" (Proverbs 6:20)

"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (Proverbs 29:15)

"A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." (Proverbs 10:1)

Older women are to teach younger women (Titus 2:3-5)

A mother can instruct her children and give laws for them. We also notice that a wayward child brings shame and heaviness to his mother.

The powerful influence of mothers:

"Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:" (1 Kings 22:51-52)

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." (2 Timothy 1:5)

A mother has a strong influence over her children. This influence can either be good or bad; the children likely will follow in her footsteps.

The Father and the Child

-The father's responsibility to his daughter.

"But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof." (Leviticus 22:13)

-The father's responsibility to remind his children of God's marvelous works.

"That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever." (Joshua 4:6-7)

"And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever." (Joshua 4:21-24)

"The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth." (Isaiah 38:19)

-The father's influence

"So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day." (2 Kings 17:41)

"Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers." (Proverbs 17:6)

-Commands for the fathers

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)

"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." (Colossians 3:21)

-Examples of a father

" Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." (Psalm 103:13)

"As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

-The commands for children to their fathers

"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding." (Proverbs 4:1)

"The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him." (Proverbs 23:24)

"A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke." (Proverbs 13:1)

"A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother." (Proverbs 15:20)

"A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him." (Proverbs 17:22)

"A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping." (Proverbs 19:13)

"He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach." (Proverbs 19:26)

"Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father." (Proverbs 28:7)

Conclusion: while godly mothers who teach their children God's Word are a blessing and mightily used in God's kingdom, they were never intended to replace the fathers. How much we need godly fathers who will rear their children in the nurture and admonition of God!

R&R | Photoshoot

For New Year's Eve we visited some friends on our way to my uncle's house. While there, I was swept away to do a small photoshoot of the two Rebeccas, aka as 1.0 and 2.0 (yes, we do call them that to keep them straight :)). I almost consider this more of a snap-shot session than a real photoshoot (which we hope to do in the future, Lord willing), but here are the pictures!

Annnd . . . a few inside pics. Low light, no flash, high ISO, grainy pictures . . . enjoy them for the composition, not the quality. :)

~*~*~

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." (Proverbs 27:17)

Christmas - Who Are We?

With Christmas upon us, many of our thoughts are turned to Jesus Christ and His birth. The other day, I began reading through Matthew again and as I read chapters 1-2, I began to wonder which of those involved with Christ's birth I am most like?

~Am I like Joseph, who exercised faith in the impossible, esteemed all that God said as complete truth, and obeyed God even in hard circumstances? (Matthew 1:18-25)

~Am I like Mary, who fully embraced God's will for her life, taking God at His Word? (Luke 1:26-38) Who displayed humility in her adoration to God - no pride that she was chosen to mother God's Holy Son? (Luke 1:46-55)

~Am I like the shepherds, who accepted God's interruption in their daily tasks and obeyed? (Luke 2:8-15) Who shared Jesus' birth with others? (Luke 2:17)

~Am I like Simeon, who was waiting for the coming of Jesus? (Luke 2:25-35)

~Am I like Anna, who shared Jesus with those around her? (Luke 2:36-38)

~Am I like the wise men, who followed God in full faith even in their limited revelation? Who desired to worship God and were sensitive to His leading? (Matthew 2:1-12)

~Am I like the scribes, who knew well the Scriptures in their head, but were far from knowing the truth in their hearts? (Matthew 2:4-6)

~Am I like Herod, who sought answers from the Scriptures - not because he desired to follow God but desired to follow his plan and fleshly purposes? (Matthew 2:1-8)

Word Wednesday #34

". . . in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16)

Those who wrestle with one part of Scripture will wrestle with other parts. Either we must accept all of Scripture . . . or reject all of it. Where do we stand?

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you'd like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 

  <br /><a href=" http://withajoyfulnoise.blogspot.com/search/label/Word%20Wednesdays "><img border="0" style="width: 125px; height: 125px;" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l021dQbC6Yvsvc_IGw5AMuhy9uy1kALE_Ymi5xG04GWoQ3l-aFbcW_0zxJxNRyy6ColkhAnRsU76scEQ121Gm49fKb7Y3XNCzCzGjDXRb0_emSMK0QGVBwsWLi90Uw-Cyle83fgl76o/h120/Word+Wednesdays.jpg " /></a><br />

Christmas Cantata

This year, my family and I were blessed to be a part of our church's Christmas Cantata. If you have about thirty minutes, please watch.

Have a blessed CHRISTmas!

Commands for Parents (Part 1) | Ephesians Study

Ephesians 4:1, 

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Provoke to wrath -  NT:3949 parorgizo (par-org-id'-zo); from NT:3844 and NT:3710; to anger alongside, i.e. enrage:

Nurture - NT:3809  paideia (pahee-di'-ah); from NT:3811; tutorage, i.e. education or training; by implication, disciplinary correction:

Admonition - NT:3559 nouthesia (noo-thes-ee'-ah); from NT:3563 and a derivative of NT:5087; calling attention to, i.e. (by implication) mild rebuke or warning:

Again, we see another "put off/put on": put off provocation, put on nurture and admonition.

It is possible for fathers to be guilty of provoking their children to wrath - otherwise, they would not be warned against it. Colossians 3:21 reiterates this, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." Here, lies the responsibility of the father, not of the children. Children have already been commanded to obey and honor, but fathers should never use that as a reason to do whatever they desire. Even by demanding obedience and honor, fathers can provoke their children to wrath.

Instead of provocation, fathers are given the command to raise their children with nurture (education, training, disciplinary correction) and admonition (calling attention, mild rebuke or warning). These words help us to understand the attitude behind training. Instead of forceful, angry training, fathers are to have a humble attitude. They can discipline their children and rebuke them, but it is done in a gentle spirit. The issue at hand is not the means of raising children, but the attitude of raising children.

What better example of fatherhood is there than God the Father? Hebrews 12 gives us a glimpse of God the Father: "(5) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:5-11)

God does not father without chastening - but His chastening is always rooted in His love for us and His interest in our profit. God never chastens because it just "feels good" to chasten. He always has a reason for His chastisement.

Elizabeth | Photoshoot

Sunday, my sister and I had about an hour to shoot some pictures together. It was about 4:00 when we started so the lighting was not ideal, but I enjoyed the challenge. Plus, I had fun - what a blessing it is to have family as best friends!

My Picks

As I was editing through the pictures, several really stood out to me which I just love! Here they are and a little bit of why I love them.

Black and white is not always my favorite. It just has to be that perfect picture to "pop" - this is probably my absolute favorite B&W that I have personally done.

Love the warm tones:

And then there is my favorite location: the new chicken coop. :) 

(And in case it sounds funny that I'm all about the "style" of the photo and not the subject, yeah, I do like the subject too ;))

For Your Enjoyment

And there were many more pictures that we liked. Some of them I did not particularly care for how the lighting turned out (considering we had to dodge sun spots) but it was a good learning experience for me.

Experiments
There is this soft glow look that is really popular. It isn't my favorite for everything, but I did want to catch a little sun-glare. It does give a nice "dreamy" feel but I was sad when I discovered that I made one of the most common photography mistakes: it looks like she is "eating" the plant (note to self: remember to check for trees growing out of heads, elbows being cut off, etc., etc., etc.).

Next time, I'll share about the little "photobomb" we had. :)

~*~*~

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3