Musings on Ephesians 1:1-2

      

The folks at Do Not Depart are running a scripture memorization challenge of Ephesians, Chapter 1.  Only one or two verses a week...very doable right?  What if you start two days after everyone else does?  Still doable.  Most people started Monday (16 September).  I started Wednesday.  Fortunately for me, memorization comes fairly easily - must have been all the theatre I did in college.

So this week, we covered verses one and two of Ephesians 1.

1.  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.

When Paul's name was Saul, he persecuted Christians.  Then, he was on the road to Damascus one day (to find more Christians to tie up and cart back to Jerusalem), when Jesus appeared to him.  The experience was so life-changing that he could not see for three days.  Thereafter, became a Christian himself, and a missionary, and was finally persecuted himself and killed.

I found  my most satisfying definition I found for the word 'apostle' in an answer at ask.com as an 'ambassador'.  Thus an apostle of Jesus would be an ambassador of Jesus.  The use of the word apostle as opposed to follower or disciple means to me that Paul could speak of Jesus and act, in Jesus's name, with some authority.  And of course, nothing happens if not by the will of God.  But sometimes we just need to be reminded of that.

So Paul tells us by what authority he writes, then proceeds to tell us to whom the message is written.  Of course there are saints in Ephesus of the day.  But maybe there are other Christians passing through the city or visiting relatives, etc.  Certainly a missive from one of the foremost apostles of the day would want to reach the biggest possible target audience.

2.  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dictionary.com gives a definition of 'grace' as a manifestation of favor.  So Paul is conveying a message of grace and peace to the Ephesians both from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  What better gift is there in the world?  One word:  NONE.

*+*+*+*+*

Most, if not all of the Bible verses I quote will come from the King James Version (KJV).  I just love the formality of the language.  But then, Shakespeare is one of my favorite authors.  No matter the version of the Bible, I think a wonderful poetry shines through the language, so you get:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.  Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead of simply:  "To Whom It May Concern".

*+*+*+*+*

Now, it's your turn:

1.  Are you participating in the 'Hiding Ephesians 1 in My Heart' challenge at Do No Depart?  Would you like to?

2.  Do you have a favorite Bible verse to share?

3.  If you are not religious and/or not Christian, do you have a favorite quote or saying to share?

ALL ARE WELCOME!

100 Ideas for a 31-Day Blog Series

   This "List of 100" thing is a technique I got from a book about journaling many years ago.  The idea is to write down 100 things on a single topic ... in. one. sitting.  (Yeah, I fudge on that one sometimes.)  Originally, the idea was to do the list in one sitting, and not censor yourself while writing it.  Somewhere in the middle, your subconscious mind takes over and your craziest, most creative ideas come out.
Now to the buttons:
Friendship Friday is a weekly feature over at Create With Joy.  Anyone who knows me knows I am a fan of that blog.  Go check it out.  Seriously.
The "31  Days" is a challenge being run for the month of October over at Nesting Place blog.  The above links to the category, as the challenge sign-up is not even live yet (I don't think).  And the Nest Mama is having people make their own link-up buttons.  Don't worry, there are plenty of tips and info posted on her blog with more to come.  (I just borrowed the button from Nesting Place to get the word out!)
So on to the list.  (You may want to get a drink and a snack...I'll wait.)
1.  31 lists of 100. 2.  jam recipes 3.  bread recipes 4.  entrees 5.  veggie recipes
6.  things I love about my faith 7.  things I love about my family 8.  things I love about my home 9.  things I love about my state 10.  things I love (or...) about my job
11.  things I love about my country 12.  colors 13.  flavors 14.  places to visit 15.  historic landmarks
16.  why we homeschool 17.  blog post ideas 18.  blog series ideas 19.  craft project ideas 20.  craft series ideas
21.  favorite books 22.  favorite movies 23.  favorite plays 24.  favorite magazines 25.  favorite spa treatments
26.  stories about your family 27.  stories about your ancestors 28.  your earliest memories 29.  someone else's earliest memories 30.  things I like about x-elected official.
31.  things I dislike about x-elected official 32.  happiest moments 33.  saddest moments 34.  scariest moments 35.  Halloween
26.  Thanksgiving 27.  Christmas 28.  Valentine's Day 29.  Independence Day 30.  back-to-school
31.  last day of school 32.  serialized story 33.  cartoons 34.  pictures of your cat 35.  pictures of your dog
36.  your favorite cause 37.  charitable organizations 38.  recycling 39.  upcycling 40.  flea market finds
41.  your favorite style of decor 42.  different styles of decor 43.  saving money 44.  saving your sanity 45.  saving the planet
46.  favorite scripture verses 47.  favorite scripture passages 48.  ways your church/concregation ROCKS 49.  ways your church/congregation could improve 50.  favorite bloggers
51.  favorite authors 52.  interviews with bloggers 53.  interviews with authors 54.  ways to monetize your blog 55.  DIY cleaners
56.  DIY beauty treatments 57.  favorite mani-pedi's 58.  doodle art 59.  knitting projects 60.  crochet projecgts
61.  quilting projects 62.  follow one project through the month 63.  favorite blog posts 64.  US Presidents 65.  world leaders
66.  your own religionn 67.  other religions 68.  history of your country 69.  airplanes 70.  methods of transportation
71.  famous mothers 72.  famous fathers 73.  famous children 74.  famous animals 75.  entrepreneurs
76.  potato chip flavors 77.  movie genres 78.  works of art 79.  modern art 80.  performing arts
81.  favorite actors 82.  favorite actresses 83.  greek mythology 84.  roman mythology 85.  other mythology
86.  cooking styles 87.  desserts 88.  books you'd like to 'see' 89.  books you'd like to read 90.  books you have read
91.  favorite quotes 92.  process of old chicken coop renovation 93.  language lessons 94.  flags of different countries 95.  flag etiquette, history, making, etc
96.  things you'd like to change 97.  things you hope don't change 98.  technological innovations 99.  quilt designs 100.  favorite websites
See?  They don't all have to be gems.  Some of them may be the same.  It's all good.  It's given me many ideas from which to choose.
How about you?  Has this list given you any ideas to write about?  Please join me at one or both above links and let's share!

Creative Thinking Challenge #25

 

I am linking both to Inspire Me Monday (a weekly link-up) at Create With Joy, because it's one of my favorite blogs ever, and to The Creative Thinking Challenge (a bi-monthly link-up) at Figuring Out How the Pieces Fit because that's where I found the idea for this post.  I'm joining Inspire! at A Cat-Like Curiosity for the first time today.

10 Creative Uses for Staplers

1.  Paperweight.

2.  Door stop.

3.  A steeplechase obstacle for a child's small animal figurines.

4.  Tool to retrieve small items from under your couch when they're just a little too far for you to reach on your own.

5.  Weight to hold down tarp over cut and stacked firewood.

6.  Dog toy.

7.  An inner core for a clay figurine.

8.  A projectile in miniature office accessory golf.

9.  Tongs for cooking or barbecuing.

10.  Oddly-shaped stamp for paper crafting.

Cinnapple Meringue Pudding

I'm calling my submission to the Behind the Curtain's Dessert Challenge:
Cinnapple Meringue Pudding
This is an adaptation based on a recipe for Lemon Meringue Pudding by Mary Pitts found on page 219 of The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery.
So, without further ado, here is "my recipe":

2 c bread crumbs
4 c milk
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2  c apple cider
3 T. confectioners sugar
cinnamon

Soak bread crumbs in milk.  (I used biscuits and would suggest either that or bread with some body to it.)
Cream butter and sugar.  Add beaten egg yolks and apple cider.
Mix with bread crumbs.
Pour into a baking dish.  (I used a 13x9 pan, but am thinking of using individual ramekins next time).  Bake in a 350 F for 45 minutes, or until firm.
Cover with a meringue made from the egg whites, beaten with the confectioners sugar and cinnamon.  Return to the oven and brown the meringue lightly (about 10 minutes).

Serve and enjoy.

One Drop at a Time

    

9/11/2001 - We will always remember.

The Edge of Night

We live out in the country.  Some might say in the middle of nowhere.  We can hear (but not see) our neighbors' houses in the daytime.  But night is something else altogether. At night, we can just see our northern next-door neighbor's security light as a pinprick through the trees.  There's another light across the field that I would swear came from my FIL's (father-in-law's) place, but Chris says they don't have a security light.  Maybe it's aliens.  (j/k) I've sat out many a night on the porch (a carport on the side of the house, really) and looked around while the dogs are getting in some fun and exercise.  Our security light does a very good job on the near side of the house.  It covers the part of the yard that is mowed regularly. Outside of its reach, however, it is like someone dropped down a black velvet curtain around our yard.  With the exception of the aforementioned lights, unless the moon is full, the barn and field are shrouded in black.  It is like what people thought of the world before sailors of old started setting out to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  If I didn't know otherwise, I would not be able to swear that anything existed beyond where the light shines. It reminds me of our recent trip to Mammoth Cave (in western Kentucky).  At one point, they turned off the lights (with a fair warning), and you could not see your hand in front of your face.  Most of the time, when I wasn't gasping for breath from walking up and down 500+ steps, the scenery was spectacular. Here is one of my favorite photos (of the 98 shots Chris took) from the trip.  I call it "Cave Ninjas":

The light, or absence thereof, did not change what was close by, just our perception of it. Do you remember a time when your senses told you one thing, but you knew otherwise?

3 Cut Gifts

Cut flowers

I was in a play in high school called Lazarus Laughed.  It was about...(drum roll please)...Lazarus in the Bible.  One of my characters was Lazarus's mother, who was killed by Roman soldiers.  During one of the rehearsals, my Roman soldier missed the spot between my arm and my body and stuck me in my side.  To add to that, my father passed away at the age of 47 during the weeks of rehearsal.  On opening night, I got some anonymous flowers.  Whether it was from the son of a family friend, who was playing Caligula, or from the dude that "got me", I'll never know.  But they were so appreciated, then and now.  (And, in case you were wondering, I did a FABULOUS "death" in that particular rehearsal. *lol*)

Haircut

My family and I went to a local community help fair a couple of year ago at a nearby church.  One of the features was a free haircut.  We were able to get both the boys hair cut and my husband as well...at no cost, which was incredibly important at that time.  I will always be grateful to those two barbers who took care of "my boys".

Fresh-mown grass

There's just something about the smell of fresh-mown grass.  It practically shouts summer and easy living.  (Granted, I might not feel that way if I were the one doing the mowing...)