יַחֵל

"the L-RD delights in those who fear Him,
who wait their wait in His unfailing love."

-psalm 147.

פרץ (paratz).

"the gates of hell are not weapons attacking the people of G-d. the action is moving in the opposite direction. G-d's people are plundering the strongholds of the enemy. when the people of G-d acknowledge the foundation of the kingdom, nothing can stop them. the gates of hell will not be able to withstand their forceful entry."

-brad young.

inheritance.

do not be afraid, abram.

I am your shield,
your very great reward.

-the L-RD, genesis 15.

123.

to You,
enthroned in heaven,
i turn my eyes.

-psalm 123.

143.

oh L-RD,

i stretch out my hands to You,
longing for You like thirsty earth.

-psalm 143.

oh L-rd,

i will tear the heart of my soul in two
and You must lay therein
You must lay yourself
in the wounds of my soul.

-mechtild of magdeburg.

resources.

"our hunger for signifigance is a signal of who we are and why we are here, and it also is the basis of humanity's enduring response to Jesus. for he always takes individual human beings as seriously as their shredded dignity demands, and he has the resources to carry through with his high estimate of them."

-dallas willard.

a natural extension.

"the really good news for humanity is that the message of and about Jesus is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying. it is about living now as his apprentice in kingdom living, not just as a consumer of his merits. our future, however far we look, is a natural extension of the faith by which we live now and the life in which we now participate. eternity is now in flight and we with it, like it or not."

-dallas willard.

Chutzpah:

1. headstrong persistence. 2. brazen impudence. 3. unyielding tenacity. 4. raw nerve.

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"we pray with chutzpah, because G-d is good." -brad young.

desire.

"the value of our weakness and of our poverty is that they are the earth in which G-d sows the seed of desire. and no matter how abandoned we may seem to be, the confident desire to love Him in spite of our abject misery, is the sign of His presence and the pledge of our salvation."

-thomas merton.

every moment.

"to be grateful is to recognize the Love of G-d in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of G-d. for the grateful man knows that G-d is good, not by hearsay but by experience. and that is what makes all the difference."

-thomas merton.

living words.

"he (moses) was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on mount sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us..." -acts 7.

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living words.

words alive with the breath of God, the power of God, the wisdom and the promise of God.

words spoken long ago and carried for thousands of years, moving and creating and establishing and upholding until this very day.

words that do not return void.

words bound up in a holy book, every moment available to us.

LIVING WORDS.
LIVING WORDS.
LIVING WORDS.

the very words of GOD!

wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!

praise the L-RD,
praise the L-RD,
praise the L-RD!

near.

"there is no word for sacrifice in the hebrew Bible. the word used is korban, which means 'to come closer,' to bring near' - an intimacy maker."

-rabbi kula.

"let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

hebrews 4.

everything else.

"what then are we to say about these things? if G-d is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?"

letter to the romans, ch. 8.

continue.

"as you therefore have received Messiah Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

-letter to the colossians, ch. 2.

Name.

"the name used most often for G-d in jewish texts is also the most mysterious and intimate. in hebrew it's actually a word with no consonants and all vowels. it's unpronounceable. when you try to say it, you hear the sound of a breath, a simple exhale. what is the teaching? the name of G-d is not meant to be uttered, but to be breathed."

He was what He was.
He is what He is.
He will be what He will be.

blessed be the Name.

excerpts quoted from rabbi irwin kula.

roots.

thus said the L-RD:

cursed is he who trusts in man,
who makes mere flesh his strength,
and turns his thoughts from the L-RD.
he shall be like a bush in the desert,
which does not sense the coming of good:
it is set in the scorched places of the wilderness,
in a barren land without inhabitant.

blessed is he who trusts in the L-RD,
whose trust is the L-RD alone.
he shall be like a tree planted by waters,
sending forth its roots by a stream:
it does not sense the coming of heat,
its leaves are ever fresh;
it has no care in a year of drought,
it does not cease to yield fruit.

most devious is the heart;
it is perverse - who can fathom it?
I the L-RD probe the heart,
search the mind -
to repay every man according to his ways,
with the proper fruit of his deeds.

O Throne of Glory exalted from of old,
our Sacred Shrine!
O Hope of Israel! O L-RD!

heal me, o L-RD, and let me be healed;
save me, and let me be saved;
for You are my glory.