“There aren’t words created yet to describe our love”.©
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Lovers’ Quote ©Dawn Minott
Tag: #blessings
Praise & Worship ©Dawn Minott
Beforeword: This poetry-music collab is inspired by renowned gospel artist, Kirk Franklin, who is known for blending gospel music with contemporary sounds. Here’s to some of his most popular foot-tapping-body-moving-hands-lifted-high songs using the literary technique: parataxis.
Imagine me igniting a Revolution as I Stomp my way to Brighter Days where I can’t help but Smile ‘cause “…even when I hurt, see” I Smile for I made it through The Storm [and it] is Over Now and I got me a Blessing in the Storm that makes me Wanna Be Happy and sing all kinds of Hosanna praises like Melodies from Heaven rolling off my tongue and I bow prostrate proclaiming: “Now Behold the Lamb” for there’s Something About the Name Jesus, that name is the reason Why [I] Sing—it’s my Love Theory—and that makes me wanna Stomp all over again starting another Hosanna praise dance to the assurance that He Reigns, this Awesome God who tells me I Can and I dance the more in praises till I’m so high, so close to my DaddyGod I can hear Him whisper: “Lean on Me” and so Before I Die this is my Declaration: You, God, are My Life, My Love, My All
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All words in bold are titles of Kirk Franklin songs
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Seasons ©️Dawn Minott
Soul seasons are God’s blessings disguised.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Shabbat Shalom: What in God’s Name?! Jehovah Shammah (God Is There/Here) [with audio]
Click👆to listen to audio of this post
Shabbat Shalom!
Welcome to the finale post in the series “What in God’s Name”. In this series we explored the 7 redemptive names of God looking at what is IN God’s name that can get us through those tumultuous times in our lives that triggers “what in God’s name?!” type of reactions.
Today we’ll look at Jehovah Shammah—the God who is there/the God who is here!
As we did in previous posts, we’ll start with the backstory—when the name was first used in the Bible to give a brief history, then connect the name to the needs of our lives today and in the future.
This name of God appears only once in the Bible:
… and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.’
Ezekiel 48:35
The name is associated with a prophecy wherein God revealed to Ezekiel that His presence would leave not only the temple but the city of ancient Jerusalem. But, all the way down to the last verse of the last chapter of the book of Ezekiel appears the assurance that God is THERE. Ahead of the Babylonian captivity of the children of ancient Israel—which at the time was already twenty-five years in (Ezekiel 40:1)—God was there.
“The LORD is there” is derived from the Hebraic word shammah which comes from sham which can be translated as “there.”
Jehovah Shammah is a symbolic name for ancient Jerusalem. The name indicates that God had not abandoned Jerusalem, leaving it in ruins, but that there will be a restoration. And there was partial restoration. However, it’s also a symbolism of the gospel Church and the everlasting kingdom of God. And this is the kingdom which through Jesus’ death has been opened to all believers with the promise of the ever-present presence of God.
For “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).
God is there—yes, He’s ahead of every situation that will assail us; but He’s also here/He’s ever-present. And the Bible is replete with the eternal promises of God to be here and there for those who choose to be His.
Promises like:
- “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 8:5).
- “I dwell in the high and holy place; yet with Me also are those of a contrite and humble spirit” (Isaiah 57:15).
- “I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:16, 18).
Yes, it is even so—for Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there/the Lord is here.
He’s promised:
- I will come again, and receive you unto Myself that where I am you will be also (John 14:3).
And while His children wait for Him to come again, we will walk through valleys that will appear as final and frightening as death. Yet, we are admonished not to fear for God is with His people and eventually we will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever (Psalm 23:4, 6).
Praises to Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there/the Lord is here.
In fact, try as hard as I may
- “I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, You are there. If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me. If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me” (Psalm 139:7-12).
For, Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there/the Lord is here.
***
All around us seems to be in upheaval. A pandemic. Crime and violence exploding. There’s literally a war raging. Peoples’ hearts are failing from fear—suicide is on the rise. This is because God allows humanity free choice to run our lives including to make our geo-political decisions, even when they lead to war. Yet,
- “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
For Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there/the Lord is here.
***
John the Beloved disciple, in vision sees way down to the end of time and wrote for our assurance that even to the end God is present with His children.
John beheld a great multitude, which could not be numbered—these are the believers of God. They are from of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues. They are standing before the throne, and before the Lamb. But here’s the best part,
- “He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them” (Revelation 7:15).
Hallelujah! Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there/the Lord is here.
God will never give up on those who are His and He will never fail to fulfill His many promises. For
- “all the promises of God in Jesus Christ are yea and amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
***
Over these past few weeks I’ve shared the 7 redemptive names of God.
I pray you come to know and surrender to the God who is unceasingly revealing Himself to us. The God who is already in our tomorrow while He’s in our today to be our banner and bring us peace, to heal and restore us, to lead us into redemption through His righteousness.
His love for us is as strong as death and unyielding as the grave. Many waters cannot quench it (Song of Songs 8:6-7). It has overcome death, and broken up the bars of the grave.
Lean on the arm of your Beloved, your Jehovah Shammah—He’s in your “there” but He’s also in your “here”, He will see you through.
Shabbat Shalom!
Related Posts in the Series
- Jehovah—the God who unceasingly reveals Himself
- Jehovah Shalom—the God of Peace
- Jehovah Nissi—the God who is our Banner
- Jehovah Rapha—the God who Heals
- Jehovah Jireh PartI and PartII—the God who Provides
- Jehovah Raah—our Shepherd
- Jehovah Tsidkenu—God our Righteousness
2022 ©DeeMin All rights reserved
Thank you for journeying along. First time to the site? Welcome! Feel free to “like” or drop a comment, I love hearing from you.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Shabbat Shalom: God’s Art to heART [with audio]
👆Play👆to listen along as you read
The Greek word poiēma is used ONLY TWICE in the Bible and both times in reference to the creative power of God. First, when He created eARTh referred to as “things that are made”—a phrase translated from poiēma. Romans 1:20 And second, in reference to the recreating of our heARTs referenced as “masterpiece”—a word also translated from poiēma. Ephesians 2:10
In essence, God demonstrates Himself as both Creator and Redeemer through and in us.
We’re both a complete work created by the Creator, and a transforming process being recreated by the Redeemer.
Humankind was the only part of creation that God made with His hands, in His image and after His likeness. Genesis 1:26 He poured the very essence of His divine artistry in us. We were created perfect in every way.
The Bible went on to reveal that sin entered. I like the way the great theologian Charles Spurgeon puts it: he says, when sin entered it was as if “we quit [God’s] … workshop”. [Treasury of David, p239.]
Because of sin our hearts turned away from God and our ways of thinking and behaving toward God and our fellow human beings were also distorted. And sin had but one consequence—eternal death. Romans 6:23
But God wasn’t having it! Absolutely not!
Determined not to lose the crowning jewel of His creation eternally to death, God puts His redemptive plan in motion. A plan to draw us back to Himself, back into His workshop, in order to recreate His ART/His poiēma in our heARTs.
Let’s talk about God’s heart and how He loves.
God has a “SO LOVE” heart. A heart that loves far beyond a Significant-Other kind o’ love. God’s SO—to-such-a-great-extent—LOVE, is a die-for kind o’ love.
For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son [to die], that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
In the act of creation, God stooped down to breathe life into us. However, in the act of redemption God offered Himself up, to die.
And He didn’t just die, God bled for us. He endured a crown of thorns that pierced His brow and spilt His blood. He endured hammering nails that tore through skin and bone and spilt His blood. He endured a piercing sword that slit His side and spilt His blood.
God bled and died to redeem us back to Himself, and to rescue us from eternal death.
This is gifted to us as grace and can only be received through faith. For those who choose to accept His gift, Romans 6:23 God likens the process to a potter transforming clay. Isaiah 64:8
And again, we see God returning to the posture of stooping—molding and shaping us, recreating the ART in our heARTs, redeeming us back as His masterpiece.
… we are God’s masterpiece [poiēma]. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10
What does this mean—to be created anew?
Created anew in Jesus means we are again spiritually acceptable to God because of His redemptive power which is working in and through us. His redemptive power enables our hearts, our thoughts and our behaviors to glorify God and to be beneficial to our fellow humans.
In other words, we are redeemed/saved not by good works but for good works.
ART to heART. Now we are twice God’s—once by creation, twice by redemption. We are His ultimate workmanship—His work of art.
Shabbat Shalom. Rest assuredly in knowing you are a work of ART in progress in the hands of the genius Creator and Redeemer who uses only the right tools to reshape your heART into its perfect masterpiece design. You Are A Masterpiece, body and heART!
After-word: In the last Shabbat Shalom post I referred to God’s poetic expressions in creation through the ART He created in the midst of eARTh and the crowning jewel of His creation—human—as His masterpiece. [You can see more on that in this post: You’re A Masterpiece: God’s Work of Art.] One reader’s comment referred to the ART in heART which was expounded on for today’s post—“God’s Art to HeART”.
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Sunday Photo Reflection #17: Remnants of the Garden
And also for Cee’s Flower of the Day prompt (though there is more than one flower today).
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Sunday Photo Reflection #16: Rainbow of Roses
And also for Cee’s Flower of the Day prompt.
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Blessed Assurance©
Dear God
When I say You are my Provider — You say my needs are met
When I say You are my Protector — You say my path is prepared
When I say You are my Rock, my Banner, my Strong Tower — You say I am sustained and I am protected
When I say You are my Healer — You say I am healed, restored, made whole
When You say You are my EVERYthing — I know I have EVERYthing I need
After-word: At first I titled this piece “When I Say…When You Say”. But, the more I dwelt on the meaning of the words I penned the more it resonated in my spirit: to believe what God says, even in the absence of its revelation, requires certainty and confidence—that’s assurance! I borrowed from Fanny Crosby’s beautiful timeless hymn, “Blessed Assurance”. Assurance means to be certain and confident, free from doubt. Blessed assurance is a holy or sacred confidence—not in us, but in what God says we are and what we have in Him. This should gives us an unshakeable-certain-free-from-doubt relationship with God.
Thank you for journeying along.
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In creative solidarity
Who Am I©
Who am I
That You—the Almighty-God is gracious toward me
That You consider my feelings
And gather each of my tears in Your bottle of consolation
Who am I
That You—the Creator-God thinks of me
That You built art in the middle of eARTh
And gave me senses to take delight and pleasure in it
Who am I
That You—the Redeemer-God died for me
That you traded my sorrows for joy
And gave me beauty where once there were ashes
Who am I
That You—the Omniscient-God loves me
That though You know me You chase after me
And envelope me in Your unconditional-don’t-want-anything-in-return love
Who am I?
I am Your chosen one, Your daughter, Your beloved
©2021 createdbyDEEsign.com
All Rights Reserved
This post contributes to Cyranny Word of the Day challenge, today’s word is gracious.
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First time to the site? Welcome! You may start here👈 and for more follow the blog here👈
In creative solidarity, Dee
Sunday Photo Reflection #7: Happy Garden Vibes
One of the positive things about movements being restricted by this pandemic is that it freed up time and so I picked up new hobbies. In addition to blogging (you may like “Why I Created This Blog”), I also started gardening over the past 2-3 months and it’s been pure JOY!
So before I lose them all, I froze the remaining ‘blooms of my labor’ in photo memories which I’d like to share with you.
Today’s photo reflection is a mix of photos accompanied by quotes from others who are equally captivated and inspired by nature as I am and said things I’d say myself but they got to it first so now I get to quote them😉😉.
“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”
“I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation.”
“The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for Him there.”
—Francis Bacon
“A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.”
—Chinese proverb [my life has just begun 🥳]
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”
“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”
—Gardens are made by heart-work!❤️
“Working in the garden gives me something beyond the enjoyment of the senses. It gives me a profound feeling of inner peace.”
“When heaven falls to earth it becomes a garden.”
—Elizabeth Murray
—Thank you John Whiting! You totally get it!! A garden has powers to shift the atmosphere.
2021 ©createdbyDEEsign. Photos by Dee Min. All rights reserved.
Thank you for joining me on this vicarious garden journey! Hope you enjoyed it.
First time to the site? Welcome! Start here👈 and for more follow the blog here👈
In creative solidarity, Dee
Sunday Photo Reflection #5: The Lady & Her Fighter
Every lady needs a fighter, a warrior, a defender of her honor
Not a page or a squire
A man of special military rank, ceremonially inducted
A mounted man-at-arms in devoted service of his lady
Bounded, is he, to chivalrous acts
An attendant and a champion true
A knight in armor
Shimmering
Ornate
Decorated
Colors jewel-bright
Spectacular fins for sword
The lady and her fighter…
Fish
2021 © createdbyDEEsign. All rights reserved.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
A Look Back at 2020: 5 Lessons
Let’s be real—2020 was a downside-up year and just about everyone couldn’t wait to get it behind us.
2020 was going to be my best year. Whereas in past years I celebrated the whole month of my birth, this year was going to be year-long celebrations. Needless to say, none of this happened nor did I dream I’d be struck down by a virus which killed over a million others. This may sound contrary, but despite all the upheavals of the year, I experienced 2020 as a year filled with teachable moments and blessings.
Looking back at 2020, these are the top 5 lessons and blessings that stood out among the many:
Lesson 1: LIFE & NOW!
I survived Covid-19 when so many others did not. Going through that experience reminded me of how fragile and fleeting life is. NOW is the only time we really have! NOW is a blessing. The past is gone, tomorrow is not guaranteed. NOW is too precious to live with regrets or resentment or without purpose and intentionality. On the flip side, 2020 was also a poignant reminder of the surety of death and a reckoning on truly knowing what it means to live. The Japanese proverbs sums it up best: “When death finds you, hope that it finds you alive”.
Lesson 2: FAMILY & FRIENDS!
2020 was a strip-down year. We were stripped down to the basics of life and it was a stark reminder that we came into this world with nothing and when we leave it will be nothing therefore placing value on things is futile. Instead, we ought to value family and friends, appreciating what they each bring to our lives and the blessing of time we are afforded to spend with them.
Lesson 3: TIME
2020 had 12 months, 42 weeks, 365 days, 8760 hours and 525600 minutes like every other year before it (except leap years), yet time seemed to have operated differently—one day rolled into the other so seamlessly it was as if a whole week was a continuous day. Because of this I was forced to be more intentional with my days, distinguishing between “working-from-home” and “working-at-home”.
2020 imposed on us the necessity of stepping aside from the hurriedness of the way we lived life before restrictions restrained our movements. We were forced to stop long enough to refill empty soul-tanks and to be okay with those phases of pause and to value them as blessings.
It was also the opportunity to come to terms with alone-time. I’m accustomed to me-time—time deliberately set aside for self-care—but 2020 imposed alone-time/isolation. This in turn forced new ways to connect which required more intentionality. Let’s face it, it’s easier “to do” than “to feel”. Throwing a party to bring loved ones together is easier “to do” than to go beyond the act of gathering “to feel” what our loved ones are experiencing. In many ways 2020 forced us “to feel”, to become more real in our relationships, that’s a blessing.
Lesson 4: PRIVILEGE!
Distinguishing between “working-from-home” and “working-at-home” meant I had the privilege of employment which in turn afforded me a home to live in, food to eat and the luxury of choice when so many others lost all these basic rights. 2020 peeled back the curtains and laid bare the levels of inequity and inequality in all spheres of our societies and most visibly in health, employment and education. And it revealed the levels of racial and social injustices as well. And, for the first time the world as a whole at the same time caught a glimpse of the collective trauma experienced in the psyche and bodies of black and brown skin people as we collectively exclaimed, “I can’t breathe”. That global reckoning and the spinoff actions to ensure inclusion, diversity, equity and equality are part of building back a better post-Covid-19 world is a blessing.
Lesson 5: … but GOD!
My most favorite word combination in the Bible is “… but God”. This two-word combination usually comes amidst the worse times in human experiences such as times of loss, death, sickness, misguidedness, failures. In those moments when you read “…but God”, you know there’s about to be a manifestation of grace and compassion.
2020 was a year where “…but God” was manifested. Amidst all that the year threw at us, it was still a year of blessings. For instance, when world leaders came to grips with the severity of this virus and one by one countries were shutdown, NATURE wasn’t! In fact, our ceasing and becoming still (aka lockdown) gave nature a bit of a reprieve. It was like a “… but God” moment.
Through it all nature kept right on giving. It was in nature where many found moments of solace. Personally I had a lot more alone times with God—I had walks by the river, did picnicking in parks, strolled through sunflower farms, vineyards and lavender fields—and I know many others also turned to the blessings of nature to enhance their wellbeing more than they had before. I’m grateful for the “…but God” blessings of 2020.
In sharing these 5 lessons in my look back at 2020, I’m also keenly and painfully aware that many find it hard to see blessings in a year where they’ve suffered loss. To those who lost loved ones to this virus, I extend my deepest condolences.
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In creative solidarity, Dee
Poems & More 