Christmas Time

I miss what Christmas used to be. A time spent with family, gathered around the table eating a meal lovingly prepared by several members. This time of year just hasn't been the same for me since, well, the 1990s. I mean, yea when I was a kid it was about the presents. But let's face it, mom had to come up with some pretty interesting hiding places to keep me from snooping and finding them. I always found them. I always knew what we were getting before they were even wrapped and under the tree...until she started leaving them at her friends' homes, lol. But at some point it became about time with my family. Whether there was snow on the ground or not, I didn't care. I just wanted Christmas morning to arrive so we could pile in the car and head to grandma's!

Grandma went to heaven in 1993. Christmas has never been the same.

The family started doing their own things. Aunts and uncles became grandparents and turned their attention to their grandchildren (rightly so). And the family just kinda stopped being a family at Christmas time.

When I moved back to Florida in 2006, I was building relationships with my dad's side of the family, as an adult. We would either go to my uncle's and spend Christmas with them or to granny's to spend it with her. We eventually started spending this family day with my sister and her family: step-mom, nephews, granny, cousin, aunt and uncle. Well, when dad went to heaven in 2012 this too seemed to slow down. Sure, my cousins would invite me over. 

But it just hasn't been the same.

I long for a time when I can have a proper home (not this dinky single-wide trailer I call a home) and open it up to family for Christmas. To gather them around my table and have a meal, lovingly prepared by several members of my family. And of course, to exchange gifts and watch the excitement in the grandchildren's (grand niece's and nephew's in my case) eyes!

I pray that God will continue to bless me in that this can come to fruition.

Fear Leads to Life

Recently, I decided to do Bible roulette. Not the typical way I read the Bible, but I felt the need to just let God guide me this time. Anyway, after saying a prayer I opened my Bible to see what I needed to read that morning. It opened to Proverbs 19:23.

"The fear of the Lord leads to life, an he who has it will abide in satisfaction; 

He will not be visited with evil." (NKJV)

Of course, the version I read was the NIV:

"The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble."

But after looking at a few translations, I found the NKJV was the one I preferred. I think because of the word "evil" being used.

So, I then decided to do a quick word study and looked up the following words: fear, life, satisfaction, abide. Here's what I found:

fear (Hebrew = yir'ah) - reverence

life (Hebrew = chay) - alive

satisfaction

• this word gave me some difficulty as the Strong's only showed  2 occurrences in the book of Numbers. So I went a little further and found another word.
• satisfied (Hebrew = wabea (saw-bay'-ah)) - satiated
• of course I then looked up satiated (Hebrew = ravah) - make drunk; fill; soak

abide (Hebrew - lun liyn (loon leen)) - continue; dwell; endure

So from this I got the following:

Reverence of the Lord leads to being alive; and he who has it will continue to be satiated;

He will not be visited with evil.

I am finding that by doing word studies the Bible begins to make better sense to me as I read it. After watching "The War Room" (for the second time), I realise that I need to be more studious in my reading of the Word. I need to read the parallel verses. I need to do word studies. I want and need to be ALIVE in Christ.

Maybe I should let Him guide me ALWAYS!

What's in a name?

I began reading Exodus again yesterday. Yes, again! I lost my place so I started over. Is that silly or what? Nah!!

Anyway, I didn't make it past verse 5 in the first chapter! D'oh!! I couldn't get past the names for some reason. So it made me think "Why are names so important in the Bible anyway?" I began to do a little research on each of the names of Jacob's sons. There was: "Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher." (Exodus 1:2-4, NKJV). I looked up the meanings of each name.

Reuben = behold, a son
Simeon = obedient; listening
Levi = attached or pledged
Judah = praised
Issachar = reward; recompense
Zebulun = to honour; to dwell (zaval) or gift; dowry (zeved)
Benjamin (hebrew: Binyamin)= "son of the right hand" or "son of the south"
          (this one is interesting because he was originally named Ben-oni, which means "son or my  
          pain")
Dan = judgment; he judged
Naphtali = wrestling; my struggle
Gad = fortune; luck
Asher = happy; blessed
Joseph = may he add

It's been said that people tend to live up to the meaning of their name. I can see where this is true in Levi as he became the father of the priestly tribe. Benjamin, or Ben-Oni, too as his mother died shortly after his birth.

Think about the name you were given. Have you lived up to its meaning? My name is Julie Ann and according to www.biblical-baby-names.com, Julie means "soft-haired", "youthful" and is Latin for Julia (which I have been called as well.). Julia can be found in the Bible in Romans 16:15. Ann means "grace" and is a derivative of Anna (Greek) or Hannah (Hebrew); found in Luke 2:36, 37. I can say that my hair is not that soft, I do appear youthful, and grace, well it's a work in progress, lol.

How to Read the Bible

What is the best way to read the Bible? Do you start at Genesis and read through Revelation? Or do you follow a specific plan such as Matthew 24, Daniel and Revelation to understand better End Times? Maybe there's a better way. No matter how you read the Bible, you should do just that: read the Bible. Study the Bible. Learn the origins of words that may have been taken slightly out of context through several translations.

Oh, and find the Bible version that best works for you.

Personally, I enjoy the New International Version (NIV) and the King James Version (KJV). The KJV because I love the sound of the words in old English. We don't speak with thou's, thy's and thine's anymore, so it can be a bit more challenging at first. Have you ever read Shakespeare? Yeah, it's something like that. I also am prone to read the New King James Version (NKJV). The idea is to find a version that hasn't removed verses because we have to face it, some versions are incomplete.

Here is a list of some of the more popular versions:

• King James
• New King James
• American Standard
• New International
• New Living Translation
• The Message
• Amplified

So, as I begin to read Exodus - because let's face it, sometimes you just have to start at the beginning - I will try to write encouraging thoughts from my readings. I will try to get on this blog more often and hopefully get to a point where I am on it daily - as the title says "Just Julie Daily".

Even angels long...

What things do the angels long to look into according to 1 Peter 1:12b?

"Even the angels long to look into these things."

There are many things I long to look into. Especially things pertaining to my salvation and eternal home in heaven. I fall short on a daily basis. Something I am all too aware of. Yet no matter how short I fall, Jesus is right there to pick me up.

So, I wonder if all of the things I suffer in life are preparing me for that life. It seems like a lot when I am going through the storm, but I have to stop and remember what Jesus did, on that day, on the cross, for me.

Vacation

I've been on vacation for the past week and it's been somewhat refreshing. Somewhat emotional.

My niece graduated high school, magna cum laude, and I couldn't be more proud of her!

Michael (the proud papa), Ariel, and me.

Now she has a few weeks before she heads off to college.

I went to church with one of my aunts on Sunday. I enjoy going with her. Although I do feel like I am at a concert during their worship service, lol.

I have been reading I Peter; well my church is doing a series on it this month and I am reading it on my own in addition... The letters are interesting indeed. One thing that struck me in my reading this week is the following verse:

"...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house,

 a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices 

acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

- 1 Peter 2:5 -

I like to think that as I continue to grow I am being built up in Christ. I find that I am able to better speak about the Word, as was evidenced this week while visiting with family. I was able to add to a conversation and feel like it made a difference. 

RIP my little Abu

It's been a rough couple of weeks around here. On Monday, April 18th my little Abu passed away unexpectedly. He was his normal frisky, spastic self that morning. Shortly after 7 am, he scratched at the bathroom door (as he always did to get in) and then I heard a thud. When I opened the door to let him in he was laying there, lifeless. Needless to say, I was beside myself in hysterics. My poor bf, I woke him to my screaming for Abu to wake up.

Abu - April 24, 2011 to April 18, 2016 - RIP Little Buddy

Let me work back a little. I have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). I've had it since my time in the Navy. It is non-combat related, but very real. And very scary. That said, I have had cats almost my entire life. I have had cats die whether due to age, illness, or cars. I have never reacted the way I did when Abu died. My heart broke!

Now I have one cat again, a 7 year old named Sandy. I've had her since she was around 12 weeks old. Abu was nearly 5; raised by me since around 8 weeks old. They were buddies. Best buddies! Sandy took to him within hours of introducing them. She was his "momma". She's been taking it well, to say the least.

So, now I am moving on from the grief I felt. I am getting back to myself again (also recovering from a stomach bug I had this week). And looking to maybe getting a kitten for Sandy later in the summer. We'll see. For now, I just want to love on her as much as she will let me.