Author Archives: Becky Pliego

About Becky Pliego

I am grateful because God, in His grace, called me out of darkness and into his admirable light. When I did not look for Him, He found me. When I was in a pit of sin, He rescued me. I am not walking this road alone, my family is always with me, and we love Him, because He loved us first.

Celebrating the Excellencies of His Name – Jealous, by Elizabeth DeBarros–

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Cast but a Glance, a poem by Elizabeth DeBarros

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Cast but a glance, not your pearls.
♦
How do I rend my heart
When I’ve only ever given garments?
—Far lesser things I might have afforded
If ‘twere not for chastening Divine.
♦
Mourning dove,
covered in ash;
thy bruisings go deep.
♦
O, Steady Hand, go before me,
Severe Mercy, perform your alien work.
When
 Despair set low her bolts and bars
She blinded my eyes, thrust me asunder.
My spirit flagged, the flesh gave out.
By taking strength from other gods,
—‘twas Thee I had refused.
Now
I am caught; shorn,
listless from the winds and damp.
These markings — where did they come from?
Look away!
“It’s too hard, I must deserve this.”
But ev’n tears are cleansed of boasting
in Thy Presence.
♦
Canst thou hear Me singing?
Peer through the lock,
Thy vigorous captors are no more.
Arise,
Heaven’s flames extinguished, Fury’s quenched at last!
Lift up thine eyes; look about—
 ‘It is finished’
See!
—Cerulean skies; the temps are fair.
Thus
As My love, so My scars,
I AM
and ever shall be
Jealous
That My dwelling be found in thee.
Elizabeth DeBarros © 2011
For further meditation
 Joel 2:13; Isaiah 38:14; Zephaniah 3:17; Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 53:10-12
 Isaiah 63:4-6; John 19:30; Revelation 1:5; Exodus 34:14; Exodus 15:13; Ezekiel 37:27

About the Author: Between homeschooling and homemaking, Elizabeth DeBarros finds time to study theology, laugh with friends, and share the love of God to as many she meets. At Finding the Motherlode she writes to honor God by sharing her observations, meditations, and on rare occasion, her poetry. She resides in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in Northern Virginia with her beloved husband, two sons, and their new kitten.

*****Have you entered your name for this week’s book giveaway? ****

Celebrating the Excellencies of His Name

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For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

This is the season of the year when we purposely meditate on the coming of this child, Jesus. It is a time of great joy because we know that He has come to save His own and our natural response as Christians is to praise Him. To celebrate all of who He is.

During this Advent season, we want to invite you to join us in considering and celebrating the excellencies of the names of our Lord. We want to see Him fully, closer as if to say; we long to know Him better, to worship and love Him more. And we will do this by studying His names. Each of His names, reveals part of Jesus’ identity; each name tells us something about the One who has come to us;  each one tells us of His majesty, His Divinity, His purpose. Each one of His names “possess profound significance and unfading glory” (1) . Oh that we may know Him more!

Octavius Winslow says,

“Each title embodies a distinct meaning and illustrates a particular truth, the significance and preciousness of which the Holy Spirit can alone unfold and the believing heart alone appreciate…. the titles of our Lord are wonderful.”

John Flavel says,

“The titles of Christ are so many motives or arguments fitted to persuade men to come unto him.”

William S. Plumer says,

“Jesus Christ is a wonderful, a glorious person. His names and titles are as important as they are significant. Every one of them is as ointment poured forth. His people sit under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit is sweet to their taste. To them He is altogether lovely.”

Dear friends, let us pray that this Advent we may be drawn closer to Him, that our faith may be strengthen as we see all that He is as revealed in the Scriptures, and in His names and titles; Oh that we may be drawn by the Spirit of God to praise Him even more.

And to open this series I would like to give you a book (I wish I could give each one you, dear Readers one), The Unexpected Jesus: The Truth Behind His Biblical Names by R.C. Sproul. Please leave a comment letting me know that you wish to enter this giveaway. (The winner will be announced Saturday, December 10)

Praising Jesus, our Everlasting King!

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Thanks to my friend Rachel who has contributed to this series with her beautiful photography and creativity by making the beautiful header image. Thank you, Rachel!

Make sure to visit and follow her photography blog and her blog with yummy recipes.

Find the index of this series here.

Morning Dedication – That I may See All things In the Mirror of Eternity–

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©Katie Lloyd Photography. Used with permission.

ALMIGHTY GOD,
As I cross the threshold of this day
I commit myself, soul, body, affairs, friends, to thy care;
Watch over, keep, guide, direct, sanctify, bless me.
Incline my heart to thy ways;
Mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter form clay;
May my lips be a well tuned harp to sound thy praise;
Let those around see me living by the Spirit,
                                        trampling the world underfoot,
                                        unconformed to lying vanities,
                                        transformed by a renewed mind,
                                        clad in the entire armour of God,
                                        shinning as a never-dimmed light,
                                        showing holiness in all my doings.

Let no evil this day soil my thoughts, words, hands.
May i travel miry paths with a life pure from spot or stain.
In needful transactions let my affection be in heaven,
     and my love soar upwards in flames of fire,
     my gaze fixed on unseen things,
     my eyes open to the emptiness, fragility,
        mockery of earth and its vanities.

May I view all things in the mirror of eternity,
     waiting for the coming of my Lord,
     listening for the last trumpet call,
     hastening unto the new heaven and earth.

Order this day all my communications according to thy wisdom,
and to gain of mutual good.

Forbid that I should not be profited or made profitable.

May I speak each word as if my last word,
     and walk each step as my final one.

If my life should end today, let this be my best day.

From the Valley of Vision

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Grateful For His Coming

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Annie Pliego Photography

I love Advent season, the expectation, the taking apart a time in our life to consider His coming, to meditate on the meaning of the Incarnation, on the Alpha and Omega, the Promised Savior, on His coming, His Birth, His life, His death.  During this season the books you see on my nightstand, (and in my purse and my car) are books that draw my attention to this event. I want to fully and intentionally live this season considering the miracle, the mystery of God taking the form of a man, setting aside all His royalty, dressed in humility, and take the form of a servant, making himself obedient even to the point of death, and death of the cross.

That is why our home’s decoration changes dramatically, a big tree in the living room (are you serious?), lights, Christmas ornaments hanging from the walls, the table cloth, the napkins, all changes because it is a way for us to be reminded of the all the dramatic changes that happen in our lives when He comes to us. These changes cannot be hidden, they are to be noticed. He has come, the shadow is no longer there, we see Jesus fulfilling every prophetic word in the Old Testament, the so long-expected Messiah has come to save His own. Oh what a blessed day! 

Yesterday was the First Sunday in Advent and as I was reading a sermon by Martin Luther, I was again brought to one of those moments in which you can’t do otherwise but give thanks, abundant thanks: Jesus came to us, He came, and we cannot do anything to win His favor, His grace, we only respond to His calling to us, to His coming, His intrusion into our lives (because He is not a “gentlemen that will never force us” like many say), He comes and breaks our wills and drag us to Himself. Isn’t this amazing? When we loved sin, and darkness, and were sons of the devil, He comes and gives us the gift of faith to respond like Mary did,  “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

Luther says,

“Everything that faith works in you comes from Him, not from you; and where He does not come, you remain outside; and where there is no Gospel, there is no God, but only sin and damnation…therefore you should not ask, where to begin to be godly; there is no beginning, except where the King enters and is proclaimed.”

This is a wonderful time to share the Gospel, to proclaim among our neighbors that He has come, that Jesus came to save His own, He came not in wrath, or to demand a debt, like Luther says. He came to draw us to Him, to deliver us from the slavery in which we lived. Oh what a time is this, to proclaim that He has come, that Salvation has come, that our Redeemer lives! Let us not lay back, let our light shine and preach the Gospel while we still have time.

For these I am grateful today,

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This week, starting on Thursday December 1st,  some of my friends and I will start a new series for the season: Celebrating the Excellencies of His Name.  Would you consider joining us?

Related Posts:

Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord (Christmas is not celebrating “Jesus’ Birthday)
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord (Gifts We Bring by Elizabeth Debarros)
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord (A Read Aloud for Little Ones)
Celebrating the Incarnation of Our Lord (part IV)
Celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord (Epiphany)

Saying Grace

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“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” –G. K. Chesterton

#1442- 1464

I say grace when…

We are welcomed at the airport by wonderful friends.

When I hug my son and see his eyes.

When I see my children hugging each other, and friends smiling and joy is overflowing.

When I see the wonderful family of God that loves us and welcomes us with a warm heart; what a gift!

When an honorable young man gives me my lost cell-phone (I dropped it on the snow-covered street, and did not notice until few hours later!)

When two little girls play for hours, and hours and hours.

When we feel at home at our friends’ home.

When we have apple-puffed pancake for breakfast.

When it snows, and I am feeling my son’s embrace.

When brothers meet and laughter is present.

Our oldest is standing on a hill, they are about the same height (a note to those who know them personally)

I give thanks when snow seems to be falling only for us.

 

I give thanks when snow falls and the girls play and forget to eat (and remember how hungry they are when they start making “ice-cream” with the snow)

When I hear the bagpipes…

Ad visit our friends in their farm: Oh, how much they teach us!

When yummy bread is out of the oven, ready to serve as potato soup bowl.

I give thanks for a dear friend that is an inspiration.

I give grace for great food, great company, great friends.

Isn’t this beautiful? Helping hands, little chefs, willing to help, ready to serve. I give thanks for them.

I give thanks when we are granted moments that turn into beautiful memories.

 

When we find a place on the table to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family in Spokane, WA.

I give thanks when I hear laughter in the kitchen over “mid-night snacks”

I give thanks for all of my friends who are praying through The Valley of Vision with me.

I give thanks when I miss my Beloved Husband and I count the days to be in his arms again (less than three days!)

I give thanks when is late at night and I go to bed and think to myself: God is good indeed!

May we abound in thanksgiving and singing; may we learn to give thanks in all.

 

Thanks to my daughter for letting me use some of her pictures for this post.

Praying the Psalms -Psalm 18-

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Read the whole Psalm 18 here.

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

Lord, my LORD, my Strength, Rock of Ages, my Jesus,
I love you, I love you, I love you.
These words are the marrow of my Christian walk.
Help me to remember that every book I read, every sermon I listen to
are not so that I get know more, just for the sake of knowing more,
but to know YOU more and understand YOU more,
and love YOU more and more.
If I knew all doctrines, and had all the discernment,
and all my theological views were correct,
but I failed to love you, I would be doomed.

Oh Lord, help us not to love more reading about You,
than being with You in prayer.
Help us not to love more reading books about You,
than reading Your book, the Holy Bible.

Lord, You are my strength, my rock,
my fortress, my deliverer, my rock in whom I take refuge.
You have brought me to this safe place only because it pleased You
to rescue me from the bondage of sin.
How can I not love You with all that is in me?
How can I not be forever grateful for your Grace, for having compassion on me?
How can I fail not to praise You if it has pleased You to save me from my enemies?

Oh how I love You, LORD!
If in my distress I called your name,
and you heard me.
When I cry to You, you always incline your ear and hear my prayer,
when I do not know how to pray your Spirit helps me pray according to your will,
when I fall, Jesus, my Mediator, intercedes for me.
Thank you, Lord because it pleases you to hear my voice from your temple,
thank you because my cry to You reaches your ears,
because my prayers are not in vain. (v.6)

Forgive me, Lord, when I am not merciful,
when I am prideful,
when I do not act as a Christian.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from all iniquities,
that I may love You with a clean heart,
that I may be humble before you and my brothers and sisters.

Lord, I love You because You have enlightened my path,
because you have given us Your Word as a lamp unto our feet,
a light unto our path.
You are good to us, that have given your children eyes to see,
and ears to hear in this world in which many times is not easy
to see and hear clearly.

God, your ways are perfect, all of them,
Your Word proves True.
You are a shield to those who take refuge in You;
Help me, help me to love your Word, Your ways,
more than anything else.
Help me to run to you in my distress,
knowing that only in You will I find refuge.
Oh how I love you, Lord!

Who is God but You?
Who is a rock, except our God?
I love you, because you have cleansed me by the blood of the Lamb,
You have made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me.
Oh, how I love You, Lord!
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
How can I not love You with all my heart?

Lord, as I face my enemies, my sinful habits,
sinful desires, sinful thoughts this week, remind me that
in Jesus, you have equipped me with strength for the battle;
that you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You, Oh LORD live, blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—

For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
For all these I love you and will love you
forever more!

Amen