Based on [Daniel 1:4], describe the kinds of Israelites the king ordered Ashpenaz to bring to Babylon according to the following categories: Family background: “royal family, nobility”Age and appearance: “young men without any physical defect, handsome”Intellectual capacities: “showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand” How long were they to beContinue reading “from Rachel: The Power of Training”
Tag Archives: childhood
It Could Happen in Any Neighborhood, Now
Dearest Rachel – I’ve been meaning to write out the usual stipend to Twofeathers ever since the holiday weekend marked the turn from one month to the next. I admit that I’m nowhere near as faithful – or should I say punctual – as I was when it came to paying the mortgage to yourContinue reading “It Could Happen in Any Neighborhood, Now”
from Rachel: They Have Not Prevailed
Psalm 18:19 paints a very different picture of life with God as our Deliverer. What image does it use to contrast with oppression? “being brought to a spacious place” It’s testimony time. In what way would you say God has brought you out of oppression into a spacious place? “I haven’t faced much oppression, butContinue reading “from Rachel: They Have Not Prevailed”
from Rachel: To Be Beautiful
List the four girlish dreams in our lesson yesterday. Place a check beside each of the dreams you remember having as a little girl. 1. “to be a bride 2. “to be beautiful √3. “to be fruitful 4. “to live happily ever after √” “As a child I knew other children who couldn’t wait toContinue reading “from Rachel: To Be Beautiful”
from Rachel: Hearts Broken by Betrayal
Write your own paraphrase of Psalm 119:92. “If I hadn’t had Your Word to cling to, my troubles would’ve been the death of me.” Read Psalm 55:1-11. How would you describe David’s frame of mind at this point in his life? “Beleaguered; overwhelmed by feelings of fear and of castigation by everyone around him” WithoutContinue reading “from Rachel: Hearts Broken by Betrayal”
from Rachel: Hearts Broken in Childhood
List every piece of evidence you can find to support the statement: “Christ loves children” He called a little child to stand among them. He said we must become like them to enter heaven. He said those humble like children are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. If we welcome a little child inContinue reading “from Rachel: Hearts Broken in Childhood”
from Rachel: Baby’s First Year Calendar
Dearest Rachel – Thirty years ago this evening, I came home to find you standing in the tub, mildly perplexed, with water running down your leg. Unlike your mom, you hadn’t had some sort of catastrophic breaking of your water; indeed, it was so minimal that you assumed it was no more than a prematureContinue reading “from Rachel: Baby’s First Year Calendar”
Not What I Intended
Dearest Rachel – You just never know the sort of things that will stick with you; the smallest throwaway line heard in childhood may nestle in the back of your mind and serve as a guide from time to time whether you want it to or not. I don’t know how your parents kept youContinue reading “Not What I Intended”
O Tempora! O Morales!
Dearest Rachel – While I might have considered Macomb to have been a tiny little backwater town even before I met you, it had plenty of advantages for you that wouldn’t have existed in your average backwater little town. What with the university being the main ‘industry’ of the town, there were cultural opportunities availedContinue reading “O Tempora! O Morales!”
from Rachel: The Library in Your Mind
Pour yourself a cup of coffee (ha!) and turn to Psalm 103. What did the psalmist say to his soul in verse 2? “Bless the Lord“Forget none of His benefits” What do you think makes the difference between the memories becoming friends or foes? “Which ones we dwell on, what effect they have on us,Continue reading “from Rachel: The Library in Your Mind”
A Second Adolescence
Dearest Rachel – It’s been long said that senility and dementia result in something that is referred to as a ‘second childhood’. You no longer know the things you used to know, so you’re about as ignorant and helpless as you were as a little child. You remember how this was, especially with your mom’sContinue reading “A Second Adolescence”
from Rachel: I Just Want Everyone to Love Me
Anyone else want to join me here? “Yep, I have belonged to the ‘just love me’ club too.” Looks like you agreed with the author that you are conflict-avoidant, risk-averse, and easily pushed (although you preferred the term ‘manipulated,’ for all the difference it made). You did not consider yourself easily-bullied, work-yourself-into-oblivion, or a bigContinue reading “from Rachel: I Just Want Everyone to Love Me”
A Tourist in Toyland
Dearest Rachel – Since I’ve either a.) been out of the country, or b.) shopping from home (or c.) both a. and b., thanks to the fact that I can shop online from anywhere, including a hotel in Switzerland), I haven’t been hearing a lot of Christmas music this year. It’s a bit of aContinue reading “A Tourist in Toyland”
The Sands of Ho-Na-Lee
Dearest Rachel – There are some days, darling, when I admit that there isn’t much to write to you about. Nothing much is happening, I don’t find myself inspired, and I find myself forcing myself – rather against Jan’s advice – to send you something simply for the sake of sending you something. This isn’tContinue reading “The Sands of Ho-Na-Lee”
Letters to Rachel 