Saying "I love you" in Hebrew

Most people believe that saying I love you in a different language, other than English, is more romantic.  French's accent in je t'aime (I love you) can be a very powerful and romantic sign of affection.  Spanish often comes in second with the saying te amo.  There is, however, an even another loving affectionate way to say "I love you."  This comes from the Hebrew אני אוהב אותך, which is said Ani Ohev Ota[kh] from a man to a woman.  A woman saying "i love you" to a man would be  אני אוהבת אותך, which is said like Ani Ohevet Ot[kh]a.
The Hebrew language is like most other languages in regards to pronoun matching with the verb.  In this case, if you (a man) want to say I love you to a woman, the verb takes on a masculine ending, which actually nothing is added to the word.  When a feminine ending is added, the verb either takes on a "t" or "h" sound at the end of the verb. 
The same goes with the pronoun "you."  Except, the pronouns here take on a possession.  The person "I" is the one loving "you," which then adds a possessive pronoun to the end of the word- this is called an enclitic pronoun.  For the masculine enclitic pronoun a "kha" sound is added, whereas a "kh" is added when saying it so a woman.
Hope this was helpful and will provide you another means to say I love you to that special someone in your life :).

Living a Life of Justice

Early on this week I read the comic Batman: Earth One.  It really was a great comic book, but something stuck out at me.  In the comic, James Gordons character was portrayed as someone who gave up on changing the world.  He came into law enforcement hoping to make a drastic change on the city of Gotham, except he got nowhere and gave up.  This illustration reminds me of the practice of the church that has sought out early on to change the world.  Yet, they have given up in search for an individualistic search of God.  Church is to be a community of believers that seeks to live in a world of suffering and pain that even suffers alongside the world.

Searching through the story of Scripture, a picture of justice is painted by the early Old Testament prophets that is even displayed by the ministry of Jesus Christ.  This picture is the foundation for which the church lives for.  Another crucial aspect that is often misunderstood is that church is not done alone.  Through community, the church begins to practice true ministry.

A biblical representative for this picture is Micah who speaks to God's very people by telling them that God will be silent to them.  But, why?  We ask this question today as well.  Why does God continue to ignore the needs of a hurting world?  Does God not love, or cherish His own creation?  I believe He does, and so does Micah.  God only ignores the peoples cry for help because they themselves have not taken seriously the call to live a life of justice.  It is horrible to say, but the church has sometimes so ignored the call to live lives of justice that He even ignores us today!

I am a person that really loves the church and I love my home church as well.  I believe that many churches do good things and understand an live the way God calls them to live.  However, there is a growing sense that the call to justice is radically misunderstood in order to gain possessions and economic stability instead of a life of justice.

One scholar, who I particularly enjoy, is Walter Brueggemann.  In his book, Prophetic Imagination, he looks at the Old Testament and Jesus' ministry to see how they live with justice as their theme.  Brueggemann's book reveals a sense of suffering alongside those who are hurting.  Suffering involves listening, being a part of their lives, and willing to give of yourself to that person.  This does not mean giving every single possession to the poor.  Although, this may help us make wiser decisions in life in what we buy. 

By living in such a way that cares for one another, we become a community.  A community that seeks to provide for the needs of others, and even oneself.  Meetings ones own needs carefully and seeking guidance from the community helps give of ourselves to others in the community.  The community begins to live off one another by caring and loving each other.

There are many ways to begin living this way.  Maybe, begin by inviting neighbors, or people at church that you have never socialized with and just get to know them.  Seek to understand others and be willing to show that you care for them.  For a community is what the church is created for, and that is how the church must begin to live.

Meditating on God's Word with sadness- A message from Psalm 1

I hear a lot from people that God's Word is to make you happy.  That when you read God's Word that you will get this sudden urge of happiness and all things in the world will suddenly make sense.  Except, not many times do people finish reading the Bible, and rejoice that there is sin in the world.  We do not read that the disciples were very excited about Jesus’ death on the cross.  Neither do the Psalms portray a person that has everything together.  Many of the Psalms are a lament of King David as he cries out to God for help.  Psalm 1 portrays an image of what the reading the Bible does involve, and that is from the word “meditate.”

Psalm 1 is the first Psalm that is usually the starting point for people who want to begin reading the Psalms (and sometimes that is as far as we get).  It is very easy to read this Psalm and say that everything seems all right here.  The Psalmist is not crying out to God or pleading for help from his enemies.  Instead, the Psalmist writes about delighting in God’s law.  That seems like a simple Psalm to me.  However, there is deeper meaning behind this Psalm that conveys a sense of pain and sadness.

The word “meditate” gives a sense of ponder and reflection.  This word seems to convey some type of prayer that seeks to see God in the text.  I believe this word still does that, but this word means more than that.  The Hebrew word for “meditate” is hgh which can mean to mutter, moan, or moan with pain.  Now, why would the Psalmist use this word to convey only a sense of meditation?

Meditation, here, may show what it really means to reflect on a passage.  As we meditate on a passage of Scripture, we are to seek to understand its meaning.  We are to seek the God who is speaking to us.  When we pray, we are to seek sadness, but to seek a relationship with God.  For, we are broken people searching for the God who created us and loves us.  That should alone compel us to weep every day because without the breath of God we cannot live.

This Psalm reveals to us the nature of seeking God.  We are to seek God with everything that we have.  We are to be open to the text, as well as be honest about ourselves before God.  Prayer involves giving everything to God.  The Psalmist writes this word “meditate” to show that we are to be honest with ourselves and with God with our lives.  To moan when we hurt, to rejoice when we are happy, and to seek fervently the God who created our very being.