Oceans will Part by Hillsong Lyrics

If my heart has grown cold
There Your love will unfold
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
When I’m blind to my way
There Your Spirit will pray
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of Your call
Hope will rise glory shone
In my life Your will be done

Present suffering may pass
Lord Your mercy will last
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
And my heart will find praise
I’ll delight in Your way
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Oceans will part nations come
At the whisper of your call
Hope will rise glory shone

Writing Reviews for Plays, Shows, Theatre, etc. Review Example:

I found myself having to write a review on a play for my English class. The last time I had to write a review for something I watched was in middle school. I looked for examples of what would be appropriate but also qualified to hand in as a high school student in senior AP English. Here are the reviews I found:


The Story: Family patriarch Max lives in perpetual struggle for supremacy with his two grown sons, Lenny and Joey and his brother Sam in a run-down part of London in the 1960’s. Their fragile but dysfunctional apple cart is upset by the arrival of Max’s eldest son, Teddy, and his wife Ruth, home after living in America for six years.

 “Pinteresque” is a phrase used to describe typical features of Harold Pinter’s plays; dramatic pauses, black comedy, an absurd story, repeated phrases that seem to mean more than they appear. A Pinter play is as much about what is not said as is spoken.

A Pinter play is not light fare; Max and his sons are not The Waltons, this is not your feel-good kind of story. Unless your own life looks better by comparison, you are not apt to exit this play feeling very good about the human condition.  Even The Grapes of Wrath – depressing as it is – leaves you with the life-affirming knowledge that the characters will soldier on, in pursuit of something better. With The Homecoming, you just hope you never run across people like these characters and that they never procreate.

This story is for those who like examining people’s unspoken motivations. It is a marvelous play to study; to delve into, pick apart its meanings, dissect characters, to examine themes. It is not a play one enjoys watching.

Not that the direction is not crisp or the acting sharp. Jennifer Tarver has a knack with the darkly humorous, there is no doubt about that. Aaron Krohn makes Lenny into a sociopath – menacing one moment, charming the next; Cara Ricketts is an enigmatic, shrewd Ruth; Stephen Ouimette’s Sam is a gentleman out of place among predators, both haunted by and reveling in secrets. As portrayed by Mike Shara, Teddy is strangely apart but still very much one of Max’s son’s, and Ian Lake turns Joey into an animalistic man-boy.  As their father Max, Brian Dennehy is at his best when quietly bullying, switching gears from intimidating to nostalgic as fast as Lenny changes from charming to snaky.  

But as good as the direction and performers are, it is not a play one can enjoy watching. The characters are cruel or at best aloof. The comedy is of the uncomfortable kind, the laughs generated by pitiless insults and emotional abuse, rather than any genuine mirth. It is a joyless story, the characters remorseless, the action callous. 

Watch The Homecoming forearmed with knowledge of the play for best results; Robert Cushman provides a fine analysis of the play’s themes in his review. The Homecoming continues until October 30 in repertory at the Avon Theatre. 

reviewsbyrobyn.blogspot.com

Sunday, 14 August, 2011 reviews.robyn.blogspot.com

Members of the Misanthrope cast. Photo by Cylla Von Tiedmann

The Misanthrope

By Moliere; translation by Richard Wilbur

Directed by David Grindley

Featuring Ben Carlson, Sara Topham, Martha Farell, Juan Chioran, Kelli Fox

The Story: Alceste is fed up with the two-faced nature of everyone at court, and is resolved to leave mankind behind to live like a hermit where he is free to speak the unvarnished truth. Unfortunately for him, he happens to be in love with one of the falsest creatures on earth, the charming coquette Célimène. When Alceste’s brutal honesty lands him in trouble with the law, and Célimène’s behaviour gets her censured in public, these two opposites may have a chance to attract – but can either of them bend enough to accept the others’ faults?

Director David Grindley was last at Stratford to direct the punk-rock-n-roll Midsummer Night’s Dream of 2009. In that production he gave the play a fresh, almost wild look; in directing Moliere’s The Misanthrope in 2011 however, he stepped back and set it in the Rococco period, roughly 100 years after the Baroque play was penned. This means that this very talky play has little action, but a lot of style.

The set, designed by John Lee Beatty, is a veritable chocolate box of gilding, drapery and light. And the costumes! Robin Fraser Payne’s designs must have take the wardrobe department a year’s worth of work to stitch, and in particular the dress worn by Sara Topham is a frothy confection of pink ruffles, bows and flounces, that could have been lifted straight from The Swing, a 1767 painting by Jean-Honore Fragonard. (Not that the other women’s dresses and men’s multi-layered suits are anything to sneeze at either.)

The acting is anything but frothy, even thought the tone remains light. As Alceste, the Misanthrope of the title, Ben Carlson is as masterful with Moliere as he is with Shakespeare, turning translator Richard Wilbur’s rhyming couplets – which could sound like Dr. Seuss in many actors’ mouths – into everyday conversation. He takes Alceste from rage to heartbreak without ever missing a beat, and one does feel the truth and conviction of the character at every turn.

Sara Topham as Celemine, Ben Carlson as Alceste.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

Alceste’s love interest, Célimène, is played with both fire and wide-eyed – but false - sweetness by Sara Topham. She shows Célimène to be immature with her petulant rages, but with a slowly dawning realization that she may have gone too far with her behaviour. She also gives as good as she gets, taking on both her rival Arsinoé and her lover Alceste and often getting the better of them. Ms. Topham and Mr. Carlson share one fantastically stormy scene which is riveting in its passion, humour and sweetness.

Kelli Fox as Arsinoe.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

Alas, Alceste’s ‘radical honesty’ and Célimène’s gossipy slander is no more popular in 1666 as it is in 2011. When the two lovers finally part, the audience witnesses two hearts breaking.  

The other actors are equally strong in their performances; Kelli Fox makes Arsinoé a pleasure to dislike, as does Steve Ross and Trent Pardy in their roles as the simpering courtiers Clitandre and Acaste – Mr. Pardy’s Acaste is particularly glittering and mean. Not to be outdone, Peter Hutt takes Oronte’s foppishness down a notch and replaces it with a shade of chilly malevolence.   Robert King, Brian Tree and Brigit Wilson are wasted in their small roles, although Mr. Tree makes the most of the inarticulate Dubois .

Martha Farrell as Eliante.
Photo: Cylla Von Tiedmann

As for the true lovers in the play, as Philinte Juan Chioran is at his best when imitating a raging Alceste and exchanging knowing looks with Eliante; played by Martha Farrell, Eliante becomes not just the steady voice of reason, but also a lively woman entirely capable of throwing palpable sparks at Alceste (it is not her fault that it is Philinte who catches fire for her).

All in all, this is a classily acted and designed production of a classic play that is a pleasure to hear and see. It continues at the Festival Theatre until October 29 in repertory.

A Leader Engages the Lost...

A Leader Engages the Lost...
I’m pretty much a type-A personality. I am the photo editor of The Harvard Crimson,
a member of the Freshman Advisory Board, and helped launch DREAM, a studentrun
weekly mentoring program with children from a local housing complex. Although
I enjoy being part of many activities, it’s hard to let go and let God take the lead.
Through Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) Bible Courses, the mentoring of
the ministry staff, and discussions with fellow students, I’ve learned how to prayerfully
discern how to invest my time. A recent leadership opportunity was the summer
reading program sponsored by HCFA, which enabled Christian and atheist students to
dialogue about two books, Atheist Delusions and The God Delusion. Through this
engagement, HCFA members were able to dispel commonly held stereotypes about
Christianity and share the most important truth there is, the Gospel, to a largely
unbelieving, skeptical audience. This project reminded me of how important it is for
Christian students to take a leadership role on campus.
— Emily Lowe, Harvard '14

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 8:38-39 NLT

Titus 2:11-14For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Colossians 1 Greetings from Paul 1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.   2 We are writing to God's holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters* in Christ.   May God our Father give you grace and peace. Paul's Thanksgiving and Prayer 3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people,5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.   6 This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.   7 You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ's faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.*8 He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.   9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.   11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,*12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,14 who purchased our freedom* and forgave our sins. Christ Is Supreme 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.   He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,* 16 for through him God created everything   in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see   and the things we can't see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.   Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else,   and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church,   which is his body. He is the beginning,   supreme over all who rise from the dead.*   So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness   was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through him God reconciled   everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth   by means of Christ's blood on the cross.   21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.   23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it. Paul's Work for the Church 24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God's people.27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.   28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect* in their relationship to Christ.29 That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.
Footnotes:
1:2 Greek faithful brothers.
1:7 Or he is ministering on your behalf; some manuscripts read he is ministering on our behalf.
1:11 Or all the patience and endurance you need with joy.
1:14 Some manuscripts add with his blood.
1:15 Or He is the firstborn of all creation.
1:18 Or the firstborn from the dead.
1:28 Or mature.

Our worth in His eyes is based on the character of our life and the qualities that He develops as we commit our life to Him.

10 Lies College Students Hear about God by Richard Ochs

Lie #1: In order to believe the Bible one must commit intellectual suicide.

The reason the Bible is ridiculed by many so-called "intellectuals" today is that their hearts are morally depraved. Their pride and arrogance have blinded them to the truth. "Professing themselves to be wise, they have become fools." (Romans 1:22)

Students, don’t fall for the pseudo-intellectualism which surrounds you on campus. It is a façade which puffs up your pride, but in the end will leave you empty. Ultimately it will matter little if you are counted wise or foolish by the college crowd. What will matter is whether you have walked with God and made it your aim and desire to be pleasing to Him. This is true wisdom and man’s reason for existence.
Lie #2: Christianity is basically the same as the other religions of the world.
The other religions of the world are essentially humanistic: sinful men attempt to reach God through their own self-righteous efforts. In Christianity, on the other hand, God reaches down to sinful men and gives them a righteousness purchased by the death of His Son on the cross. To view Christianity as basically the same as other religions of the world is to miss the main point of Christianity – "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) 
Lie #3: Money, power, pleasure, and prestige are worth striving to attain.

You brought nothing into the world, and it is certain you can carry nothing out. In an instant, all is lost. Your labors, plans, projects are left behind at the grave. In light of this the pursuit of the fleeting pleasures and treasures of this world is "vanity and striving after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
Jesus added an even more sobering aspect to the foolish quest for money, power and pleasure. He said that not only will you lose all these things at death, but far more importantly, you will also lose your soul. Hell awaits the person who lives for the things of this world. As Jesus put it, "For what will it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)
In contrast to the attitude of striving for self-advancement and self-gratification so common on the college campus, Christ taught that the way of true greatness is to become a servant of others, that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit, that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, and that true life and joy can be found only as you deny self and take up your cross daily to follow Him.

Why waste your life on things that won’t last and will, in the end, cost you your soul? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He feeds the birds of the air. He clothes the lilies of the field. As you put your trust in Him, He will take care of you.

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

~ Psalm 17:6,

Things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all you were intended to be.

Philippians 4:9 “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Rather, "fearing God," is living life with a trembling awareness that life has meaning -- that the choices you make have consequences of ultimate significance.

You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life...

~ Deuteronomy 30:20, NLT

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.

~ Lamentations 3:25, NLT |

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor.

~ Proverbs 21:21, NLT

Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

~ John 14:1, NLT

For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God.

~ Psalm 38:15, NLT

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

~ Philippians 4:6, NLT

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

~ 1 Peter 5:7, NLT

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

~ John 16:33, NLT

Why Are You So Afraid? [ Matthew 8:23 - 8:34 ]

Surviving the Storms (8:23-27) 
Throughout Scripture, storms represent the difficulties and hardships in life. There is chaos and unpredictability in the midst of the storm. But through it, we learn more about God and ourselves. Storms do not build character; they reveal it. They show who we really are. As a Christian, you are not exempt from the storms of life. God has power over all of nature and even my circumstances. Even when believers follow Christ’s bidding, we can face hardships. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us. Faith is not merely your holding on to God; it is God holding on to you. He will not let you go! 


Are you going through a season of storms in your life? What is your response to the storm? Are you fearful? Do you complain and become angry? The storms will reveal a lot about how you view God and how you view yourself. Keep firm. Have faith. God will guide you through the waters.

There is an inherent danger of getting used to sin and letting it crawl into your life. We fear losing it. But that sin will keep you from Jesus and drawing into deeper intimacy with Him. 




Lord, replace the fear in my heart with trust in You. Forgive me that my eyes are too often on the storms and not on You. Forgive me that I fear the change You may bring into my life. Help me, O God, to rest in You alone. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

5 Easy Ways to Learn Grammar With The New York Times

By KATHERINE SCHULTEN

Alejandro Yegros

For our first guest post, we’ve invited the good people at Grammarlogues, a software- and Web-based tool “founded on the premise that grammar matters most when it has meaning beyond a set of memorized rules,” to write about ways to use The Times to bring grammar lessons to life. Come tell us how you make grammar come alive, below!

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Grammar, Party of One
By Danielle Hoagland and Judith McCaffrey for Grammarlogues.com

National Grammar Day. Three words that might elicit an even greater sigh than the term grammar itself.

The holiday conjures up images of celebrants frantically grabbing red pens and running through towns and cities, adding, crossing out, and otherwise correcting abuses of syntax and diction. Innocent passersby and unsuspecting onlookers are interrogated: True or false: You cannot end a sentence with a preposition. Infinitives should never be split. Passive voice is always wrong.

Let’s reclaim this national holiday right here and now. Boycott the red pen that ensnares us in syntactical games of right and wrong, and pick up a piece of literature, any piece of literature, and explore the English language with fresh eyes.

Or just read The New York Times, which provides a panoply of grammar concepts that rivals any handbook. Consider the following five possibilities:

1. Variation Exploration

Reporters and editorial writers have one job in common: holding their readers’ interest. An essential tool for doing this is sentence variety, or using different sentence structures to avoid monotony.

The three-sentence paragraph below by Adam Liptak is a good example—he follows a simple sentence with a complex sentence, which he extends with two fairly hefty participial phrases, and he concludes the paragraph with a simple question:

“The proposed trial of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed in Manhattan presented perhaps the most extreme example of this conundrum. Had the trial proceeded there, a change of venue motion based on local news coverage and community outrage was almost inevitable, given Mr. Mohammed’s confession to planning the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But would that intensity of feeling be any less anywhere else in the United States?”
— “Finding Untainted Jurors in the Age of the Internet”

Try this: Find one other example of sentence variety in a paragraph from an article in The Times that interests you. Analyze it as we did here to describe why it works. For more on complex sentences, click here.

2. Punctuation Station

The Times is a one-stop shop for punctuation, with virtually every mark used in every issue.

In the sentence below, for instance, Jonah Lehrer uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses. Are alternate punctuation marks possible? What would happen, for instance, if a comma were used instead?

Darwin, of course, was wrong; his recurring fits didn’t prevent him from succeeding in science.
— “Want a Better Listener? Protect Those Ears”

There is no better model for the punctuation of dialogue than an article containing dialogue. The example below of an interrupted quote is a good demonstration:

“We need to look at noise as something that is dangerous,” Ms. Nadler said, “like sharp tools or a hot stove.”
— “Depression’s Upside”

Try this: Pick a type of punctuation mark, the semicolon for example, and scan an article to see where these are placed and how they are used. Then use one of those sentences as a model to try your own use of that mark. (And for more on semicolons, click here.)

3. Rule Breaker

You must understand the “rules” of grammar before you break them. If you read The Times regularly, you’ll see instances when writers intentionally break the “rules” to achieve a purpose. For example:

Is one of the sentences below a fragment? If so, what effect does it have on the article?

“Then came overtime. Pressure anyone?”
— “Crosby’s Goal Ends Thriller as Canada Beats U.S.”

Does the following sentence end in a preposition, and if so, is this the only way to express the idea? For the answer, click here.

“The Knicks (20-39) have lost 10 of their last 11 games and have 23 games left to muddle through.”
— “James Shows Knicks Just Why He Is Their Fondest Wish”

Why might a writer use a string of passive verbs in a particular sentence? In the following sentence, how do these passive constructions emphasize the topic?

“The roles of most of the 20,000 or so genes in the human genome are still poorly understood, but all can be assigned to broad categories of likely function depending on the physical structure of the protein they specify.”
— “Human Culture, an Evolutionary Force”

Try this: How many Times sentences can you find that “break the rules”? Which work best? Why?

4. Sherlock Holmes

Incorporating quotations to support a thesis effectively and correctly is difficult, but journalists deal with this aspect of writing constantly, whether the text is a factual account or an opinion. Consider the indirect quote below from an article on the upcoming election in Iraq. Readers do not know whether these were Suliman’s exact words; however, the statement must accurately convey his thought:

“His most prominent Sunni ally, Sheik Ali Hatam al-Ali Suliman, said the voting bloc he represented in Anbar would never vote directly for Mr. Maliki.”
— “Vote Seen as Pivotal Test for Both Iraq and Maliki”

Try this: You won’t have to read far to find examples in The Times of both direct and indirect quotations. Try conversion practice yourself by changing a direct quote into an indirect quote, following the punctuation approach you see in the Times article. For more on direct quotes, click here.

5. Confusion Central

The best of us sometimes get tangled up in lengthy sentences, sidetracked by the ancillary ideas in subordinate clauses or prepositional phrases.

Take a sticky sentence apart in order to get to its core. For instance, the fundamental information in the sentence below about the actor Jeff Bridges is quite brief: Duane is the subject; set is the verb; the template is the direct object.

“Wounded, a little lost, Duane set the template for a Bridges type who was down on his luck and maybe skimming bottom, at times with a smile that looked far too innocent for an actor who soon made a habit of quietly taking over his films.”
— “The Dude Plumbs His Weary Soul”

Try this: Choose your own sticky Times sentence, then remove (or bracket) prepositional phrases, appositives, verbal phrases, and dependent clauses to uncover the heart of the sentence and therefore its essential meaning. For more on dependent clauses, click here.

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For more grammar ideas, lesson plans and exercises, visitGrammarlogues.com.

Reader Idea | Grammar Clubs

• Run-on sentences:
  The main cause of run-on errors is the word “however”; many students punctuate the sentence by treating “however” as a conjunction. It is often not, and should not be preceded by a comma.
• Sentence fragments:
  Many fragments are created when students place a period at a grammatical boundary, like the start of a dependent clause. By doing so, students are showing awareness of grammatical structure but haven’t mastered it yet. “The sun melted the snow. Which led to flooding,” for example, shows a premature sentence boundary just where a new clause begins. Explaining the concept of clauses that can stand alone (independent) from those that cannot (dependent) allows for more overt understanding of those smaller units of a sentence and how they fit together.
• Misaligned modifiers:
  Alignment issues tend to arise when the sentence doesn’t begin with the main subject. If the writer begins with a participle (“Walking through the woods…” or “Painted on the side of the building…”), the word after the introductory phrase needs to complete the action (the entity walking or appearing in paint). It often doesn’t.
• Subject-verb agreement errors:
  Here, again, the writer needs to keep track of all parts of the sentence and how they relate. When words come between the main subject and verb, the writer can be thrown off. For example, “A team of experts is/are visiting the school” gives writers a singular subject (team) that is separated from its verb by a plural noun.
• Person/number/tense inconsistencies:
  When the writer is thinking too “locally,” person, number and tense can switch unnecessarily. In other words, the writer is failing to keep track of all of the sentence parts across phrase and clause boundaries.
• Antecedent/pronoun errors:
  This error also arises from the failure to make connections between two separated parts of a sentence. Whenever a pronoun is used, the writer should mentally connect it to an overt antecedent. If one is not there, reword. For example, “In Frank Rich’s column last week, he discussed….” Shows a subject pronoun (“he”) poorly aligned with a possessive antecedent (“Frank Rich’s”).

By the end of these exercises, students have compiled their own study sheets: What do they need to watch out for? Where are they vulnerable to punctuation and grammar errors? At a minimum, writers need to be able to identify the following crucial parts of a sentence:

• Know the main subject of a sentence
• Know the main verb of a sentence
• Know if a verb is conjugated or not
• Know what tense the verb is in
• Know where phrase and clause boundaries are

Student writers also need to know what their weak spots are. Here are some questions they can ask themselves to flag common weaknesses:

Questions to Self in Drafting of an Essay: What Needs Extra Scrutiny

• Between the first word capitalized in the sentence and the period or question mark at the end, is there a subject-verb pair that agrees and is conjugated in the tense you want?
• If a sentence doesn’t start with a subject, is there a subject-verb pair right after a comma?
• When you encounter a prepositional phrase, check to see if it is separating a subject-verb pair. Is there subject-verb agreement?
• Is your subject-verb pair separated by anything? Check for errors. Main subjects and verbs shouldn’t ordinarily be separated by comma.
• Did you use the word “however”? Look to its left and right. If you find full thoughts, you need a period or semicolon before “however” (not a comma).
• Does a sentence start with “which”? That can only happen if you are asking a question. Otherwise, you might have a sentence fragment.
• Anytime you use a pronoun, take a moment to backtrack to its antecedent. Do they align?

Susan Behrens is the author of Grammar: A Pocket Guide.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.

~ Jude 1:22

Truth vesus Emotion

God says his will is good, and perfect (Romans 12:2); you feel you could improve on it. 

God says all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28); you seem to stagger from one disaster to another.

God says he upholds the universe by his mighty word of power (Hebrews 1:3); you feel he is not dependable.

God says he is no respector of persons; you feel he has favorites.

God says ‘whoever comes to me I will in no way cast out’ (John 6:37); you feel rejected.

God says ‘you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm’ (Ephesians 1:3); you feel spiritually bankrupt.

God says our light momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17); you feel it’s not worth it.

God says there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1); you feel condemned.

God says ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5); you feel forsaken.

God says you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37); you feel a weakling.

God says the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5); you feel devoid of love.

God says through Jesus you are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21); you feel unclean.

God says a person’s folly ruins his affairs and then he resents God for it (Proverbs 19:3); you feel God is to blame. 

God says he who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6); you feel like your spiritual life has fizzled.

God says weeping may endure for a night joy comes in the morning (Psalms 30:5); your pain feels endless.

God says we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance . . . and does not disappoint (Romans 3:5); you feel your suffering is useless.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cant change
courage to change the things I can
and wisdom to know the difference
Living one day at a time
Enjoying one moment at a time
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace

He's Holding out for Us

Joel 2:12-13

"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil." Joel 2:12-13

The message of Joel is intriguing. Chapter one tells the reader that the nation of Judah had just been ravaged by a phenomenal locust plague. The infestation was unusually severe, one so bad that no one living at the time could remember anything worse, 1:3. Conditions were so bad that the destruction affected all facets of society. The country was truly suffering. Joel enters the scene warning the people that a day of greater judgment and punishment was coming if they failed to repent. The implication is that the locust plague mentioned in chapter one was sent by God in an effort to wake up the people from spiritual slumber. They had grown apart from God and forgotten their dependence on Him. And, it was at their lowest, most vulnerable moment that God stood by with His hand outstretched, hoping for their repentance. The words of 2:12-13 are touching and reveal important things concerning genuine repentance and the nature of God. For example...

Verse twelve teaches us that those who truly repent move with a sense of urgency. "Yet even now," declares the Lord... When we realize the reality of the punishment that will come with a failure to act and the possibility that God could deal out retribution at any moment, there will be little delay in moving toward God. A person who truly repents will realize that time is precious and one moment spent outside a relationship with God is just one moment too long.

Verse twelve teaches us that true repentance involves a desire to return to God. God said, "Return to me with all your heart..." Generations before, the children of Israel entered into a covenant relationship with God. Through the worship of idols, trust in human alliances, and turning their back on God, they had not lived up to their side of the agreement. God is calling them to return. Like the children of Israel, Christians have made a covenant with God. We can violate that covenant thus destroying the connection with God because of our sinful behavior. But yet, God always calls us back so that the relationship can be fully restored to its former quality. If you have rejected the covenant you once made with God, won't you come back? God is holding out for your repentance. See Luke 15:11-32.

Verse twelve teaches us that true repentance comes from the heart. Rend your heart and not your garments. True repentance goes farther than fear of punishment and the confession of sin. God wants our heart. True repentance involves a complete and total change in one's life. It is an inward change of the heart and while it begins in our mind, it is seen outwardly in our actions. Going along with this...

Verse twelve teaches us that true repentance will be seen in our actions. Fasting, weeping, and mourning are all evidence of true, genuine repentance. However, these things do not profit the person who has not changed his will. In Joel 2:15, Judah was called upon to change their will and demonstrate a national assembly where each person called on the name of the Lord. This involved people from the oldest to the youngest in society. Each person needed to refocus their mind on their extreme dependence upon God. So must we. We need to communicate to God that we are sorrowful for our own sin and realize our dependence upon Him. Fruits of repentance will be seen when our motives are genuine and true. See Matthew 3:8.

Verse thirteen tells us how great and awesome the God is that we serve. When we consider His graciousness, compassion, how He is slow to anger, how He abounds in lovingkindness, and will relent of evil, it should move us to humbly serve Him. Praise God that He is not a vengeful, unloving God who looks forward to dealing out retribution! He holds out for us, desiring a personal, caring relationship with each one of us. We are truly special to Him. Oh how He loves us, just as a father does his child. We are His children! How close is your relationship with God? Do you need to return to Him? He is holding out for you to come back!

By Matt Allen
From Expository Files 13.8; August 2006