My favorite memories of living as an American in Russia in the late 1990s include the early evenings I spent in the kitchen, sharing in Russian conversation with Rita, the mother of the family I lived with. All these years later, I remember it like it was yesterday. Continue reading in new location. This article … Continue reading Memories of Learning Russian with Rita
Author: Janet Eriksson
The Writer’s Prayer Life
Prayer is a key part of the writing process. We should seek God regularly for what He would have us write. We need to begin and end our writing time and writing projects with prayer. We should remain prayerful as we write. Ideally every word we write should be bathed in prayer. But that’s just … Continue reading The Writer’s Prayer Life
Biblical Hebrew Qal Verbs: Yatza and Matza (but not Matzah)
Let's look at two Qal verbs in biblical Hebrew: יָצָא ("yatza"), which means "to go forth," and מָצָא ("matza"), which means "to find." (Remember, Qal is a type of Hebrew verb stem, or "binyan." If you don't know what that means yet, that's okay - you can still learn these verbs and their meanings.) I have … Continue reading Biblical Hebrew Qal Verbs: Yatza and Matza (but not Matzah)
Rodent Removal: A Lesson in Overcoming Fear
I want to thank everyone who prayed for me this past week. Last Wednesday, I returned from a Christmas trip visiting my family. My apartment had been empty for a week. When I arrived home, the first thing I noticed was the plants I had left sitting on the kitchen counter. One had two holes … Continue reading Rodent Removal: A Lesson in Overcoming Fear
Honor is Not the Same as Tolerance
When I was growing up, my mom would often vent to me about her bitterness toward people. My mom was not the kind of person people would think of as bitter. In public, she came across as quiet and kind, and a little bit quirky and eccentric. What people didn’t realize was that her compassion … Continue reading Honor is Not the Same as Tolerance
Letter Home from Moscow (August 1997)
I recently found in my closet several handwritten letters that I sent to my mother during my time teaching in Russia. I sent many more, but these were all I could find. I will be posting these on my blog. I have retyped the letters but changed nothing. It's hard for a writer-editor not to … Continue reading Letter Home from Moscow (August 1997)
Inductive Bible Study: An Overview
Inductive Bible Study is one of many ways to study scripture. I love it because it allows me to focus on what the text says, not what I think it says, what I want it to say, or what I have been taught. Because I am depending on the biblical text (and the Holy Spirit), … Continue reading Inductive Bible Study: An Overview
Rededicate Your Writing Life to God
It's that time of year when people make New Year's resolutions. Some folks mark this transition by taking quiet time to reflect and listen for God's direction for the new year. Whatever way you choose to acknowledge this seasonal change, this is a great opportunity to rededicate your writing life and gifts to God. When … Continue reading Rededicate Your Writing Life to God
Biblical Hebrew Prepositions: Over and Under
Here are two helpful prepositions to learn in Biblical Hebrew - the words for “over” and “under.” על This word is pronounced like “all.” It means “over.” תחת This word is pronounced “ta-khat” (with the stress on the first syllable). It means “under.” As usual, I came up with a way to remember these words. … Continue reading Biblical Hebrew Prepositions: Over and Under
Community Prayer
I'm blessed to live in a community where people have been praying intentionally for decades. Not just praying as individuals, which is awesome, but also praying together as a community. For one thing, we have a group of men that have been meeting together for 43 years, early in the morning once a week to … Continue reading Community Prayer
Adventures with God 