Today Isaiah 60:1–4 sat with me—not loudly, not urgently—but steadily.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”
I’ve known these words. I’ve shared them verbally and I have posted them. But today, I wasn’t being told to move—I was being told to notice. I noticed it was ten days before I watched the first half of Episode #2358 and everything went into warp speed .
This morning’s Jesus Calling spoke straight into the depths of my being. He reminded me that He speaks in the language of Love, that His words bring Life and Peace and Joy and hope—but only if I am still enough to hear Him. Living close to Him requires making Him my First Love, above all others.
When I realized that I had posted the original “Rise and Shine” on October 4, it didn’t feel accidental. I wasn’t trying to make something happen then. I was responding to something I could sense but didn’t yet understand. The light had already come; the meaning was still unfolding.
Isaiah says that darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the people, yet the LORD rises upon His own and His glory is seen.
I’m learning that rising doesn’t always look like action. Sometimes it looks like standing still long enough for God’s glory to settle clearly—without interference.
Isaiah 60 tells me to lift up my eyes and look around, to see what is gathering, what is returning, what is coming from afar. That feels like this season: watching instead of striving, trusting instead of pushing.
And Isaiah 54 holds me there.
It reminds me that this is a chapter of restoration, not performance. Of being re-established, not rushed. God speaks comfort before commission, peace before purpose. He assures me that I am not forgotten, not abandoned, and not required to prove anything to step into what He has already promised.
So today, I wait. I don’t rush the next step.
I let the Lord establish me in His timing. I trust the words are going to roll right off the keyboard when He says it’s time.
When He says arise, I will. Until then, I remain still—-secure in His covenant of peace.
Truly an exceptional focal point as I engaged with the world today. I learned someone else precious has gone to be with Jesus. Miss Rhonda’s is the third death in three weeks. My prayers are for loved ones, especially her husband and sons.
I shared with Becky and Miss Pam that I was in the best mood as I drove to the salon. As I drove, I compelled to tears singing “Trust in God-Radio Version”. I lost my voice and started crying with the lyric, “and what you did for me at Calvary as more than enough”.
It will always make me cry to consider the depth of the cross.
Thank you, Jesus, for this sweet nudge to look back. If only to acknowledge, “I see what You did there,” it would have been enough. But, you, in your infinite wisdom, seem to dole out extra portions to me. How could I not be in constant amazement of YOUR Great love. 💜✝️💜
Since I shared this to Miss Omie’s Facebook page, I failed to post it here on her actual birthday. Today is “catch up” day in countless ways.
I am fairly certain Jesus wants me to give gifts like this to those I love. I know how He used creating this one for Omie to draw me even closer to Him. Miss Omie’s is the first —-so I should remember the day He spurred me on. May she always know how precious, set-apart and special He made her!!!💜✝️💜
Whether one verse or ten, His Word will always be the best. I’m so blessed to know and love Omie.
Today held a few quiet challenges, the kind only a mother can experience or feel to this depth. I was grateful to wake up in my daughter’s home and be ready to go before her alarm sounded.
On the drive, she shared Labi Soffre’s work. i confess it makes my spirit growl to see “Demon Music” and it hurts my heart to learn he is an atheist. Yet, given his life, I also have some understanding. The song is beautiful and blessed my day, regardless.
Intercession is my kind of jam when it comes to prayer. And, yes, I have prayed more than once for the Holy Spirit to pierce his 80 year old mind with His Wisdom and desire to learn truth. 💜✝️💜
Back to my sweet girl. My daughter is beyond brave, brilliant and beautiful. She is a compassionate warrior—- I am excited for the day she sees herself as I do. She has no real concept of how amazing she truly is…YET. When it was time to leave to get to work —- I knew she would be okay. I also knew it would be a grand time to chit-chat with Jesus—-all the way down the interstate.
Thank God, I don’t have to hold my phone up to my ear for 45 minutes when it’s time to communicate. We are so blessed to have our own “soup cans”. If you didn’t grow up trying to talk through soup cans and strings, it’s ok. I promise, we can still be friends. It’s just the image which is called to heart in this moment. I must include the reference for reasons I don’t understand.
First tree I have ever seen like this in winter
Our customers have known for a week that I would be delayed opening the store—-so I had peace about the drive time. What hasn’t fully processed is “Part II” or the folder of old blog posts, letters and poems tossed to my hands on my way to my daughters last night.
One blaring unprocessed fact- my dad’s cancer diagnosis was written about, along with the May 8 surgery date. Blogs about 8/8 and the impact of one weekend are all in this “forgotten wilderness”.
I shall blame menopause brain fog and simply praise God for bringing more truth to my heart.
The goal was to open by 1:00. I arrived at 1:11. As I walked in, I asked the Lord to please bless the business, despite the late start. I rarely ask for financial blessings. Today, I asked for something specific and it was delivered in the first three customers.
Of course, I am going to praise the One who holds everything together. Hallelujah!
I had barely turned off the alarm and turned on the lights when the TELEPHONE rang. Bless the telephone, indeed!!! Highly unusual for such a large sale to be phoned in and it immediately settled any unrest in my spirit.
And right at 1:21 —#ISWYDT— He sent us our first transaction of the day. Not only is it an exponentially larger sale than normal, it whispers “I really do have your back” to me.
Why? Because part of our chit-chat during the drive was all about MySpace friendships, the women who flew to TN for my 40th and the Beth Hart Lyric which connected us. It used a four letter word that most Christians would balk at.
The revelation getting here today was that many well-intentioned Christians truly damaged my spirit with their legalism and hypocrisy. I had to ask God to forgive them and to remove any trace of anything not of Him.
Anywho—-this all ties back to last Sunday’s message about Matthew 7:6 It is like He tied it all together for me on the road. I feel like I truly arrived in a different way today.
There is no other Master Servant than Jesus. The best I can do is to do EVERYTHING as unto the Lord. I am not a slave—-Jesus set me free and I cherish this freedom.
Curse no one. Bless everyone. Thats my job.
After a morning that pulled at my heart, that little numerical wink from heaven washed away any debris.
Thank you, Jesus, for getting me here safely and keeping me safe. I love you.
This morning started like so many others in this Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness season of mine—me stepping onto the scale. For many years, I enjoyed finding an accompanying Psalm to “weigh in” with whatever I may have flipped to in the Bible.
When I fell down the stairs in March 2022, I was 239 pounds. By October 2023, I was in the 180’s. Fresh eggs and “consider the source” led me to the 160 range.
When I got down to 150, I started reading the exact “Psalm of the Scale”. Letting the Psalms “weigh in” has taken an even deeper turn.
Oh, fair warning, today’s post will be a doozie.
This morning, I weighed in at 141.4.
I was tickled to check Facebook in the potty and see a sweet message from Elaine! In her honor, took a pic from my car this morning. She is 77 and widely known as “Jiu-Jitsu Grandma”. Beautiful soul.
Heck, I didn’t ever post the Jiu-Jitsu manicure and pedicure stories. Now my nails are just at the edge of my fingertips, the shortest they have been in decades! Seeing them in this photo just made me make a mental note. 💜
I digress. It is what I do, at least from time to time.
Most people would see a number at the scale of 141:4 and go elsewhere with it. This may very well be the best chance to explain to someone in the world how Jesus “speaks” to me. I firmly believe He speaks to his kids differently—-they are all unique relationships.
I can’t help that My Jesus led me to feel 13 again these past seven months. Seven complete months as of today. Oh, I see what He did there, too. #ISWYDT
I saw 14 / 14 / 14 / 14. Fourteen forward. Fourteen back. Blonde Polish Chick Brain or Jesus? I’m sticking with Jesus!
Just thinking of the three versions of Black Belt Wisdom makes my head spin. So sweet how Sandra wanted to buy my copy of it at the shop today! Seven weeks doubled” , forward and backward was the second version. This is why Version 2 had 49 quotes forward and 49 more backwards. Seven weeks each.
Bless all Veterans- especially Navy men in their 80’s 💜✝️💜
The Master Edit to offer PRECISELY 44 pieces of cardstock and 88 quotes to give Master Luiz and ONJJ confused me a pinch. Why not 40? These are questions I pray about and wrestle with Him over. I’m going to do what He says, regardless. I just seek to understand. The Boss said 44 and that’s what I gave.
What a perfect gem and different double blessing from Jesus! The number honors Mamaw Ruby’s 100th, my 44 years without her (May 8) our Oszczakiewicz Gracie and Rolls Gracie, as much as it honors ONJJ & Master Luiz!
Just like that, the childlike joy bubbled up and I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me, “Pay attention, sweet daughter of Yah. I’m speaking.”
And so I did what I always do.
I weighed with the Psalms. Literally.
I sent my husband the KJV “ dainties version” first. I know my Ginger Beard Man’s humor and knew he would dig the dainties. 🤣. I also know he needed to know I was focused on the verse prior- when sending the second version.
When waking and weighing, I never flip open my Bible for the verse. For whatever His reason, I am not to look at it or any notes He has had me write until AFTER I google the verse based on the scale.
I typed “Psalm 141:4” into Google to see what language heaven might choose to deliver through the internet today. It reminds me every day of typing in “ISA 63:7” and getting Psalm 63
And the first headline stopped me in my tracks:
God has kept Zahira Zachary singing this very track, “Stay”, over me for two plus weeks. I love, love, LOVE the grappling language. Mark has been leading our Prayer of Jabez since October! He just left me “my wilderness stone” on Saturday, before he got on the plane. Lots of repetition, so perhaps spiritual muscle instantly connected me to ZZ’s “Stay” and 1 Chronicles 4:10 in the same breath.
I accept it is a possible result of spiritual muscle. However, I think it’s far more about His leverage over my life. I take such tremendous joy in submitting to His Will and to Jesus, Himself. I personally do not believe it has anything to do with my strength or spiritual exercises. It’s all about Jesus.
I just really dig the way THE Alpha & Omega talks to The BPC-157 in Tennesseeand how He continues to heal me. 💜✝️💜
No commentary connects this to Psalm 141:4💜✝️💜
In the song, Zahira sounds angelic singing:
“I will stay tethered to You, You close the space between us.
I wish I could explain exactly how it feels. The Lord has been stitching a message through every crack of my days, in every little detail. Good heavens, I just talked to my husband for longer on the phone than I can recall.
We talked about Jesus- Starr -First-Kings-Jiu-Jitsu and a bunch of Dad/Joe, ice cream, passports and TT. That is shorthand for the Godversation which will now be remembered as “ Silhouette: God Sent Moses”. 💜✝️💜
I can’t recall our last phone Godversation that lasted more than ten minutes. We talk a lot in person, not on the phone. Even when he is traveling, we typically keep it short. Whatever His Purpose, I just know I am to write it down—-it matters for reasons I don’t fully understand.
I am to note that “Elizabeth Street” in Florida is connected all God did through My Assisi Elizabeth. My husband doesn’t even know yet . He sent me those pics after we got off the phone! #ISWYDT! God rest her soul and may her girl be thriving in Japan. Here is a “quote-link” to the day I learned my Assisi Angel earned her wings:
Praise God, obedience doesn’t require understanding. It just requires action. So, I am writing it all down in one blog, as directed.
Maybe, just maybe, I feel like a Gen X teenager because I talked to my boyfriend for 47 glorious minutes! The harsh truth is as much as I love my earthly husband, I will always love my heavenly husband more. But, I am giddy to have connected with my earthly love for such a long time.
Mark told me their cabin steward’s name is MOSES. He knew I would get a kick out of it, too. I said, “of course God would send you a Moses for your wilderness at sea!” We had good laughs on the call. Belly laughs!
I saw a full pattern this morning, or so I thought. We never see the full pattern; we are not the Master Designer. But, I saw far more of how the tapestry is stitched together. Then my husband was used to put another cherry on top of another Heavenly Sundae, with Moses . 💜✝️💜. #ISWYDT
Today— Monday, December 8, 2025, I weighed in at 141:4. It’s been tough to add a few pounds ; ideally building up muscle to 150 is the goal. I was nudged to search my ridiculously large photo library for photos of “scale”.
Divine Humor nearly made me piss in my britches! The last time I weighed 141:4, precisely, was the day we finished watching Episode 2358 of the Joe Rogan Experience. Three days later, I posted the link above which tells the Lamentations 3:58 story.
How perfect “Miss Ellie” came in today. 💜✝️💜
Here’s the thing—Psalm 141 isn’t just a prayer. It expresses the human tension of remaining tethered to the One who made me.
It’s the cry of someone who knows their heart is safest only when it’s bound to God. It is the joyous and the grieving tears which have formed two different streams of tears in my 57 years. It’s grief and gratitude intertwined like…grape vines. #ISWYDT2
“Set a guard over my mouth…Keep my heart from drifting…Don’t let me wander into wickedness…
Psalm 141 is the Prayer of Jabez in different clothing.
Not chapter and verse. Not theology. Not in “accepted commentaries”, yet absolutely the commentary Rabbi Jesus is whispering to my heart.
It’s the same Spirit in both. The posture, prayer and surrender are equally yoked between the two Scriptures.
It is a holy awareness that without His hand, we drift. Without His voice, we wander. Without His covering, the wilderness is too much.
It is no accident on Saturday—before any of this unfolded—my husband left town only after printing out the Prayer of Jabez onto green paper and cutting it the way he did.
A stone is always a marker in Scripture. A covenant—-a crossing place and physical reminder that God met you here. My husband “met me in the lab”—- that’s where he left me what the Spirit interpreted to me as a “wilderness stone”. Our marital covenant with each other and Him are all represented in that piece of paper. 💜✝️💜
It makes me smile because Mark probably thought he was just being thoughtful. But in the Spirit, he was participating in something far bigger—marking the very place where God was about to speak Psalm 141 over my 14:14:14:14 morning.
That’s the thing about walking with the Lord in these seasons. He hides messages in plain sight and leaves breadcrumbs in the wilderness.
He sings to me through worship leaders I’ve never met. He speaks through numbers I could never plan to see.
He threads Scripture through songs, stones, scales, and silence.
This has nothing to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with JESUS.
And all of it came down to one word today:
Tethered.
Stay tethered to Him in the wilderness…He will enlarge the path beneath your feet.
Stay tethered in obedience…He will bless you in ways that only make sense in hindsight.
Stay tethered in the stretching…He will double what needed doubling.
This morning wasn’t about weight. It wasn’t about numbers. It wasn’t even about Psalm 141 or Jabez.
It was about the Father closing the space between us, whispering through His Word, His People and His Creation…reaching His Right Hand down to guide my day.
And the wilderness—my Jiu-Jitsu Wilderness—-suddenly didn’t feel empty at all.
It felt holy.
Marked. #ISWYDT
Sung over.
Held.
TETHERED.
And, in true BPC style, I feel like the child playing tetherball Zim-Zam with my sisters at Mamaw and Papaws house. what a precious memory, knocking the heck out of my front tooth and everything!
Thank you, Jesus. What a glorious seven months you have given me. I could never thank you enough !!! How cool to realize I CAN say “never” and mean it—-Never ever could I thank you enough for ALL you have done fore me, mine and humanity.
Thank you for every opportunity you give me to try.
For a project given to me by the spirit weeks ago, it has now been officially rebuilt from scratch for the THIRD TIME!
My girls, Morgan and Lyss, visited and let me complete the project. It exported to PDF and I took that little Zip drive to Staples.
Everything is printed on nice cardstock.
Tomorrow, I shall trim the sheets and bind them by my prayer-filled hands.
Thank you, Jesus. You really wanted this gift to be given to Master Luiz, ONJJ and the BJJ community. Please prepare the hearts of those who receive it for ONJJ , Pedro and Master Perez. Thank you for staying on my back and holding me close. I love, love, LOVE you.
Yesterday’s message at Creekmont hit deep. Matthew 7—get the plank out of your own eye, first. Eyes are delicate, be gentle, move slow. Every single day, we should be sharing the gospel, if only with ourselves.
I have prayers which can’t be published here or anywhere else. The easiest way to explain it is the Good Lord gave me a gag order. I will write separately about our experience yesterday becoming official members of Creekmont Church. It was beautiful and tear-inducing. 💜✝️💜
When the Lord woke me up today, I had a nudge to look up the person who awarded a black belt to the primary leader at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu. The “fine-tuning” nudges at the gym yesterday must be birthing these final steps. Still, as I began to read the article, my vision became so blurry, I could not finish reading.
It’s not the first time He has blurred my eyes. I knew it meant “come back to our tree and listen”. I sent the article to myself and went back to rest with Him to begin my day.
When it was time to drink my coffee and get moving before class today, I grabbed my Bible and flipped it open. I never know if I am unzipping it “right side up”. All I know after a decade of flipping is that He meets me with a message that frames my day. Today’s was extra impactful, right from the start.
Today, I flipped “upside down”. I kept thinking “USD” is not US Dollars and it’s not missing an “a” at the end. For me, USD is upside down flips that remind me who determines my posture. Being a follower of Jesus, I feel and certainly appear upside down from most of the world.
We are literally called to be set apart.
This is the mind and spirit given to me by the Master of the Universe. Makes me giggle to think how Hebrew is a “backwards” language to the western world—-yet it’s the most beautiful language —-it’s His Language. I love how He brought me to His language and to love His Land and His People, Israel.
Wowza. I must get to ONJJ for class, and the Lord just linked me to something He had me write nearly two years ago. That link in the above blurb goes to the list of 40 God Stories. It begins with flipping to Jer 2:25.
I see what He did there. ISWYDT
Thank you, Jesus, for always, always, ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS having my back. I love you. 💜✝️💜
Father God, Thank You for opening my eyes to the Hebrew roots of pride and the Greek words that reveal its many forms. Pride is always the absence of wisdom and the absence of genuine love.
Where pride grows, love shrinks. Where love shrinks, relationships fracture. Where relationships fracture, the enemy rejoices.
Only you, Jehovah Rapha, heal the root.
Holy Father Abba in Heaven, I come to You as Your daughter, seeking deliverance from every form of pride— seen and unseen, confessed and unconfessed, known and hidden.
Lord, Your Word says clearly “Love does not envy, love does not boast, love is not proud.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) So I ask You now: Destroy everything in me and in Your daughters that is not rooted in love.
By the power of Your Spirit, tear down every high place where we have lifted ourselves above another.
Strike down the swelling pride of ga’ōn (Obadiah 1:3; Isaiah 16:6).
Bring low the lifted heart of rūm (Deuteronomy 8:14; Obadiah 1:4).
Break the stubbornness of zādōn (Psalm 119:21; Deuteronomy 17:12–13).
Soften the haughty eyes of gāvah (Proverbs 21:4; Psalm 131:1).
And wash out the sourness of ḥāmatz (Psalm 73:21 [“my heart was embittered”]; Exodus 12:15 as the leaven-warning tied to pride), before it spreads into bitterness.
Lord, kill the bitter root. Kill it completely. Kill it at the source. Do not let it grow back. Do not let it entangle Your daughters or choke out sisterhood, unity, and peace.
Holy Spirit, lay down a new foundation: a foundation of humility, a foundation of gentleness, a foundation of wisdom from above— pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit (James 3:17).
Father, let Your love cast out every fear, every comparison, every jealousy, and every wound that pride tries to cover.
In the mighty name of Jesus, I renounce all pride. I renounce every bitter root. I renounce every spirit that brings division.
Plant in me—and in every sister— a heart that loves like You love, that listens like You listen, and that bows like You bowed when You washed feet.
Let us love more and more by your perfect example.
Make us one, Lord. Make us whole. Make us healed. And let Your Spirit guard our unity with Your peace.
Part One can be found by clicking this sentence. Three excellent questions posed at breakfast yesterday consumed me for more than seven plus hours! The first two questions are answered in the link.
Joyce’s third question was, “What is the significance of Shimei’s, 16 children, 16 sons and 6 daughters?”
The reference comes from 1 Chronicles 4:27 (in the genealogies of Simeon’s tribe):
“Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their whole clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah.
To be fair, my husband prays 1 Chron 4:10 every night over us in bed. I have special love and some knowledge of 1 Chronicles. The Prayer of Jabez is powerful and yet very simple. He was named Jabez, which means “pain or sorrow”, as his mother bore him in pain. (verse 9) Rather than living with a name which did not suit his spirit, he prayed for reversal, asking God to turn his pain into blessing.
I digress. It happens. This post is not about Jabez, but Shimei. I sense a connection in the genealogies about redemption.
Shimei (שִׁמְעִי Shim‘i, is from the root שמע – shama, meaning “to hear, to listen, to obey”) was a descendant of Simeon. Simeon’s name also comes from shama.
This family line is literally the “hearing” lineage.
This alone sets the tone. He is the one who listens, or “is heard by God.” Linguistically speaking, the number of his descendants — 16 sons and 6 daughters — is a picture of fruitfulness through hearing and obedience. There is an entire golden thread in the Bible of how listening and yielding through obedience brings the Master’s Multiplication into play.
Numerically speaking, there is another treasure trove because “16” is a double blessing. The Number Eight in Hebrew numerology represents new beginnings, resurrection, covenant renewal (like the 8th day circumcision, the 8 souls on Noah’s Ark). So to me, this is a double blessing which amplifies that theme. Shimei’s line reflects restoration through listening.
Rather poetic, as my sweet Joyce may be the best listener I know, aside from Jesus!
What about the six daughters? The Number 6 represents much if you consider Genesis 1:24-31. Created on the 6th day, 6 represents man in his earthly nature. Looking at Exodus 20:9-10 and the Sabbath, it seems six represents the cycle of human effort and stewardship. There are also six directions to form the cube of creation ; north, south, east, west, up and down.
Spiritually speaking, the 16 sons represent a double blessing of new beginnings of those who hear God and the 6 daughters may represent the completion of that obedience expressed through compassionate nurturing.
Maybe the six daughters represent the human side of fruitfulness — compassion, nurturing, community, and earthly connection.
Either way, placed together, 16 + 6 = 22, and that’s not random. I don’t write that as if fact for all, but it is absolute fact for me. Nothing God does is random. If is precision. Our Master of the Universe is the epitome of precision.
There are precisely 22 letters in the Hebrew aleph-bet, the very building blocks of creation and communication.
If Shimei means to hear, then having 22 children total literally symbolizes “The fullness of God’s language heard and expressed in human life.”
It’s like saying: through listening (shama), the full alphabet of divine expression was birthed.
The text also notes that Shimei’s brothers didn’t multiply; not all who hear will bear fruit.
True hearing brings multiplication in both spirit and legacy. It’s reminiscent of Jesus’ parable: “The one who hears the word and understands it bears fruit — some thirty, sixty, a hundredfold.”
Shimei’s fruit is 22 children and it’s wonderful to imagine how full his branch is connected to the vine. What precious fruit!
I love my sweet sister, Joyce. Truly, she has blessed my life for over two years with her intentional actions. She visited me at the old Smyrna shop, visited at this Boro location, met me for dinners at various places and has consistently valued me enough to designate and set apart time for our fellowship. She has also given me beautiful cards; a pocket stone cross I took to Italy and other thoughtful gestures, like cooking dinner for my family.
For over two years, she has been a prayer warrior and a true friend to me.
Given her work at the food bank and SNAP benefits cut since October 1, she has certainly been busier than usual the past six weeks. Today, I had the blessing of driving to the Boro to meet her for breakfast!
I just realized my “focus on ONE God story” was not a completely new one. I shared the gist of the Lamentations 3:58 story via text two weeks ago.
Still, Joyce listened as if she had never heard a peep! God bless her, she is such an active listener. Granted, I did add some new details, as the Lord tends to keep adding to each story He gives me.
As fun as it is to share stories, I love listening to others’ stories. I asked Joyce what was in her ear as a new lesson. She opened her phone and shared this verse from 1 Chronicles.
Joyce shared a certain nudge she felt reading the genealogy. Essentially, questions about why a second born son would be the one married to the daughter of Pharaoh. Why was this particular wife, Bithiah, mentioned by name?
I love, love, LOVE deep diving into scripture and gaining any type of new understanding. It always feels like Jesus is hugging me or love-tapping me on the shoulder. Today was extra exciting for me, as I have recently studied some things about birth order and how God names certain people. It always excites me to recognize when He has taken me through certain steps to prepare me for anything. I was especially excited that He prepared me a pinch for Joyce’s question.
In biblical genealogies, firstborns often represent inheritance and authority, but second sons frequently carry spiritual significance — chosen by God for covenant purposes rather than birth order. Abel was chosen over Cain, Jacob over Esau and Ephraim over Manasseh.
When a second son connects to foreign or royal lineage, like Pharaoh’s daughter here, it often points to divine reversal, covenant inclusion or a bridging of nations.
What makes Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah, so special? For starters, her Hebrew name is Bat-Yah and literally means “daughter of Yahweh.” To me, it’s clear she renounced Egypt’s gods and embraced Israel’s God, Yahweh. Jewish tradition today still gives every convert to Judaism a Hebrew name. The most common names according to one source are those which are connected to new beginnings, redemption and listening. Choosing Bat-Yah or being guided to choose a common name for her conversion both lead to a clear understanding of her renouncing her Egyptian and pagan values
From Seminary Now, The Five Women Who Saved Moses ” Then the fifth woman entered the scene: Pharaoh’s daughter. This person of wealth and influence saw the little ark and asked her attendants to bring it to her. The baby slave boy was crying, and she had compassion on him.”
According to Jewish tradition (Midrash and Targum Jonathan), she is actually the same woman who rescued baby Moses from the Nile. I believe it’s important to note that the Bible does not confirm it is the same woman. However, if that’s true, then her marriage into Israel through Mered (a descendant of Judah) symbolizes redemption — an Egyptian princess becoming part of God’s covenant people.
To that end, it’s really cool to me that this is the name she chose. She married Mered aka ” rebel” from the line of Ezra, which means “helper”. This Ezra is not the prophet/scribe who returned from Babylon. It’s so cool to me that a daughter of Yah married a rebel who became a helper…it’s like redemption is folded directly into the genealogy.
This is where my spazzing over Hebrew adds multiple hours to studying any one topic. Why? Because it didn’t make sense to my spirit for a true daughter of Yah to marry a rebel. Well, the Jewish Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 166, Megillah 13a) says Mered was another name for Caleb, the faithful spy who didn’t rebel against God (Numbers 14:24) So what did he rebel against? Well, the Midrash states he “rebelled against the counsel of the spies”. He rebelled against rebellion!
This little insight flips the meaning on it’s head. Mered’s rebellion was a form of righteousness and expression of the moral courage to stand against sin.
Fascinating to me are the things we can learn from the genealogies. More fascinating to me is the mystery which remains. All we know from scripture is Mered had two wives. One Judahite with natural lineage to the Tribe of Judah and One Egyptian, Pharoah’s daughter, Bithyah from the grafted -in lineage.
This mirrors the spiritual “double-thread” of Scripture: Jew and Gentile, law and grace, first and second, natural and spiritual.
The second son represents the adopted one, the redeemed outsider, or the one brought in by mercy. Bithiah’s inclusion shows that even Egypt — once a place of bondage — produces a daughter who becomes a symbol of divine adoption.
Father God, thank you for adopting us, too! Thank you for making it so fun to go snorkeling with Jesus.
Today was only my second class at One Nation Jiu-Jitsu. There is much to unpack.
BJJ Technique Focus: Shrimping (Hip Escape)
The shrimp, or hip escape, is one of the first movements every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu student learns. From your back, you press one foot into the mat, lift your hips, and slide them sideways while curling onto one shoulder.
The goal is to create space between you and the pressure holding you down. It looks small—but it’s the move that keeps you from being crushed.
I just learned that shrimping is an escape method and scooting can be offensive or defensive option.
Shrimping teaches that survival doesn’t come from strength. It comes from angle, timing, and breath. You don’t fight pressure head-on; you shift, realign, and make room to breathe. It’s the language of escape written into the mat.
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📖 Scripture
“You brought me out into a spacious place; You rescued me because You delighted in me.” — Psalm 18 : 19
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💭 Reflection
When I shrimp, I feel it in my ribs first—breath meets resistance. Every inch of space feels earned. And that’s what the Spirit does inside us: He gives us room where the world tries to press us flat.
Sometimes God doesn’t lift the weight immediately. He teaches us to move under pressure without losing peace, to shift our hips instead of panic, to create a little grace-space before the breakthrough.
The shrimp reminds me that freedom isn’t always dramatic; it’s often quiet, rhythmic, and deliberate. Each small escape becomes worship in motion—breathing, turning, trusting.
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🕊️ Coach Jesus Says
“When life pins you down, don’t freeze. Breathe. Turn toward Me. I’ll show you where the space is. It’s not running away—it’s moving wisely.”
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✨ Golden Nugget
“He sets my feet in a spacious place.” — Psalm 31 : 8 “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” — 2 Corinthians 3 : 17
Shrimping is the gospel in motion— God teaching us how to make space for grace when the weight of the world presses in.
My God Room 