Saturday, November 3, 2018

Berĕshith 5 :: Echoes of the Sound of Silence

Several things strike me as I consider the Torah portion for this week:

One is the recent atrocity in a Pittsburgh synagogue. Standing out in my mind in particular, a woman named Joyce Fienberg who was just one of the 11 murder victims whose voice has been silenced. According to news accounts, Joyce "spent time volunteering at Family House, a nonprofit that provides a place to stay for people traveling to the Pittsburgh area for medical care. Fienberg’s role was to help guests get comfortable in an unfamiliar city, March said. She was known around the nonprofit for her sense of humor."

Sadly for me, I did not know Joyce, having never been to Pittsburg. And in all honestly, this post is not specifically about the murders or Mrs. Fienberg, per se. Rather, I want to talk about the silent voices whose lives affected our own.

In reading this week's devotional and commentary about the death of the matriarch Sarah, it was pointed out: "...never underestimate the value of a matriarch... Matriarchs are the glue that hold a household of faith together." I simply want to chime in with my 2¢ on that subject.  (This is not to devalue or diminish the important role that fathers have in our lives.) By their presence or by their absence, be they supportive or abusive, fathers and mothers both have life-long influences on those of us who are still topside.


My second thought is in regards to the statement that [mothers] are the glue that hold a household of faith together. I would venture to elaborate on that and say that mothers are the glue that holds the whole family together. PERIOD. In my case, my father-in-law was the first to leave us, but when my mother-in-law left, that had a measurably different effect on the family. No longer was there anyone to nag us into having family get togethers, no longer were we drawn together to celebrate special days. It could get occasionally annoying, because without being a Jewish mother, she totally had the guilt trip stereotype down. And now, we miss it, and have become painfully aware of how fragmented our family is becoming without someone being intentional to draw us back together.


When my own mother passed, another void was created in our extended family. Since her memorial service, no event has had the power to draw everyone together from our far-flung daily lives. We still see each other as we are able and have the time and money to travel, but no more coordinating of the gatherings to celebrate her birthday, which had become an "almost-annual" tradition.


Despite the fact that their voices have been silenced, the roar of their influence in our lives, the echoes of their love and admonishments have shaped who I am today, for better or for worse. 


And so it was with Sarah and the lasting effect she had in the lives of Abraham and Isaac. So it was with the effect she continues to have in our own modern day lives as well, as we consider our place in the story of faith. Her silent laughter of incredulity aside, what faith and trust she must have had to trek off with her husband into the unknown... to agree to participate in the deception with her husband of a pharaoh and a king... 

Or, as Bill Bullock states in this weeks "Rabbi's Son" devotional: "As Abraham is recognized as the father of all who believe, Sarah is rightly considered the mother of all who follow after God."

For those of us who have been blessed to be mothers, it is a faith challenge to consider the Sarahs, the Joyce Fienbergs, the mothers and mothers-in-law who, by their lives, their wisdom, their kindnesses, their simply being present, have had a lasting influence and so shaped the lives of the generations that followed. 


So, whose voice do you have echoing in your head? Their voices are not really silent if there is someone still listening.




Hayei Sarah: Genesis 23:1 - 25:18 
Haftorah: I Kings 1:1-31
B'rit Chadesha: John 4:1-42

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Berĕshith 4 :: This is the Great Adventure

I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to have The Almighty speak to you as He did to Abram. Without so much as a "Fear not!" to soften the shock: what did Abram think when YHVH called him to leave his home?

I have grown up thinking that he must have simply just packed up his camels and hiked off into the desert with his entourage. It may very well have happened that way, but the stories don't give us much to go on when we start to wonder what must have been going through his mind. Regardless of what he may have thought, it's pretty clear that Abram did not hesitate to sh'ma the voice calling him out of his father's household and off to (pardon the expression) "God knows where."

Any adventure always starts with a departure... and with us leaving something behind. We each have a different story, because we are all called to leave something behind when we heed our individual call to follow YHVH. Whatever that thing is will make our story a unique one. Can you identify with any of these things that we have been called to leave behind when we sh'ma the voice of YHVH calling?
  • Self-destructive behavior 
  • Critical spirit
  • Attitude of entitlement or victimization
  • Sense of self-importance
  • Toxic relationship(s)
  • Getting too comfortable with our comfort zone
  • Pride in our own accomplishments 
I, for one, have had to re-start my adventure of listening for His voice and following where He leads more than once. Much like Abram's father Terah, I have discovered just how easy it is to lose my focus and get pulled off track and waste precious years in my own "Haran." Thankfully, YHVH is a God of second (and third... and fourth...) chances. Otherwise,  I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. 



Haftarah: II Kings 4:1 - 37
B’rit Chadasha:  Galatians 4:1 - 5:6;  Hebrews 11:17 - 19

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Berĕshith 3 :: The Father of All Who Listen

This week, we are re-reading that familiar story of the calling of Abram to leave Haran and to trust YHVH to lead him... and Abram listened. Not only did he listen, he obeyed. Ah... there's that calling to sh'ma.

It would also seem that apparently Abram's father Terah had at one point also been called to leave. He appears to have gotten distracted, somewhere along the way from leaving Ur and landing in Haran. Scripture does not elaborate, so there is no need for me to be presumptuous and come up with an excuse. Suffice it to say, Terah did not sh'ma.

(Teraḥ took his son Aḇram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Aḇram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur-kasdim to go to the land of Kena‛an. And they came to Ḥaran and dwelt there. And the days of Teraḥ came to be two hundred and five years, and Teraḥ died in Ḥaran. - Genesis 11:31-32)

I'm not here today to go through the whole re-telling of the story. If you grew up going to Sunday school, you probably know the story by heart.  Besides, I have to assume that anyone reading my randomizing is also able to read the story for themselves.

Telling the story is not the point. I want to talk about what we all can sh'ma here. And I think this is it:
•    YHVH calls each one of us to trust Him enough to leave our comfort zones.
•    YHVH wants us to keep our eyes on Him, and not get distracted by the events and enticements that would divert our attention from following Him.
•    YHVH wants to use us to bring blessing to those He puts us in contact with.

If we listen closely, I think we can find a lot of similarities in our walk, and opportunities to bring the presence of God into our surroundings.



Lech Lecha:  Genesis 12:1-20
B’rit Chadasha:   Romans 3:19 - 5:11Galatians 3:6-29Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Berĕshith 2 :: If It's Any Comfort

When Noah was named by his father Lamech, it was prophesied: This one will comfort us...
If you are thinking at all about what happened when Noah was on earth, you might be wondering how the death of the entire planet by drowning (with the exception of the 8 humans and their floating menagerie on the ark) was exactly a "comfort."

So here, I am again, getting ready to sh'ma, and see if I can figure out what it is that YHVH wants me to hear and obey this week.

First of all is the way YHVH saw Noah: righteous and faultless. That's a pretty tall order. And humanly, we have to wonder how it is that someone who would plant a vineyard and get plastered on the wine qualifies as faultless. Perhaps it is because YHVH is able to see past our momentary weaknesses to our obedience to what He has called us to. It's also helpful if we could understand that the Hebrew verb root of our word righteous is the word tzadak, which basically means "usable". Something that meets the designer's expectation for the project at hand. That's a lot different from the way I have always defined that word! In other words, our focus is usually on what we do to be considered righteous, when instead the focus is really more about our willingness for Him to use us and transform us to do the job He wants done! 

As William Bullock points out this week in his devotional on Noah, 
Biblically, we can say a tzaddik is ‘righteous’. But that does not mean we think he is totally sinless. It just means he is not so badly warped, corrupted, damaged, or out of spec that he is unusable in for the Kingdom of Heaven’s projects in His generation...  ‘righteousness’ comes solely from trusting and sh’ma-ing  the instructions of [YHVH.]
Righteousness, for Noah and for us, was found in and trusting in [YHVH's] goodness and grace, and thereby surrendering to the Creator’s will, sh’ma-ing His voice, and doing what He said – and nothing else.

The second thing I want to take away from this week's Torah portion is the understanding of the way YHVH saw the earth during Noah's time. As often as we complain these days about the hatred, the anger, the violence and the wickedness in the world, I think it must pale in comparison to how bad it must have been for the Creator to say, "Enough and No More!" when He looked on the corruption and total depravity of the earth. As it was described in this week's devotional:
The world was not just ‘messed up’ - it was in the throes of a death spiral... [YHVH's] intervention was an act of grace – a painful but necessary surgery that was the world’s – and mankind’s – only hope of survival...  but for the Flood, [life] would not have been a life worth living.

That's a powerful picture - and for all the people who cry about how mean YHVH was to have allowed everyone to die such a horrible death, to put it in His perspective helps us see it as "an act of tough love wrought by a merciful Creator who is...fully devoted to that [mankind's] survival and fulfillment."

My prayer after reading the Parshah this week is to be the kind of worshiper that God would find "usable" and consumed with listening to His voice.


Torah Noach: Genesis 6:9 - 11:32
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5
B’rit Chadasha: Matthew 24:1-44   I Peter 3:8-22  II Peter 1:3 - 2:22; 3:17-18

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Berĕshith 1 :: Can You Hear Me?

The reading of the Torah cycle has recommenced. I find that I am getting something new every year as I read through it again. That is probably the reason why the writer of Acts reminded the new "Gentile" believers that they would learn how to live their lives set-apart to YHVH as they sat in on the teaching in the synagogues every week... 
For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath. (Acts 15:21)

As I read each week, I am reminded every time of how important it is to listen, to hear and obey. The most often spoken prayer has to be the Sh'ma, which is prayed several times daily by all devout Jews and many Messianic believers as well. We think we know what the word sh'ma means... but do we? If we did, I think there would a lot more people living set-apart lives in this world.
William Bullock, Jr. ("The Rabbis' Son") gives a very interesting word picture:
To sh’ma means much more than either to listen or to hear. It means to totally restructure one’s life based solely upon what one has heard, forsaking all other ways besides that way explicitly spoken by he who has spoken...An example of what it means to sh’ma is found in the way a mother of a newborn baby responds when her baby cries in the night. No matter how tired the mother is, or how inconvenient it may be, or who may tell her just to 'let the baby cry, it will be alright,' she is driven to respond, and does respond. Her reaction to the baby’s cry is a sh’ma response. She knows her baby’s voice. When she hears it, she drops everything and responds because of the depth of the relationship – the bond – she has with the baby. We are to sh’ma [YHVH's] voice the way the mother responds to her baby’s cry – drop everything, listen to no other counsel, and respond appropriately, in a manner consistent with the relationship.
As I read this week, my challenge to myself is to sh'ma... to 'listen' as I am reading... for His voice, and to respond appropriately.

This week's reading, starting with Creation, is a vivid reminder of the power of WORDS. With nothing more than Words, YHVH did then what He continues to do in our own lives - He uses words to transform emptiness into something more useful in His plan of redemption. He does it all in order, He has a design... So He has done with me and everyone who chooses to sh'ma His voice.


As Rabbi Bullock points out in his teaching this week, there is a Divine Principle in the process of Creation called havdalah – separation. YHVH separated the light from the dark, the sea from the dry land, the heavens from the earth... there is a pattern here worth noting. We, too, are created to be separate. He has called us to be set-apart from the common, from the profane. If we are going to sh'ma, we need to learn what that looks like... and we need to respond appropriately because of the depth of our relationship with Him.


Torah B’reshit: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3
Haftarah: Isaiah 42:5 - 43:10
B’rit Chadasha: John 1:1-18 and Romans 5:12-21 

Friday, September 21, 2018

Pruning Season

Have you ever gone through a season of pruning? When we experience difficulty or hard times, we may default to thinking "God is punishing me." Often, grief, disappointment, and disillusionment can accompany us into this season. But think of the results that come from pruning your roses, your peach trees - any gardener knows the benefits that come from pruning. I read a devotional that reminded us that anything that comes from the hand of God is a gift, and we should remind ourselves that "we are not what we do... we are someone He loves." 

That is a good reminder, but I would like to take it a step further: What we do does not define who we are, but what we do in faithful obedience to Him displays our trust and love for Him... "so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16


So many people get caught up in the doing of the good works that soon it becomes doing for doing's sake... we lose sight of the fact that we are to be a blessing so that His name is lifted up. Does that mean that "bad things" won't happen to us when we are being obedient? I can't find that promise in scripture or evidenced in church history, but I can find that obedience brings blessing. (Too often, though, we want to dictate to God what blessing has to look like - which I see as basically a lack of faith in His perfect timing and perfect will.)


"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God: Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country." Deuteronomy 28:1-3


At the opposite end of the spectrum are those who say "we're under grace and it's all covered by the blood of Jesus" as an excuse to do whatever seems right in their own eyes. "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts." Proverbs 21:2


What I believe is this:  God is with us in the green pastures. God is with us in the valley of the shadow of death. God is with us. Period. Everything this side of the sod tempts us and pulls us away from that Truth. 


(Which reminds me of that song: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.)

Thank you, Christine Miller, for sharing your talents!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Learning Curve :: Day of Atonement

This year, for the first time, I was able to actually observe Yom Kippur by taking the day off work and fasting. It finally dawned on me that all I had to do was request a "vacation day." Simple as that. As I did not grow up in anything close to what some may call "The Jewish Culture," I sometimes struggle with the balance between what scripture says in regard to The Lord's Days and what has evolved through time and tradition.

There is no shortage of opinions as to what we "should do," as people who believe that, (a) The Whole Bible is true, and (b) We should live as if we believe it still is valid for our lives today. Again, I find myself butting my head against tradition vs. truth. Except, this time, we have "new" traditions, tailor made for us by a new set of self-appointed pseudo-Sanhedrin.
So, for me, it's back to scripture. (What does the Bible say?)

Leviticus 16: 29-31
“This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.
Numbers 29:7
‘On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work. 

Other than the sacrifices that the High Priest was to make for himself and the people, which can no longer be performed for the simple fact that there is no longer a temple (and elsewhere in scripture YHVH forbids offering sacrifices in any other location), it boils down to some pretty simple instructions:
  1. afflict your souls
  2. do no work at all - a sabbath of solemn rest
  3. have a holy convocation
Like I said, pretty simple. Right?

EXCEPT: 
  • What exactly does it mean to "afflict" my soul?
  • How do I "do no work at all" when I am a wife and work two jobs?
  • Where and with whom do I have a "holy convocation"?
And in an honest attempt to flesh out those three simple guidelines while living in a nation that is not following the scriptures in this way, that is where we can get tripped up with tradition. 
This year, for me it looked like this: 
  • Sleep in (all the way til 7 a.m.!)
  • Pass on the morning ritual of coffee
  • Read my Bible
  • Read a study on Galatians and make notes
  • Ignore the impulse to check social media
  • Listen to worship music
  • Watch a teaching video about Yom Kippur
  • Take a short nap
  • Put dinner in the crockpot (without tasting - that was a challenge!)
  • Ask Alexa what time was sunset
  • Take a walk
  • Spend time in the garden
  • Ignore the impulse to play a game on the computer
  • Read my Bible
  • Take a longer nap
  • Read more study and make more notes
  • Text my friend who is also walking through this experience for the first time to see how she was doing
  • Pick up my husband from a friend's house
  • Spend time with my husband after he got home
  • Periodically look at my watch to see if it was time to eat
  • Set the table, light the candles, and eat
  • Bless YHVH for the time I was able to devote to spending with Him
  • Wonder why it took me so long to do this! 
Still taking baby steps.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

The second "most wonderful time of the year"...

Someone asked me today (in reference, I'm sure, to my Friday meander), "What do you say to someone about Hallowe'en?" Other than what I have previously said, these are the only other thoughts I really have on the matter:

According to the National Retail Foundation (in 2017):  "More than 171 million Americans plan to celebrate Hallowe'en this year, spending an average $82.93, up from last year's $74.34. Total spending is expected to reach $8.4 billion, an all-time high in the history of NRF's annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights." Close to $2.7 billion of that will be spent on home decor.

To put that in perspective, the NRF's "Winter Holiday" prediction for 2016 was between $678.75 billion and $682 billion. To further put that into real-world perspective, the GNP of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2016 was 57.83 billion. If Congo is a little too Third-World for you to think that is a significant statistic, the 2016 GNP for Greece was 289.1 billion.

I am not saying people don't have a right to waste spend their hard-earned money as they see fit, What I am saying is, I think we need to get a little perspective here. I get it, people just want to have fun. Golly, I want to have fun, too! I really am not the stick-in-the mud, killjoy you imagine. And, let's face it, despite all our discretionary spending, the US, Australia, and Canada rank right up there on the 2017 World Giving Index... 
...right BEHIND Myanmar, Indonesia, Kenya, and New Zealand. (Yeah, you heard me right.)

So, aside from the fact that celebrating a "holiday" that clearly has pagan roots and makes no effort to disguise that fact, aside from the fact that we could clearly be doing a better job of helping our neighbor (or to quote Jesus/Yeshua, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’)...what's my point, you ask?

No point, just making a statement of fact. Draw your own conclusions.

Friday, September 14, 2018

Off the top of my head :: My 2¢ Worth

The question was posed:

I often wonder, when people who I am quite sure do not know Jesus, or don't recognize God in any part of their lives, what do they mean when they say "I'll pray for___" or "I prayed for____"... to whom do they pray?  We as Believers in Jesus know the One to whom we pray... in a personal, intimate way.  No other religion or sect can claim that.

After a little thought, I am inclined to think that (in the instance as described above) the word "pray" is maybe used as a euphemism for "thinking positive thoughts"... as in sending good vibes out into the universe - that type of thing.

There are probably some who, while they don't necessarily believe in YHWH, Creator of the Universe, the True and Living God, Father of our Messiah Jesus/Yeshua... they do ascribe to a belief in "a deity", or "the man upstairs" - you know what I'm talking about, we've all heard people say that from time to time.

So, in that instance, I guess they would be directing their petition to "the Big Guy in charge." Or, in the case of some people that I know who are self-avowed pagans, whichever pagan god or goddess they ascribe to. Otherwise, I believe the most common thing I have heard is "sending positive thoughts/energy your way." (I am not trying to be sarcastic when I have the mind-picture of needing a butterfly net to catch those positive thoughts. I just keep my mouth shut on that one.)

Here is what I normally say if someone says they are praying for me, but I am pretty sure they are not praying to YHWH our Elohim... I will say something along the lines of, "I appreciate your kindness."
I do not say "thank you", because, frankly, I do not want to be the recipient of prayers to any pagan deity on my behalf. Maybe that sounds slightly superstitious... I don't know. But I certainly do not want to dismiss their act of kindness for what it is - it is simply an expression that they care for whomever it is they are "praying" for.

It's somewhat along the lines of what I say to people around the winter holidays when someone says "Merry Christmas." They do not know, nor do they particularly care that I do not celebrate Christmas, so it is pointless to give them a speech about that. I simply smile and say, "Enjoy your holiday!" There is never a need to be unkind to someone who is trying to express kindness.

So, that's just my 2¢ worth... off the top of my head.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Shana Tovah

Driving out to the observatory at the park to try to sight the sliver of a new moon was a bust - due to the lousy air quality, courtesy of practically our entire state being on fire. (Or maybe it just seems that way.)
See the big red blob in the northstate? Yep, that's us. This is today's map, and yesterday wasn't any better.
Needless to say, spotting a moon, sliver or not, was not going to happen. So we came home and I successfully blew my shofar anyway, just because I was not going to be denied.

No one pounded on my door, so either my neighbors are used to me, or else I didn't make enough noise for them to notice. 

If you are interested in reading the Yom Teruah scripture readings:
Genesis 21-22
Numbers 29:1-6
1 Samuel 1:1-2:10
Jeremiah 31:2-20
Matthew 24
Mark 13
Luke 21
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Hebrews 11:17-19
Revelation 8-9

(Phew! That should keep you out of trouble for awhile!)

The more sources I read, the more I think the theory that Yom Teruah is a rehearsal for Yeshua's second return makes more sense. Here is where I went today:
The Refiner's Fire
A Rood Awakening
One for Israel

Monday, September 10, 2018

Elul 30 :: Not The End

Today is the last day of my personal commitment to blog daily throughout the month of Elul, leading up to the the Fall Feasts of the Lord. It has been a time of introspection and self-examination, and developing my thoughts. I appreciate that some people have expressed that they have been impacted by a few of my meanderings.

This blog was started, and continues to be a venue where I can anonymously sort through various experiences, thoughts, and working out what I find to be true - or false - about a given topic, in a "safe place."

I am deviating again today from the published devotional with The Rabbi's Son, not because I believe it has no value, but because it is presented in allegorical story form that cannot logically be conveyed in a few sentences. Instead, I want to turn my thoughts to the first of the Fall Mo'edim, the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah. My understanding is that the word "teruah" refers to the blasts of the shofar, a ram's horn used to call the assembly or call warriors to battle. Over the years, this holiday has also come to be called Rosh haShanah, because tradition says it is the anniversary of Creation, and therefore is celebrated as the head of the civil year in traditional Judaism (as opposed to the religious/Biblical "New Year" which falls at Passover.)

Really, the only instruction given to us in scripture is this:
The Feast of Trumpets
Leviticus 23:23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ” (The Scriptures, 2009)

Other than the specifics of the required Temple sacrifice outlined in Numbers 29:1 (which I am of the opinion cannot be performed in light of the destruction of said Temple in 70 AD), there is no further instruction on how to commemorate this day. Of course, there is a wealth of traditions to be found in a simple Google search, but beyond understanding the principles behind the traditions, I am not interested in adding another layer of hoops to jump through in my life. I will, however, be going to the observatory to see the new moon and blow my shofar (as best I can.) As I have explained elsewhere, I am learning as I go.

Trying to understand the prophetic significance of Yom Teruah, and how that points us to Jesus/Yeshua, there are quite a few thoughts out there. A good number of them propose that it foreshadows the return of Messiah, or his Second Coming. 

In light of my comments made in yesterday's blog regarding the end times, I found a blog, He That Has An Ear, wherein the writer hypothesizes that Yom Teruah could possibly be "the day that no man knows." It's an interesting read, for anyone interested in pursuing that line of thought.  Other blogs  with that proposal are Bible Things in Bible Ways, and Restoring the Way. I am not including these links because I agree or disagree with them, I just found them worth considering as I examine how to observe the Lord's Appointed Times in a way that will honor Him. 

It can be nice to have a local fellowship of like-minded believers who are in agreement about how to celebrate together, but some of us on this faith journey are thrust into the adventure of exploring and learning for ourselves. 

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Elul 29 :: I Wish We'd All Been Ready

Because the US media seems to be so focused on the real and imagined drama happening on this side of the globe, I make it my practice to regularly expose myself to other sources of information, such as BBC World News, for one... and a fellow I have been following for years who does a weekly update on YouTube of events we don't normally hear about which are unfolding in the Middle East:  Monte Judah with Lion and Lamb Ministries.

And, even though I am not going to be precisely following today's Elul devotional from The Rabbi's Son, the topic goes hand in hand. You may have noticed that we are almost at the end of our 30-Day period of introspection and self-examination, in preparation for the upcoming weeks of Fall Mo'edim (Appointed Times) which many erroneously call the "Jewish High Holidays."

All of the Lord's Appointed Times are prophetic pictures of Messiah and the reign to come. I am not one for getting side-tracked by the myriad so-called "prophets" who distract believers (and incite non-believers to ridicule us) by making predictions each year that "this is the year." It's no secret that Jesus/Yeshua Himself told his disciples, "...of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." -Matthew 24:36 (NKJV)

Rather, I think the key here is to remember that we are to be like the wise bridesmaids in Matthew 25, who were ready and waiting for the bridegroom to come. In other words, we should be "Preppers", in a spiritual sense. I used to be caught up in the Rapture theology, but have found it difficult to support that theory with scripture, so I am back to the mindset that some jokingly call the Pan-Trib position that YHVH knows what He's doing, He's calling the shots, and it will all "pan out" in the end.  What we need to really concern ourselves with is keeping short accounts with our fellow man and with our Creator. In other words, I am back to the theme of teshuva, or repentance. After all, that is really the ultimate point of spending time in self-examination, isn't it?

I have likewise come to believe over the past years that repentance was also the message that Messiah preached during His time on earth. Growing up in mainstream Christianity, I had somehow got the idea that "the gospel" that we believed was only about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. While I am not arguing with that historical fact, I now have a different perspective. For one thing, it seems odd at the very least that Jesus/Yeshua would be preaching "believe that I died on the cross to forgive your sins" before the fact. Did He predict His death and resurrection? Sure He did. But His main message was to repent so that we can inherit the Kingdom of God/YHVH. 

So, the question remains, From WHAT are we to repent? Anything that is less than what YHVH has called us to, which is holiness. Our thoughts, our desires, our actions are to be set-apart according to how He has instructed us to live and to be His representatives. How are we to be a light to the world, directing them to Him if we are not accurately reflecting His light that lives within us? That is only accomplished by laying down our desires and dreams in favor of something much bigger: HIS desires and dreams. 

Can I get a "YIKES!"?  No... don't despair: He also assured us that nothing He asks of us is too hard or unreachable.¹ 

(Looking at the news reports, though, I can't help but wonder if it's going to be here before we know it. So, stock up on lamp oil.)



¹ For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. - Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NKJV)

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Elul 28 :: Rat Race Remedy

A very good question has been posed today: What kind of person would prefer a life of frenzied activity to the Creator’s Plan?
And the answer: Someone who lacks basic understanding.

Unfortunately, it would seem that most of us are addicted to frenzied activity - because it allows us to escape reality and prevents us from having to stop and deal with the real issues that exist between ourselves and others - and YHVH. 

But the problem is, we were not created to be busy all the time, we were created for relationship and fellowship. That is why YHVH places such importance on stopping and resting

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! - Psalm 46:10

How can we have a relationship with Someone we can't even stop and spend time with? How can we exalt Someone if we don't know Him? Do we have such a sense of self-importance that we cannot stop to take a breath and enjoy His fellowship?

YHVH Himself thought it was important enough and beneficial for us, so much that He did more than suggest it, He commanded it and said we would be blessed for observing the Sabbath. 

Whose voice are we really listening to when we value our own wisdom over the One who created us?

Thank you, Christine Miller

Friday, September 7, 2018

Elul 27 :: Who is Sitting on the Throne?

Who is God, except יהוה  
And who is a Rock, except our God?  - Psalm 18:31

It seems that is the question we all need to ask ourselves. Is it possible that YHVH is really not 'God' in our lives, after all? It was a sobering thought, reading today's Elul devotional from The Rabbi's Son. Several things were suggested as possible gods in our lives, taking the rightful place of YHVH. I wonder if the list will make you as uncomfortable as it did me?
  1. Self - including self-will, self-absorption, and self-importance.
    (It is no surprise that this is #1 on the list.)
  2. Appetite - Can I just stop right here and say, "Ouch."
    And we're not just talking ice cream and chocolate bon-bons. Appetite also disguises itself as lust, pride, greed, jealousy.
  3. Fear - fear of criticism, other's opinions, all of which result in taking the least path of resistance or risk, and thereby having the least impact or influence.
  4. Creed - Yes, you heard that right. There's no typo there. We all have a desire for righteousness and order, but this little "g" god masquerades as moralism, legalism, or a righteous cause
    The Rabbi's Son describes this as: "thinking and trying to make everybody else believe you are right." 
    (Busted.)
  5. Thrill - disguised as distractions, entertainment, addiction - instead of using our natural curiosity to enrich our relationship with YHVH.
    It is so tempting to point the finger at everyone else... until I analyze why I am playing that computer Solitaire game for the 30th time, or watching YouTube videos all evening (or fill in the blank for your own distractions or addictions.) 
  6. Offense - this can be due to a real wrong done to you, or it can be a result of jealousy, hatred or prejudice. It leads to a desire to see someone else hurt as payback for the hurt they inflicted.
  7. Shame - Shame manipulates our conscience and tells us our worth is based on some bad thing we did or wrong choice we made.
  8. Mammon - This god can affect rich or poor, because at its root is envy. Wanting something that YHVH has given to someone else, for His own good purposes.
We can't dethrone these little "g" gods from our hearts if we are not going to be honest and pretend they aren't sitting on the throne that is intended for Someone else.

Let's stop and remember Who it was that redeemed us in the first place and brought us out of our own "Egypt", whatever our bondage looked like.




Thursday, September 6, 2018

Elul 26 :: Say the Word

It just seems that I cannot read or hear anything about the power of words without the song The Word from the 1965 Beatles album Rubber Soul sticking in my brain. Sadly, it has nothing whatsoever to do with anything, it just gets stuck there, like an earworm – likely a result of my having played it so many times when I was (much) younger.
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, it's sunshine
It's the word, love

In the beginning I misunderstood
But now I've got it, the word is good

Like I said, it's absurd. But it does illustrate my point about the power that words have on our mind. It is the same whether words are positive or negative, and I am sure all of us have heard plenty of negative words spoken over us in our lifetimes.

Indeed, the brother of Jesus/Yeshua, apostle James has this to say about the power of our words:
For we all stumble in many matters. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man… the tongue is a little member, yet boasts greatly… no man is able to tame the tongue. It is unruly, evil, filled with deadly poison. With it we bless our Elohim and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of Elohim. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be so. – James 3:2-10 (The Scriptures 2009)

In considering today’s Elul devotional from The Rabbi’s Son, entitled Words That Carry the Weight of His Glory, the theme centers around the practice of using "ordinary, uninspired words – words of opinion, theory, gossip, vanity, political debate and philosophy and... cliché religion" versus using the words given to us by YHVH, which have the power to change hearts or alter the course of history, as with the words Moses spoke to Pharaoh.

Imagine: YHVH is ready, willing, and more than able to download His words, that carry the weight of His glory, into the hearts and mouths mouths "of absolutely anyone who will surrender to His calling, go where He tells them to go, and say what He tells them to say."

As one of my old pastors used to say, "Yes, but how?" Well, I would offer that it takes surrender, it takes prayer, and it takes practice. As a recovering sarcastic, I would add - it takes keeping your mouth shut until you have take a few seconds to consider what your words sound like to the person on the receiving end. Are they true? Are they uplifting? Are they edifying?


Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Elul 25 :: Not So 20-20

Recently, my husband had cataract surgery in his left eye. At the same time, a stint was inserted to help relieve pressure from recently diagnosed glaucoma. That he would be having these issues was hardly a surprise to us, as this is the same eye that suffered major trauma over 30 years ago when a 16d nail ricocheted off a stud and implanted into his eye. It was a miracle that he did not lose his eye or his eyesight, but we were forewarned that he would likely develop cataracts later in life.

Later in life has arrived, and they didn't lie. Unfortunately, even with surgery, the eyesight will probably never be much better. The up side is, he still has one eye with no vision problems, so life goes on.

Thankfully, we do not have to depend on our physical eyes for spiritual insight and understanding... or to see ourselves and others as YHVH sees us. Even better news than that is the knowledge that YHVH's eyes are on us at all times.

Indeed, according to today's Elul devotional with The Rabbi's Son,
     His ear is tuned in to hear your every heartbeat... He knows your thoughts before you think them... He knows your life better than you do.
     You may have quit looking in His direction, but He has not responded in kind.

And, you know what specifically is nice about this? He see us, He knows us, and when we cry out to Him, he does not dredge up all of our faults and sordid details of our past. Instead, He looks at our potential and our promise, and He believes in us.

Today's challenge is to see ourselves and others as YHVH sees us - our sins are not an obstacle to His love, but easily remedied by our "repentance and returning." And, with that revelation:
     "quit being repulsed by and overreacting to other people’s sin, and instead lovingly help them deal first with the main problem -- their estrangement from [YHVH]."



Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Elul 24 :: Defining "Holy"

Thinking about the word "holy" and what it really means. You can consult the dictionary, you can look in the thesaurus, but what does it actually look like in real life? The question has been asked, how did a patch of dirt or a scrawny thorn bush in the desert go from being commonplace to holy? For that matter, can any old person, place or thing be holy? And if so, how?

If one were to do a word search in an online Bible app, all sorts of verses pop up calling all sorts of things "holy"... from mountains to hills; from offerings to praises; bread, meat, and oil... it's quite a long list. Checking Websters yields the definition: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. But that doesn't answer the question, how?

According to today's Elul devotion, 
Holiness is absolutely inseparable from His Manifest Presence. Everywhere His Manifest  Presence is, holiness is. Moreover, holiness is absolutely impossible without His Manifest Presence… That means if you are trying to make yourself holy by your own efforts… you can forget it.

The only thing that made Mt. Sinai “holy” was that it was “in the Zone of His presence.” From that, we can deduce that in order for us to be holy, we also need to be “In the Zone” so to speak. In other words, our wants and dreams and desires are taken out of the equation because we want only what He desires for our lives. We decrease and He increases. It’s nothing we can accomplish on our own – it involves nothing less than total surrender and cooperation with the One who is holy and can never be anything but holy.

It takes me back to my Southern Baptist childhood and one of the songs that was sung for altar call: I Surrender All. 

The story behind the song

Monday, September 3, 2018

Elul 23 :: It is Well... or is it?

One of my all-time favorite hymns was written by a lawyer in the depths of a personal tragedy. Many probably know the story, but many more do not. In 1873, Horatio Spafford wrote the now-famous words after losing all of his children first to illness, then to shipwreck:
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

That peace in the midst of deep personal loss has comforted many people trusting in YHVH. My own friend lost both of his parents while he was in college when they were brutally murdered by Viet Cong during the Tet Offensive of 1968. In his book, On Call, he describes his anger, despair and finally peace as he came to the place of trusting YHVH in the midst of his sorrow.

Today's Elul devotion from The Rabbi's Son reminds us that: "It is...not for His benefit that He consents to step off His Throne and into our field to [visit] us. It is [we who] desperately need Him to do so. He knows what our condition is – but we do not." It is true that the demands and challenges of our day-to-day lives seem to conspire to dull our minds to the reality that we have cracks in our emotional and spiritual armor. As a result, we don't notice as we slip into defensiveness, pettiness, anger, disappointment - then scar tissue builds up in our hearts and souls. Sometimes, it even takes a tragedy to shake us out of our self-absorbed state of mind and remind us that we need His touch, His hand to show us where we have become cold and unresponsive.

That is the reason why I embarked on this journey of introspection, with the goal of leading up to a better awareness of His hand directing me. Then, maybe I can sing with all honesty the words:
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

Thank you Christine Miller for your beautiful scripture art!

Sunday, September 2, 2018

Elul 22 :: That was then. This is now.

Let me cut right to the chase and totally bypass any of my randomising:
Consider how many people you have hurt or wounded in your life. Consider how many times you have acted selfishly, or childishly, to someone else’s hurt. Consider how many times your words have been full of cutting, biting sarcasm and accusation. Are you really so much more righteous than the persons who wounded and offended you? Does it really matter what happened in the past and who or what caused your wounds and scars – or is it better to focus upon the future and your destiny?¹

I know that I, for one, spend way too much energy focusing on what happened in the past and how other people wounded or offended me. Me, me, me. Someone needs to go back and tell my 12-Year-Old Self, "Buck up, Buttercup! Life is not all about you!"
I'm not saying that YHVH doesn't love us and care about us - each one - individually.  You did not hear me say that. 

The point I am trying to make is, nothing that we remember or imagine we have suffered at the hands of any person can compare at all to what Jesus/Yeshua Himself endured at Calvary for our sins. I have to wonder if the wounds that we have experienced from the mouths and hands of others are just a sly way for the enemy to get us to take our focus off of our own sins and how those sins have been dealt with, once and for all.

Maybe?

Thank you, Christine Miller
¹ https://www.regionschristiancenter.org (Late Summer Journey, Day 22: Intentions and Results)

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Elul 21 :: What's That I Smell?

The sense of smell is a powerful thing. Nothing takes us immediately to another time or another place like a "whiff" of something that triggers an event, memory, or person. Walking through the park one autumn day, we passed a shady, overgrown area that backed up to someone's yard where a pile of leaves was being (illegally) burned. The combination of damp and mildew with the smoke instantly transported me back to the rainforest where I lived for a time in Africa.

Growing up, and during the years raising my own children, a fond memory was the baking of cinnamon rolls for special occasions. Even now, the smell of fresh bread or cookies when I walk into a house or bakery throws out any sense of determination to shed a few pounds or count calories. It is the same phenomena that prompts realtors to pop a batch of cinnamon rolls into the oven for an open house home showing.

Reading today's Elul devotion brought up those memories because it related the idea of Sabbath observance with the fragrant and inviting aromas of fresh bread and frankincense that would fill the Temple. But today, "The new dwelling place on earth in which the Holy One has chosen to dwell is none other than the hearts, minds, souls, and bodies of His People."

That thought makes me more conscious of the fact that we should be living our lives in such a way that those around us are catching a whiff of YHVH at work in us... or, "the scent of the Bread of Life and the aroma of humility, gratitude, lovingkindness, prayerfulness, praise and worship."

For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. - II Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV)

Shabbat shalom from our home