Life in the World of Lori-Dawn

Commands of Christ: Follow Me

2011-08-16T14:32:00.000-06:00

Have a Tent Mind-Set!

Welcome to our second week of meditation! In order to live out Christ’s second command, we must comprehend the rich insights of a “tent mind-set.”

Command Two:
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

Those who heard the call to follow Jesus understood that it meant forsaking their way of life and being trained by Him as a disciple.
This is consistent with God’s call to Abraham. Abraham was told to leave his land, kindred, and father’s house and follow the Lord to a land of promise. In the process, he learned the mind-set of a tent-dweller. When Abraham’s descendants went down to Egypt (symbolic of the world), they lost their tent perspective. Soon the pressure of their bondage caused them to cry out to God for deliverance.
God brought them “out of the house of bondage” (see Deuteronomy 13:5) and restored their perspective of tent dwelling in the wilderness. God also lived with them in a tent (the Tabernacle) and had them look to heaven for their daily bread and daily direction. In the land of promise they lived in goodly houses, but God warned them never to lose their tent mind-set. So, He established an annual feast in which they would live in a tent for one week and be reminded of their total dependence upon God. (See Leviticus 23:34.)

A tent mind-set is realizing that this world is not our home and that we are on a holy pursuit of God’s kingdom with total dependence on Him as “strangers and pilgrims.”

Peter speaks of this mind-set as a powerful basis for conquering lust: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (I Peter 2:11).
A tent mind-set helps us lay aside temporal things and see the value in eternal things, such as discipling others. Therefore, when a would-be follower of Jesus volunteered his services, Jesus immediately focused on his need for a tent mind-set by saying, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). There is nothing wrong with living in a house as long as we don’t lose a tent mind-set and view our home as a temporary base from which to fulfill the Great Commission.
Congratulations for completing your first week!

Get a Double Portion!

The invitation to follow Jesus is no small matter. The more we follow Him, the more we will become like Him. Imagine what this will mean for daily success! We will multiply our wisdom, because Jesus is ultimate wisdom, and “he that walketh with wise men shall be wise” (Proverbs 13:20).
We will also gain the rare quality of creativity that is so essential to success, because Jesus is the Creator. (See John 1:3.) Most of all, we will grow in the character of Christ, because He is the perfect expression of all the character qualities of God.
In addition to all of these benefits, there is something even more exciting.

Those who follow Jesus can receive a “double portion” of His power if they fulfill one important requirement. Do you know what it is?

Many heroes of faith accomplished greater things than the one they followed because they fulfilled this one prerequisite.

Samuel served Eli and then accomplished greater things than Eli.
Joshua served Moses and then accomplished what Moses failed to do.
David served Saul and achieved greater victories than Saul.
Elisha served Elijah and got a double portion of his power.

Each one of these men remained faithful until the end. Elijah explained this prerequisite when Elisha asked him for a double portion of his power. “…If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee….” (II Kings 2:10).
Jesus made the same stipulation when He said to His disciples, “Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). The word saved is the Greek word sozo, which can refer to physical, emotional, or spiritual vibrancy. During the ministry of Jesus, many disciples became offended and stopped following Him, but Jesus said of those who remained faithful:

“…The works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12).

The faithful disciples had a double portion of Jesus’ power because the Holy Spirit was sent to them. And, through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, they accomplished great things for God. Let’s purpose now to follow their example by faithfully following Jesus until the end.

Follow Very Closely!

The crowds followed Jesus, but only those closest to Him heard the rich teaching He gave along the way. There were others who followed Him from afar. (See John 19:38.) John followed Jesus as closely as he could. As a result, John heard rich truths, which he shares in his writings.

Closeness is determined by how well we can hear Jesus speak to us, and this ability is determined by how much we meditate on His Word day and night.

John was one of the three who were in Jesus’ “inner circle.” He was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and on the mount of Calvary. He sat right next to Jesus at the Last Supper and wanted to sit next to Him in His kingdom. Because of this very close relationship, John shared truths from Jesus that are found in no other gospel or epistle.
For example, John recorded the secret of intimate fellowship and effective discipleship through meditation on the commands of Christ. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). John further emphasized the importance of meditation when he wrote, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Secrets bind the spirits of people together. Jesus wants to share His secrets with us, but we must follow closely to hear them.

Does your walk with Jesus allow Him to whisper secrets to you, or does He have to shout to get your attention? The more you meditate on Christ’s words, the closer your walk with Him will be!

Use Transformed “Rods”!

Meditation is imagining the action involved in carrying out the command. For example, imagine what would happen if you were Peter or Andrew and heard Jesus’ call to follow Him and be made a fisher of men. There is a principle here.
Jesus will take our talents and skills and transform them for eternal achievement. This is what He did with Matthew’s experience as a tax collector. Matthew teaches more about money in his Gospel than any other writer. The same principle is true with David; his shepherding skills were transformed by God into tools with which to shepherd, or care for, the whole nation of Israel. The skills he used for the sheep were applied to taking care of people. “So he [David] fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands” (Psalm 78:72). However, before God can use our skills, something must happen.

God will use whatever we bring to Him, but it must first be transformed by an action on our part. That action is demonstrated by the rod of Moses.

When God called Moses to follow Him back to Egypt and deliver the nation of Israel from bondage, He asked Moses to cast down his rod. That rod represented his skill and livelihood as a shepherd. The rod became a snake and was so terrifying that Moses fled from it. What a precise picture of personal skills and abilities that are not dedicated to God.
Once the rod was given to God and seen in a totally new light by Moses, God told him to pick it up. When he did, it was transformed into a new rod. No longer was it referred to as the rod of Moses, but rather the rod of God, and with it God was able to accomplish great and mighty deeds, which brought much glory to Him.

God will not use our skills or abilities, but He will transform them into His skills and abilities when we place them at His feet.

As a young boy I had an interest in drawing, but I had no unusual skill. However, when I dedicated my body to God at about the age of twelve, God took my interest in drawing and directed it to chalk art. As a result, millions of people have received spiritual encouragement and direction from the drawings. What “rods” do you presently have in your hand that are going to “bite you” if you don’t give them to God today?

Fish With Light!

As we continue meditating on Christ’s second command, we see that the ultimate purpose for following Jesus is to become fishers of men. God loves people, and He wants us to draw as many as we can to Him; it is not His will that any should perish. But how will He make us effective fishermen? The answer is found in an understanding of fishing methods of Christ’s day.
Peter and Andrew were fishing with nets during the day. That is when Jesus called them. However, James and John were mending their nets, indicating that they fished at night, which can be far more effective.

God’s way to fish is to attract people with Christ’s light in us and then draw them in with nets of love.

It is for the purpose of drawing people to Christ that Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) and Paul wrote, “Ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). The intensity of the brightness of our light is directly proportional to our meditation day and night, because Scripture itself is light. When it becomes a living part of our lives, we increase our brightness.
Scripture states, “The entrance of thy words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130) and “…it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:15). It is especially significant that God relates His commandments to the function of light: “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:8).
At night, the fishermen in Jesus’ day suspended lamps out from the boat and attracted fish to the light. Scripture states that the word of God is a “lamp” and a “light” (Psalm 119:105).

Is our light bright enough to attract others to Christ, and do we have enough love to draw them in?

The reason that Christ’s commands are so effective in drawing people to Christ is that they are all practical expressions of loving God and loving one another. In fact, Jesus explained that the entire Law and prophets hung on two commands: loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Let’s turn up our light by intensifying our meditation day and night!

Reject Deceptive Lures!

When we think of fishing, we tend to picture a fisherman with rod and reel. He is casting out his line with bait and hook. The bait is designed to look as close to the real thing as possible.
When the fish bite the bait, they are hooked and reeled in. Would this be a method that Jesus would use to draw people to the Gospel? Imagine the conflict and turmoil of such a “catch”! These “fish” were not drawn to the light but drawn to deceptive bait. They expected one thing and got another.

Attracting people with lures rather than light will draw “light haters” into the church, and their mission will be to extinguish the light.

Haters of light are committed to a way of life that is contrary to the holy standards of God’s Word. Jesus describes them by saying, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:20–21).
Paul understood the damage that results from using deceptive lures. He wrote, “We … have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (II Corinthians 4:1–2). The word deceitfully is translated from the Greek word doloo, which means “to adulterate for the sake of personal gain.” Mixing the Gospel with human traditions is an example of this adulteration.

Mixing the light of Christ with the lusts of the world is a contradiction to the Gospel of Christ.

John makes it very clear that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the Father, but are of the world. Therefore, if we use things that are not of God to lure people to God, we are contradicting the very message we preach.
May God give us discernment to attract people by the brilliant light of Christ rather than the clever manipulation of deceptive lures!

Record Your Progress!

Congratulations on finishing the second week of daily meditation. By now the living power of God’s Word should be having a significant effect upon your life and the lives of those around you. Today is an excellent day to record what is happening. Such a record is important for the following reasons:

Your written report proves to your family that you are committed to daily success.
It forces you to honestly evaluate how consistent and effective you have been.
It encourages your family to trust you because you are in daily contact with God.
It creates a longing in your family to seek after the God you love.
It preserves a valuable record for your children and their children.

Ten years from now, your Daily Success journal will be a powerful encouragement to you. Fifty years from now, it will be an inspiring challenge to your descendants.

It is important that you record victories and defeats in daily meditation. It is also important to note the responses of others in your family. Here are some examples:
This week I started strong, but things at work piled up and crowded out my meditation. I now see that the less I meditated, the more pressure I experienced.
I have been quoting Scripture back to God while going to sleep, and it has definitely improved my quality of rest. I did, however, have some unusual dreams.
One night I went to bed with a question, and during the night God gave me the answer. This was a thrilling experience!
I was encouraged when my young son asked me what it meant to meditate day and night. I was able to explain it to him, and now he wants to join me.

Meditation should not be something we have to stop to do, but should become a natural expression of our thoughts throughout the day.

Millions of people today find tremendous strength and encouragement because one man was faithful in writing out his daily experiences of meditation. His name is David—a man after God’s own heart!

I've given you a taste of the first two weeks of the Daily Success Program, if you like what you see please leave me a comment and I'll send you an invite to get the emails in your own inbox. There is no charge at all, just a pile of challenges!
Shalom!

I Am David

2011-08-12T13:23:00.000-06:00

by Anne Holm. More info on book here.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me think long and hard about how I respond to life. I found that I came up short....I take too many things for granted in this western culture we live in. Comfort is a "requirement" not a luxury. A huge variety of food is a "requirement" if we don't want to "feel" poor. How have we gotten so spoiled in this thing we call life?

I plan to read this book again and again and adjust my attitudes towards my expectations in life and I also plan to read it aloud to the family so we can adjust together....so we can see the beauty of YHVH's Creation and not dwell on the uncomfortable muggy day etc....kind of like the lesson that Mary Poppins teaches her charges when she sings the song "Spoon full of Sugar".

A fabulous attitude adjustment is what the rest of Aug. is going to be all about in our house! And perhaps we'll watch the movie based on this book in Sept!

Commands of Christ: Repent

2011-08-08T20:12:00.001-06:00

For the next little while I'll be posting a "command" every week. Please keep in mind that just because I'm reading these every day doesn't mean I agree with everything...If I find something to be questionable or if I have some insight to share I will share in the comments, if YOU read it and find something questionable, I would love to hear from you as well!! Feel free to comment! I'd love to hear if something blesses you or you have further insight into something as well.

http://iblp.org/iblp/discipleship/dailysuccess/commands/01/?dse

Welcome to Your First Day of the Daily Success Plan!

We are thrilled that this plan has the best guarantee in the world—it is guaranteed by God Himself. However, we must never forget that the guarantee is based on one requirement—to meditate on God’s Law day and night. The purpose of this entire plan is to encourage and motivate us to be faithful in doing this.
The Law of Moses is a shadow of the brilliant light of Christ’s commands. Thus, for our first week of meditation, we will concentrate on the following verse:

Command One:
“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

Our plan is to memorize this verse and quote it back to God at least ten times throughout the day. On our Web site dailysuccess.org, you will receive a wealth of practical information on this plan to help you meditate day and night.
For each command, we have a study question. If you can answer this question, you will understand the essence of the command. Why not read the study question to your whole family in the morning and see what their answers are by the evening?

Study Question One:
“Why did Esau find no place of repentance for simply selling his birthright while David found repentance for adultery and murder?” (See Hebrews 12:16–17 and Psalms 51.)

We want to explain how each command is directly related to success, so how does repentance relate? Repentance puts us into fellowship with the Lord and allows Him to bless everything we do. Our greatest asset is the blessing of the Lord, because “the blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). Without God’s blessing, Satan is given opportunity to devour our strength, family, health, and resources, so that there is no possible way to be successful.
Another major key to success is to understand why God designed our day to begin in the evening and not the morning. This key will be explained in tomorrow’s e-mail.

Start Your Day in the Evening!

First let’s answer the question of why Esau failed to find repentance for simply selling his birthright even though he sought it desperately with tears. Esau’s repentance was faulty because he did not understand true repentance. He was a profane fornicator (see Hebrews 12:16–17), and he simply wanted to regain the blessings that he had lost (see Genesis 25:33–34).
However, when David was confronted with his sin, he repented for the right reason. He wanted to restore fellowship with God. If we repent for any other reason than this we are not experiencing true repentance. (See Psalm 51.)¹
Now let’s discuss the question of why God designed the day to begin in the evening rather than in the morning. “The evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5).

The evening is the most important part of our day because it affects the quality of our sleep and sets our mental attitude for the rest of the day. Therefore, people do not “get up on the wrong side of the bed”; they go to bed on the “wrong side.”
The evening is the best time to evaluate the achievements of the previous day and to set new goals for the next day.
As we go to sleep meditating on Scripture and setting our goals before the Lord, our minds will be cleansed (this may produce unusual dreams). Then we will experience an exciting phenomenon: our “reins will instruct us in the night seasons” (see Psalm 16:7). This means that God will give us practical insights from His Word and clear direction, which will have a profound impact on the success of our lives.

This has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. It is how the questions for this study came into being, including the question on true repentance. If we meditate on the wisdom of God’s Word, we can claim this promise: “I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions” (Proverbs 8:12).

Remember! Our responsibility is to meditate day and night. God’s responsibility is to give us creative insights and direction. “The entrance of thy words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

Be Cleansed by the Word

How would you evaluate your success in meditating day and night? Whatever your answer is, don’t be discouraged!

You cannot imagine the delight and admiration of family that you are producing because of your commitment to daily success!

They have reason to be grateful and joyful, because as you cleanse your heart and mind with the Word of God, a supernatural work also takes place in them.
Paul speaks of this when he tells husbands to cleanse their wives with the washing of the Word (see Ephesians 5:25–33). This does not mean to get your wife to read the Bible or even to read it to her. It means to cleanse your own heart and soul by engrafting the pure Word of God into it. Jesus affirmed this meaning when He prayed in John 17:19: “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” If Jesus sanctified Himself through the truth for our sakes, how much more should we do it for those who are under our spiritual care?
The fact is that children reap the benefits of their father’s successes, but they also experience the consequences of their defeats.

Family Question:
Abraham lied to Pharaoh by saying that his beautiful wife was his sister and Pharaoh heaped riches on Abraham. There is no record of Abraham’s repentance. Instead he justified his deception by saying Sarah was indeed his half-sister. Did any consequences result from Abraham’s lie?

The surprising answer will come tomorrow. As you meditate on the command to repent, are there things that God is wanting to cleanse out of your life?

Repent With Sincerity!

As we meditate on the command to repent and call upon God for understanding, He will reveal to us the true essence of repentance and also give us the grace to do it. One of the best ways to understand repentance is by reading the prayers of those who did repent in Scripture. One such prayer is Psalm 51.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1–2).

James describes sincere repentance by calling for our laughter to be turned to mourning and our joy to be turned to heaviness. He exhorts us to cleanse our hands of past sins and purify our hearts of double-mindedness. (See James 4.)
The rewards of true repentance are not only a clear conscience and restored fellowship with God, but also a Godly heritage for our children and grandchildren. The failures of parents can affect children for generations to come, as in the case of Abraham.
After Abraham returned from Egypt, where he got riches by deception, God blessed him; however, the blessing began with the horror of darkness. (See Genesis 15:5–17.) This was a strange setting for a blessing until we realize what God was doing. He informed Abraham that his descendants would be in Egypt as slaves for 400 years, but that God would judge Egypt and in the end Abraham’s family would be freed from bondage and taken to the land God promised to Abraham. (See Genesis 15:12–13.)
Could it be that God was sending Abraham’s descendants down to Egypt for 400 years to pay back the riches that Abraham got by deception? If so, it was a high price to pay for failure to repent and make restitution!

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

David broke through to genuine repentance when he realized that even though his sins hurt other people, they were primarily against God. Therefore, he prayed, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psalm 51:4). Let’s begin our repentance now by praying the words of Psalm 51 back to God.

Conquer the Greatest Sin!

One day the president of a successful real estate company stood before his sales staff of about one hundred. After presenting several new properties, he stated, “My success story has been written up in a national business magazine. If you would like a copy, just see my secretary.”
A lightning bolt of dismay and tension struck the staff. Angry looks were exchanged, and murmuring began: “Who does he think he is?! We are the ones that made this company successful! It is our success story, not his.”
That very afternoon, several of his top salesmen quit and formed their own company. Soon there was not enough money to close contracts, so the president used money from other escrow accounts, which is a federal offense. Within six months, the once-successful company was dissolved, and the president began serving a prison sentence, all because of the lack of one character quality—humility.

“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

Pride is the sin that God hates the most and punishes the swiftest. Pride caused Satan and a third of the angels to be cast out of heaven. Pride was the cause of Adam and Eve’s dismissal from the Garden of Eden. It is also the cause of our unrepentance over sin, which keeps God from blessing us with riches, honor, and life. “Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way … do I hate” (Proverbs 8:13). God resists the proud and so do people. That is why conflicts are stirred up, because “only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10).

Pride is putting ourselves on an equal level with God. It is reserving for ourselves the right to decide what is right or wrong. Our pride is what put Jesus on the cross. We are just like those who said, “We will not have this man reign over us.”

Pride is projecting on the outside what is not true on the inside. Today, let’s conquer this primary hindrance to daily success by humbling ourselves before a holy God and making things right with all those whom we have offended.

Put Spirit Over Mind

The secret of effective meditation is quoting Scripture back to God with the spirit rather than the mind. This means that rather than trying to intellectually understand God’s truth, we discern it by His Spirit speaking to our spirit because “the things of the Spirit of God … are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14).

If we evaluate Scripture with the mind we tend to become proud, because “knowledge puffeth up,” but if Scripture “evaluates” the heart, we become humble because it exposes our secret sins.

By coming to Scripture with our spirit, we cry out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).
Your spirit has direct access to God’s Spirit, because “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). The Spirit of God has direct access to the conscience and is able to activate it with the spiritual understanding of what is right and what is wrong as we meditate upon His truth. It is this intimate fellowship of Spirit-to-spirit communication that constitutes true meditation and results in daily success.
Scripture is “the wisdom of God” and is given to us “in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world.” God determined that this wisdom would be “unto our glory.” However, it is revealed to us only “by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things: yea, the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:7–10).

“The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23).

Our natural inclination is to simply quote Scripture back to God as a mental or intellectual exercise. This will rob us of the riches of God’s wisdom and the joy of His fellowship. Therefore, we must bring the mind under the control of God’s Spirit with a definite act of the will.
Thus, it would be wise to pray, “Heavenly Father, right now I do place my mind under the control of Your Holy Spirit and the authority of Your Word.” With this prayer, you have just taken a giant step toward daily success.

Write It Down!

How often have we heard these words “Write it down or you’ll forget it”? If that is true for our daily efficiency, how much truer is it for the treasures of our experiences with God’s Word?
One of the greatest heritages that you could pass on to your descendants is a written account of your walk with God. The struggles and trials that you experienced and the steps that you took to overcome them will be a tremendous resource to those who follow you.

You do not know what you are thinking until you write it down.

When you begin keeping a written record of your experiences, you will become much more alert to the people and events that affect your life. You will learn how to be precise with words and ideas. The result will be a greater ability to communicate truth with others, and this is an important foundation for daily success.
So, what should you include in your “daily success journal”? Here are some ideas:

How consistent were you able to be during this first week of meditation?
What hindered you from keeping Scripture before your mind?
What was your experience in meditating before going to sleep?
Did you have any unusual dreams?
How were you able to personalize the Scripture?
What practical applications have you applied from this command?
How has God blessed you or your family this week?

You might be encouraged to know that God is also writing a journal about you:

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16).

Congratulations for completing your first week!

If you'd like to sign up to receive the Daily Success emails just send me a comment and I'll send you an invite. It is absolutely free!

I hope this blesses you as it has me! Be sure to go to the link above for more info on the various daily lessons.

Quote of the Day

2011-07-31T14:02:00.002-06:00

“It's better to be divided by truth, than to be united in error. It's better to speak the truth that hurts & then heals, than to speak a lie that will comfort & then kill. It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie. It's better to stand alone with the truth, than to be wrong with a multitude. It is better to ultimately die with the truth, than to live with a lie.~Adrian Rogers

Little Update....

2011-07-25T19:37:00.001-06:00

Outside my window......my husbands beautiful rock pond that catches the water from the garage when it rains...it's so beautiful!

I am thinking......about downsizing our kitchen dishes...do we really NEED dishes for company? or could I just make sure I have paper plates on hand?

From the Learning Room......learning the Hebrew Aleph-bet and listening to the corresponding CD lots in the last few days.

I am thankful for......my husband who is gentle with me, yet prods me at the same time to do the things I want to get done.

From the kitchen......a box of apples waiting to get chopped up and put into the freezer.

I am reading.......Mama's Torah, HalleluYah Scriptures.

I am hoping/praying.......for clear direction for the immediate future.

I am creating......chaos...but want to create a home of shalom.

I am listening to............http://judahhimango.com/chavah/

Around the house........are lots of tidy up jobs and repair jobs that need tackled

One of my favorite things......the sound of noisy children playing together and laughing with each other.

A few plans for the rest of the week.................library program on Wednesday, laundry, and purging.

Purging one of our bills as well...we are getting rid of our Shaw account, which means we will be living without a home phone, internet and cable. (we will NOT miss the cable!)

Proverbs on Laziness

2011-06-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

Guest Post: Proverbs on Laziness

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 06:16 PM PDT

I have the privilege of working with the best Associate Pastor, Ben Falconer. He is not lazy! But his sermon a few weeks ago on laziness http://www.universityreformedchurch.org/teaching/sermons.html?sermon_id=413(from the book of Proverbs) was especially good. Laziness is one of the most respectable sin, and often the busiest among us are the most guilty.
I asked if I could post Ben’s notes. They are worth perusing.
*****
Consequences of Laziness
Consequence 1: You will bring harm to yourself.
15:19 – The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.
10:4-5 – A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in the summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
19:15 – Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.
Consequence 2: You will cause harm to others.
Best-case scenario: 10:26 – Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Worst-case scenario: 18:9 – Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
Social scientist Charles Murray identifies what he calls the “New Lower class: pleasant, inoffensive folks who consume more than they produce…They may break no laws and break no windows, but by not contributing, they are destroying.” A society can absorb the underproduction of a few people, but when that number reaches into the millions, the consequences are high for everyone.
Characteristics of Laziness
Characteristic 1: You have trouble starting your work.
24:30-34 – I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a rubber, and want like an armed man.
14:23 – In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
Alexander MacLaren, a nineteenth century Scottish preacher, says this about procrastination: “No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant.”

Characteristic 2: You have trouble finishing your work.
12:27 – The slothful will not roast his game; but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
20:4 – The sluggard does not plow in autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
19:24/26:15 – The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Characteristic 3: You have made an idol out of leisure.
21:17 – Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
John Piper famously challenges the American dream of retiring early and seeing the rest of life as one uninterrupted vacation on the Florida beaches. When God calls us to give an account for the last 20 years of our lives, our massive seashell collection won’t seem very impressive.

Characteristic 4: You are undisciplined in your sleep.
6:9-11 (24:33) – How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.
19:15 – Slothfulness casts into deep sleep; the idle person will be hungry.
20:13 – Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and have plenty.
26:14 – As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

Characteristic 5: You are prone to making excuses.
22:13/26:13 – The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!”

Characteristic 6: You are restless with unsatisfied desires.
13:4 – The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
21:25 – The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Bruce Waltke writes, “The appetite keeps normal people alive by driving them to work to satisfy it, but it kills the sluggard because his hands refuse to satisfy it. His unfulfilled craving kills him both by starvation and frustration.”

Characteristic 7: You are wise in your own eyes.
26:16 – A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
One college professor wrote, “Even in engineering classes, many of the U.S. students expect to be given A’s for inhaling and exhaling, and look at you like you have four heads if you suggest that perhaps coming to class, doing homework, and studying might improve their grade.” Our pride and over-exalted self-image has made us lazy.

Cure for Laziness
3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Jesus Christ not only redeems our souls from the pit, he also redeems all aspects of our lives—our time, our attitude, and our work ethic. God gives grace when we are lazy with our time and with our minds. He has not only set a perfect standard for us in the Law, but he has also provided the perfect fulfillment of the Law in his Son Jesus Christ. When we repent of our sin and trust in him with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding, then we not only have forgiveness in Christ, we also have the righteousness of Christ clothing us before the Father. Christ’s Spirit in us empowers us to live in accordance with his Word. And so we can acknowledge him in all our ways.

In his Proverbs commentary, Derek Kidner says, “The wise man will learn while there is time. He knows that the sluggard is no freak, but as often as not, an ordinary man who has made too many excuses, too many refusals and too many postponements. It has all been as imperceptible, and as pleasant, as falling asleep.” Laziness isn’t loud and abrasive. We don’t often notice it in ourselves or those around us. But with all the ease of our culture, we may be quietly drifting off to sleep in the cradle of laziness. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Look to Christ and invite him to redeem your life and to redeem your time.

Some Pondering Thoughts....

2011-05-31T18:04:00.000-06:00

1: How does the Scriptures define our Love for God?
2: How do we know that we know the true God?
3: How do we know that we love the Children of God?
4: The New Covenant pertains to whom; The House of Judah, The House of Yisrael, or the Church?
5: How do we enter into eternal life?

What do you come up with??? Did you know the Scriptures that back up your answers?

4 days late....

2011-05-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

and today there are really bad cramps, very similar to the miscarriage I had back in 2004. There was a very faint positive pregnancy test on the 16th but was it?? or just wishful thinking? I don't usually have any pain during my periods...only a handful of times when I suspect it may have been an early miscarriage...and it's usually within a week of suspecting...sigh.
Feeling a little sad, but also feeling more strongly about getting good and healthy again. To give a new little person a good chance at life.
Shabbat Shalom

A few things that kind of tie together...

2011-05-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

So I read a blog today that totally touched my heart. It was about someone who witnessed two abandoned toddlers/preschoolers in the slums of a city in Uganda. They were brothers, left to fend for themselves. Read more Here.

And the other thing that has me contemplating our lifestyle and how much we let the distractions of the world in, is a clip from a sermon by the late David Wilkerson.

This sermon, makes me feel sick that I get so caught up in things that really don't matter...is my heart breaking for the hurting and the lost??? What am I doing in my own little world to help those that are hurting? Am I even aware of what they're going through? Oh how I want to be driven by passion to help the hurting and lost...the orphans and abandoned children....the widows and the poor.

AHEA...some notes taken from Disciplinology

2011-04-17T12:23:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed the main session speakers at AHEA this year, I usually do though!
I'll share my notes and thoughts from Clay Clarkson's talk on Discipline.

Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

It seems to be clear in the verse above that you can't separate discipline from instruction, they go hand in hand. Maybe what is missing is the Biblical concept of discipline.

relationship vs. methodology

this one seems to be rather self explanatory....it's all about building relationships with our children instead of being strict disciplinarians, distancing ourselves from them. (this is one area I totally need to work on)

process vs. act

discipline is a process it should not be a one time act. We are humans, we are going to fail as will our children! So we need to look at this with the big picture in mind and administer discipline as a way of instructing them in life, not as a punishment every time something wrong is done.

advocate vs. adversary

are we cheering our kids on? or are we just waiting for them to screw up so we can "git them"?? It sounds lame when you put it that way, eh? But how often do we get busy with our own issues that we sometimes overlook thing that go on in our children's lives and how they are coping? We need to be intimately aware and help them learn how to respond to life's blows and triumphs in a Godly way, instead of only having deep talks with them when there is a problem with their character/attitude. (yeah, gotta work on this one too! I marvel at mom's of many who accomplish this one! Seriously ladies, GOOD WORK!!)

grace & truth vs. law

now I thoroughly don't agree with this one at all, as I find this to be an absolute "anti-Torah" take on things. Mr. Clarkson talked about how Christians live with grace and truth instead of the law of moses....well, that's clearly speaking against the God of the Bible even though that is what many believe (He is a God who doesn't change, so the things in Torah that have "forever" attached to it, still apply!) ....so here are my thoughts on it.

Instead of it being grace and truth vs. law, I believe it should be grace and truth leading us to the law.

What people seem to forget, is that grace and mercy didn't materialize when Yahshua (Jesus) died on the execution stake...all throughout the history of the Tanakh (Old Testament) we see YHVH's mercy and grace extended over and over until He finally had enough and then He disciplined His people. He was incredibly patient, as the Israelites grumbled just a few days after being delivered in a miraculous way from the Egyptians! Yet instead of crying out to YHVH for water and food, they complained and whined amongst one another and to Moshe (Moses)!! And even then He STILL provided for them! WOW!

Then we have the law of Moshe as given by YHVH Himself, simple guidelines in how to live our lives if we want to please Him and receive His blessings. As we come to know and love YHVH, the God of the Bible, our Creator, as our relationship with Him deepens we will want to please Him and not ourselves, we will want to do what He asks, even commands, with a smile on our faces. (no I don't always get this right either...)

So as we grow in relationship with our children and extend grace and mercy, they will in turn desire to please us and obey our simple rules of the house. At least that is how I see it in Scripture, and would like to see it in our house!

Recovering the Way of Life

We are living in a society that does not put any importance in faith. This includes the homeschooling groups! He shared a few frightening polls that were eye-opening! But I don't remember the stats...sorry. We will move on though...lol

3 Priorities of Life on the Path

Direction-Correction-Protection

DIRECTION-moving along the Path

leading with sympathy vs. strictness
leading with encouragement vs. guilt
leading with love vs. neglect
leading with instruction vs. information

this group spoke volumes to me...in how I was raised and how I'm unintentionally making the same mistakes with my children. Oh Father, soften my heart to be sympathetic, encouraging, loving and enable me to instruct instead of just inform! Giving the tools of life and showing them how to use them correctly!

CORRECTION-getting back to the Path
It's not just about bad behavior!!

training with Spiritual discipline-teach them to respond to God

training with verbal discipline-being careful HOW I say things

Gal6:1Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Matt 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

2 Tim 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

training with behavioral discipline ie. if you do a job sloppily then it's obvious you need more practice, so you will get to do more of that particular job for extra practice!

training with physical discipline

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Mr. Clarkson shared some insight into this verse, saying that it the word "child" in this sense could easily mean a "teen" and not a young child...and the term "old" simply means an adult. So in the case of physical discipline it may not actually be talking about young children but young adults. It was unclear to me this particular point...except that it seems to be a last resort measure.

PROTECTION-staying safe on the Path

guarding against unhealthy appetites
guarding against against unwise relationships
guarding against ungodly media

To me this needs no explanation at all...but if you need a guideline you can do what I do and refer to:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

If you have a TV this would be a good verse to print out and tape above the tv...seriously....

Hope you enjoyed the note....if I'm unclear on anything feel free to strike up a conversation in the comments!!
Shalom!

Some Christian and Health books for sale!

2011-04-12T10:46:00.000-06:00

I’m selling these books in hopes to have at least a little bit of spending money at AHEA!!

I’d like $5 for each as they are in new condition, as in not even read…lol I think I read the first little bit of Messy Spirituality, but the rest are brand new.

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell

Messy Spirituality by Micheal Yaconelli

God Made Your Body by Jim Burns ages3-5(pure foundations series on sex)

How God Makes Babies by Jim Burns ages 6-9(pure foundations series on sex)

God Encounters by James and Michal Goll

And I have a series of books by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo

Live Right 4 Your Type

Eat Right 4 Your Type

Eat Right 4 Your Baby

Cook Right 4 Your Type

As well as 2 little shopping handbooks for Type O and Type A.

Take the bunch for $40 or I can split them up…whatever you like!! I just need them sold!

shipping is extra, but if you live near me I can meet you somewhere!

Thanks for looking!

Lori-Dawn

Happy New Year (Aviv 1, 6011)

2011-04-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

I have another blog to share with you all!
http://www.ourwholeheartedfamily.com/blog/?p=1785

I hope you enjoy it! And now I'm off to do a massive Spring Cleaning before Passover!
Shalom!

Ladies, What Do Your Clothes Say About You?

2011-04-02T10:48:00.000-06:00

Woe Canada...a more applicable national anthem...

2011-03-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

To watch the song being sung by the author click here

Woe Canada

Woe Canada! Our home on Native land!

False patriot love from many ethnic clans

With breaking hearts we see demise

A weak North gone PC

From far and wide, Woe Canada!

We dropped our guard on thee

Someone save our land, sadly now weak-kneed

Woe Canada, we dropped our guard on thee

Woe Canada, we dropped our guard on thee.

Woe Canada! Where homeland hatreds grow

Old country grudges, and tribal hostilities flow

How clear to us, this sad refrain

From East to West we see

A land of hope being played as a dope

A weak North gone to seed.

(refrain)

Woe Canada! Beneath carbon-tainted skies

No stalwart sons nor gentle maidens rise

Such words make lefties squeam

From East to Western sea

Our own misjudgments on Native land

Our poor North, weak not free

(refrain)

No supreme ruler exists. To hear a humble prayer

No God, no Allah, no Buddha, no whatever

To guard the land we share

But help us to find, in the mess we now see

A way to turn back, and remember with ease

When we once stood on guard for thee.

(refrain)

by mark.bonokoski@sunmedia.ca

Cooking Brownies with Children

2011-02-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Remove teddy bear from oven and preheat oven to 375. Melt 1 c. margarine in saucepan. Remove teddy bear from oven and tell Malachi “no, no”. Add margarine to 2 c. sugar. Take shortening can away from Malachi and clean cupboards. Measure 1/3 c. cocoa. Take shortening can away from Malachi again and bathe cat. Apply antiseptic and bandages to scratches sustained while removing shortening from cat’s tail. Assemble 4 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 1 ½ c. sifted flour. Take smoldering teddy bear from oven and open all doors and windows for ventilation. Take telephone away from Malachi and assure party on the line the call was a mistake. Call operator and attempt to have direct dialed call removed from bill. Measure 1 tsp. salt, ½ c. nuts and beat all ingredients well. Let cat out of refrigerator. Pour mixture into well-greased 9x13 pan. Bake 25 minutes. Rescue cat and take razor away from Malachi. Explain to kids that you have no idea if shaved cats will sunburn. Throw cat outside while there’s still time and he’s still able to run away.

Frosting

Mix the following in saucepan: 1 c. sugar, 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, ¼ c. margarine. Take the darn teddy bear out of the @#$% broiler and throw it away—far away. Answer the door and meekly explain to nice policeman that you didn’t know Malachi had slipped out of the house and was heading for the street. Put Malachi in playpen. Add 1/3 c. milk, dash of salt, and boil, stirring constantly 2 minutes. Answer door and apologize to neighbor for Malachi having stuck a garden hose in man’s front door mail slot. Promise to pay for ruined carpet. Tie Malachi to clothesline. Remove burned brownies from oven.

No, this didn't actually happen in our house...but it easily could have! haha

Scripture/Thought for the Week

2011-02-21T15:32:00.001-07:00

‎1) Is Yeshua (Jesus) the Word in the flesh? (John 14:1)
2) Did Yeshua only speak the Father's Word in the Father's authority? (John 12:49)
3) Is Yeshua (the Word) the same yesterday, today, and forever? (Hebrews 13:8)
4) Is God the Word and can God not change? (John 1:1; Malachi 3:6)
5) Is Leviticus 11 and 23 part of the Word of God?
6) Can Leviticus 11 and 23 change? (see questions 1-4)

Challenge question: Does your theology correctly answer yes to questions 1-4 but fail at question number 5-6?
http://119ministries.com/home

Shyla in the Calgary Sun!!!

2011-02-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun picnicking at Bowness Park during the Sabbath yesterday! It is not often that we have winter picnics, but the weather was warm and so we made good use of it! I'm so blessed that a newspaper cameraman happened by and wanted to take this picture! I will always remember the fun we had with our friends as the kids skated and played while the parents were actually able to sit and talk for a bit! The kids all slept well last night to say the least!

Another side of Socialization!

2011-01-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Two women meet at a playground, where their children are swinging and playing
ball. The women are
sitting on a bench watching. Eventually, they begin to talk.

W1: Hi. My name is Maggie. My kids are the three in red shirts --helps me keep
track of them.
W2: (Smiles) I'm Patty. Mine are in the pink and yellow shirts. Do you come here
a lot?
W1: Usually two or three times a week, after we go to the library.
W2: Wow! Where do you find the time?
W1: We homeschool, so we do it during the day most of the time.
W2: Some of my neighbors homeschool, but I send my kids to public school.
W1: How do you do it?
W2: It's not easy. I go to all the PTO meetings and work with the kids every day
after school and stay real
involved.
W1: But what about socialization? Aren't you worried about them being cooped up
all day with kids their own
ages, never getting the opportunity for natural relationships?
W2: Well, yes. But I work hard to balance that. They have some friends who're
homeschooled, and we visit their
grandparents almost every month.
W1: Sounds like you're a very dedicated mom. But don't you worry about all the
opportunities they're missing out
on? I mean they're so isolated from real life -- how will they know what the
world is like -- what people do to make
a living -- how to get along with all different kinds of people?
W2: Oh, we discussed that at PTO, and we started a fund to bring real people
into the classrooms. Last month,
we had a policeman and a doctor come in to talk to every class. And next month,
we're having a woman from
Japan and a man from Kenya come to speak.
W1: Oh, we met a man from Japan in the grocery store the other week, and he got
to talking about his childhood
in Tokyo. My kids were absolutely fascinated. We invited him to dinner and got
to meet his wife and their three
children.
W2: That's nice. Hmm. Maybe we should plan some Japanese food for the lunchroom
on Multicultural Day.
W1: Maybe your Japanese guest could eat with the children.
W2: Oh, no. She's on a very tight schedule. She has two other schools to visit
that day. It's a system wide thing
we're doing.
W1: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, maybe you'll meet someone interesting in the grocery
store sometime and you'll end up
having them over for dinner.
W2: I don't think so. I never talk to people in the store --certainly not people
who might not even speak my
language. What if that Japanese man hadn't spoken English?
W1: To tell you the truth, I never had time to think about it. Before I even saw
him, my six-year-old had asked him
what he was going to do with all the oranges he was buying.
W2: Your child talks to strangers?
W1: I was right there with him. He knows that as long as he's with me, he can
talk to anyone he wishes.
W2: But you're developing dangerous habits in him. My children never talk to
strangers.
W1: Not even when they're with you?
W2: They're never with me, except at home after school. So you see why it's so
important for them to
understand that talking to strangers is a big no-no.
W1: Yes, I do. But if they were with you, they could get to meet interesting
people and still be safe. They'd get a
taste of the real world, in real settings. They'd also get a real feel for how
to tell when a situation is dangerous
or suspicious.
W2: They'll get that in the third and fifth grades in their health courses.
W1: Well, I can tell you're a very caring mom. Let me give you my number--if you
ever want to talk, give me call. It
was good to meet you.
Author Unknown

A Dream with Interpretation....

2010-12-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

The following is a dream a friend recently shared with me along with the interpretation, which I whole-heartedly agree with. An awesome reminder to hold fast to our convictions and not let the enemy sneak in by appearing "cute" or harmless.

My family and I had just moved into a new house, (this is the "dream" part because we've been trying to move for a while now and we were in a fabulous new home, nothing fancy, just exactly what we're looking for). I woke up the first morning in our new home and started to go down the stairs into the kitchen area when I spotted on the bottom of the stairs what looked like a roach. ( This was very disturbing for me because once we lived in a du-plex that was infested with roaches. I hate them with a passion! Thankfully, we did not live there long. We moved into our first home and much to our delight I think we've found one dead roach in our attic since we've moved here about 10 years ago! So, you can imagine my distraught in the dream, thinking I've just moved from a place with virtually no roaches to the house of our dreams WITH Roaches!) As I got closer what looked like a roach started to look more like a huge, brown scorpion! I was the only one up and knew I had to do something about it right away, so started looking for something to kill it with. A few moments later my hubby joined me downstairs and took over the mission. As we ran around looking for something strong enough to hit it with, it started running toward the area we were standing, which caused us to quickly move out of that area (LOL), that's when I noticed ANOTHER ONE! Both my hubby and I started smacking the floor tying to kill these things as they scurried around us (gives me the hibby-gibbies just thinking about it). I guess what we were using wasn't strong enough because we would hit them and break parts of them but they were still alive and moving. Then the weirdest thing happened, as parts of them began to be destroyed the scorpions started to appear differently. They started to appear cute, like little white puppies starring up at us wondering why we were trying to kill them! Now it had become impossible to kill them, they were too cute. Even though we couldn't understand what had happened we gave up trying to kill them and decided they could stay. This is where this part of the dream ended. Now on to the interpretation...

I believe Father was showing me the enemy in the form of the scorpion, always lurking about ready to attack. We HAVE to remember he can change into any form he wants and most of the time he won't come as an ugly scorpion, that would be too obvious. He comes as an angel of light or a cute puppy! Decieving you with the warm fuzzy feelings so he can stick around and poison us! Our eyes, ears, hearts, feelings can easily decieve us!! But, Father sees them for the evil that they are. We must SEE through HIS eyes! TEST EVERYTHING in our lives according to HIM, His Word!!!

After he showed me this, the first thought that came to my head was Christmas. Everyone sees it as this sweet, innocent, little holiday. I mean what can be as innocent as celebrating the birth of our Messiah, right? As I thought of this I felt Father's utter disgust! The feeling literally makes me nauseous. Things we see as harmless, innocent, He sees as vile, filth! Worthless excrement that needs to be puked out of our life!

Christmas came to me at first, but it's not just Christmas that the enemy uses! He can use anything and everything he wants. ALL of us, need to step back and take a REAL look at the things we are allowing into our lives!! Pray that we will have Father's eyes to SEE it for what it really is. Is is acceptable to Him or unacceptable? His Word is our plumbline our tester of all things!

When I first read it, the first thing that came to my mind was TV. We have a TV, and every now and then we get Cable....and then we are again convicted about the Cable and get it disconnected, yet a year or so later we get it again! SIGH, the last time we got cable we only kept it for 2 months...I think we've learned this lesson...lol And even just this past week with the Nintendo Wii's on major sale, I caught myself thinking "oh that would be fun!!" Sure it would but then we'd have to deal with addiction issues to the games! It's a distraction from the things of Yah! And then there's the Mary Higgins Clark book I read a few weeks ago...totally did NOT point me in the direction of my Creator and totally made me neglect my household chores as I couldn't put it down...sigh Another seemingly harmless thing that distracted me...this dream applies to so many areas of our lives. It reminds me to stay grounded in the Word and as I keep the Word in my mind and heart, the things of the enemy will NOT appear "cute" and harmless!! May YHVH continue to increase my discernment in these last days.

A Guest Blog!

2010-12-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

I share the same thoughts about Christmas as my friend Leslie and would like to share them with you as well. Shalom.

You can click on the title to go directly to her blog.

WHY I DO NOT CELEBRATE christmas

December 14th, 2010

MY REASONS:
Two things I’ve learned this year about Christmas:
1. It is nowhere in Scriptures and in no way accurately depicts the birth of the Messiah. In fact, there is a feast that does reflect the birth of Yeshua.
2. Not only is it not Scriptural, it is actually a pagan holiday- from the date to the tree, to the gift-giving and the wreath.
Now there are a few things I know about YHVH, our Elohim:
1. He is a jealous God.

“For the LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.” Deuteronomy 4:24 (see also Exodus 34:14)

2. He wants me to worship Him in spirit & in truth.

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

3. He does not want me worshiping other gods- so much so that He gave it to Moses as the very first commandment.

“And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.’ ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’” Exodus 20:1 (see also Deut. 5:6-7)

4. Nor does He want me to worship Him how others worship their gods. Those practices are detestable to Him.

“Take heed that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? –that I also may do likewise.’ You shall not do so to the LORD your God; for every abominable thing which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. “Everything that I command you you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to it or take from it.” Deuteronomy 12:30-32

“Thus says the LORD: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are false. A tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. Men deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” There is none like thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.” Jeremiah 10:2-6

MY FEELINGS:
Often times when I feel convicted about something, I only share the conviction but not the feelings that accompany it. I’m afraid this may cause me to seem like a stoic, heartless believer. And that just isn’t the case. My heart is no different than anyone else’s―it longs, it aches, it breaks. So, if you have the impression that I have no reverence for memories or tradition, or that I all too quickly toss aside anything that has the smallest hint of impurity in it or that I believe myself to be above it, please know that it is far from the truth. I must get down on my knees DAILY and repent. YHVH (Lord), our Elohim (our God) has much work to do with me still. Just so we’re all clear. This isn’t about being perfect, it is about following direction.
Some of my favorite memories from my childhood involved things like easter egg hunts and putting cookies out for Santa. And I was happily set out to make the same kind of memories with my own children. Now, I know some of you never included those activities in your religious celebrations, but we did not know any better. I first read the Bible as an adult, and for all I was aware as a child, God and Santa were good friends. That sounds a bit absurd, but honestly the thought never crossed my mind what the Lord, YHVH, wanted me to do. I just pursued what I wanted, and as I matured, what I “thought” was best.
As I grew in my faith, I knew what was bad, and I avoided those activities. I did not kill anyone; I felt guilty when I lied; I tried not to steal. I understood the blacks and the whites. And I thought Jesus just encompassed all the grey with his love. I believed (I think because I was taught) that all those grey areas, the iffy subjects, did not matter because I was a believer. Because I loved him, I would always be washed white— no matter how many stains I willingly got on my shirt. As long as my heart and mind were on Yeshua (Jesus), I did not think whatever worldly occasions I embraced really mattered. I did not know this, however:

“The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth.” ~Genesis 8:21
“Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences.” ~Proverbs 4:23
“All a person’s ways are right in his own view, but YHVH weighs the heart.” ~Proverbs 21:2

Please hear me correctly: I certainly believe Yeshua ha’Moschiach came to redeem us from our sins so that would could be washed clean. But he will come again to gather his sheep, and who are his sheep? Those who listen to his voice and obey his commands. So, if there is something the Almighty commands us not to do, wouldn’t you want to know?
I did not come lightly to the realization that I needed to change a few things- that some things to which I’d grown accustomed, YHVH, in fact, detested. I am admittedly a bit sad this year, for the changing of traditions, for the fact it saddens others around me. Oh, how I wish we had not inherited futile, useless customs! I am trying my best to follow YHVH’s leading on this and pray for His guidance as each situation arises. There is a time for everything. There will be a time to speak and a time to be quiet, a time to participate and a time to stay away. And there will be a time to celebrate! YHVH gives us wonderful Feast days, all His appointed times, His prophetic messages. HalleluYAH!
May YHVH light your way as you walk the narrow path.
_________________________________
I leave you with a conversation I had the other day with my oldest son, who is 11:
Me : “I have to admit, honey, I am gonna miss Christmas a little.”
Son: “Don’t worry, Mama, as we celebrate the feasts more & more they will become fun traditions too.”

Filed under: "holy"days? Comments (7) Article tags: bible, Christmas, commandments, holiday, paganism, YHVH

Birth-day of the Messiah!

2010-12-11T15:00:00.003-07:00

So simple, yet if you are not looking you would never find it! Sounds like YHVH to me!!

Mt 13:10-17¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:
   “Though seeing, they do not see;
   though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
   ¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
   “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
   you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
   they hardly hear with their ears,
   and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
   hear with their ears,
   understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’^[a]
   ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

Now while birthdays are pagan in origin, please remember that this is a Christian pastor teaching, so perhaps many pagan practices haven't been revealed to him yet. I hope you enjoyed this little lesson on how we know for sure the time of year Yahshua was born! Let me know what you think!

Modesty

2010-12-08T20:13:00.002-07:00

Modesty is something that is important to me. It didn't used to be such a big issue but the more I get to know the heart of my Creator, the more it matters to me. He gave guidelines to follow, did you know that?

Hanukkah....

2010-12-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I used to have a Happy Hanukkah post here...however, I was not at peace with it. Not with the post, the post was fine, I was not at peace with Hanukkah! Here I am, trying to get rid of man-made traditions in my life and I accept this one. How silly was that? Once I talked to Jamie and we agreed that it was NOT one of YHWH's commanded Feasts and therefore just another man-made holiday, we decided much to my relief, that we would bypass it this year. It simply felt too hypocritical for us to embrace it, while turning up our nose at all other man-made holidays. I'm not saying that it is a pagan holiday. I'm not saying that YHWH will strike you down if you DO celebrate it or Christmas. But for us, He is leading us away from anything with pagan roots (Christmas) as well as anything that is not commanded by Him to celebrate(Hanukkah). Yes, that means birthdays will not be celebrated either...but we WILL enjoy giving gifts to our children at random and in complete surprise! This way there will never be any expectation, but only joy and thankfulness when they get them! lol

So instead of celebrating anything, we are simply going to enjoy our time together as a family and do the things we always say we'll do but never find time to do! Lots of games, toboganning, perhaps even ice skating, go to the Royal Tyrell Museum with our Creation Guide. Yes, we'll have a vacation at home! We'll likely be the most relaxed family in Alberta without the stresses of Christmas shopping etc!! lol

I hope this first cold month of the year finds your hearts and homes warm.
Shalom!

How Do You Socialize Your Children?

2010-11-14T15:06:00.001-07:00

Hee hee, it really is pretty silly, eh? Yet true, EVERYONE I know asks me this if they are not already homeschoolers...It's hard to stop from rolling my eyes, especially at the park, when my kids are very clearly playing fine with other children, if not better than public school kids!

The Crippled Lamb

2010-11-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sign of the Crippled Lamb

There was a man and his wife who raised sheep. This man and woman loved YHWH with all their hearts and it was their supreme desire to live in a way that pleased their heavenly Father. One day one of their ewes had a lamb during the night. In the morning when the man went out to take care of their sheep as he did every morning, he found the new lamb. However, there was a problem: the lamb could not stand up on its own; the only thing that the lamb could do was lie on its side and flail its legs.

So the man put the lamb up on the milking stand so he could help the lamb drink some milk from its mother. After he did this he then went about doing the rest of his chores, with the plan of coming back to the newborn lamb after the rest of the milking and chores were done. His wife also came out to help with the chores and suggested later to take the new lamb in the house for a while.

After all the chores were done he once again put the ewe back up on the milking stand and fed the new baby lamb (a ewe also) once again. It was at that time that the man noticed that the lamb’s tail was not quite right. In fact, he noticed that the ewe lamb had been born with a deformity that was not allowing the lamb to stand up and walk. It was born with a small portion of its spine exposed; this was just above the tail. So the man took this ewe lamb into the house for a short time to examine it more closely.

It was determined that the lamb was most likely not going to make it and that the humane thing to do was to put it down (euthanize it). This was the determination of the man and his wife together.

Later that morning the man went out to dig a grave for the lamb. Then he went back into the house and got the lamb and took it out to the grave. However, the man was a praying man and he had already been talking to his heavenly Father about this little lamb. As the man sat on a large rock by the open grave holding the lamb he openly cried. He cried out to his heavenly Father as to what this might mean and the purpose of this lamb being born this way. It could not have been an accident that this new lamb was born crippled and deformed as the man knew that YHWH was sovereign over His creation.

As this man sat there caressing this ewe lamb he put it upon the ground. The lamb tried and tried to stand up, but it just could not stand up. With a little assistance from the man, the lamb could stand up as long as the man steadied it so it would not fall over. It could not stay standing for long as it was weak. It also did not have the coordination to stand on its own. The more the lamb struggled, the more the man cried. The lamb was so very determined that the man could not bring himself to put the lamb down. If the lamb was not willing to give up, then why should the man give up? Perhaps, he thought and prayed, “If I take it in to the mother ewe again and help it to nurse again, it will gain the strength to stand on its own.” So that is what he did.

He soon discovered that the lamb was, in fact, gaining a little strength to be able to stand on its own; it just needed help getting there. But it could not stay on its feet for long without falling. It just simply did not have the coordination to walk. It was very alert and knew its mother and wanted to follow its mother, it tried to follow its mother, but it was simply not able to do so.

This is what the Spirit of YHWH impressed upon the man as to the meaning of this crippled lamb. The lamb is a ewe lamb because it represents Israel. In the same manner as this crippled lamb was not able to stand on its own, so too Israel has never been able to stand on its own. Israel needs help to get to its feet, but even when she gets to her feet, she then quickly stumbles and falls. The ewe lamb knows that it needs to nurse from its mother. Likewise, Israel knows she needs to feed from the Spirit of YHWH. Israel knows she needs to follow the Spirit, but when she attempts to do so, she quickly falls and cannot get back up on her own.

Not only is this true of the nation of Israel, but it is true of the individuals of that nation. As it was discussed and decided by the man and his wife to put the lamb down, likewise the individuals of Israel often look at one another (instead of looking at Yeshua Mashiach) and see a cripple who cannot walk properly and think and decide on their own, “that cripple needs to be put down”. However, each one in Israel is in that same condition; each and every Israelite is a cripple in some way. One has trouble following the Spirit in one area and another has trouble following the Spirit in another area. But all of Israel is crippled. One cripple looks at another and thinks, “He should be put down.” The one being looked at looks back and also sees a cripple and thinks the very same thing: that the cripple he is looking at who is looking at him should be put down.

This man who owned these sheep, to which a crippled lamb was born, had great compassion upon his new lamb and did what he could for it to see if he could help it learn to walk on its own. Likewise, our heavenly Father has great compassion upon us as it is not His desire to put us down. Sometimes we give Him no choice. But as long as one of His lambs is still struggling to get up and to walk, He will have mercy.

Don’t you think that it is time that we showed this same amount of mercy towards one another?

When the man would look at the little ewe lamb struggling so, he had no hope that the little ewe lamb was going to make it. Then, when the man thought of Israel and looked at how Israel struggles with walking and following the Spirit of YHWH, he also wondered if there was any hope for Israel for this generation that he was a part of. He thought of how in Moshe’s generation only two men were able to stand on their own and go into the Promised Land. And one of those men was not Moshe. He wondered if there was much hope for this generation.

Then, the Spirit of YHWH brought back to his mind that there was an open grave waiting for the little ewe lamb. Likewise, there is an open grave waiting for each one of the members of this generation of Israel. Just as in that first generation which came out of Egypt, all but two died in the wilderness, so too have many generations died in the wilderness because they did not know how to walk in a way that was pleasing to our heavenly Father. Those in Israel know how to walk in a manner that is pleasing to themselves. Some within Israel seem to know a little bit about how to walk alone in His commandments, but have no idea how to truly walk in His commandments together as a nation. Few seem to know how to walk in a manner worthy of the high calling He has placed upon each one. Few seem to know how to put to death the works of the flesh and walk in His Spirit.

The man looked at that grave and knew that that grave was for every person who was a part of Israel today. He wondered if this generation would get it right in following His Spirit. He wondered if there was any hope for this generation in walking in the love of Mashiach. Many generations of Israel had already been put down because they could not walk together to keep and do His commandments according to His word without adding to or taking away from His commandments.

The man knew that he must do whatever he could for this little ewe lamb. He knew that this was a sign to this generation. He knew that he personally must change how he thought and how he acted in following the Spirit of YHWH.

The man continued to help the little ewe lamb nurse from its mother and to strengthen the bond between the mother and the ewe lamb. The ewe lamb gained some strength and some coordination. But it was slow, very slow.

Many times as the man would hold the little ewe lamb under the mother so it could nurse, the little ewe lamb would go to sleep while eating. Since it was not able to stand under the mother on its own strength all it had to do was suck because the man was holding it. So, many times while it was sucking, it would go to sleep.

Likewise, many who are babes in Mashiach Yeshua while being fed spiritual food from His Spirit, simply go to sleep. Many have to be held up to the Spirit of YHWH by others in order to feed for they cannot feed themselves; they do not have the strength or coordination to do so. They do not have the knowledge and understanding to feed themselves, let alone feed another.

Ivrim (Hebrews) 5:12-14
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again that someone teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of Elohim; and have become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.
13 For every one that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.
14 But solid food is for full grown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

It would seem that the majority, including myself for the longest time, misunderstand the use of the term “solid food” in this context. While we get what it means partially, we do not get it fully. However, when we understand solid food as being compared to milk in the context of sheep, then we can understand it to its fullest meaning.

This crippled lamb needed its mother’s milk to survive. However, it could not get it on its own like a normal lamb. It needed help. A normal lamb by the time it is three days old has already started to eat grass and hay – solid food. Now the significance of this is important when we consider how a ruminant such as a sheep, goat or cow digests its food. After grazing upon grass or hay, it will then later bring that grass or hay back up from its first stomach into its mouth a little at a time and chew its cud. It will do this for hours.

Likewise, this is the picture that the writer to the Hebrew talmidim is contrasting between milk and solid food. When we eat solid food we must chew on it, we must bring it back to our minds again and again to meditate upon it.

Tehillim (Psalm) 1:2
But his delight is in the Torah of YHWH;
And on His Torah he does meditate day and night.

What do you spend most of your time thinking about? Be honest! Is it TV programs, your job, problems in your life, a hobby? If one truly has the desire to grow and mature in His faith and walk in Mashiach Yeshua, then he needs to meditate upon the commandments of YHWH. He needs to chew his cud.

So the man watched, particularly upon the third day, for this little lamb to begin to eat hay.

Tehillim (Psalm) 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a life-time;
Weeping may tarry for the night,
But joy comes in the morning.

The man noticed that by the third day the lamb was able to lie on its haunches and not be on its side all the time. So the man gained a spark of hope. However, the lamb still had not begun to eat solid food yet by the third day. The man wondered at this and thought that this surely could not be a good sign.

This ewe lamb was white with a few red spots, two different color red spots. The red spot on the back of its neck was a very bright blood red. The rest of the spots were much lighter red in color. As the man contemplated these spots as to what they might mean, the Spirit of YHWH came to him and revealed that they did have meaning.

As the lamb was crippled, it also had spots or blemishes. It had two different colors of spots signifying two different things. The first thing it signified was that Israel has spots or blemishes. Israel is not perfect. The individuals within Israel are not perfect. Only our Redeemer is perfect, which is, in fact, why we need a Redeemer.

The one spot which was the color of blood on the back of its neck signifies the need to have the Blood of the Redeemer applied to each one in Israel. It is significant that there was only one spot this blood red color as His Blood is applied to a person for salvation only one time.

Ivrim (Hebrews) 6:4-6
4 For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
5 and tasted the good word of Elohim, and the powers of the age to come,
6 and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of Elohim afresh, and put Him to open shame.

Ivrim (Hebrews) 10:26-27
26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries.

This is not to say that we cannot plead that Blood of Mashiach which has been applied to us many times, because we can and should do this as needed. However, that does not mean that the Blood of Mashiach is being reapplied for salvation, just used to do His work in our lives.

Matithyah (Matthew) 26:41
“Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

This little ewe lamb wanted so badly to get up and to follow its mother around and to do what little lambs do, but its body (flesh) was not able to do it as it was too weak and did not have the coordination to do so. As much as it wanted to stand and walk, it was not able to make its body do what its mind was telling it to do.

Now about the second day of this crippled lamb’s life YHWH’s Spirit impressed upon the man to watch for something on the sixth day. The man did not know what he was to watch for but he was hopeful that the Spirit of YHWH was telling him to watch for something on this day. So the man continued to feed and care for the lamb.

The sixth day came and as the man watched, he did not see anything significant at first. Everything seemed to be the same as the previous days. Then YHWH opened his eyes to see what the little ewe lamb was doing. It appeared that the little ewe lamb had resigned itself to living in the box. It was no longer trying to get up and walk. The man watched for another day or so to be sure, and sure enough, the little lamb had given up. All hope in the man for the little ewe lamb died. The man did not understand why the little ewe lamb had given up and resigned itself to a life of living in a box. But his real concern was for Israel, whom the little lamb represented. Did this mean that Israel had given up?

Then a question formed in his mind. Did he help the lamb too much? When the little ewe lamb had trouble latching on to the mother’s teat to eat, did the man hold the lamb’s head steady too much? Is there such a thing as too much compassion?

The man knew that it was only a matter of time before the little ewe lamb would die. He knew that when an animal or a person gives up, death is not far away. He sought some answers from YHWH, but YHWH did not answer right away, not until the tenth day of the little ewe lamb’s life did YHWH answer the man.

The little ewe lamb would die when it was twelve days old, on the thirteenth day of its life. The Spirit impressed upon the man that this too was a part of the sign and that this was YHWH’s will for this little ewe lamb. The man knew that the grave was still open and waiting for the little ewe lamb and that he would lay that little ewe lamb in that grave in a couple more days.

Romans 8:12-13
12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh;
13 for if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.

The Spirit of YHWH showed the man that if Israel was going to live in the manner in which YHWH desires for her to live, then she is going to have to die. This is why the lamb lived for twelve days and died upon the thirteenth day, to show that this truth applies to all twelve (thirteen) tribes. If a person is going to be a part of Israel, then he must die to self and the desires of the flesh. He can no longer walk after his own will seeking to do whatever he believes is right in his own mind. It is time that Israel learns to walk in the fullness of His Spirit. In order to do this each and every person who is a part of Israel must die.

Matithyah (Matthew) 16:25-26
25 “For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it.
26 For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?”

Yeshua challenged us with many words. These words challenge us that if we are going to be His true talmidim, then we are going to have to lay down our lives and allow Him to live His life through us once again. There is nothing in this world that can give us what we truly need. It cannot give to us joy, shalom, or love. Only a right relationship with our Creator can do that, and that can only be attained through the Blood of Yeshua our Mashiach.

If Israel is going to walk as Israel, that is as the people of YHWH our Elohim, then we have to die to self. We have to die to all our own plans. We have to give them up and seek to do only His will. If there is any vestige of seeking after the self life, then that person will one day fall in the wilderness and not be allowed to enter into His land and His covenant!

ABBA YHWH, please open the eyes of Your people to see themselves as You see them, then, may each person fall on their faces before You in total and complete repentance of doing whatever is right in their own eyes and obey You; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach.

Amein and amein.

Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

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Yummy Raw Granola Bar!

2010-11-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

So I got this recipe from a friend and I have no idea where SHE got it from! So I'm just gonna say the author is my friend, Juanita. Here it is! Just made some this afternoon, Mmmmm.

In the food processor...
1 cup warmed dates (warmed in hot water)
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup raisins, sesame seeds, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, coconut.
grind the above ingredients into a meal like texture, then tranfer to a big bowl.
If it is not sticky enough to form a ball, then add some honey and/or peanut butter until it is mixed well and will form a ball. Each ball should be about 32 grams. I actually use a scale so I don't get carried away with monster balls...lol

You can substitute the raisins with cranberries and I'm sure many other things. I didn't drain my dates very well this time so I didn't need to add any honey, just 1 Tbsp of peanut butter in order to make balls. After making into balls I like to elongate them so they are more like granola bars. this time I popped them in the dehydrator at 105 F and will check on them in an hour. Just to help set them and so they don't stick as much.

I'll be enjoying this snack tomorrow for breakfast!

Talents

2010-11-01T12:58:00.000-06:00

Well for our homeschool support group today we are to share a talent...I was busy freaking out about this because I couldn't figure out what my talents I might have! Check out the talent I'm going to share!
Yes I DO think this is a talent and a skill that is getting lost in today's society of convenient foods....

The Facebook Sukkot 2010 Rusk Texas

2010-10-06T12:37:00.000-06:00

Homemade Laundry Soap!

2010-09-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

Well, we'll see how it works! I tried my hand at making dish soap last week and was not impressed with it at all...sigh...but I have bigger hopes for the laundry soap!
I used up a couple bars of soap I had kicking around the house...unfortunately they're scented...ugh...so the laundry soap is scented as well...I hope it doesn't aggravate everyone's eczema! Once that got grated and melted down on the stove in just enough water to cover it, then it got dumped into a 5 gallon bucket and 4 gallons of very hot water got thrown in it as well! After stirring it up and making sure it was mixed well, I added 4 cups of borax and 4 cups of washing soda, and then stirred lots more until it was all dissolved. the lid is now on the bucket, waiting for Jamie to take it to the basement! Note to self...find scent free soap...the house stinks to high heavens right now and I really am not keen on heavy smells!!!
Next time, I'll make it with tea tree oil soap and just add a few drops of tea tree oil to my diaper loads.
And I guess, I'll be doing laundry today and tomorrow! No more excuses! lol

Feels like Fall...

2010-09-05T16:08:00.000-06:00

and with that comes lots of work to be done! Today, I am making 4 loaves of bread and buns, enjoying the smell of the crab apples boiling on the stove to later make into jelly, applesauce and no doubt there's even enough to make some juice too! My house is in varying states of cleanliness, but I do want to tackle my bathroom today as I haven't unpacked it or done a good thorough clean in there yet....the ensuite tends to be the last place I go or think to clean!
Silas asked to start school today, so we will get started in the basics tomorrow. Am looking forward to that as well! And of course wanting to just get the house really good and clean this week for the upcoming Fall Feasts! They will be here so quickly! The only thing that is putting a damper in my week right now, is the realtor is showing the place tomorrow as well...sigh. This disturbs me. I'm not sure if we should look at our options for buying it or not....I'm thinking not.....with the way the world is going right now. But who knows. I'm excitedly planning my garden for next year! Wondering if we should do a greenhouse!
Mmmm, I love the smells of Fall!!

Time to think about school again...already!!?

2010-08-24T14:48:00.000-06:00

Yup...what a weird year! this summer has been blissfully cool to me and while I enjoy the coolness of Aug. (that seems very odd to write as Aug. is usually our HOT month!) I am starting to feel the cooling of the air and feel a long Autumn coming upon us. This is my favorite season of all...the crunch of the leaves, the smells of dried out plants/trees. I feel very content during the Fall season. I think too it is because we are more structured once we start up bookwork again. We actually have a schedule and it's not just "do what you want" days...lol

And so, I've been having fun the last couple of weeks and buying our curriculum for the year...here is what it looks like so far!

We will be doing Teaching Textbooks 4 for math this year.
For language arts we are sticking with School of Tomorrow using their English and Word Building paces.
For the rest of learning this year we will be using the Prairie Primer and reading through The Little House on the Prairie series and learning all about homesteading and how to do things without all the modern conveniences! I think I will have fun with this one!

We will also be learning Hebrew this year as well. Using this program, Silas and I will be learning to read Hebrew together and Shyla will join us as we learn to speak Hebrew. I love how the language sounds...like music...sigh...

AND because we are in a small town we won't be doing Awana this year, but I found this awesome program that will take it's place, it's called the Keeper's Club. Which will also tie in very nicely with the Prairie Primer because it encourages learning skills like archery and knot tying instead of just being entertained with games! lol It also encourages lots of Bible memory as well. I'm all for that!

I *think* that's all I have lined up for the year...oh yeah, Silas will also be doing handbells and PE class this year! Not to mention all the field trips! But I don't know what those field trips are yet...lol I'll blog about them as they happen! lol

That's about it for now...I'm not thinking about schooly school again until it's time to start planning our weeks...and so until after the long weekend, I will simply wait for all my curriculum to show up and then we have fun!!!

Birthdays...to do or not to do?

2010-08-02T22:47:00.000-06:00

So I've been thinking lots and lots about birthdays this year...wondering about the history of them. I can't find any positive mention of them in Scripture...just a few very negative mentions of birthdays where those in leadership had people killed in honor of their birthdays .... check out this link about birthdays and tell me what you think? I don't think we'll be going nuts on birthdays anymore, but we will still certainly honor the birthday person on their day....just not with gifts or cake and candles!!

Purging and Packing.

2010-07-08T11:47:00.000-06:00

Just thought I would take a moment and update my blog since I've been rather occupied lately. I can not believe how freeing it is to get rid of "stuff"....like seriously freeing! I feel like I have time in the evenings to actually enjoy myself and start a hobby! That is seriously a bizarre feeling as I've felt for so long (years) that I'm always behind in housework (mostly laundry)! But now I feel like I'm more free to even THINK about fun things to do! What a change that happens in your demeanor! I smile more. I feel more spontaneous because I don't have a long list of things to do at home. I have less stress and worries! All this simply because I got rid of all our extra clothes and I purged my library! WOW, that's a trade I'd make any day!
Oh, and we are also purging our tv/vcr/dvd player along with our tv stand, game cube and playstation and all associated games of course. So if anyone is interested and in the area, here's the Kijiji listing! Why are we being so extreme? Well, this is one more thing that distracts us from relationships with each other as well as with our God, Yahweh. He is a jealous God you know...He doesn't want to share us, He wants our full attention so that He can speak to us. We want Him to speak, we are ready to listen. And as a family we decided that this is one thing that needs to go. We will keep the computer for now as we feel we still need it for homeschooling, networking etc. but who knows! Maybe that will be the next to go!

Another thing I've been doing is making a list of people who I have had negative feelings towards...and making things right. I haven't gotten to everybody, but am slowly working down the list and asking forgiveness of those I have wronged in my bad attitude, or simply forgiving and letting go of the people who hurt me unknowingly. And even if those I've wronged do not respond in any way to me, I'm ok with that, because I've done my part and I'm right again with my God. We can only be forgiven as much as we forgive others! It says so right in The Lord's Prayer! I need much forgiveness so I had better keep a short account with others! I can't wait to finish getting through my list! I really didn't realize how bitter I had become over the years...I mean I knew it was happening, but didn't realize how much that bitter spirit shone out of me. That sucks. I'm so glad I serve a gracious God! Like seriously relieved!

Anyhow, that's what's going on in the heart of Lori-Dawn this summer! Can't guarantee that I'll post again for awhile, so enjoy your summer and your families!
Shalom!

Happy Canada Day!!

2010-07-01T20:51:00.000-06:00

So today is Canada's 143 birthday! I'm sadly not that patriotic when it comes to Canada Day...the crowds freak me out and I'm constantly worrying that a child is going to get lost in it! Especially if I took them out by myself! So instead we sang O Canada, said the pledges and read books about Canada, mapping out where the first Europeans came from and where they landed etc.
Here's some cool things I didn't know or had forgotten, taken from The Kids Book of Canadian First by Valerie Wyatt. These are things that were the first in the world done by a Canadian.

Rick Hanson was the first in the world to wheelchair around the world! 34 countries, 792 days and 117 tires later, wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen finished his marathon. He had travelled a distance equivalent to once around the world. His inspiration: Terry Fox. His cause: raising funds for spinal cord research. When his marathon was over in 1987, Hansen had raised $20 million!

Canadian's natives were the first to build canoes.
In 1932 it was John Patch of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia who designed a propeller like the ones on boats today. They were all powered by sails or paddlewheels before he came along! Called teh screw propeller, it rotated rapidly underwater, powering teh boat forward. Sadly, Patch was tricked out of patenting his invention, which revolutionized sea travel, and he died penniless.

When the Canadian-build Royal William traveled between Quebec City and London, England, in 1833, it became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. in an era when ships traveled at the whim of the winds, being able to get to places under your own power was an important first. It led to scheduled trips that passengers and shippers could depend on.

First automatic steam foghorn! This first was a lifesaver for sailors. it replaced bells rung by lighthouse keepers to warn fogbound ships they were too near to land. Invented by Robert Foulis in Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1860, the foghorn sent blasts of steam out through a whistle at regular intervals. At last, warning bells were loud, clear and automatic.

The wooden RCMP schooner St. Roch had several firsts to its name. It was first to sail from west to east through Canada's Northwest Passage, in 1942. To make this trip, it left Vancouver in 1940 and spent two winters trapped in Arctic ice. It was later the first ship to make the trip both ways. Then in 1950, the St. Roch became the first ship to circumnavigate North America.

First toboggans.
Simple to make, great for carrying things and fun to use--that's the toboggan. First invented by the Native people of the north, the earliest toboggans were made of thin boards of larch or birch. To get the turned-up "nose", the wood was bent while still green and tied in place until it dried. Dogs or humans provided the pulling power.

Early train passengers slept on wooden benches or stiff seats until 1857, when Samuel Sharp, a master mechanic in Hamilton, Ontario, invented a sleeping car equipped with comfy berths and privacy curtains. American inventor George Pullman often gets the credit for the first sleeping car--we even call sleeping cars "Pullmans." But they should be called "Sharps".

Snow often bogged down early train travel. But, in 1869, Toronto dentist J.W. Elliot solved that problem by inventing the Compound Revolving Snow Shovel. Equipped with rotating blades that blew snow away, a bit like today's snow blowers, it's the granddaddy of today's track clearers.

Dogs barked adn horses shied as 15 yr old Armand Bombardier and his brother, Leopold, drove their homemade snow machine through the town of Valcourt, Quebec, in 1922. Fifteen years later, in 1937, Armand built a snowmobile more like the ones we know today.

Teh automatic oiler, patented in 1872, revolutionized train travel. For teh first time, trains could be oiled while in motion, instead of having to stop every few hours. The inventor, Canadian-born Elijah McCoy, went on to add oilers to other equipment. Buyers who wanted to be sure a machine had one of these automatic oilers asked for "the real McCoy".

Hydrogen fuel cells have powered spacecraft into space, but it took a Canadian company to turn an idea from space into a reality on Earth. What's a hydrogen fuel cell? It's a battery-like power source that can run on a wide range of fuels, not just gas or diesel fuel. better still, its only emission is water vapour. In 1993, Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby, British Columbia, unveiled the world's first bus powered by zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells.

I could go on...but I would rather just recommend the book!
The Kids Book of Canadian Firsts by Valerie Wyatt.

How did you celebrate Canada Day??

Babys Prayer

2010-06-24T14:19:00.002-06:00

Oh how I wish I could mother one of these babes! I would open my home to anyone considering abortion and try to nurture their spirit and fill them with Yahweh's love. And if by the end of their pregnancy they still don't want their baby, at least baby will have a loving home already!

What I Believe. I am still human tho, and still mess up. But this is my statement of faith.

2010-06-24T12:06:00.000-06:00

I desire to encouraging the believers of Yahshua (Jesus) to show their love for Yahshua by being a light to the world by living the blessed Torah obedient life.

I believe that Yahshua the Messiah is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. That Yahshua was crucified, buried and raised from the dead, ascended to Heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the intercessor and will again return as the Reigning King.

I believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Yahshua HaMashiach of Nazareth alone and that no one is justified before YHWH by keeping the Torah.

I believe that receiving YHWH blessings comes through obeying the Commandments given on Mount Sinai to Moshe.

Deu 11:26 ‘See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
Deu 11:27 the blessing, when you obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I command you today;
Deu 11:28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other mighty ones which you have not known.

I believe that neither fear of hell nor hope of salvation is the motivation for keeping the Torah but love for YHWH alone is the reason we keep the Torah.

I believe that all have sinned and come short of the esteem of YHWH and that repentance is commanded of G-d for all and necessary for the forgiveness of sin.

I believe that all gifts of the Spirit are vital to the body of Messiah and should compliment the fruit of the Spirit evident in the life of the believer.

I believe in G-d the Father (YHWH), the Son (Yahshua), and the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) the creator, redeemer, sanctifier and sustainer of heaven and earth are One (Echad).

I believe in water baptism by immersion (Mikvah) and all who repent should be baptized in the name of Yahshua HaMashiach. Acts 2:38

I believe that there is only one true Elohim, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I believe in keeping the feasts of YHWH. Lev, 23:1-44

We believe that the sign of the renewed covenant between YHWH and His people is the Shabbat. Keeping Shabbat shows our love for the Mashiach. Exodus 31:16, Isa. 56:6, Luke 6:5

I believe that Torah, YHWH's teaching and instruction, reveals the heart of YHWH and therefore is the expressed image of YHWH. Keeping the Torah is freedom from legalism and dogma of man.

I believe that Yahshua is the manifested Word of YHWH. Obeying Torah is the same as obeying Yahshua. Gen. 1:1, John 1:1

I believe that YHWH gave the Torah in written form through Moses to the Children of Israel, as recorded in the scriptures.

I believe in the restoration of the two Houses of Israel and the prophetic teachings about it. Jer. 31:31, Ezek. 37:15-22

I believe that Yahshua HaMashiach came not to destroy the Torah but to give it full meaning and substance. Matt. 5:17

I believe YHWH wants us to turn from a Torah-less lifestyle to a Torah obedient lifestyle and become His holy, precious & peculiar treasure.
I set before you Life & Death....choose Life! Deut. 30:15, 1 John 2:3-6

Deu 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,
Deu 30:16 in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess.

1Jn 2:3 And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.
1Jn 2:4 The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5 But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected1 in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

I keep all eight Moadim (Festivals of G-d) which are commanded to be obeyed. (am in the process of this)

One is repeated weekly, called Sabbath while the other seven are annual.

1. Pesach (Passover), which commemorates the final judgment upon Egypt and the beginning of our freedom from slavery. As New Covenant believers, we also see our Messiah Yahshua as the fulfillment by being the Passover Lamb, passing us from death to eternal life.

2. Hag Ha Matzot (Unleavened bread) is, in conjunction with and following Passover, a seven-day Moadim, when we do not eat leavened bread, only unleavened bread. Leavening is a symbol for malice and wickedness. We are to remove leavening from our lives.

3. Bikkurim (Feast of First Fruits) . It commemorates the resurrection of life from the ground (both seeds that are planted, and The Messiah Yahshua). Yahshua was the first fruit of many brethren.

4. Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) is the day following seventh weekly Sabbaths from the Feast of First Fruits, and on this day we observe Shavuot (commonly called Pentecost).

5. Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah) (Feast of Trumpets - also called Yom Teruah) is in late summer. This is the day we blow shofars (trumpets). This is the Jewish New Years.

6. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) falls ten Days after Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah). This is a day of fasting and humbling prayer.

7. Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) is an eight-day Moadim. This final festival concludes the annual teaching cycle of the Torah and is observed by dwelling in temporary booths (such as tents or light campers) Yahshua was born during this festival.

We also observe two other festivals that are not commanded, The first was celebrated by Yahshua our Messiah and recorded in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament). Next we remember the salvation of the Jews by Queen Hadassah (Esther).
1. Chanukah (Feast of Dedication)
2. Purim (Feast of Lots)

Voice For The Voiceless, Hope For The Hopeless (Bring Our Troops Home)

2010-06-23T23:45:00.000-06:00

Combating Rape.....one woman's invention!

2010-06-21T12:44:00.000-06:00

South African doctor invents female condoms with 'teeth' to fight rape

By Faith Karimi, CNN

June 21, 2010 6:15 a.m. EDT

Dr. Sonnet Ehlers shows a spiked female condom, whose hooks she says stick on a man during rape.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Doctor distributes anti-rape female condom during World Cup
Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks attach on man's penis
Device can only be removed by a doctor
"It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on," doctor says

(CNN) -- South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers was on call one night four decades ago when a devastated rape victim walked in. Her eyes were lifeless; she was like a breathing corpse.
"She looked at me and said, 'If only I had teeth down there,'" recalled Ehlers, who was a 20-year-old medical researcher at the time. "I promised her I'd do something to help people like her one day."
Forty years later, Rape-aXe was born.
Ehlers is distributing the female condoms in the various South African cities where the World Cup soccer games are taking place.
The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man's penis during penetration, Ehlers said.
Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it -- a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest.
"It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on," she said. "If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter... however, it doesn't break the skin, and there's no danger of fluid exposure."
Ehlers said she sold her house and car to launch the project, and she planned to distribute 30,000 free devices under supervision during the World Cup period.
"I consulted engineers, gynecologists and psychologists to help in the design and make sure it was safe," she said.
After the trial period, they'll be available for about $2 a piece. She hopes the women will report back to her.

It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on. If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter
--Dr Sonnet Ehlers

RELATED TOPICS

"The ideal situation would be for a woman to wear this when she's going out on some kind of blind date ... or to an area she's not comfortable with," she said.
The mother of two daughters said she visited prisons and talked to convicted rapists to find out whether such a device would have made them rethink their actions.
Some said it would have, Ehlers said.
Critics say the female condom is not a long-term solution and makes women vulnerable to more violence from men trapped by the device.
It's also a form of "enslavement," said Victoria Kajja, a fellow for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the east African country of Uganda. "The fears surrounding the victim, the act of wearing the condom in anticipation of being assaulted all represent enslavement that no woman should be subjected to."
Kajja said the device constantly reminds women of their vulnerability.
"It not only presents the victim with a false sense of security, but psychological trauma," she added. "It also does not help with the psychological problems that manifest after assaults."
However, its one advantage is it allows justice to be served, she said.
Various rights organizations that work in South Africa declined to comment, including Human Rights Watch and Care International.
South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world, Human Rights Watch says on its website. A 2009 report by the nation's Medical Research Council found that 28 percent of men surveyed had raped a woman or girl, with one in 20 saying they had raped in the past year, according to Human Rights Watch.
In most African countries, rape convictions are not common. Affected women don't get immediate access to medical care, and DNA tests to provide evidence are unaffordable.
"Women and girls who experience these violations are denied justice, factors that contribute to the normalization of rape and violence in South African society," Human Rights Watch says.
Women take drastic measures to prevent rape in South Africa, Ehlers said, with some wearing extra tight biker shorts and others inserting razor blades wrapped in sponges in their private parts.
Critics have accused her of developing a medieval device to fight rape.

"Yes, my device may be a medieval, but it's for a medieval deed that has been around for decades," she said. "I believe something's got to be done ... and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman."

Ergo Baby Carrier Giveaway!

2010-06-20T10:23:00.000-06:00

http://raisingolives.com/2010/06/ergobaby-carrier-review/#comment-23635

I've not heard a bad thing about them yet! I would LOVE one!

Serene's Soughdough Recipe

2010-06-18T10:44:00.001-06:00

Will have to start this right after we move! So excited to start this!

Just a question today!

2010-06-16T13:42:00.002-06:00

Can you prove what you believe from the old testament alone? That's all Jesus and Peter and James and John and Paul had.

Studying the Scriptures

2010-06-12T17:36:00.000-06:00

A nice teaching I read today.

How Under Law and Under Grace Got Lost in Translation

Romans 6:14:
14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Which of the 6-7 connotations of the word “Nomos” (translated “Law” in every instance) are we not under?
A. Are we not to keep G0d’s Law/Torah?
B. Are we not to try to be saved by keeping the Law/Torah?
C. Are we not under the temple system of sacrifice for sins?
D. Are we not under the penalty of breaking the Law, which is death?
E. Are we not under the “Law of Sin”, that is, we NOW in Christ have the ability to not sin (as Paul calls the inability to refuse sin the “Law of Sin” in Romans 7, and also mentions 4 other kinds of “Law” in that chapter).
F. Are we not under the Talmud and traditions of the Pharisees/the modern Church tradtions for salvation?
The next line in the verse is “Should we go on sinning so that grace may abound? Certainly not. For Grace ESTABLISHES THE LAW.” So once, again, which connotation of “Nomos” is used here.
A few questions to ponder as you read:
If sin shall have “no dominion” over us, and sin is breaking G0d’s Law in 1st John 3:4, then how could we live Lawlessly and claim to be “under Grace”? If Grace is why sin has no dominion over us, it therefore should not lead us into living lives controlled by sin (Law breaking). Changing the definition of sin doesn’t mean that it doesn’t rule us, just as renaming a slave an employee, doesn’t make him any less of a slave if he can’t quit and gets no reward for his labors. The semantics don’t change the reality.
Grace can’t establish something if Paul just said we are no longer under it. And since the word “but’ is used, we are being shown that this translation of the word “Law” used in “Not under LAW but under Grace” must be in contradiction to Grace. And in the next verse, “Grace establishes the Law” then a different translation of Law needs to be used, because Grace can’t establish something contrary to Grace.
Which connotation of “Law” is “established” by Grace? and which connotation of “Law” is “Contrary” to Grace? Which meaning would line up with the first 2/3 of the Bible, and the rest of Paul’s wriings for that matter, especially 2nd Corinthians 6:14 “What fellowship can Righteousness have with Lawlessness?”
Is Keeping G0d’s Commandments OUT OF LOVE AND OBEDIENCE contrary to the salvation system of Grace or established by the salvation system of Grace?
OR
Is keeping G0d’s Commands IN ORDER TO BE SAVED contrary to the salvation system of Grace or established by the salvation system of Grace?
Is the love inspired obedience to Torah (G0d’s instructions for our life) contrary to Grace or established by it?
Is legalism (earning one’s own salvation) contrary to Grace or established by it?
THE KICKER
Here is the kicker. Both Legalism and Torah are “Nomos” in Greek and translated as “Law” in English. But they are contrary ideas.
So the audience must have understood that 2 different things were meant in that verse, which are both translated as the English word “LAW” despite these being 2 different concepts.
An Analogy:
We could write a letter using the word “Love” several times, and then put the letter in a time capsule to be discovered by school children studying history centuries from now. First the capsule would be uncovered when our culture and religious climate have disappeared,then someone would put the letter into a language that had many words for love, all with different meanings, but sadly, that person who translated only used one of the many words for the idea expressed. If these school children studying us spoke Greek, the translators would have to use the Greek word for Romantic Love,or the one for Friendship Love, or the one for Undeserved Love. If just one word for love was used, the the meaning of the letter would be very different, with some very drastic implications about what the speaker meant and what he was saying.
If we wrote a letter in which we use the word “Love” in English several times, and in one instance we love our wives, the next we love our children, the next we love our best friend, then our morals, lifestyle, and intentions could be easily misconstrued by a bad translation.
Especially if someone took the whole paragraph and placed it into a different language, if the translator was using only the word for love that described romantic love (Eros), then they would assume we are all homosexuals because we “Love”(Eros) our best friend with the same word “Love”(Eros) that we love our wives, and we are pedophiles because we “Love” (Eros) our children the same way that we love our wives. So the readers conclusion would be that our religion taught pedophilia.
Now if the word “Philos” was used every time, implication would be that our religion taught that husbands and wives are merely to be friends and not lovers, and that parents should be buddies with their children instead of authority figures.
Now, if they used the proper word for love in each instance, the confusion and accusations of homosexuality and a lack of affection between husband and wife would disappear. If instead of “Eros” every time, regardless of context, they used (Eros-Romantic Love), Philos (Liking) and Agape, Unconditional Love, the way the orginal author intended, the meaning would change.
The letter could read. “We LOVE (Eros) our wives, and we spend time with our guy friends that we also LOVE (Philos), and we love (AGAPE) our children.”
How would those studying our letters in the future know what in the world we meant? They would have to study the bulk of our other writings and the writings of those from our culture, especially the writings we ourselves claimed to have drawn our morals from. Those reading in the future would have to use the translation that lined up with the rest of this individual letter, the rest of our writings, and the writings of those that we imitate (in Paul’s case, the Torah was what he studied and claimed to live by).
What is sin? 1st John 3:4 “Sin is Breaking the Law of G0d (Torah)”. So Grace (chesed) establishes the Torah.
God’s Grace (Chesed=loving kindness) in our lives, establishes the Love shown in His Law (Torah=the Father’s loving instructions to His children on how to have a blessed life).

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Andrea Bocelli and Abortion!

2010-06-07T21:13:00.002-06:00

Woke up to this song going through my head!

2010-06-06T16:56:00.000-06:00

Heart of Wisdom blogpost

2010-06-04T11:59:00.000-06:00

A very good blogpost was written by Robin, who is the author of the book A Family's Guide to the Biblical Holidays as well as a bunch of other Heart of Wisdom curriculum!

I've been enjoying reading the blogs of others lately, and want to share some that speak my heart as well.
Shabbat Shalom!

Refiner's Fire

2010-06-02T11:17:00.000-06:00

The Refiner's Fire is constantly bombarded by e-mails from well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) Christians who try to inform us that Messianic Jews and Gentiles are "under the law". They INSIST we are totally "off the mark" and promoting "works" because we don't seem to realize that "Jesus nailed it to the cross". (These people don't seem to realize that, what has been "nailed to the cross" is our past SINS, not God's original teaching and instruction!) He nailed our certificate of debt for breaking the Law to the cross - not His Torah. Some have even called Messianic Judaism a "doctrine of demons" - while others have actually threatened to look us up in order to do us physical harm because of our belief....

Let's Get Biblical!

People such as mentioned above obviously don't understand what Messianic Judaism is all about. They don't seem to realize that Yeshua was the FINAL SIN SACRIFICE who came to abolish the man-made, "rabbinical" teachings that had people bound up and confused about what God had actually said; not someone who came to abolish God's original teachings. God gave us a new Covenant through Yeshua, not a new Torah! Yeshua is the Living Torah who never, ever negated God's original teaching and instruction.

In order to help clarify this very important issue, we have compiled a list of questions every Christian should ask him/herself before sending nasty e-mails to The Refiner's Fire. We ask our opposition to read the following with an open mind; to verify in the Bible everything that is written here; and most of all, to push aside all malice and personal prejudices and allow the Holy Spirit to guide them:

PLEASE USE THE SCRIPTURES TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
(not personal interpretations or extra-Biblical, man-made writings)

Was Jesus a Jew or a Gentile?

Yeshua was a Torah observant, tallit wearing, synagogue attending, Sabbath and feast-keeping, kosher Jew, who observed the Jewish holy days of Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost. Are today's Christians, for the most part, walking in Torah, keeping the Biblical feasts, or the seventh day Sabbath? Various sects of Catholicism and many Christians denominations claim to be the "true religion" that Jesus established. Yet, modern day "Christianity" has very little in common with the founder of their "faith"!

Why do Christians refer to the Jewish Messiah as "Jesus" when Yeshua was His given Hebrew name? It's not that hard to pronounce....(Please see How Yeshua Became Jesus.)

The Jewish Messiah's given name was Yeshua. "Jesus" is the Hellenized-Anglicized form of "Yeshua". "Jesus" doesn't mean anything, while Yeshua means "Salvation". Yeshua never heard the name "Jesus" in His lifetime. Some people have said that this is irrelevant, but our question is this: If your name is "John" or "Mary", why would you answer to "Charles" or "Betty"? Yes, Yeshua knows who we are talking about when we call Him "Jesus", but it's a lot more rewarding to call Him by His given Name - the name that has a meaning....

Where in the Scriptures does God tell us to ignore the original, seventh day Sabbath - the day He Himself blessed and made holy (Gen 2:1-2)?

You won't find anything in the Scriptures that references the changing of the Sabbath to Sunday. Some argue that it's because "Jesus rose on a Sunday" - but you need to ask yourself: Why would that, in itself, change the seventh-day Sabbath that God ordained "in the beginning"? (First of all, please see our article which proves that Jesus did NOT rise on a Sunday!) Some argue that Constantine was responsible for changing the Sabbath because he hated the Jews.

No matter who instituted Sunday worship, in Yeshua's time, both Jews and Gentiles alike, regularly attended the synagogue for worship on the seventh day, and the fact that interested Gentiles in Antioch requested further instruction of Paul "on the next Sabbath" is irrefutable evidence that no separate Sunday (1st day) meetings were being held there by those early Christians: The Gentiles were willing to wait an entire week, till the next Saturday, for a meeting because they knew that Paul and his companions did not normally meet for worship on a Sunday. Acts 13:42-44 tells us that, on the next Sabbath (Saturday) almost the whole city arrived for the meeting.

Some insist that Acts 20:7 reveals Sunday worship, but this is not true. Fact is, Jewish believers in Yeshua continued meeting at synagogue (or the Temple) for Sabbath. Common practice would be havdallah - meeting in homes after sundown on Saturday to continue discussions and praise from the Sabbath, which explains Paul "preaching until midnight" in Acts 20:7. The first day of the week for Jews (like Paul) began at Sundown at the end of the Sabbath - Saturday, not "Sunday."

Furthermore, the fact is, neither the Father nor the Son has ever claimed the first day as His own in any higher sense than He has each or any of the other laboring days. Neither of them has ever placed any blessing upon it, or attached any sanctity to it. The Bible tells us God expressly reserved the seventh day to Himself, placing His blessing upon it, and claimed it as His holy day. (Genesis 2:1-3.) Moses told Israel in the wilderness of Sin of the sixth day of the week, "Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord." Exodus 16:23. (Please see Sabbath Truth and The True Sabbath Day.)

Christians insist that "the law" was abolished. How is that possible when sin is transgression of "the law"? When and by whom was it abolished? Certainly not by Yeshua! He said He came NOT to abolish but to confirm (Hebrew: koom which means "establish/confirm)". Why would Yeshua's role as FINAL SIN SACRIFICE in any way negate Torah - God's original teaching and instruction? Did He ever say, "I came to abolish Torah and render my original teachings void"? Yeshua is our "New Covenant" and "Sin Sacrifice". Period. God gave us a New Covenant, not a new Torah! Did He even MENTION Torah as He spoke about giving us a New Covenant (Jer.31:30-33/Heb.8:8-12)?

You won't find anything in the Scriptures to show that Torah was ever abolished. Many Christians have decided that when God said, "I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts" He meant that His original Torah (teachings) would be rendered null and void. How many of today's people automatically know God's laws? How many actually KEEP his laws? If this were TRULY the case that God's laws were somehow imprinted in our hearts, there would be NO adultery, divorce, murder, hate crimes, abortion, lying, stealing, coveting - things that many Christians are certainly guilty of.....

Yeshua said: Matthew 5: 17 Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. 18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah - not until everything that must happen has happened. If "ALL" hasn't happened yet, and heaven and earth have not passed away, then that must mean that His Torah is still valid....

Why do Christians insist that "the law" was "written on our hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Romans 10:4-8) and therefore, the "OT" no longer pertains to them?

Perhaps Christians need to look at this passage from another viewpoint: Unless we have read the "Old Testament" how can we automatically KNOW what Torah says? Yes, we have "the law"/Torah written on our hearts - but this does not mean we have an automatic knowledge of it just because we are "saved". It means we now have the desire for Torah! The heart is the "seat of desire". Why? Because it is the battleground over which God and Satan fight continually. Allegiance comes from the heart; as do concepts such as honor, loyalty, and commitment. The heart sets apart greatness from merely "good". Without the heart no endeavor reflects the fact that we are created in the image of God.

Since God said to celebrate the Biblical feasts FOREVER (Leviticus 23:21, 31, 41, Exodus 12:14), why do you believe He wants you to ignore them now, simply because His Son died on the cross? Has "forever" come and gone, or ended somehow?

No - "forever" has not come and gone! Messianic Jews celebrate the Biblical feasts because it is instructed by God in the Torah for Israel to observe these festivals forever (Leviticus 23:21, 31, 41, Exodus 12:14). Messiah Yeshua observed these festivals as did the early Messianic Jews and apostles such as Rabbi Shaul/Apostle Paul (Acts 20:16, 1 Corinthians 16:8, Acts 28:17). When Yeshua returns to this earth these festivals will be re-established worldwide (Zechariah 14:16-21). God has His appointed times! He does nothing without purpose. What makes us think we can simply ignore what He says?

Here's something to ponder. Yeshua has only fulfilled the first four of the seven Biblical feasts. If He fulfilled the first four, what makes you think He won't fulfill the last three? If everything goes according to God's Plan and the first four feasts have been fulfilled, then the next feast to be fulfilled is Rosh Hashana - the Feast of Trumpets: the "Rapture". Since Christians choose to believe the entire "OT" has been "nailed to the cross", then does this mean there won't be a "Rapture"? Why should there be, since you don't "believe" in the Biblical feasts....

Did Rav Sha'ul (Apostle Paul) actually say that, since Yeshua's death, we can eat whatever we want, meaning there is no more "Kosher"?

1 Timothy 4: 1 The Spirit expressly states that in the acharit-hayamim some people will apostatize from the faith by paying attention to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come from the hypocrisy of liars whose own consciences have been burned, as if with a red-hot branding iron. 3 They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods which God created to be eaten with thanksgiving by those who have come to trust and to know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing received with thanksgiving needs to be rejected, 5 because the word of God and prayer make it holy.

First of all we have to remember that Paul was talking to the Jews and Gentiles - who were KOSHER and adhering to God's "clean and unclean" laws. They wouldn't dream of going against what God said in Leviticus concerning what He considered to be food. (Although many prefer to think otherwise, Paul constantly confirmed Torah: Romans 3: 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law....)

Paul tried to warn people against doctrines of demons which twist God's Word. Every creature is good and not to be refused IF it is made holy by the Word of God and prayer (thanksgiving). The Word of God in Leviticus tells us what is holy and not holy. That is what Kosher means, because it comes from the same root as kodesh, meaning holy.

Where in the Scriptures did Yeshua ever attend a "church"? The Bible DOES tell us that He attended "synagogues": Matthew 12:9, Matthew 13:54, Mark 1:21, Mark 1:29, Mark 3:1, Mark 6:2, Luke 4:16, Luke 4:20, Luke 4:28, Luke 4:38, Luke 6:6, Luke 7:5, John 6:59, John 12:42, John 18:20, Acts 13:14, Acts 13:42, Acts 14:1, Acts 18:4, Acts 18:26, Acts 19:8 to mention just a few....

Yeshua attended synagoges, not "churches". Stern's Complete Jewish Bible - translated directly from Hebrew into English - never mentions "church" but, rather, uses the words "congregation" or "community". This is a good place to mention that Messiah Yeshua was NOTHING like the modern New Testament representation that most Christian denominations have made Him into! The apostle Paul warned against what was already beginning to happen 1,900 years ago - the world has embraced "ANOTHER JESUS", a totally different "Jesus" from the one revealed in Scripture! Paul warned the Corinthian church:

II Corinthians 11: 2 For I am jealous for you with God's kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a pure virgin in marriage to your one husband, the Messiah; 3 and I fear that somehow your minds may be seduced away from simple and pure devotion to the Messiah, just as Havah (Eve) was deceived by the serpent and his craftiness. 4 For if someone comes and tells you about some other Yeshua than the one we told you about, or if you receive a spirit different from the one you received, or accept some so-called "good news" different from the Good News you already accepted, you bear with him well enough!

If, as you believe, the Torah was "abolished" and the "Old Testament" is to be ignored - why are Christians still teaching the Ten Commandments or telling church members to tithe? Isn't it hypocritical to pick and choose what we want to believe of the "Old Testament?

The Ten Commandments appear in two places in the Bible: Both are in the Old Testament - Exodus, chapter 20; and in Deuteronomy, chapter 5. Neither version conveniently lists the commandments from one to ten, which is presumably how they would appear when posted. In the most commonly referenced passage, Exodus 20, the commandments cover 17 verses and encompass at least 14 imperatives. Concerning tithing, in the New Testament tithe and tithing are found eight times (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12; Hebrews 7:5-6,8-9). But all of these passages refer to the Old Testament usage under the law! In view of this fact, it seems that today's church pastors should never ask for tithes because, according to your own train of thought, tithes are "old testament".....

Do the Scriptures command us to celebrate the birth or resurrection of the Messiah via Christmas and Easter? What's more, is it okay to lie to your children about the existence of Santa Claus and egg-laying rabbits? What do these things have to do with Yeshua's birth and death? For those who want to answer: "It's fun; it's tradition", then please check the Bible to see what God says about man-made traditions....

You won't find Christmas and Easter anywhere in the Bible. Those holidays were man's idea and, while they were originally meant for GOOD, Satan used them for evil by having us insert Paganistic traditions. (Please see The Pagan Origins of Christmas and The Pagan Origins of Easter.) What's more, it is NOT okay to lie to your children about the existence of Santa Claus and egg-laying rabbits. Lying is a sin. The Ninth Commandment is: Thou shalt not lie. Can you honestly say that you've never said to your kids: "Santa Claus is coming soon to bring you toys, so you'd better be good!" or "Look! The Easter bunny brought you some colored eggs!" Is it okay to tell a "little" lie? Since when? Is human tradition worth the cost of making us guilty of sinning in God's eyes?

When exactly did Gentiles come into faith, and how can they claim that THEIR "church" is the "original church that Jesus built" when NONE of them observe Torah, and MOST of them ignore the seventh day Sabbath and the Biblical feasts! Does YOUR church in any way resemble ANYTHING that Yeshua originally taught? Please check the Bible thoroughly before answering.

In the beginning, Gentiles were considered to be immoral heathens and Pagans because they worshipped every kind of "god" except YHWH. But yet, it was always YWHW's will for the Gentile nations to receive His Salvation (Is. 49:6, 42:6). God told Abraham that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). Early Messianic Jews did not understand that this was God's will and proclaimed the Good News of the Messiah only to Jewish people. The controversy in the first century was not if it was Jewish to believe in Yeshua but whether Gentiles could be included without having to become Jewish. This was addressed by the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:1-31). (NOTE: Many people have misunderstood the proceedings at the Jerusalem Council to mean Gentiles were only required to perform certain acts - without realizing that Acts 15 is referring to man-made laws and not the Torah itself!)

When the early Messianic Jews took the Good News of the Messiah to the Gentiles, a great number were brought into the Messianic faith. By the end of the first century A.D., the number of Gentile believers outnumbered the Jewish believers by a ratio of two to one! This occurred primarily because there were (and still are) more Gentiles in the world than Jewish people. Through the years, as the number of Gentile believers increased, they began to dominate this Messianic faith. Some Gentile believers, not understanding the Jewish roots of their faith and God's eternal covenant with Israel, wanted to split off and form a separate religion divorced from their Jewish roots (Romans 11:1-2). This "de-Judaizing process" continued until Gentile Christianity emerged as the dominant representative faith in the Messiah. In one of the greatest paradoxes in history, it became alien for a Jew to believe in Yeshua as his Messiah! (Please see How the Gentiles are Saved and A Study of Israel's History.)

Yeshua said He came NOT to abolish but to fulfill/establish/confirm (Matthew 5:17). He also said that until all has been accomplished, and heaven and earth have passed away, not one "jot or tittle"/the smallest letter or stroke would disappear from the Torah (Matthew 5:18). Has ALL been accomplished yet? Have heaven and earth passed away yet? If not, why are you ignoring Torah?

Since Yeshua said He did NOT come to abolish Torah, we MUST adhere to Torah! The Bible clearly shows that Yeshua was a devout Jew who did not come to abolish the faith of Judaism or the Torah of His Father, but to magnify, establish, and confirm it! As we continue to read Matthew 5, verse 19 and 20 clench the previous two: 19 So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot (words/commands) and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P'rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Bible in several places states that God's Word is FOREVER. "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). Did "forever" end at the beginning of the "New Testament"? Has "forever" come and gone?

God said His Word is FOREVER. "Forever" didn't end last Tuesday, so why are Christians negating His Torah NOW? "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the LORD, "from now and forever." (Also see Isaiah 59:21 and 1 Chronicles 16:15.)

"Forever" hasn't come unless "everything has happened that must happen" and "heaven and earth have passed away" (Rev.21:1). Has the heavenly Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) already come down from heaven to the earth (Rev.21:2)? Has Satan already been punished and cast into the lake of fire? (Rev.20:10.) Has the Great White Throne Judgment occurred already? (Rev.20:11-12.) Has Yeshua already returned and established the Kingdom of God (Rev. 10:1-7 and Rev.19:6, 11-16)?

God said in Proverbs 4:2 - "I give you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah (teaching, instruction, law)." What makes you think Jesus abolished that command?

God clearly told us NOT to ignore His teachings! The overwhelming decadence of today's world is clear evidence as to how much we have strayed from God's Word....

Do you really believe that by ignoring Torah you are provoking the Jews to jealousy (Romans 11:11:12)? Do you think they're going to be jealous of the Christians who ignore the true Sabbath and the Biblical feasts, and ask the Jews to give up THEIR half of the Bible and adhere to the OTHER half only - especially in view of the fact that the FIRST HALF of the Bible outlines GOD'S commandments for our lives?

Christians have killed millions of Jews and been responsible for persecuting them in one way or another for centuries. And now you want to tell them that the God you borrowed from the them - from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - has come in the form of a man they are supposed to worship now, and demand that they throw away THEIR Bible because Jesus' death on the cross automatically negated ALL of God's original teachings? You want them to believe they should throw out the original God-breathed Word and adhere to "the other half" - the half in which the Apostle Paul said all those things that YOU have misunderstood and misinterpreted to say that Torah was "nailed to the cross"? You want them to give up the idea of the original Sabbath and the Biblical feasts - the very feasts that Yeshua is STILL in the process of fulfilling??? (Please see Yeshua Has Fulfilled Only the First Four Feasts) and Jewish Holidays, in a Nutshell.

Please think about how YOU would feel if someone came and told you to throw Jesus out the window and start believing in some strange god that you don't understand! In order to win the heart of a Jew, you MUST FIRST remember where YESHUA (the JEWISH MESSIAH in Whom YOU believe!) came from, and realize that the reason the Jews do not and CANNOT yet believe in Him is because their "spiritual eyes" have not yet been opened. GOD Himself will open their eyes in due time. In the meantime, YOUR job is to act like REAL "Christians" and be kind and understanding as opposed to pushy, nasty, and arrogant toward the Jews....God doesn't force Himself on anybody; so why should YOU?

God warns us not to forsake His Torah. Since Yeshua said He didn't come to abolish Torah, we should be taking this VERY seriously! Yeshua didn't abolish - He tightened and strengthened God's original teaching and instruction! Take, for instance, the things He espoused in Matthew 5:

Matthew 5: 21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Matthew 5: 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Does this sound like someone who "abolished" God's original teaching and instruction?

Yeshua's intent was not to abolish or weaken or emasculate the Laws of YHWH, revealed in the Old Testament, but to expand and magnify them to their full spiritual intent and conclusion; to show their full meaning, purpose, and relevance; to reveal their spiritual and supernatural nature and basis; to show that the commandments lead us by necessity to FAITH in him as the Messiah. We do not earn salvation by works, but by Faith in Yeshua the Messiah, who died for our sins, and who now gives us his spirit to enable us to fulfill the righteousness of the Law (Acts 2:38; 5:32; Gal.2:20). The Messiah did not replace the Law of YHWH with Faith alone, but rather gave us inward Faith, through his spirit, to enable us to observe the holy commandments of God! Yet, with the advent of Christianity, the "Old Testament", along with God's original teaching and instruction, basically became null and void because they mistakingly think "Torah" equates to "law". BIG MISTAKE!....

The apostle Paul knew this truth and wrote to the believers in Rome: Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, we confirm Torah (Rom.3:31). Not one "jot or tittle", was abolished from the Law of God.

Some have written to The Refiner's Fire to remind us that "animal sacrifices were abolished", and that they used to be part of "the law". To that, we say: "Because Yeshua was our final SIN Sacrifice and we don't have to do animal sacrifices anymore, how does that prove that the ENTIRE Torah was abolished? Yeshua abolished the need for animal sacrifices, and He came to abolish the "rabbinical" teachings of the time that had people so bound up in legalism, that they were afraid to get out of bed on the Sabbath because they feared that, with the effort of rising from bed, they might be guilty of "working". The teachings of the rabbis at the time had made the entire Torah a burden. Acts 21:20-24 tells us:

Acts 21: 20 On hearing it, they praised God; but they also said to him (Paul), "You see,brother, how many tens of thousands of believers there are among the Judeans, and they are all zealots for the Torah. 21 Now what they have been told about you is that you are teaching all the Jews living among the Goyim to apostatize from Moshe, telling them not to have a b'rit-milah (circumcision) for their sons and not to follow the tradition. 22 "What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that hear that you have come. 23 So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. 24 Take them with you, be purified with them, and pay the expenses connected with having their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is nothing to these rumors which they have heard about you; but that, on the contrary, you yourself stay in line and keep the Torah.

If Yeshua had abolished the "law", then why did the apostle Paul observe it with four other Church men in Yerushalayim 29 years AFTER the crucifixion of the Messiah?

What does this tell us about the true "religion" that Yeshua the Messiah proclaimed? What does it tell us about His true gospel? Paul wrote, Therefore, what are we to say? That the Torah is sinful? Heaven forbid! Rather, the function of the Torah was that without it, I would not have known what sin is. For example, I would not have become conscious of what greed is if the Torah had not said, "Though shalt not covet." (Rom.7:7). He further added, So the Torah is holy; that is, the commandment is holy, just and good. (verse 12). He went on to say that YHWH's Law is spiritual (Rom.7:14) - and that which is spiritual is eternal. Paul also wrote, We concentrate not on what is seen but on what is not seen, since things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal. (II Cor.4:18). If the Laws of God were all abolished, as some believe, then Yeshua did away with what was clearly holy, righteous, good, and spiritual....

Those who teach contrary to the Torah, which Yeshua upheld - and Paul also taught - are false preachers and prophets. Paul wrote of them: II Corinthians 11: 13 The fact is that such men are pseudo-emissaries: they tell lies about their work and masquerade as emissaries of the Messiah. 14 There is nothing surprising in that, for the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light; 15 so it's no great thing if his workers masquerade as servants of righteousness. They will meet the end their deeds deserve.

So - is "the Law" still valid today? You bet it is! It is a standard for righteousness. Yeshua said that not one yod or tittle would pass away, and that those who love Him will keep His commandments. The Law is not for salvation, but for sanctification (being Holy). No one can keep the Law perfectly, but striving to live as Adonai commands brings us closer to His desire for our lives. Christians need to remember that, while God changed the Covenant, He never changed His Torah. Yeshua came to abolish the "rabbinical stuff", not GOD'S teachings. Messianic Judaism adheres to both, the "Old" and the "New" covenants. That does NOT make us weird or "off the mark" - nor does it make Messianic Judaism a "doctrine of demons"!

We apologize to anyone who might have felt offended by this article. But, please understand, The Refiner's Fire is constantly under attack - in many cases VICIOUS attack - from people who call themselves "Christians" who simply don't understand that we are on the SAME SIDE! We totally believe in Yeshua's shed blood on the cross, just like every other Christian. We simply desire to follow the Bible as closely as possible, trying our best not to "read into it" or twisting Scripture in any way. Why should the Jews who believe in Yeshua suddenly ignore Torah just because YOU find it strange? What do you care that we prefer to celebrate the Biblical feasts as opposed to Christmas and Easter? WHY do you feel the need to attack fellow believers in Christ? WE are not your enemy - but you are doing everything in your power to make yourselves OUR enemy! Paul said:

Philippians 1: 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.

A Strong Delusion - A bloggy friend's blog

2010-06-01T20:04:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Strong Delusion

Rarely do I post articles written by other authors or bloggers on my blog site. However, today I am willing to make an exception with the following article. The truths contained herein are important and need to be examined in our own hearts. Time is so short. Eternity awaits.

Barbara Johnson Sandefur: A Strong Delusion
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 7:45pm

WHEN discussing how to determine the truth and error of spiritual matters, people often make statements like: “I just follow my heart; I feel in my heart that this is right; I go with what my heart tells me; I trust my heart.” Such statements sound fine to most people, but the Bible plainly states that “he who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” [1]
Why is it foolish to trust one’s own heart? Won’t our heart tell us what is right? On the contrary: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” [2]

Daniel Botkin

If the Bible only said that our heart is deceitful, that would be bad enough. But it says more: the heart is deceitful “above all things.” If “all things” includes all things, then our hearts are more deceitful than the devil himself, which is a frightening thought.

Likewise, if the Bible only said that our heart is wicked, that would be bad enough. But it says more: The heart is “desperately wicked.” Our wicked heart is so desperate to continue ruling our thoughts and our life that it will go to any and all lengths to keep from being exposed for what it is, “full of madness and folly.” [3] In its desperation to survive, our heart is willing to masquerade as anything, even as a blood-washed, born-again Believer heart in love with the Savior. Jeremiah ends with this verse, “Who can know it?”

This diagnosis of the heart should also put the fear of God into anyone who takes the Bible seriously. Another sobering passage is 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, where we read about what happens to those who refuse the truth: “God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” If we are deluded by the devil, or even by our own heart, we might hope for pity from God. But if God Himself is the one who send the delusion, as a judgment for our refusal to love truth, what hope is there for deliverance from deception? Who can deliver us from a strong delusion that God has sent?

The problem with deception is that the deceived person has absolutely no idea that he is deceived. If he knows he is deceived, then he is not deceived! Deception, by its very nature, is impossible to detect in one’s self. Until the deceived person begins to see that he is deceived, he does not suspect that he is under a strong delusion.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Yeshua describes a multitude of people who will not see their deception until it is too late for them:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Two things about this passage should motivate Bible-believers to examine their faith. The first thing is the fact that the people described here are not atheists or Moslems. These are church people, involved in church activities, doing what appear to be good works in the name of Jesus. They even call Him “Lord,” and fully expect to inherit eternal life through their relationship with Him. That is why they are stunned to find themselves excluded from the Kingdom. The second sobering thing in this message is the word “many.” This is not some small group of cult leaders and false prophets; it is a multitude that the Lord describes as “many.”

This should raise some frightening questions for a Believer: How do I know that I am not among this multitude of deceived people? Am I truly blood-bought and born from above, or is it only my own deceitful heart, in an act of desperation, pretending to be in love with the Lord? How do I know my salvation experience was not just an imaginary experience, a strong delusion sent by God as judgment for my refusal to love the truth?

We know from the Scriptures that our heart cannot be trusted to tell us whether or not we are deceived. If we are deceived, and look to our heart to tell us, our heart will simply continue to lie to us and give us false assurance of our salvation and our doctrines, complete with warm, emotional, religious feelings to soothe any doubts we may have. And the longer we remain rooted in our deception, the stronger these feelings will be.

If we cannot trust our own heart to tell us whether or not we are deceived, who then can we trust? A pastor or a prophet? A pastor or a prophet might give us the words of reassurance and comfort, but how do we know the pastor or prophet is not deceived? The Bible is full of warnings about false pastors and false prophets. God told Ezekiel that “if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet.” [4] So even a prophet may be among those to whom YHWH sends powerful delusion!

Fortunately, we need not despair. The same Bible that warns us of deception and false teachings also tells us how to discern the true from the false. In Isaiah’s day deception was rampant in Israel, and YHWH gave a simple formula for discerning truth from error: “To the Torah (“Law” or “Teaching”); if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” [5] All true beliefs and teachings will be in agreement with Torah (the Law God gave to Moses). Any belief or teaching that opposes or contradicts these commandments is not of the Light, but of the darkness.

If we look at the context of the passages discussed earlier in this paper, we will see that deception is, in these cases also, related to our attitude to God’s Law. When the Messiah tells the multitude of deceived church people to depart, He addresses them as “you who practice Lawlessness.” Likewise, Paul’s warning of the God-sent delusion in 2 Thessalonians is also presented in the context of our attitude to God’s Law. The passage speaks of “the secret power of Lawlessness (‘separating from Torah,’ Jewish New Testament),” which was “already at work” in Paul’s time. Two times in this passage, Paul (Rav Shaul) mentions “the lawless one (‘man who avoids Torah,’ Jewish NT).” Even Jeremiah’s statements about the heart are soon followed by a lengthy plea to honor God by keeping the Sabbath.

Of course, most Christians consider the Sabbath and many other commands to be, for the most part, irrelevant to those living under the New Covenant. Ironically, the Bible tells us that one important mark of true New Covenant believers is the keeping of God’s Torah! In Jeremiah’s prophecy of the New Covenant (31:31-34), the Lord describes His intended outcome in the lives of those who accept the terms of the New Covenant: “I will put My Torah (“Law” or Teaching) in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts.” (See also Hebrews 8:8-10.)

This new heart with God’s Torah written upon it was also prophesied in Ezekiel 11:19f. Here YHWH describes the results of receiving a new heart: “Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws.” Ezekiel later writes about the promise of the Holy Spirit: “I will put My Spirit within you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.” [6] Torah observance is not learned and developed overnight, but if a believer is not being moved in a Torah-obedient direction, he should find out why not. According to Ezekiel, being moved to obey God’s Torah is evidence of having received the Ruakh HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). Speaking in tongues is great, but tongues can be counterfeited. Obedience to Torah cannot. Either a person does it or he doesn’t.

There are also many NT verses that point to Torah observance as a mark of true New Covenant Believers:

“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” [7]

“This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.” [8] “Keeping God’s commandments is what counts.” [9] In Revelation 12:17, God’s faithful remnant is described as those “who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.” In Revelation 14:12, “saints” are defined as “those who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Yeshua.”

A love for Torah is not proof that a person is not deceived in other areas, of course. But in these passages about deception, it is clear that deception is closely linked to our attitude to the Law. We must not turn a deaf ear to the Torah. Proverbs 28:9 says, “he that turns his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.”

Any believer who feels any hostility toward God’s Law should seriously consider the possibility that he may be under strong delusion, and ask God to forgive his lack of love for the truth. He should ask God to release him from the secret power of lawlessness. If God has sent strong delusion to someone for refusing to love the truth, God can “undeceive” the repentant heart that agrees to embrace the Torah that he formerly ignored or despised. “A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:17).”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Mishlei (Proverbs) 28:26.

[2] Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 17:9.

[3] Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 9:3

[4] Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 14:9.

[5] Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 8:20.

[6] Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 36:27.

[7] 1 John (Yochanan) 2:3f.

[8] 1 John 5:3.

[9] 1 Corinthians 7:19.

Posted by VB at 3:58 PM

A blog I'm enjoying right now!!!

2010-05-28T19:53:00.002-06:00

How to Hear God Speak!
Seriously very good!
Blessings!!

Torahphobia

2010-05-26T18:33:00.002-06:00

Torahphobia

This is a note for the those that are interested in or are already Torah Observant Believers. Caution: It may be offensive to some viewers.

Rejection

2010-05-26T18:21:00.000-06:00

Yup...it pretty much sucks. Doesn't really matter who it comes from family, friends or even just someone on facebook it hurts. I've dealt with rejection my whole life, even unintentional rejection, which interestingly enough still affects a person! Not only have I dealt with it my whole life, it's also been passed down generationally! Oh yes how fun is that! lol I simply say this as fact. Not to invoke a pity party or manipulate anyone's emotions, this is just simply stated as a fact.

So when someone has been rejected continually they begin to wonder what is wrong with themselves that others can not be kind to them or be their friend or just like them for who they are without trying to make them into something else. And if you are dealing with these feelings your whole life without being validated, encouraged, told that you are indeed loveable, then this is what you believe about yourself. It's really not rocket science. As children we believe what we hear, do we not? And if we don't have anyone telling us what are lies and what are truths, then we get confused easily and just believe what is spoken to us the most. And even if someone DOES try to tell us what the truth is and what have been lies, it's after the fact and as a kid you don't know who to believe because adults just say things to try to make us feel good, right? Again, these are just facts about life, nothing more.

So now you have a screwed up human being, who has believed lies about herself for so long, she doesn't even know if she knows what love even is. (I DO by the way...my husband showed me yesterday during a huge long conversation that I DO in fact know what love is and how to show it and receive it, but I often get unloving feelings confused with rejection) She starts opening up as an adult in search of friends, but only faces rejection either right away or a year later...it doesn't really matter when the rejection takes place in a friendship, but it's definitely easier in the beginning because you just realize that you didn't mesh well, for whatever reasons...and I guess this wouldn't even be classified as rejection because in the beginning stages of friendship, you're just finding out whether there's a deep connect there or not. At any rate...rejection still sucks. And it changes who you are. You see yourself as crap, you let others walk all over you, you overextend yourself when you see a need because you just want acceptance. It isn't a healthy place to be, because when you don't see yourself the way Yahweh your Creator does, and you don't respect His creation, this is sin. It's perhaps hidden, and has somehow become acceptable, even in the Christian circles. "oh they just have low self esteem"...no, it's not as simple as low self-esteem! They are sinning against Yahweh when they scoff at His creation and see themselves as less than others! I believe this is called self-rejection and can turn into self-hatred. Having said all that I just want to mention a very good book by Patricia King called "Decree", it is FULL of Scriptures stating truths about who you are in Christ! Something everyone struggling in the area of rejection should look into...she also has it on cd. Takes about an hour to read through or listen to. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says or writes but this one book I completely agree with!

Did you know that in Psalm 103 it says that He forgives all thine iniquities: He heals all thy disease! It is interesting to me that David links sin with disease....so does Moses in Deuteronomy! Deuteronomy is filled with the Blessings and Curses! We will be able to reap the Blessings but it IS conditional! We must keep His Commands (and we can't pick and choose either, we are either for Yahweh or against Yahweh) in order to enjoy His blessings. If we choose NOT to keep His commands then we can look forward to the curses which include all manner of disease. So what am I getting at? Here I was talking about rejection and now I'm talking about the relationship between sin and disease! lol

I'm a diabetic...have been since I was 12, and likely even before that...I was just diagnosed at 12yrs old. Even in this disease the enemy has spoken continuous lies to me, Yahweh has rejected me and allowed me to have this disease, I must be good for nothing if He won't set me free from this. etc. etc. I know these are lies simply because they are contrary to Scripture! Remember Ps 103?! He heals ALL thy disease!!! But because of sin, personal and/or generational, I won't get healing until it's been dealt with. I need to get myself right with my Creator if I want to be whole. Quite frankly, I'd be quite happy to be whole mentally, emotionally and spiritually! I want that freedom! And if I am healed physically in the process, what an awesome benefit to obeying Yahweh! Perhaps this is why it's so important to be Doers of His Word and not Hearers only....
One thing I'm learning as I am undergoing a deep cleansing period in my life, is that I need to weigh what EVERYONE tells me against Scripture. I need to put my trust in my Creator alone and NOT in human words, because they are after all human and prone to sin. If I can just remember to put peoples words about me on the shelf until I can test them against Scripture, then I can save myself a whole lot of pain and agony. It is time to "take captive every thought" on a VERY regular basis because I want only Holy Spirit speaking to me...not the enemy. I WILL have my healing. Because it says so in the Bible. I'm not a prosperity gospel or a name it and claim it kind of girl AT ALL...but I do know that when we obey Him, He will do what He said He will do and forgive our iniquities and heal our diseases!

No Longer on Facebook

2010-05-25T15:08:00.000-06:00

Sooooo, I will likely post on here more often. haha
I was talking with my sister today, and our conversation got me thinking a lot. Some of the things she said hurt, but they were truthful...I don't feel like I know what love really is. I know how to act loving, and I *feel* loving many times throughout my days, but how can I love others if I don't love myself? If the disease I have (diabetes) has the spiritual roots of self-rejection and self-hatred...then how on earth am I even capable of love? I can't even love Yahweh, if this is how I feel about His own creation!! If I can't give love, how can I accept love? It is all so warped! I'm slowly trying to figure this all out with my gracious Creator's help...I'm so glad He's full of mercy cause I'm not sure how long this will take! But as I read A More Excellent Way I believe I'll enjoy the benefits of health as I work through my issues with God.
So anyhow, because of my love issue, I figure I have no place in the facebook world right now. I can share all the truths I'm learning, but until Love is flowing through my words no one will see the Creator in me. So I will hide beneath the shadow of His Wings and learn His Ways and work on sanctification, a never ending process for sure! lol But I likely won't be back on Facebook...who knows really.
But I just thought I would explain why I'm no longer there. I'm not satisfied with my relationship with my Creator, so instead of getting distracted online, I will instead spend time with Him and learn to hear His voice and DO what He tells me to do in His Word.

Computer issues...sigh.

2010-05-25T10:57:00.000-06:00

I'm having tons of issues trying to get pictures and videos on my blog...sigh, incompatible programs I believe...so this is why there have been no updates of the kids for a while. I'm trying to figure it all out...but it's slow going.

But because of that, I'm on the computer less and reading more books...A More Excellent Way by Henry W. Wright, which talks about the spiritual roots of disease and how sanctification will cure them! Let's clean our spiritual houses and reap the benefit of a healthy body! Woo Hoo!!

The more I read my Bible the more hungry I am for a pure heart...the more I read my Bible the more junk I see cluttering up my sinful heart...the more I read my Bible the more I understand God's grace...the more I read my Bible I change bit by bit and become a little less selfish every time a decision comes up...do I serve myself or God? And I like who I am becoming! Perhaps this is the way to beat self-hatred (one of the spiritual roots of diabetes)!

The Fruit of the Spirit

2010-05-10T15:48:00.000-06:00

Matthew 7:20-27

²⁰Therefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

²¹"Not every one that saith unto Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in Heaven.

²²Many will say to Me in that Day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works?'

²³And then will I profess unto them, `I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.'

²⁴"Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.

²⁵And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

²⁶And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand;

²⁷and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

I think James 1:22-25 fits well with Yahshua's words here as well,

²²But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

²³For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴for he beholdeth himself, and then goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Galatians 5:16-26

¹⁶This I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

¹⁸But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarreling, rivalry, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. About these things I tell you again, as I have also told you in times past, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

²⁴And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.

²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

²⁶Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another and envying one another.

I'm reading a little booklet called, From the Inside/Out What is Manifesting? by Henry W. Wright.
It is a good book full of hard things to hear, but in a good way because it leaves you wanting to change and not just live life in the same ole rut you have been for the past decade! It is encouraging and facilitates change! It shows how to become an overcomer instead of being defeated.
You cannot be defeated if you are loving someone. You cannot be defeated if you have faith. You cannot be defeated if you have gentleness, goodness, and temperance. You cannot be defeated, and the promise of God is that He will defend you because you have become like Him.
We are either manifesting the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan, we can not manifest both at the same time. I KNOW that there are times, sometimes DAYS even that I manifest the kingdom of Satan! And I feel horrible...which gives me a bit of hope because I think that there are two types of people, those who fall and are convicted about it and those who fall, but are not convicted because their hearts are hardened. I pray I will always be the first type of person!

The Feasts and Sabbath, do you know what they are?

2010-05-10T15:40:00.000-06:00

As I study the Tenach (Old Testament) as well as the Brit Chadashah (New Testament), I see very plainly how off track mankind has become in reference to the days we celebrate. And it grieves me when Christians get very defensive about their holidays, saying, "Well that's not what it means to me.." or "We are redeeming these days for the Lord"...
Let me just dive right in for a minute and ask a question. Is it important to obey Yahweh and seek out how HE wants us to worship Him? or is it more important to follow what the church teaches regardless of what Scripture says?
I Samuel 15:23 says, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king."When you know to do the truth, but do not do it, you are in idolatry of yourself because you have set yourself and what you think as higher than the thoughts of the living God who has spoken. When you overthrow and reject what God has said, after you have known the truth, then you are in self-idolatry. When you know to do the truth, but do not do it, you have set yourself as a god against the true and living God.
When I found out that it DOES matter to Yahweh that we keep the Sabbath, I started to make changes right away, and although I'm not perfect or keep the Sabbath perfectly. I'm trying, and I'm taking one step at a time to worship Him the way He has asked me to in His Torah. Once I read this point blank in God's Word, I could not turn my back on it and say, "Well, *I* worship Him on Sunday because it's more convenient for me and that's the way the church does it." I have yet to find any Scripture verse that hands the authority over to the church to change God's Word. And I am responsible for my own personal obedience to Yahweh. All by myself will I have to answer to Him on Judgment day for all the times I was a hearer and not a doer of His Word, James 1:22 "But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Yikes! This keeps me in a constant state of repentance to be quite honest. sigh.

The other thing I'd like to address, is that Yahweh didn't ask us to redeem pagan holidays either. He asked us to avoid even learning about them! Take Easter and Christmas, they are more wrapped up in paganism than they are in anything that has to do with Yahweh! For example, Christians have tried to relate the Easter egg to the trinity (which I have yet to find in the Holy Scriptures...), ummm, isn't this just taking the pagan holiday rituals and trying to worship Elohim in the same way? This is called an abomination!!
Deut. 12:30-32

³⁰take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after they are destroyed from before thee, and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, `How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise.'

³¹Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God, for every abomination to the LORD which He hateth have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their gods.

³²"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it. Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it.

Yahweh, thankfully is full of grace and mercy, Grace being God's divine influence on the human heart and Mercy being the measure of time it takes to understand what Yahweh is teaching us.
He has been watching us pass these pagan traditions on down to our children for thousands of years now...how long will He continue? When will we see the truth? When will His children search His Word and change their ways to mirror His? When will we realize that all those "laws" in the Torah are for our GOOD and not our DEMISE?! John 14:21,

He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.

It can't get any better than that!! Do I think we should keep His commandments with a grudge? NO! We should only keep them if we are doing it because we love Him! Keeping His commandments shows Yahweh that we love Him and want to worship Him the way He has told us to in Leviticus! This should not be a hard thing to do, but something that causes us to have joy.

I want to challenge you to search the Scriptures for yourself and enjoy the Feasts of the Lord instead of the pagan holidays. You will find that they are so fulfilling! Set up your nativity scenes and celebrate the birth of Yahshua during the Feast of Tabernacles this year!

What's in a Name?

2010-04-29T10:26:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking lots about how important names are. Mostly, I've been thinking about my Creator's name. Do you know what it is? It's YHVH, how do you say this? Yod Hey Vav Hey...orYahweh. God is not his name, that's who He is. Lord is not His name, that's simply a title. Interestingly Jesus isn't His name either! WHAT??? I know, that's what I thought too! So I hope this brings into understanding that I'm not totally out to lunch for wanting to use my Savior's real name, Yahshua. I honestly have no idea why the Christian church has taken out His name from most of the Bible and use the words Lord, Jesus, or God, this makes me sad to be perfectly honest.
Here is a quote from someone on facebook that I thought made a lot of sense.

If you think the name isn't important, test that theory on your 'significant other'. In moments of love or passion, call them whatever you feel like and see what reaction you get. They'll know who you are talking to as you will be the only ones there. See how that works out for you. If they don't like it, imagine how HE feels.

Names aren't ...translated, they are transliterated. In Japan, they call me Mark, not a Japanese word.

If my name was Mr. White and I went to Spain, they would NOT call me Senior Blanco, they would call me Senior White. And everyone there would know I had an English name that means blanco.

Conversely, if my name was Senior Blanco and I came to America, y'all would NOT call me Mr. White. You would call me Mr. Blanco, though most of you wouldn't know (or care) what that means.

I find it interesting that 'they' didn't find it necessary to translate the evil one's name or a host of other vile or evil ideas or objects. The distortion seems oddly focused on pure and holy words.

It has recently been brought to my attention that YHWH didn't create the world with thought (although HE most certainly could have). HE used words to create. When we profane the words, we are profaning a tool HE created.

When we didn't know, we were forgiven, just like the children that we are. Once the truth is revealed to us, we no longer have an excuse only reasons. If those reasons are 'we didn't care' or 'we didn't feel it was important', I don't think that hand is gonna play out too well when HE returns. by Mark Robbins

Some Prayers we are learning!

2010-03-27T12:22:00.000-06:00

While learning about the Passover, we have decided to learn a few Hebrew prayers! I absolutely LOVE the sound of the Hebrew language and am practicing lots to try to get the "ch" sound down pat...lol I have a nasty speech impediment and can not do foreign languages very well...LOL mind you I speak English quite fine, the "speech impediment" is only present when trying to roll my "r's" or making the "ch" sound as in "bach"...sigh...Anyhow, the first prayer we are learning is this one.

Before our meals:
Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam,
hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz.

Which means, Thank You, God, for the blessing of bread and for the meal we will now enjoy together.

After our meals:
We are also learning this one.
Baruch Atah Adonai, hazan et hakol.

Which means, Thank You, God, Who provides our food. Help us to share what we have, and to care for those who are hungry.

Now I'm no scholar, and I'm confused as to how such a short sentence in Hebrew can say all of that in English..sigh. Perhaps, the English translation is the general gist of what the Hebrew words say...I WILL learn Hebrew...sigh...it's just very slow going!
I'm now off to youtube to find some of these prayers and see if they are in song format as we memorize better in song! lol
Shabbat Shalom!

Fear and Ignorance...

2010-03-26T12:09:00.000-06:00

A Daring Prayer...

2010-03-25T16:44:00.000-06:00

Some ramblings and a heavy heart....

2010-03-23T01:08:00.000-06:00

So many thoughts rambling through this ole head of mine lately...which is almost too much to bear right now as I manage the house on my own with Jamie in Yellowknife for a month...we're only on day 6. The kids all got nasty colds the day Jamie left, then I found out that Shyla and I have lice...sigh...so now that I'm behind in housework due to cuddling littles with snotty noses and spending hours picking through Shyla's hair and "trying" to pick through mine...my brain won't shut off long enough for me to try to focus on any one thing constructive.

It would be nice to be magic every once and awhile...however, I CAN at least think while doing housework, I just might forget what I'm doing though and start a whole bunch of jobs and not finish anything! sigh...
I'm going a little crazy without my man too right now...he is SUCH a stress reliever...just being able to talk with him about different thoughts and how he's been having the same thoughts, but our thoughts come from different sources usually...mine from Scripture and his from Alex Jones....lol well at least we're mostly on the same page! haha

I've been really frustrated lately with how blind I've been in the past and how my lack of Bible reading kept me blinded. Yes, I used to be one of those Christians that just listened to the weekly portion of Scripture and then man's idea of what it all means, and to be quite honest, people can totally misinterpret the Bible so easily just by reading it from a Greek mindset instead of a Hebrew mindset in which it was written! It's astonishing how much more Paul's letters are making sense, when I read them from a Hebrew point of view and also taking into account the culture of that time as well! Getting out from under man's doctrine has been the best thing I could have ever done. I am forever grateful for being raised with the knowledge I DO have of the Bible...but sad that it's so steeped in tradition.

I respect this man as a true prophet. He doesn't aim to please man but share what is on Yahweh's heart. The music is annoying...but the message is awesome!

Rosh HaShanah!!!

2010-03-17T12:12:00.000-06:00

Nope...I don't have my timing wrong...lol The new moon should be siting in Jerusalem at dusk this evening and because the barley is ripe in Jerusalem this means it's the Biblical New Year! Check this out! We live in very interesting times!

http://www.michaelroodministries.com/happynewyear.html

another interesting site is this one!

http://www.karaite-korner.org/

And a video that helps to understand Yahweh's Calendar of Events...

http://www.torahteachers.com/the-jonah-code-full-version-michael-rood/

and a blog about the New Year!

Wholehearted family

Our First Passover!

2010-03-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

What an exciting time! We have learned that the barley is ripe (abib) in Jerusalem and this is the sign that is needed to start the new Biblical year! (Exodus 12, 34:18, Leviticus 23, Deuteronomy 16:1) And if you read any of those verses I just referenced, you will know that on the 14th day of the 1st month we are to celebrate the Passover and then on the next night the 15th we are to celebrate the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Now just as the Israelites were to get rid of all the leaven in their homes during this time...we will also be getting rid of all the leaven in our home..baking soda, baking powder and yeast. But going even further, we will be examining our hearts and getting rid of the leaven (hidden sins) in our hearts and will be teaching our children this important part of these Feasts and the importance of making things right between family members. This is a common custom during "Communion" in the church...unfortunately the church has added to the Scriptures by doing this weekly or monthly instead of yearly.

Part of getting rid of the leaven in our home will include finally purging the Christmas items as well as any unclean food. We are careful not to eat unclean meat, but I will be going through our pantry and finding all the items with hidden unclean-ness...like jello and marshmallows (they have horse in it!! gross!). So off to the library to try and find a book to help me keep the Biblical dietary instructions.
Interestingly enough the Rabbi's of old added to these instructions and Yahshua (Jesus) talks to them about this in Mark 7...Here is a good article written by Tim Hegg, Did God Change His Mind About Food?.

And here is a quick list of clean and unclean foods for those interested.

What a good way to start the Biblical year eh? Examining our hearts for hidden sin and making things right with people. This feels so much better and fruitful than the tradition of New Year's Resolutions that often set us up for failure!!

Learning Languages...

2010-03-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

So...I'm extremely unsatisfied with my understanding of the Bible. It's not because I'm dumb and don't have a good handle on English. It's because I'm not fluent in many other languages. I'm learning Hebrew right now and then want to venture into Greek. Why? So that I can fully understand the Bible...I want to know exactly what is said, when it seems there are inconsistencies...a friend of mine wrote a little blog post and it shows very clearly WHY it is important! Enjoy!
http://neshama-ancientpath.blogspot.com/2010/03/jesus-made-new-commandment.html

Shalom!

Identity Crisis...

2010-03-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.waytozion.org/video/jim/identity.wmv
This link has the whole video, so you don't have to stop and click the 9 segments...lol

This is a very fascinating teaching! All those who believe are grafted in to the tribe of Israel. Be blessed as you watch and you simply MUST watch all 9 segments! Jamie and I sat down and watched them all on Wed. night...then talked about what we learned. very cool!

Answer to Anonymous

2010-03-02T01:42:00.001-07:00

Hi Anonymous!
thanks for your comment!
I believe that the law you referred to in Romans 6 is talking about the ceremonial law not the moral law, it was the ceremonial law that made necessary the sin offerings etc. because YHWH couldn't look upon sin, when Y'shua became the ultimate sacrifice we became no longer bound by the laws of sin and death (ceremonial laws)and we now have direct access to our Abba Father. I agree, He delights in His children and wants to hold us in His laps and speak truth over us as we worship Him in adoration!
In Romans 6 it says in the Message translation "So since we are out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose COMMANDS set you free to live openly in HIS freedom!"
The Torah is most definitely summed up by loving God and loving others...Y'shua ALSO said that if we love Him, we will obey His teachings which is in the Tenach (OT). John 14
Right now I'm at a place where I'm falling in love with Y'shua all over again...and as a family we go into this journey, not to follow a bunch of rules, but in worship of the Father. Keeping the Sabbath has caused me to see the importance of planning and being prepared instead of living undisciplined. And this is just after scratching the surface! I truly believe that we will live in much greater freedom as we follow the instructions our Father left for us in the Torah. I have no interest in following the traditions of the Pharisees or even the traditions of Judaism! I simply want to obey the instruction of YHWH, because He loves me and I Him. His yoke is truly easy, not burdensome! If it is burdensome for someone then their motives are not right and it HAS in fact become just a loveless action. We definitely agree on this point! lol
As for circumcision, yup, Paul said it! it doesn't mean anything in and of itself. Yet Paul says in the very same verse that "keeping God's commands is what counts". So I believe that in obedience to God because I love Him and want to bless Him with my obedience, I will circumcise my sons. (not me personally of course!!! lol) In Ezekiel 44:9 in one of his prophesies ...it says very clearly that "no foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites" this is after the instructions for building the temple are given...I believe this to be the third temple which is yet to be built. So again, we don't need circumcision to be "saved" but it is clear YHWH is in favor of it...
and for food you are quite right we CAN eat anything, but not if it is a stumbling block to the company around us, we are to be sensitive to our friends and not be a stumbling block. When we go to my inlaws house, they always serve us bacon for breakfast. I don't say "no, don't eat that, it is unclean!" I allow my children to eat it and we bless it just the same...however at home we will eat Kosher simply because we believe it to be healthier. for example, I know of a lady who had cancer...she did the chemo thing the first time around and beat it, the second time around she went to her naturopath and he put her on what he called the "cancer diet" which is identical to eating Biblically Kosher! I thought that was fascinating! So we are well on our way to eating kosher...again, not because we HAVE to but we just see the wisdom in it. If Abba loves us enough to tell us what foods He prefers us to eat, there's got to be a reason! lol
1 Cor 6 is often taken out of context and made to fit any circumstance people want it to fit. However, in the verses previous to the verse you are referring to, Paul is chastising the believers for taking one another to court and not living in harmony and love, then the verses after it talks about sexual immorality! I like the way the message translation says it, "Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims." I truly believe Paul is talking about anything that causes addictions...like my sick addiction to the computer.
I have to say that I do not agree with this statement that you said, "but i don't believe the Bible teaches that we have to do them to love God. He says we don't. for some they may be a hinderance to the gospel." Y'shua NEVER anywhere said that we do not have to obey His commands, which are in the Torah. Paul, never says we are not to obey the instructions in the Torah. Only the ceremonial laws are done away with...as people seek YHWH and HIS ways, they will see the Torah for what they are...instructions to make life easier for us...not harder. It is only when we see them as a bunch of rules to follow will they hinder our relationship with our Lord. It is like the analogy I heart from a friend...following the traffic rules while driving a car isn't legalistic, it keeps things in order...it's the same with keeping the Torah!
But as long as the enemy is keeping Christians in the pews at church drinking only milk from the pastor and (the enemy keeps)convincing them that they don't need to dig deep for themselves, then they will never discover the Truth that is in the Torah.
In Matthew 5:17-19, Y'shua clearly says this, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Umm, heaven and earth are still here...the OT is NOT done away with, but oh how the Christian church would have you believe this horrible lie! It's sick how the enemy uses Christianity!
Oh and the only reason I use the Hebrew names when talking about the God I love is out of respect. Did you know that Jesus isn't even a Hebrew name? It means absolutely nothing! His mother called Him "Yahshua" and so that is what I call Him. The meanings of our names are very powerful...so I will use His real name, because it has real meaning.

I certainly don't have all the answers...LOL and I'm sooo loving studying His Word! Blessings to you! I wish I knew who you were! LOL

Some Pondering Thoughts....

2010-02-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, I'm reading a book by Lew White called "Fossilized Customs" and wow, it's very interesting and is taking a while to get through because of the huge amount of info in it!
But here is a portion of the book from page 22 and 23...
"Obeying specific "Commandments" with the thinking that this somehow "earns" salvation, or a place in the coming Kingdom, has been called "legalism". This grew out of the Reformation, when the teaching of the Protestant sects based their doctrine of salvation on the work of Y'shua and His atoning death. We are "saved" by "grace", and grace alone. Yahuchanon 3:16-21 needs to be studied carefully; one should not stop reading at verse 16:

For YHWH so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For YHWH did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Who ever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of YHWH's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the Truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done in YHWH.

Obedience is EVIDENCE of salvation. What is "light", and "truth"? Proverbs 6:23 defines "light" as the Torah. The word that underlies "teaching" is Torah. The "Truth" is the "Word" of YHWH, Yahuchanon 17:17. Once again, the "Word" is the Torah, made into flesh in Y'shua; as if the Commandments, the personality of YHWH, became a man and lived a perfect life without transgressing His own teachings. He gave us the "Keys"> to the Kingdom: TORAH, which produces LOVE. What is love? Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the Truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Cor. 13. The fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Torah, produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of righteousness walks straight.

Pr. 15:21. Something that is "legal" is right. The word is based on "logic", and involves "reasoning". The opposite of legalism is illegalism, and that is what separates us from our Creator! you will recognize a tree by its fruit. The 10 Commandments produce this fruit. Although the Torah is a gift and model for living, we cannot obey it in our flesh ~ we need something more: the New Covenant! What is that? When people read Galatians and other texts, they misunderstand what is being spoken of as "the Law". There is the MORAL law that defines "sin", and there is the CEREMONIAL law, that atoned for ">sin". A life lived ignoring the MORAL law ~ with murder, theft, adultery, idolatry, etc., is doomed to the second death in the Lake of Fire. But hardly anyone would call it "legalism" if they obeyed certain moral laws. The CEREMONIAL law made atonement, but it could not rescue permanently, because it involved animal deaths, in place of the individual dying for the sins. The ceremonial law that cannot "save" pointed the way to the permanent solution: the death of the perfect sacrifice, Y'shua. The blood of the New Covenant covers us permanently, ending the ceremonial law. It is the law of "sin and death" that were ordinances against us, nailed to the wood. It was not the MORAL law that was "done away", but the CEREMONIAL law. How then, can we obey the MORAL laws? This is where the New Covenant comes into play! The Old Covenant was the blood of animals ~ the New is the blood of Y'shua. It is our belief in the Resurrection, and the reality of it, that we have eternal life. We receive the Spirit of Y'shua when we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that He was raised from the dead. He comes into us, and WRITES the moral law (Torah) on our hearts and minds, enabling us to LOVE the Commandments! You will not live a life ignoring them, because this "change" inside you causes you to agree with the moral laws. The "Law of Liberty" is our freedom ~ not to sin, but rather our freedom from sin; sinning against the moral laws (and we don't have to sacrifice animals). Mashiach Y'shua really does save His people from sin, as His Name says! The deciding factor is: do you LOVE the Commandments?

If you love Me, you will obey what I command.

Yn. 14:15. When you can say "I love the Torah", He has "circumcised" your heart. Even Daniel, David, Yesha Yahu, Mosheh, Adam, etc., who lived by the moral law could not obtain eternal life by it; but because Y'shua resurrected, these captives were delivered from the ceremonial law that was against them. Stop and read Psalm 1, and Psalm 119.

Oh, how I love your Torah! I meditate on it all day long. Your Commands make me wiser than my enemies...

Ps. 119:97,98.
And, my friend, THAT is what "grace" is! It is the gift of YHWH to receive a LOVE for the Truth.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (emunah, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of YHWH-not by works(ceremonial offerings), so that no one can boast. For we are YHWH's workmanship, created in Mashiach Y'shua to do good works, which YHWH prepared in advance for us to do.

(Those "good works" prepared in advance are the Torah.) Eph. 2:8-10. this has stood in doctrinal opposition to "James" (Ya'akob) 2:17-20, who after explaining that lawbreakers (non-legalists) will be judged, says:

...Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have works'. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe there is one Elohim; Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

What he is saying is, obedience is not the thing that saves us, but when we are seen obeying the Torah, it is evidence of our salvation. There is only forgiveness of sins against Torah if there is repentance, the turning away from sin, and living by the Torah. Martin Luther was used to spearhead the understanding, but there was more to comprehend. The complete understanding became cut short, no doubt because the adversary saw how close to the Truth people were getting. He began his INQUISITION, murdering over 83 million people over a 600-year period. The junkpile of history should now begin to form a picture for you, if we are assembling it correctly. Love is the key! You obey your Earthly father as a child, partly out of fear; but as you mature you begin to obey because you love your father, and do not want to let him down. Our Father says, "Love Me, and keep My Commandments." We show Him we love Him when we obey. It's not "legalism", it's LOVE. And that is what worship is."

Any comments?? I'd love to hear them! What do you think about it?

Our New Journey...

2010-02-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

I love this video...it explains the path my family is on...we do it not legalistically, but simply because we are in love with Yeshua our Savior, and He tells us to keep His commandments and do ALL that we're told to do...until heaven and earth pass away...be blessed as you watch this short video. you may need to paus...e it to read some of the longer portions of Scripture.

Finding Joy

2010-01-31T09:39:00.001-07:00

IT is wholly impossible to live according to Divine order, and to make a proper application of heavenly principles, as long as the necessary duties which each day brings seem only like a burden grievous to be borne. Not till we are ready to throw our very life's love into the troublesome little things can we be really faithful in that which is least and faithful also in much. Every day that dawns brings something to do, which can never be done as well again. We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully. It is the Lord's own work, which He has given us as surely as He gives us daily bread. We should thank Him for it with all our hearts, as much as for any other gift. It was designed to be our life, our happiness. Instead of shirking it or hurrying over it, we should put our whole heart and soul into it.

-- James Reed, Joy and Strength for the Pilgrim's Day by Mary Wilder Tileston, p. 39

Oh Lord, I beg of you to help my poor attitude!

A Blog I read today....

2010-01-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Sombra's Blog

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-20

These are strong words written by my Lord. Where did we get the idea that He doesn't want us to celebrate the Feasts anymore? or celebrate the Sabbath? I mean He gives us very specific instructions on how to celebrate the Feasts and the Sabbath...but nowhere can I find where it says we are to stop. I think about church today that are trying to "fit in" and be "relevant" in today's world...that to me is walking on very dangerous ground...I'm in a hunt to find other Torah Followers in Calgary, not many Christians are willing to entertain these thoughts. I wonder if I'll lose friends...my support groups...ah well, we'll deal with that when it comes to it! Now go back up and read Sombra's Post! Go on, clink on the link! It even has a nice song!!

Paganism...it's EVERYWHERE...what's a girl to do!?!

2010-01-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

So, I've often wondered what the big deal is about mythology stuff. I knew my parents didn't bother to teach us anything involving this, and I never saw the point of learning about it and teaching it to my kids...but I didn't know why! I'm happy to say that I will continue to follow my instincts on this issue, and here's why...
1Corinthians 14:20 "Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults." To me this is pretty straight forward! and then I'm led to this verse in Exodus!
Exodus 23:13 "Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips."
And according to wikipedia Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices...hmmm, I think it's pretty obvious what I should and shouldn't be doing...others can study them and learn about them, but it is not for us.
So now I have another question...should we then change our calendars to that of the Hebrew calendar?? I mean even the very days of the week are paganistic! And how about the months of the year?
If we are not to even SAY the names of other gods, then I think perhaps we are a lot more off than what the world would have us believe...these are just some thoughts stemming from my research of the day....

Answers to the quiz...

2010-01-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. The First Noel
3. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
5. Silent Night
6. Twelve Days of Christmas
7. Deck the Halls
8. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
9. Joy to the World
10. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
12. Silver Bells
13. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
14. Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer
15. Christmas Song (O Holy Night)
16. All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
17. Jingle Bells
18. We Three Kings
19. White Christmas
20. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
21. It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas
22. O Little Town of Bethlehem
23. Winter Wonderland
24. I'll Be Home For Christmas
25. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
26. Good King Wenceslas
27. Little Drummer Boy
28. Away in a Manger
29. Do You Hear What I Hear?
30. Frosty the Snowman

Christmas Song Quiz...answers posted tomorrow!

2010-01-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

Can you name these Christmas Songs??
How many of the following songs can you identify just by the initials of the words in the first line(s)?? (example: OCAYF= O Come All Ye Faithful

1. HYAMLC
2. TFNTADS
3. GRYMGLNYP
4. ICUAMC
5. SNHNAICAIB
6. OTFDOCMTLSTM
7. DTHWBOHFLLLLLLLL
8. YBWOYBNC
9. JTTWTLIC
10. TKDADAPAVCACADAB
11. ISMKSCUTMLN
12. CSBSDIHS
13. HTHASGTTNBK
14. GGROBAR
15. OHNTSABS
16. AIWFCIMTFT
17. DTTSIAOHOS
18. WTKOOA
19. IDOAWCJLTOIUTK
20. CROAOFJFNAYN
21. IBTLALLC
22. OLTOBHSWSTL
23. SBRAYLITLSIG
24. IBHFC
25. WWYAMCWWYAMC
26. GKWLOOTFOS
27. CTTMPRPPP
28. AIAMNCFAB
29. STNWTTLL
30. FTSWAJHS

A Poem I fell in love with....

2010-01-01T23:54:00.001-07:00

"Dangerous Place"
--by Julie Miller--
Little ones to him belong,
Little ones, where have you gone?
Was it a war that stilled your voice?
No, it was your mother's choice.
Where was the doctor's healing hand
when children died across the land?
Was it in search of saving life?
No, death came from his knife.
It's a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous place,
Dangerous, dangerous place to be these days.
Now five months early you survive,
but 'til you're born, well, you're not alive,
Convenience has a sacrifice,
and children are the price.
It's a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous place,
A mother's womb is a dangerous place to be these days.
Little ones to him belong,
You are weak,
and we were wrong,
Now we will never hear your voice,
and it was our own choice.
Jesus loves me,
this I know
for the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

Forsaking Traditions and Embracing Convictions....a journey.

2010-01-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

So like always, I'm feeling challenged by some people...I don't know them in real life, just through reading their blogs and talking with them through various yahoo groups...here are some of the things I'm being challenged in...I have no resolutions to my wondering thoughts...just lots of questions...lol And without being all legalistic, our family will be going through these questions this year and exploring what God has to show us and teach us...

What calendar should I follow? Daniel 7:25 "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time." Now I realize that we shouldn't be just taking one verse and wonder what it means...lol but after reading the whole chapter 7 of Daniel, I DO wonder what it means and if it's referring to something that happened in that time or is it referring to the calendar that man made which makes no sense really...especially when compared to the lunar calendar, which in my head makes the most sense!

According to Exodus 12:1-2 "1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." this is in referance to the Passover also stated in Leviticus 23:5 "The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month." Deut 16:1 "1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib he brought you out of Egypt by night." So in those verses, it tells us what month God has stated as the first month of the year. This month is Abib...no where in Scripture have I yet found a place that even states Rosh Hashanah (a Jewish fall festival) to be the new year. Here is some good calendar info...if you're intrigued!

Also, when does our day really begin? Genesis 1:5 "God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day." The term "and there was evening, and there was morning-the ______ day" is used throughout the creation story...to me this means our day starts at sundown and goes until the next sundown. This verse backs up this theory as well, Neh 13:19 "When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over." but then you have verses like this one Gen 19:34 "The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." Just to add to confusion..."In the time of the Roman Empire, the day may have begun at midnight, as indicated by the Gospel of John (4:6; 19:14)." (from above link...)

Is it ok to follow "christian" holidays if we are lovers of the Lord??? or follow the Feasts that He Himself has asked us to remember in Leviticus 23? Here are many thoughts that I share...Grab a cup of coffee though, because it's a very interesting read full of facts and history...

One thing we DO want to remember this year, regardless of what we end up doing with our holidays/feasts, is to remember our Lord. I pray that each and every holiday/feast we celebrate, ultimately points to Him....He is the ONLY reason for us to keep on breathing. We were made for HIS glory!!

Good and Evil....is the line really that thin???

2009-12-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

I read a blog recently...(5 minutes ago actually...) and it renewed my desire to guard carefully what I watch/read and what my children watch and read...Here it is.
Let me know what you think of it!

Restaurant Quality...

2009-12-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

So a fabulous friend of mine did some wonderful research after her husband had a serious case of food poisoning, and she came across a great website that allows the public to view health inspection reports on restaurants!! Oh was I excited to see this!! I typed in some of my most frequented restaurants and was happy to see that only 1 was a dive!! yay! We usually do take out if we eat restaurant food...lol Anyhow, here's the link!
Just go to the site and pick your town/city and then find any restaurant! I'm so excited about this! Granted, the restaurants have 24 hours notice before an inspection, but if it's a dive, they won't do well with the inspection anyways since there really is only so much you can do in 24 hours! haha
Hope this helps some of you pick and choose wisely!

Weight and Height and Age updates!!

2009-12-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Soooo, Silas is 8 1/2 yrs old, 4ft 8in tall, 77 1/2 lbs. which means he's in the 91st percentile for weight and 96th percentile for height! He's my super helper!

Shyla, is 3yrs 8 months old, 3ft 1in tall, and 31 lbs. Which means she's in the 26th percentile for weight and the 12th percentile for height! She's my little muffin!! lol

Malachi is 9 months next week and is 28 1/2inches tall and 22 lbs. Which means he's in the 68th percentile for weight and the 50th percentile for height! He sooo doesn't seem very babylike anymore, learning something new everyday...sigh. Today it was the stairs...and my babygate isn't big enough to go across!!! Guess what he's getting for Christmas this year?! Can't decide between a helmet and a babygate...lol

Soooo Silas is now an avid reader and although he found the Hardy Boys boring, he's really enjoying the Sugar Creek Gang!! A better choice anyways in my opinion! lol

Shyla...ohhh darling little Shyla, she spent about an hour erasing the walls and doors upstairs today. We also found out that she is a lefty! No wonder she is so different from Silas! She is my most creative child and loses herself easily in a game of pretend!

Malachi...so many milestone being past everyday! He's crawling and getting into everything, pulling himself up and looking proud once he's standing...and he loves the stairs! He also loves to scream...sigh, we've tried spraying him with water, gently slapping his lips...all to no avail. So we just put him in his crib and he screams and plays in there...it's not an upset scream, it's a look at me scream, but he does it ALL THE TIME! Soooo, after going through the whole, change his diaper, offer a bottle, offer food...he just gets put to bed...lol He'll be heading there soon according to my headache...hee hee

So that's my little update!

A Call to Anguish - David Wilkerson

2009-11-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Rememberance Day

2009-11-12T17:01:00.001-07:00

Obama

2009-11-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how during the election he said exactly what the nation wanted to hear in order to become president and now he is saying the exact opposite...and what is sad is that I'm not surprised...are you?

Makes me feel like the tribulation is much closer than not! May we all keep our hearts and eyes on the Lord and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Some Things I Like....

2009-11-04T18:34:00.001-07:00

I always just thought I was born rude and had no hope of changing...when ACTUALLY, my candid thoughts and passionate attitudes are linked to being firstborn! who knew??!!
Here is a tidbit from a friend of mine who is also a firstborn, "I remember a conversation with a friend (who was a pastor) and he said "people like you are the barking dogs..."... but that we do provide course correction sometimes.
Not the most flattering analogy for a woman :) - but i chose to see this as "maybe this is your part of the Body of Christ".. we all have our function"
Hehe, I really like that...no it's not the most flattering, but without barking dogs, who will keep the lambs from the wolves??

I also have found that I really enjoy some comedians...who knew?! Here is one of my favorite comedians...

I found a new blog that is my absolute favorite!
She's very blunt, to the point, sarcastic, yet not in a hurtful way! More in a thought provoking way...
In her post listed above she challenges my views of Christmas yet again...I love these kind of challenges, they make me search the Word and research some more...

I guess I like the 'in your face' approach...better than the 'politically correct' approach to a conversation...perhaps because I'm so "blond" and don't get a lot of innuendos or hints...lol

Anyhow, those are some things I like and why I like them...lol Hope you enjoy and for pete's sake, leave a comment, even if it's just to say "hi!"...I'm getting lonely...lol

The Teacher by Leslie Pinckney Hill (1800-1960)

2009-11-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

The Teacher

"LORD, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know
How faint they flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them POWER to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.

I teach them LOVE for all mankind
And all God's creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord if their guide I still must be,
Oh let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee."

Philippians 4:6,7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 - ...the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Psalm 121:1,2 - I lift my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Good post on H1N1...how to avoid it!

2009-10-26T21:20:00.000-06:00

Oct. 22, 2009

Avoiding H1N1
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (except to eat or bathe).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot to clean nasal cavities, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5.. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Pass this on to your entire e-list. You never know who might pay attention to it - and STAY ALIVE because of it.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MoreLittleWilsons/

H1N1....

2009-10-21T13:51:00.000-06:00

There is an urgent update at Dr. Mercola's site...please go and take a look.
Important information from a well respected Doctor. It's so important to make informed decisions instead of blindly trusting people simply because they have a degree.

Here are some more links to important info on vaccines...

Here

Here

and Here

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Mt 13:10-17¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”