Do you ever have one of those days where you're sure that Abba is trying to tell you something but you're just not getting it? *sigh* Yesterday was one of those days.

The day before the weather was beautiful and warm! I had all the windows open to air out the stale winter air. Of course, 50* isn't really that warm but it was warm enough! I was able to get caught up enough to clean up the windows in the basement - which I'm ashamed to say I hadn't cleaned since we moved into the house two years ago. There was still drywall mud and concrete splattered on the windows, not to mention the regular mud and other construction crud. What a HUGE difference that made! I was really looking forward to using the treadmill in the basement (I walk a little over a mile a day) the next day to see out the clean windows, just to see what it looks like out there. Miriam and Shalom were out helping DH get the sheep barn finished, and it looks beautiful. It was just a great day - a day that I sung His praises all day long. And I had weighed myself and had noticed that I have lost several pounds in my 'quest' to loose some of my hindquarters and get a little more healthy. Beautiful!

Then yesterday hit. Miriam (age 13) flew out of the house first thing in the morning after looking out the window and seeing 'something'. Turned out that the sick ewe had lambed, and the lamb was alive! What a miracle! (and it was cold outside!) This ewe had been toxic for about two weeks and we didn't expect the lambs to survive, we weren't even sure the ewe would survive. This is a first time mom and she's been very ill so we felt we needed to keep a close eye on her. We noticed that Eliezer's (age 15) only ewe was lambing as well so we stayed in the field, Miriam and I, to keep watch. It should have been 30 minutes or so from the time we saw the second ewe enter the second phase of labor before we saw any lambs. She was pushing very hard and in a lot of pain with no progress. We called the vet - whose secretary asked "How will you be paying for the visit today?". When I heard that this was the line of questioning that Miriam was getting I told her to tell them "Look, this is an emergency. Is it possible to have a vet call or come out?" That was about 3 and a half hours before any vet was able to come. (I even called another vet outfit in the area and told both of them "The first one here gets the money. I'm desperate, do you understand?") Anyway, in our wait for a vet to come help her I had done a manual exam and found that something was terribly wrong - horribly wrong. But not being a vet and not having much experience playing with the insides of birthing ewes, I didn't know what. I kept praying and telling Miriam to pray - that's all we could do. Eliezer wasn't home and if he had been, he'd have been climbing the walls in terror. His life has been so rough in some areas and this would strike a fatal blow to a lot of areas of his life, I fear.

To make a long story short, his ewe died. The uterus had ruptured at the top at some point, we think it may have started a week or two ago, and the cervix tore off of the uterus (explaining why it felt so wrong inside). The first lamb was breech and upside down, with his lower back presenting first, so the force of his little body against her cervix ripped it off. Can you imagine? By the time the vet got here he had a hard time making sense of what was going on inside but he felt no movement of any of the lambs - they were all dead. Not only that, there was no way he could get the lambs out to be absolutely sure. Still, no movement shows a huge problem and a total of 5 hours in hard labor is bad news for them too. We had to put the ewe down due to her internal damage. Miriam just cried and cried as she held Eliezer's prize ewe. DH stood and watched with great big tears in his eyes too - we all knew the impact this would have on Eliezer. *sigh*

In the meantime, Miriam's ewe that had lambed gave birth to another one but this one was stillborn. That was a very disturbing thing for her and Shalom as they were the ones "attending" her. She wouldn't let the living lamb suck, being so tender and all, so the two kids were milking her by hand and bottle feeding the little ram lamb.

While all of this was going on, DH went to rent a bobcat to get some dirt work done for his parents, who live in an in-law suite next to us. He is building them a garage. On his way down the drieway one of the rear tires blew out - a hole the size of a large grapefruit. The "BANG" was rather loud. So DH spent the day not working on his parent's place but getting this tire replaced (how else do you return equipment when you can't tow it?) and helping Miriam and I with the ewe when we needed it. He had just taken Reuven (age 10) and Shmuella (age 8) to school, which was a wonderful blessing that they didn't have to be home to experience the same day we did. But then that evening BIL came over just after dark and started telling DH how stupid he is for doing what he's doing and that it's not even worth FIL/MIL having a garage if it can't be a certain way (it is this way because of the county zoning department - nothing we can do). There's nothing like your brother-in-law of 25 years and 'best friend' to come and kick you while you're down.

What a day, huh? When Eliezer got home he was devastated. All I kept saying is that "Yah works all things together for the good of those who love Him are called according to His purpose. Somehow there will come good from this, even though I just can't see it right now. For some reason this was allowed to happen to grow good things in us." Still, I really hate this.

You see, if this were the first time that might be okay. But it's not. Last year a very similar thing happened with Miriam's first lambing ewe. She lambed quads and then three days later died. Turns out she had a ruptured uterus too and slowly bled to death. We never knew. When I asked the vet how common this is, he said it was very rare and even more rare to have it happen twice in a row. Considering the size of their flock, it's astronomical that it'd happen again. Is it a rite of passage for our kids to have their first birthing animals die? It isn't comforting to hear that the odds are seriously stacked against them for this to happen like it did. But it brings a glimmer of comfort to know that it's not likely to happen to the remaining ewes left to lamb this year. Still, there has not been ONE successful lambing here at our place for our kids - ever.

The sun never came out yesterday - it was overcast and cold all day long. DH had to work till 9:00 at his parent's place to get the work done that he had planned on getting finished before noon. Nobody ever ate breakfast (except the two who went to school) or lunch, and dinner was just leftovers from the fridge. All we accomplished yesterday was Bible reading before bed, when DH came inside. Poor Shalom was outside helping DH by carrying dirt in the tractor and dumping it for him and crashed (at dusk) into a post, ruining a gate and fence line. After that he just parked the tractor and came in to sit by me and cry. It was more than he could take in one day.

But in every day there has to be blessings, right? So let me list the few (though some are huge). Miriam was devastated for her brother so after he was able to digest what had just happened to him and his prize ewe, Miriam told him that he could have her ewe that just lambed and the little lamb. She was giving it to him because "I don't want to see you lose everything." Wow. What a sister! She told him that he could sell her later on and get a better ewe too and that the ram lamb is his to do whatever he wants with - sell him or raise him for this years fair. DH was able to find a tire in the barn that fit the truck, but it's not in the greatest condition. We still will need to get new tires but at least he can get the rented equipment returned today. FIL noticed our trauma and went to get us all McDonalds for lunch, which nobody ate for fear of getting sick to their stomaches. LOL BUT he noticed and did something for us, which was a blessing. We'll never tell him what happened to those burgers...

I felt all day long that HaShem was trying to tell us, at least me, something and that I just wasn't getting it. If this is just a test to grow good things, I can deal with that. If there's a roadblock somewhere between us and Him that is causing these things to happen, I want to know what it is and how to get rid of it! If there's hidden sin somewhere (we had read about Achan and the battles at Jericho and Ai the night before) then I want it revealed so we can deal with it and do t'shuva. Everything is spiritual, everything has purpose, everything has it's reason - what on earth is yesterday's reason or purpose? I'm so tired of this happening and the fact that it happens to our kids just makes it worse. Being a parent and standing by helpless as your children suffer horrible loss is terrible. I'm so tired of the fact that Miriam has had to struggle so much just to get her sheep up and running. The trauma we had the first year she had sheep has never left - it just continues every year in one form or another. Never mind the awards and achievements she's won over the past 5 years, it all has come at a very high price. She's feeling like maybe she doesn't belong in the sheep (or any animal) industry at all. Now, this from a girl who is a better vet than some vets we've had out - this is a sign of a seriously broken heart and breaking spirit. What does a Mama do? I hate this!

So, that was our no good, horrible, very bad day. I have no clue how HaShem is planning to make this turn out for the good...

Our weather has been - well - harsh. First the flooding then the winds then the 2' of snow that stayed around for over a week and now we're back to wind. The wind storm that is expected to hit us tonight is going to top the previous wind storms so we expect to be without power yet again, maybe for a few days. Perfect for Hanukkah. :) It'll make the candles a LOT brighter and emphasize the point of "letting our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father Who is in heaven" and "a city on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matthew 5).

I have had a lot I have wanted to write about in the last few weeks but between power outages and weather damage and now weather preparation, I just haven't had time.

So to those of you who keep Hanukkah, Hag Hanukkah Sameach! We'll be celebrating The Light of the World (John 8:12) with you and remembering that the Master thought it was a worthy enough event that He traveled from the Galilee region, where He spent the majority of His ministry, to Jerusalem (John 10:22-30), something He only did at the major festivals. While He was there, He told the people that He IS the Messiah. Significant things! We'll be celebrating a standard of holiness and righteousness that does not leave room for compromise and how to strive to live in such a way - to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We'll be living out our anticipation of His return as we study the 10 virgins (Matthew 25), who is ready and who is not, and we'll assess what kind of bride we are as we wait for His return. We'll be studying about how Y'shua told us that the days of the Maccabees will be repeated in the end, but maybe in a spiritual sense because Scripture does include the statement, "Let the reader understand the allusion" with His statements in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. There is more, but the lights are flashing and I want to get this posted.

So, Shabbat Shalom, Happy Hanukkah, and blessings to you all! :~) I'll be back when I can...

Is this a coincidence? I would tend not to think so... Here, take a look: Medieval Psalmbook Dug Out of Irish Bog

Huh - interesting. Anyone have any thoughts? :)

You have to read this. Well, you don't have to - but rather than my explaining it - just look here.

HUH? Did I miss something with all the amazing happenings that have taken place in Israel since 1948? These can not be explained in any other way than it being the hand of HaShem. I understand, in part, their motives. But I don't think that siding with Ishmael is an answer - "Well wishes to Hamas?" What was that again??

Basically, these Jews have found a new way to evangelize. They are siding with the Arabs in saying that they have no right to the land of Israel. "Allah has not given this land to the Jews". I wonder how many converts they're gaining...

Now that's just weird!

Have you wondered where some of these cities in Israel are in relation to others? Have you ever wondered just how big Israel is? What do you really know about this little place that is always in the news?

Here is a current political map of Israel that might help put a place, and relation to other places, with a particular city name. On this map you can see the size of Lebanon and just where these "hot cities" are - the cities being bombed. It shows where Gaza is and the West Bank. It also shows where Syria is and remember, Syria is near Iraq and Iran is on the other side of Iraq. So our US military personnel are between Iran and Syria right now. Jordan is below Syria with Saudi Arabia just beyond Jordan. Here is a map of the middle east on a larger scale if you're interested in seeing how it all fits together. Iran's President often speaks of "wiping Israel off the map" and it seems that he feels this is an opportune time to do so, at least according to this article dated July 10. (Just before the kidnappings of the IDF fighters at the Lebanon/Israel border)

Israel is less than 10,000 square miles in size. It is a small country. If you know the Pacific Northwest in the USA or the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada - Israel is the size of Vancouver Island. If you're not too familiar with that, then this might help - Israel is much smaller than the entire state of Maine. When you compare Israel in size to the entire Arab world, this is what you get (please visit the link, it'll knock your socks off!)

But something I'd like to say to everyone who is reading. Remember that Israel is the land that HaShem promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jerusalem is where He chose to place His Name, where He chose to live among man in His holy temple. There is something special about that place. With that in mind, don't think for a second that He doesn't love the Arabs too. It is very likely that you and I are both Gentiles, non-Jews. We are no different than the Israelites in our physical heritage. Those of us who are believers have been grafted into Abraham's lineage by our faith in Yeshua the Messiah. This is an opportunity that is open to all the Arabs too. Let's not forget that. The Arabs who are dying in the bombings will never get another chance to hear about or experience Yeshua the Messiah and the salvation that is offered to them through Him. Never. Just the same as some of the Jews fighting with the IDF, many of them will never get to hear about Yeshua (who is quite different than Jesus, btw) or experience Him in their lives. War is terrible. War is hard. Death is final. You don't get to make another choice after you're gone - it's too late when you're dead. When we hear or see reports about the victories that Israel is having it is okay to be glad. But remember at what cost this battle is being fought. Life is valuable, very valuable. Every life is valuable. The lives of the kidnapped IDF fighters, the lives of the Hizbullah fighters, and the lives of the civilians caught in the middle. But we make our choices and often we die by them too. I believe that it breaks the heart of HaShem when there is fighting and people die. Whenever someone created in His image dies after living a life of rebellion or even a life of ignorance, it is then too late. I think that causes Him grief. At the same time, He is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin, He hates sin.

On another note, I find it interesting that Iran is willing to publicly announce that a cease-fire is an acceptable option. ??? Huh. Just the other day it was a ripe time to wipe Israel off the map and now they're willing to talk cease-fire? Interesting.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray also for the people caught in the middle.

This morning I came across two messages that I wanted to share with my own readers. I'm going to include the links to their blogs and their messages. If you have a comment to make on either of the messages, please feel free to follow the links to their blogs and post them there. They likely won't see them if they're posted here. But you could post comments here also if you'd like to. ;-)

Modern-day Maccabees is a blog that I read often. Today there is a post that I think bears repeating. Don't let it be said... Here is what he wrote:

Don’t let it be said that Israel is a tyrant to it’s enemies. Here is a quote from a recent article on Arutz Sheva,

Despite the ongoing fighting, the IDF opened the Karni and Nahal Oz crossings on orders from the political echelon, despite concrete threats of attacks, in order to allow food and fuel into Gaza.

(quote from Arutz Sheva)At the Karni crossing, over 100 truckloads of food and 14 generators were allowed in and at the Nahal Oz fuel terminal, 500,000 liters of diesel, 100,000 liters of gasoline and 125 tons of natural gas were allowed in. Earlier in the week, more than 265 tons of food, a truckload of medicine, over a 1,000,000 liters of fuel, 65,000 liters of chlorine and additional supplies were transferred in. Last week, more than 200 truckloads of food, 1,500,000 liters of fuel, and over 400 tons of natural gas passed into Gaza. Israel also continues to provide Gaza with an uninterrupted supply of water.(end quote)

One of the fascinating things about Israel is they don’t gloat. War is a fact of life in this world. It’s painful, ugly, sorrowful. Let’s not forget brutal, ruthless and muderous. Enemies die, innocents die, children die. Considering all that Israel can do to its enemies, and all the vengeance they can exact for the cruelties done to them, they allow their enemies basic necessities. Even things that they themselves would not be allowed would the tide be turned (G~d forbid).

After defeating their enemies, they mourn. What an example of g~dliness. (end of Modern-day Maccabees blog post)

How true it is that Israel has a high regard for life - even the lives of it's attackers and enemies. With the sieges over the centuries that have tortured and killed so many Jews and all that has been done to the Hebrews over the millennia, they sure have a wealth of memories to draw from in choosing how to handle Gaza. Yet they continue to allow life's necessities to flow into the area to support the lives of those living there, even while it's under siege. There will be no cooking and eating of their own children in Gaza as there has been in Jerusalem in the past! Then when the whole event is over, the nation will mourn those lost in Gaza and in the battle at the Lebanon border - both Jew and non-Jew. To mourn for your enemies is noble indeed. Who else does that?

Then Kristee posted An Open Letter to the World by One Jew in Israel. This is what her post said:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WORLD

Dear World, I understand that you are upset by us, here in Israel. Indeed, it appears that you are quite upset, even angry. (Outraged?)

Indeed, every few years you seem to become upset by us. Today, it is the "brutal repression of the Palestinians"; yesterday it was Lebanon; before that it was the bombing of the nuclear reactor in Baghdad and the Yom Kippur War and the Sinai campaign. It appears that Jews who triumph and who, therefore, live, upset you most extraordinarily.

Of course, dear World, long before there was an Israel, we - the Jewish people - upset you.

We upset a German people who elected Hitler and upset an Austrian people who cheered his entry into Vienna and we upset a whole slew of Slavic nations -Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians and Romanians.

And we go back a long, long way in the history of world upset.

We upset the Cossacks of Chmielnicki who massacred tens of thousands of us in 1648-49; we upset the Crusaders who, on their way to liberate the Holy Land, were so upset at Jews that they slaughtered untold numbers of us.

For centuries, we upset a Roman Catholic Church that did its best to define our relationship through inquisitions, and we upset the arch-enemy of this church, Martin Luther, who, in his call to burn the synagogues and the Jews within them, showed an admirable Christian ecumenical spirit.

And it is because we became so upset over upsetting you, dear World, that we decided to leave you - in a manner of speaking - and establish a Jewish state. The reasoning was that living in close contact with you, as resident-strangers in the various countries that comprise you, we upset you, irritate you and disturb you. What better notion, then, than to leave you (and thus love you)- and have you love us and so, we decided to come home -home to the same land we were driven out 1,900 years earlier by a Roman world that, apparently, we also upset.

Alas, dear World, it appears that you are hard to please.

Having left you and your pogroms and inquisitions and crusades and holocausts, having taken our leave of the general world to live alone in our own little state, we continue to upset you. You are upset that we repress the poor Palestinians. You are deeply angered over the fact that we do not give up the lands of 1967, which are clearly the obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

Moscow is upset and Washington is upset. The "radical" Arabs are upset and the gentle Egyptian moderates are upset.

Well, dear World, consider the reaction of a normal Jew from Israel.

In 1920 and 1921 and 1929, there were no territories of 1967 to impede peace between Jews and Arabs. Indeed, there was no Jewish State to upset anybody. Nevertheless, the same oppressed and repressed Palestinians slaughtered tens of Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Safed and Hebron. Indeed, 67 Jews were slaughtered one day in Hebron in 1929.

Dear World, why did the Arabs - the Palestinians - massacre 67 Jews in one day in 1929? Could it have been their anger over Israeli aggression in 1967? And why were 510 Jewish men, women and children slaughtered in Arab riots between 1936-39? Was it because Arabs were upset over 1967?

And when you, dear world, proposed a UN Partition Plan in 1947 that would have created a "Palestinian State" alongside a tiny Israel and the Arabs cried "no" and went to war and killed 6,000 Jews - was that "upset" caused by the aggression of 1967? And, by the way, dear World, why did we not hear your cry of "upset" then?

The poor Palestinians who today kill Jews with explosives and firebombs and stones are part of the same people who when they had all the territories they now demand be given to them for their state -attempted to drive the Jewish state into the sea. The same twisted faces, the same hate, the same cry of "itbach-al-yahud" (Massacre the Jew!) that we hear and see today, were seen and heard then. The same people, the same dream - destroy Israel. What they failed to do yesterday, they dream of today, but we should not "repress" them.

Dear World, you stood by during the holocaust and you stood by in 1948 as seven states launched a war that the Arab League proudly compared to the Mongol massacres.

You stood by in 1967 as Nasser, wildly cheered by wild mobs in every Arab capital in the world, vowed to drive the Jews into the sea. And you would stand by tomorrow if Israel were facing extinction.

And since we know that the Arabs-Palestinians dream daily of that extinction, we will do everything possible to remain alive in our own land. If that bothers you, dear world, well think of how many times in the past you bothered us.

In any event, dear World, if you are bothered by us, here is one Jew in Israel who could not care less.

So, as we are yet entering this three week period that is called "The Time Between the Troubles" let's take note of what is happening in Israel right now and just who is acting with integrity in defending themselves. Let's also not be too shocked when the world, yet again, tries to pin all guilt on Israel. When the Arabs have children's television programs that incite hatred against the Jews and children's songs sung by Mickey Mouse type characters about killing Jews and being honored for killing just one, when their slogan is to destroy Israel and push her into the sea - let's not be too surprised when the world picks up on the same tune. (I've seen parts of these tv programs myself) Remember, the world will hate G*d's chosen ones as it always has. Yeshua came and said that The Way is narrow and few find it, it is a hard way and will cause division (between the world and His followers). The world hated Him and will hate His followers as well. So I pose this question to you - are you being hated by the world? What does it mean if you answer "no"? Under His Wings a while ago posted a message given by Rabbi Shmuley to his son at his Bar Mitzvah that spoke wonderfully about "Never Fear Being Hated". Let us, like Israel, never fear being hated. If the world hated Yeshua the Messiah, it stands to reason it will hate us too. The world has always hated G*d's chosen ones, what would be any different today? It matters little to the world if you are a Jew, a Believer, or a Jewish Believer - hate is hate.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. These are exciting times indeed! Restoration of YHVH's people is beginning and sometimes battles and wars are a necessary part of His plans. G*d will not be mocked and whoever thinks they can poke Him in His eye and get away with it - well they have another think coming. He is patient - slow to anger and abounding in love, patient that all may come to know Him. But there is a time when He will say "Enough!" He will always keep His promises and He's made some pretty hefty promises to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. His reputation is highly valued and the world will understand that someday. Soon? Maybe, for His sake I hope so!

Fast of Tamuz - not Feast of Tamuz (aka Lent, Ezekiel 8). :)

This is a day (sundown July 12 to sundown July 13) that is a fast day in honor of all sorts of horrible things that have happened to Israel from the beginning. The three week period between the 17th of Tamuz (today) and the 9th of Av is generally a time of mourning and remembering. It is remembered as a time of destruction, oppression and defeat. A memorial of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temples.

(quote)The Mishna recounts five events took place on 17 Tamuz:

- The sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the First Tablets.

- The tamid [daily sacrifices] in the First Temple were suspended during the siege of Jerusalem, because of the lack of sacrificial animals.

- Jerusalem's walls were breached, prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

- Prior to the Great Revolt, the Roman general Apostamos burned a Torah scroll.

- An idolatrous image was placed in the Sanctuary of the Holy Temple.

- In 1239, Pope Gregory IX orders destruction of all manuscripts of the Talmud.

· In 1391, over 4,000 Jews killed in Spain.

· In 1559, the Jewish quarter of Prague is burned.

· In 1944, the entire population of the Jewish ghetto in Kovno were sent to death camps.(quote)

Much has happened on this date, 17 Tamuz, in history to the Hebrew people. In Zechariah 8 it is referred to as the "fast of the fourth month" which will someday be a feast of joy and celebration.

Then there's the "fast of the fifth month" which is the 9th of Av, in three weeks. This is the date that the temple was destroyed - both times. Can you imagine? Both temples destroyed on the same date but 657 years apart!

What are your thoughts about how this MIGHT have something to do with the "time between the troubles"? Day of Fasting Marked by War in Israel (quote)Jews around the world mark the beginning of a three-week commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temples with a day of fasting today. The "Three Weeks" begin on the 17th of Tammuz, and end on the 9th of Av - both of which are days of fasting, according to Jewish Law and custom. Both Holy Temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av, some 2000 and 2500 years ago, respectively. "The purpose of a fast day," writes Rabbi Shraga Simmons for Aish HaTorah , "is to awaken our sense of loss over the destroyed Temple - and the subsequent Jewish journey into exile."(quote)

With that said, what do you think about the events unfolding in Israel as I write this? Eight IDF soldiers killed, 2 kidnapped on northern frontier Hizbullah terrorists from Lebanon have set a ball in motion while at the same time, As Israel fights, Europe starts to squirm events in Gaza have been going on since before Hizbullah made their move. There is heavy fighting in the north and in Gaza, kidnapped soldiers held for trade, missiles being fired into towns, etc.

Me? I'm excited!! Nervous, yet excited. :) Someday this time will be a feast of joy and gladness. Something will happen to turn it all around. Someday there will be peace in Jerusalem. Something will happen to turn it all around. Someday there will be a temple. Something will happen to turn it all around. I would caution anyone who thinks they can poke YHVH in the eye and get away with it. Restoration is coming! Could this be part of the beginning?

It has been a whirlwind week since we returned from the family reunion. While we were gone the grandfather of our two "new" children died. We expected this to happen so it wasn't such a shock. It just means that we need to move a little faster than we had been in securing a place for these two to live permanently.

But we never expected what came next. While helping a family move we received a phone call from DH's mother that a friend of ours had died in his sleep the previous night. WHAT!?! He was not sick or unhealthy (generally speaking). He and his wife had their little grandchildren over for the night and she went to go check in on them. When she returned, he was dead. The paramedics did CPR for 45 minutes. He just died. He was only 55. What a horrible memory for these little grandchildren - they're all just toddlers!

But that wasn't the only news she had. Another friend of ours, a good and happy man, suffered a major heart attack while we were away. He ended up in a coma. He has come out of the coma but is now in a vegetative state. He is only in his early 70's. A very physically active and healthy man.

As I participate in two funerals this week and hope to visit with another mourning wife, all I can think is that life is fragile, that we only get one, that time is short, and that only what is done for YHVH will last - that's all that matters. Let His light shine through us so that all men will see our good works and glorify the Father - nothing else matters. Time is short.

We have purchased several copies of the book Restoration to loan out to friends and family who might be interested in reading the book. In order to help promote discussion among a group and with those who live far away from us, we have created a forum discussion of this book (and others that focus on the Hebrew Roots of the Christian faith) and on the place of Torah in the lives of believers. This forum is open to anyone who would like to discuss these books and the relevance of Torah to the life of the believer.

Having run a good size message board in the past, I am not looking for a large group of members. This forum is intended to be a place for family and friends to discuss and learn from each other. The goal is to encourage others in their daily walks and to search the Scriptures daily.

Because the books we purchased to loan out will be going into the mail this afternoon to a few friends, it will take some time before the forum is used by these friends (at least, that's what I expect). But if you have read Restoration, Our Father Abraham by Dr. Marvin Wilson, The Mystery of the Gospel by D. Thomas Lancaster, The Letter Writer by Tim Hegg, or Fellow Heirs by Tim Hegg - you are more than welcome to participate in the discussions on these books.

And if you are interested in a discussion forum (that is likely going to be small in number) that focuses on the relevance of Torah in the lives of belivers, you are also welcome to participate. I anticipate a few people from my friends list here might be interested in the forum, and that could generate some great conversations. :) Other than the little note that is going in with the books and this, I don't expect other announcements for this forum.

Today is the Holocaust Memorial Day, a day to remember and honor all those who were tortured and killed in the holocaust. Last night I turned on the radio for the kids to listen to Adventures in Odessy and after the program was over, Focus on the Family was on. They did their program on the Holocaust Memorial Day, today's program will be part two. It was a good program for us to hear. We studied WWII a few years ago and Corrie Ten Boom, so we were familiar with much of the information in the program.

These things are terrible important for us to remember and teach to our children. Whoever forgets history is bound to repeat it.

For anyone interested in the FOTF programs, this is Part One and this is Part Two.

Should you listen to part one online, note what the speaker, Bill Meyer, has to say about anti-semetism and replacement theology. I found that very interesting. Also, note what he says about what drove him to help Corrie - she had cookies, she told him stories (about G*d, I assume), and she was the only one he knew who cared about the Jews (is my understanding from what was said). She made an incredible impact on his life. I was also intrigued that a boy so young would go to such great lengths to go against his own father.

Recently a statement was made to me about the popular church growth movements of today having new age roots. This intrigued me so I asked for more information on the subject since I have honestly never studied what the New Age movement was about. When DH and I talked that evening and tried to come up with what New Age was, we were at a loss. So I e-mailed some friends and family asking for their input and for a discussion about the statements that were made to me about the subject. It was very interesting!

I won't re-cap the conversations that took place, because that would take ages. I learned a lot and had some great conversations with my friends and family about the subject and how we came to the thoughts/decisions we had about the subject. Interesting indeed!

What I am going to post here is my response to those I involved in the initial e-mail. After DH read it, he asked me to send it to the pastoral staff at our church as well. I have not done that yet. We decided that we needed to re-write the letter together and ask for a meeting with the Sr. Pastor rather than send him an e-mail. We're working on that. But for anyone who is interested, here's my assessment after a week or so of discussions. Of course, I'm always open for comments on any subject I post about. This subject is not excluded from that! :~)

Here is what I've decided after several phone conversations and various e-mail conversations. :) I haven't had a lot of time to look too deep so I'm basing my thoughts on these conversations and the very little 'research' I did myself.

I think the possibility of New Age material or ideas within the modern church growth movement is a valid concern. I don't know just how credible the sources others have looked into are. I find it interesting, though, that in these searches there weren't any statements refuting the associations of New Age leaders and popular church leaders. You'd think that if people were saying you were bringing New Age ideas into the church and you surely weren't that you'd have a rebuttal somewhere. Those are serious allegations.

Bold New Age ideas are basically anything that counterfeits what G*d has done or currently does. "Heavy New Agers" will pray in tongues and prophesy, heal and cast out spirits, for example. All this being done WITHOUT the name of G*d or His Son, our Master. New Age seems to consist of anything "spiritual" and nothing of G*d, the Creator of the Universe. It seems to be very self-help, make you feel good, get along with everyone, heavy on the fluff, and whatever seems right to you.

But the church isn't involved in the heavy new age, at least not your average church (I did find some that were proud of the fact that they were new age). But some of what I listed above is rampant within the modern church, it's something I've seen in a lot of popular church 'stuff' these days too (teaching on the radio, books, seminars, programs, etc). What the concern is is that the modern church growth leaders have very marked ties to the recognized new age leaders of today: new age leaders giving leadership conferences or seminars in churches, others' books being recommended (or required) reading for church leaders, church models being re-formatted to these new age models. To me, this is a tremendous concern!

What I have felt about these new programs is a subtle (or not-so-subtle) move away from holiness and G*d and making students of the Master, into "the warm-fuzzy, make you feel good, do whatever it takes to look like the world so they'll come to church". It's not about a big church or a small church, in my mind. It's about the quality of the community and the message they are adhering to and teaching others. What I am concerned about is the message being sent to the world - is it "We aren't any different than the world, we're cool too, and Jesus died for you so you'll never feel alone and always have a friend, besides He wants you to be wealthy and healthy"? Seeing that message so subtly being sent and hearing of the connections between the leaders of this movement and new age leaders - it makes me wonder. Has this new church movement adopted the "it's okay" attitude of the new agers, the idea that everything is okay and G*d understands? Has the New Age opinion of "spirituality over G*d" taken root within these teachings? So - is it really leading people to Him or is it giving them enough knowledge to deaden their hearts toward Him? Dangerous territory to be wandering through...

Outreach (also known as "ministry" though not solely ministry anymore) is good. But it only matters IF the lost are being reached with the Good News. How does that happen? I'll quote here from a book and I can tell you that not one stitch of it fits within the church growth movement. (please correct me if I'm wrong - I have been wrong many times before :) )

The following quotes were taken from the book by Ron Moseley entitled YESHUA: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church

Martin Luther wrote:

Quote:

The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God's Law and show the nature of sin, because it will act as a schoolmaster and bring him to everlasting life which is in Jesus Christ.

John Wycliffe wrote:

Quote:

The highest service to which a man may attain on earth is to preach the Law of God.

John Wesley wrote:

Quote:

Before I preach love, mercy, and grace, I must preach sin, Law, and judgment.

Also:

Quote:

Preach 90 percent Law and 10 percent grace.

Charles Spurgeon wrote:

Quote:

They will never accept grace until they tremble before a just and holy Law.

Charles Finney wrote:

Quote:

Evermore the Law must prepare for the gospel; to overlook this in instructing souls is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience, and to fill the church with false converts.

D.L. Moody wrote:

Quote:

God, being the perfect God, had to give a perfect Law, and the Law was given not to save men, but to measure them.

If church growth is the goal, what are they growing? If making students of the Master is the goal then the focus is backwards. To "get them saved" they need to know what they need to be saved from, and in all honesty I don't hear anything about that anymore. I hear jokes, funny stories, fluff. Nevermind some of the church theology/doctrine that doesn't stand on what Scripture says - not even that is being taught much anymore.

So my final conclusion is what I've always known - the church is becoming the world. It's always been the responsibility of individual Believers to study the Word, to live it, and to teach it. The thing is, that's not being taught. So we're left with what we're seeing. What is my job? To study the Word, to live it, and to teach it to others. I'm trying to do my job. There's so much more I could say, if only I had the time and my contacts weren't getting so foggy. :) How do we affect others? Relationships. We live the life, they see it. The Spirit works in their hearts. We become their teacher - remember Titus 2 and the mentoring relationships? You can't go to a crusade and "get saved" and figure the deal is closed. It just doesn't work that way. Life insurance works that way. The statement Yeshua made about the road being narrow and few finding it, or the parable about the weeds and the wheat (who gets collected and removed - not the wheat), or the whole separating of the sheep and goats... I'm afraid that much of the modern church programs are straying into the wide and comfortable path. *sigh*

So what do DH and I do? We're still praying about that. We've talked, briefly, to at least one pastor. Where they used to be interested in our opinion, they don't seem to be now. That's okay. I'm not accountable for their choices. But we're still not feeling we should leave our church just yet. You see, there are people there we have relationships with and somehow we've fallen into "teacher" roles with them. To us, church is a suppliment. It is our job, our responsibility, to feed ourselves and to study His Word to know Him. We don't rely on a man to stand up in front of a group and teach us - as if we can't read the same Word for ourselves. Church, for us, is a community of believers. We grow as a family, church is the larger group of believers we are a part of. Our church is one part of the whole team - we're all following the same Master - or at least we're supposed to be. So for right now, we continue to pray about talking with the pastors and about encouraging our friends to feed themselves and grow. If we relied on a church or a man to teach us or feed us - we would be allowing that person or group to usurp the rightful place of the Spirit.

Okay, I'm standing on way too many platforms right now. It's late, I'm exhausted. I do appreciate the responses from everyone. I have enjoyed the conversations that have/will come from them, though I haven't had time to reply to many of the messages yet. I have learned enough about New Age so that next time the issue comes up, DH and I won't look at each other with blank stares. It's really not "New" at all. In fact, I think a guy named Nimrod implemented some pretty similar stuff back in his day...