In the Ways of Messiah

2009-12-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

B"H

Why was Esau evil from the womb? In Judaism humans are born with two souls. One being the animal soul and the other being a Holy soul. The animal soul being one that is worldly and unrighteous. The holy soul being one that is pure and holy unto HaShem. When the twins were born is was like the two souls were born into different bodies. Esau represents our animal soul. Jacob represents our Holy soul. Each one of us is born this way. An animal soul and a Holy soul. Why have two? What is the point of unrighteous?

The actual righteousness or wickedness of a person is not predetermined by G-d. In the words of Maimonides, free choice is "a fundamental principle and a pillar of the Torah and its commandments," without which "What place would the entire Torah have? And by what measure of justice would G-d punish the wicked and reward the righteous?"

Evil is created in our animal soul so that our Holy soul may overcome it. Without unrighteousness we would not need Torah. We are presented evil daily. We can either fall into it or overcome it. Evil is here to show us our Holy soul. In the sense that while certain souls enjoy a life wholly devoted to developing what is good and holy in G-d's world, other souls must struggle against negative traits and ominous perversions implanted within them in order to elicit that special delight that can come only from the conquest of evil.

Shalom

Lee

Believe....

2009-12-06T20:19:00.002-07:00

B"H

As I sit at my desk there is a calendar hanging on the bulletin board. As with most American calendars is read the month of November this time of year. I never really paid an attention to it until today. Above the simple writing and dates there is a saying “Believe” and underneath that is “If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing stand in your way. The best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities.” Believe in what? Believe in what I am doing and let nothing or anyone stand in my way. Like my job or marriage? If I believe in what I am doing then it will work out right? As long as I don’t let anything get in my way. Such a worldly statement. I do believe, but it’s in something completely different. It should read “believe” “If you have faith in Him, nothing will stand in your way” Our reliance in our own thinking is what gets us into trouble. I have to believe that the Holy One will deliver me in whatever I do. Believe that He is what keeps me motivated. Believe that He is the one Who restores my soul to me in the morning. Believe that with His help my children will grow into children of G-d. Believe that I will continue to have undying faith and dedication. Believe in Him Who was the same at the beginning of time, the same now, and will be the same for all eternity.

Shalom

Lee

Light

2009-07-21T23:51:00.002-07:00

The other day something very interesting occured. My husband and I were at Costco together when an older gentlemen came up behind my husband, laid his hand firmly on his shoulder and said "Will you pray for us?" My husband quite taken by surprise, quickly regained his composure and asked "What is your name?" The man replied "Frank, but you will forget that the minute I turn around." My husband very confidently responded, "I will not forget you Frank." Frank laughed a laughter of relief and joy and mumbled something about Lee being strong. Lee asked if there was something in specific. He appeared to not want to answer but said "My wife and I were just married..." I responded "Then blessings" He laughed "Yes wow Yes!" Lee said, "Baruch Hashem". The man seemed amazed and overjoyed and walked away. We continued our shopping in amazement ourselves and wonderment. Now this would seem very peculiar indeed if this happened say a year ago with Lee out in his cargo shorts and a Larryboy t-shirt. However, my husband sports a substantial beard, a kippah, and tzitziot. He appears by all means, Jewish and that is because he is- Jewish- as he most recently found out and confirmed. The Jews, that is the religious ones, have such a deep devotion to Adonai that surpasses many, mine most definitely. Others look down on them for their "rituals" and how they hold tightly to their "traditions". I, however, commend them and wish to imitate them. They have something that I can only pray for- discipline, commitment, devotion- they show their love and obedience to the Creator by every action they are doing. In every blessing and prayer they repeat, everytime they put on their tzitzit and tefillin, wash their hands, touch the mezuzah, break the challah, light the candles, they show an upmost reverence and devotion to Adonai. Why wouldn't I want my family, my children, even myself to want every moment to be a blessing to Him, for every hour to bring my focus back to Him, to have reminders of the one true Lord all around me. I do not know if Frank was aware of this himself and that is why he approached a Jew to pray for him, or perhaps it was just because they are "G-d's chosen people" so they must have an IN with HIM. I don't know but it made me realize once again that He has changed my heart and my life -our lives- so much. We are blessed that we are part of this and have chosen to live like such, but even more so we have Yeshua HaMashiach first and foremost in our lives. Everything we are doing would be for not- we are doubly blessed beyond measure. Now was this man led to approach my husband by some misguided concept that he could not pray to Adonai himself? Perhaps. We weren't there to question him- or Adonai. We were asked to just pray. And pray we have been doing. Maybe we should have stopped there and then and laid hands on him and prayed. We would love to have sat down with him and spoke with him more and shared with him the grace and mercy of Hashem that is available to all through His Son Yeshua, that we can go to Him ourselves and speak to Him and ask anything in His name. But it wasn't to be- Frank disappeared into the crowd at Costco and we continued on our way. Did we understand what Frank wanted, do we understand the mind of Adonai, no we do not but we do know that Hashem has sustained and brought us to this very moment and we need to make the most of what He has given us- to reach the lost and hurting. To be a light.

Sandra's late night thoughts

2009-01-29T00:33:00.001-07:00

I have heard and read the life of Joseph since I was a wee one. However, studying him through Hebraic eyes is a whole nuther story. There is so much that I won’t share it all on here (Lee might however), but one thing I will share was that Joseph was not recognized by his brothers. Why? Because he didn’t look like a Hebrew anymore!! He was their savior and they didn’t even recognize him as one of their own. Many Jews don’t even recognize their savior, their Mashiach because we have made him into a gentile. We have stripped him of his Jewishness! Most Jews don’t want anything to do with him because they can’t even recognize him as a Jewish brother! Just as His own will look on him and weep because they did not recognize him the first time, I wonder how many believers will be in shock when they see the Messiah walk into the temple in Zion wearing his tallit and tzitziot- maybe even some earlocks, as he ascends to the bima and begins to read from the Torah and all that we have missed!! Yes, Jesus is a Jew. He lived a Jewish life. He kept Kosher, the Feasts, the Torah. He wrote the Torah HE is the Torah!! He is righteousness! He said, “If you love me keep my commandments.” But I digress, the difference is that Joseph was welcomed with open arms by his brothers- he was not rejected.-they still didn’t trust him as we see at the death of Jacob. We must present the Messiah to his own as one of them, not tell them they have to be like us to follow Jesus. Just as we see a lot of extremes in Jewish culture so we see it in the Christian realm as well. The Jews are so caught up in following God’s laws the best as they can. They love God and the Torah and they are only trying to do what they think is right. Yes they have lost sight and they need to be pointed back to the original purpose of Torah and to their Messiah. That was Jesus’ ministry, to reach his own. 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." LOVE is what the law is about. Mercy is what the law is about. Many had forgotten. Many still forget. As the Christian leadership has decided that we are no longer under the law but only love and mercy, many Jews ONLY hold on to the law and forget love and mercy. As we are just trying to follow and love our God the best we can- so are they. I believe we have gotten too relaxed in our “freedom in Christ”, that’s why we look at these orthodox Jews and scoff and pity. As extreme as they are in trying not to look like the world, how much so have many of us conformed in looks, speech, lifestyle-we look like the world but still claim Christ’s blood over our lives? We were told not to conform…well the Jews were but since we are grafted in it is to us also.

Are you ready for this? We WERE!!

2009-01-28T23:58:00.002-07:00

This is a bit late but I am finally getting around to posting. This is the first year my family has not celebrated Christmas. (Pause for sounds of groans and shock to die down). We have been doing the biblical feast days as best as we could, last year being our first year. My husband was really feeling like we need to abandon the Christmas festivities. Now for a little background, when I was 6, my mom (who came out of a very Roman Catholic culture) got saved and learned about the paganism of many holidays. That year our tree and all the trimmings got thrown out into the trash. Christmas was just like any other day to us. We did go to the service however to “celebrate” the birth of Messiah. My husband’s childhood was just the opposite. I like to say that I had all Christ and no Christmas when he had no Christ but ALLL Christmas. Christmas started creeping back into my life little by little with the birth of the grandkids. My sis In law at that time even bought me a mini tree which was very weird for me to put up. When I moved out I left all that behind again. With the start of my own family, it was requested to make the holiday feel real Christmasy- like when he was growing up. Honestly- it was a chore for me. I didn’t realize how hard it was for me to just decorate and get into this “holiday spirit”. As my desire to live for God grew and to “train up my children”, I really stressed the importance of the birth of Christ to my kids. I was on my own. I was doing the Jesse Advent Christmas (awesome book by the way for Christmasers and non alike.) I baked a “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake, I would even look for scriptural or “holy” wrapping paper. When it came to Christmas morn it was all for naught however. “Hey kids, before you rip into another gift, whose birthday are we celebrating?” “Uh I don’t know…is that one mine? Do I have more?” Oh the frustration, the stress, the money spent. The meaninglessness. I would even try to bring meaning to my in-laws Christmas which was also frustrating “Oh thanks Sandra for the “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” door hanger. My mom and dad were more low key and all about the Messiah…they would give small meaningful presents to each of us. They even began decorating a bit. No tree however. Granted my children are yet small, at this time 6, 4, and 18 mos, but I felt like I was losing them to the world already. When Lee made allusions to the fact that we won’t be doing the whole Christmas thing this year I was YIPEEEING on the inside. Explaining to the fam was a different story. The only ones we really told were the parents . The biggest concern from my family was “You aren’t going to celebrate the birth of Jesus?” Well, just because we aren’t decorating, going in debt to buy gifts for everyone and their uncle, and eating a Christmas ham doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate the birth of Christ. OF course we understand the awesome significance surrounding his birth. However, we also know that (as many have heard) Jesus wasn’t born at this time. To say that we really don’t know when isn’t true either. Looking at the first chapters in Matthew and at Jewish history going back thousands of years (they are very good at keeping records by the way- not getting them destroyed is the hard part), we learn that Zechariah who we know is a priest of the temple, was up for performing a certain ceremony. They actually have a calendar of when each line of priests were performing what. So they know what month they were in when Elisabeth conceived. That also gives us a clue to when Jesus was conceived therefore pointing to a time of birth. More than likely he was born during Sukkot. There are other plausible ideas pointing to this. Most Messainics DO celebrate the birth of the Messiah during Sukkot. There are reasons why the 25th shouldn’t be coincided (however innocently) with Yeshua’s birth, but I will not go into that here. There is much debate amongst believers. SO the Houstons had nary a hint of Christmas in their home. IN FACT we chose to celebrate Chanukah at this time. It started a week before Christmas. Although it is not technically a God commanded biblical feast, we know that Yeshua himself was at the temple during Chanukah. If He celebrated it we want to also! So we got our Chanukah Menorah and candles and dreidel and yummy gelt and Chanukah books. I have to tell you, it was WONDERFUL! It became tradition here in America to give gifts on the 8 days of Chanukah because the Jewish kids were jealous of their Gentile friends that got gifts for Christmas. Traditionally, they only gave gifts to the young ones and only to their own family-and not putting emphasis on the gifts. We decided to give gifts this year only to our children. I purchased dollar store gifts and we also had few family gifts. It was so wonderful, that my children were excited to hear the miracle of the menorah every night and not asking about their gifts. Most nights, it was forgotten altogether. I would give them to them and they would be grateful but it wasn’t a big deal. The traditions we chose to include were more exciting to them .They learned about God and His wondrous works every night. We talked about Jesus being the Shamash candle- the center one that lights the rest. We said the blessings , we danced and sang the traditional songs. We ate the oily food that once again reminded us of God’s miracle! Yes we practiced tradition, but it all pointed to Messiah. No stress, disappointment, frustration. So needless to say I am happily giving away my Christmas décor.

The love life

2008-11-15T21:07:00.010-07:00

John 15:9-12
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

Love each other as I have loved you. This is an amazing verse. We all know that Yeshua loves us. So how are we to love each other as Yeshua has loved us. I believe that we are to love everyone as Yeshua loves us. Not just other believers. We may not like what others are doing. We don't have to love the sin but we are commanded to love the person. It's so easy to hate in this fallen world that we forget what our master has taught us. So I have been searching for the scripture for answers. Other then Yeshua our savior one man comes to mind. Abraham had the love life that Yeshua is trying to teach us. Some sages believe that by the age of three Abram was already understanding that idolatry was wrong. He had an understand that there was Elohim, the one true God. The sages also believe that he knew Noah and Shem for a time. This would give Abram some incite about Elohim and the flood. Here is a timeline:

As I continued to read about Abram many things that he did reminded me of the love life we are to have when interacting with others. He loved the way Yeshua wants us to love. Here is some examples of Abraham's love life. Abram's and Lot's Shepard's started to quarrel with each other. So Abram decided to separate. He did not want any strife with is brother in-law so he gave him first choice. Lot then gets captured and Abram does not hesitate to take up arms and rescue lot from the four kings with 318 servants. He also begged Elohim to save Sodom because his love of his brother in-law. He always brought strangers into his home and fed them. He was even upset when he sent Hagar and his son away. Gen 21:11-13 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's site because of his son, but Elohim said to Abraham, "do not let it be displeasing in your site because of the lad or because of you bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed. Now many will argue that he only gave them one wine skin and some bread in the middle of the desert, but I believe that he trusted Elohim. He understood that Elohim would take care of his son while he was wondering the wilderness, and He did. Plus He told Abraham that he would make a great nation out of Ishmael. Of course we know the story of Issac's sacrifice. Abraham's love for Elohim was so great that he knew even if Issac died that Elohim would bring him back to the living. Abraham was not perfect, but Abraham's love life is a great example of the love life that we are to keep as believers in Yeshua.

Baruch Hashem

Lee

2008-11-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

When we can’t get along with someone, we like to blame it on that person’s faults: Stupidity, incompetence, outrageous actions, aggression or some other evil.

The real reason is none of these. It is that the world is broken, and we are the shattered fragments.

And all that stops us from coming back together is that we each imagine ourselves to be whole.

Diligence

2008-11-14T14:09:00.006-07:00

We try so hard to comprehend what God is that we forget to understand that He just loves us. I used to imagine what God looked like. This man sitting on a throne with a strong face looking down at his creation handing down punishments for our wrong doing. Wow was I wrong. There is no way that I can comprehend what God is, but I can understand that he loves me and cares for me. If I were to call out to my son to come to me I expect him to respond right away and come to me. When he does not then this grieves my heart. When God tells us something we should do it right away. We should be diligent to Him. We can not be idle. Ok God I heard you but let me think about it for a couple of weeks and I will get back to you. This grieves our Father's heart. We will do, and then we will understand. We must do first and then He will bring understanding to us.

Where does God dwell?

2008-10-02T15:48:00.002-07:00

A Rabbi asked his students, "Where does God dwell?" His students replied, "Rabbi, how can you ask this question, God dwells in everything." He responded, "God dwells where every man lets him in."

My son Caleb is now 6 years old. He is growing up so fast and becoming a little man. The other night we were sitting in our living room reading John 12. I decided that we were going to read half that night talk about it and the other half the next night. When I stopped he asked "is that all?" Then he asked me if I could finish the chapter. I admit I was a bit taken back. He said he loves these stories and wanted to finish. I was pleased that he wanted to finish. My sons love for the Bible is growing every day. He is beginning to understand where God dwells.

Imagination

2008-09-22T16:44:00.005-07:00

Ha! It's been quite awhile since I have posted.

The other day my father in-law and mother in-law went to see the Arizona Diamond backs. The somehow received tickets through a Christian radio station, KFLT I believe. There at the ball game they met the morning crew for this radio station. So I asked them "What did they look like?". After a brief description of what they looked like, I thought to myself, "they do not look like I imagined them". So I started to think. How false my imagination is of Elohim! I have always tried to imagine what Adonai looked like, and for some reason I might have thought that my imagination was right. Wow how wrong was I. Elohim our creator is infinite. He is beyond time and space. He was with me 10 minutes ago, He is with me now, and He is already with me 10 minutes from now. He is sovereign and my mind is beyond comprehension.
More food for thought, Jesus made this statement. "And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form." (John 5:37) Anytime? Who did Moses see on Mount Sinai when he and the elders went to eat with Adonai, or when he entered the tabernacle and spoke directly with Adonai. What form did Adonai take to speak with the children of Israel. We KNOW in John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Adonai's word was manifested in to flesh. Yeshua! So was it Yeshua that Moses ate with? Was it Yeshua that Moses spoke with intimately? We, in this fallen world, can not imagine what Elohim looks like. His form is unknown to us. We can not even look directly at Him without dying.

Exodus 33:20-23
Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel
And they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

So, who did Moses see and eat with? Yeshua was with them at Sinai.

Lee

Messianic Oddballs

2008-09-22T11:44:00.003-07:00

This was a very interesting blog from First Fruits of Zion.
Shalom
Lee

The call of discipleship and the message of Torah result in a decidedly counter-culture type of life. The great American author Flannery O'Connor once said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you--odd." The Messianic movement is beset with oddity. We are those who have taken the call to be a "peculiar people" quite literally.

This oddness is manifest in every aspect of our lives. The way we dress, the food we eat, the food we don't eat, the day we worship, the way we worship, the way we interact with one another, with the other gender, the way we raise our children, handle our finances, etc.

Some of our oddities, however, cannot be attributed to the particular demands of Scripture. Rather, it results from the caliber of people who are drawn to Messianic expression. A local Messianic Rabbi described his congregation as one filled with what he called "fragile personalities." I often tell Christian pastors that they should be thankful for Messianic Judaism. I tell them, "Think of us as the bug-light of Christianity. If these people were not attending our congregations, they would probably be in yours. You owe us a debt of gratitude."

I became Messianic in my mid-twenties. When in your mid-twenties, a counter-culture lifestyle has a certain appeal. It might seem "cool" to be out of sync with the rest of the world at that age. Now I have entered my forties, and the cool-factor has long ago lost its glimmer. I do my best to appear normal. But I am still odd and at odds with the mainstream of society and even the majority of Christian theology as it relates to Torah.

The problem with studying Torah is that it completely changes the way you read and understand the Bible. Once you step into this larger world, you can't go back. Once you know the truth, you can't un-know it. With or without your consent, God will sweep the Torah student into the great drama of redemption, filled with spiritual adventures and misadventures.

Participation in the Messianic world takes a peculiar kind of person. One has to be an independent thinker and a non-conformist to even consider the religious ideals we are espousing. Not only are we thinking outside of the box, many of us can't even find the box we originally came in.

The typical First Fruits of Zion reader is not typical. He or she is the kind of person who is not content to let social norms and institutional conformity dictate the terms of faith and relationship with God. The Messianic person is a seeker--asking, seeking and knocking.

The normal person who wants to remain normal should stay in his fishing boat when he hears the mysterious rabbi from Nazareth say, "Follow me." Once you hazard to step outside of that boat and begin to follow the rabbi, anything can happen, and it usually does.

If you find that your religious convictions make you an oddball, be encouraged, you aren't the only one. If you don't regard yourself as an oddball, then let me suggest some serious Bible study through a subscription to Torah Club. The new reading cycle will be starting in just over a month. You can check out Torah Club membership here. Torah Club membership is the primary support mechanism that keeps the ministry of First Fruits of Zion afloat. A portion of the monthly subscription is tax deductible.

Torah Club is not just for scholars. It is written on a layman's level. Though it plumbs the depths of God's Word, anyone with an eighth-grade reading level and basic biblical literacy can understand it and profit from it. Be warned though. The study of Torah is the study of Truth--and the truth will make you odd.

D. Thomas Lancaster
17 Av, 5768

Meal time

2008-08-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

For years now we have been saying grace before our meal. You know the typical “thank you God for this food” type of prayer. For years just basic words came from my mouth. That means what? Do we pray before our meal just because? To me it starts to become (what I call it) pattern prayer. It means nothing to me. So what does it mean to Adonai? I am just praying to pray and get to the meal. Wow have I been missing out! I have taken a step back. You see, I have realized that my prayer before the meal has become lame, broken. This is my shot to give Adonai thanks for His goodness, yet I do not feel that I am really expressing my thanks from my heart. So I have made some changes. "And you shall eat, and be sated, and bless the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 8:10).

Wow, we shall eat and be sated and bless Adonai? Thus we express our gratitude to HaShem who nourishes the entire world with His goodness, with grace, mercy, and benevolence and with compassion. So along with our before meal prayer we have included an after meal prayer.

The Jewish Jesus

2008-08-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

Howard sighed. “I remember a quote by Martin Luther. My father used to repeat it often. “He paused. “Now let me get it right.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and spoke the words in English, “’our fools, the popes, sophists, and monks, have hitherto conducted themselves toward the Jews in such a manner that he who was a good Christian would have preferred to be a Jew. And if I had been a Jew and had seen the blockheads and louts ruling and teaching Christianity, I would have become swine rather than a Christian, because they have treated Jews like dogs rather than human beings.’”
Stunned, Moshe asked, “He said that? Must have changed his mind later in life,” he added cryptically. “He said some really awful things about the Jews. Anyways, well said, Rebbe, well spoken. Do you know what the church required of a Jew to become a Christian?”
Howard shook his head.
“He had to eat pork-not serious, I suppose, but it constituted a denial of the kosher diet as prescribed in Deuteronomy. Now I ask you, can’t a man be a Christian and follow Kashrut as well?”
“I see no hindrance,” Howard answered with mock seriousness.
“Ah, well, that was the least of the requirements. A Jew had to deny the Holy Books, deny all Jewish Holy Days and festivals. What, I ask you, did they think Jesus celebrated during Passover in Jerusalem? The Gospels are full of festivals sanctioned by the Lord. And yet even now, Christians have only a vague glimmer of what significance those times had in His life and teaching. They have made Jesus a Gentile. “
“But He is still not a Gentile, is He, Moshe? No matter what small and wicked men have tried to make Him.”
“No. He is a Jew.” Moshe held his chin up. “But I believe He came to all men who would seek Him. As the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53 says, the Messiah came to heal our sins by His wounds as the final sacrifice. He did not come for only one nation.”
“As a Jew I know the laws and have done my best to live them from my heart. In the old days, before the Temple was destroyed, a man sacrificed a lamb to pay a penalty for his sins. After the Temple was destroyed, we still had the laws-still sinned. But there was no more sacrifice. It is only recently, since we found the scroll, that I began to understand the meaning of Isaiah 53. I will never call myself by the word Christian, but I understand why the Messiah came into this world, and I believe I have found the truth that is as old as the Jewish people. He does not want our sacrifices; He wants our hearts. The ultimate sacrifice was one He made for us. Jesus did not destroy Jewish law; He fulfilled it.”
Emotion flooded Howard’s face. “I only wish I had been born a Jew.”
“When you found our Messiah, is it not written that you were grafted into the family?” Moshe clapped him on the back. “I never think of you as a Gentile, Howard. You never have pushed me or tried to convert me to the angry Gentile religion called the church. You have only walked by my side.”
-quoted from Gates of Zion by Bodie and Brock Thoene
This is a conversation between 2 people living in Jerusalem, Moshe a Jew who has come to believe Jesus as his Messiah and Howard the Christian Gentile that he is friends with. I began reading these wonderful books just before we began this walk in Torah. It has opened my eyes up so much to what the Jewish people went through and have opened my eyes in so many other ways. This quote just struck me because too often the church forgets that Jesus was a Jew and that He did the feasts, He kept Sabbath, He kept Torah, He WAS Torah. I had come to think that the Jews that followed Jesus as their messiah dropped all their Jewish ways and became Christians. Too often this is what the church still requires or is told in a way from a Jew that wants to follow Jesus as their messiah. Reading the scriptures I understand that they remained true to their faith and heritage and followed their Jewish messiah and accepted his gift of salvation, his ultimate sacrifice. We are grafted in by accepting THEIR messiah as ours. We follow Jesus and accept his gift to the nations. I want to follow him and be like Him, it’s the least I can do.

The Sabbath for the Houstons

2008-08-02T00:22:00.001-07:00

This one is from Sandra!
It's been awhile. Just life! I have come to learn and love what we are doing! There was resistance for a bit (a teensy tiny bit), but I have obeyed my husband and I am in awe of all that God is doing in our lives. I now look forward to Fridays! Not just because it is the end of my husband's work week but because I get up and begin my preparations for the Sabbath. The kids are excited and helpful!
SO for our usual at home Friday evening Shabbat. My husband has expressed desire for more tradition to make it as memorable for the children as possible. We keep our focus on the meaning of the Sabbath but it has become more fun and DELIGHTFUL to prepare for it rather than a challenge or burden. We are to DELIGHT in the Shabbat
Isaiah 58:13-14
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken."
I begin on Thursday by getting as much tidying up done as possible and then come Friday, I begin making the challah (2 loaves if possible) and preparing the dinner. I also (with the kids -6,4,and 14mos) get the rooms "Shabbat ready" meaning they are clean and the toys that will be allowed to be played with are out in a basket but once Shabbat begins they don't get anymore out. I also usually lay out the clothes for the next day and get out pjs and prepare anything that will be needed on Saturday. Once, dinner is ready and we are ready (we change clothes too- if we have something new, we wear it for that night- tradition). I set the table with a white tablecloth and my "finest" dishes. The table is set with the food on the table and some fresh cut flowers hopefully! We don't tend to stick with EXACT times of sundown- we just usually look out the window. We start with a reading from the siddur for the wife to read before the lighting of the candles- it brings so much to perspective on why we are doing this (someday I will type it up for on here because it really is beautful) and why we follow Torah. I light the candles and say the blessing in Hebrew and English (still reading). MY husband then takes over. We are all wearing coverings kippahs and tallit, and white shawls for the ladies. He reads some more from the siddur and then we do the Kiddush. When we sit down to eat he does the blessings over the wife (Proverbs 31) and the children. He reads more at the table-Bible and siddur. My children love this time now. They look forward to it the minute it's ended- they start talking about next Shabbat. IN FACT, when I told my son we were going to be at his best friends house for Shabbat (friday eve) he actually protested because he said he likes "ours better at home." I try to make something special and have a special dessert. We really try to emphasize the specialness of this time- even in tradition. We spend the rest of the evening just spending time either reading from the scriptures or playing a Bible game. We just emphasize that this is God's moed(appointed time) and he desires our fellowship. To step away from the things of life that would normally get in our way with time with God and to forbid ourselves from things in order to spend time with Him. As we would want from someone that we love and we have desired to spend some time with and we ask them for just one day to be with each other. We wouldn't want them spending our time together on the phone or the computer or busy cleaning. He has ALWAYS desired fellowship- that is why we were created. SO yes we do more than is biblical but we keep the focus by doing the traditions not JUST focusing on the traditions. If we are at home on Saturday, when there are 3 stars that we can see in the sky we do the Havdalah- closing saying goodbye to the Sabbath.
Saturday morning, we meet with other Torah followers taking turns at each others houses. So far it's 3 main families with 2 that attend off and on and a single lady that joins us. we are 10-20 kids and 7-10 adults. The normal Saturday goes like this. We meet and usually us ladies can't stop talking and laughing because we haven't seen each other since last Shabbat BUT we get in,we settle down, pray, we read the portion (we are reading Genesis, Judges, and John) everyone that can read reads-that means the littlest little reader is even involved and the toddlers and babies are right there with us too. Worship is either done before if not sometimes in between as led...there is usually an abundance of instruments for the kids to join in. After we are done reading, we break for the Kiddush and to eat. We do the traditional (well Ashkenazim) challah and grape juice and then we end with a rousing Shabbat Shalom. We eat, everyone brings a dish. and then we gather back together to discuss the portion. We start with some question and answering time with the kids REALLY getting them in to it, then they are dismissed (to play or do some preplanned worksheets or projects) and the adults have some time to discuss things. We have a really gifted teacher with a love of God and His word and His Torah, but everyone has something to contribute. We go long sometimes (plenty of interruptions from little ones- time out for dessert etc.) but we always come away refreshed and enlightened. We have several moments of heartfelt prayers. I just love that we sit there and are challenged to really read the Word through Hebraic eyes- it makes a world of difference. My head is actually still spinning from all that we learned today. Anyways- we have a real strong bond- we love each others children, we share with each other respect each other, just wonderful fellowship. The men even get some time together to meet in the middle of the week every other week. The Sabbath has become what we hunger for the whole week as we discuss what God has taught us the last week or during the week or what God has laid on our hearts. We read the portions to the kids throughout the week from the Bible, children's Bibles so they are geared up for the teaching too.

What is Righteousness?

2008-07-30T20:47:00.003-07:00

We embarked on our new journey knowing that we as a family would meet some contention. During one of these moments, I asked a question that is still reverberating in my mind. The question, "what is righteousness?". It's a very strong word to throw around. I have made a mistake in using it in the wrong context a couple of times. Yeshua is our savior. We have salvation through him. As John stated: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. John 1:1. Yeshua is Elohim. He sent His word and manifested it into flesh. This blew my mind. Yeshua stated: "If you love Me, keep my commandments", John 14:15. Yeshua being Elohim is stating that we should keep the commandments. So back to righteousness. Yeshua kept all the commandments in love. All of them. Yes we are forgiven by Yeshua dying on the cross, but does this give us an excuse to sin? I know that I am far from perfect. Why did Elohim give the commandments? He wanted righteousness from us. We are not saved through works but it sure helps me walk the straight path that Elohim wants me to follow. I had to step back and take a look at what Elohim really wants from me. Sin? No He wants Righteousness.

A Man should forever be God-fearing in the innermost recesses of his heart, acknowledge the truth, and speak the truth in his heart.

Baruch HaShem
Lee

The bumps on the journey

2008-07-10T10:37:00.003-07:00

I have been challenged again in how I view my life in comparison to what it should be walking in the Torah life. I had a moment where in my ignorance and flesh I could have potentially caused strife among my fellow believers. When it was brought to my attention, instead of realizing my mistake however innocent and asking forgiveness I couldn't look past my innocence and self pity. The constant theme through out the scriptures throughout the Torah and as emphasized by Jesus is LOVE! If i love my fellow brothers and sisters I would just be quiet, ask for forgiveness and do what I can to fix the mistake. In my flesh, I demanded justice. I wanted to blame others. I was embarrassed. After the tears stopped flowing and the anger subsided, I needed to explain some things to my children. I told them that, sometimes we do things without thinking that could cause hurt. We have to always be on guard of what we do say and think. We are told to "take captive every thought" and guard our tongues. The list can go on and on with words of wisdom from the Scriptures. I reminded them that sometimes things happen that we don't mean to-like when one of the bigger kids knocks their baby brother over and he bonks his head. Even though it was and accident instead of quickly declaring your innocence you need to help your brother up, tell him your sorry and love on him. I also had another chance to teach them of how important it is to be like Jesus. Jesus didn't lash out in anger and tears when he was being wrongly accused. He kept silent. He loved all of them. I'm not by any means comparing myself to Jesus because of course He WAS blameless, however we need to remember to be silent and not so quick to defend ourselves. In my walk before even though I knew the scriptures and I knew what God wanted me too, I probably would have still remained in my flesh and dwelt in bitterness. I probably would have seperated myself from others to protect myself from anymore hurt. I would have been angry at my husband and it would spill over to the children. Walking the Torah life keeps me in constant thought with the Almighty. It has changed my view and way of thinking. My children are constantly reminded. I see my son's tzittzit and remember the commands-LOVE. Why are we following the Torah? To be like Jesus. To love Him. HE said "if you LOVE me, keep my commandments. Thank you Father for giving these times in my life to learn and grow and to remember that I can cling to you always. That you are my constant. Thank you for these opportunities I have to teach my children also. Thank you for my sisters and brothers that are there to help keep us in check and to bring our focus back to YOU and your Word. I thank you so much for my wonderful husband that just loves me and gently reminds me to just trust in you.
Sandra

אֱלוֹהִים

2008-06-03T19:05:00.003-07:00

We go through life always wanting. Our human nature suggests that we always need more. Always need bigger and better- especially men. Trust me I know. I have come to a realization. I ask so much of Adonai. Help me with this week at work, give me knowledge to this and that, help me walk righteously, etc…. Yes He is in my every thought when it comes to speaking with Him, and I do request many things from Him. I was driving home from my weekly men’s dinner, and I had a thought; what do I do for Adonai? As much as I ask of Him, how much time have I spent serving Him? What do I really do for our Father? After all he is Elohim.

Lee

Meeting time!

2008-05-26T23:21:00.002-07:00

When do I meet with the Father? Early in the morning? At night? When do I sit down and talk with the maker? These past few weeks have been uplifting. I used to believe that my prayer time was the time that I spoke with Adonai. You know the brief prayer over food and with my children when they go to bed. Don’t get me wrong prayer time is very important to me as it should be to all. As a matter of fact I use the Amidah as a foundation to my praying time. The eighteen benedictions. I also pray them with my children and my wife. As I continue to seek him, He weaves into my heart the love he has always wanted to share with me. The love that I have pushed away. I now desire to meet with him any chance I get. I seek him. He is my Father. He is in every question I ask. Every step I take. Every decision I make. He is there for everything I do in my life. He is sovereign. It is amazing what I have be missing my entire life. Not just my meeting time with Adonai, but my friendship with him. He has always desired to walk among us. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, but they transgressed. He wanted to walk among the children of Israel at Mount Sinai but they were too afraid. He had Moses build the tabernacle so he could dwell with them. He walked among us and was hated. This is why He created us. To be with us, to love us, we just need to return to Him.
Lee

My children

2008-05-25T00:36:00.004-07:00

Adonai has loaned me three wonderful children. They are precious but have come to a hard realization. How much time do I actually spend with them? You know real quality time. I have very nice hours at work. I get off early. We do are daily bible studies at about 7pm which is the most important task we have in the evening. So from 3-7pm I have time to spend with them. I know that some days things need to been done. Grocery shopping, bills, cleaning, studies, never ending house stuff etc... We also have are wants which are many to name. It's easy in this time to pop in a movie or let them horse around on the computer to pass the time. Why did Adonai bless my wife and I with these children. So I can just shove them to the side. They are a blessing right? Yes they are! What did Jeshua do when the children came to him and his disciples told the children to leave? Where are the children's place in the Kingdom? They are on loan from the Father, and he wants them to grow strong with him. We are there teachers. They will learn from us on a daily basis. Good and bad. I must change the way I spend time with my family. The computer will still be there, movies are always available, but my children....are a one time gift from the Father. I think that I will start by treating every day as it is my last day with them. We are to walk like Yeshua. He didn't take children for granted. Neither should I. Thank you Father for my family. Give me wisdom so I may teach my children the way of Yeshua. Bless them Adonai.
Lee

Reset button

2008-05-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

How I long for the end of the work week. At Sundown Friday until sundown on Saturday it is Shabbat. Our meeting time with our Father. I know that we are to meet with him on a daily basis. This is why we have are reminders, but Shabbat is our holy day with Adonai. The day that Adonai set aside for us to remember him. No tv, computer, no distractions of this world. We keep the Shabbat just as our lord Jesus did, and we keep it holy. I thank the Father for this day for it is good and he is good to me. Tonight I will hit my reset button….
Lee

Lee's Testimony

2008-05-12T21:48:00.004-07:00

It has been an amazing journey. Adonai has opened our eyes. It is really unbelievable. I have learned more about scripture in 5 months then I have in my whole “partial” walk with the Father. Yet I had some questions. People always say “what would Jesus do?” The questions I asked were what DID Jesus do? Did Jesus come for us? After learning that Jesus (from the Scriptures) followed every commandment that Adonai commanded the children of Israel it made me think. Not only did He follow the commandments he also followed tradition. If God made these commandments and Jesus followed them every day that He was on earth, why do we not follow them now? Aren’t we supposed to be like Jesus? Why do we follow the 9 commandments and not the 10? Adonai said for ALL generations to keep His commandments. We know through Scripture that Jesus kept the Sabbath. He kept Pesach (Passover). He kept the Torah! He walked in all the commandments. Why would Adonai issue these commandments so we could do away with them later? Adonai knows the past, present, and future. He already knew at the time of the commandments that He was going to send Jesus. He didn’t say “I will send one to abolish the commandments”. It really doesn’t make sense to me. The covenant he gave Abraham was continued at Mount Sinai as an everlasting covenant not a temporary one. It was a continuation of the covenant at Sinai. He loves us and he wants us to walk the righteous path as Jesus did. This is why he gave us the privilege to follow the commandments. They are not burdensome to me. I repented and turned to the Torah
Lee

What is God?

2008-05-11T21:05:00.005-07:00

I had this question asked of me. I gave the typical answer that most would give. My Father, Alimighty, etc.... You see the walk that my family and I have been on has been eye opening. What is God? How can you answer this question. Please read and enjoy. It is a bit long but it's worth the read. Especially at the very end. This is from my friend John who is my brother in Yeshua.

In Genesis 15:1, YHWH told our Father Abraham that He was his "exceeding great reward". He didn't tell Abraham that He had an exceeding great reward, but that He was his exceeding great reward. Most believers don't know the Almighty in this way. we know what God does for us--He saves me, He prospers me, He cares for me, He answers my prayers, He teaches me, He.... These things are all true. The Almighty can manifest Himself to His children in whatever they need at any given time. I feed my children, and clothe my children, and bathe my children and teach my children and nurture/hug my children...but is that what I am? What am I? A father? Yes, but more than that. A husband? Yes, but more than that. A man? Yes, but more than that. A son? Yes, but more than that? These things answer the question of Who I am, not What I am. Who is a question that deals with relationship (whether intimate or not), but What is a question that deals with essence. What is something made up of? What is the essence of that thing?

Of course, this becomes difficult. What is a man? Is He only what his physiology determines? Cells and molecules, DNA and electrical charges? Of course not. He is more than that. But even if we were advanced enough to study the soul itself, would that define what a man is? If man is that difficult to consider and we are him, then how truly difficult to consider the question of what God is! This is, I should think, an impossible feat. However, it is a challenge that we should pursue with all intensity! God is not only the exceeding great reward of our Father Abraham, but also the exceeding great reward of us, Abraham's children! He, Himself is our great reward. Yeshua said in John 17:3--"And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only, true God, and Yeshua the Messiah, whom you have sent." That IS eternal life. Did we actually think that eternal life was endless days? HaHa Of course, it is referring to endless days, but what good would it be to be immortal without a vital relationship with the Divine? It would be hell!

Lee, Most people study God for what He does. They see His actions and they give praise for them. And there's nothing wrong with doing that. In fact, we are commanded to do that. However, that seems to be the only relationship they have with YHWH. They don't know Him intimately like a friend. It can't truly be said of them that they walk with God. But this must be your primary pursuit in life--to KNOW God. It's my desire through our relationship to break down the imaginations that hold us back from experiencing Him intimately. Preconceived ideas of God must be challenged and made to stand the test of Scripture.

You see, in all of our learning, we must draw ever closer to Him. The things that I teach you about YHWH should make you look at Him in a more severe reverence. You should come to a place where you tremble at His word and long for just another moment with Him. And you will.

So just like two friends get to know each other and that knowledge of one another, handled respectfully, increases the friendship; so too, the knowledge of God will increase intimacy with Him. But not mere head knowledge, it's a different kind of knowledge. My professor in college used to say, "Some things can't be taught, they must be caught." That's the type of knowledge I'm referring to. There is a knowledge of the Holy that only few of YHWH's children have pursued. But it's the best part. It's not the knowledge ABOUT Him, but the knowledge OF Him! I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't, it will. HaHa!

Shalom,

John

P.S.-- All these questions are inadequate questions: Who is God? What is God? When is God? Where is God? Why is there a God? Any attempt to answer these will automatically be wrong, because YHWH simply is. He (even "He" is inadequate) revealed His name to Moshe as "I AM". In Hebrew, it simply means "I exist". God is not Who, What, When, Where or Why. He simply exists. Yes, we may have seen "limited manifestations" of Him that appear to answer some of these questions, but they're not really Him. He is beyond our confines of natural seeking. That's why we must search Him out with our inner man. And that's what you must learn to do next. Ha! Wow, are you in for a ride!

Shalom

Lee

sidenote

2008-05-09T00:22:00.003-07:00

I want to give as much background as I can and then start keeping and actualChronicle of where we are each unfolding day...or week. Right now we are counting the Omer. Also, tomorrow sundown is Shabbat until Saturday sundown, so I don't know how when I will get to post again so be patient with me! Lee will be poppin in on here also.

Sandra

and it continues

2008-05-08T22:40:00.006-07:00

I knew that these people did some things differently and wasn't so sure how my husband would respond if I asked him if we could go sometime. You see he knew that our friends and these others did things "Jewishly" but what he didn't know was that none of them were actually Jewish. I ended up at my friends house helping her get her house ready to host the next meeting and she asked if I would come. I said I would, but I didn't know about Lee since he had to work that day (Saturday). I had already spent sometime with these other families on other occasions so I knew of some things that were different. For instance- they don't eat bacon, they hold the Sabbath, and they celebrate Hanukkah and not Christmas- but they're "CHRISTIANS"!! How can this be I wondered? Why would anyone want to put themselves back under the curse of the Law? Don't they know Christ came to abolish it? We are saved by grace? We aren't like those non Jesus believing Jews...poor things...lost. Well not knowing what to expect I showed up Saturday morning. After all there was food and friends. I was pleasantly surprised. After a rousing worship time where all the kids got an instrument I was ready for the "teaching". Well then we all took turns reading part of portions we are going through Genesis, Joshua(at that time) and Matthew-a chapter each-even the youngest reader got to read a verse or two! My kids were so excited. Then we broke for "oneg". I was under the impression that we were doing communion (and for a bit I still did) as we raise our grape juice glasses and broke the bread and said some Hebrew and English prayer. This is actually the kiddush Then we moved into eating. I can handle that no problemo. So after eating we dove into the teaching. This guy knows some Bible I tell you what! He went to seminary school but has immersed himself in the Hebrew history to get the full meaning. After all Jesus was a Hebrew. Lee shows up at the house and sits in for the last 1/2 hour. He was right there with his Bible opened and enthralled. It helped that the teacher was excited about what he was teaching and had a laugh that could get you laughing for nothing!! From there, Lee was hooked!
Sandra

It all started...

2008-05-07T19:26:00.005-07:00

This incredible journey started with my (Sandra's) prayers to transform my husband into a man on FIRE for God and ready to take that spiritual head of the household. I was constantly playing Holy Spirit to my husband to no avail of course. Or so I thought. About 5-6 months ago God answered my prayer above and beyond and in a way i NEVER would have expected.
We had been attending our previous church less and less due to various reasons. One BIG one of which I came to find out was that my husband just wasn't learning a thing. Going to church was just to go and to see our friends. I would tend to the little ones as my husband sat in the sanctuary and then at home I would ask what he learned and he would reply, "I don't know". I was becoming less and less content with HIM since he was not reading the Bible or making an attempt to go to church. I was becoming a spiritual NAG and Nuisance really. NOT at all what God wanted from me as a helpmeet. We became distant with each other. I didn't see an active role in fathering so I was just about wore out with the kids and him. My wonderful husband kept his patience with me all the while. I was on my spiritual high horse after all I attended the same church for 20 something years and went to Christian school- I read the BIBLE!! God sure did put me in my spot....humbled me if you will. A friend of mine began meeting with some other families that were mutual friends of ANOTHER friend of mine. She told me that she had learned so much more about the Bible in the 3 months she's been meeting with them than in a long time.
Sandra

Here we go again!

2008-05-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted on a blog since July of 2007 so I thought it was about time. This time I want to be more purposeful. I wanted to begin a new one and chronicle this new journey we are on. There's alot of questions and speculation out there and maybe I can just post my thoughts (Lee or Sandra). As my bro and sis in law have begun a blog about their new lives immersed in Germany, I felt like chronicling our new lives immersed in Hebraic living. I will try to keep this updated as much as possible. For those who are interested, I am not asking for debate or to evangelize but to just put into words my thoughts and even questions on what in the Houstons world is going on! This won't be a silly nonsensical random one like my xanga one but i will keep that one and when i feel like it I will blog there.
Sandra