Call to Prayer!

On December 8, 2010 I had a very vivid dream. I recorded it in my journal. Here is what I wrote on that date:
"Very strange and vivid dream. Christina {my daughter} came to see me in great sobs and asked me to rock her! What could be more weird than seeing my strong, unemotional daughter collapsing in sadness and asking to be rocked? I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Don't you know? Haven't you seen what just happened in Sweden?" I turned on the TV and saw a picture that matched what she was saying to me: "The children! There is a blood bath! They're lying in the streets! It was a massacre!" Sure enough, on the TV screen I saw blonde Swedish children lying in the street, their bodies covered with blood. Then I woke up. Sweden? Why would I dream about Sweden?"

Three or four days ago I heard on the news there had been a "first-ever terrorist attack" in Sweden. Naturally, after having that dream, my senses were awakened that the dream must have been prophetic in nature, and I should pay attention.

Today a news article appeared on the internet that was titled Jews Warned About Visiting Southern Sweden. The article begins, "'We are reluctantly issuing this advisory because religious Jews and other members of the Jewish community there have been subject to anti-Semitic taunts and harrassment,' said Dr. Shimon Samuels, Director of International Relations with the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre. 'There have been dozens of incidents reported to the authorities but have not resulted in arrests or convictions for hate crimes.' Samuels, along with Wiesenthal associate dean Rabbi Abraham Cooper, conveyed their concerns for the safety of the Jewish community to Swedish Minister of Justice Beatrice Ask during meetings in Stockholm on Thursday."

In my spirit I feel my dream must certainly be connected with these events and warnings emanating from Sweden and I felt it must be a call for Yah's people to pray for the Jewish people in that nation. Please cover them in prayer for the days ahead.

Shalom Aleichem,
Kelly

The Sun Will Be Darkened & The Moon Will Not Give Its Light

So it says in Matthew 24:29; and so it will be happening tonight and into the morning.

When the sun set this evening, it began the day of the winter solstice, commonly known as "the shortest day of the year." We know this, then, as the "darkest day of the year." But this year it will be doubly dark as there will be a total eclipse of the moon, occuring in about two hours from the time I am writing this post (11:00 pm MST).

For those of us who are looking for the signs that Yahweh is placing in the heavens, it is a night to ponder what He is saying. We know He has told us that He gives the sun, moon and stars to "serve as signs" (Genesis 1:14). In fact, He mentions "signs" as the purpose of these great lights even before He mentions "to mark seasons and days and years." These great lights not only mark off time, but also serve, throughout history (His-Story!) to herald great events and spell out important messages. The stars speak, as we learn in Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." Isn't this marvelous? If we dig deep enough into His Word, seeking to learn what He is saying to us, we can discern His messages and His signs.

All day I asked Him, "What are you speaking to us with a lunar eclipse at the winter solstice, Lord? What are we to understand from these two great lights diminishing into total darkness?" I gained some understanding in reading Joseph Herrin's blog today. He explained that each constellation is linked to one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Remarkably, as the moon is eclipsed tonight, it will be moving from the constellation Taurus (linked with Joseph) into the constellation Gemini. What is symbolized by the location of the lunar eclipse tonight as it passes from Taurus to Gemini?

Mr. Herrin writes, "Taurus is an image of the now extinct reem, or aurochs. This was the giant wild ox that no man could tame. It was of this animal that Yahweh spoke to Job. Job 39:9-12: "Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Or will he spend the night at your manger? Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes? Or will he harrow the valleys after you? Will you trust him because his strength is great and leave your labor to him? Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain, and gather it from your threshing floor?" Jacob, when blessing his son Joseph, speaks of this animal. The horns of the wild ox are compared to Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Deuteronomy 33:17: "As the first-born of his ox, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild ox; With them he shall push the peoples, all at once, to the ends of the earth. And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and those are the thousands of Manasseh."

This explanation utterly fascinated me! We who understand that we are a part of Israel, represented by the tribe of Ephraim, believe that we are in the day when Yahweh is regathering all twelve tribes, to reunite both houses of Israel and make us one again, as the two sticks in His hand (Ezekiel 37). Could this lunar eclipse be speaking to us of this regathering as the light moves from Joseph, pushing the ten thousands of Ephraim from their long period of punishment and darkness into the light, the Redeemed Israel? If so, what does it mean that the moon re-emerges in Gemini? My first thought was that since Gemini represents twins, this eclipse must be speaking to us about the TWO - Judah and Ephraim - the two houses, two peoples of Yah's family, becoming one again. And this may well be part of the sign. However, Mr. Herrin had another perspective about the meaning of Gemini. He wrote, "Gemini is figured as twins, but from ancient times they have been symbolized as two joined together in union. This heavenly testimony speaks of the joining of Christ and His Bride. I will quote once more from Joseph Seiss: 'In the Zodiac of Dendera the figure is that of a man walking hand in hand with a woman. The same are sometimes called Adam and Eve. But the male figure is not the literal first Adam, but the mystic second Adam, the same seed of the woman that appears everywhere in these celestial frescoes. The figure in the Egyptian sphere has an appendage which signifies The Coming One - The Messiah Prince. And having identified the masculine figure, there can be no difficulty in identifying the accompanying female figure. The Lamb has a bride, a wife, bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh, and destined for an everlasting union with Him in glory and dominion. Even the word Gemini in the Original Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac, whence it has come, does not run so much on the idea of two brought forth at the same birth, as upon the idea of something completed, as of a year come to the full, or as of a long betrothal brought to its consummation in perfected marriage. The old Coptic name of this sign, Pi Mahi, signifies the United, the Completely joined.Thus we see in this heavenly sign a proclamation of things to come, but also things which must be passed through to arrive there.' A time of gross darkness is upon the earth. Judgment has been proclaimed, and this judgment must begin at the house of God. What saved Noah and his family in that great judgment when the earth was subjected to a flood? He heard God, and he obeyed. He was a righteous man, perfect in his generation. It is expedient that the people of God also pursue righteousness and humility in this age. Perhaps then they will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s judgment."

Most certainly we are seeing a great sign this night, and it is a proclamation of the earth in total darkness, which may also be a "snapshot" of the darkness and wickedness that consumes the earth. Yet, the explanations above also give us hope that we who fear Yahweh and call upon the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, will soon be reunited with Him, restored to our Bridegroom as His Bride!

A Scroll of Remembrance

Have you ever had a long conversation with your spouse or friend regarding plans for your future, or your finances, or serious decisions that need to be made? You find that you are discussing many options and each of you are giving your own viewpoints, and you begin to realize that the decisions you are about to make could profoundly affect your future.

John and I had such a conversation on the telephone last night. Two people our age about to join our lives, our families and our futures together have a lot to discuss and work out. Well, let's face it, no matter how long two people have been married, there are always compromises and decisions that need to be made! But I have never before been through this kind of discussion with such an awareness of God's tangible Presence. As we were exchanging our thoughts, ideas, concerns and suggestions, we were coming to the same conclusions in a sense of total unity; and then I heard the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear, "I am listening and I am writing all this on a scroll of remembrance." I mentioned these words to John and told him I knew this was a scripture somewhere in the book of Malachi. "Scroll of remembrance?" he asked. "Yes," I told him, "I sense that the Lord is listening in on our conversation and I believe He wants us to pray through this passage." We both got our bibles out and turned to Malachi 3:16-18: "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name. "They will be mine, "says El Shaddai, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked; between those who serve God and those who do not."

This passage covered us in awe and blessing! How overwhelming it is to embrace the notion that the Creator of the Universe cares so much about each of us and our daily affairs that He listens in on our conversations and writes them on a "scroll of remembrance." And according to what He hears, He makes a distinction between those who serve Him and those who do not!

Was our conversation pleasing to Him? Did our discussion about finances honor Him? I realized we had been speaking to one another about our desire to commit every decision to Him before acting upon it, and to seek Him together for wisdom and understanding in all our plans for the future. Surely that was honoring to our God, and exalting Him to the highest place. Surely He heard our desires to serve Him above ourselves. It was thrilling and overwhelming to think about His "heavenly eavesdropping" on His children, and His compassion and desire to make His presence known in the midst of our discussion.

Yet it was so powerful that it gave me pause to wonder, "How many of my daily conversations would I really want the King of the Universe to hear, and to write on His scroll of remembrance? " Does He always hear talk from my mouth that causes Him to speak of me as His treasured possession? I believe that passage will stick with me in the future: "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other and the LORD listened and heard."

One Flock and One Shepherd

In the Torah portion this week we read of Jacob's meeting with Rachel at the well. Genesis 29:10 says, "When Jacob saw Rachel, daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep."

He rolled a stone away. Does that sound familiar? Is this not a vitally important prophetic picture? As I dug deeper into the meaning of this action that Jacob takes at the well, I found that it corresponds closely with the rolling away of stones in Yeshua's time. When he was summoned to the tomb of his good friend Lazarus, a great stone was rolled away - and as we know, that brought forth life from the dead! Yeshua said, "Father I thank You that You have heard me. I know that You always hear me but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent me" (John 11:42). The rolling away of this great stone was to cause the people who were there to see that Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised Messiah, and all who believe in Him will receive eternal life. In John 11:25 Yeshua tells Martha, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live even though he dies."

We know that another great stone is rolled away after Yeshua Himself rises from the dead. "Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance" (John 20:1).

Back in Genesis 29, Jacob rolled the large stone away from the mouth of the well in order to water Rachel's sheep. So, what are we to see from that ancient picture? The Scripture tells us of Jacob, "There he saw a well in the field with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep (Genesis 29:2-3). Then along comes Rachel with her father's sheep at the high noon of the day. In Genesis 29:6 other shepherds at the well say to Jacob "Look, here comes Laban's daughter Rachel with the sheep."

What I hope you can begin to see here is the parallel of Rachel's flocks and Yeshua's sheep. Remember, we were told there were three distinct flocks of sheep. No matter who these sheep represent throughout the course of history, I believe one thing is certain: the flock who was with Rachel that day symbolize those of the House of Israel who received the Gospel as soon as they saw and heard Messiah Yeshua. For example, when Yeshua encounters the Samaritan woman at the well that day He tells her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman runs into her Samaritan town to tell all the people about the Messiah, and many believe in Him. They are Rachel's flock! The stone is rolled away, they receive the Living Water, and are born again into eternal life in Yeshua.

So, who are the other two flocks? I believe the second group of sheep represent the House of Judah (the Jewish people) who have always been believing in and waiting on a Messiah to come. And the third group represent people who do not yet know Him, but will come to believe yet in the future. As Yeshua says in John 10:14-15, "I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

This explains why, back in Genesis 29, the shepherds have to explain to Jacob "We can't water all the sheep yet until all the flocks are gathered and the stone rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will gather the sheep." Is this not thrilling? I believe we are living in the last days, when that last group of sheep is going to come, thirsty not for water and hungry not for food, but for the Living Water and the Word of God! The "stone" will finally be rolled away from their blinded eyes and they will "see" and know the power of the Resurrection of the Son of God.

All Rachel's flocks will be restored at last, and gathered at the well: one flock and one Shepherd!

Wait for Your God Always

Waiting is definitely not my strong suit! In fact, I suffer from a terrible case of impatience and am forever asking God to help me learn to truly wait on Him. I have been blessed and encouraged in the way He has kept me strong to wait on Him for eleven years, for the mate that HE would choose for me; but now that His choice has been made, I confess my impatience has reared its head again, and I have been sorely tempted to just get on with the wedding!

This past week we began to feel overwhelmed with many others (including our own children)who were writing or calling to say, "What are you waiting for? Just get married!" Was this a temptation of the enemy to step out of God's will and His timing for us - or was it indeed the Voice of the Spirit, giving us permission to move things along more quickly? I pondered this question of "waiting on God" all week. Several scriptures and scenarios came to mind:

Hosea 12:6: "But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always."

Psalm 27:14: "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Psalm 130:5: "I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope."

I revisited the Scriptures in Genesis 16 about Abraham's wife, Sarah. Even though she and her husband had been promised a son, Sarah got tired of waiting on God. She devised her own plan to move things along - and we all know the difficult circumstances her plan produced, which continue even today as the descendents of Ishmael and Isaac are still at war with one another.

In contrast, I spent some time in 1 Samuel 1, considering the similar plight of Hannah. Though she was barren, Hannah continued to pray and wait on the Lord to open her womb in His perfect time. Verse 20 reads, "So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I asked the Lord for him.'" In the course of time? How long was this "course of time" before Hannah conceived? We are not told - but what we can be sure of is that it was the exact time the Lord had planned for her; and her willingness to wait resulted in the birth of a son whom she consecrated over to the Lord. As we know, Samuel became one of the great prophets of God!

In light of all this, I decided to put a fleece before the Lord regarding our wedding date. I prayed and asked Him that if the church had an open weekend for a wedding in January, we would know we had His consent to move the wedding date up. If not, we would know our February date was HIS timing, and we would wait. The church secretary responded immediately; no January date was available. Upon receiving this information, my heart quieted and total shalom enveloped me. "How good it is," I thought, "to wait upon the Lord. As we are printing on the front of our wedding program, "Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall soar as on wings of eagles. They shall run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). Yes. I will be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. His timing is indeed always perfect!

Waiting for the Bridegroom

My days right now are being consumed with preparations for my wedding. Part of that preparation is searching for just the right design for one's ketuba. The ketuba is the marriage contract given by the Bridegroom to his Bride, stating his vows and promises to love and care for her all her life, and to provide for her needs. She must sign the contract also as her consent; it is her "I do" to the Bridegroom.

On Mount Sinai Moses and the people of Israel received the Torah, God's commandments, which comprised His ketuba with Israel. It was His marriage contract of love and provision with His people, and it required their consent. In Exodus 19:8 the people respond, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do."

John and I desired to have a ketuba with our vows written upon it, and so we searched for artwork that would speak to our hearts. There are many Jewish artists who have a myriad of ketuba designs on the internet. We looked and looked at all the fascinating, interesting artwork, but found nothing that felt personal to us. Suddenly I remembered my friend Batia in Israel who is a fine artist. I wrote and asked her if she would design our ketuba. She told me she would send me an image of a painting she had recently done to see if we would like to use it. Imagine how startled we were to see this strawberry blonde bride and tall, dark-haired groom. It looks so much like us, we both immediately saw Yahweh's handprint upon our marriage!

The ketuba is only one part of the preparation for a Hebrew marriage. The mohar or "bride price" is paid to show how valuable the Bride is to her Groom. Then the betrothal occurs, after which the Bride is to be set apart and sanctified; a time for her to be prepared and anointed for her Groom. The Groom leaves his beloved and goes to his father's house to prepare a chadar, a bridal chamber or home, for his Bride. He promises to return for her. What thrilling pictures these are of our betrothal to our Messiah, and our joyful, eager anticipation of His return for us!

As I am waiting for my bridegroom, I am resolved to walk out this time before our wedding in purity, giving myself time to truly be prepared and sanctified. May we all glean from these prophetic understandings of the Hebrew wedding, and wait for our Bridegroom by walking in righteousness. In Revelation 19:7-8 it says, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

Pursue Peace!

This Scripture was quickened to me today in these early morning hours: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled." (Hebrews 12:14-15)

During the Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Pueblo, Colorado, and again at a clergy wives' retreat in Oakhurst, California, I just shared a teaching birthed by the Ruach and entitled "Take No Offense." I would dare to say that it is the single most powerful teaching the Lord has yet given to me. We are a wounded army of God; wounded by the Church, wounded by parents, children and friends, and defiled by the world we live in. What offenses have caused bitter roots to embed deep in our hearts? Most of us do not even realize those bitter roots are there, and eventually they will form permanent seeds of anger, resentment, and worst of all, unforgiveness.

Yet, I believe the season just ahead of us is one of great and bountiful harvest. I believe the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out in increasing measure - the time of the latter rains we have all been anticipating for so many years! Will our hearts and minds be ready to receive this outpouring? Or, will we be so filled with the iniquity of offense that we are unable to break through into the glorious season of pursuing peace with all people in holiness?

To pursue peace with all people most certainly implies that we must be about the work of forgiveness, asking the Spirit to help us release even the deepest offenses, even the unforgiveable! We must learn to have unoffendable hearts in the days ahead, so that no further bitterness can take root. The teaching "Take No Offense" offers seven vital keys to maintaining an unoffendable heart. I have placed it on my website for free download, and encourage all to freely download it and copy to CDs if you wish. And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Messiah Yeshua.

http://www.doorkeeperministries.com/dkpfree.html

A Time of Transitions

I keep hearing the Spirit of the LORD say, "This is a time of transition for My people." Just as the season of repentance revealed to us that which needs to be corrected in each of us, now we are being given a period of grace in which to teshuva - turn around 180 degrees and go the other direction.

As John and I were driving across the highest peaks of the Colorado Rocky Mountains this week, the Father showed us several parables about this. We had ascended to the top of Cottonwood Pass and reached the Continental Divide, that place that divides our continent in half, and seems to be at the top of the world! Clamoring over rocks, above timber line, we took the opportunity in that high place to call down strongholds that bind this nation and tear at the fabric of our families. Then we got back into the Jeep to slowly and carefully descend the mountain. The road was rough and the switchbacks severe and steep. John remarked, "First gear is too slow and second gear is too fast."

"That's a parable!" I mused. In this period of transition it is difficult at times to negotiate the path so that we stay right in the center of God's will. If we are in first, we lag behind Him and if we shift into second, we run ahead. We must find that place where we can move in His rhythm, waiting upon Him for instruction in every small decision and attempting to give Him pinpoint obedience in the smallest of things.

Several times John and I met oncoming vehicles on this extremely narrow, treacherous road, and we marveled that each time another vehicle approached us, there was a small pull-out on our side of the road, just in time, avoiding collision. "That's My grace," the Spirit whispered. "If you make the transitions with Me leading the way, even when it looks frightening or dangerous, you will find the grace to avoid collision or confusion. And when you make a wrong turn, you will have a "grace period" to make teshuva; repent and return to Me."

The glorious colors of the changing aspen trees filled our senses with His majesty and beauty - but also reminded us of the season of transition. We, like the trees, are changing. Our very lives and circumstances are changing. Even as I am preparing for a wedding, so I am filled with the deep understanding that Messiah is preparing a Bride for Himself.

Stay on the road with Him somewhere in the middle of first and second gear, and trust Him to provide the "pull-outs" when the road becomes too difficult. Be quick to repent and keep no record of the wrongs done against you. Take no offense, lest it form a bitter root.

It is a time of transitions!

Now Moments

This morning when I opened my daily meditation from Marsha Burns, I read this wonderful declaration: "There is a great blessing released when you embrace your now moments with eternal hope."

Wow, that's powerful. It forces me to stop and ask, "What are my "now moments?" You and I have those moments tucked inside each and every day that we live. All too often I think we miss embracing them, and sometimes we even let them slide by unnoticed.

As I moved through the ten Days of Awe preceding the Day of Atonement, I was aware of "now moments" of vastly different natures. Some moments almost leveled me with conviction in my spirit. Moments when I knew my Father was saying, "You have injured. You have neglected. Reach out to those and ask for forgiveness." I hope I embraced those moments with eternal hope and quickly responded to the Lord's correction.

Then there were moments of hilarious joy when I drove down to New Mexico to spend time with John, my husband-to-be. We laughed as I have not laughed in years, and we ascended to new heights in worship, as we embraced the full understanding of what it will mean to serve our King as a team! We really are embracing those moments with eternal hope, keeping before us the vision of what God wants to do with these two vessels whom He is joining together in Him. "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Thank you for all the lovely, encouraging well wishes you have sent. It means the world to me! And for those who have written to ask, the mission to Bulgaria is still on for Spring 2011 and John has received an official invitation to come and minister with me in that nation.

Now the Feast of Tabernacles is upon us, beginning tonight as the sun sets. It is known by the Jewish people as "the season of our joy." I pray it will be so for each of you. I pray it will be a time of rejoicing right in the midst of the chaos and turmoil of our world. May we all embrace the "now moments" of these next seven days, and clearly hear the sounds of singing and rejoicing in the streets of Judea and Jerusalem, which are yet to come!

The Season of our Joy!

The Fall Feasts of the Lord are just around the corner! This Wednesday evening, September 8, will mark Yom Teruah, the Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets. Ten days later we will observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, followed by Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.

The celebration of these feasts this year will hold especially great significance for me, as I suddenly find myself personally walking through the deeper meanings of these feasts, which are foreshadows of the coming of Yeshua our Messiah for His Bride. Yom Teruah is a call to repentance and return (teshuva in Hebrew). As believers in Yeshua we are reminded to return in faithfulness or "stay faithful" to our Betrothed until he returns for us. As we blow the shofars announcing His return, we anticipate our Betrothed's arrival, at which time we will be fully cleansed and redeemed, so that we may remain with God forever. As it is in the spiritual, so it is in the physical for me this year!

In the last week of July at the national conference of the Messianic Israel Alliance, I met the man I believe God has chosen for me. I have waited almost eleven years for him! I have not dated or looked for a man in these many years, because I knew that if I were to be married, Yah would have to do the choosing. Somehow - by the power of the Holy Spirit - I knew him when I saw him! We were in an auditorium worshiping the Lord when I got my first glimpse of him, down on his knees, his arms outstretched, his whole heart and body in surrender to the King. And in my heart I felt I heard the Spirit say, "This is your husband whom I have chosen for you."

Since that last week of July we have both received this understanding of God's will for our lives, and we are overcome with joy! As I am awaiting the return of my Messiah and King, who has gone to prepare a place for me, so I am awaiting the return of John, my Betrothed, who is making preparations for us to be married! We have pledged one another our purity, and as we walk through this season of Yom Kippur, we understand that it is a time when we repent of our sin and seek God's forgiveness, offer forgiveness to those who have wronged us, make peace with those with whom we have been at odds, and ask Messiah to wash our garments white as snow, making us a Bride without spot or wrinkle!

John has sought and received the blessing of my 87-year-old father! The picture here shows their joy as they shake hands on their agreement. Now we await the time of Sukkot, the rejoicing of the Wedding Feast, which Yeshua Himself proclaimed would occur following His return. The sukkah (tent or booth) symbolizes the place where the groom takes his bride into His own dwelling, a dwelling He has made for her, the place where the marriage is consummated. Nothing but joy can prevail! The bride and groom have joy unspeakable, for finally - at last - that which is promised is realized!

For all who have walked with me over ten years while I have prayed and waited - rejoice greatly with this daughter of Zion, for my joy is unspeakable!

Stopping Clocks

An unsual series of events transpired today. I am out in the Seattle area, caring for two grandchildren while my son and his wife are away on a trip. I was sitting with my 11-year-old granddaughter on the couch when she turned around to check the time on the microwave clock. "It's not really 10:20 is it?" she asked, surprised. I looked at my wrist watch and it said 11:40; then I glanced at the microwave and sure enough, it read 10:20. "I guess there must have been a power outage," I told her, and I went over to reset the digital clock. About 15 minutes later I walked upstairs and went into the master bathroom. I glanced at the clock on the wall and it was stuck at exactly 10:20! This clock was battery-operated, completely unaffected by electrical power! I was stunned.

About 30 minutes after that my cell phone rang and it was a dear sister from my home fellowhsip. I told her about this strange experience with the clocks stuck on 10:20, and she responded, "Daniel."

"What?" I asked her.

"Daniel is what instantly popped into my spirit," she said. "Daniel 10:20, but I don't know what it says."

I went immediately to my bible to look up the verse, which reads, "...Soon I will return to fight against the Prince of Persia..." Once again I was stunned. Aware that over these past two days Iran (modern Persia) has been powering up their nuclear reactor, this region has been strongly in my prayers, and I have been pleading with the Lord to give clear wisdom and direction to the leaders of Israel in responding to this situation. The Prince of Persia is surely a principality that has been in operation since ancient times, with the specific goal of annihilating the Jewish people, in order to eliminate the seed (Messiah) of the Woman (Israel). In these days, the God of Israel is getting ready to fight against the Prince of Persia in order to establish His Throne over all the original boundaries of the Land of Israel.

After pondering all this, I eventually was on the weather channel website and my eye caught a headline that said "Tropical Storm Danielle Forms in the Atlantic." Daniel? 10:20? Is all this somehow related?

The region where the Iranian nuclear reactor is located is a territory known as Elam in ancient biblical times. Elam is mentioned first in the geneaology of Noah, Genesis 10:22. Then in Jeremiah 49 there is prophecy that has never been fulfilled, with the subtitle A Message About Elam: "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might. I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of the heavens; I will scatter them to the four winds and there will not be a nation where Elam's exiles do not go. I will shatter Elam before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster upon them, even my fierce anger,' declares the LORD. 'I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them. I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her kings and officials,' declares the LORD."

I cannot say that I fully yet understand how all this ties together, but the God of Israel is clearly reaching through time, even stopping clocks, to get our attention. When these prophecies are fulfilled, the evil principality of the Prince of Persia will be replaced with the Everlasting Throne of Yeshua, and He will reign forever! Amen!

What's in Your Back-Pack?

The original dream God gave me is now probably over a year old. This week He caused me to re-visit it as He said, "You looked at it in the natural. You didn't get it. Look again, through the lens of My Holy Spirit."

In the dream I was in a prison camp, wearing a drab uniform with a number on it. Many of us were milling around in this forested camp, surrounded by a high, impenetrable wall. Suddenly I heard my name blaring over the loudspeaker, summoning me to the front gate. There I found a tall, stately man whom I did not recognize, speaking with a prison guard. The guard informed me this man had papers that could release me if I wanted to go with him. I asked for a couple of moments to "think." I was given three minutes to make my decision, and in this time I prayed and asked the Lord if I should go with this man. He responded, "Yes, I sent him. Go with him."

I returned to the front gate after quickly retrieving the back-pack I had come into the camp with. This pack was all I had when I came in. The tall man who came for me inquired if there were four very specific things inside my pack, insisting that I would need them on my journey. He asked,

"Where is your poncho?"

"Where is your knife?"

"Where is your passport?"

"Where is your silver?"

I answered each question according to where this item really was in my home or car. The man gently but firmly admonished me, "You should have had these four things with you."

Immediately after that I woke up, and for the past year I have continued to think of these things as literal, physical things I should have in my immediate possession. But this week the Lord must have shaken his head in exasperation, and said, "Poor child, she did not understand the meaning of the dream." By His grace, He explained:

"The poncho represents your covering. You will not survive without Yeshua as your covering. He is your Head and your authority. You must go or speak under His authority. Your knife is the "Sword" of My Word. You must have it deposited deeply in your heart and your mind, able to recall it for wisdom, discernment and warfare whenever you need it. Your silver symbolizes righteousness. Righteousness means 'doing the right thing.' Always have your silver with you, meaning you are clothed in Christ, living and moving in His righteousness. And finally, your passport. Ah, dear child, your passport is the white stone with your new name written on it. If you are to escape the camps of the wicked and move through the traps of the enemy, you must have the white stone as your passport. It is your faith in Me, trusting that I am able to deliver you. You are marked as My own."

How foolish I was to think the Holy One of Israel wanted me traveling with a back-pack in which I would store a rain poncho, a knife, a passport, and some silver coins! How much more powerfully He speaks to us than we can sometimes understand! Now I will daily search the "back-pack" of my mind and heart: Do I have His covering, His authority, His Word, His Righteousness, and His deliverance fully manifested in my spirit and in my life? If so, I have nothing to fear. I am ready to go with the man at the gate.

Modern Parables

I have just returned from the national conference of the Messianic Israel Alliance. It was a profoundly blessed week with a big "family" gathered from around the country. We were greatly edified by wonderful teaching and anointed worship. And the Lord spoke to me there in parables, teaching me patience and perseverance!

When I first arrived to set up my table for books and CDs, I noted that once again my table was a far distance from the main marketplace. For the past few years at this conference there has been a large hall filled with tables for resources and merchandise, and my table has been down a separate hallway, far from the traffic. This year my table (along with three others) was actually on a floor above the marketplace, barely noticeable to shoppers! For the first couple of nights I sat and waited, hoping that some people would find their way upstairs. I thought about going to the staff and asking to have my table moved, but just as I entertained that thought, Father spoke to me in Scripture (Luke 14:8-11):
"When someone invites you to a feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I received this caution from Father in my heart, and knew I must remain hidden and humble. But on the final day of the conference, a staff person came to me and said, "Kelly, we are sorry you've been way up here, separated from the others. Please, we want to move your table to a better place!" Isn't God good?! How He loves to test us and see if we will obey; and if we do, He always responds as a loving Father.

I also want to share with you a dream I had last night (after arriving back home) and what the Lord spoke to me when I awoke. I feel led to share it because I sense there are others who need this word:
In this dream I was driving my car down a busy highway. Suddenly a blanket flew across my windshield, entirely obstructing my vision. My knuckles were white and my heart in a panic as I continued to drive blindly, crying out to God to help me steer. The blanket flailed in the wind, but remained stuck to my windshield, and I remembered wondering if the road was taking a turn in any direction, and where the traffic was around me! Suddenly, the blanket mercifully flew off and I could clearly see a stop sign just ahead of me where pedestrians were crossing. I was able to come to a complete stop without hurting anyone, and I sat there, utterly amazed. Then I heard the Voice of my Father:
"You are going about blindly right now, unsure of what is ahead. I am well able to steer your course. Do not panic, do not fear! Do not stop driving. Keep moving forward and when you need to turn to the right or the left, or make a sudden stop, I will remove the hindrances just in time. You will be given direction on a need-to-know basis, so do not try to get ahead of Me. All things will be made clear - just in time!

Three-Alarm Warning!

An article from MSNBC News today states:

"Thousands of skywatchers on Easter Island cheered as a total solar eclipse darkened South Pacific skies for four precious minutes on Sunday.
Easter Island, famed for the monumental "moai" statues built thousands of years ago by the Polynesian Rapa Nui culture, served as ground zero for the event, which was streamed across the world via the Internet. The eclipse could be seen in person only along a narrow slice of the Southern Hemisphere. The spectacle began at sunrise, 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) northeast of New Zealand. The moon's shadow swept across the South Pacific, darkening skies over the Cook Islands, Easter Island and parts of southern Chile and Argentina."

What this article does not tell us is that in Hebraic understanding, solar eclipses represent judgment of the nations. Lunar eclipses have always been interpreted by the sages and rabbis as warnings to Israel, but solar eclipses have long been understood to be a warning to the Gentile nations. Therefore, you might imagine what was quickened in my spirit as I read this article about today's eclipse overshadowing Easter Island! The word "Easter" is actually a version of the name "Ishtar" or "Ashtoreth," the Babylonian goddess of sex and fertility. The statues shown in this picture, overshadowed by the solar eclipse, are ancient monuments built to the gods and goddesses of Babylonian origin. Also very thought-provoking is the fact that the original Polynesian name for Easter Island was "Te pito o te henua," which means "the end of the world of the living"!!

The other thing this article does not tell us is that this is the third consecutive solar eclipse to fall exactly on the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Av. Total solar eclipses occurred also on the first of Av in 2008 and in 2009. Does that seem like a coincidence to you? If you know anything about the month of Av in Jewish history, of course you know this is no coincidence, but the Mighty Hand of Yahweh, who is sounding a "three-alarm warning" to the nations who have rejected him and chosen to worship other gods! The above article does tell us that this particular solar eclipse was centered over an island littered with idols and statues to pagan gods, a veritable "Ground Zero of the end of the world of the living!"

Jeremiah 2:11-13:

Has a nation ever changed its gods?

(Yet, they are not gods at all).

But my people have exchanged my Glory for worthless idols.

Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror," declares YHVH.

My people have committed two sins;

They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

The heavens are indeed displaying God's warning signs against the nations who have, throughout history, caused untold suffering and attempted to completely annihilate the Jewish people from the face of the earth. The tribes were kept from entering the Promised Land on the 9th of Av, when the ten spies brought back a negative report. The people wept. Subsequently, on the 9th of Av in 586 BC, Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, who worshiped their Babylonian gods, and the Jewish people were taken into a 70-year captivity. The destruction of the second Temple also occurred on the 9th of Av in 70 AD, which began the 1,931 year exile of the scattered Jews. If this were not bad enough, the following events also occurred on the 9th of Av (or in the period between 17 Tammuz and 9 Av: Roman destruction of the Temple Mount, the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 AD, the pagan temple of Jupiter (or Marduk, the Babylonian god) dedicated on the Temple Mount, the dedicating of the Al Aksa Mosque and Dome of the Rock by the Muslims, the First Crusade by Pope Urban II in 1290, the Spanish Inquisitions, which expelled all the Jews from Spain in1492, and the Krystalnacht of the Holocaust and deportation of Jews into the Nazi death camps on 9th of Av, 1942. I even witnessed with my own eyes the expulsion of the Jews from their homes in Gaza on the 9th of Av in 2005!

Let us fast and pray alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters during this critical time. Pray for PM Benjamin Netanyahu, that he would receive the wisdom and counsel of the Holy One of Israel. Pray that he would stop turning to earthly rulers for peace and safety, rather than to God. Pray for mercy for the United States as our President continues to try to pressure Israel into dividing up God's Land and the City where He has put His Name.

Finally, as we contemplate the meaning of a total solar eclipse over the pagan Easter Islands, let each of us examine our own hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to show us any darkness lurking there that needs to be brought into the light and cleansed. Expose the "gods" to whom we give more time and worship than we give to You, O Lord! Give us ears to hear your warning sounds, and eyes to see the Truth proclaimed in the heavens. Have mercy upon us, O God, according to Your unfailing love, according to Your great compassion. When we reach the "end of the world of the living," may we continue to live and give you praise in Your Eternal Kingdom, through the grace of Yeshua our Redeemer!

Amen.

Steady the Knees That Give Way

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,
he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

This Scripture from Isaiah chapter 35 was given to me when I first awakened this morning. And then I heard the Spirit tell me to send it out to all of you. There are difficult days ahead. They will be days that will shake the faith of many, and will cause some to approach you for help or for understanding. The above Scripture is our instruction for those days. In the strength imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, we are to strengthen feeble hands all around us. In the faith produced by staying on our own knees in prayer, we are to steady the knees that give way.

When you need encouragement go encourage others. When you feel fearful, go and speak faith to those who are fearful. Tell them about our Righteous King who is coming soon to save His people. Tell them He is a Person, not a religion! Through your steadying of others, you will be steadied. Through your strengthening of others, you will be strong. By living out the Pure Gospel of Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ), and His love, the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Preach the Gospel...use words only if necessary!
Shalom!

What if He Answers No?

In my last post I tried to offer reassurance that the Creator of the Universe is indeed interested in the small things in your life - and delights in your asking, so that He might answer you. But what if His answer is no? And what if your prayer was not for something as small as a mowed lawn? What if it was to save a life, and He still answered no?

I'm having to ponder this question today. After losing one dear friend who was in my own fellowship, just a few short weeks ago, this past week we lost another. In both cases there had been vast amounts of prayer being lifted to the Father, and great faith in believing that He would do a healing miracle. Also in this past week I was joining my prayers with others in Kansas for a young woman with a newborn baby. Together we believed God would keep her from death, but He said no to our prayers and she died.

After all your many prayers over little baby Gemma on Thursday (and we thank you for them), the doctor came out to say that it had not worked. "A more complicated procedure is going to be needed in about two months when her bones are stronger," he told us.

What is going on? As I spent this Shabbat morning with the Holy Spirit, asking Him this question, I believe He showed me. First I heard in my spirit, "It is a season of testing - a season like Job went through. Will you still trust God even when He doesn't answer the way you expected?" I thought about that ancient, righteous man of the Bible named Job. In his case Satan made a bet with God that when things went bad for Job, he would curse God and turn away from Him. God agreed to this test of Job's heart; and when Job had suffered the loss of his wife, his children, his wealth, and his own health, he still proclaimed of his God, "He gives and takes away. Blessed be the Name of YHVH."

That is the song we sang at our dear friend Don's memorial service. What else would we sing? The test is of our hearts, to see if we will still give our Holy God all the praise, worship, and honor that He is due. He is sovereign and His will is perfect. We just don't always understand it! And I have come to feel that we haven't really understood death as healing either. Sometimes I think we pray so hard for healing in this life because we have so little understanding of the perfect life that awaits us. Yet, in Psalm 139 the LORD makes it so clear that there is nowhere - absolutely nowhere - we can flee from His Presence; not even the grave!

Last Erev Shabbat our little group went to camp out on the eastern Colorado plains, despite the fact that I had begged them all not to go. There were tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings over our area! But when I phoned people to warn them, each one of them said, "We're going ahead." I asked the Father, "What should I do?" He clearly said, "Go with them: you will be teaching the children to trust Me." Sure enough, in a few hours the sky turned black, and then a very strange, eerie "white wall" of cloud surfaced and turned in our direction, moving at a fast pace. We cranked up my emergency radio and heard clear warnings to get into a safe place of shelter. A tornado was headed straight for us!

We grabbed all the little children and ran for the three-sided picnic shelter. Some of them were frightened, but all the adults were very calm. In that small shelter we huddled together and we begin to sing worship songs that gave praise and glory to Yeshua. Then we all held hands and commanded the tornado to dissipate and move away. While we sang and praised, a big hailstorm beat down all around us, but in a very short time the storm moved away, and the sun came out! The children experienced what it was like to trust God to keep us safe, even in the midst of the storm. And yet sometimes His way of keeping us safe is to remove us from this earth, bringing us into perfect shalom, where there is no more crying or disease or pain. Sometimes that is His healing - and prayers that we felt He denied, He actually answered with His perfect mercy and love.

We are in a season of testing. Let us pray this psalm until we really begin to understand what the Holy Spirit is imparting to our hearts. I set these words to music many years ago - and now I am hearing the Spirit instruct me to "resurrect" that song and begin to sing it again. No matter how He answers us, He does not abandon us! His Right Hand holds us - and his "Right Hand" is Yeshua!

Psalm 139:7-10:

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your Presence?

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

If I make my bed in the grave, You are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

If I settle by the far side of the sea,

Even there Your hand will guide me,

Your Right Hand will hold me fast.

Planted in the Heart of a Man

How interested do you really think God is in the small details of your life? How much attention do you feel He pays to your prayers, spoken or unspoken? Let me tell you a story that hopefully will reassure you of the Most High God's abiding interest in the smallest detail of your life - and His joy in answering the most "insignificant" prayer.

I was feeling utterly overwhelmed. Because our fellowship, David's Tent, was sponsoring a Retreat weekend, I had company coming to stay in my home. I worked a very long day on Friday and then shopped for groceries to be certain I could provide lots of good meals for them. My eye caught sight of my overgrown lawn and all the high weeds around the house. I knew there would be no time to do anything about it.

On Saturday morning my dear friend David came and we spent several hours in the Word, collaborating on what we would teach. By afternoon my company arrived and the weekend was in full gear. We walked outside and I felt so embarrassed by my unsightly lawn. We climbed into separate cars and I let out a desperate cry to the Lord for help: "Abba, where are the men? I need help with my lawn! There is no time, Father! Would you plant it in the heart of a man to help me? I just can't do it all by myself!"

Sunday was our Retreat. It was a truly blessed day in the Lord. We spent many hours feeding on his Word and also enjoyed a picnic in the park together. Then Monday rolled around and I had invited a man from our fellowship to join myself and my company for dinner on Monday evening. When he arrived he walked out with me to my shed to get the charcoal and lighter fluid. Halfway through the overgrown yard, he stopped and looked at me as if totally perplexed. "What's the matter?" I asked him. "I'm just remembering this dream I had," he mused. "I was sleeping in my chair just before I came over and I dreamed that I was mowing your lawn!"

My heart stopped. I remembered my cry to the Father, "Would you plant it in the heart of a man to help me?" God had given this man a dream in response to my prayer. It was incredible! I wondered if he would just laugh it off; but instead, he urgently asked me, "Where's your lawn mower?" I tried to tell him he could wait until morning when it was cooler, but there was no stopping him. The dream had indeed planted it in his heart to do this for me, and before we sat down to enjoy our steaks, my lawn was cut and trimmed and looking like a well-manicured garden!

Is the King of the Universe really interested in something as small as getting your lawn mowed? Test Him! He is your Abba - your Daddy. He knows your needs before you ask - but He takes great delight in your asking.

Casting our Lot With Israel

I imagine those on my e-list are familiar with the Gaza-bound flotilla incident in Israel this past week - and also familiar with the smear tactics used by the worldwide media to "demonize" Israel and distort the truth. This is not a new story. In fact, it is a very old story. As Solomon so often said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Israel has always and will always be singled out as the nation that has no right to defend itself. We must remember that the prince of the world hates the God of Israel and the people who are in covenant with Him.

In this week's Torah portion we read again the story of the 12 spies being sent into the Promised Land to bring back a report. We know that 10 spies bring a terribly negative report, filled with fear, lacking all trust in their God. But two men display a "different spirit." Two men - Joshua and Caleb (interestingly one from Judah and one from Ephraim) - look at the Land through spiritual eyes, not worldly eyes. They see what the other 10 men could not see! They see the Beautiful Land that was promised to their forefathers - they see the future of a people belonging to God. Why could they see it and the other ten could not? I believe it is because these two faithful men valued their inheritance. They believed their Covenant-keeping God would surely conquer the "giants in the Land" and defeat all their enemies. He had promised them this - and they believed Him.

Here is what Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute in Jerusalem had to say in making a thought-provoking comparison of this story from Numbers 13-14 and this past week's flotilla incident in Israel:
"When God subsequently tells Moses that the entire generation will die in the desert due to their faint-hearted response, save Joshua and Caleb, it wasn't intended as a reward for the two, but in recognition that only they possessed the very faith and the courage necessary to inherit the land. This week's episode of the terror flotilla that set sail for Gaza has afforded all the world's illustrious notables yet another opportunity to cynically and shamelessly trash Israel. Precisely today, when the entire world is clamoring to slander the nation of Israel, and speak ill of the land of Israel, and behave disparagingly toward the God of Israel, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to take a stand and speak boldly and forcefully, as did Joshua and Caleb, on behalf of the people, the land and the God of Israel. Only those that make their voices heard now, and cast their lot with Israel will make their mark in history, and likewise be noted by God, that they too, like His servant Caleb, are 'possessed by another spirit,' worthy of God's deliverance."

Amen! Shabbat Shalom!

Be Still

Once in a while I like to get out The Message version of the Bible and just enjoy the creative translation. This morning I spent some time there in Psalm 46. What a meaningful Psalm for our time! Let these words wrap around your heart and speak to your anxious soul:


Psalm 46 (The Message)

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.

God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
breaks all the weapons across his knee.

"Step out of the traffic!
Take a long, loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything."
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Loved one, have you been wrestling with God? Have you been wondering where he is in the midst of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and oil spills? Have you wondered if He's asleep while our nation seems to be crumbling?

Jacob wrestled with Him too, all night long - and what Jacob learned from that experience is that God fights FOR us - not against us. He wrestles us out of our flesh and our self-preservation and into that place of quiet Trust. He may not stop that flood or tornado, but He is in the midst of it. He is there to help us pick up the pieces, to learn the lessons of what matters in this life, to let go of possessions and things, and grab hold of His marvelous shalom, His unending love.

"Step out of the traffic," He says, "and take a long, loving look at Me, your High God - above politics, above everything!" Oh, Father, how good it is to remember that You are sovereign and above all the corrupted politics of our world and above all the failed economies and currencies. We can take a deep breath and calmly say to others as Peter and John said, "Gold and silver have I none, but I will give you what I do have: come and meet Yeshua, the One who gives Life and sustains it, the One who sleeps in the boat in perfect peace, in the middle of a great storm, the One who commands the Angel armies, the One who wrestles with us in the night and then puts His great, loving arms around us in the morning and dries our tears.

Step out of the traffic and the TV. Take a long, loving look at Him, your High God.

Be still and know that He is God.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

A Jubilee Heart

The Torah parsha this past week from Leviticus 25 is all about the Jubilee year:
"Count off seven sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the shofar sounded everywhere on the 10th day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the shofar throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property."

The LORD offers specific principles in this chapter that show what I am calling His "Jubilee Heart." We are told that a Jubilee year is a time of setting free all servants and cancelling all debts. It is a time of liberty from all bondage. It is a time of returning to one's own clan. It is a time of redemption: land is redeemed and returned to its original families, servants are redeemed and free to return also to their families. Do you hear God's heart? RESTORATION. REUNIFICATION. LIBERTY!

It is also a faith test. If the Israelites were not allowed to plant in a Jubilee year (even as they were commanded every 7 years in a Sabbatical year), what would they eat? How would they earn income? How would they survive? YHVH answers them clearly in Leviticus 25:20-22: "You may ask, 'What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest crops?' I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in."

History of Ancient Israel shows that the people did not faithfully keep these commands. They displayed an alarming lack of faith that YHVH really would give them a three-year blessing of harvest in the sixth year. In fact, in modern-day Israel during the last sabbatical year, I read that many Israeli farmers hired Arab workers to plant the fields for them so they wouldn't be doing the work, but would still produce the crops and receive the income!

Such a lack of trust we humans exhibit when it comes right down to our livelihoods and wellbeing. YHVH provided a double portion of manna every single Friday for the Israelites so they did not have to gather on Shabbats! His provision never failed, and they always had enough. Why do we not believe that He will do it again, and still feel that we have to rely always on our own strength and power?

Yeshua went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as we are told in Luke 4:16-21: "...on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the LORD is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

What is this "year of the Lord's favor" of which Yeshua spoke? I think it is not so much a "what" but a "who"! Of course He is referring to a Jubilee Year. As we see from the Scriptures above, the Jubilee Year does indeed represent freedom, release, and redemption. But the passages in Luke go on to say, "Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The Scripture was fulfilled in their hearing because YESHUA IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE JUBILEE YEAR! HE is freedom. HE is redemption. HE is recovery of sight. HE is the Restorer of families. HE owns the Deed to the Land. HE is the good news! And all eyes in the synagogue were fastened on Him. Perhaps this has been the problem: the eyes of God's people have not been fastened on Yeshua. Hebrews 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Yeshua, author and perfecter of our faith..."

In the days ahead, will you trust Him when there are no crops in the field or no dollars in the bank? Let us purpose to keep our eyes fixed on the One who is our Jubilee. He is in the process of restoring families, opening blind eyes, and setting captives free. He will keep His Word. He has a Jubilee Heart!

The Family of God

I am moved by Asher Intrater's blog today. Asher is one of several leaders of Messianic communities in Israel. Today's blog is entitled "An Acts Two Congregation." I was struck by the fact that he is writing from Israel much the same thing I have been writing here in Colorado. That is an encouragement, to realize that the God of Israel is calling believers from here to Jerusalem to return to the model in Scripture for our gatherings. Asher writes, "The re-establishment of a Messianic community in Jerusalem is part of God's purpose in these end times as we approach Yeshua's return to Jerusalem." How thrilling to think about the Jewish people whose eyes are being opened to their Messiah, and who are preparing for His return right at their doorstep!

Asher mentions several things they have been convicted to follow as they form communities. For me, his most profound and important statement was this: "How much Jewish tradition to be included in our congregations is a hotly debated subject among Messianic Jews. People tend toward polemic reactions, totally for or against. But the biblical New Covenant view is one of balance." Amen! It is this balance we should all be seeking as we are restored to our Hebrew roots, desiring to keep the Torah, yet clinging to the blood of our Messiah Yeshua for grace and salvation.

Asher also notes that there is strong spiritual opposition to proclaiming Yeshua's name in Israel. "But He will always be the center of our message: Yeshua of Nazareth (Acts 2:22), this Yeshua whom you crucified (2:36), in the name of Yeshua (2:38)." If we keep everything focused on Him - learning to understand the culture of His time and the commandments and feast days (moedim) that He kept - and yet still invite and welcome those from all backgrounds to come learn with us, we will indeed be keeping the Acts 2 model. The Acts Two congregation started with a core of 120 local disciples; but to them were added 3,000, who were mostly immigrants, "devout men from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5).

As I have been pointing out, we need to move away from the idea of a formal "assembly or congregation," and instead become family as we see modeled in John 19:26-27 and Mark 3:33-35. A family or community does not operate with one or two people lording it over everybody else. Asher writes, "The early disciples lived their lives in complete partnership. They saw everything, material and spiritual, as a common possession. They did not 'attend an assembly,' they participated as a community, a family." I agree. A family is a group of kindred spirits, willing to share what they have, and be fully present to one another in worship, in prayer, in fellowship, in life and in death.

This past week we lost one of our own brothers at David's Tent. Don and his wife Sandy are greatly loved by us all. But Don suffered a massive stroke a little over a week ago, and all our lives have been impacted by this sudden tragedy. Like all families in such a situation, we all wanted to know what we could do to help while Don lay unconscious in a hospital room and Sandy sat at his side. As it turns out, all she needed was for some of us to sit beside her - and all of us to pray for them. It was a blessing to be a part of Don's holy journey to be with the LORD. He left us last night to receive his Sabbath Rest. We rejoice for him and grieve with Sandy. We are a family.

While Messianic Jewish congregations in Israel are learning to operate in covenantal relationships, we should be too. As we look toward Messiah's return, we must be about the work of restoration with our brother Judah. This means creating the balance of Spirit and Truth (Holy Spirit Power and Torah) that Yeshua spoke to us about in John 4:23. These are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks! As Asher notes, "We must learn to trust one another, communicate with one another, confront sin in love, submit to authority, and commit ourselves to long-term relationships." Imagine if we really did this! I could envision an end to all the disputes, divisions, and discord. I could peer into the future and see the Family of Yahweh streaming into the Kingdom through the 12 gates on which are written the names of the 12 tribes of Israel (Rev. 21:12). A family once divided - now restored as one again!

The Summary of the Torah

It has been quite a while since I have written a blog. Life has become rather hectic, filled with challenges and many onslaughts from the enemy, seeking to distract me and disrupt the shalom that is found only in Yeshua, our Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace). But despite all his attempts to create chaos around me, I am marveling at the fulfillment of the Torah I am witnessing in my own small fellowship we call David's Tent. We meet twice a month to celebrate Shabbats, to worship together, to pray together, to break bread together, and to fellowship. Sounds pretty much like the description of the early church in the book of Acts, doesn't it? The amazing thing is that I am seeing it lived out.

When one family needed to make a local move, others arrived to help. One drove a big meat truck borrowed from his company, filled with the family's belongings. Others came to unload and put everything in its place. Two people brought furniture from their own homes to fill a need. One brought blackberry bushes and strawberry plants to begin the back yard garden. This week tragedy struck in our little family. A precious husband suffered a massive stroke last Friday and is still in very critical condition in a Denver ICU. We are praying in one accord. We are sitting with his wife, just to be there. We are believing for a miracle.

Why am I sharing all this? Because through all this God is returning us to the simple Truth that Yeshua taught: the fulfillment of the Torah is LOVE. As I travel and teach among Messianic congregations, I have begun to see that simple truth disappear in favor of seeking for knowledge. When all emphasis is put on studying the Torah, seeking after the latest "cutting-edge teaching," filling our lives with CDs and DVDs from the best-known teachers, it seems that we stop seeking the Author of the Torah. And when we stop seeking Him - Yeshua, our Messiah and our God - we fall into the same trap the Pharisees fell into. We find ourselves going further and further into the teachings and traditions of men. This in turn has led many to deny Yeshua, or at least deny that He is equally God.

I have spent the last two weeks dealing with this heresy with quite a few sisters and brothers of the faith. In the process of showing them the fullness of who Yeshua (Jesus) is through the Scriptures, something became painfully obvious to me. The lie that Satan is spreading through the camp is not creative or new. It is the same old lie he fed to Adam and Eve in the Garden: "you shall not surely die; you shall become like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). Yes, the corrupted seed from the Tree of Good and Evil is still alive in our world today, and I am aghast at how many are swallowing it. Let us examine our hearts, beloved. Are we searching for knowledge for the sake of knowledge? Or, are we searching for knowledge in order that we might know Yeshua more deeply and intimately? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the motive of your heart. The apostle Paul writes, "Knowlege puffs up; but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Two weeks ago when I was interceding and asking God to help me turn these people back to Truth, I received an e-mail from a sister in the Church who had no idea what I was working through. She said she had just had a dream that she was walking up to a table upon which was a loaf of challah bread. She reached out to take a piece of the bread when she noticed it was full of tiny pockets. Suddenly she saw little green tree frogs climbing out of the pockets and heard a Voice yell, "Don't eat this bread!" She awoke startled and asked, "Father, what is it?" The Spirit spoke to her, "Send this dream to Kelly. It is for her."

You can imagine how powerfully this dream spoke to my heart. Father sent it through someone completely unrelated, in order to show me that the dream is a genuine warning from the Holy Spirit. I recognized the little frogs as the evil spirits that climb out of the mouths of the false prophet and the beast in Revelation 16:3. The message was crystal clear: "Do not eat the bread of demons!"

I am praying that as you read this your heart will be moved to take a deep breath of life-giving Shalom from the Holy Spirit, and purpose to return to the summary of the Torah as given to us by the One who is the Torah Incarnate: Yeshua. He said, "Love YHVH your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Torah and all the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).

Never Let It Happen Again

Dear friends,
A lot is going on in the spiritual realm over Israel (as well as in the physical!) A couple of days ago Israelis paused from everything they were doing and remembered the victims of the Holocaust, as sirens blared across the nation. Today they celebrated Israel's Independence Day, and remembered their rebirth as a nation. And we have to wonder: as the Jewish people paused to remember all those whose lives ended in the ashes of the death camps' ovens, was the Holy One of Israel raining down His tears in the volcanic ashes over Europe?

Here is a prayer update that came today from Glory of Zion. I hope it will bless you as you continue to pray for the Jewish people. May we never forget what happened in the Holocaust - and may we never let it happen again!

PRAYER UPDATE FROM ISRAEL (APRIL 19, 2010)
1. REBORN ISRAEL TURNS 62-A YEAR FOR TAKING A TURN.
" 'Nahamu, nahamu ami,' yomer Eloheikhem.'-'You comfort, You comfort My people,' says your God'" (Isaiah 40:1).
"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them" (Psalm 44:3).
Yesterday (Sunday) evening at 8:00 the sirens sounded to begin the day when Israel pauses to pay tribute to the 22,682 of her sons and daughters who have fallen as soldiers or victims of terror. Since last Memorial Day 111 Israeli soldiers have been killed. It is a day taken very seriously in this tiny nation where sixty two years have seen six wars interspersed with almost continual hostilities both within and on our borders. Yet at sundown this evening the country turns out into the streets to celebrate Israel's independence and birth as a renewed nation. It is an unusual juxtaposition-grief and sorrow followed by celebration. As one man bereaved of a brother shared with a HaAretz reporter, "On Independence Day our family celebrates with all the more conviction because of the memorial ceremonies the day before, which take so much from us, both psychologically and physically. On a personal level, I find the connection hard. On a national level, I think it's important. That's also what I tell my children: Without sacrifices, there would have been no independence; and without independence, there could be no memorial."
So, on 20 April Israel turns 62. Our population stands at 7,587,000, 75.7% of which is Jewish, 20.4% Arab (this is excluding the contested territories of Judea and Samaria). In some ways we are weak-our territory uncertain, our government precarious, our relationship with other nations not strong. And yet, in God's grace our economy has held steady as others have foundered, and we continue to be cutting-edge in the high-tech and medical fields of the world. Morally and spiritually we are in large part diseased and feeble-yet an awakening is taking place as a tiny indigenous Messianic Body of Messiah is coming into notice in the schools, in the workplace, in the Government and in the military. This past year has seen an unprecedented acknowledgment of and in many cases accurate description of Messianic Judaism (i.e. Jews who believe in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah, Saviour and Lord) in the mainstream Israeli media. Two years ago most Israelis were unaware of its existence.
The number 62, written in the ancient Hebrew alphabetical numbering system happens to actually spell a word-Sav (samech-vet). Sav is a verb form meaning "encircled, went around; turned around; gyrated, spun."
As Israel memorializes her dead and enters into her 62nd year, feeling "encircled" more than ever by hostility without, may this be the year for a "turn around" within! Isaiah 62 portrays an intercessory charge regarding that turnaround which the Holy Spirit releases to many willing to stand with her-"until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns"-until she be "called by a new name"-until she "shall no longer be termed Forsaken nor her land be termed Desolate"-until "He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

Nourisher of Your Old Age

At the end of the book of Ruth is a marvelous passage that speaks deeply to my heart - and perhaps also to yours, if you have the blessing of grandchildren in your life:
"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and nourisher of your old age..."

This little boy, Naomi's grandson, became Jesse's father and King David's grandfather. And we know that King David's line would eventually include Messiah Yeshua. What a blessing indeed!

I was pondering all that as I stayed with three of my grandchildren for the past four days and nights while their parents were away. They are restorers of life to me. They are sweet and funny and fill my heart with joy. I spent some one-on-one time with my nine-year-old grandson Jackson last Friday because he was sick. We had the day together, snuggling and talking. At one point he was telling me, "Nana, when I grow up I'm going to live on a big ranch out in the country." I marveled, "Wow, if you do, and you let me live with you on your ranch, I'll clean your mansion and cook your meals!" His huge, deep brown eyes looked up at me with such honor and he said, "Oh no. You will always be my Nana - not my maid."

The next day he felt better and we went to the Family Dollar Store before picking up his sisters. I spotted a little tabletop charcoal grill for $14.00 and bought it to replace the old rusted-out yucky one sitting on my back deck. When we got back home, Jackson brought the grill in and immediately began to assemble it, using his dad's screwdriver and figuring out all the assembly instructions himself. I was amazed - I can't do that! But he said, "I wanted to put your new grill together for you, and then if you'll give me the old one I can scrub it up and use it in my back yard." Wow. I'm his Nana, not his maid.

My grandchildren restore life to me and it seems I can look forward to them nourishing me in my old age. Blessed be the LORD who has not left me without a close relative - in fact, blessed be the LORD who has graced my life with ELEVEN grandchildren!

I wonder if one day one of them may be famous in Israel? Smile.

The Kingdom Cup

I hope you all had a blessed Passover - and a joyful Feast of Firstfruits. Our Messiah Yeshua has risen and He is the firstfruits of the dead! We await His coming again in glory - and because we are still waiting, we did not drink that fourth cup at our Passover celebration.

As I was putting together our Seder, I began to look more closely at the four cups and the promises they represent. It all comes from Exodus 6:6-8: "I am YHVH and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves, and I will redeem you with My outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people and I will be your God." From these four promises that YHVH gave to His people Israel, the four cups of the Seder were adopted and every year we gratefully drink from these cups. But this year I began to look at them more closely.

1. "I will bring you out from Egypt" - the cup of Sanctification

2. "I will free you with mighty acts of judgment" - the cup of Judgment

3. "I will redeem you" - the cup of Redemption

4. "I will take you" - the Kingdom cup

He set apart a people for Himself, and He continues to sanctify His people. Today we may not live in Egypt, but we do live in the world, a type of Egypt. We are still in the process of having "Egypt" taken out of us! And just as God freed the Israelites with mighty acts of judgment, so He continues to do today. Every single time our nation has come against Israel by pushing the division of her land, we have suffered great judgments in hurricanes, earthquakes or stock market collapses. I will never forget in 2005 when I was living in Jerusalem and the forced eviction of Jews in the Gaza took place. Ten thousand Jews were put into the streets of Israel, homeless. Three days later, Katrina hit the gulf coast of the U.S. and hundreds of thousands of Americans wandered the streets, homeless. God caused His "Outstretched Arm" (Yeshua) to redeem the Israelites, and as the blood of the Passover lamb painted upon Jewish doorways protected them from death, so the sinless blood of Yeshua, our Passover Lamb, saves us from dying in our sin.

In Matthew 26:26-28 we read about Yeshua sharing that last Passover Seder with his disciples. Verse 26 begins with, "While they were eating, Yeshua took bread, gave thanks... and then verse 27 begins with, "Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to them..." We know that this cup Yeshua gave His disciples - the one He called "My blood of the New Covenant" - was the third cup, the cup of Redemption. The third cup is the one that is drunk during the Passover meal, and we see that the disciples were eating. And of course it makes perfect sense that Yeshua calls this third cup "His blood of the New Covenant" for it is our Redemption from the wages of sin and death.

But what about that fourth cup? In Matthew 26:29 Yeshua says, "I tell you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father's kingdom." The Spirit quickened to me that Yeshua refused the fourth cup! Why? It is not yet time to drink it. The Passover is not yet completely fulfilled! The fourth cup is called the Kingdom Cup - and Yeshua promises to drink it with us when He is with us in His kingdom in Jerusalem! I believe that is why Paul says, "Our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us...therefore let us keep the festival!" We are to keep this feast throughout all generations, from that first generation that ate it in haste before their deliverance through the Sea of Reeds, to the Day of His Coming, when He will "take us" into the Land and we will lift that Kingdom cup with our King, and celebrate our final deliverance from "Egypt"!

All I can say to that is what the Jewish people have been saying for thousands of generations:

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!