DoorKeeper Ministries

The Right Arm of the LORD

2012-02-01T09:59:00.002-07:00

We are on a journey - a three-week journey of visiting and meeting each other's family across Alabama and Georgia. Going from house to house, sharing meals, conversations, and memories with children and grandchildren, one thing became blatantly apparent: we all have broken places inside from childhood wounds or failed expectations. Driving across endless miles of highway under cloudy Georgia skies, I prayed over our children and heard the LORD speak: "The key to healing these wounds and mending these broken relationships is forgiveness. Seventy times seven you must forgive - and this represents a perfect, unbroken cycle of willingness to forgive blame and hurt and give it all up to Me. Stuck in shame, rejection and abandonment, the wounded child cannot move forward in spiritual growth. It is only when you stop looking to people for approval, happiness and comfort - and look to ME," says the Lord, "that you will find healing for your souls and release from the bondages that are holding you back."

I woke up in the middle of the night just after all our visits, and my right arm was in terrible, throbbing pain. There was no explanation; I had not injured it or lifted anything heavy, yet the pain would not be quieted so I could sleep. I arose and went to the bathroom, looking for some oil that would soothe muscles, and then as I lay back down in the bed, I sought the Lord for the spiritual meaning of this pain in my arm, and the Spirit said to me, "Find the Scriptures that speak about My arm. Through My Word you will get the answers." It was Isaiah 51 where the answers were profoundly quickened to me. In Hebraic thought the "right arm of the LORD" is the Messiah, Yeshua. Isaiah 51 is a passage written by Yeshua to His people - and it is written to each of us today, to strengthen us and help us to stop depending upon PEOPLE to save us from all the pain that life has dealt us.
"Listen to Me, My people; and give ear to Me, O My nation; for the Torah will proceed from Me, and I will make My justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation (Yeshua) has gone forth, and My Arm they will trust. Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My Torah: Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their revilings. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; but MY righteousness will be forever, and MY salvation (Yeshua) from generation to generation. I am the LORD your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared - the LORD of Hosts (Adonai Tzava'ot) is His Name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the Shadow of My Hand..." (Isa. 51:4-5, 7-8, 15-16)

Picture it! Picture yourself in the great and mighty Arms of Adonai Tzava'ot, the LORD of Hosts, who delivered His people from Pharaoh, and who delivers you even now from the memories that hold you in bondage. Imagine it - little you, standing under the Shadow of His enormous, protective Hand! Perhaps there is still a "Pharaoh" in your life, holding you down in a place of darkness and shame - then if someone comes alongside you, to support and help you, but it stirs up your Pharaoh's hard heart against you, do not be afraid! Remember these words of the Lord: "My righteousness is near, my salvation has gone forth, and My arm you can trust. I have covered you with the shadow of My hand." His arm is strong enough to carry you; His hand is big enough to shelter you; His heart is loving enough to keep you.

Resolved to Remember

2012-01-11T11:23:00.005-07:00

Even though the Hebrew calendar did not change years this month, the Gregorian calendar, by which our society turns, did change; and we entered a year that is forecasted to have even more tumult and natural disasters than last year. I do not ever begin January with resolutions. Rather, I begin it with introspection - asking the Lord to show me places in me that need to change, and asking the Holy Spirit to give me grace and courage to follow through.

This month He is speaking to me about the sharing of the bread and the cup (known in the Church as communion, and in Messianic thought as Kiddush). I know that on Shabbats the Jewish people bless the bread and the wine, and offer thanksgivings to the Creator of the Universe for His provision. This is a good thing! But is that all that the bread and wine are to mean to us? In preparing a study of this for my congregation this week, I spent quite a number of hours in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, where Paul admonishes the church of Corinth for partaking in the bread and wine "unworthily." In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 he says, " Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."

I am to examine myself before I enter this intimate, holy moment with the Lord, and remember what He did for me when He hung on the tree. Will I find myself worthy of it? Absolutely not! For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23). To examine myself and see if I am worthy to receive His grace leads me into a place of false humility and reverse pride. I would hang my head and say to my brothers and sisters, "I cannot do this for I have sinned and am not worthy." Surely this is not what Paul meant! I believe he meant that we should examine ourselves to be sure that we have a right attitude. Are we taking this lightly as if it meant nothing to us? Are we unrepentant of our sins, and harboring unforgiveness against someone? It is a "heart condition" the Lord is looking at, and I believe it is a "heart condition" about which Paul speaks to the Corinthians. There were people who were shoving ahead of others to get bread and wine because they hadn't eaten at home. Is that all this is - a little "meal to tide us over" until we get to the supermarket and get some more food?

Let's consider it spiritually, and ask: "Is that all this is - a little ritual we go through, without remembering and giving thanks for the Bread of Life Who nourishes us, and His Blood that heals and restores us?"

To be sure, I am examining my own heart on this issue, and I have come up with even more of a conviction to stop before I do this, and do what the Master asked me to do: REMEMBER HIM. And in the remembering, I am humbled, blessed, and put in my right place as a servant of the King, and a recipient of grace.

The King of Rome or the King of Israel?

2011-12-29T07:28:00.003-07:00

Recently an article appeared in Prophecy News Watch that arrested my attention. The article is entitled, "The Vatican Wants to Lay Its Hands on Jerusalem." We can go back in history and easily discover that Jerusalem has been the target and prize conquest of many ancient cultures and religions. I suppose what is happening right now concerning the Vatican should not surprise us; but even though it is not surprising, it is heart-wrenching because we know how the Father feels about Jerusalem, His City. In His own words, He tells us, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there" (1 Kings 9:3), and “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever" (1 Kings 21:7).

The eyes and heart of God are set upon Jerusalem, the City where He put His Name, and the place where He established the worship of His people, the tribes of Israel. The Catholic Pope of Rome is greatly confused about the heritage and ownership of this City. The following are direct quotes from this article:
"Peace negotiations in the Middle East must tackle the issue of the status of the holy sites of Jerusalem," Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Vatican's Council for Interreligious Dialogue, declared several days ago in Rome. The Vatican's former foreign minister asked to place some Israeli holy places under Vatican authority, alluding to the Cenacle on Mount Zion and the garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The first site also houses what is referred to as King David's Tomb. Vatican officials are now reiterating their demand for control over the religious sites in the ancient and holy city founded by King David as the capital of ancient Israel and now the capital of the reestablished Jewish state. The Vatican's former archbishop in Jerusalem, Michael Sabbah, just promoted an appeal to the European Union and United States to "stop the Hebraization of Jerusalem."

Stop the Hebraization of Jerusalem? So, Jerusalem is not a Hebraic place? It is not the place where God Himself instructed the Hebrews to build a Temple to worship Him? Was King David the King of Rome or the King of Israel?

Satan is the author of confusion!

Please remain in prayer for the Jewish people. Age after age, century after century, their rightful inheritance has been stolen from them. That ancient serpent, the devil, has one goal and one goal only: to wipe out the race of people from whom the Seed, the Messiah, would come! And he knows his days to accomplish this are short. He attempted to complete his mission through Antiochus Epiphanes, through the Roman emperor Titus, through the evil ruler Hitler, and other anti-Messiah types, but he has not yet won that battle. And so he persists today, through the diabolical plans of Islamic rulers and the greed of the Vatican. One final anti-Messiah will soon rise on the scene and sit in a re-built Jewish temple, declaring Himself to be God (see 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

We are on the cusp of another great war today, I believe. But we do not fear or tremble; we know that Jerusalem belongs to the King of the Universe, and He will come again to rule the nations from Jerusalem. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem - to do this is to pray for His soon return. He speaks to us from the pages of His revelation to the Apostle John: "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem...!" (Revelation 3:11-12). Hallelujah!

(To read the entire article mentioned, you can click on this link):
http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2011/December17/1724.html

Crossing the Jabbok River

2011-12-09T08:02:00.002-07:00

In this week's Torah portion, in Genesis chapter 32, we see Jacob finally leaving Laban and his years of servitude, in order to journey on and meet his brother, Esau. On his way, angels meet and encourage him. What a picture this is of our own faith journey through the mixtures and difficulties of this world! When we finally decide to completely leave behind our old, selfish flesh nature (known in Hebrew as the Olam Hazeh - eating from the Tree of Good and Evil), we arrive at the River Jabbok. Will we have enough strength to cross? We will need angels to meet us there and encourage us!

In Hebrew the word Jabbok (pronounced Yabbok) means "to empty, to pour out." This is the process we must go through - just as Jacob did - in order to take on the new, heavenly nature (Olam Haba - eating from the Tree of Life)! Jacob had to get another man's blessing (Esau), work for another man (Laban), tend his sheep, and do hard labor for 20 years before he was free to take his family and set out on his own. This long time speaks of our own long journeys through the snares of this world. Jacob would not fully enter into the heavenly realm until he had an ultimate encounter with his Creator and wrestled with Him until he came to the end of himself. This struggle leaves him with a mark (a limp) - but it also changes his name!

What is this crossing of the Jabbok? It is not just our salvation - that is only step one! It is the separating out of the old flesh nature from the new heavenly nature. It is our process of sanctification and regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh).

Who has become fully holy, born again and set-apart at the moment he accepted Yeshua as Lord? Genesis 12:1-3 and 17:23 make it clear to us that Abraham was uncircumcised when he received the Covenant from God! The circumcision of both his flesh and his heart still had to be walked out. He was still an old wineskin, needing to be tested and tried in the fire, and then filled with new wine (anointing) from the Ruach (see Matthew 9:16-17). Old wineskins cannot be filled with new wine!

Jacob sent over all his possessions before crossing the Jabbok River, the place of self-emptying. This shows that he realized that all his strength, all his possessions and wealth, and his own good name were not enough to save him! Alone and empty in the wilderness, he wrestles with a man until daybreak. We know this man is Yeshua - God in the flesh. When we are in the wilderness, and God begins to deal with us, we have three options:
1) Stand still (no forward movement, resulting in spiritual death
2) Turn back (back to Egypt, back to the world and the flesh)
3) Press through (become sanctified and delivered, entering the Olam Haba

The wilderness is our place of circumcision, the place where God's promise comes to pass in each of us: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. " (Ezekiel 36:26-28)

It is a one-on-one encounter with Yeshua - and in that place, He alone reveals to us our true identity as Israel - and like Jacob, we will leave that place marked by Him, and we will never walk the same again!

Yeshua's Hands

2011-11-26T12:50:00.004-07:00

"Humble yourselves before the LORD and He will lift you up in honor" - James 4:10

Thanksgiving blessings to all my readers! I pray it has been a weekend of gathering with family and friends and counting the many blessings that are yours in Yeshua our Messiah.

For me, the last couple of weeks have indeed been filled with great blessings as the Lord taught me more about humility than I have ever grasped before. True, my time on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem five years ago was a profoundly humbling experience; yet, on the streets of downtown Denver and in the home of friends in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I received even deeper revelation about those whom God will be lifting up in honor!

Every year my dear friend, David Clifton, undertakes the enormous project of feeding a grand Thanksgiving dinner to Denver's homeless people. This year he was allowed space in front of the massive City/Counting Building and across from the Colorado State Capitol building. God gave great favor that day, with sunny skies and warm temps in the 60s, as we stood behind long banquet tables serving hot, roasted turkeys, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing, green bean casseroles, a delightful array of salads and an endless supply of freshly baked pies to over 11,000 people! This year many of these folks looked like your average neighbors and friends - because they are people who have fallen on extremely hard times, losing jobs and homes, not knowing where to turn, or how to keep food on their tables. I had three of my grandchildren with me and the youngest, age 7, was serving cupcakes with colorful frosting and little plastic Barbies to many young children with single moms. All day there were bands playing Christian and Gospel music on the stage behind us. I had been scheduled to sing at 3:00 pm, but other bands kept going up on stage ahead of me, and finally I was told to just keep serving food, and if they needed me, they would call me up.

Close to 5:00 p.m. the sun was setting behind us and most of the people, their bellies full, had gone on to wherever they sleep for the night. The servers had begun the clean-up process; and it was then that I was called up to the stage! I would be the last person to sing, and my 13-year-old granddaughter, Jayde, came up to sing with me. We sang songs of hope and blessing in Messiah Yeshua, and then for the first time, some of the people came right up and crowded around the stage. Most of them were men with scraggly beards and unwashed clothes. One of them had a very tiny bible in his hand and he was thrusting it up to my granddaughter, trying to ask her something. She leaned forward to hear his request: "Proverbs 20! Read Proverbs 20 to me!" Humbly, and without missing a beat, she went to the microphone and began to read: "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise." She paused after these words, and we watched as at least a dozen or more single men came closer to the stage to hear her words. I recognized the look of alcoholism on their faces - that long-drawn look, with sunken, hopeless eyes. How humbling to watch my granddaughter read these words of wisdom to these men! We had been called up last - to sing for just a very few - but in the Kingdom of God, the first shall be last and the last shall be first!

Then John and I flew off to Canada where we spent a week with our precious friends, Myles and Theresa in Winnipeg. Theresa is a quadriplegic, having been left paralyzed by a brain-stem stroke after the birth of her 2nd son, 27 years ago. I am helping to edit the book she is writing of her faith journey; and her husband, Myles, is helping me to complete some music tracks for the new CD I am preparing to record. We spent a week there and the blessings of God's creative Spirit flowed mightily throughout that household! But nothing and no one impacted me more than Theresa's care-giver, Doris. She came on certain days to cook, clean, and provide Theresa's personal care. One day before lunch I sat at the kitchen table while Theresa instructed Doris on the preparations for our lunch. "Put 2 quarts of water into the pot. Turn the stove on high. Add a pinch of salt. Chop...stir...turn down the stove..." Doris followed every instruction silently and obediently, and I thought I detected a quiet joy in her spirit. But I could not understand it. When we finished eating, Theresa asked how we liked her meal, and I was quite surprised. I thought to myself, "She didn't make this meal. Doris did! Now she is going to take credit for it?"

I lay in bed that night pondering what I had observed and I asked the Spirit to help me understand what I had witnessed. In my spirit I heard Him explain, "Doris is Theresa's hands. She decreases so that Theresa might increase and still be able to do those things she most loves in her home: cooking, sewing, organizing, keeping house. Doris becomes invisible so that Theresa can have hands again." I marveled at this. It was a humility I have not encountered before! Then the Spirit spoke again: "When a man who has led crusades that brought hundreds of thousands of people to salvation stands before Me at the Judgment Seat, I will not be as moved as I will when Doris stands before me. I will lift her up in highest honor in that Day!"

Doris is not just Theresa's hands, then. She is Yeshua's hands!

I know this word extended also to Myles, who has lovingly, faithfully cared for his wife throughout these 27 years, and who exemplifies the role of husband in a way I have also never seen. Theresa is a precious, vibrant, intelligent woman who today ministers over voice-activated computer to many across the globe; and who assists her husband in pastoring a Messianic congregation in their city, gathering every Shabbat for Torah study. It has been a humbling experience indeed to read and edit her astonishing story of faith; but it was an epiphany for me to discover that sometimes behind the stories of great ones are those whose hearts and hands have invisibly and humbly made it all possible.

Waiting On God

2011-11-06T07:23:00.002-07:00

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." (Psalm 62:5)

Like me, you are waiting on God for something, aren't you? Expecting something? Feeling like it is taking a long time to happen?

Psalm 62:5 really spoke to me. I looked up the Hebrew word for the word translated as "wait" in this verse. The Hebrew word is damam. Here is the full definition of the word: "literally to be dumb; to stop, to perish, cease or be cut down. To hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep silence, be still."

The fullness of this definition truly broadens the meaning of the word "wait" in this Scripture. It does not mean just hanging out and hoping God will answer us pretty soon. It is not passive. We have a part in this kind of waiting - and our part is not twiddling our thumbs or tapping our fingers impatiently! Our part is to "keep silent. To keep our peace. To be cut down."

That doesn't sound like much fun - and it's not! This kind of waiting is the kind that requires the sacrificing of our own desires, the cutting down of our flesh. It requires that we not be talking all the time, but rather listening. It requires that we keep our shalom, even when we are beginning to feel impatient or frustrated. It is a total trusting of the One who longs to give us the desires of our hearts - but will not until He has worked out every detail according to His very best plan for our lives, until we are so dead-to-self that He can be sure we will give only HIM the glory!

Damam. Help me to wait on You, O God, with this damam, this silent, still, peaceful, yielded waiting...

I sense it will be worth the wait! The Lord is bringing forth people who have completely yielded to Him, gone through the fire of self-death, and learned to wait upon Him. This kind of waiting brings forth that which is beautiful, lasting, and worth having.

A Time of Job Testing

2011-11-02T03:29:00.002-06:00

I have been hearing the Spirit say, "My people are entering a time of Job testing." Indeed, I see this being manifested in the lives of many righteous people who seek to keep God's commands and usher in His Kingdom. The testings are not the same for any two people - they appear to be "tailor-made" to test that to which we tightly grip, and do not want to relinquish. "Will you let go?" the Spirit asks. "Will you lay your Isaac on the altar by faith, and worship Me in the midst of your testing?"

When God asked Abraham to take his beloved son, Isaac, up the mountain and literally slay him as a sacrifice, we see the word "worship" in this scenario and we are stunned. What was Abraham's sacrifice? It was his willingness to let go of that which he cherished most. It was his righteous prioritizing, placing God above all else. It was his obedience! His great faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob somehow convinced him that God would restore his son to him in the end, as he proclaimed, "The lad and I will go over there and worship and then WE will return to you!" (Genesis 22:5)

Job sat in the dirt, miserably scratching his body sores with shattered pottery pieces; and in the midst of his loss of wife, children, livestock, wealth, and property, he worshiped God and boldly prophesied, "I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand upon the earth!" (Job 19:25)

The days ahead of us will require this kind of bold and sure faith. We must be focused on the glorious in-breaking of the Kingdom of God, instead of the demise of the world and its collapsing economies. The tests of obedience are coming into the lives of God's people, to see how we will respond. Will we praise Him in the midst of great loss? Can we trust Him when we don't understand His purpose? Will we obey when it means great personal sacrifice?

Several of my dearest friends are going through such tests even today. One couple has just lost their home and all that they hold dear. Their response has been resounding worship, saying to God, "We do not understand, but we trust You. Now that we are free of material things, show us how we can serve You." Another dear friend is facing a "death sentence" from melanoma. Her doctors told her she has three to four months to live. Her response? "I believe I am going to be one of God's great miracles. But whether I live or whether I die I want to bring Him great glory in the process!"

To these and many others of you who are going through great tests and trials, I offer encouragement. God restored to Job all that he lost, and more. The obedience brought the blessing. The refusal to follow his wife's suggestion when she told him, "Curse God and die," brought renewed hope, life, and prosperity. Recalling my own great tests of losing husband, ministry, and home, and then going to Jerusalem to experience a total "flesh-death," I can joyfully say, "After death there is always a resurrection for those who follow Messiah Yeshua!"

In the midst of our testing, may we be able to testify as Job did: "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed His steps; I have kept to His way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of His lips. I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread." Job 23:10-12

New Beginnings!

2011-10-19T07:03:00.007-06:00

Today is the 8th and final day of the celebration of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. I recall the two times I was blessed to celebrate this feast in Israel. The gaily decorated sukkahs (temporary dwellings, or booths) around the city of Jerusalem gladdened my heart, and the festive atmosphere was contagious. No matter how dismal the real circumstances are around us, Sukkot is a time of joyful anticipation. This season is both a reminder and a prophecy. It causes us to look back and recall a time when our ancestors dwelt in tents in the wilderness and the LORD cared for them with manna for food, fire at night for warmth and protection, a cloud by day to shield them from the sun. What a loving Father He was over His children! And so He is today. In the midst of collapsing economies, threats of nuclear war and joblessness, the season of Sukkot sets our eyes on the Kingdom yet to come - the Bridegroom returning for His Bride, to take her into His sukkah (His Chamber) for the glorious Wedding Supper. Then He will dwell with us forever; His Kingdom shall have no end!

This morning I am pondering the blessing that on the 20th John and I will celebrate 8 years of marriage, as we celebrate the 8th day of Sukkot! The number 8 in Hebraic understanding means "new beginnings." How appropriate! We begin anew to read from the Torah in Genesis Chapter 1; and we sense many new beginnings in our young marriage as the LORD continues to teach us to keep on His path and follow His ways. We turned our back porch into a sukkah, covered in grape vines from my back yard, and decorated with banners and flowers. We put a mattress on the floor and slept there for a few nights until the rain moved in! Watching the moon cross the sky during the night was a beautiful reminder of His care over us, and the steadfastness of His cycles.

Tomorrow we will celebrate the great feast day known as Simchat Torah (joy of the Torah). I know many in the Church still do not yet understand why we take such joy in the cyclical reading of the Torah each year, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. Keren Hannah writes, "The conclusion of the annual Torah reading cycle at this time and the immediate beginning of the cycle for the next year is the central reason and focus of the holiday of Simchat Torah. An old gate is closing and a new one is opening. We celebrate the new beginning and the opportunity to step forward into another year of relationship with our Father, the Giver and Source of Life, and into continuing growth in knowledge of His Word and thereby of Himself. We can lift our hearts and rejoice and sing with the Psalmist:
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things in Your Torah.
Your testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors. …Give me understanding, that I may keep Your Torah and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.
The sum of Your Word is truth; and every one of Your righteous ordinances endures for ever… my heart stands in awe of Your words.I rejoice at Your Word, like one who finds great treasure.” (Psalm 119:18, 24, 34-35,160-162)

Whatever your circumstance today, find joy in the blessings of God's Word, and His never-failing love and care over you!

A Burden of Grief

2011-10-06T11:26:00.005-06:00

I awoke suddenly. The digital alarm clock read 11:38. Was I having a dream? No, I could not recall anything from a dream. Then, what was this aching grief in my heart? My heart felt so heavy that I desperately cried out in the night, "Father, what is it?" Silence. A deepening of the grief. Then tears - a cascade of tears - silently falling across my face and melting on my shoulders. By now John was awakened. "Has something happened?" I asked in a barely audible voice. He told me nothing had happened. Yet I knew there was a foreboding in my spirit and the tears would not stop.

When morning came, sunlight blissfully streaming through my window, I could hear the school busses passing by and I knew it was just another day with children going to school, parents going to work, and birds chirping gaily in my back yard. But the ache was still there. So I began to pray, "Lord, I take authority over this feeling of deep grief and pain." In the quiet of my kitchen the Lord answered me, "You do not need to take authority over it. It is a burden of grief that I am asking you to bear for My people in the days ahead. Stand in the gap for them."

Instantly I understood. The last time the Lord asked me to bear a burden of grief and intercession for His people was five years ago. I did not understand the burden, even as I do not fully understand it now; but it came into full view the day I arrived in Jerusalem and the Jews were expelled from their own homes in the Gaza. As in the days of the Holocaust, they were being dragged from their homes and left to fend for themselves and their children on the streets. My grief was in full force that day, and through tears and prayer I tried to help carry theirs.

What is just ahead, that I should be bearing a burden again? Perhaps it is related to the season we are in - a time when the Jewish people have suffered wars, persecution and much devastaion. It is a time so holy that Satan's rage is always stirred up against God's people. Yom Kippur -the holiest day of God's calendar - will descend upon us when the sun goes down this Friday evening. As Aaron, the High Priest of ancient Israel, entered the Holy of Holies with a sacrifice to make atonement for himself, his family, the tabernacle, and all Israel - so Yeshua, our High Priest, presented His blood to Yahweh to make atonement for all His children.

It is good for us to take some time before Yom Kippur to ask the Lord to examine our hearts and minds, exposing the dark places. Yes, it is true that Yeshua made an atonement by His blood offering once and for all - but should we not continue to offer Him our sacrifices of repentance, turning from the ways we have disobeyed and ignored Him and His commands? Yes, I believe we should. As individuals, as spouses, as families, and as a nation, I believe we should. Our tears of repentance, our willingness to intercede for our Jewish brothers and sisters, and our teshuva (return) to the LORD, our Great High Priest, will produce lasting fruit in the Kingdom.

"How much more then will the blood of Messiah, who through the Ruach L'Olam (Eternal Spirit) offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the Living Elohim!" (Hebrews 9:14)

Those Are My Children!

2011-09-29T09:12:00.004-06:00

For nearly an hour and a half we scanned the skies last night, looking for the new moon. Together with visiting friends from Montana we stood at the edge of a local onion field, shofars in our hands, a great expectancy filling our hearts. We had been told it might be visible for a very brief window in time. We must have looked foolish - to the world! We waited and watched, waited and watched. "Was that it?" No, it was a plane! "How about that little spot of light?" No, it's not a crescent.

Though we never did spot it last night, several friends in our congregation did. And in my heart I felt that what pleased God last night was not whether or not we found the new moon, but that we joyfully, expectantly went to search for it. I imagined Him looking down on the four of us at the edge of the onion field, scanning the skies, and saying (with a broad grin on His Face), "Look there! Look at those little ones, searching for the signs I place in the sky! Those are my children!" It is obedience that brings the blessing!

Because the new moon was observed in the sky last night by some, we know that it ushered in the first day of the month Tishrei, and the Feast of Yom Teruah (the day of blowing). Our group will gather tonight at a lake in Loveland to celebrate, and to again search for the tiny crescent of moon and sound the shofar. It is an important feast, which will one day be fulfilled by the sound of the Seventh Trumpet, announcing the Return of our Messiah King! But in the meantime, we will observe and meditate upon the deeper meaning of these "days of awe" which precede Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These are the ten days in which we are to examine our hearts and ask God to reveal to us the bitterness, unforgiveness, and sin that is contaminating our hearts and our lives. We are to spend these days in a deep repentance, and search out those whom we have offended, asking forgiveness. Tonight we will write these offenses on stones, and cast them into the lake - which our Father calls the "sea of forgetfulness." He promises that once we have repented, He will remember them no more! What a merciful, compassionate God we serve! In these ten days we offer ourselves - our souls and bodies - as living sacrifices unto Him (Romans 12:1) and the Scripture says "this is our act of worship."

As we walk through (rehearse) these prophetic Feasts of the LORD this fall, we proclaim ourselves to be in Covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - a remnant of His inheritance! We are His children and He is our God (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

As we blow the shofar, joyfully anticipating His return and throwing our stones into the water, let us pray:

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea!" (Micah 7:18-19)

Thank You, Father. What an indescribable blessing to know that we are part of the remnant of your inheritance, grafted in by the atoning Blood of Messiah Yeshua!

Walking in Rhythm

2011-09-16T05:38:00.002-06:00

The fall feasts are nearly upon us. Perhaps many of you still wonder why I am observing them. What motivates one's heart to abandon the western/pagan holidays and to begin keeping the Feasts of the LORD? The last word there is the key! These are not the "Jewish feasts," nor the "feasts of Israel" These are the feasts of the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. My heart is motivated not by trying to earn points with God (much less trying to earn my salvation), but by the blessings that come from obedience to His Word. It is a heart issue! Where the holidays of my youth might have remained an emotional tie to happy memories, I soon found that it is not MY heart that matters - it is God's heart! And God is calling all His people in this hour to get on HIS calendar, in order to see, know and understand what He is doing in the earth.

Once on His calendar the rhythm of our lives begins to beat with His rhythm. Now we are on His cycle, celebrating each new moon as a gift of another month, and looking forward to each feast as a rehearsal for all that we will one day experience in His kingdom. The new moon that will usher in Yom Teruah (the day of blowing the shofar) is nearly here, expected on the evening of September 28. In the month prior to this (the Hebrew month of Elul) we become aware of times of testing. This is a time period of examining our hearts and making ourselves fully ready for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when we will fall down before the Living God and submit ourselves to a time of deep repentance, that we might be cleansed and restored.

This process is actually illustrated in Torah in Leviticus and Deuteronomy by learning what our God calls clean and unclean, holy and profane. We are to stop being double-minded (James 4:7-8). Yeshua (Jesus) warned that he would rather we be either "hot or cold," as he hates a "lukewarm" person (Rev. 3:14-16)! He says he will spit lukewarmness out of his mouth! I believe He is saying that He hates mixture - a little holiness, a little profanity, all mixed together - what difference does it make?

Let's take a look at what God says: "You shall not sow your vineyard with a second kind of seed, else the crop from the seed you have sown and the yield of the vineyard may not be used. You shall not plow with an ox and an ass together. You shall not wear cloth combining wool and linen." (Deut. 22:9-11). Because most of us are not farmers, not spending our days sowing or plowing with oxen and donkeys - and because most of us are walking around wearing clothes made of many fabric blends, we cannot identify with this. What is God saying to us today? Consider that SEEDS can represent people. He is saying, "Don't be teamed with those who do not love the LORD, for what do the people of God have in common with the people of sin? How can light live with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14). The mixed team of oxen and donkey spiritually speaks to us of our associations with people. Who are you teamed with? Are they people who can build up and edify your life in Messiah, or those who will distract you and lead you astray from the faith?

And what about this mixed clothing? How can we apply this principle in our modern time? I believe this can spiritually represent contamination in our own hearts and lives. Consider the process of contaminated clothing in Leviticus 13:53-56: "If the priest sees that the stain has not spread in the garment, or anything made of skin, he shall give orders for the stained material to be washed, and then he shall put it aside for another seven days. After it has been washed the priest shall examine the stain; if it has not changed its appearance, although it has not spread, it is unclean and you shall destroy it by fire, whether the rot is on the right side or the wrong. If the priest examines it and finds the stain faded after being washed, he shall tear it out of the garment. If, however, the stain reappears in the garment, it is breaking out afresh and you shall destroy by fire whatever is stained. If you wash the garment or anything of skin and the stain disappears, it shall be washed a second time and then it shall be ritually clean."

It is a picture of our hearts, my friends. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and give me a new and steadfast spirit. Wash away all my guilt and cleanse me from my sin," prays King David in Psalm 51. In the Leviticus passage we glean the marvelous news that when our High Priest Yeshua examines our hearts, He washes the stain - and if the stain persists, He allows us to go through the fire in order to teach us how to live a clean and blessed life. In fact, He tears that part right out! And then when our stains are washed clean and disappear, but we fall a second time, He is able to wash us clean again!" This is the marvelous news of the atoning blood of Messiah Yeshua!

As we grow up into Him, the Spirit fills us with a desire to understand the difference between life and death, clean and unclean, so that we can walk in the fullness of His blessings! Keeping His Sabbaths and Feast Days will help us remain in God's blessings, power and authority. Getting rid of the mixtures in our daily lives and in our worship will make us hot for Him, not lukewarm! Getting on His calendar draws us ever nearer to His heart. Can you hear the shofar call about to be sounded throughout the earth? Look for the new moon and anticipate all the blessings of having Him dwell with you in your tent during the Feast of Tabernacles! We are rehearsing His moedim (His appointed times) in order to be ready for the Kingdom yet to come...

Lights and Phones and Comets, oh my!

2011-08-25T19:39:00.005-06:00

The Lord spoke to me through a parable today. This morning John's cell phone was stuck in silent mode and would not ring. We both know how to set the ring volume, but neither of us could make it work. It remained silent and as a result he missed several important calls. Nothing we tried would work, so we laid the phone aside and muttered that we would have to locate a 5th grader to show us how to fix it! Suddenly this evening the phone rang and we just stared at each other. How did it get fixed? No one had touched it!

I went into the kitchen to make dinner and my kitchen light would not come on. We tried turning it on and turning it off several times, but to no avail. I left the switch on, but began cooking in the dim, fading light from the window. Suddenly, as I was setting the dinner plates on the table, the light came on. No one had touched it! Incredulous, John asked, "What is going on?" It came to me immediately: "It's a parable. The Lord is saying to us, 'For the revelation waits for the appointed time. It speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it, it will come and will not delay.'" (Habakkuk 2:3)

Our Father delights to rescue us! He led the Israelites to the edge of the sea with the Egyptian army right behind them, the situation seemingly hopeless. And then He rescues them with a miracle, in order that HE might get all the glory! I am convinced that He loves this more than anything - allowing His children to come to the end of their abilities and self-sufficiencies so that He can rescue them and receive the glory. As things grow more and more difficult in these "end times" and the painful birth pangs increase in intensity, our God is calling us to WAIT on Him and trust Him for our deliverance. Unable to make the cell phone ring or the kitchen light come on, HE came in His own timing, and did not delay! It is in these small ways that the Spirit speaks to us and brings encouragement and understanding.

In the midst of all these recent earthquakes and the impending impact of Hurricane Irene, I've been studying the effects of a comet named Elenin. According to the most knowledgeable NASA scientists, the alignment of Elenin with several other planets (as well as sun and moon) has clearly caused the intensity of earthquakes and volcanoes to rise significantly in the past couple of years. Now in the coming months of September and October - not surprisingly near and on the Feast of Yom Teruah (the Blowing of Trumpets) and the Feast of Tabernacles - Elenin will be perfectly aligned within the constellation Virgo with the sun, the moon, Venus and Saturn, to perfectly fulfill the vision in Revelation 12:

"A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet and 12 stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that he might devour the child as soon as he was born."

I strongly encourage you to watch the video from this web link, if you can. It is only about 15 minutes long, and it will astonish and bless you! This vision given to the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos about 2000 years ago will appear in the heavens in our day, and ON the day that will be fulfilled when the Lord returns! God's Word does not return to Him void, and He watches over it to accurately perform it. Who could not believe in YHVH, the King of the Universe, the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?! For the revelation waits for the appointed time. It will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will come and will not delay!

Click here to see the video - and keep watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3DvFkY8bnA&feature=youtu.be

Wise as Serpents

2011-08-06T10:21:00.004-06:00

I had a dream a few nights ago that the Spirit has continued to interpret for me. At first it seemed somewhat disjointed, but as He has given me understanding, I see the whole picture and the message He wanted me to get. Now I feel led to pass it on, as it is something we must ALL get! Matthew 10:16: "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

In my dream John and I were leading a Shabbat service in a big park with large, green rolling hills, a couple of sheltered picnic areas and a BBQ pit. Our usual small congregation was present and we had just begun setting food out on the tables to share, when I looked over the hill and saw hundreds and hundreds of people approaching. My heart leapt with joy! In my great excitement I felt that surely the time had finally come when many would be seeking truth and would come to celebrate the Sabbath and learn of Yeshua, the Messiah. How wrong I was! In our "harmless as doves" state, we forget the Lord's caution that we must also stay fully alert and be "wise as serpents." I suppose you could say having a serpent's wisdom is to be "street-smart," aware of the wolves around you, discerning who really desires truth and who is operating in deception.

As these crowds began to swarm around our tables, we were offering food to the first few who came, and I began teaching from the Word of God. In a loud voice I was sharing verses of Scripture, feeling certain I must be fulfilling the prophecy of Amos when he said, "...there will be a famine, not for food, but for the Word of God." But the food on our tables quickly ran out and the people became angry. They mocked me and derided me, shouting, "We don't want your God! We want real food!" Some threw things at us, others just turned around and left.

Just after this my ex-husband came walking up to our congregation and bitterly scorned me, telling the people, "She is a murderer! She killed my son!" His horrifying lie and the mocking of the crowds was almost more than I could bear; and then I woke up.

Over time the Lord has spoken to me about this dream and said, "You need to be prepared for these days. Do not be so innocent as to think that all people will want to know Me and know the Truth. Narrow is the way to salvation and few will find it; this is because few will even desire it. Do not throw your pearls before swine, and do not give away food that will sustain My family to the enemy's family. Be wise. Be discerning. Listen to My Voice. For many will mock you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil things about you. But you hold fast to the faith and do not be moved. As the days grow darker, you will receive more light."

Unity Restored

2011-07-24T06:33:00.005-06:00

I really feel the strong unction of the Spirit to send out this word this morning. Our Torah portion yesterday was a good lesson from God in the importance and urgency of UNITY in all 12 tribes of Israel. This lesson in Numbers chapter 32 recounts the time just immediately prior to the tribes crossing the Jordan River and finally - after their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness - entering into the Promised Land. But the tribes of Reuben and Gad look around at the land just east of the Jordan and decide it looks like pretty good cattle-grazing land, so they go to Moses and tell him "If we have found favor in your eyes let this land be given to us as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan." I can only imagine Moses' sense of outrage and alarm. After all these years of hardship and sacrifice in the wilderness, they have finally come to their promised inheritance - and Reuben and Gad want to stop short of even entering the land, separate from their brothers, and settle down east of the Jordan! Moses' heart must have been broken over this, as he already knew that God was not going to allow him to enter the Promised Land with the people he had been leading for 40 years! He knew he was to experience death before they went in, and I feel certain he must have wanted to know that all 12 tribes would cross the Jordan in unity and receive their long-sought inheritance in the Land of milk and honey!

All througout the long journey Moses had done everything possible to preserve unity in the children of Israel, knowing that the devil always gains a foothold by sowing division among them. In Numbers 32:6-7 he challenges the Reubenites and Gadites, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the Land the LORD has given them?"

In the end a concession is made wherein these two tribes must agree to accompany their brothers across the Jordan and fight with them to conquer the land until all the tribes have been settled in their inherited territories. They do make this promise: "We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan" (Numbers 32:19). Did they speak prophetically, I wonder? We could look at modern-day Israel and clearly see that the land east of the Jordan no longer belongs to Israel, but rather is controlled by the enemies of Israel.

Our words carry power and often can determine our future. Moses was quick to avert disunity among the tribes by admonishing them to go over the river and fight together as one big family. I believe this lesson reminds us today that we must not hold onto offenses and anger against one another, but rather confront it immediately so that repentance and forgiveness can follow and unity can be restored.

Are you harboring anger against someone who has offended you in the past? Are you holding onto bitterness you have refused to deal with? Is there a wedge in your marriage or family because something has not been confronted and forgiven? Ephesians 4:26 says, "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold."

More today than ever the body of Messiah needs to take these words to heart. In the coming days we are going to need unity with one another more than we can even begin to imagine. We are going to need to fight against the devil as one strong, unified army - and this unity has to begin within our very homes. Let us not stop "short of crossing the Jordan together" - but rather desire the Promise of our inheritance enough to cross over with our fellow tribes and conquer the enemy!

The Spin Cycle

2011-07-10T22:52:00.003-06:00

A couple of months ago I wrote about the benefits of the linen garments and bedding made by my friend, Rosemary. Another good friend purchased linen sheets and wrote, "I haven't slept this well in years. And as the instructions said, the linen gets softer and softer with each washing. I thought how like us this is! The more the Lord puts us through His spin cycle, the softer we become toward Him and others."

I told her I would have to write this in a blog! It certainly resonates with my life, ever since John and I walked back down that wedding aisle, hand-in-hand. Literally across continents we have been in a virtual "spin cycle" of the Lord's doing, and through five different countries, languages, foods and currencies, we tried to keep up! Then once we got back home we went straight down to Mexico where we have been getting John's house ready to sell. Scrubbing floors and walls, painting rooms, holding yard sales, hauling trash, and fixing things that didn't work, we continued to spin until we thought we would drop of exhaustion.

In the very midst of all this activity, my mom fell ill and was hospitalized, so I returned home to spend 4 days in the hospital with her, at her bedside. She recovered from her sepsis infection and went home, and the spin cycle went into high gear as I returned to New Mexico to help John finish up. Now that we are finally just on the other side of all this whirling and washing, we look back and wonder: "Did you make us softer, Lord?" The answer is a clear yes. We could not have survived all of that without Him. We were totally dependent upon him from the mountains of Israel to the little neighborhood in Farmington, New Mexico, to my mom's hospital room. In the midst of the spin cycle He quietly worked in us to form us as a ministry team, as partners painting side by side, as lovers, as husband and wife, esteeming the other above ourselves.

Yes, it's true. Like precious linen fabric, we become softer - toward our Master and those He places in our lives for His glory.

Jerusalem Day 5771

2011-06-11T21:45:00.007-06:00

Jerusalem Day 5771: celebrating the 44th year since Israel's recapture of the city of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. This year we were there. And this year everyone said it was much more exciting than ever. Why? I believe it is because it came on the heels of President Obama's speech calling for Israel to return to the 1967 borders. This action would literally rip the city of Jerusalem right in half, giving East Jerusalem to the "Palestinians," - including the Western Wall and Temple Mount areas. As Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clearly communicated, "This is unthinkable. This will not happen!" And so on June 1 the younger generation of Israelis converged by the tens of thousands upon the city of Jerusalem for an uproariously jubilant celebration. It was as if this younger generation truly grasps the meaning and value of this city - the City of the Great King - the place where YHVH put His Name forever.

John and I were unspeakably blessed to and privileged to march through the narrow cobblestone streets of the Old City that night, from the Damascus Gate all the way to the Western Wall, singing songs and chants in Hebrew, dancing, and clapping along with all the young Israelis who proudly and joyfully waved their Israeli flags. When we reached the Western Wall there was a sea of blue stars of David, and a unified rejoicing that made our hearts soar. It felt like a foretaste of the rejoicing in the streets that will someday welcome and celebrate the return of Messiah Yeshua!

But even more incredible than all of this was the rare, even historic opportunity we had to go up on the Temple Mount that Jerusalem Day morning with Rabbi Chaim Richman, Director of the Temple Institute. Jews are not allowed up on the Temple Mount, currently controlled by the Muslims. And the last Jew they want up there is Rabbi Richman, since he is literally the man in charge of all preparations for the building of the 3rd Temple! By the grace of God we were invited to be part of this small group that got to go up to the Temple Mount with this learned and revered Rabbi (after he was detained for two hours attempting to get clearance to pass through security). It was an opportunity of a lifetime - and what I learned about the Jewish temples up there far surpassed a history lesson.

Make no mistake - according to Scripture, the 3rd temple will be rebuilt. And in our tour of the Temple Institute, we were blessed to see the menorah, the showbread stand, the bronze laver, the altar of incense, the High Priest's garments, and many other utensils and furnishings of the temple, constructed exactly according to the instructions given to Moses in the book of Exodus, and ready to be placed in the 3rd Jewish temple. But when this temple is destroyed after being desecrated by the Anti-Messiah, a 4th temple will be rebuilt for the Millennial kingdom; and it was in the description of this Temple in the 44th chapter of Ezekiel that I received such powerful revelation about what the Temple really means in the eyes and the heart of God. I'll let the Lord speak it Himself, as He spoke it to Ezekiel, His prophet: "Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make it known to them the design of the temple - its arrangement, its exits and entrances - its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple." (Ezekiel 44:10-12).

This is exactly what happened to me as Rabbi Richman took us over every part of that holy mountain and showed us where the inner court was, where the brazen altar stood, where the Holy of Holies was. My heart was overwhelmed with the holiness, the awe, the mercy of the God of Israel - and I was deeply ashamed of my sin. I wanted to fall facedown on the hard stone. I knew that above everything else my God was calling me to repent (teshuva), return to Him, and keep His instructions (His Torah), which truly is the law of the temple - and which gives me life and freedom!

As Rabbi Richman pointed out the exits and entrances, the design of the temple, it came alive for me. I understood in some deep chamber of my heart the words that God Himself proclaimed for all the generations upon the earth: "This is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever." (Ezekiel 43:7) O God, may it be so! May it be in our day!

Re-gathering the Flock

2011-05-31T09:56:00.004-06:00

"But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:3-4)

We had the great privilege of seeing these verses fulfilled before our very eyes as we spent the day helping Brian Slater (Chosen People Ministries) with his outreach to the Jewish Russian immigrants of Netanya, Israel. For a couple of hours we unpacked boxes of good, used clothing and set the garments on tables. In the kitchen two lovely Russian women of the Beit Asaph congregation were cooking soup and making salads and bread for those we would soon be serving. Then Brian arrived with his SUV loaded to the gills with fresh carrots, the most gigantic beets I have ever seen, boxes and boxes of cookies, sacks of fresh bread and big red cabbages. We carefully laid these foods, as well as tubs of hummus and some chocolate pudding cups, on tables from which the guests could pick and choose what they wanted to take.

When the doors opened, many local Russian Jews came bursting in and it was such a blessing to serve each one dinner, pour water for them, and sit down to visit with them. Yes, they had left their lives of poverty behind in Russia, but the cost of living in Israel is so tremendously high that it is extremely difficult for them to survive here as well. Yet, as the Scripture prophesies, there are a few shepherds who have a heart for these dear people whom the LORD has regathered from all the nations where He scattered them. Brian is such a shepherd, and he works tirelessly all week to reach provide for the needy and reach the lost to bring them to Messiah. The pictures show one of the volunteers with a giant beet (God grows things supernaturally large in Israel!), Brian to the left of a table of guests, and myself at the keyboard. I sang worship songs in Russian while they dined, and we could tell they were greatly blessed by hearing the love of Yeshua sung in their own tongue.

We were generously blessed by the hospitality of a mother and daughter from the Beit Asaph congregtion while in Netanya. Neris is from Cuba and she and her daughter have just made aliyah to Israel. We worshiped in this congregation last Shabbat, and heard Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, English and French spoken in one service, with headsets to translate into all these languages! Surely God HAS re-gathered His people and truly is bringing them back into their folds!

Waiting in the Jaffa Gate for transportation we were struck by the many teenagers of the Israel Defense Force. Military service is mandatory for both girls and boys at the age of 18. Can you imagine going to your child's high school graduation service, only to kiss them goodbye and send them off to defend the most hated nation on earth? We encountered them everywhere, usually with AK47s or M16 machine guns strapped to their backs. We always stopped to thank them and tell them we are praying for them; here we got a picture of some of the girls, looking like any of our high school girls back home. For a mother like me, it was heart-wrenching to know what they face.

Today we had the great joy of returning from Netanya to Jerusalem and meeting up with Marty and Michael Gale and their Celebration Dance team at Jaffa Gate. One hundred thousand young people are converging upon Jerusalem today, gearing up for Jerusalem Day tomorrow (commemorating the re-capturing of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War). As Marty's dancers whirled and twirled joyfully to the Hebrew music, Israeli kids of many backgrounds were drawn to them, and began to join in the dancing. It was obvious they had never seen these dances before, and they were so very excited to be part of it! I smiled as I observed their eagerness to learn the steps and become part of the jubilation; truly this Gentile dance team was provoking the Jews to jealousy!

A young generation is rising up in Israel with a new courage and a new heart. Pray that they will be the generation to come to faith in Messiah Yeshua and usher in His return! Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

We will be winging our way home to Colorado June 4. Thank you for all your many prayers over us as we have traversed Europe and Israel. It has been a very fruitful trip.

A Fountain in Israel

2011-05-20T09:08:00.005-06:00

I mentioned in a previous blog the place in Budapest where many Jews were shot and tossed into the Danube River in December 1944. John and I walked up the river later and visited this simple, deeply stirring memorial. There they stand in the silence, on the riverbank: men's shoes, women's shoes, and the shoes of little toddlers. All I could do was weep. There were no words....

Now we have made it to Haifa, Israel, where we have spent the last four days on Mt. Carmel participating in the conference "The Sound of the Abundance of Rain." This ministry led by David & Karen Davis is multi-faceted and filled to overflowing with God's grace and favor. Together with other devoted, gifted staff members (too numerous to mention) they are truly the hands and feet of Messiah Yeshua in this Land. They are taking the Gospel to Jew and Arab alike. Their worship team is made up of Jews, Arabs, Russians, Japanese, Americans, and Germans worshiping Yeshua together on the mountain where Elijah once called down fire from heaven and proclaimed, "The LORD He is God!" They also have a women's shelter filled with women, children and babies who are refugees from Sudan. And the House of Victory, the original beginning of this ministry, is still in full force there, delivering countless men from alcohol and drug addiction. We heard so many testimonies from these men who were once hopeless, and are now serving their Savior by bringing others off the streets and helping them to find a full life in Yeshua. One young ex-Muslim man named Mohammed touched us deeply with his testimony, and his new-found love for his Jewish brothers.

We are spending hours in worship and prayer, calling forth the "one new man" of Ephesians 2, and literally seeing the fruit of these prayers lived out in Haifa. Not only are Jews and Arabs being reconciled here in the love of Messiah, but there is also a ministry of Jewish youth going into Germany, visiting the areas of the concentration camps, and offering love and forgiveness to the Germans. This ministry was introduced to us today by Eliel, a young Jewish man married to Lydia, a young German woman. Their adorable one-year-old daughter Sapir was a living testimony to the power of repentance and forgiveness!

Also yesterday the staff of this ministry went into the poorest area of Haifa and delivered food and supplies to 250 people, spreading the pure love of the Lord.

Tonight as the Shabbat settles in over this beautiful Israeli city on the Mediterranean Sea, I find myself asking God for mercy for the United States of America. Following Obama's devastating announcement that Israel and Jerusalem must be divided, and the land carved up, we can know for certain that judgment will be soon-coming just as it came in the form of Hurricane Katrina a few short days after the Jews were expelled from their own land in the Gaza. This is heavy on my heart -- but I am consoled by the great fountain of salvation and unity Yeshua is opening up in Israel. Truly we are in the days spoken of by the prophet Zechariah, and it is most amazing to be alive in these times. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM - the ONLY PEACE THERE CAN EVER BE: THE RETURN OF THE KING OF JERSUALEM!

"The LORD who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth and who forms the human spirit within a person declares, 'I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. On that day when all the nations are gathered against her I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it with injure themselves.'" (Zechariah 12:1-3)

Restoration!

2011-05-09T02:36:00.008-06:00

The message of Restoration continues unabated in Bulgaria! Yesterday we ministered first in Christian Centre Sofia, where I again had opportunity to sing my song "Two by Two" and illustrate for the people the two sticks of Ezekiel 37, becoming ONE in the Father's hand. They received this message with joy and were on their feet dancing and singing! We blessed the children under the tallit (right) and following the service both of us had opportunity to pray with the people and most of the congregation came forward for prayer. The pastor of this congregation strongly supports Israel, but now I believe they will understand how they are also a part of Israel!

When evening came we were taken across the city of Sofia to a totally different area, and ushered into a very small building where we had one of the most amazing spiritual experiences of our lives. Both of us felt we were given a rare opportunity to glimpse the Restoration work that YHVH is doing in the earth right now in our time, and it was a fulfillment of the parable in Luke 14:16-24: "Then he said to him, 'A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at suppertime to say to those who were invited, 'Come for all things are now made ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, ' I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to test them. I ask you to excuse me.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.' So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind. And the servant said to the master, 'It is done as you have commanded, and still there is room!' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house might be filled! For I say to you that none of these men who were invited shall taste my supper.'

Irena and Stefan, the precious couple who invited us to minister in their Reformed Eastern Orthodox Church, had invited about 20 people to come for the Sunday evening service and hear about the Hebrew roots of their faith. We wondered what the Lord could be doing in this small place, in a church that has been Orthodox in the past, but has a priest (pictured at right with his family) whose heart is now filled with a longing to bless the Jewish people! As the evening progressed we became more and more awed by the Presence of the Ruach (Holy Spirit) and the work that He is doing here. Many of the people originally invited did not come. So who were the 55 people John counted who did come? It turns out many were Jewish people. Some of them told me they were from Jewish families who were forced to confess Christianity in past generations. And many were literally "street people" - the homeless and the poor, the lame and those suffering with addictions. Just as in the parable, the Servant had gone into the streets and invited all who would come fill His hall, when those in the Church remained apathetic and asleep!

On the altar of this church was a lit menorah and two flags: one of Bulgaria and one of Israel. When I went to the piano to worship I sang the great old hymn "Holy, holy, holy" in English and they sang in Bulgarian. Then we sang "Kadosh" all in Hebrew and I explained to them that we were able to join in worship in ONE language because as Zeph. 3:9 tells us, "For then I will restore to the people a pure language." Those whom the Father is drawing into His hall to be made ready for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb are also learning to worship Him in His one pure Hebrew language!

When I taught this group of people they entered in with great hunger and enthsiasm and began to embrace one another in total UNITY of spirit, in one accord! The priest came forward and delivered a message of the history of the Jewish people, from their captivity in Babylon through their persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes, to the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian pogroms and the Holocaust! He called this small gathering of people to unite themselves with Judah as one family in prayer and blessing for one another. Then all came forward to share the Body and Blood of Messiah and the priest called John and me forward to lift the bread and the cup and say the Hebrew blessings! The Kabod of the LORD filled this place and when John prayed over the people at the end, we know that miracles were taking place, not only of physical healing, but also of salvation for those who did not yet know their Messiah! And in fulfillment of a prophecy that has been spoken over Bulgaria as a "healing for the nations," a Russian woman embraced me in sobs and said, "I am Russky...you are American. Hate! Hate!" And I consoled her and said, "I love you and you love me." It is a beginning!

Already our dear friend Lyubka has begun to organize a Hebrew Roots conference for youth and adults in Varna, Bulgaria for summer 20121 The foundation is being laid. We thank you for your continued prayers as we travel tomorrow to Budapest, Hungary where we will minister in three churches, spreading again the message of the Restoration of all Israel (Romans 11:25)!

Life of Victory in Bulgaria!

2011-05-05T04:55:00.007-06:00

After 18 hours of travel we reached Sofia, Bulgaria safely, but utterly exhausted. Our dear host, Lyubka, left her apartment to us and went to stay with her mother so that we could have 12 hours of quiet and uniterrupted rest. This is the gracioiusness of the Bulgarian people.

Yesterday we traveled by train from Sofia to Russe, Bulgaria, on the northern border of Bulgaria and Romania. The Life of Victory Christian Centre welcomed us with great joy and I write to you with overwhelming excitement about all that God did among the people there last night. Without a doubt I now see and understand why He brought John and myself together - to be a team of missionaries who can teach His Word, lead the people into deep worship, and intercede in the power of the Holy Spirit. I taught this congregation the Hebrew roots of their faith from the Scriptures and they received this message with great excitement. Pastor Iliawas especially thrilled to learn the true meaning of Ephesians 2:15 as the Restoration of all Israel when "the two become one!" John led a time of prayer afterward while I continued the worship music and he tells me he prayed over many with depression, diseases and curses over their families. Almost every single person in the church came forward for prayer, and the Lord God met each one and answered!

Pictured here are Pastor Ilia, Kelly, John and Lyubka. Continue to hold us in prayer as we speak to the businessmen here in Russe tonight. They are all Jewish men from Israel who have businesses in Russe. It will be an amazing time for testimony of our faith and encouragement to them that many of us pray for and stand with Israel in this troubling time. Please pray also against the threat of a third intifada in Israel on 15 May. The Palestinians and Arab peoples are organizing an uprising against Israel on this, their day of Independence. Pray Psalm 83 over Israel each day, my friends.

On Saturday we take a train back to Sofia and on Sunday we will minister in Christian Center Sofia. Monday Lyubka is going to take us to the Sofia Concert Hall for a musical concert of various Slavik artists. We are being graciously cared for in this humble, beautiful land. The people have very little, living in poor conditions left to them from the Communist era; but these churches are filled with great faith and courage and they are so hungry to learn how they are grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel! They pray for her with passion and I believe the seeds we are sowing here will spread far and wide to help stamp out anti-Semitism in this land.

Love and greetings to you all from Bulgaria!

Kelly & John

Come out! Be free!

2011-04-28T20:44:00.009-06:00

I have been astonished before by the LORD's powerful confirmations in my life, but never more than this morning!

Our contacts in Hungary informed us that a new door has opened for us to minister in a Pentecostal Church there; but our contact in Bulgaria wrote and asked for fervent prayer because it seems the door to minister in the church in Bucarest, Romania was closing.

We wrapped ourselves in a tallit early this morning and went before the LORD. We prayed powerful, mighty proclamations and prophecies over the nations of Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary where we will soon minister the love of Yeshua and teach His Truth to the churches. As we moved into the flow of the Holy Spirit, I began speaking these words over our ministry there: "Father, You have had us hidden for several years now; we have been abiding in Your Word and hiding it in our hearts. Now You have called us to go and so with joy we go to wrap Your arms of love around the people of Eastern Europe. O God, we pray that scales would fall from their eyes and their ears would open to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. We call down the strongholds of anti-Semitism and we go to teach the people to learn of their inheritance in the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and celebrate their grafting into the olive tree of Israel. Remove the stones! Raise up the highways!

Father, I believe you called John from his mother's womb and then caused him to spend all these years filling his heart and mind with your Word. Now make your Word to be like an arrow in our hands, that we can shoot into the hearts of Bulgarian, Romanian and Hungarian people! We know you have a great destiny for these nations, and You are calling out a remnant. Abba, make us to be the Light of Yeshua, dispelling darkness in these nations, beckoning the tribes of Israel to learn of their Messiah and return to worship You on Your Holy mountain!"

Then I began to sing in the Spirit and in my vision I saw John and me putting our arms around children and elderly people; and I saw some being healed and others receiving salvation for the first time. When my singing stopped and we sat in the stillness, I heard the Spirit say three times: "Now read Isaiah 49 as I AM speaking this over you for this trip." Although we know these words were originally written as prophecy about Yeshua the Messiah, God's words from this chapter echoed the words of our prayer in such exact detail that our hearts were moved to tears!

Isaiah 49:1-2, 5-6, 8-9

"Listen to me, you islands, and hear this you, distant nations: before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver....And now the LORD says - he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength. He says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth'...This is what the LORD says: 'In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' I will turn all my mountains into roads and my highways will be raised up."

What thrilling confirmation of all He is planning to do as we journey now through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and Israel! We covet your prayers - and believe that they will form a shield of protection over us. Pray that the doors for ministry in Romania will fling back open and all hindrances be removed. When next you hear from me, it will be of great testimonies of restoration and salvation!

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-11T12:28:00.006-06:00

The fact that John and I seem to continue tracking with the feasts of the LORD in our everyday lives has not ceased to amaze me! Last week he went down to his house in Farmington, New Mexico and spent four days going through all his stuff and cleaning out. It was an exhausting process of throwing out all the old, unwanted items from his past life, but holding onto that which still matters, such as childhood and family photos, books, and bibles.

In addition to getting rid of all the junk in his house, he was dealing with the damage from a swamp cooler that had busted last summer, leaving cracks in the ceiling and possibly some mildew damage.

What a picture that was of our preparation for the Passover, and the Torah portion we read this past week! It just seems like we keeping walking out in the physical what God is desiring to do within our hearts in the spiritual.

Leviticus 14:33-42: "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, 'I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.' The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days. On the seventh day the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town. He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house."

The house in these verses most certainly represents ourselves; more specifically, our hearts. As we clean out our physical houses prior to Passover, we ask the LORD to get rid of those old, unwanted things we are holding onto, such as unforgiveness and resentment against those who have hurt us, or bitterness over old wounds. These things can look like mildew in our lives, rotting away at our spirits and even bringing illness into our lives. Perhaps the "greenish or reddish depressions" upon the house with mildew is a picture of us and those places in our hearts that still harbor unforgiveness, guilt, or anger.

God says we are to get rid of all these things and ask the Priest to come in and inspect the house. Who is our High Priest? Of course, He is Yeshua (Jesus), and we are to call upon Him to send His Holy Spirit to inspect every dark corner of our hearts and do a cleansing work in us, scraping off all the walls of our hearts and dumping back into the unclean place from which it came! Only then can He rebuild us with new stones and plaster, as we see in 1 Peter 1:4-5: "As you come to Him, the Living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood..."

As we move closer to the Passover, our Redemption from bondage and darkness into the glorious Light, from slavery into freedom in Messiah, let us all be about the work of cleaning our houses from mildew and leaven. "And therefore let us keep the [Passover] Feast, not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor. 5:8).

His Hand Moves the Brush

2011-03-25T09:45:00.003-06:00

My days are consumed with learning to be a wife again. I am reminded that this is one of God's highest callings. Making two people into one flesh is always going to require more "flesh-death," more compromise, more laying down of one's own needs and wants and embracing another's. But within that process lies God's greatest victories!

This morning I received a prophetic word from Pastor Matutis in Berlin, Germany. Through him the Lord spoke, "Learn to filter out the negative. Recognize My way of handling your challenges. My wonders are hidden within your problem. My victories are hidden within your fights. My Word has the answer to all your questions. I am rounding things off and harmonizing them. Do not force anything. Do not let it stress you out. My hand moves the brush, putting the right color combination in your life. I am placing you in front of situations and challenges and helping you with the outcome."

I felt this word was speaking about the timing of my marriage. John and I are not having fights or facing great challenges in our home life. We are, like all newlyweds, learning how to please one another and set aside our own wants. But the greater message of this word from the Lord was, in my estimation, His instruction for how we are all to navigate through the treacherous days ahead of us. Watching the news on TV can be entirely negative and fill us with fear. The verses of Habakkuk 3 are being fulfilled before our very eyes: "He stood and shook the earth, He looked and nations trembled. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed (Japan). His ways are eternal! I saw the tents of Cush (Libya/Ethiopia) in distress, the dwellings of Midian (Yemen, Arab peoples) in anguish. In wrath You strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations."

Yes, the earth is shaking, the sea roaring and the nations trembling! But then Habakkuk 3:13 gives us the great, good news: "You came out to deliver your people, to save your Anointed One. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot!"

The world stage is being set for the Anti-Messiah to step up with a "solution for world peace" and the desperate nations will follow him and worship him. But we know who wins in the end! And so we filter out the negative that we hear and see - we do not stress out - we allow the Creator to move His brush in our lives, putting the right color combinations together! How blessed I am that He put John and Kelly together - (we call ourselves "Jelly!") We will continue to die to ourselves, learning to serve one another, and together to serve our King, the Anointed One, whose Kingdom has no end!

The Bride Price

2011-03-15T21:20:00.005-06:00

I promised you more stories and parables from our wedding, so here is another.

My 87-year-old father was to accompany me up the steps and present me to John, my Bridegroom, so that John could hand him a velvet bag filled with five pieces of silver, in payment of the mohar or bride price. As we rehearsed this the day before the wedding, my dad's knees became very wobbly going up those steps, and I knew he was leaning heavily on my arm, trying to steady himself so he would not fall. That evening he wrote me a note and had my sister deliver it over to me. In his note he expressed his worry about falling on the steps, and asked if I would be willing to have him walk me just to the foot of the steps so John could come down and give him the bride price there.

Little did we know the picture we were now painting, as the Bridegroom descended down to pay the price for His Bride, in order to then bring her back up to live with Him! One person wrote to me, "I was so moved watching the Bridegroom, as my Messiah, coming down those steps, as if descending down to earth, to pay the price for His Bride! Then He brought you back up the steps and into the bridal chamber to dwell with Him!"

Again, it was something unplanned. It was changed at the last moment. And yet God, in His infinite wisdom, used it to share this beautiful illustration of His love and grace toward the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb! He had to come down among us to die - so that we might one day ascend up to Jerusalem to live with Him!

1 Peter 1:18-19: "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."

Preparing the Bride

2011-03-04T19:57:00.005-07:00

Shabbat Shalom dear friends!

It is my first blog since before our wedding! I would struggle to find words to share with you the power and joy of our Kingdom wedding ceremony, but fortunately quite a few people wrote to tell me the Kingdom pictures and parables they experienced while witnessing our wedding. Little by little I want to share these revelations with you.

This week's Torah portion is centered around the mishkan, or tabernacle in the wilderness. Carl & Julie Parker's Torah commentary this week states, "If we are looking for freedom in Yahweh we need to let go of our own ways and trust in His faithfulness. In so doing, we will see Him in far deeper depths of revelation and experience the building of a tabernacle/mishkan that cannot be destroyed. May we thus enter in to such an experience of His Presence. May our pattern and building be exactly as the Children of Israel built it so long ago. May it be after the pattern of the heavenly Tabernacle that Yeshua serves in today, the bridal chamber of the bride who is getting herself ready for the return of her Bridegroom (Ezekiel 43:10-12; Hebrews 8:1-13).

Reading this certainly brought back the memory of the seven circles I took around John while he was under the chuppa. This tradition is from the ancient Jewish wedding, and it is symbolic of the bride hemming her new husband in with prayer and protection. But those witnessing our wedding saw something even more incredible as I circled John. After I had made six rotations, John thought it was seven, so he reached out for me with his outstretched arm, but I quietly shook my head and kept walking. I knew I had one more rotation yet to make. Although we did not plan this, the Father used it to illustrate some profound revelation, which we received from friends Angie and Philip. Angie wrote, "As you were circling the Groom and you came around the 6th time, John held out his hand for you to join him, BUT you had to complete one more circle before entering in...I was suddenly filled with the intense awareness of how "patient" our God is in waiting for His Bride to enter the wedding chamber with Him. And, how much He longs for us to be with HIM as He says in Matt. 23:37...how he longs to gather us, but we are not willing...and so Yeshua must "wait" until the circling/time is complete and we (the Bride) can enter in, under the Chupah! The time is coming and He is preparing His Bride...Oh how I felt HIS desire and longing for us and HIS sadness when we "are not willing". This brought tears to my eyes, as you continued your journey and the Ruach filled my spirit with HIS longing! It was intense!"

And my precious friend Philip from Kenya, who was with me at the Jerusalem House of Prayer wrote this: "One thing that stood out and painted a picture for me was during the seven circles, you kind of got playful dancing away from John in a manner that seemed to say 'You want me? come get me!' When you didn't go in, but had to make another circle around, he slammed his thigh, playfully expressing a longing and a desire for you in a manner that portrayed he just could not wait any longer! And as much as we all are eagerly waiting for Messiah's return, I can imagine how much he slams His fist on His thigh, waiting for the Father to say, 'Go get your bride, Son!' I know He is longing for me even more than I am longing for him.'"

How thrilling that in our own wedding the people saw this picture of the Heavenly Tabernacle, and the Messiah's yearning desire to bring us into the bridal chamber with Him!

Sabbath Blessings,

Kelly

God's Timing

2011-02-15T06:34:00.003-07:00

God's timing throughout my betrothal, courtship, and preparation for marriage has not ceased to amaze me! John proposed marriage to me during the Feast of Tabernacles - the time when we remember the Israelites being kept safe in the wilderness in tents. Yeshua, their would-be Bridegroom was leading them toward Mount Sinai where He would betroth them to Him forever with His Torah, giving them the ten words upon stone tablets as His "wedding ring."

Exactly seven months after meeting John, I am in a seven-day period of preparation for marriage - and I am sure it's no coincidence that this is the week that begins the feast of Purim! Israel celebrates Purim in remembrance of Esther, the Jewish girl who was made Queen of Persia, and saved her Jewish people from mass genocide by her three-day fast. Before being presented to her king/bridegroom, she was soaked in lovely oils and perfumes in preparation. I too will be in fasting and prayer this week, and spending some time preparing mind, body, and spirit for this marriage that God Himself has arranged. I am praying that our union will give God great glory, and that we will be used in the service of the King of kings, as we step forward in obedience to His call to teach in Bulgaria, Hungary and Israel. We know that Bulgaria and Hungary are places where anti-Semitism is rising greatly, and we will go in the "Esther anointing" to break those strongholds and encourage the Church to come alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters, and fast and pray for Israel!

When I awoke early this morning, I received the daily prophetic word from Marsha Burns and it certainly lined up with all that God is speaking to me. It was a beautiful, blessed confirmation of what He is doing!

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- 2/15/11:
For those who are willing to let go of past disappointments and offenses, this is a new day in which you can rediscover the power of My grace. Launch out into the depth of My love and be filled with the wonder of My work of sanctification in you. You have been in a time of preparation and are about to be released into a time of spiritual discovery and adventure that will bring restoration and renewal. You are about to be rejuvenated in ways you could not have anticipated, says the Lord. Rejoice!
Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Three Flocks - One Highway!

2011-02-08T19:19:00.004-07:00

Two blogs I have recently sent out seem to have merged together in thrilling new revelation! Not long ago I wrote about Rachel's Flocks - three flocks mentioned in Genesis 29:2. I compared these flocks to those whom Yeshua mentions in John 10:16: "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." If Yeshua is speaking of His "sheep pen" as those who believe in Him as their Lord and Messiah, then there are others whom He also intends to bring in. And last week I wrote to you about Isaiah 19, specifically the verses that speak of Egypt, Assyria and Israel, and a highway that passes between them so that they can all worship the LORD. Three flocks - three areas/nations - three parts of God's family who do not yet know Him? Are we getting some vital clues to the Restoration that is coming?

Because of a marvelously insightful article by James Goll, I certainly did see these clues, and I want to pass this revelation on to you. It is too good to miss! Mr. Goll points out that Abraham had children by three different women: Hagar, Sarah, and Keturah. Hagar was an Egyptian, Sarah an Israelite, and Keturah the mother of many sons whose descendents were scattered into Persia and Assyria (modern-day Iran, Iraq, Syria and possibly Turkey). Most of modern-day Assyria lies across the land of Iraq. You may recall from Isaiah 19 that it is written: "In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be a third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth."

When this prophecy is fulfilled, God is going to humble Egypt, and her people will cry out to Him for help because of the cruel oppression of their future rulers (Isa. 19:4). Isaiah 19:20-21 tells us, "When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will rescue them. So the LORD will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the LORD." Hallelujah! This is Hagar's family, one of the flocks at the well, coming to salvation through Messiah Yeshua! And we know God is going to accomplish this also with Sarah's children (the Jewish people), who are already coming to know their Messiah by the thousands in Israel. As Goll writes, "God is the supreme multi-tasker. He can accomplish more than one thing at a time! Biblical prophecy indicates that alongside God's gathering of the outcasts of Israel to their homeland, He is setting the stage to do a great work among all the descendants of Abraham."

It will be true also for Keturah's children. Abraham's last wife (whom he married after Sarah's death) was the mother of Midian and grandmother of Ephah and Sheba. These descendants of Abraham were scattered "to the land of the east" (see Gen. 25:6). Again, these lands to the east represent Assyria. And Keturah's children have a prophetic destiny with the Messiah as seen in Isaiah 60:6: "A multitude of camels will cover you [Israel], the young camels of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba will come; they will bring gold and frankincense and will bear good news of the praises of the LORD." This prophecy could refer to the gifts brought to the Messiah as a young child - or could refer to the future rising up of the Assyrians to worship the One True God and bring forth His praise in the earth! Or it could be dual prophecy that means both!

And so, my friends, here we see them - the three flocks of Rachel - coming together across a highway from Egypt to Assyria, through Israel, in an end-time revival that at last makes us ONE FLOCK WITH ONE SHEPHERD." Lord God, let it be in our time! Let us navigate through the fierce darkness of wars, violence, and upheaval to come with this proclamation of salvation on our lips:

"See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: all assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar and your daughters are carried on your arm. Then you will look and be radiant, and your heart will throb and swell with joy!" (Isa. 60:2-5)

Relaxing with God

2011-01-20T09:50:00.002-07:00

The prophecies pouring forth right now about the demise of America are nerve-shattering. Although it seems there has been some economic recovery and stabilization, the words of the prophets and the Word of God would say otherwise. I believe this will be a tumultuous year; and yet I also believe that for those who seek first the Kingdom of God, it will be a glorious year!

Are your worried about your 401K? Are you concerned about your job or perhaps looking for one without much success? Are you finding yourself feeling more and more nervous and anxious? This morning the Spirit of God instructed me to turn to the chapter in my book entitled Relaxing With God and re-print a piece of it here to share with you. I pray it will bring you shalom, as I describe for you the peace of God invading even a terrifying night in the Middle East:

"Road blocks were set up everywhere by police and IDF soldiers. It took us over one and a half hours to get home, a drive that would normally have taken 15 minutes. It did not take us long to figure out that everything was gearing up for the infamous "Muslim Night of Power" when the Muslims all go to the mosques to pray and then often erupt into much violence. As their feast of Ramadan draws to a close, the Muslims reach fever pitch and the Israelis brace for the outbreaks of violence. On this particular night three of us gathered together in a small prayer room with huge windows that overlooked the city below. Rifle shots rang out everywhere and there was angry shouting and people running everywhere. Women grabbed their children and herded them frantically into houses. As we began praying God's Word back to Him, He began to reveal a wondrous thing to us. He kept taking us to Scriptures speaking of the earth as His footstool and the enemy as being under His feet, such as Psalm 110:1: 'The LORD says to my LORD: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' Pretty soon one of the watchmen began exploring what posture God would be in to have His feet propped on a footstool. We began to see Him as relaxing in His recliner, and in this vision, God showed us a picture of His Rest. The Lord is not up there in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what to do about this AntiChrist spirit! He showed us another picture of Yeshua, asleep in the boat in the midst of the great storm on the Sea of Galilee. That is God's Rest - His Shalom - amidst all the violence of the earth. He showed us His feet propped up on the earth, His footstool, and reassured us that His plan of redemption and restoration is secure. The Hebrew word shalom is comprised of four Hebrew letters; and since all Hebrew letters have a meaning associated with them, the literal translation of the word shalom spells this: DESTROY THE AUTHORITY THAT ESTABLISHES CHAOS. Truly, this is the meaning of peace in the Hebraic sense. Satan is the authority that establishes chaos; but when we are walking in Yahweh's shalom, Satan is under His feet!"

SYSTEM IS RESTORED

2011-01-12T11:46:00.002-07:00

Last night a friend sent me a video and I decided to take my laptop up to bed with me so I could get comfortable and watch. The hour was late, but I wanted to see it. It turns out the video was an excellent presentation exposing much of the false doctrine in today's "Word of Faith" group. Just as the video was coming to conclusion my computer flashed, then turned totally dark and went down. I looked at the clock. It was exactly 11:00. I muttered to myself, "11:00 on 1-11-11 and my computer has shut down. What does this mean, Father?"

As you know, I'm one of many who has been seeing the number 11:11 on clocks and elsewhere for at least two years now. I have seen it much more consistently and intensely in the past few months and I have come to believe it is the Spirit's reminder of Isaiah 11:11 and His current movement in the earth to regather all of Israel from the 4 corners of the earth and restore all things.

Isaiah 11:11: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that YHVH will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people that shall remain from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Patros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamat, and from the islands of the sea." (Verse 12 goes on): "And He will set up an ensign for the nations and will assemble the dispersed of Israel and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

I tried to bring my computer back up, but the blackness remained and then suddenly a little Norton Anti-Virus banner appeared and it read "fixing...fixing...fixing...fixing."

I felt the Presence of the Spirit with me and I began to pray, "I see what you are showing me, Lord. You are doing a "fixing work" in me. Fix that which is broken in me. Fix my priorities, my attitudes and my focus. Fix my eyes upon You, Yeshua, the Author and Finisher of my faith!" Fixing...fixing...fixing. I closely watched the clock and wondered to myself, "What will happen when the clock reaches 11:11 on 1-11-11? At the very moment the clock turned to 11:11 a large prompt appeared on my screen which said, "SYSTEM IS RESTORED."

I thought of the video I had just seen. "Yes," the still, small Voice said, "I Am shaking and fixing that which is broken in the Church. Woe to the shepherds who have led my sheep astray. I Am shaking that which can be shaken, and when it is finished and the darkness becomes light again, THE SYSTEM WILL BE RESTORED to its original state."

The "fixing" begins within each of us as we are pruned and purified and made a pure, spotless Bride. We are being led away from false doctrines and returned to the pure Torah, to the ancient paths, in order to walk in righteousness. And He is regathering all His people Israel, as He promised, in order to establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem. The hour is late. It is 11:11. Are you ready?

The Land Mourns

2011-01-05T14:09:00.003-07:00

Fascinating phenomena occurring around the world yesterday and today! As you know, these things catch my attention and then I want to get on my knees and seek the Lord for what He might be saying through things that escape scientific explanation. The following article appeared today in the Huffington Post:
"Millions of dead fish surfaced in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay in the U.S., Tuesday, while similar unexplained mass fish deaths occurred across the world in Brazil and New Zealand. On Wednesday, 50 birds were found dead on a street in Sweden. The news come after recents reports of mysterious massive bird and fish deaths days prior in Arkansas and Louisiana.
The Baltimore Sun reports that an estimated 2 million fish were found dead in the Chesapeake Bay, mostly adult spot with some juvenile croakers in the mix, as well. Maryland Department of the Environment spokesperson Dawn Stoltzfus says "cold-water stress" is believed to be the culprit. She told The Sun that similar large winter fish deaths were documented in 1976 and 1980. ParanaOnline reports that 100 tons of sardines, croaker and catfish have washed up in Brazilian fishing towns since last Thursday. The cause of the deaths is unknown, with an imbalance in the environment, chemical pollution, or accidental release from a fishing boat all suggested by local officials. In New Zealand, hundreds of dead snapper fish washed up on Coromandel Peninsula beaches, many found with their eyes missing, The New Zealand Herald reports. A Department of Conservation official allegedly claims the fish were starving due to weather conditions.

"While all three events are likely unrelated, they come after recent reports of mysterious dead birds falling from the sky in both Arkansas and Louisiana. Thousands of dead birds were found in Beebe, Arkansas on New Year's Eve, and a few days later, around 500 of the same species were found 300 miles south in Louisiana. A Kentucky woman also reported finding dozens of dead birds scattered around her home. In the days prior to New Year's, nearly 100,000 fish surfaced in an Arkansas river 100 miles west of Beebe. Officials are now saying that fireworks likely caused the Arkansas bird deaths, and power lines may be to blame for the death of the birds in Louisiana. Some remain skeptical of the explanations. Dan Cristol, a biology professor and co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at the College of William & Mary, told the AP that he was hesitant to believe fireworks were to blame unless "somebody blew something into the roost, literally blowing the birds into the sky." Wednesday, officials in Sweden reported the finding of 50 dead birds on a street, suggesting that cold weather or fireworks were the likely culprit."

Fireworks? Cold water stress? Perhaps. I think it more likely that the King of the Universe is speaking as He did long ago through the prophet Hosea:
"....The Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: there is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgement of God in the land...Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying."
(Hosea 4:1,3)

I do not need to add anymore. The Lord is speaking.

Shabbat Shalom!

2011-01-01T08:12:00.007-07:00

Nine years ago this month I first went to Israel and that journey radically changed my life. A "shofar" blew in my heart, and I was awakened for the first time to my heritage in the Covenant of Abraham and my grafting in to the olive tree of God's Family, Israel. As Paul says in Romans 11:17, "...you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God's rich nourishment of His special olive tree."

So, over the past nine years I have journeyed into the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith, which took me into deep levels of understanding in the Torah, and then led me back into the fullness of the Torah, which is love (Romans 13:9-10). Throughout these years I have sat at countless tables on Erev Shabbats (Friday evenings), teaching married couples how to bless one another in the Sabbath-keeping, and observing how God works deeply in those marriages through these mutual blessings. As I have watched husbands read Proverbs 31 over their wives, extolling their virtures and character, I have silently wept. It is such a beautiful thing to witness men covering their wives, not with forced control or domination, but with sincere blessings from the Word of God!

Last night it was finally my turn! It was about 1 degree outside here in northern Colorado, and a stinging wind was blowing snow in every direction. Our Erev Shabbat gathering was cancelled because of treacherous roads. At sundown I brought two candles and a head scarf to my dining table, and John brought a small plate of bread and a glass of wine. I lit the lights in my home, inviting the Holy Spirit's Presence, and asking Yeshua to fill this home with light and life. Together we named our children and grandchildren and prayed blessings over them, including the choosing of Godly mates for each one of them. Together we shared the Body and Blood of our Messiah, proclaiming physical healing in each other's bodies, and restoration of our hearts, minds and souls. And then that precious moment came when John opened Proverbs 31 and read verses 10-31 over me. With his hand over my head, he read, "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!" And he did not just read the words...he stopped to look into my eyes and tell me how true he found these words to be of me, his betrothed! Then with equal joy and tears staining both our faces, I read Psalm 112 over him, "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments."

At last I know the joy of Shabbat in its fullness, understanding really for the first time, how much YHVH loves the union of marriage, which He created. At last I am not just the teacher or the observer, but the blessed participant in this ancient tradition of gathering at the table to pronounce mutual blessings at sundown, the beginning of a Sabbath day. Now I truly understand how couples who pray together in unity grow so much closer and deepen their relationship in a way that is otherwise not possible.

Yeshua always sat at my table as my Husband. He still does - and there is no greater love or blessing than His! Yet, I delight to share with you the gift He has now given to me, and I pray that as we draw closer and closer to the day of our wedding, John and I will remain faithful and pure before Him.

Call to Prayer!

2010-12-21T23:21:00.003-07:00

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

2010-12-20T22:55:00.004-07:00

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

2010-11-22T20:23:00.003-07:00

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

2010-11-12T11:08:00.004-07:00

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

2010-11-07T15:43:00.004-07:00

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

2010-10-24T08:25:00.006-06:00

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!

2010-10-11T06:04:00.002-06:00

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

2010-09-30T04:01:00.005-06:00

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

2010-09-22T07:54:00.002-06:00

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!

2010-09-06T12:34:00.005-06:00

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

2010-08-22T23:32:00.007-06:00

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?

2010-08-13T21:55:00.006-06:00

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

2010-08-06T19:45:00.004-06:00

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!

2010-07-11T16:24:00.006-06:00

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

2010-07-06T14:32:00.002-06:00

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?

2010-06-19T12:02:00.006-06:00

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

2010-06-09T22:29:00.005-06:00

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

2010-06-04T18:41:00.002-06:00

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

2010-05-27T07:18:00.008-06:00

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

2010-05-09T21:42:00.002-06:00

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

2010-05-03T18:15:00.003-06:00

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

2010-04-28T14:59:00.004-06:00

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

2010-04-19T22:14:00.003-06:00

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

2010-04-12T16:43:00.002-06:00

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

2010-04-05T11:39:00.002-06:00

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!

He Decided When They Should Rise and Fall

2010-03-24T10:15:00.004-06:00

For many days now I have been pondering the economic collapse of Greece. Why Greece? They are part of the European Union; one would think they would be an economically stable nation. Their history goes way back in time, even to biblical times when the vast Greek Empire ruled the known world, and thrived as a nation filled with philosophers and cutting-edge ideologies. As I thought about all this, the Lord directed me to Acts Chapter 17, where we find the Apostle Paul on a mission to the Jews and Gentiles in Greece. It is eye-opening:

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Yeshua and His resurrection, they said, 'What's this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he's picked up?' Others said, 'He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.' Then they took him to the high council of the city. 'Come and tell us about this new teaching,' they said. 'You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it's all about.' (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas).' So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: 'Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I wa walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about. He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve His needs - for He has no needs. He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need. From one Man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries.'"

Doesn't that last sentence strike a chord in your heart? With heart-piercing, conscience-pricking truth and authority, Shaul (Paul) spoke the Truth of Yahweh's sovereignty. The description of the One True God of Israel now being revealed to the people of ancient Greece would be received by some and scoffed at by others. So Paul continues in verse 30: "God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the Man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead."

How much more true this statement is today, not only for the nation of Greece, but for the whole world! In our day, the news of the Gospel of Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) has gone to the ends of the earth, and there is no more excuse. Now, more than ever, is the last days of opportunity for teshuva - the Hebrew word that means literally, turn around 180 degrees and go the other direction! Turn from worshiping unknown gods and false religions and philosophies - even those being fed by Hollywood to our children in the Hindu doctrines of the movie Avatar, and the glorified witchcraft of Harry Potter! Our kids are relishing the popular Twilight Saga books about vampires, and we even have Tiger Woods on TV telling us, "I would not have been unfaithful to my wife had I stayed in my Buddhist religion." We know that the spirit of the Greek god "Apollyon" (picture above) endures to the end of the Age, since the Antichrist is referred to as Apollyon in Revelation 9:11" "They had as king over them the Angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abbadan, and in Greek is Apollyon." Please note that the word Apollyon means Destroyer - and note that the verse revealing him is 9-11!

Those worshiping unknown gods without even realizing it need to be exposed to the Truth of the Gospel. Greece is falling for a reason: "From one Man He created all nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall..."

Oh, may we be a people that will repent and turn to Him before we too fall. "He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the Man He has appointed" - and that "Man" is YESHUA (Jesus) - the image of the invisible YHVH (Yahweh)!

Effective Faith: Belief + Obedience

2010-03-10T21:55:00.004-07:00

In my last blog titled "Birth Pains" I wrote to encourage all of you to see the earth-shaking events of today as the in-breaking Kingdom of God. My encouragement is meant to keep building up our faith, so that we can endure to the "end" as Yeshua exhorts us to do. But I was challenged when my friend Judy wrote and said, "Go to Hebrews 11 and dig a little deeper." I am never one to turn away from a challenge! So, I've been pondering the words of Hebrews 11 for several days - and I have heard the Spirit ask me, "What is required for your faith to be effective?"

Good question! Hebrews 11 is the great "Hall of Faith" chapter, recalling for us all the men and women of great faith in the Bible, and how they overcame horrendous persecution and trials by their unwavering faith. But what can we really glean from this that will make our faith as enduring and effective as theirs was?

Here is what I found as I studied this chapter:
Hebrews 11:6: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Hebrews 11:11: "By faith, Abraham, even though he was past age - and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise."

What does it take to make our faith enduring and effective, as we too approach a time of tribulation and persecution?
1. Belief
2. Obedience

We are told in verse 6 that first we must believe that God exists. That is His very Name - YHVH - which means, I AM! Then we are told that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, which is another way of saying that He desires His creation to be in relationship with Him, learning to know His Voice. Then we are told in verse 8 that we must be obedient to do what He tells us, even if it makes no sense to us. And finally, in verse 11 we are reminded that Abraham's faith was made complete because he believed the promise.

The way I see it, belief = Spirit because we are only able to believe by faith, through the power of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit); and obedience = Truth because Torah is Truth, and when we are obedient to Torah, we are keeping the faith. So, if this is true, and we have both the Spirit (belief) and Truth (obedience), then we are the worshipers Yeshua said the Father is seeking (John 4:23). And as true, obedient worshipers of YHVH, the Holy One of Israel, we join together with Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the ancient ones of faith, in believing the promise.

What promise? The promise of the Covenant God made with Abraham; the promise that all people on earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3), because through his seed would come the Messiah. And in the conclusion of Hebrews 11, vss 39-40, we are told, "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

What? Abraham and Moses are not made perfect until you and I endure to the end?! No. To be sure, Abraham and Moses and many others from the Tanakh had their own encounters with the living Messiah Yeshua! And the redemptive, atoning work of the Cross reaches both backward and forward in time to keep all those who believed in YHVH. So what does this verse mean? I believe it means that our faith (belief + obedience) in the coming days of terrible tribulation, combined with their faith in past days of tribulation, will reveal the PROMISE in the fullness of His Glory! Messiah will return to establish His earthly kingdom, and all things will finally be restored - all 12 tribes reunited - Ephraim and Judah as one stick in the Father's hand! "I will make them one nation in the Land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one King over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms." (Ezekiel 37:22).

We who have the testimony of Yeshua - and keep His commands - will overcome. Our solid belief in the atoning blood of our Messiah is the "better plan" that comes together with the unprecedented obedience of those who have gone before us.

Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth!

BIRTH PAINS

2010-03-04T11:05:00.002-07:00

"There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." (Matthew 24:7-8)

Last week there was, as you know, a massive earthquake in Chile was near the city of Concepcion. My friend Alicia called me immediately and in the Spirit she heard that word "Concepcion" and knew it was Yahweh's signal pointing us to the above Scripture in Matthew! Concepcion - or Conception - is certainly the BEGINNING of the process of birth. And birth cannot come forth without pain, as decreed by Yahweh in Genesis 3:16: "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children." And so for all these 6000 years since creation, we have known that the process of birthing involves pain. And we women have learned and experienced that when it is time to give birth, the pains grow closer and closer together and increase in intensity! So it is with Yahweh's signs in the earth today.

Within 24 hours large earthquakes struck Chile, Japan and Argentina. Yesterday magnitude 6.0+ after-shocks rocked Chile. The scientific reports are that "The earthquake/tsunami in 2004 and the recent one in Chile have moved the earth's axis." Time has even been shortened by milli-seconds because of this shift!

What is the meaning of all this? I caution you, dear readers, to remember that IT IS NOT AN END - IT IS A BEGINNING! We call these the "end times," but I think we should call them the "New Beginning Times." If we did that, we might just get our focus on the in-breaking Kingdom of Yeshua, in all its fullness and glory!

In Isaiah 24:18-20 we read: "The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder the earth is thoroughly shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind, so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls - never to rise again."

Never to rise again? Well, not as we now know it! PRAISE YHVH! The earth is reeling like a drunkard in the weight and the curse of human sin. And it will be our repentance and Yah's mercy that breaks through in Kingdom power and keeps those who love Yeshua and keep His Torah. The earth must go through its birth pains because the sons and daughters of God are being brought forth in purity. The Bride is being prepared for her Bridegroom.

As Shaul (Paul) writes in Romans 8:20-24: "For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberat3ed from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God! We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to this present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redeption of our bodies. For this hope we were saved."

Our inner groaning is the Spirit within us, pushing us forth from decay and defilement, into glory and purity. We are being pushed through the birth canal, into the "glorious freedom of the children of God!" When we see the earth reeling, the seas raging, and the people perishing, let us not lose heart. Let us pray in the Spirit (which is our inward groaning) and let us rejoicing in our Bridegroom, who is coming soon! Let us strengthen our inner man, pray without ceasing, rise up in faith, be a light to this dark world, and eagerly wait for our adoption as sons and daughters of the Kingdom!

Diligently Watch

2010-02-21T09:44:00.004-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the LORD was urging me to write to the people to "wake up!" This morning He is speaking to me about "keeping watch." Once we are awake, this is our calling. And in reading the Word this morning, He showed me something very prophetic and very significant. We know that the menorah represents the Messiah of Israel. It is easy to see all the ways that Yeshua is the Light of the world, like the perfect seven-fold branches of the menorah, shining forth the light from the pure oil of crushed olives. But did you know that the branches and cups of the menorah were to be in the shape of almond branches and blossoms? The Hebrew word for almond is shaqad (Strong's #8246) meaning to diligently watch.

To diligently watch suggests to me that we are not to just "check in" every few months to see what is happening in the world and how it tracks with the Word of God. Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, "The word of YHVH came to me: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' I see the branch of an almond tree,' I replied. YHVH said to me, 'You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.'"

As YHVH is watching over His Word to see that every word and every prophecy is completely fulfilled, so we are called to participate in this great Watch with Him! If you are watching what is happening in the Middle East, you will be astonished to see prophecy coming to pass before your very eyes! You will become aware that the alliance of Iran (Persia), Russia, Syria, and Libya against Israel is foretold and is now solidifying in a very real way. You will watch to see if a treaty or covenant is signed that divides the city of Jerusalem, as prophesied in Joel and Daniel; and then you will know the days are short, for the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem is a Tribulation event. You will be keeing the feast days (moedim or appointed times) of YHVH, for as the Bride of Messiah, your heart will desire to be in rhythm with HIS times and seasons, preparing for His return for you.

Standing in line to board a plane in Los Angeles last Sunday I had a tote bag with the words JERUSALEM in large letters slung over my shoulder. There was a family behind me wearing T-shirts that said "Cabo San Lucas" and sporting dark tans and sandals. The young teenage girl was staring and staring at my tote bag, and I watched her trying to mouth the word Jerusalem, as if she was trying to figure out how to pronounce it. Her mother noticed also, and pronounced the word for her. "What is that?" she asked. Trying not to show my shock I said, "It's a city in Israel." To my further amazement, she looked at me with a very bored expression and replied,"Oh yeah, I think I heard of that in Social Studies." Her mom shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Whatever. I don't know what it is either."

What some have heard and dismissed as a boring Social Studies lesson, others are keeping passionate, diligent watch over. "While people are saying 'peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others who are asleep..." (1 Thess. 5:3-5).

Diligently watch!

The Desires of Whose Heart?

2010-02-09T21:52:00.004-07:00

How often we quote one of the psalms and say to one another, "The Lord will give you the desires of your heart." I've been reminding God a lot lately what the desires of my heart are - praying that He would grant them this year. But a couple of days ago a trusted sister delivered a rebuke to me from Father. He said of me, "Her desires are not always My desires for her."

Wham! Sometimes our Papa has to get right in our face to cause us to remember that it's not really about OUR desires, doesn't He? I think sometimes I am guilty of assuming that if I am serving Him, I must be right in the center of His will. But am I? Or am I right in the center of my own?

Francis Frangipane writes, "The Lord is concerned about fulfilling our desires, but to do so He must pry our fingers off our lives and turn our hearts toward Him. Indeed, the reason we are alive is not to fulfill our desires, but to become His worshipers."

Interesting imaginery isn't it? I can imagine God reaching down and prying my fingers off my own small life, in order to set my hands to praise and glorify Him! Frangipane goes on to write about Leah, the unloved wife of Jacob. She named her first son Reuben, which means "Surely now my husband will love me." Her desire was for a husband who loved her, and the result was rejection, disappointment and bitterness. But by the time she gave birth to her fourth son, Leah had changed her priorities. She named this little one Judah, saying, "This time I will praise the Lord!" And it occurred to me that Messiah Yeshua came from the line of Judah. Through a heart turned entirely toward Yahweh in praise, desiring only Him, the seed of the Messiah came forth!

Frangipane concludes, "Leah had been seeking self-fulfillment and found only heartache and pain. But as she became a worshiper of God, she entered life's highest fulfillment: she began to please God."

May this always be my heart's desire, Father: to please You, and You alone.

Wake Up O Sleeper!

2010-02-08T22:28:00.004-07:00

The Father has been speaking to me that He will again be sending me out - and that it is for an "awakening of the slumbering people." Then He continued to speak to me through His Spirit and His word for five hours this past Sunday about the "spirit of slumber" that has enveloped the people. It is a tactic of the enemy in this hour to keep people in darkness. He spoke to me about Isaiah 60:1: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of YHVH rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples...

What is this thick darkness over the people? It is a spirit of slumber. We sleep in front of the TV. We sleep staring at computers. We sleep on cell phones. We are the "walking dead" with cell phones and Facebook as our masters and computers seducing and addicting us.

"Wake up O sleeper, Rise from the dead and Messiah will shine on you! Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:13-16)

Proverbs 10:5: "He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son."

Are we sleeping through the harvest? Are we so dulled by entertainment of the world that we cannot hear His Voice? Do we have no interest in the harvest all around us? In Matthew 25 ALL the virgins fell asleep; not just some, but ALL of them. And when they awoke, five did not have enough oil in their lamps, but the wise virgins told them, "Go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves."

WHO IS SELLING THE OIL? I pondered the question for a very long time. Yes, yes I know that the oil is my relationship with Yeshua, something so precious and personal that I cannot give or sell it to anyone else! But if there is a window of time when the foolish virgins are finally awake and looking for oil, will I be ready to challenge and exhort them to find it? Will I be able to model it, and provoke them to jealousy to have it? Will I have such a deposit of the Word of God within me that I can offer them the True Gospel, and reveal to them the joy of living by His Torah through the power of the Holy Spirit?

Song of Solomon 5:2: "I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My Lover is knocking: 'Open to Me, my sister, my darling!'" Do you sleep with your heart awake? Is your spiritual antenna on, ready to receive dreams and visions in the night? Do you awaken to write them in a journal and ponder the meaning? Are you able to hear Yeshua knocking on your door or is there too much noise in your life?

Job 33:14: "For YHVH does speak - now one way, now another - though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in the vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, He may speak in their ears..."

YHVH is now awakening His people - His Remnant - to know Him and to participate in the great Restoration of all things. We are living in this awesome time of Restoration, foretold by the prophets; but will we be a part of it - or will we slumber through it? Will we awaken with oil in our lamps, or will we run off to try and buy some at the last minute? And who will be selling the oil?

Ears to Hear

2010-01-28T13:31:00.004-07:00

I have not been able to write for a while - my computer is in the repair shop! And in the meantime, a most remarkable adventure occurred. I left the Denver airport last Thursday on what seemed like a routine trip to lead a women's retreat up by Yosemite in California. When we flew into Phoenix for my connecting flight, the tail of the jet spun back and forth crazily, and the pilot told us the cross winds would make landing difficult. He did a masterful job in getting us safely landed - but the winds continued to accelerate until they finally closed down the Phoenix airport for the rest of the day and night, with every flight in or out cancelled! My last wait-listed flight cancelled at 9:30 pm and so I called the number for the hotel voucher given me by the airline. I was told, "You're too late. There are no rooms left in the Phoenix area."

I pulled out my itinerary for the trip, remembering it was made by Expedia. Perhaps they could help me find a room. The "Expedia Man" checked for me and told me he could not find a room in all their database of hotel chains; then surprisingly asked me, "Would you bear with me while I continue to check? I'm not willing that you should be without a room for the night." I thought this was rather extraordinary, and told him, "Of course I'll bear with you - I have no other option!" While I thought I was on hold - both times - I prayed in the Spirit. I never used English words, praying only in my prayer language. I was on the phone with Expedia Man for 40 minutes! When he finally came back on the line he told me he had found me a room. "It's in the industrial section. There is no shuttle and no food. You'll have to take a cab. But you'll have a nice clean room and a good bed. I wanted to keep trying until I found you something because you are my sister in the Lord." I was astonished! "How did you know that?" I asked him. "Because I heard you praying," he gently replied.

I was filled with the sense that this was not going to be just any ordinary trip! The devil was trying to turn me away, but the Lord sent "Expedia Man" to the rescue! The next morning I was diverted into Fresno airport and picked up by the pastor's wife. We drove up toward Yosemite Park and met the other women for dinner in a small nearby town. During dinner a most unusual snow storm hit the area, and none of the women had 4 wheel drive or snow tires. We were literally stranded there, unable to get up the mountain to the conference center. Staff from the center rescued us and little by little, transported us up to the mountain where roads were icy, snow-packed and treacherous. We were all weary and my Friday evening teaching time had been stolen from us.

But when I woke up the next morning, on this beautiful Shabbat glistening with sunlit snow, I knew God had something powerful in mind. I had not battled all those travel difficulties for nothing! Eighteen women gathered in the conference center and I taught them God's Hebrew names - and how He reveals Himself to them through His names, and how He desires a close, intimate relationship with them. I had been praying hard that there would be EARS TO HEAR what the Spirit had to say; but I could not have dreamed that YHVH would take this literally and unstop the ears of the deaf! Yet, that is what He did.

In the afternoon "free time," one of the women came to the library and asked me to pray for her. She was deaf, with large hearing apparatus in both ears. She told me much about her life - and I heard the Holy Spirit instruct me to ask her to begin forgiving those who had abused and wounded her. Timidly at first, and then with increasing determination, she named them and asked God's help in forgiving them. When she finished, the Spirit said to me, "Tell her to take out her hearing aids. She doesn't need them anymore." I summoned the courage to tell her this, and she responded in immediate faith, throwing the hearing devices aside and rejoicing!

Throughout the rest of this weekend this woman was among us, hearing every word, even in a crowded dining hall with its background noise. And the other women present were receiving new life too as they began to get excited about the Torah and all the new understandings they were receiving. Spiritual rebirths were occurring all around me - and the ears of the deaf were unstopped, both in the natural and the spiritual! Truly we ARE coming into a new time of outpouring of the Ruach haKodesh, and miracles that follow the teaching of the Word!

My trip home was uneventful. Satan lost another one!

Be Still

2010-01-11T18:40:00.008-07:00

I just got a new cell phone. My children and grandchildren "ganged up on me" and told me if I got a new phone with improved "3G network" I would be able to use my cell phone in my house which I couldn't do before). So, I gave in. Then I spent hours, no days actually, trying to learn how to use all the sophisticated new bells and whistles. My last phone was from 2001: simple and easy! Now there are touch screens that ask 25 questions for each thing I want to do, including making a simple phone call. And there's a teeny-tiny keyboard for texting that I might have been able to see fifteen years ago! There is also something called voice-activation; I told my cell phone to call my daughter last night and the voice inside argued with me over her name!

In the process I began to reflect on my sadness recently in watching human beings going through life with their faces glued to tiny cell phone screens, their thumbs tapping texts, and their eyes pasted on the screen, never looking up. "How much are they missing around them?" I wondered. Is the beauty and the joy of life just passing them by?

In a recent social experiment, a world-class violinist who had played to a packed concert-hall in New York City the night before, set up in a small corner of a subway train station. He played the same thrilling music that patrons had paid $100 per ticket to hear - but nobody stopped to listen. He watched as thousands of people passed by, paying no notice at all, and never hearing the intricate melodies floating around them. Glued to their phones and their watches, they scurried by him in a mad rush of life. One youngster stopped her mother so she could listen; one old woman threw a dollar into the violinist's case and moved on!

The Chazon Ish writes in Emunah v'Bitachon, "When a person with a sensitive soul finds some quiet time to meditate on existence, away from the pulls of desire, astonishment overtakes him. The sight of the heavens above and the earth below fills him with emotion and wonder. The first step might be to do something called 'nothing.' In that pause be prepared to wade into the quiet of a Shabbat, away from the pulls of desire, and be overtaken by something astonishing.

This is what has happened to me in the past year as I have pulled away from all activity on the Shabbat Day (Saturday). Though I meet with my fellowship on Erev Shabbats (Friday evenings) I am refusing now to do anything on Shabbat but sit in my big chair with a warm cup of tea and my Bible, in the Presence of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). He always meets me there - and the experience of learning the Word directly from Him in the stillness is always astonishing! Even the gathering together of people ends up in food preparation, conversation, midrash, and travel. I found that it was zapping all my energy. Being in the silence of my home with the Spirit imparts energy such as I have never known! It has become a time to re-gather physical energy and to be fed spiritually; rather than expending physical energy and feeding everyone else! How can we continue to give life to others when we have no time alone with the Source of Life?

Elizabeth Hoekstra, in her book Be Still, speaks about the Scripture Jeremiah 6:16: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. First, you have to stop and stand still. Quiet enough to hear God's Voice in a whisper or a shout. Still enough to feel His presence in and around you. Second, you have to look. Look at the landscape around you - search for hidden land mines and stumbling blocks. Third, you must ask for direction. Not once, but twice for confirmation. Search the scriptures for the 'ancient paths,' the way God has worked in the past. Fourth, take a step. Walk with faith on the road He points you toward. Fifth, He will grant you rest. No more fruitless searching, no more aimless wanderings. No more taking another and another spin in the revolving door. "

We are far too busy - and B.U.S.Y. means Being Under Satan's Yoke! The enemy of our souls knows if he can keep us so busy and distracted with work, computers, cell phones, television, entertainment, sports, kids' activities, and even church activities, we will never have time to sit at the feet of the Master and hear His Voice.

In Psalm 23, David says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures." Can you find a time in your busy week to "lie down in a green pasture?" Do you wonder what you would do there even if you had time? Would you spend it texting your friends? Or, could you do as the writer suggested above - "the first step might be to do something called nothing. In that pause be prepared to wade into the quiet of a Shabbat, away from the pulls of desire, and be overtaken by something [or Someone] astonishing!"

Be still and know that He is God...

Be still and know...

Be still...

I'm Just Wondering...

2010-01-07T10:33:00.004-07:00

Four years ago in late December of 2005, I returned home from Jerusalem. I can still see the faces of my daughter and grandchildren as they greeted me at the Denver airport. It had only been five months, but it seemed like many years that I was away! I remember also my deeply mixed emotions: I was so happy to back in the bosom of my family, with my feet on American soil, yet I knew that I knew that I had left my true home and had come back to what is really my place of exile. My heart has been yearning to return ever since!

A few days after I got back home I watched pictures of then-Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, being transported by ambulance to a Jerusalem hospital, following a severe stroke. In those moments of watching the ambulance whizzing through the streets of Jerusalem, a scripture came strongly to my mind, written by the apostle Shaul (Paul) in Galatians 1:11-12, 15-17: "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Yeshua haMashiach. But when YHVH, who set me apart from birth, and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia..."

Where was this "Arabia" Shaul visited and why did he go there? It seems to me that the trip to Arabia was a trip into the desert wilderness, similar to that of Moses, John the Immerser, Yeshua, and others, for preparation time for his future ministry. Where in Arabia did he go? That is not given to us in Scripture, probably because it was irrelevant. In the Scripture above Shaul is strongly making the point that in his wilderness time he received all the revelation he needed - directly from Yeshua and not from any man. It was his God-given time to be alone with the Master and learn everything he needed to know to endure suffering, hold fast to his faith, understand the full redemptive plan of YHVH through Yeshua the Messiah, and complete his assigned ministry among the Gentiles.

So, why did I contemplate all this while watching Ariel Sharon's hospital-bound ambulance? Is it possible that for these past four years Sharon has been in his own personal "Arabia" with Yeshua? Could it be that he will awaken from this coma (despite doctors' opinions) and have all the revelation he needs to awaken the Jewish people to the Truth - not having received it from any man, but from Yeshua Himself? Is Ariel Sharon being prepared for a last-days ministry to the Jews, as Shaul was prepared to preach to the Gentiles?

I don't know. I'm just wondering. But I did find it interesting that the very FIRST tiny article about Sharon appeared in a Jerusalem newspaper this week. He has been all but forgotten by the world; yet this week a tiny little reminder appeared:

Sharon in coma for 4 years
January 4, 2010
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Ariel Sharon's family and friends marked the fourth anniversary of the former prime minister's massive stroke. Sharon, now 81, has never regained consciousness from the Jan. 4, 2006 stroke. He remains in a coma, though he is breathing on his own. He lives in a long-term care facility in Ra'anana. Family and friends visit frequently, according to reports.
Sharon, who was elected prime minister as head of the Likud Party in 2001, suffered the stroke several months after overseeing Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. He formed the new centrist Kadima Party to run in the country's 2006 elections.
Medical experts say it is unlikely that Sharon will come out of the coma.

The Benjamin Bridge

2009-12-27T12:31:00.004-07:00

This week's Torah portion is a powerful part of Joseph's story: the time he finally reveals himself to his 11 brothers, who have come from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain. The part of this story that personally touches me so deeply is Genesis 44:25-26, 34. Judah steps up to Joseph, who is now ruler over Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh, and gives an impassioned plea on behalf of the youngest brother, Benjamin. His plea stirs my heart because it is prophetic of the restoration of all Israel - all 12 tribes - and it should be the passionate prayer of all our hearts in this hour.

Going back in the story we recall the time when the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, and then tore his multi-colored coat into pieces so it would look as if a wild animal had killed him. The torn coat was prophetic of the separation of Israel into two kingdoms: Ephraim (grandson of Joseph, representing those dispersed into the nations), and Judah (representing the Jewish people who kept their faith and returned to the Land). When Joseph coerces the brothers into leaving little Benjamin behind when they go back to their father Jacob, Judah gives this plea: "So now if the boy (Benjamin) is not with us when I go back to your servant, my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life, sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? "

Can you see the glorious parallel for our time? There are several ways to see it that all mean the same thing. The Church cannot expect to replace Israel and enter the Kingdom of God if the Jewish people (the boy) are excluded! We cannot go back to the Father, to a restored Israel, without them! In other words, the restoration of all Israel cannot and will never happen until both Ephraim (Joseph) and Judah (Benjamin) are brought together - representing all 12 tribes. Jacob, the father of these 12 sons, represents Yahweh the Father in this story -- and the Father's heart for little Benjamin - even the tiny nation of Israel and all her scattered ones - is evident!

It becomes personal for me also because while I was in Jerusalem a woman unknown to me at the time prophesied over me and said, "You are of the tribe of Benjamin!" It lit such a fire in my spirit that I began to pray and ask the Ruach for clues that would validate this prophecy. I knew my maternal grandmother's name was Zeba, though I had never met her. She died shortly after giving birth to my mother. So when I learned that the word zeba (pronounced zeva in Hebrew) actually means wolf, my heart leapt! Upon the banner of the tribe of Benjamin is a wolf!

The above story from Genesis also shows Benjamin to actually be a bridge (or liason) between the "ten lost tribes" of Israel (Ephraim) and the Jewish people (Judah). Benjamin, the youngest, was loved by all his brothers, and in this story he actually served to bring them together. If I truly am descended from the line of Benjamin (and I have no proof!) then it does explain to me the great passion I carry within my spirit to be a bridge between the two in our own day. My passion is to call the Church back to her Hebrew roots, forsaking the doctrines of men and the idolatry of mixing the holy with the profane, that we might be truly grafted in to the olive tree of Israel, and help our brother Judah to be re-grafted in through acceptance of their Messiah. After all, the apostle Shaul (Paul) says, "what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (Romans 11:15)

How can we go back to the Father if the boy (Benjamin) is not with us? Our Father's life is closely bound up with the boy's life! (Genesis 44:30)

They Did Not Recognize Him

2009-12-20T21:22:00.005-07:00

This past week's Torah portion left me deeply pondering one of the many parallels between Joseph (son of Jacob) and Yeshua our Messiah. In Genesis Chapter 42 Joseph has arisen to the lofty office of Governor over Egypt, second in command to the Pharaoh. During the time of great famine in that part of the world, 10 of this brothers travel to Egypt in the hopes of purchasing some grain. Genesis 42:7-8: "Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, 'Where do you come from?' And they said, 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him." Why? Why did they not recognize him? Don't you imagine that after all those years in Egypt, and in his high office as Governor, Joseph must have been dressed in Egyptian garb, with black eye makeup, wig, and royal Egyptian robes? How could they have imagined that this was their own kin, a son of Jacob, a man who worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? He was painted differently! Then after the brothers return to Canaan and then make a second trip back to Egypt, in Genesis 45:1 we are told that Joseph "made himself known to his brothers." How did he do this? I have to assume he removed his Egyptian costume and makeup and allowed them to see him as he really was: an Israelite.
All week this has spoken to my heart. How have the Jewish people not recognized their own Messiah for two thousand years? Could it be that it is because the Christian religion has painted him differently? They would not imagine their Messiah to have a westernized name like Jesus, instead of his true Hebrew name, Yeshua (meaning Salvation of God). They could never recognize a Jewish Messiah whose resurrection is celebrated by people eating ham! And how on earth would they recognize the Messiah born to a Jewish woman from the paintings on our walls of a man with pale skin, light hair and sometimes blue eyes? How could they see the Lamb of God whose blood delivered them if His people aren't even keeping the Passover Feast?

As we dig deeper into the Hebrew roots of our faith, the Messiah of Israel is making Himself known to his brothers. Little by little we are removing his "Christianized costume and makeup" and discovering who He really was: an Israelite! Perhaps one day when those in the Church are worshiping a Jewish Messiah by keeping HIS feasts and HIS commands - setting apart the seventh day Sabbath as He commanded, and forsaking the doctrines of men - all his brothers will finally recognize Him.

When Joseph's brothers finally recognized him, Joseph said to them, "God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance" (Genesis 45:7). In the same way the apostle Paul says of the Jewish people, "If their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Joseph's brothers mourned their cruel act of selling him into slavery, and Genesis 45:15 says, "Moreover Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him."

When we begin to worship the Messiah of the Scriptures - Yeshua haMashiach - and through us (the wild branch) He is revealed to His own (the natural branch) then Zechariah's prophecy will finally be fulfilled: "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look upon Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for His only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)

I Haven't Said My Line!

2009-12-14T18:47:00.004-07:00

Our Hanukkah celebration at my Messianic fellowship, David's Tent, was such a joy and an inspiration! The children acted out the story of the Maccabees, and my heart was deeply stirred to want to reach the level of zeal they had for the God of Israel. When at last the Jewish people had reached a full victory over the evil Antiochus Epiphanes and his armies, and they cleansed and rededicated their Temple, they brought the menorah (lampstand) back in to light the lights. I watched as the young man playing Mattathias held up the fire and lit each of the branches of the menorah and something in my heart was profoundly touched. Do we have enough oil in our lamps to keep burning in this dark world? Are we so zealous for our God that we would die for Him?

One little boy playing an enemy soldier was struck down with a toy sword and gave us a very dramatic "agonizing" death scene. Then suddenly, unexpectedly he sat up, his eyes wide with concern, and he shouted out, "Wait! I can't die yet! I haven't said my line!" We roared with laughter. But that whole scene came back to me the next day on Shabbat when I was thinking about the people in their 80s and 90s for whom I teach a Bible study each week. How often they have said to me, "Why are we still here? Why doesn't God take us home? We don't have any reason to be here anymore." Now I want to say to them, "Maybe you haven't said your line yet!"

Have any of us finished all our lines in the script we call life? Not until we draw our last breath. Until that moment we still have opportunity to tell someone about the Messiah. We still have opportunity to show someone love or bring someone a little joy. Yeshua says, "You must work while it is still day; soon it will be night when no one can work."

Once the "sword" of death strikes us we won't be able to sit up and shout, "I can't be dead yet - I haven't said my line!" So we need to say it today while we have breath. We need to be light in this dark world today, while we still have places to shine it. We need to say our lines - filled with love and exhortation - from the pure Word of God - while there are still people with ears to hear.

Can Kohl's Save Christmas?

2009-12-04T08:40:00.003-07:00

Driving to the airport yesterday I was listening to a commentator on an economic radio program give the dismal report on "Black Friday's" statistics. "Target was down 10%, while the average store reported sales 17-18% below last year's," he lamented. "However, Nordstrom was up 2% and Kohl's alone reached a 3% increase over last year. Can Kohl's save Christmas?"

I am making the obvious assumption that this commentator's definition of Christmas is the commercial season between Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays when retailers hope to get their yearly profit margins in the black. It seems to have become the definition of Christmas for our nation. And so he asks, "CAN KOHL'S SAVE CHRISTMAS?"

Let's go a step further. Even if we are a people who don't define Christmas as a commercial retail phenomenon, how do we define it? And does our definition agree with Scripture and the ways YHVH defines it? Ask any child to define Christmas. Most will tell you, "It's when Santa comes and brings presents!" Why do parents lie to their children and tell them there is a magical, mystical man who flies through the universe and who rewards the good and punishes the bad? Why did I lie to my children and why did my parents lie to me? Santa, reindeer, sparkly trees, yule logs...it all seems so fun, so innocent. For many of us they were cherished family traditions. But look up the history of these traditions. Search an encyclopedia to see what a yule log was; and please read Jeremiah 10:3-4. Yeshua reminds us, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:8) It is hard to let go of traditions that were so much a part of our childhoods. But it is the pagan traditions that led to the lies of our forefathers and still profane the celebrations that Christians keep today.

December 25 was the birthday of Sol, the sun god - and so it was conveniently selected as the day to celebrate the Messiah's birth. The holy was mixed with the profane - and YHVH hates that! (See Ezekiel 44:23). What Scripture commands that we celebrate the day of His birth? What writer of the Gospels gives us the date and the way in which we are to keep this "feast"? Search it out! It is not there. If Yeshua had thought it important, He would have told us so. But He seems about as interested in a birthday party with presents and nativity pageants and decorated trees as He would be in the results of Kohls profit margin! That is because He continually tried to focus the people on His Kingdom. He is a King and a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, who has no geneaology, no father or mother, no beginning and no end (Hebrews 7:3) "He is the image of the invisble God, the firstborn over all creation, for by Him all things were created" (Colossians 1:15). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; He was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). He is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8). He is called Emmanuel - which means "God with us." He was conceived in the womb of a Jewish woman during the feast of Hanukkah as His Light (like the oil of the light of the menorah) came into the world. He was born as a child at the Feast of Tabernacles (which means God dwells with us) and is returning again at the Feast of Tabernacles when He will establish His Kingdom reign forever. HalleluYah! How marvelously the feasts of the LORD fulfill all the prophecies about Him! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1).

Can Kohl's save Christmas? Does Yeshua want it saved? Ask Him yourself. This year instead of us saying, "Oh well, He knows my heart" - let us earnestly seek to know His heart.

Overcomers

2009-11-21T22:37:00.002-07:00

Ever since writing about the beast system - and then teaching it at our Erev Shabbat fellowship - I've been pondering what it will mean for us to overcome in that time. There are many places in Scripture where Master Yeshua tells us what is promised to those who overcome in this life. Here are a few of them:

"He who overcomes will...be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Rev. 3:5)

"He who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Rev. 3:12)

"To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Rev. 2:17)

1.Overcomers will be dressed in white. This, of course, refers to the "fine linen" we are given to wear when we meet our Bridegroom; and the linen is defined for us in Rev. 19:18 as "righteousness" We are clothed in Yeshua. "I delight greatly in YHVH; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation (Yeshua) and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns herself with her jewels."

2. Overcomers will have their names written in the Book of Life. (If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire - Rev. 20:15). And not only will overcomers' names be recorded in the Book of Life, but the name of God (YHVH) and the name of His City (Yerushalayim) will be written on them as well! They are marked as His own, and they have a new residence - the City Abraham was looking for, whose maker and builder is God!

3. Overcomers are given some of the "hidden manna." In John 6:49-50 we are told, "Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. " This hidden manna is Yeshua! He will keep us in our wilderness trials because of our trust in Him; and though we die, yet shall we live. And He will give us a white stone. In ancient times a white stone was used during trials to pronounce a person "not guilty." To receive a white stone is to be absolved of all guilt and set free! But what of the "new name?" I believe it must correspond also to Isaiah 56:5-6 where YHVH says, "...to those who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my Covenant, to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off."

These are precious promises! These are images of our belonging to the family of YHVH, loved and protected by Him, washed clean by His blood and clothed in His righteousness, holding fast to His Covenant and keeping His Sabbaths in the way that pleases HIM, and even receiving new names that signify our inheritance in His Kingdom!

How ever shall we do it? When persecution and violence overtake the land and things become so much harder than we can now imagine, how will we overcome? I like Oswald Chambers' take on it best. In fact, I've tried to live by his explanation for some years now. He writes, “God does not give us overcoming life. He gives us life as we overcome. "

Who is the beast?

2009-11-19T09:19:00.004-07:00

Though everyone is asking that question these days, I tend to think we are asking the wrong question. I think it would be more aptly put this way: What is the beast?

In Daniel Chapter 2 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has a dream about an immense statue, whose body is made of various metals. Clearly these various metal parts represent ancient powerful kingdoms such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Ottoman/Islamic Empire. Then in Daniel 7 the prophet himself has a dream of four beasts coming out of the sea that look like a lion, a bear, and a leopard, the fourth an undefined beast with large iron teeth that crushes and devours. This vision is completely consistent with Revelation 13:1-2 where John the Revelator had a vision identical to Daniel's: "And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority."

First we must understand that in Scripture the word sea is very often used as Hebraic understanding of "nations or Gentile groups of peoples." I have come to understand and believe that the beast spoken of in the prophecies of Revelation is actually a system that is a combination of all the wicked ancient empires out of the Gentile nations/peoples of the past. In other words, this beast system (commonly known today as the New World Order) is fueled by the same evil that powered the Babylonian Empire, the Greco/Roman empires, the Medo-Persian empires, the false religion of Islam, the Third Reich of Germany, the Spanish Inquisitions, and the modern-day European Union and United Nations. This evil power is, of course, none other than the dragon, Satan, "that ancient serpent who leads the whole world astray." (Revelation 12:9). And remember we are told in Revelation 13:2 that "the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority." The New World Order is being given its power and authority from none other than Satan himself.

Am I saying there is not one single individual who will fulfill the role of "Antichrist?" No, I am not saying that. According to Daniel's vision, "while I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them." Came up among whom? I believe this becomes more clear when we understand that one individual emerges and rises to great power from within the beast system (New World Order). And again, this individual will be entirely consistent in his goal and motivation with those who preceded him. Let me name just a few and the footprints of Satan should become easily discernible to you: Pharoah, Haman, Antiochus Epiphanes, King Herod, Suleiman I, Adolf Hitler, Yasser Arafat, Bashar Assad, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This line of evil rulers all had (have) one thing in common, didn't they? Their goal was/is to destroy the Jewish race, through whom the seed of the Messiah came and will come again. The rulers of the past all failed. But just because these failed do you think the enemy has given up? Some of the rulers I have listed here have yet to carry out their wicked plans.

I tell you the enemy is even now orchestrating this beast system, fulfilling these prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, all designed to annihilate the Jewish race and those who believe in the Messiah and keep His commands. Together, you see, we form the family of Jacob, the children of Yahweh. Thus together we will endure the time of Jacob's trouble - the last onslaught of Satan before he is bound in chains for 1000 years - and together as two sticks in the Father's hand, our robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb we will see the Promise come to pass!

Yeshua - the Rock of Jerusalem

2009-11-10T08:10:00.003-07:00

In my last blog I wrote about Maj. Nidal Hasan, who murdered and wounded many on the Ft. Hood Army Base. You may recall that the Spirit spoke to me about his name (Nidal), which means struggle, and about the sign I kept seeing that said Temple, Texas. Father was showing me the bigger prophetic picture, of course - the end-time struggle over the Temple Mount, the place where YHVH put His name, and where Yeshua our Messiah will one day return to take up HIS throne.

But if I zoom back in from the bigger picture and look at what is actually being fulfilled right now, in this very day, I can clearly see the stone that the builders rejected becoming a stumbling stone. There is a lot of new information coming out now about Maj. Nidal Hasan. It has been verified that he had close ties and contact with members of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, and that he clearly had a Muslim agenda, which calls its members to kill the infidel and conquer the "Great Satan" (the U.S.A.) with the sword of Islam. How many in this nation still do not get it? How many are really surprised that our government had knowledge of this and did nothing? How many of us finally have our heads out of the sand and are seeing biblical prophecy being fulfilled in our nation by an enemy of YHVH known today as Islam?

The Ruach (Holy Spirit) is sounding the alarm on His Holy Mountain; are you listening? Zechariah prophesied (Zech 12:1-3): "This is the Word of YHVH concerning Israel. YHVH, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 'I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

On the early morning of November 8th I arose to check e-mail and noticed an article from the Ha'eretz Newspaper in Israel, reporting that the U.N. Security Council is getting ready to endorse a Declaration of Independence for a Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders (which includes the Temple Mount). It said Syria may be involved in brokering this agreement. Then yesterday Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu flew to Washington D.C. and engaged in a secret meeting with President Obama. No details were released by the press.

What in the world is going on? I am telling you what is going on, beloved in Messiah! Jerusalem is quickly becoming an "immovable rock for all the nations, and all who try to move it [change its ownership/move its borders] will injure themselves." On the Temple Mount today sits the Muslim Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, which has a large inscription on its walls declaring, GOD HAS NO SON!

You see, the Stone that causes the Muslims and many other peoples of the earth to stumble has a name. His name is Yeshua. He is the One the prophet Isaiah wrote about (and Peter quoted) in 1 Peter 2:6-8: "...it says in Scripture, 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame'. Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,' and 'a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for."

Maj. Nidal Hasan was in a struggle all right. He and his fellow Muslims (as well as many other nations and religions of the world ) are stumbling over the capstone, and they are killing to prove their point. They are trying to move the Rock of Jerusalem, and in the end they will fall. It is Satan at war with Yahweh, doing his best to eradicate the seed of the Woman, the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world to redeem Israel (those who would believe in Him and keep His commandments).

They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for. Pray for the eyes of the blind to be opened, and the ears of the deaf to hear! Then keep your own eyes and ears open, that you may see the Truth and not be deceived.

Your Name is in This Temple

2009-11-06T09:18:00.001-07:00

When something terrible like the Fort Hood massacre happens, I get quite a few e-mails asking, "What do you think it means?" It is good that we are an AWAKE people, asking questions about what these things mean, instead of going blindly on about our days, with our heads in the sand. We are a people who know that YHVH speaks through the things that He allows to happen, and if we are paying attention and seeking the mind of Messiah, He will at least give us some clues along the way. Sometimes the clues are blatantly obvious - such as the days in 2005 when I was in Jerusalem weeping over the thousands of Jews being expelled from their homes in the Gaza, and knowing in my heart that as we pushed for the dividing of the Land of Israel and forced Jews into homelessness in the streets, there would be a response from the Holy One of Israel. Sure enough, three days later, Hurricane Katrina roared into New Orleans rendering thousands of Americans homeless in the streets.

But sometimes the clues are NOT so obvious. And so when I went to the Holy Spirit last night asking for any message we could glean from the tragedy at Fort Hood, this is what I received: the killer's first name is Nidal. It is an Arabic name that means struggle. Then I kept seeing the name Temple, Texas on the Fox News screen where the correspondents were relaying the story.

Nidal is in Temple...Struggle on the Temple, Struggle over the Temple Mount...

Those words continued reverberating in my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night, and when I awoke this morning I felt assured that this is an underlying warning message from YHVH of what is just ahead. PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM. Pray for many Jewish and Arabic eyes to be opened to Yeshua the Messiah. Pray for YHVH to defend His people, as He has promised, and for HIS NAME'S SAKE.
By faith pray Jehoshaphat's prayer in 2 Chronicles 20:
O YHVH, Elohim of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand so that none is able to withstand You. Did not You, O our Elohim, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and give it to the seed of Abraham Your friend forever? And they dwelt therein, and have built You a sanctuary for Your Name, saying: "If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this temple, and before You - for Your Name is in this temple - and cry unto You in our affliction, and You will hear and save!"

Struggle over the Temple...

EAGLES WINGS

2009-10-30T21:11:00.003-06:00

"When shall we leave for Israel?"

"How will we know when it's time to go?"

"Should we go to Israel this year?"

I am asked those questions over and over, almost daily. We Ephraimites are eager to get home, aren't we? I know one couple who has actually built their cart and carries it with them in their car! I know another family convinced that the sign will be the parting of the Atlantic Ocean so we can walk across! Some are going over early for short trips to help work in the vineyards of the Jewish people, showing them our love and brotherhood. But it seems ALL of us are wondering how we will hear the "whistle" of YHVH and when we will begin the journey of the Greater Exodus.

So, what is my answer when I get those questions? I can only answer for myself. Every time (thus far) that I pray and ask the Ruach if it is time to go, I hear these words very clearly: "Not yet. Hunker down in your little yellow house. When it's time, I will send for you. Wait on Me - and do not run ahead of Me."

I remember the last time I was in Israel and a very wise person said to me, "Do not go to Israel unless you are assigned to go." I know that to be true. The spiritual warfare in the Land is 1000% stronger than anything we experience here. Jerusalem is, after all, Ground Zero in the battle! It is the City of the Great King, the place where YHVH put His Name - and Satan would like nothing better than to steal and control that piece of real estate! That's why it is always the focus of world news. Jerusalem is the timepiece of YHVH's entire story.

Today a sister wrote and asked my advice on when it will be time to emigrate to Israel - and in my answer, the Holy Spirit showed me something profound. I told her that YHVH is saying, "Wait on me..." and then the scripture in Isaiah 40:31 came to mind: "Those who wait on YHVH will renew their strength. They will mount up on wings of eagles..."

Wings of eagles! Where else in Scripture do we see this Hebrew idiom but in Exodus and Revelation - in the First Exodus and in the Greater Exodus! Exodus 19:4: "You yourselves have seen what I did in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself." Revelation 12:14: "The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time, out of the serpent's reach."

What do "eagles wings" mean, then, but the supernatural deliverance of El Shaddai, rescuing His people first from bondage in Egypt, and then from the Luciferian New World Order? Being "carried on eagles' wings" in the Hebraic perspective is being protected and kept safe (out of Pharaoh/Antichrist's reach) - and what YHVH has done before, He will do again!

In the meantime, according to Isaiah 40:31, the way to renew our strength, clearly hear His Voice giving us the order to go, and then mount up on those eagles' wings...is to WAIT.

Crossing Over

2009-10-28T20:50:00.005-06:00

I feel led to share a very prophetic dream I recently had. In this dream I was in a room with many dear old friends. Some of them were members of churches where I used to attend, and some were from a former Christian ministry of which I was a part. All of them were doing their best to coax and persuade me to abandon the path I have been traveling into the ancient paths (Hebrew Roots) of our faith. One dear old friend opened a beautiful box of Christmas ornaments made of glistening silver and she said, "These were part of my family's. Now they belong to you. Come back to us and sing with us again!"

Then three small children who were with me came over and began to tug on my sleeve. They urged, "C'mon, let's go. We need to move forward. Let's go!" I was feeling a deep, profound heartache, as if my heart were literally breaking in two, and I told them, "You go on ahead. I will catch up with you." When they'd left the room I walked over to the window and peered out. I watched as the three children took a grocery cart and began taking it up a steep path that was covered with very large rocks. I saw them doing their best to navigate over this difficult path. Then I turned back to the group of people in the room and firmly told them, "I cannot go back. I cannot and I will not turn back." Then I woke up.

There were tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew by the Spirit that this dream was from God and that a line was being drawn. But I was curious about the children, so I inquired of the Holy Spirit, "Who were they and what did this mean?" Immediately He responded to me, "They are the children of Israel. They are headed on the Second Exodus toward Mt. Zion - and the way is narrow and difficult. Catch up with them!"

In an amazing confirmation of this dream a dear sister sent me a prophecy she recently received that was so similar to my dream it left me reeling. This prophecy, from Bill Burns, also involved people getting ready to cross over a very difficult path to Zion, but being told they must leave all their baggage behind. Here is part of what Bill saw:

"At this point I began to see that each piece of baggage had a name on it. I saw bondage and unbelief labels on some, and others were called compromise, works of the flesh, fear, and many other things that had become attachments to this world. I had also noticed that those who carried brief cases had never set them down...not even for a moment.
The labels on the brief cases were identifying different kinds of ministries.

The Master then spoke, "The baggage that you have brought with you belongs to the Second Day, and you cannot bring it with you. You must decide, for those things cannot be brought into the Third Day. If you will leave your baggage and cross over by faith, I will deliver you from the bondages of the Second Day and bring you into the glory of the Third Day where all things become new. This is the time of the Great Crossover. Come, My people, for the bridge is finished. Cross over now before the night comes and the way cannot be found. Forget those things which are behind you, and press forward into a bright and glorious new day."

It's funny, isn't it, that many of us did not realize our baggage could include ministries we are hanging onto even after the season has ended. I am not so attached to any of my worldly possessions that I could not leave them behind in a New York minute! But my ministries? The Spirit had to show me in a dream that that is the "brief case" I have not wanted to set down.

This is the time of the Great Crossover - and the very word Hebrew means "to cross over." NOW is the time to leave behind the ministries of the past - doing things the way we did them in the Church - and CROSS OVER into a glorious new day! We cannot pour new wine into our old wineskins. We cannot take the brief cases with us. I don't want to stand at the window and watch as the children of Israel cross over into the Promised Land. I am a Hebrew, I am one of them, and this is my inheritance too! The Voice that spoke to me said, "Catch up with them!" So, I'm not looking back. I'm putting down my brief case and running toward that narrow, rocky path that will bring me at last to the Third Day!

Returning and Re-gathering

2009-10-21T20:28:00.004-06:00

My dear friend Betty responded to my last post after she did a little research on the month of Cheshvan. She discovered that it was in the month of Cheshvan that Solomon's Temple was completed in Jerusalem. I found this very fascinating, since it appears that we are very close to seeing the third Temple being erected there; and if not the whole temple structure, then at least the Altar where the sacrifices will resume. We should all be cautioned not to speak against this event, since it was foretold in Scripture, and will most certainly be a sign once again to the world that Jerusalem is the City of the Great King, and belongs to Yahweh for eternity! The prophet Daniel tells us that "From the time that the daily sacrifices are abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days." (Daniel 12:11) When the sacrifices at the Altar are abolished, the Great Tribulation begins. But there must be an Altar established again in Israel for this prophecy to be fulfilled! Could it be in Cheshvan once again that we see the Altar restored? Did you happen to see the article about the gathering of stones from the Dead Sea for just this purpose? I have reprinted part of it below from the Arutz Sheva newspaper in Israel, dated July 29, 2009):

"The Temple Institute, which has already built many of the vessels for the Holy Temple, such as the ark and the menorah, has now embarked on a project to build the altar. Construction begins Thursday in Mitzpe Yericho (east of Jerusalem) at 5:30 p.m.
“Unfortunately, we cannot currently build the altar in its proper place, on the Temple Mount,” Temple Institute director Yehudah Glick said. “We are building an altar of the minimum possible size so that we will be able to transport it to the Temple when it is rebuilt." Even a minimum size altar will work out to be approximately 2 meters tall, 3 meters long, and 3 meters wide. Workers have collected around 10 cubic meters of rocks weighing several tons already.The rocks were gathered from the Dead Sea area and wrapped individually to assure they remain whole and are not touched by metal, as the Bible requires.“The Torah says that no iron tools should be used on the altar’s stones,” Glick explained. “The altar represents a connection to life and to the creation of the world. Iron is the opposite – it is used to build tools of war, death, and destruction.”The stones will be cemented together with a mixture of sand, clay, tar, and asphalt. “There are many positive developments recently with regard to the Temple,” Glick added. “Hundreds of Jews visited the Temple Mount this week, and more and more continue to come, after undergoing the requisite ritual immersion.”

Additionally Betty uncovered the fact that in the month of Cheshvan the Israelites returned to the Land following their captivity in Babylon. So, it is not only the month of completing the Temple, but of the re-gathering of the scattered Israelites! No wonder my heart is so deeply yearning to return this month! No wonder I was so awe-struck when reading Ephraim Frank's blog this morning. You will want to read it too, for it contains a thrilling account of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi who had a powerful vision from the Holy Spirit regarding the return of Ephraim to the land of Israel, and the joining of the two sticks in the Father's hand (Ezekiel 37:19, 22). Read those scriptures. Then read the blog at this link: http://israeliteletters.blogspot.com/

Then pray - with all your heart - for Yahweh to re-gather His scattered ones and reunite them upon the mountains of Israel, and reveal Himself as the only True God of Israel as He states in Joel 2:27, "Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am YHVH your Elohim, and that there is no other!" AMEN!

A Stanger and Exile on Earth

2009-10-20T22:16:00.002-06:00

Today the New Moon was cited in Israel. Happy Rosh Chodesh, we have just begun the month of Cheshvan! But why on earth am I watching the new moons? What am I looking for? More than ever in my spirit I realize that I am looking, longing, yearning for the signs of Messiah Yeshua's return. He gave us signs in the earth and signs in the heavens to watch, and I don't want to miss a single sign! It seems very, very quiet in the news and in the earth right now. It feels to me like a quiet before a great storm. And we know a great "storm" of war, famine, disease and death must occur in the earth before He returns. But my focus is solely on HIM, our soon-coming King, so that I might know what HE is doing and not concern myself with what the enemy is doing.

Today a blog by Homer Owen really touched my heart. Homer cited this scripture and made the following comment: “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10

"In the 13th verse of this same chapter we are told that Abraham did not receive the promises made to him but rejoiced anyway and welcomed them from a distance. He had to maintain an attitude of being a stranger and exile on the earth. God had prepared a city for Abraham in heaven and he keep his eye on this heavenly or everlasting reward."

So it is for us, beloved. We too are strangers and exiles on the earth. I never felt more an exile than I did during the great Feast of Sukkot, which I celebrated in Oklahoma. I mean I'm pretty sure Oklahoma is NOT the Promised Land! Smile. So I have to maintain Abraham's attitude of understanding that I am just an exile here, waiting to go HOME. Longing to go home. Yearning to go home.

Our Messiah did not come this Sukkot to establish His City, whose architect and builder is is God, setting up His reign upon the Earth for 1000 years. Maybe next Sukkot? Or the one following that? Let us watch the new moons and the seasons, and keep our eyes on this heavenly or everlasting reward! And let us rejoice anyway, as Abraham did, and welcome the promises from a distance...

I Enter the Holy of Holies

2009-10-12T20:04:00.005-06:00

Shabbat Shalom on this day of our Simchat Torah (the joy of the Torah)! I have just returned from 7 days in Oklahoma celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) with Mike & Kathy Clayton and about 76 other wonderful Israelites! We camped in the woods and the deluge of rain reminded me of Sukkot in Jerusalem in 2005 when I first came to understand YHVH's outpoured blessing of rain during the Feast days. It never dampened our spirits or our hearts, even when the rain came pouring through our dining tent! It was a week of worship, fellowship, and rehearsals for the in-breaking Kingdom of Yeshua.

The thing I never quite got over was how strange we must have looked to the world - especially on Saturday evening when we had the awesome privilege of "entering the Holy of Holies." To describe this experience to you is most difficult - there are really no words to convey the Power and Glory of YHVH's Presence that visited us that night. But I will do my best to share what it was like to enter the Holy of Holies - even though we were simply preparing for what is yet to come.

The tabernacle looked like white linen curtains with only the light of the menorah shining through, the sweet fragrance of incense wafting above. Approaching the brazen altar with fear and trembling, I put my "sacrifice" into the fire to be burned. My sacrifice was a paper on which I had written that which I desired to be burned from me. I tore the paper into pieces and tossed it into the coals. Suddenly a tall column of fire erupted and CONSUMED my paper. YHVH had come down and literally consumed my offering. Inside the tabernacle I lit the menorah and asked Him that no darkness would ever again be found in me and that I might continually shine forth HIS Light in the world. I also asked Him for keener discernment, that I will know WHEN to shine the Light and when to separate myself. Amen.

I moved to the Table of Showbread - and there I utterly lost control and began to sob. I asked Father, "Why am I so overcome by the showbread?" I heard the Ruach clearly say, "Because I am your only Provider. This is the hidden manna, preserved for Israel in the final journey." Do I need stored food? Not much. Do I need silver or gold? Not really. Retirement accounts? No. He cannot give me the miracle until I have nothing.

Next I came to the Altar of Incense. Frankincense burned as a sweet fragrance. I watched the smoke ascend as the prayers of YHVH's people. And then I came upon the execution stake where He died - because we cannot enter the Holy of Holies but through His Blood. I prostrated myself and grabbed the foot of the stake. I held on tight - and I wept. What else have I to hold onto? Then - at last - I entered the Holy of Holies, behind the veil. I worshiped the Holy One of Israel. And I came to the full, astonishing reality that I - and a tiny remnant of others in the world - are rehearsing for the Kingdom! We are keeping His moedim. And HE is here to meet with us! His Presence was so powerful I could not walk straight as I tried to leave, but staggered as if drunk. I was overcome by the Shechinah in that Holy Place, and suddenly knew that if it were any heavier I could not have stood up or walked at all!

Outside I stared up at the stars and wondered, "Are you pleased with us, YHVH? Are you blessed at the desire of our hearts to meet with You; to keep your moedim and to learn to follow Your ways? Your Torah is LIFE to us! We washed our hands in the bronze laver. There was no towel. The water is the WORD, and we don't want the WORD to depart from us! Give me clean hands and a pure heart. Take not your Holy Spirit from me. Fill me with your Light. Your tabernacle is Messiah Yeshua: water, blood and light. And now Your tabernacle is me: water, blood and light. Dead flesh. Sweet fragrance. Living bread. Holy and set apart.

Missing the Mark

2009-09-30T15:42:00.003-06:00

"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Messiah, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:4)

Never has that Scripture meant more to me than it does this Yom Kippur. Struggling with all the ways I missed the mark this year, I feel like I am literally clinging to the Cross. "What is the mark?" you may ask. The mark is Torah. Mistranslated as law, Torah really means "teaching and instruction" in the Hebrew. It is Yahweh's perfect instruction to His people on how to live a holy and righteous life, reaping blessings instead of curses. I shoot for the mark of Torah every day - but how often does my dart land outside the circle, or even fall to the ground?

Tonight when the sun sets, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) begins. I have written letters to those I may have hurt or offended and asked forgiveness. I sincerely wanted to reach this day having confessed my sin to Yahweh and having done all I could to make amends with others and take an axe to the root of my own bitterness. But even with all my own efforts and good intentions, do I have clean hands and a pure heart? Am I deserving of eternal life in the glorious Kingdom of God? No.

And so here I am...on my face with my arms stretched out toward that ancient tree on which my Messiah shed His precious blood. The Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world - God's free gift of salvation to His imperfect children. Father, thank you for the Torah - the tutor that brings me to Messiah - where I am undeservedly justified by faith. If I did not have the mark to shoot for, how would I know I missed it?

Now knowing I missed it I come once again to the incredible Good News: through Yeshua I get another chance! I am justified by faith; not faith in myself, but in HIS FAITHFULNESS.

Be blessed this Yom Kippur and rejoice with me in the gift of blood sacrificed for us by our eternal High Priest.

Crushed and Blessed

2009-09-21T12:20:00.003-06:00

It was a profound weekend in the Spirit. Several images from my time of worship and also of sighting the New Moon will remain with me a long time.

In worship a group of women known as "Hands of Praise" come forward and do sign language to the words of worship songs. They are all dressed in black, which takes attention away from everything except their beautiful, expressive hands, offering worship to the King. As I looked into their faces, though, I noticed that two of them were radiating such joy that it took my breath away; and then I realized that I knew something about these two particular women. One of them lost her home and everything she owned in the Windsor tornado a little over a year ago. Not only did she lose everything, but in the week that followed, her mother died. It was a week of unspeakable tragedy in that family. But oh, the wellspring of joy on her face as she worshiped her King! The other woman came to death's door last year and defeated it. She developed an infection that nearly shut down her kidneys and doctors gave her little hope. But Yeshua had other plans for this beautiful young woman, and as I watched her hands signing the words, "I'm forgiven because You were forsaken; I'm accepted, You were condemned. I'm alive and well, Your Spirit is within me, because You died and rose again" I saw the evidence of her miracle all over her, and something became very clear to me once again. We who have suffered much are loved much! We who have been crushed - like the oil being pressed out of the olive - are anointed with His Light! The crushing is the oil of the anointing. What a blessing!

Then last night I made my way out to the Seven Lakes Park in Loveland, Colorado, and trudged through thick, high clumps of reeds, amidst swarms of mosquitoes, down to the bank of a lake where about twenty of us gathered to await the sighting of the New Moon. I thought how strange we must look to the world! There was just nothing more important to this odd little band of people than to watch to see what the Father is doing! And sure enough, two days after the Hebrew calendar said it would be Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) the tiny sliver of the New Moon broke through a window just above the waning rays of sunlight, and just below a bank of deep blue clouds. It was hard to spot! We had to squint and stare until finally one of the men shouted enthusiastically, "There it is! Blow the shofars!" As we all began to spot that first tiny crescent, we blew our shofars with great joy, announcing the beginning of the Feast. It was a spectacular sight: the rays of the setting sun formed a literal crown around the moon, refelected in the water below. With great joy I thought of this Day in the future when the Feast of Trumpets will at last be fulfilled and the 7th trumpet will sound, heralding the Return of the Messiah in power and glory!

Father is teaching us that no longer can we rely on ANY of man's calendars to know what He is doing - certainly not the Roman calendar, and now not even the Hebrew calendar! If we want to know when the 1st day of the 7th Hebrew month will be so that we can blow the trumpets and welcome back the King, we must do as Yeshua did: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." (John 5:19)

Yes, it was a profound weekend in the Spirit. The crushed, the suffering, the dying raised to life, and the peculiar little band of people on the lakeshore looking for the new moon all have something in common. They live in this world, but they are not OF this world. They are joyfully serving and living for the KING who is not of this world, but of the world to come!

What Is In Your Heart?

2009-09-13T12:22:00.002-06:00

I used to have a pastor who would say, "As soon as you start walking with the Lord your God, there will be someone assigned against you to test you." How right he was!

In Deuteronomy 8:2, Moses reminds the Israelites, "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart..."

I believe that in this hour we are in, we are each being tested in order to reveal what is in our hearts. The tests are never the same for any two people - but rest assured that there is probably someone in your life right now that has been assigned against you and they do not even know it. You are being humbled - and it is a test. How you handle it will reveal what is in your heart - and although this may be painful, it is always Yahweh's purpose and intention to cause us to examine our hearts that we might repent (teshuva) and come back to His straight and narrow path.

Was Bathsheba assigned against David? Was she out bathing where he could see her so that David's problem with lust could be revealed? I don't know...but I do know that when he saw the wickness in his heart he prayed the prayer that became Psalm 51: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation (your Yeshua!) and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you." Not only was David convicted of his own sin, but he became desirous of helping others turn from their sinfulness as well - just as we should be doing in the Body of Messiah.

If Yahweh used Bathsheba to test David, she was completely unaware. Those assigned against us are probably completely unaware as well - because it is usually not people trying to throw us off course, but the spirit of Satan who works through them. When Yeshua explained to Peter the divine plan of redemption that included his agonizing death on the tree, Peter rebuked him and said, "Never, Lord! This will never happen to you!" And Yeshua responded, "Get behind me, Satan." He was not calling his friend Peter "Satan." He was speaking to the spirit operating through Peter, trying to tempt Him to forget about the Cross and take the easy way out.

As the Israelites wandered through the desert being humbled and disciplined by many tests, and by those assigned against them, Moses reminded them that this was "to teach them that man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Is someone in your life on assignment to test you? Just be certain that all your responses line up with the Word of God. Be aware that this person probably has no idea they are tempting you in some way - and do not come against the person, but rebuke the spirit of the enemy that is working to throw you off course. Remember that Moses said to the people, "Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these 40 years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." (Deut. 8:4-5)

Thank You, Papa, for loving us enough to test us and discipline us. Thank you for calling us Your children. Thank you for providing for us on the journey - and giving us your Holy Spirit to guide us. Amen.

More on 222

2009-08-18T11:11:00.001-06:00

I got many responses to the post on "222" and I SO appreciated what you wrote and contributed. A couple of responses need to be shared with all, as they give more insight for us.

One person wrote to say that my last paragraph - concerning 1 John 2:22 - is an accurate description of the problem in the Episcopal Church today. I went back and read the last paragraph I wrote, and he is so right on! At the opening of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church a few weeks ago, the Presiding Bishop announced that she does not believe in any individual prayer of salvation through Jesus Christ. How clearly we see the "great falling away" foretold by our Messiah in this denomination that has, from the top down, eroded into denial of our Lord and Savior! This is indeed the great lie of Satan, from the Garden (see Genesis 3:15) forward to the present. If Yeshua our Messiah can be denied, and his seed wiped out forever, then Satan can claim the victory! The antichrist spirit has been present in all those in history who have sought to eradicate the Jews from the earth, since through the Jewish people came the Seed of the woman.

Concerning Haggai 2:22, another person wrote to remind me that it is not only the Muslims who will be killing their brothers in the end times. Yeshua Himself tells us, "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My Name's sake. But He who endures to the end will be saved." (Matt. 10:21-22). Indeed, our Lord is not talking about Muslims here, but about our own families! Believers will experience the betrayal of their own family members in those days, and it is already so in many nations. In fact, when a Jewish person in Israel comes to faith in Messiah Yeshua he almost always ostracized completely from all family and friends, forced to pursue his faith in isolation and persecution.

A third person wrote to tell me that the book of Haggai has repeatedly come up in the Spirit in his ministry, and especially the second chapter. It seems that we are once again in a time of being asked to "rebuild the Lord a House" and the lessons we must undergo are the same as they were in Haggai's day. The challenges and the encouragement God spoke through this prophet are spoken to us again today to spur us on to advance His Kingdom: "Be strong, all you people of the land," says the Lord, "for I am with you," says the Lord of hosts. "According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!" (Haggai 2:4-5).

Our Bridegroom reminds us of the Covenant He made with us when He brought us out of Egypt - and He has given us His Spirit to abide with us. He is a Covenant-keeping God, and His Promises to those who love and fear Him are sure!

222

2009-08-13T22:56:00.002-06:00

Today I spent time with the prophet Haggai - a place in the Bible I've not spent much time before! Haggai prophesied to the Jewish people after they returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile; but he also has words for us today that really spoke to me. In fact, the LORD gave me two new understandings of the number 222, which He has so strongly quickened to my spirit over the past 3 years. Although Haggai begins by prophesying to the Jews of his time, he issues a second decree at the end which is clearly intended for the "end times." When we see the Hebrew idiom "in that day" we know the day referred to is "The Day of the Lord," or the "end of the age." In Haggai 2:22 the LORD says, "I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother."

Chariots and horses in Scripture refer to human strength. That is why the psalms warn us not to trust in the strength of chariots and horses. To do this is to trust in man, rather than in God. "Foreign kingdoms" refers to kingdoms other than the Kingdom of God, whose Throne is seated in Jerusalem, the City of the Great King. So this "222" warning is yet another assurance from Yahweh that He will come to the defense of His people by causing His enemies to turn on one another - just as they did in 2nd Chronicles Chapter 20, and just as they are doing now among the various sects of Islam. In 2nd Chronicles Chapter 2o the Israelites did not have to shoot an arrow or draw a weapon; they simply praised Yahweh and while they were in prayer and worship, the armies of the enemy killed one another. "Their horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother." Already around the world we see Muslim brothers killing one another in the name of their false moon god, Allah!

Then the Spirit took me to another "222" in 1 John 2:22: "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah. Such a man is the antimessiah - he denies the Father and the Son." Verse 23 goes on to say, "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." Why does John make this point? Because the Father and the Son are ONE GOD. You cannot have one and not have the other; you cannot deny one and not deny the other!

You may remember that originally the Spirit showed me the meaning of the number 222 in the Hebrew gematria: 200 = the Head, 20 = to cover, 2 = the family or household. The Head (Yeshua) covers the family. It is a number of His divine protection. But in these two scriptures above it is also a strong warning that the family of God must stay awake and watch for the liar who will come to deceive many by saying he worships God, but "God has no Son." This lie is at the core of Islam. But this lie of Satan will fail, as Yahweh overturns royal thrones and shatters the power of foreign kingdoms, overthrowing chariots and their drivers, their horses and riders falling, each by the sword of their brothers.

Be strong - and keep the faith!

Wise, Respected Leaders?

2009-07-27T06:32:00.002-06:00

In Deuteronomy Chapter 1 Moses is giving the Israelites a "recap" of their wilderness journey as they are encamped east of the Jordan, preparing to finally enter their inheritance in the Promised Land. He reminds them of how the Lord instructed him to choose some men and appoint them to high leadership positions over the people.
Deuteronomy 1:13-15: "Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you. So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials."

Moses was told to find wise, understanding and respected men. What he apparently got was wise and respected men. I wondered, "What happened to the word understanding? It is left out of verse 15! Why?

When we need to go deeper, we must always go to the Hebrew. The Hebrew word used here for "understanding" is biyn, which means discerning, prudent, observant. Now we get some clarification about what was missing in these leaders. They were wise - meaning they had knowledge, common sense, and probably good leadership skills. And they were respected - men of notariety among the tribes, those whom the people looked up to. But they were apparently not discerning or observant. Does this ring a bell with you regarding our current leaders, not only of the U.S., but around the world? Oh, we have plenty of leaders in power who are respected and smart, well-versed in the ways of the world, crafty in how to maneuver the masses. But are they discerning? Do they seek the counsel and advice of the God of Israel as they lead us? Do they spend time in the Word of God to receive their wisdom and strength? Do they trust in Him to direct and guide their steps? And what about the leaders in the Church? Shouldn't we be asking the same questions about them?

It seems we are in the same predicament Moses was in! We have "wise and respected leaders" who have no discernment, and who observe with eyes of the flesh instead of the Eyes of the Spirit. Thus should WE be ever more discerning in this hour, brothers and sisters. We should be vigilant, hiding the Word in our hearts and testing every spirit and every teacher. We cannot enter our own inheritance in the Promised Land following after the false and negative reports of the ten spies! Listen to the Still, Small Voice that leads and guides you, and reject the rest.

Only Your Ship Will Be Destroyed

2009-07-24T15:50:00.002-06:00

In my last blog I wrote about Paul and Silas reassuring their prison guard, "We are still here." It was a profound statement of faith in the One who would not only keep them, but bring the guard and his family to salvation as well, through their faithfulness. This week the Spirit spoke to me about Paul and the men in the ship that encountered a terrible storm at sea. Acts 27:14-22:

14Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. 21After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed."

"Do you see?" the Holy Spirit asked me. "Only the ship will be destroyed. What does the ship represent?" I meditated upon the question. They threw their cargo overboard. This means they got rid of all their possessions on that ship, even the grain and food that was heavy. Now they were lighter, free of baggage. But that did not entirely solve the problem. The storm continued to rage and it got so bad that they "gave up all hope of being saved."

It was then that Paul brought his great word of encouragement: "I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed." Again, what does the ship represent? I believe it represents not only our material possessions and possibly even our homes, but our entire lifestyle of comfort and complacency. I believe that possibly very soon this will all be destroyed. The Lord warned me about this recently when I was sharing my home with a family of six for a month. When it began to feel "inconvenient" to me to be staying in my basement, Father whispered in my ear, "You DO realize you are living like most of the rest of the world don't you?" Indeed! We are some of the few people on earth who expect that each child in the family should have their own room, and everybody should have their own private space.

The Lord is preparing a people who are willing to give up these luxuries and comforts, and be willing to throw the cargo overboard. He is not going to destroy the faithful, who love Messiah Yeshua above all things. When neither sun nor stars have been seen for many days and the moon has turned to blood, some will have shed their baggage and all their extra food, trusting in the Holy One of Israel to keep them safe. To these He says, "Keep up your courage! Not one of you will be lost; only your ship will be destroyed."

Shabbat Shalom!

WE ARE STILL HERE

2009-07-17T14:38:00.002-06:00

My beloved friend Rosemary sent a word to me this past week that spoke so profoundly to my spirit, I am hearing one phrase over and over every day, many times a day. The phrase is "We are still here."

Her word came from Acts 16:25-33. In this story Paul and Silas are in prison when suddenly a violent earthquake hits, the prison foundations are shaken and the doors fly open. The prison warden wakes up and finds that the doors are open and undoubtedly the prisoners have all escaped, and then he draws his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouts, "Don't harm yourself! We are still here!"

Something awesome happens because they are still there. The warden gets down on his knees and asks how he can be saved. Paul and Silas reply, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved - you and your household." Then they are given the opportunity to witness to all the people in the warden's household, and everyone there gets baptized in the Lord and comes to the faith. They even stop to attend to Paul and Silas' wounds in their new-found love and compassion! Verse 34 says, "The jailer brought them into his house and a meal was set before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God - he and his whole family."

All this because THEY WERE STILL THERE! This has had a great impact on me. I see and hear the Father speaking to us in this day about steadfastness. It is a time of the great falling away. People want to be in their comfort zones; we want instant gratification and results. If things don't happen fast enough, we just quit and get interested in something else. If things get too hard and we start feeling tired and worn out, we just quit and stay home. Where is the steadfastness of Paul and Silas? Where is the deep passion to bring in the harvest - a passion that overrides all our own comforts?

It would have been SO easy for Paul and Silas to run out that prison door and say, "Thank You, O God, for this miraculous escape! Thank you for getting us out of here! Whew, now we can find a friendly house with a nice bed and get some rest." But no...they were steadfast. They were focused. Most of all, they were obedient. All they said was, "We are still here." The obedience brings the blessing.

Does this speak to you? When you've been given something to do for God, will you persevere even when you don't understand what He's doing - and even when you're tired and bruised?

Learn From Each Man All He Has to Offer

2009-07-14T21:38:00.004-06:00

This past Sunday I went with some friends to hear ex-Palestinian terrorist Walid Shoebat speak. Walid is a modern-day apostle Paul, if you will. Born in Bethlehem, raised as a Muslim and trained to hate and kill Jews and Christians, he was utterly transformed by Messiah Yeshua and now teaches and exhorts those whom he used to persecute and kill. He is a passionate follower of Yeshua (Jesus), who said to us on Sunday night, "I will fight for my faith in Yeshua until the day I die." But his mandate is not just sharing the Gospel. His mandate is, in his own words, "to wake up America!" He says America is sound asleep in front of our TVs and our computers, and he is right. And he says that while we are sleeping, the enemy of our God is infiltrating our country - not with weapons of mass destruction, but with subtle weapons of overtaking our government, our schools and universities, and our society.

In the few hours we listened to Walid in a packed church, our Bibles open on our laps, we heard about 1% of the Scriptures that concern Muslim nations. He told us there are approximately 1,352 Bible prophecies mentioning Muslim nations, and almost all of these prophecies are in reference to the end times. From his Middle-Eastern Muslim background he tried to open our Western-cultured eyes to understand about the Beast of Revelation. He made us question: "Why is the Antichrist often referred to as 'the Assyrian' in Isaiah? Why are all the nations that God judges at the end currently Muslim nations?" Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia. In the Bible they are mentioned in names we do not recognize, such as Persia, Edom, Elam, Cush, Put, Babylon, Meshach, Tubal, Dedan. Because these biblical names are unfamiliar to us, did we not understand? Or because our teachers and prophets all used the term "revived Roman Empire" to tell us about the Antichrist and the Beast system, did we fail to look at the ancient boundaries of the Roman Empire? Did we forget that in Yeshua's day even the areas of Israel, Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, etc. were under Roman Empire rule?

Walid convincingly opened my eyes to the truth of the prophecies in Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah. Those prophecies tell of the fierce judgment and wrath of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob coming against modern-day nations that are ALL under Islamic rule - and in examining them more closely through the eyes of this Arabic man who has been transformed by the love of our Messiah, I could not deny the fact that the Bible does flow consistently and seamlessly from the tree of good and evil planted in the garden by the "bad seed" of Lucifer (the original ANTI-Christ), to the description of Mohammed in Isaiah 14:12-13, to the prophecy in Daniel 11:36-45, to the description of "the Assyrian" in Isaiah 10:5-13, to the final prophecy about the beast in Revelation 13:1-8.

Read these scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding. I did not agree with everything Walid Shoebat taught - but I am grateful that we have such teachers among us who are on their knees in prayer and crying out in the wilderness of America's slumber. Just because we do not agree with everything a teacher teaches does not mean we should reject everything he says. My dear sister Theresa sent me a quote yesterday illustrating that none of us yet has perfect understanding or has it all right: "Therefore, do not reject any thing for the harm it may render, nor despise any man for the ugliness within him. Rather, use each thing towards the purpose God conceived it for, and learn from each man all he has to offer."

If you are interested in reading Walid Shoebat's fascinating book, God's War on Terror, you can order it from his website here: http://www.shoebat.com/. And as you read and study these things, remember always that Yeshua has told us all things ahead of time (Matthew 24:25) so that we will keep watch and not be in fear, but in His perfect shalom!

Precious Moments of the Best Kind

2009-07-12T21:48:00.003-06:00

Last Tuesday evening my daughter, her husband, and their three children came to my home for dinner. You wouldn't think that would be a big deal - certainly not noteworthy enough to write a blog about! After all, my daughter lives only three blocks away from me! But it is a big deal to me. They are a young, busy family and we rarely get a chance to sit down and enjoy dinner together. And after we finished dinner on this gentle summer evening, we went out on my old-fashioned, covered front porch. My daughter and I sat in the porch swing. Her husband sat in the big wicker chair. The children played in the yard. We ate popsicles. We talked about our hopes and the things that matter to us. We didn't have to rush off anywhere. Nobody had an appointment or a music rehearsal or a sports practice. We made time to just be together all evening long, and it was, for me, a treasured and poignant time. I remember that when I prayed a blessing over the dinner I said, "Father, I thank you for the great joy of having family so near. I never, ever take for granted how blessed I am to be able to walk down the street to see them, and to put my arms around my grandchildren."

I really meant that prayer. But tonight I was even more touched by a post from the son of a good friend who was critically injured in a bicycle accident a few weeks ago. His spine was injured and he was paralyzed from the neck down. For the last few weeks he has been in ICU in Houston, and now in rehabilitation. The post from his son is too beautiful not to share - just as a reminder to us all how fleeting this life is - and how precious family is!

Ben (my friends' son) writes:
Yesterday evening, for the first time in what seems like a very long time, I had the pleasure of actually sitting down around a dinner table in his room with Dad, Mom, Gramma and Grampa. We blessed our meal, and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half telling stories, giving each other a hard time, and most importantly, laughing. I found it difficult not to think of the innumerable times in my life that I've taken something as simple as eating dinner with my family for granted -- and then to realize how truly precious each opportunity to look our loved ones in the eye is. In the midst of trials that at times seem too much to bear, it is the brief moments such as these that reinvigorate our spirits and give us the strength to press on. They provide the certainty that no matter how tenuous and frail the physicalities of this world may seem, God has seen fit to bestow upon us the ties that bind and hold infinitely more firm than sinew, bone, or steel -- and it is with that assurance of fortitude that we find the stamina to keep moving up the mountain. And not surprisingly, Dad is leading the charge.With much love, and eternal thanks,-Ben

We Want a King!

2009-06-27T14:37:00.005-06:00

The timing of the death of Michael Jackson has not been lost on me. Satan laughs gleefully, I believe, as the majority of the American population will stay distracted by watching all the media hype and all the videos of the "King of Pop" for hours, days and weeks. While they are distracted by the idols of media and entertainment, the elitists of the New World Order can move ahead full steam in pushing through such horrendous legislation as the "Climate Bill" - a 1200-page bill that nobody in Congress has apparently even read, and that will cost our families dearly. While we watch Michael Jackson videos and consume ourselves with his death, the death of our country proceeds without even so much as a squeak of objection. It all became so real to me when I read this week's Haf Torah portion in 1 Samuel chapters 11-12.

The prophet Samuel had warned the people of Israel against wanting a human king instead of trusting the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be their king. But they didn't listen. They wanted "change!" And they got change. They got King Saul, who became so obsessed with his own power and glory that the people of Israel suffered greatly at the hand of their enemies. Saul said to them, "When you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us - even though Yahweh your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, Yahweh has set a king over you. If you fear Yahweh and serve Him and do not rebel against His commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow Yahweh your God - good! But if you do not obey Yahweh, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you as it was against your fathers. Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon Yahweh to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of Yahweh when you asked for a king. " (1 Samuel 12:12-17).

When I was in Kansas last week we drove through a lot of wheat fields, and one thing became quickly obvious to me. There has been too much rain! Just as in Colorado, they have had an unusually wet spring, and the crops are poor, many of them too wet to cut or to survive. I have lived in Colorado now for 25 years, and NEVER have I seen so much rain or heard so much thunder! The parallel is unavoidable.

When the people of this nation were unhappy they asked for a king - a human king, not the King of kings! They look to King Obama and the government to be their savior - and the result for us is the same as it was for Israel. But we're so busy watching "king" Michael Jackson and whatever other idols the media wants to hype that we don't even realize the danger we are in for rejecting our True Messiah and failing to repent. In Samuel Chapter 12, the people heard the warning of the prophet and they repented. "Then Samuel called upon Yahweh and that same day He sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. The people all said to Samuel, 'Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die; for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.' 'Do not be afraid,' Samuel replied. 'You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from Yahweh, but serve Him with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of His Great Name, Yahweh will not reject His people, because He was pleased to make you His own."

If we would turn away from worshiping Obama, and Jackson, and whatever other useless idols we have placed above the Lord our God, would He not do the same for us? He is pleased to make us His own! Yet, this true, from-the-heart repentance has not occurred in our nation. In fact, we are increasingly becoming a nation that is utterly turning away from all God's commands and professing universalism instead of teaching that Yeshua haMashiach (our Lord Jesus Christ) is the ONLY Way, the Truth, and the Life! And so the rain continues to fall, the wheat continues to die, and the Thunder of His Voice continues to warn us: "I will send thunder and rain, and you will realize what an evil thing you did in My eyes in asking for a king." Is anyone listening?

River of Life

2009-06-22T20:04:00.002-06:00

One of the biggest mistakes I make in my relationship with the Living God is thinking I can predict when and where He will show up. He truly is mysterious and a God of creative surprises!

This past week I traveled to Winfield, Kansas where I have ministered several times before. Crossroads Community Church in Winfield is a nondenominational church that is not well-known or famous and is actually located out in the country in an obscure, abandoned school building. But it has not been hidden from the Holy Spirit. He is alive and well there, and He visited us in power this past Saturday evening.

A local summer concert series named "River of Life Concerts" was being hosted by Crossroads this past weekend, and since I was already there to lead a women's retreat, they put me on the concert schedule to sing a few of my original songs. After teaching and leading worship all day Saturday I was pretty well spent, and I confess I went to the concert with little to no enthusiasm. I sat on the back row while the first two acts performed, and I prayed a small prayer that Father would get my heart right and remind me that I was there to give HIM my worship.

The first act was a rock 'n roll trio with a loud guitar and a few shouted lyrics. Again I wondered, "Lord, what am I doing here?" About 20 people had trickled into the sanctuary that seats over 200. When it was my turn I went up and sang my three songs, praying that someone would be blessed in my offering. At the end of the concert an unusually excellent folk/bluegrass trio came up and thrilled us all with their vocal harmonies and masterful guitar playing. Still, I wondered what this could be all about!

At the close of the concert the organizer came up on the stage and asked all the artists to come up and do a closing "jam session." Obediently I went forward, but I stayed near the back, not knowing what on earth we would all do to "jam" together since our music had been so totally diverse. We began with a couple of old country gospel favorites that everyone would know. And then it happened. It happened in this place and time and situation that I would have least expected it to happen! A man who is an incredibly gifted, powerful worship leader stepped up to the keyboard and began to play "Here I Am to Worship." The guitars were gently laid on the floor, and we all began to quietly sing to our King. Then the music flowed into the grand strains of "I Exalt Thee" and the Holy Spirit began to descend upon us in that heaviness that can only be described as the "weightiness - the kabod" of God.

The people on the stage as well as the people in the audience moved from praise into deep worship of the heart. Finally the kabod - the glory of God - got so heavy that I was no longer able to stand, and I fell to my knees, covering my head and face with a scarf in His Presence. When the song finished, nobody was able to move for a bit. We had truly been visited by the Presence of the Living God, and we were in awe.

When I laid my head on my pillow that night I asked the Lord to forgive me. How dare I make presuppositions about this small, seemingly insignificant "River of Life" concert out in the cornfield? He will cause HIS river of Life to flow wherever and whenever He chooses. And my heart is still bowed low before Him in awe and gratitude that He allowed me to be there when He came!

May we be a people who seek Him - and watch for Him - in even the most unlikely places! And may the places of worship in this nation soon be filled to overflowing with a people who want His Presence more than they want entertainment or sports or sleep...or their next breath.

The Warning Buzzer

2009-06-15T15:01:00.004-06:00

Oh, that now all-too-familiar sound on the radio, "aaah, aaaah, aaaah!" It is an ominous sounding warning, a loud, piercing buzzer, that causes you stop whatever you are doing and tune in. We've been trained from our youth to recognize that sound on radio and television as impending disaster or emergency. It seems to scream, "Pay attention! Keep watch!"I know Colorado isn't the only place in the nation that has experienced that warning signal a lot over the past two weeks. Today makes nine straight days of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in my town. A beloved sister in Texas just sent me photos of her house with the roof blown off. I believe God is training us to watch the skies, even as Yahshua warned us to do in Scripture. In this past hour when the radio blasted the warning signal I went outside, as I always do, to gaze at the westward sky - and once again in my spirit I heard this Scripture from Matthew 16:1-3: "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."Today I believe the Lord is saying to us that we can expect the appearance of the sky to speak more to us than a weather forecast. Yes, I can see that the clouds are dark and ominous. But I must ask myself, what is Yahweh speaking through the thunder? What is He displaying in the lightning? I believe His voice is thundering a warning to us that goes well beyond taking cover or making sure our house insurance is paid up! Today in the rumbling thunder I hear, "Have you made ME your covering? Are you living your life for Me or for yourself? Do you trust Me to be with you in the midst of the storm or are you in panic and fear? Am I your insurance plan, or do you put all your faith in the plans of man? Are you searching the sky for the appearance of storms or do you search it for MY appearing, looking up with joyful anticipation in your heart?"

In other words, CAN YOU NOT INTERPRET THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

To be sure there are dire times ahead of us. Far too many prophetic people are warning of a major earthquake to occur this summer, probably in connection with our dividing up the land of Israel. If our President persists in doing this, we can be sure the God of Israel will answer. But we also know He is a God of great mercy, and I am equally certain that the storms all across our nation are the warnings of the Righteous King who calls many to repent, deny themselves and their own lustful desires, and pursue the Way that leads to eternal life.

What is the Way? To answer that question puts me on the side of the "right-wing-religious extremists," I guess; because I answer that question in Jesus' words: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by ME." (John 14:6)

End-Times Instruction!

2009-06-10T08:08:00.005-06:00

We are enduring a rash of severe thunderstorms and tornado activity here in Colorado this week. The lightning has been more active than a fireworks show, and the wind, hail and ominous funnel clouds have been unsettling to say the least!

Last night as one of these severe storms passed directly over the town where our little group had gathered to pray, we had an incredible experience with the LORD. Geri went to the front of the house and I went out onto the back deck. We stretched out our hands and in the name of Yahshua, the Deliverer, we commanded the storm to leave at once! We checked the local TV station and the warnings were out for everyone to take shelter, so we obediently went into the basement where we sat at a small card table and bowed our heads to pray. The Holy Spirit came to us with the sweetest, most gentle Presence, and He directed us to a passage in the Word, which He said would be our "end times instruction."

What do you consider "end times instruction?" Most of us think about the storing of food, perhaps having a weapon and ammunition, or perhaps having a bag packed so that we can be prepared to flee our homes. This is not what the Holy Spirit wanted to show us. He took us to 1 Peter 4:7-10: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

Take this passage sentence by sentence and meditate upon it. I think you will be as amazed as we were to find that God's end-times instruction for is simple, gentle, and quiet. It is not fearful or difficult! We need clear minds and self-control so that we can pray - just as we experienced in the midst of the storm yesterday. We need to love one another deeply, even when it is not convenient or what our flesh wants to do. We need to open our homes, our food, our provision to those in need - without complaining about it! (I am so blessed right now to have a family of six in my small home, sharing food and hospitality with them until they find jobs and house to live in. The obedience is bringing blessings!) Lastly, the Spirit says we are to use whatever gift we have to serve others. We don't all have the same gifts, but we all have one (1 Corinthians 12).

As we see the end times upon us, and we see so many people begin to suffer mentally, physically and spiritually, we can take this passage from 1 Peter 4 to heart! There will be much to do to reach out to the suffering with love, with hospitality, and with spiritual gifts. And in the midst of the chaos that will break out all around us, we must stay clear-minded and self-controlled so that we can pray.

Last night - while we quietly prayed - the storm dissipated and left the area. No hail damaged our cars or homes, no tornado touched the ground. It was quiet - in the Shadow of El Shaddai.

Jerusalem The Stumbling Block

2009-06-03T16:19:00.004-06:00

I write this on the eve of President Obama's long-awaited speech from Cairo, Egypt. Journalists from all sources seem to agree that the purpose of this speech is to "improve U.S. relations with Muslim nations." In truth, I beileve that this speech carries much heavier weight and significance than that. We have only to compare the most recent news articles on this subject with biblical prophecy to gain a startling revelation of what is really happening with Obama's proposed Middle East policy.

On May 21, 2009 Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, went on record saying, "A unified Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be ours and it will never again be divided." This was followed the next day by a statement from French Foreign Ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux: "The international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the city's status is a stumbling block in negotiations with the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state."

If you know Scripture, that statement should make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and the Spirit within you leap a mile! Through the prophet Zechariah the LORD God has spoken, "In that day I will make Jerusalem a stumbling block for all people; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth gather against it." (Zechariah 12:3). The LORD goes on in that chapter to warn, "And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerualem." In Joel 3:2 Yahweh also gives strong warning against those that "divide My Land."

Harold Smith recently wrote, "It is not coincidental that Obama will deliver his Cairo speech to align the U.S. with the Muslim world on June 4, the very day the Six-Day War began in 1967, which resulted in Israel exerting her sovereignty over Jerusalem three days later on June 7, and thus fulfilled the times of the Gentiles spoken by Yeshua in Luke 21:24. That the United States is buying into Arab demands puts it squarely in the face of consequential disaster because it is the God of Israel who is defending this Land." (Please go to http://www.hethathasanear.com/ to read this entire, powerfully prophetic article).

The God of Israel has spoken and He watches over His Word to accomplish it. In the next few days we will be crossing over a spiritual threshold, and I believe we will see more prophecy fulfilled. The only question remaining is, "Are you on the right side of that threshold? Do you know Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ) as the Lord and Savior of your life?" If not, this would be a good time to bow the knee before the Righteous King, who is coming to reign forever in Jerusalem, the city that bears HIS NAME.

A Wise Latina Woman?

2009-05-29T16:17:00.002-06:00

I don't know...is it just me, or do the people of this nation seem to be focusing more on "race" than ever? I guess I'm naive, but after growing up in the turbulent 60s when all the high prices were paid for racial equality in this country, I had thought we had transcended all that and finally looked at each other simply as Americans. In fact, just after September 11 occurred, I remember a TV ad that used to make me weep. Many people of different ethnic backgrounds and skin colors would appear on the screen and say, "I am an American." Remember that? What happened to that spirit?

Two nights ago while watching a news story about Sonia Sotomayor, the woman Obama has chosen as a Supreme Court Judge, I saw and heard something that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. A journalist was interviewing a group of Hispanic school children. He passed the microphone around the table in this elementary school classroom, and each child in turn told how excited they are to have a "Latino woman" as a judge. Then they excitedly began proclaiming that "A Latino will be the next President!" and "We will rule this country!" Next, the journalist was interviewing Hispanic people on the streets of the city, and similar proclamations were heard, as if this is some kind of common goal, to get Hispanics elected to high offices all over the country and take over!

Just after this, Sotomayor herself makes a comment about a wise Latina woman making wiser choices than a white man. What is going on here? Why was there so much hoopla about electing a black President? It appears to me that once again the people of this nation are focused on skin color, rather than on people and their hearts and values.

Voting for a person because of his or her skin color/race is a travesty! It fosters anger, separation and violence. Encouraging our young generations to want certain races of people to take control and have power sets us up for a future of worse civil unrest and violence than I grew up in.

I wonder...why are we celebrating that a WOMAN and a LATINA has been chosen? If she is found to be a person of strong moral character, impeccable reputation, and strong devotion to God and her country, then shouldn't we celebrate that? What does the Word of God have to say about this? Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

All I can is that those who are elevating ethnic background and skin color above everything else must surely not be in Christ Jesus. Let's pray for them.

The One Enthroned in Heaven Laughs!

2009-05-26T04:05:00.004-06:00

The LORD has awakened me in the fourth watch of the night to pray. "What shall I pray?" I asked Him. I heard the Spirit clearly say, "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One." I knew He was speaking His Word from Psalm 2. So I arose from my bed and began to decree Psalm 2:
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One.
"Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."
The One enthroned in Heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them.
Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
He said to me, "You are my Son, today I have become your Father. Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear and trembling.
Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him."

The One enthroned in heaven laughs! Does this not give us hope? For me, it recalls a time when I was on watch on the rooftop on the Mount of Olives, and we were reading this psalm over Jerusalem. We got to verse 4 and we were greatly inspired to go to the four corners of the rooftops, overlooking all the Muslim neighborhoods and the people who worship the false god Allah and wrote "God has no son" inside the dome of their temple. And we laughed! At each corner of the rooftop we let go the laughter of the LORD God of Israel, who knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning! We scoffed at his enemies. He has installed His King on Mount Zion, His holy hill. It IS His land, given in covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants. And He has given His Righteous King, Yahshua, all the nations for an inheritance, the ends of the earth for His possession.

In today's news the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain. North Korea has tested a nuclear bomb at least as big as that dropped on Hiroshima, we are told. Iran has released war ships into their waters, "flexing their muscles prior to elections," we are told. Newscasters also report that the Taliban is now overtaking our troops in Afghanistan. It appears that those who worship the God of Israel are surrounded by their enemies. So was King David in his day. And so the LORD then led me to the final verses of Psalm 5 and asked me to pray them over the righteous - those who "kiss the Son," desiring to embrace what is pure and holy: "Let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in You. For surely, Yahweh, You bless the righteous; You surround them with your favor as with a shield."

The threat of war is all around us, and indeed is about to erupt. My spirit has been heavy within me. But after praying through this fourth watch, I hear the laughter of the One who reigns on His Holy Hill. I take refuge in Him and I sing for joy! As Jerry Golden wrote in his post from Israel this morning:
"I can assure you that when that dust [of war] does settle, Israel will be here and God’s Word will ring true to many who have been denying Him for so long. God will bring His people the Jews back to this land that He promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the God I serve cannot lie. Many may not be able to understand the things about to unfold in this world but God is in total control and He is sovereign. It will rain on the just and the unjust alike for it is not the temporal things God is concerned about; it is your relationship with Him through the Spirit, and when that is settled we have a comfort and a calm inside that brings shalom."
Amen!

God Is Not Mocked

2009-05-19T09:19:00.005-06:00

Late last night my dear sister in the faith, Tina Brown, called me. She said she had had a vision of a deep blue star of David - and suddenly it was violently ripped in half. She was alarmed. She asked the Lord about it - and He brought to her remembrance that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had meet with Pres. Obama in Washington yesterday. As expected, according to the Jerusalem Post, Mr. Obama forcefully mandated that Israel divide up her land, creating a "two-state solution" for the Palestinians. Has no one noticed that when Israel gave up the Gaza it became a launching pad for Hamas rockets? Are we so stupid that we do not realize the objective of the Palestinians is to infiltrate the Land and "send the Jews into the sea?"
Obama further stated that he would continue to pursue "diplomatic discussions" with Iran, believing that by the end of this year they would peaceably agree to discontinue their nuclear ambitions. How is it that we have a government so blind that they still think we can use diplomacy with terrorists? As Joel Rosenberg so accurately wrote in his blog today, "Yes, it appears a diplomatic train wreck is coming between the U.S. and Israel in the not-too-distant future given that Netanyahu understands Iran’s leaders are part of an apocalyptic, genocidal death cult and believe it is their God-given mission to annihilate Judeo-Christian civilization as we know it, and the American President and his team clearly do not."

AS AMERICA DOES TO ISRAEL, SO YAHWEH WILL DO TO AMERICA: "As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall. You who have escaped the sword, get away! Do not stand still! Remember the LORD and let Jerusalem come to your mind." (Jeremiah 51:50)

As America forces the division of GOD'S LAND, so it will come back upon us. The prophetic words going forth right now from those who hear the Voice of the Lord are all speaking in unity. They are prophesying a great earthquake or disaster that will divide this nation of the United States of America in two, down the middle, and they are crying in the wilderness that we will see the beginning of these sorrows in June 2009. As Israel is divided, so shall America be divided.

Historically speaking, every time this nation has come against Israel, even discussing the division of the land, given to the Jewish people in the Abrahamic Covenant, great disaster has come upon us, whether by financial ruin or "natural disasters." It did not escape my notice that an earthquake hit Los Angeles the day Netanyahu arrived on our soil! The excellent book As America Has Done to Israel by John McTernan documents each of these events throughout American history. Do we learn nothing from our history?

Take heed, brothers and sisters! Be watchmen on the wall in this hour and cry out to our God for mercy. As our President pretended to crack jokes last week, saying "I will do my next 100 days in 72 and on the 73rd day I will rest..." I heard Evil mocking God and the Spirit within me grieved. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7)

It is difficult to post this word - but some will have ears to hear, and will prepare for what is coming. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem - may they prosper who love you! (Psalm 122:6) Pray for P.M. Netanyahu to stand strong in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and pray that the leaders of the U.S.A. will change their hearts and minds.