Some of Jesus' most interesting and memorable times of ministry were one-on-one. Most of mine have been too. I praise God for allowing me to minister in huge African conferences of 200,000+ people, and lead thousands in Peru, Ecuador and Russia in worshiping the Lord; but it's times like this week on my friend Patty's horse and alpaca farm that will always stick in my memory.

Like so many other folks Patty and her husband are going through a rough time right now, and that was badly complicated when one of her alpacas caused her to fall, seriously injuring her knee. Their house and farm have been for sale for a long time, with no buyers, and so Patty's husband has moved on to Texas where he found work and income to send back home. I enter this picture when the Lord directs me to come here and care for Patty through her knee surgery, helping her to recover and helping to look after the needs of her seven (!) dogs, one cat, six horses, nine alpacas and one big llama! Not even in Peru did I get to experience alpacas up-close-and-personal as I have here. They are funny and adorable, even if I DID get kicked in the thigh by one. Yesterday a woman came to pick up the alpaca she'd bought and Patty and I went out into the pasture to help her "catch" it. While the herd protector, Dalai Llama, hurled huge chunks of grainy spit on us, Patty held both her crutches out at arm's length to try to coerce Peaches into the pen so we could catch her! It has not been a boring week.

But waiting so long for the farm to sell has been tough for Patty. I've prayed with her over the phone for well over a year now. Being all alone and barely able to walk has been even worse, with all the work there is to do on the farm. But today our gracious Father broke through the silence and the frustration and worked through total strangers to bring Patty encouragement and His blessed assurance that He has not forgotten nor abandoned her. First it was an e-mail from a woman responding to an ad Patty placed in the local paper to sell furniture. The woman wrote, "Can we come look at it? Give me your address and I do have cash available. I hope your surgery went well.. you're in my prayers. God Bless!" Not long after that the phone rang and a man was calling on another ad where Patty was seeking help with feeding the animals. Patty told him her needs were met. The man asked, "How are you doing now?" She said, "OK - I do have help with the animals." But the man persisted, "Yes, but how are YOU doing?" Surprised, Patty said, "I'm doing fine. A friend is here to help me." He said, "That's all that matters. I'm glad you're OK."

Since when do people answering newspaper ads have this kind of compassionate, genuine concern for a total stranger? We both recognized Jesus breaking through the long, difficult silence, offering love and encouragement in the most unexpected ways. The knee is healing. The house has buyers flying in from Michigan to look. God is faithful.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. " (2 Cor. 4:16-17)

THE REAL BAIL-OUT PLAN

I had another wonderful weekend retreat, teaching the Scriptures to 18 precious women in McCall, Idaho. We again "restored the altar of Yahweh" by taking 12 field stones, writing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on them, and piling them up to mark the place. Just as in 1 Kings 18, when Elijah did this on Mt. Carmel, we were confronting the modern-day "prophets of Ba'al" - the rulers, principalities and authorities of this dark world - and proclaiming, "Yahweh - He is God! Yahweh - He is God!"

It is good to restore the altar of God, which is in ruins after the killing of millions of unborn babies, the performing of thousands of same-sex marriages, and the greed and lust of corporations and executives that has caused our economic collapse. But now what? As the reality of a recession sinks in and families struggle to make ends meet, where do we turn for help? How do we find some peace, with hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and threats of war surrounding us? How do we keep filling our tanks with gas to get to work, and how do we keep food on the table for our families? Are we really being "rescued" by the Bail-out plans? Well, as the apostle Paul was fond of saying, "By no means!"

There is really only one Bail-out Plan, and this plan will never fail us. The signs that our Messiah Yeshua gave us in Matthew 24 are all here, but the best news is that this means HE IS COMING SOON! As the G7 governments meet to establish a New World Order system of global finance, we can keep our eyes riveted upon the one Bail-Out plan that will overcome ALL plans, all governments, all "roadmaps to peace." Our Prince of Peace, the Sar Shalom, will return for His faithful, those who have overcome by keeping His commands and believing in the atonement of His blood. Of these the following is written in Revelation 7:13-17. Let us pray to be one of these overcomers, not looking to the world for help, but trusting only in the REAL Bail-Out Plan!

Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Look Up Tonight!

Shalom, friends in Messiah!
Whatever you are doing tonight, I exhort you to stop and go out to watch as the sun sets in the western sky, and look for the rising of the New Moon. The Jewish people celebrated Yom Teruah and Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets and the Jewish New Year) on Monday evening. Why? Because that's what it said on both the Hebrew and the Roman calendars. But the moon was not sighted on Monday evening. And it was not sighted on Tuesday evening. I believe you will see it tonight. Does this matter? I believe one day it will matter a great deal.

Yom Teruah, the Feast of the Blowing of Trumpets and Shouting, is to be commemorated as a holy meeting with the LORD, by blowing shofars and giving a great shout! So far the reason for this great feast has not been fulfilled - but one year it WILL be fulfilled when our Messiah, Yeshua, appears in glory and returns to establish His Kingdom, ruling and reigning from His Holy City, Jerusalem, for 1000 years! Will you be watching? Are you willing to get on God's schedule, or do you expect Him to get on yours? Are you aware that all the signs around us - of wars, famine, disease, economic collapse - are signs of His soon coming?! Then rejoice! Look up! Our redemption draws near! Are you ready?

If you desire to show God that you are a watchman, looking for HIS seasons and signs, then go outside tonight, watch for the first sliver of the New Moon, recite Psalm 81, and blow your shofar! If you don't have one, then give a great shout! Will your neighbors think you're foolish? Mine certainly do! And I am honored to be a fool for my King. Remember, He did not say, "You will not know the year, you will not know the month, you will not know the season." He said, "No one knows the DAY or the HOUR." That's because no one will know exactly what day/hour the Father decides to place that first sign in the heavens - the New Moon that heralds in Tishrei 1, the first day of the 7th month of HIS calendar! So He is training us now - keep watch!

As Paul reminds us in 2 Thessalonian 5:4, "You brothers [believers in Messiah] 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, but let us be alert..."

As the first sliver of the New Moon appears , we begin the season of true repentance before Yahweh, a season of getting things right with Him, so that when the last (seventh) trumpet is blown on Yom Teruah--the Feast of Trumpets yet to come, we will be ready to receive Messiah as He returns. It is the time of our return to purity and set-apartness, getting ourselves totally in right standing with Him, and with others.

“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed”. (I Corinthians 15:51-52)

“And the seventh angel sounded [the last of seven trumpets] and there came to be loud voices in the heaven saying, `The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Master and of His Messiah, and He shall reign forever and ever’. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead to be judged, and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets and to the set-apart ones, and to those who fear Your Name, small and great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:14-18)