There is a fresh, new wind blowing through the Body of Christ this December. It is unlike anything I've felt for about twelve years. It is the true Spirit of Love, overtaking us and causing us to lay down the judge's gavel and surrender to the One who is Love. This calls for a transformation into His image, as never before.
This morning the Spirit led me to 1 John 3 and the Message version eloquently speaks, "My dear children, let's not just talk about love, let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living in God's reality. God is Love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of Love, we live in God and God lives in us."
Permanent residence in a life of Love! How do we do this? Prophetess Phyllis Ford just released her Prophetic Word for 2016 and it falls seamlessly into line with all that the Father is speaking to me right now. In her word she wrote, "The more we acclimate ourselves to who HE is and what HIS ways are, the further we progress in that transformation. Some of us don't look like God because we have become unacquainted with who He is. We must seek to know Him so that we are able to understand the spiritual aspects of ourselves in a new and better way. We then lay hold of who He is and who we are so that the transformation process can begin to bring forth harvest."
Last night, together with a sister in Messiah, I stood knocking on the door of a "flea-bag motel," my arms laden with gift bags of cookies, oranges, a warm shirt and some little learning toys for a three-year-old boy and a gift basket of pampering items for his young homeless mother. She opened the door and her bouncing little boy ran to us yelling, "Presents!" He had on blue jeans but no shirt - despite the freezing temperature - but his face radiated such joy. I asked his name and he proudly exclaimed, "My name is Christopher!" My heart skipped a little beat. That's my own son's name and I remember when he was three and what a beautiful home we lived in, and how blessed our family was. But now there was a chance to bring love and warmth and joy into one little Christopher's heart and perhaps give his mama some hope that someone cared; a chance to look like Yeshua, being acquainted with who He really is.
Yes, the Spirit of Love has to overtake us. The world is so filled with little Christophers and their battered, drug-addicted, lost parents. We are not going to reach them by staying home and folding our judgmental arms and pretending that these unmet expectations of a Christmas season and these desperate needs all around us are not real. My dear little children, let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living in God's reality.
Abba Father, thank you for re-awakening us to Your reality. Thank you for stirring my heart once again to remember that the sum of the Torah - is Love!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Friday, December 11, 2015
Hide Yourself
Here we are, right in the midst of the Feast of Hanukkah and yet things seem different this year. It is not about Jewish customs or traditions - it is the longing of my heart to be Yeshua's Light in this dark world, to be a Living Temple of His Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 3:16: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?)
Yet, as I have been crying out to Him to show me where He would send me as His Light and His Spirit, He has continually responded, "Hide yourself."
"Hide myself," Lord? Where? Are you not calling me to still GO for you, DO for you, BE you to those who are lost?"
I sat before Him a long time this morning with those questions on my heart and mind, and finally He began to speak to me:
"So much is about to happen - so much! I keep telling you to hide yourself because this means 'HIDE IN ME.' You are still thinking like the world. You need MY mind, MY thoughts! Take every thought captive in Yeshua (2 Cor. 10:5). Ephraim is a child without wisdom. When the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb (Hosea 13:13). I AM BIRTHING A KINGDOM UPON THIS EARTH! Repent of sin and get close to ME. Fully trust me for all you will need. Have I not always provided for you, My child?
"O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from ME. Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of YHVH are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them (Hosea 14:8-9)."
His words shook me back into the glory of all that He is. He is not sending most of us to a physical place in this season -- he is calling us to HIDE OURSELVES IN HIM, getting so close to Him that fear cannot enter our minds and trust will be our daily bread. He is calling His chosen ones to GET INTO POSITION IN THE WOMB, READY TO ENTER THE BIRTH CANAL! He has hidden us in the secret place and knit us together in the womb -- and soon it will be time for us to launch forward into all the splendor and might of His Kingdom Reign -- but not yet! Not yet. For right now, we must graft ourselves into the green Pine Tree, who is the Source of all wisdom and faithfulness. We must hide ourselves in His tabernacle where we get so close that we won't miss His quiet Voice of instruction or doubt the fullness of His provision.
That is what Hanukkah means to me this year: kindling the flame of His love in my heart and hiding in the shelter of His tabernacle, where I am kept safe.
Psalm 27: 5 "For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a Rock."
Yet, as I have been crying out to Him to show me where He would send me as His Light and His Spirit, He has continually responded, "Hide yourself."
"Hide myself," Lord? Where? Are you not calling me to still GO for you, DO for you, BE you to those who are lost?"
I sat before Him a long time this morning with those questions on my heart and mind, and finally He began to speak to me:
"So much is about to happen - so much! I keep telling you to hide yourself because this means 'HIDE IN ME.' You are still thinking like the world. You need MY mind, MY thoughts! Take every thought captive in Yeshua (2 Cor. 10:5). Ephraim is a child without wisdom. When the time arrives, he does not come to the opening of the womb (Hosea 13:13). I AM BIRTHING A KINGDOM UPON THIS EARTH! Repent of sin and get close to ME. Fully trust me for all you will need. Have I not always provided for you, My child?
"O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from ME. Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of YHVH are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them (Hosea 14:8-9)."
His words shook me back into the glory of all that He is. He is not sending most of us to a physical place in this season -- he is calling us to HIDE OURSELVES IN HIM, getting so close to Him that fear cannot enter our minds and trust will be our daily bread. He is calling His chosen ones to GET INTO POSITION IN THE WOMB, READY TO ENTER THE BIRTH CANAL! He has hidden us in the secret place and knit us together in the womb -- and soon it will be time for us to launch forward into all the splendor and might of His Kingdom Reign -- but not yet! Not yet. For right now, we must graft ourselves into the green Pine Tree, who is the Source of all wisdom and faithfulness. We must hide ourselves in His tabernacle where we get so close that we won't miss His quiet Voice of instruction or doubt the fullness of His provision.That is what Hanukkah means to me this year: kindling the flame of His love in my heart and hiding in the shelter of His tabernacle, where I am kept safe.
Psalm 27: 5 "For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a Rock."
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Re-Digging the Wells
The Torah tells us that "every matter shall be confirmed by the testimony of two witnesses." (Deut 19:15). I continue to be amazed at how the Lord does this, even through people who are geographically far apart and sometimes those who don't even know one another!
Today I will be bringing a message at the Door of Hope based upon this week's Torah portion, "Toldot" (which means "generations.") There is a passage in Genesis 26:12-22 that is speaking to me on many levels. In this passage Isaac is about a profound work of trying to re-dig the wells of his father, Abraham. He encounters much resistance as he goes about this work. We are told in verse 15 that "All the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with dirt."
Verses 19-22 recounts, "Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of living water there, but the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, 'The water is ours!' So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying "Now YHVH has given us room and we will flourish in the Land."
The Hebrew word means "opposition, dispute, quarrel." The word Sitnah means "enmity, hatred."
Is this not what we see happening both in the physical and the spiritual in Israel today? All the wells of living water have been stopped up by the filth of the idol worship of Islam. The Jewish people are not even allowed, at this point, to go up to the Temple Mount and no Jew or Christian is allowed to pray in that area. The mountains of Ephraim and the lush hills and valleys of Judea and Samaria are overwhelmed with mosques, their green-lighted towers like stagnant algae overgrowing a fresh-water well.
Not only in Israel is there OPPOSITION, DISPUTES AND QUARRELING over the Living water and the Gospel of Messiah Yeshua. These wells have been stopped up all over the United States of America, and last night we saw it spew forth all over the city of Paris. It is time to be about the work our forefather Isaac demonstrated for us. When he got to the well he named "Rehoboth" it was a prophecy of a time when there would be no more opposition, no more quarreling, and the people of God would expand and flourish in the Land. Rehoboth means to expand, or to make room. Finally a well was opened that re-claimed Isaac's inheritance from his father, Abraham. This well was not just prophetic of the re-claiming of the physical land of Israel to its rightful owners; it was also prophetic of all the generations forward who would walk in the promises of our inheritance through Isaac's seed, the Messiah, Yeshua, and find the well of salvation. Isaiah 12:3: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of Yeshua (salvation).
When I got online this morning to put a finishing touch on my message, I had an e-mail from a dear sister in Georgia whom I have only been with a few brief times, but whose spirit flows in tandem with mine as we have prayed and sought the Lord over the past few years. Judy Bauman has a beautiful, prophetic ministry (The Father's Love International Ministries) and a daily devotional called "Jewels From the River." Just last night she sent out a word she had received some time ago and said "The Lord says He is now bringing this to fruition." The word is titled "Clean the Wells of Your Inheritance" and the link is here: http://thefathersloveim.org/clean_the_wells_of_your_inheritance
What a witness that this is strong on the Father's heart right now! In Geneis 26:25 we are told that "Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of YHVH. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well." Here we have our instructions for moving forward to advance His Kingdom.
1. Build an altar. This means to worship the LORD. Spend time with Him, come into His
Presence with thanksgiving, and into His courts with Praise! Thank Him in advance for what
you have not yet received! Praise His name in everything, declaring His goodness and His
blessing in your life!
2. Pitch your "tent" (your sukka). Sukka means "to dwell." Make room every day for that time
to dwell in the Presence of the Living God. Cultivate a close relationship with Yeshua, and
daily dwell on His Word.
3. Dig a well. Judy Bauman's word says this:
“It is time for the Wells of your Inheritance, the stopped up wells, to be cleaned out. How much inheritance do you think you have waiting for you when My word states that I show love to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments? Many that loved Me throughout time were kept from My completed purpose being fulfilled in their lives, so My storehouse is full of Promises waiting to be claimed! Their unfulfilled destinies are part of your inheritance, Child!
Re-digging the well of your inheritance will open up the "storehouse of Promises waiting to be claimed." So what are you waiting for? There is much digging and cleaning to do as the Bride gets ready for her Bridegroom, made clean and pure and filled with LIVING WATER!
Today I will be bringing a message at the Door of Hope based upon this week's Torah portion, "Toldot" (which means "generations.") There is a passage in Genesis 26:12-22 that is speaking to me on many levels. In this passage Isaac is about a profound work of trying to re-dig the wells of his father, Abraham. He encounters much resistance as he goes about this work. We are told in verse 15 that "All the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with dirt." Verses 19-22 recounts, "Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of living water there, but the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, 'The water is ours!' So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying "Now YHVH has given us room and we will flourish in the Land."
The Hebrew word means "opposition, dispute, quarrel." The word Sitnah means "enmity, hatred."
Is this not what we see happening both in the physical and the spiritual in Israel today? All the wells of living water have been stopped up by the filth of the idol worship of Islam. The Jewish people are not even allowed, at this point, to go up to the Temple Mount and no Jew or Christian is allowed to pray in that area. The mountains of Ephraim and the lush hills and valleys of Judea and Samaria are overwhelmed with mosques, their green-lighted towers like stagnant algae overgrowing a fresh-water well.
Not only in Israel is there OPPOSITION, DISPUTES AND QUARRELING over the Living water and the Gospel of Messiah Yeshua. These wells have been stopped up all over the United States of America, and last night we saw it spew forth all over the city of Paris. It is time to be about the work our forefather Isaac demonstrated for us. When he got to the well he named "Rehoboth" it was a prophecy of a time when there would be no more opposition, no more quarreling, and the people of God would expand and flourish in the Land. Rehoboth means to expand, or to make room. Finally a well was opened that re-claimed Isaac's inheritance from his father, Abraham. This well was not just prophetic of the re-claiming of the physical land of Israel to its rightful owners; it was also prophetic of all the generations forward who would walk in the promises of our inheritance through Isaac's seed, the Messiah, Yeshua, and find the well of salvation. Isaiah 12:3: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of Yeshua (salvation).
When I got online this morning to put a finishing touch on my message, I had an e-mail from a dear sister in Georgia whom I have only been with a few brief times, but whose spirit flows in tandem with mine as we have prayed and sought the Lord over the past few years. Judy Bauman has a beautiful, prophetic ministry (The Father's Love International Ministries) and a daily devotional called "Jewels From the River." Just last night she sent out a word she had received some time ago and said "The Lord says He is now bringing this to fruition." The word is titled "Clean the Wells of Your Inheritance" and the link is here: http://thefathersloveim.org/clean_the_wells_of_your_inheritance
What a witness that this is strong on the Father's heart right now! In Geneis 26:25 we are told that "Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of YHVH. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well." Here we have our instructions for moving forward to advance His Kingdom.
1. Build an altar. This means to worship the LORD. Spend time with Him, come into His
Presence with thanksgiving, and into His courts with Praise! Thank Him in advance for what
you have not yet received! Praise His name in everything, declaring His goodness and His
blessing in your life!
2. Pitch your "tent" (your sukka). Sukka means "to dwell." Make room every day for that time
to dwell in the Presence of the Living God. Cultivate a close relationship with Yeshua, and
daily dwell on His Word.
3. Dig a well. Judy Bauman's word says this:
“It is time for the Wells of your Inheritance, the stopped up wells, to be cleaned out. How much inheritance do you think you have waiting for you when My word states that I show love to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments? Many that loved Me throughout time were kept from My completed purpose being fulfilled in their lives, so My storehouse is full of Promises waiting to be claimed! Their unfulfilled destinies are part of your inheritance, Child!
Re-digging the well of your inheritance will open up the "storehouse of Promises waiting to be claimed." So what are you waiting for? There is much digging and cleaning to do as the Bride gets ready for her Bridegroom, made clean and pure and filled with LIVING WATER!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
I Recommend....
Shalom friends in Messiah,
I am reading a remarkable book by Dr. David Herzog, entitled "Aligning with Heaven." It has been a long time since I've read a book that so moved my heart, unlocking keys that we all need to move forward in our faith walk! I encourage you to get this book and spend time in it. Below is a link to Amazon where you can order at $8.15 per book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0768407435?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=AQPCCB4LULGN3
Also wanted to let you know about a movie that has been out for a couple of weeks, but has received little attention. Isn't it just like the enemy to drown out a powerfully inspirational film with all the horror cult movies of Halloween-time? The movie "Woodlawn" was awesome and will have a powerful effect on you, your family, your schools, and your churches. It is a true story that takes place in the worst days of the Birmingham, AL race riots and how one school turned hate into the love of Christ. If it has gone from theaters, watch for it in your Redbox or video rental place.
Lastly, I wanted to share something with all of you. I have written over the past year about the old church building the Holy Spirit led us to in July of 2014. It was in a terrible state of disrepair, and we hauled 8 TONS of debris and trash out of the place; then cleaned and painted. Our co-pastor, Ritchie, used his awesome God-given skills of plumbing and wiring to renovate the building and in the midst of all this cleaning and repair, God was also cleaning and repairing His people! We have been worshiping together as "The Door of Hope" for over a year now. The Lord gave that name from Hosea 2:15 - "I will make your valley of trouble a door of hope." We knew this meant that in the dark days ahead, this would be a place where people could find a refuge of His love and His hope, being healed of all the old wounds and baggage, and being awakened to new purpose for His Kingdom! I made a video documenting our first year at The Door of Hope and wanted to share it with all of you. It is only 15 minutes long, but will take you through the refinement process of a place and a people, as we celebrated the Feasts of the Lord, washing one another's feet at Yom Kippur, experiencing Mikvehs (baptisms) in the water, rejoicing at the Feast of Tabernacles, and worshiping the Lord in the sanctuary. Please watch and enjoy (below). And don't forget to visit our Youtube channel, which has quite a few teachings loaded now. We are adding to it every week. Share this blog with others, and stay strong in the Faith!
Youtube Channel link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhSYsSOHNWiHyN1UCmeBzg
In His love and mine,
Kelly
I am reading a remarkable book by Dr. David Herzog, entitled "Aligning with Heaven." It has been a long time since I've read a book that so moved my heart, unlocking keys that we all need to move forward in our faith walk! I encourage you to get this book and spend time in it. Below is a link to Amazon where you can order at $8.15 per book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0768407435?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=AQPCCB4LULGN3
Also wanted to let you know about a movie that has been out for a couple of weeks, but has received little attention. Isn't it just like the enemy to drown out a powerfully inspirational film with all the horror cult movies of Halloween-time? The movie "Woodlawn" was awesome and will have a powerful effect on you, your family, your schools, and your churches. It is a true story that takes place in the worst days of the Birmingham, AL race riots and how one school turned hate into the love of Christ. If it has gone from theaters, watch for it in your Redbox or video rental place.
Lastly, I wanted to share something with all of you. I have written over the past year about the old church building the Holy Spirit led us to in July of 2014. It was in a terrible state of disrepair, and we hauled 8 TONS of debris and trash out of the place; then cleaned and painted. Our co-pastor, Ritchie, used his awesome God-given skills of plumbing and wiring to renovate the building and in the midst of all this cleaning and repair, God was also cleaning and repairing His people! We have been worshiping together as "The Door of Hope" for over a year now. The Lord gave that name from Hosea 2:15 - "I will make your valley of trouble a door of hope." We knew this meant that in the dark days ahead, this would be a place where people could find a refuge of His love and His hope, being healed of all the old wounds and baggage, and being awakened to new purpose for His Kingdom! I made a video documenting our first year at The Door of Hope and wanted to share it with all of you. It is only 15 minutes long, but will take you through the refinement process of a place and a people, as we celebrated the Feasts of the Lord, washing one another's feet at Yom Kippur, experiencing Mikvehs (baptisms) in the water, rejoicing at the Feast of Tabernacles, and worshiping the Lord in the sanctuary. Please watch and enjoy (below). And don't forget to visit our Youtube channel, which has quite a few teachings loaded now. We are adding to it every week. Share this blog with others, and stay strong in the Faith!
Youtube Channel link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhSYsSOHNWiHyN1UCmeBzg
In His love and mine,
Kelly
Thursday, October 29, 2015
He Will Carry It on to Completion
I regret that so much time has passed since I last wrote on this blog. It seems the demands for each day have doubled and the time in each day has been cut in half. That's a tough equation!
Our grandson, whom I wrote about a couple of months ago, was only with us five weeks. The circumstances of his sudden, deceitful departure left me in tears for several days. We put everything else on hold, pouring out our lives for this one young 13-year-old whose life we hoped could be forever changed by his time with us. We gave him memorable Colorado experiences of seeing elk on 14,000 foot mountain peaks, and went with him to his cross country matches. We shared with him the spiritual power of keeping the Sabbath and spent precious hours with him in the pages of Scripture. We made certain he had his cell phone and a Samsung tablet, keeping in step with the techno-world of modern kids; but we put down boundaries he had never had before. The cell phone had to stay upstairs with us at night and the lights had to go out by 9:00 p.m, ensuring that he would get a good night's sleep. It didn't take long for him to reach back into the "world of no rules" from which he came, and then he went behind our backs and arranged his departure without our knowledge. Two days after he was gone I was still weeping over what had seemed like a great failure when the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me and said, "Stop weeping. I will not waste one seed you sowed into his life." I chose to believe that and I moved on.
Shortly afterward, we were gathering on a Friday night with the men of the prison ministry we work with, when one young 19-year-old boy walked into the room, newly released from prison. I recognized him immediately as my daughter was his high school choir teacher for four years and I had often subbed for her. He stared at me, as shocked to see me there as I was to see him! We all sat down for our time of Bible study and we were discussing whether these men, who had completed their prison sentences and were now re-entering society, mattered to God. This young guy I knew spoke up with confidence and said, "Well, Jesus left the 99 sheep to go look for one. I think we do matter."
It really touched me. This kid who had often sat right next to me on the piano bench in choir class, and then committed a crime that would forever change his life, still came out with a solid truth etched into his mind. "Jesus left the 99 sheep to go look for one." Surely our grandson would know someday that he was that "one" in September of 2015. Surely the memory of a Godly, peaceful home where he was so deeply cared about would cause him someday to recall that Jesus had cared enough to come looking just for him!
And as for me...Father continues to remind me that each of these come into our lives for a season and we have a brief opportunity to sow a seed of Messiah's love, even if it seems cut short. We had another brief opportunity after this to bring a good friend suffering a deep depression into our home, and spend two weeks praying, doing spiritual warfare, and blessing him as we all fought together for victory. But at the end of the two weeks, I was scheduled to teach and minister elsewhere in the state and asked the Father if I could still make that trip or if I needed to stay home for my friend. He answered me quickly and concisely: "You go. You are not the Savior. I Am."
Not all our efforts to change people's lives for the Kingdom of God seems to bear fruit at the time; that is when we learn to trust in I AM, who is capable of bringing what we started to completion.
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Messiah Yeshua."
Philippians 1:5
Our grandson, whom I wrote about a couple of months ago, was only with us five weeks. The circumstances of his sudden, deceitful departure left me in tears for several days. We put everything else on hold, pouring out our lives for this one young 13-year-old whose life we hoped could be forever changed by his time with us. We gave him memorable Colorado experiences of seeing elk on 14,000 foot mountain peaks, and went with him to his cross country matches. We shared with him the spiritual power of keeping the Sabbath and spent precious hours with him in the pages of Scripture. We made certain he had his cell phone and a Samsung tablet, keeping in step with the techno-world of modern kids; but we put down boundaries he had never had before. The cell phone had to stay upstairs with us at night and the lights had to go out by 9:00 p.m, ensuring that he would get a good night's sleep. It didn't take long for him to reach back into the "world of no rules" from which he came, and then he went behind our backs and arranged his departure without our knowledge. Two days after he was gone I was still weeping over what had seemed like a great failure when the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me and said, "Stop weeping. I will not waste one seed you sowed into his life." I chose to believe that and I moved on.
Shortly afterward, we were gathering on a Friday night with the men of the prison ministry we work with, when one young 19-year-old boy walked into the room, newly released from prison. I recognized him immediately as my daughter was his high school choir teacher for four years and I had often subbed for her. He stared at me, as shocked to see me there as I was to see him! We all sat down for our time of Bible study and we were discussing whether these men, who had completed their prison sentences and were now re-entering society, mattered to God. This young guy I knew spoke up with confidence and said, "Well, Jesus left the 99 sheep to go look for one. I think we do matter."
It really touched me. This kid who had often sat right next to me on the piano bench in choir class, and then committed a crime that would forever change his life, still came out with a solid truth etched into his mind. "Jesus left the 99 sheep to go look for one." Surely our grandson would know someday that he was that "one" in September of 2015. Surely the memory of a Godly, peaceful home where he was so deeply cared about would cause him someday to recall that Jesus had cared enough to come looking just for him!
And as for me...Father continues to remind me that each of these come into our lives for a season and we have a brief opportunity to sow a seed of Messiah's love, even if it seems cut short. We had another brief opportunity after this to bring a good friend suffering a deep depression into our home, and spend two weeks praying, doing spiritual warfare, and blessing him as we all fought together for victory. But at the end of the two weeks, I was scheduled to teach and minister elsewhere in the state and asked the Father if I could still make that trip or if I needed to stay home for my friend. He answered me quickly and concisely: "You go. You are not the Savior. I Am."
Not all our efforts to change people's lives for the Kingdom of God seems to bear fruit at the time; that is when we learn to trust in I AM, who is capable of bringing what we started to completion.
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Messiah Yeshua."
Philippians 1:5
Sunday, September 20, 2015
How to Be a Dignitary Without Really Trying
Readers of this blog will remember when I wrote a year ago in late August about the deaths of both my parents, forty-two hours apart. There is another story to share in their memory, which will truly bless you!
After they had both taken their last breaths and gone to be with the Lord, my sister and I made a covenant with each other that we would come together again in a year, in that same week, to share some time together and remember. As August drew near, I tried to think of some place we could meet that would cause us to celebrate their lives, rather than grieve our losses. Looking through an old album of 1940s black and white photos, it came to me: the college campus where they met! Yes, we could go to the very small town of Fayette, Missouri, to Central Methodist College, and see for ourselves the place they had so often talked about, where Dad met Mom and flirted with her for the first time.
I called the college and reached a very kind staff person who listened intently to my story. "Our parents met on your campus in 1943," I told her. "Dad was in the Navy Officer's Training Program and Mom was an Education and Music Major. They fell in love, got married in 1944, and stayed married for 70 years, passing away last August a day and a half apart."
"Let me speak with our staff and I'll call you back," she said. "Perhaps they will let you stay in a dorm room to make your experience more fun."
Two hours later she called me back to tell me the story of Patty Lou Edwards and Ed Ferrari had swept the campus and many staff members were excited about our visit! She had set up an itinerary for us to meet with the College Historian, the History Professor and the President! Then to top it all off, we were to give an interview with the P.R. person, who wanted to write an article for the Alumni Magazine. "Oh, and by the way," she added, "they want you to stay in the Coleman House. It's a fabulous civil-war era mansion, built in 1874, and now used to host college dignitaries."
Dignitaries? We laughed! But God was not laughing. He had prepared for us three days that would bring us and our parents such honor and blessing we would never get over it!
Upon our arrival at CMU (now a university) we were given T-shirts and backpacks, and led to the cafeteria for our lunch. Students greeted us with smiles and kindness. Then we were escorted to the office of the Historian, an outgoing, enthusiastic guy with a passionate interest in CMU's history. We shared many of our old black and white photos of our parents on the campus and he was identifying other people in the photographs, as well as filling us in on typical campus life in the 1940s. Then the History Professor, Dr. Wiegers, came to give us a full tour and our adventure of walking in Mom and Dad's footsteps really began. We stood on the stage where Mom would have given her piano recitals, creaking across the same old wooden floors and gazing through the magnificent 1800's windows. We peeked into the Library filled with dusty old books, where they would have studied. We saw Mom's dorm room and the dorm where Dad and the Navy unit sailors stayed in those days. The professor told us Mom's dorm was the same as in 1943, except that they tore down the big wrap-around porch that used to be called the "kissing porch." What fun to imagine the two of them sharing kisses there!
Our interview with the University President was truly a blessing. He just wanted to hear their story and was so moved by their long, enduring marriage. He invited us to please come the next morning when they would have their traditional Convocation, welcoming in the new freshman class. We were told to sit in the balcony and enjoy the orchestra and the formal tradition that would have also welcomed our mother into her college years there. He gave a moving speech to these freshmen of 2015, and it was all about commitment. Just as he was wrapping up his speech he glanced up at us in the balcony and seemed to add something he hadn't intended to say. "Today we have in our midst two women who came here to remember their parents. They met on this campus in 1943, fell in love and got married, stayed together 70 years and then just passed away last year, 42 hours apart. They understood commitment at its deepest level."
He asked us to stand, and 329 college freshmen turned their faces up toward us and applauded. We were moved to tears, asking each other, "What is this about? We aren't dignitaries and our parents didn't do anything famous or profound. Dad didn't become a NASA Scientist or Mom become a famous author, like the other alumni the President spoke about! They lived in an 800-square-foot house and Dad worked at the post office! Why were all these kids standing and applauding?
As our three amazing days continued, the Lord started to break through and show us. He was honoring something that has been lost. And it seemed He wanted to bring a special blessing to these two daughters who had been faithful to care for elderly, ailing parents, even when it was really hard.
We went to the "Coleman House" and as we entered through the front door it took our breath away! Luxuriously appointed with fine furnishings and beautiful flowers everywhere, it was like stepping back into a grand, formal era. Atop the sweeping staircase we found four exquisite bedrooms and we each chose the one we wanted! Then we went into the center square of this quaint Missouri town and found the restaurant everyone told us we would enjoy. But again we weren't prepared for the magnificent dinner we would have; flavors that we'd never experienced before, the most memorable dinner either of us have ever known. And in the middle of dinner, my sister suddenly burst into tears. Surprised, I asked if she was okay and she managed to share with me, "The Holy Spirit just whispered to me that the King is giving us a foretaste of what He has prepared for us."
Wow! What a precious thought! The next day we returned to the campus to meet with Cathy, the P.R. person, and as we walked through those enormous doors at the entrance, the shofar ringtone on my phone went off again. My sister stared at me and said, "Do you realize every time we've opened these doors the shofar has sounded?" I had no cell signal in that town and could not make any calls, yet the shofar had sounded each time we entered. We laughed and wondered at what this all could mean.
As we visited with Cathy over lunch we learned that both her parents (now deceased) had been in classes on that campus in 1943 and 1944. We found a picture of the Accapella choir with our mother and both her parents in it! Her father had gone on to become the Dean of Students on that campus, and had served in that office for 50 years. The more we talked, the more we became certain that our parents must had been friends because her father was in the same Navy unit with Dad. "They probably double-dated," we laughed! It was then that she told us her parents' huge old house on the edge of the campus was still for sale. I asked her for the location so we could drive by it, just to see where they lived. When she gave me the address, my sister and I both gasped. That big white house on the edge of the campus sits across from a large grassy knoll, with a little grove of huge, old trees. It was under those trees that John and I had scattered Mom and Dad's ashes last year, bidding them a final farewell in the place where they first met.
"It was right across from your parents' house," we exclaimed to Cathy.
With tears streaming down her face she responded, "Yes. Two forever-loves who came back together again."
After they had both taken their last breaths and gone to be with the Lord, my sister and I made a covenant with each other that we would come together again in a year, in that same week, to share some time together and remember. As August drew near, I tried to think of some place we could meet that would cause us to celebrate their lives, rather than grieve our losses. Looking through an old album of 1940s black and white photos, it came to me: the college campus where they met! Yes, we could go to the very small town of Fayette, Missouri, to Central Methodist College, and see for ourselves the place they had so often talked about, where Dad met Mom and flirted with her for the first time.
I called the college and reached a very kind staff person who listened intently to my story. "Our parents met on your campus in 1943," I told her. "Dad was in the Navy Officer's Training Program and Mom was an Education and Music Major. They fell in love, got married in 1944, and stayed married for 70 years, passing away last August a day and a half apart."
"Let me speak with our staff and I'll call you back," she said. "Perhaps they will let you stay in a dorm room to make your experience more fun."
Two hours later she called me back to tell me the story of Patty Lou Edwards and Ed Ferrari had swept the campus and many staff members were excited about our visit! She had set up an itinerary for us to meet with the College Historian, the History Professor and the President! Then to top it all off, we were to give an interview with the P.R. person, who wanted to write an article for the Alumni Magazine. "Oh, and by the way," she added, "they want you to stay in the Coleman House. It's a fabulous civil-war era mansion, built in 1874, and now used to host college dignitaries."
Dignitaries? We laughed! But God was not laughing. He had prepared for us three days that would bring us and our parents such honor and blessing we would never get over it!
Upon our arrival at CMU (now a university) we were given T-shirts and backpacks, and led to the cafeteria for our lunch. Students greeted us with smiles and kindness. Then we were escorted to the office of the Historian, an outgoing, enthusiastic guy with a passionate interest in CMU's history. We shared many of our old black and white photos of our parents on the campus and he was identifying other people in the photographs, as well as filling us in on typical campus life in the 1940s. Then the History Professor, Dr. Wiegers, came to give us a full tour and our adventure of walking in Mom and Dad's footsteps really began. We stood on the stage where Mom would have given her piano recitals, creaking across the same old wooden floors and gazing through the magnificent 1800's windows. We peeked into the Library filled with dusty old books, where they would have studied. We saw Mom's dorm room and the dorm where Dad and the Navy unit sailors stayed in those days. The professor told us Mom's dorm was the same as in 1943, except that they tore down the big wrap-around porch that used to be called the "kissing porch." What fun to imagine the two of them sharing kisses there!
Our interview with the University President was truly a blessing. He just wanted to hear their story and was so moved by their long, enduring marriage. He invited us to please come the next morning when they would have their traditional Convocation, welcoming in the new freshman class. We were told to sit in the balcony and enjoy the orchestra and the formal tradition that would have also welcomed our mother into her college years there. He gave a moving speech to these freshmen of 2015, and it was all about commitment. Just as he was wrapping up his speech he glanced up at us in the balcony and seemed to add something he hadn't intended to say. "Today we have in our midst two women who came here to remember their parents. They met on this campus in 1943, fell in love and got married, stayed together 70 years and then just passed away last year, 42 hours apart. They understood commitment at its deepest level." He asked us to stand, and 329 college freshmen turned their faces up toward us and applauded. We were moved to tears, asking each other, "What is this about? We aren't dignitaries and our parents didn't do anything famous or profound. Dad didn't become a NASA Scientist or Mom become a famous author, like the other alumni the President spoke about! They lived in an 800-square-foot house and Dad worked at the post office! Why were all these kids standing and applauding?
As our three amazing days continued, the Lord started to break through and show us. He was honoring something that has been lost. And it seemed He wanted to bring a special blessing to these two daughters who had been faithful to care for elderly, ailing parents, even when it was really hard.
Wow! What a precious thought! The next day we returned to the campus to meet with Cathy, the P.R. person, and as we walked through those enormous doors at the entrance, the shofar ringtone on my phone went off again. My sister stared at me and said, "Do you realize every time we've opened these doors the shofar has sounded?" I had no cell signal in that town and could not make any calls, yet the shofar had sounded each time we entered. We laughed and wondered at what this all could mean.
As we visited with Cathy over lunch we learned that both her parents (now deceased) had been in classes on that campus in 1943 and 1944. We found a picture of the Accapella choir with our mother and both her parents in it! Her father had gone on to become the Dean of Students on that campus, and had served in that office for 50 years. The more we talked, the more we became certain that our parents must had been friends because her father was in the same Navy unit with Dad. "They probably double-dated," we laughed! It was then that she told us her parents' huge old house on the edge of the campus was still for sale. I asked her for the location so we could drive by it, just to see where they lived. When she gave me the address, my sister and I both gasped. That big white house on the edge of the campus sits across from a large grassy knoll, with a little grove of huge, old trees. It was under those trees that John and I had scattered Mom and Dad's ashes last year, bidding them a final farewell in the place where they first met.
"It was right across from your parents' house," we exclaimed to Cathy.
With tears streaming down her face she responded, "Yes. Two forever-loves who came back together again."
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
The Refiner's Fire
Ah, Elul! This Hebrew month that precedes the month of Tishrei, when all the Fall Feasts arrive, foreshadowing the ultimate return of King Yeshua, and the establishment of His Millennial Reign on this earth. It is no wonder that this month of Elul presents so many challenges for those who are truly attempting to walk the narrow path of keeping His commands and seeking His Face. The burning of the flesh is not a fun time; but it is a rewarding time.
A good friend of ours is writing daily devotions for the month of Elul - to help us stay on that path of preparation and self-examination - and one of his writings this morning spoke powerfully to me. As I continue to lay down my own wishes and desires in order to make this 13-year-old grandson my priority, I die daily!
In his devotional Ray challenged us with a quote from Chiddushei HaRim: "When a man begins to serve God in earnest, he can easily be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. He hears the evil inclination whispering in his ear, 'I can't do it. It's too much.'"
Wow, that really spoke to me! I have, at times, felt like this was too much for me. But I am encouraged this morning to remember that when God gives a vision, he also gives PROvision for it! He will supply the energy to get up every morning at 6:00 and make breakfast and motivate a seventh grader to shower and dress and eat and walk to school. It has been twenty years since I've done that! I am used to quiet, gentle mornings with no alarm clock except the sweet song of birds outside my window. But Father reminds me, "I've given you a golden opportunity. There is one soul in your house whose life will be changed because of your guidance, your witness, and your love. Is that not worth setting aside your comforts?"
Ah, Elul! Every year you challenge me, you prod me, you convict me. Every year there are lessons. Every year the Refiner's Fire gets a little hotter than it was last year. Every year hopefully another spot and another wrinkle disappears from my wedding gown!
Matthew 16:24 [CJB]:
24 Then Yeshua told his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me.
A good friend of ours is writing daily devotions for the month of Elul - to help us stay on that path of preparation and self-examination - and one of his writings this morning spoke powerfully to me. As I continue to lay down my own wishes and desires in order to make this 13-year-old grandson my priority, I die daily!
In his devotional Ray challenged us with a quote from Chiddushei HaRim: "When a man begins to serve God in earnest, he can easily be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. He hears the evil inclination whispering in his ear, 'I can't do it. It's too much.'"
Wow, that really spoke to me! I have, at times, felt like this was too much for me. But I am encouraged this morning to remember that when God gives a vision, he also gives PROvision for it! He will supply the energy to get up every morning at 6:00 and make breakfast and motivate a seventh grader to shower and dress and eat and walk to school. It has been twenty years since I've done that! I am used to quiet, gentle mornings with no alarm clock except the sweet song of birds outside my window. But Father reminds me, "I've given you a golden opportunity. There is one soul in your house whose life will be changed because of your guidance, your witness, and your love. Is that not worth setting aside your comforts?"
Ah, Elul! Every year you challenge me, you prod me, you convict me. Every year there are lessons. Every year the Refiner's Fire gets a little hotter than it was last year. Every year hopefully another spot and another wrinkle disappears from my wedding gown!
Matthew 16:24 [CJB]:
24 Then Yeshua told his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Silence Is Golden
Absolute silence. How I am learning to treasure it as some treasure fine silver! Everything is too loud in this world, too complicated, too noisy, too overwhelming. Silence. Yes, it's far greater than silver; silence is golden!
John's thirteen-year-old grandson just came to live with us. I enrolled him in the middle school here and he begins classes this Wednesday. Suddenly from out of nowhere I am mom to a young teenager again; and the world has changed so much since I raised teenagers that my head and mind are reeling. The moment his plane landed we had to head to the nearest cell phone store. A 7th grader can be without shoes or even without lunch, but without a cell phone? Never!
"Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Skype, Instagram," he spouted proudly. "I'm on them all!" How does one ever find the time to be with one's Creator when all that social media bombards the senses every waking hour? I am exhausted just from the thought of it!
I went shopping today for the Door of Hope, as we needed a new Power Point projector for our worship services and also decided we should probably get a small flash memory camera so that we could record the messages and upload them to Youtube. "That is where the people are," I am told. In my many years of traveling across the globe to the nations to spread the Gospel of Jesus, I met people face-to-face! I put my arms around them and shared God's love with them. I had tea in their homes in Nepal, gave out tiny stuffed animals to children in the Dominican Republic, sang to the women in Russian prisons. But now - in 2015 - I am told that the whole world is searching for information and finding what they are looking for on Youtube videos. And so I will spend time tomorrow learning how to operate this camera and how to upload the teachings onto Youtube so that people in Africa looking on their cell phones might find me teaching on "Trusting a God You've Never Seen."
I feel old and behind the times and sadly lacking in energy and enthusiasm for all this technology. It seems cold embracing a camera and a keyboard after years of embracing real people. But if this is where they are - in their homes and on the streets, their faces glued to their little screens - then I will do my best to still reach them where they are!
Please take time to see my small effort at bringing the Word of God into others' homes and hearts. There is still a passionate message bubbling up from my belly, a deep call to repent and return to Yeshua, our First Love. There is still time before the Day of Atonement to make ourselves ready for the Bridegroom. Here is the link to our new Youtube channel, and I will be blessed if you will subscribe and listen in once in a while. I've posted videos of my teachings as well as Mike Clayton's from the powerful week at Camp Exodus July 26-31.
And please pray for John and me to find the strength, the energy, and the creativity to make a difference in the life of a 7th grader. At least I can put my arms around him!
Shalom,
Kelly
Link to our Door of Hope Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhSYsSOHNWiHyN1UCmeBzg
John's thirteen-year-old grandson just came to live with us. I enrolled him in the middle school here and he begins classes this Wednesday. Suddenly from out of nowhere I am mom to a young teenager again; and the world has changed so much since I raised teenagers that my head and mind are reeling. The moment his plane landed we had to head to the nearest cell phone store. A 7th grader can be without shoes or even without lunch, but without a cell phone? Never!
"Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Skype, Instagram," he spouted proudly. "I'm on them all!" How does one ever find the time to be with one's Creator when all that social media bombards the senses every waking hour? I am exhausted just from the thought of it!
I went shopping today for the Door of Hope, as we needed a new Power Point projector for our worship services and also decided we should probably get a small flash memory camera so that we could record the messages and upload them to Youtube. "That is where the people are," I am told. In my many years of traveling across the globe to the nations to spread the Gospel of Jesus, I met people face-to-face! I put my arms around them and shared God's love with them. I had tea in their homes in Nepal, gave out tiny stuffed animals to children in the Dominican Republic, sang to the women in Russian prisons. But now - in 2015 - I am told that the whole world is searching for information and finding what they are looking for on Youtube videos. And so I will spend time tomorrow learning how to operate this camera and how to upload the teachings onto Youtube so that people in Africa looking on their cell phones might find me teaching on "Trusting a God You've Never Seen."
I feel old and behind the times and sadly lacking in energy and enthusiasm for all this technology. It seems cold embracing a camera and a keyboard after years of embracing real people. But if this is where they are - in their homes and on the streets, their faces glued to their little screens - then I will do my best to still reach them where they are!
Please take time to see my small effort at bringing the Word of God into others' homes and hearts. There is still a passionate message bubbling up from my belly, a deep call to repent and return to Yeshua, our First Love. There is still time before the Day of Atonement to make ourselves ready for the Bridegroom. Here is the link to our new Youtube channel, and I will be blessed if you will subscribe and listen in once in a while. I've posted videos of my teachings as well as Mike Clayton's from the powerful week at Camp Exodus July 26-31.
And please pray for John and me to find the strength, the energy, and the creativity to make a difference in the life of a 7th grader. At least I can put my arms around him!
Shalom,
Kelly
Link to our Door of Hope Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqhSYsSOHNWiHyN1UCmeBzg
Friday, June 26, 2015
A Father to the Fatherless
I felt deeply impressed to write on Father's Day. Somehow the day got completely away from me and the thoughts stirring in my spirit never reached my pen. Now it is almost a week later, and I am still compelled to write about that Hallmark Day, which like Mother's Day carries with it so much expectation and so many hopes unmet.
The Hallmark Card Company invented those days, and it was quite a savvy business move, given the millions they earn from the cards. I'm sure no one thought about the pain and sadness it would generate for those who never had a child or lost one; or those who lived without a father or a mother.
This year was my first without a living father. All those years I searched for the card that would make Dad smile, or even laugh; and in his last years I looked for the ones that would bless him with my appreciation for who he was. He certainly wasn't a perfect father; we locked horns a lot in my young years, and for some of those years we were even estranged - but the need for a father is so profound in the human spirit that we forgive and overlook much in order to have him near to us.
This year there was no earthly father to send a card to, and no mother to take to lunch. It caused me, for the first time, to begin relating to the many children of this nation - and across the world - who are growing up without a father. I heard on the news recently that a startling one out of three children in the United States are in this situation. To be honest, I cannot recall if that statistic referred only to the black community or if it included all races, but it doesn't matter - it is still a tragedy. The father is the priest of the home, the covering, the protector, the provider. And so this Father's Day I turned anew to my Heavenly Father, who is ever-present in my heart and my home. He has not left nor forsaken me; He is my strength and my song!
Psalm 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. He sets the lonely in families..
The Spirit led me to this verse many years ago when my precious aunt was alive. She had no living mother or father, nor any children; but God set her in my family. We would go to her house often on holidays, and I would never let a week go by without a long phone call or letter, keeping her close to my heart and in the lives of my husband and children. That's how our Heavenly Father is! He keeps a close watch over us, stays in constant communication with us, and then sets us in spiritual families who can embrace us, mentor us and share the daily joys and trials of life with us.
Even Yeshua, during his earthly ministry, gave us an example of who the family of his heart really was: "While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Someone told Him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" Pointing to His disciples He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50)
I pray that this year and in the years to come all of us who no longer have living earthly fathers and mothers do not get ensnared by the "Hallmark calendar." In God's calendar you have a Father who loves you with an everlasting love, a family of believers who surround you with loving care, and spiritual children whom you have birthed by your teaching, your hugs and your time.
Even right in the midst of Jeremiah's fierce prophecy against the Ammonites, our Loving and Faithful God says, "Leave your orphans, I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in Me."
Let us put our trust in our Eternal Father; He has no orphans and He has no grandchildren! We are each His child.
Note to all my readers in this family: I cannot express enough my enthusiasm and gratitude for the awesome and profound teaching I am receiving (and sharing with my Door of Hope Community) through the internet ministry Seeking Truth in Torah. Yoseph and his wife, Aliyah (from South Africa) are on fire in the Holy Spirit with messages straight from the heart of God for this time. I urge you to visit their website at www.seekingtruthintorah.com and open some of their videos. It will change your life and move you on in your journey to become the Bride and the worshiper the Father seeks. You can subscribe to their channel on Youtube and receive these videos in your email. Be richly blessed!
The Hallmark Card Company invented those days, and it was quite a savvy business move, given the millions they earn from the cards. I'm sure no one thought about the pain and sadness it would generate for those who never had a child or lost one; or those who lived without a father or a mother.
This year was my first without a living father. All those years I searched for the card that would make Dad smile, or even laugh; and in his last years I looked for the ones that would bless him with my appreciation for who he was. He certainly wasn't a perfect father; we locked horns a lot in my young years, and for some of those years we were even estranged - but the need for a father is so profound in the human spirit that we forgive and overlook much in order to have him near to us.
This year there was no earthly father to send a card to, and no mother to take to lunch. It caused me, for the first time, to begin relating to the many children of this nation - and across the world - who are growing up without a father. I heard on the news recently that a startling one out of three children in the United States are in this situation. To be honest, I cannot recall if that statistic referred only to the black community or if it included all races, but it doesn't matter - it is still a tragedy. The father is the priest of the home, the covering, the protector, the provider. And so this Father's Day I turned anew to my Heavenly Father, who is ever-present in my heart and my home. He has not left nor forsaken me; He is my strength and my song!
Psalm 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. He sets the lonely in families..The Spirit led me to this verse many years ago when my precious aunt was alive. She had no living mother or father, nor any children; but God set her in my family. We would go to her house often on holidays, and I would never let a week go by without a long phone call or letter, keeping her close to my heart and in the lives of my husband and children. That's how our Heavenly Father is! He keeps a close watch over us, stays in constant communication with us, and then sets us in spiritual families who can embrace us, mentor us and share the daily joys and trials of life with us.
Even Yeshua, during his earthly ministry, gave us an example of who the family of his heart really was: "While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. Someone told Him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" Pointing to His disciples He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:46-50)
I pray that this year and in the years to come all of us who no longer have living earthly fathers and mothers do not get ensnared by the "Hallmark calendar." In God's calendar you have a Father who loves you with an everlasting love, a family of believers who surround you with loving care, and spiritual children whom you have birthed by your teaching, your hugs and your time.
Even right in the midst of Jeremiah's fierce prophecy against the Ammonites, our Loving and Faithful God says, "Leave your orphans, I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in Me."
Let us put our trust in our Eternal Father; He has no orphans and He has no grandchildren! We are each His child.
Note to all my readers in this family: I cannot express enough my enthusiasm and gratitude for the awesome and profound teaching I am receiving (and sharing with my Door of Hope Community) through the internet ministry Seeking Truth in Torah. Yoseph and his wife, Aliyah (from South Africa) are on fire in the Holy Spirit with messages straight from the heart of God for this time. I urge you to visit their website at www.seekingtruthintorah.com and open some of their videos. It will change your life and move you on in your journey to become the Bride and the worshiper the Father seeks. You can subscribe to their channel on Youtube and receive these videos in your email. Be richly blessed!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
The Frozen Tea Party
A little bubble-burst of joy popped into my life this past week unexpectedly. One of my granddaughters from Pennsylvania came for a surprise visit with her precious little three-year-old in tow. Kaydence is quite the little bundle of questions and giggles and hugs. It was just what I needed to bring me back to the small, every-day blessings that matter.
I asked her if she would like to have a tea party and her eyes grew wide as she answered, "Yes! Let's have a Frozen tea party!" For those who aren't up on the latest Disney movies, "Frozen" is sort of a modern-day Cinderella - and Kaydence watches it at least once a day! It has been a long time since my grandchildren here in my hometown have come over for a tea party with Nana. My aunt's beautiful china demitasse cups are on a high shelf now, where they can't be broken. What joy it gave my heart to pull them back down off the shelf and let my tiny little great-granddaughter choose her favorite cup and saucer!
We brewed the tea and got some shortbread cookies on a plate. Kaydence couldn't quite figure out how to pick up the delicate little cup, so I taught her how to put her finger through the handle and then stick her pinky-finger out like proper ladies do. She practiced this skill over and over, finding such delight in her "Frozen tea party," and it blessed me abundantly to think that one day she would be telling her own children about the day her great-grandmother taught her how to properly hold a tea cup!
This little story is meant to underscore what the Lord showed me this past week. A loved and trusted sister wrote to give me a small rebuke about my last post regarding Pope Francis' Treaty with the Palestinian Authority. What she wrote was this: "I cannot do anything about the Pope, or Islam or ISIS or the downfall of America. But I CAN do something to help the twenty-something who has a sick baby, and the fifteen-year old who has questions about his faith." I felt the Lord spoke to me through this sister and I am grateful.
The main thing Jesus warned us about in Matthew 24 was to "keep watch," so that in these evil days we would not be deceived. I have taken His warning seriously, and have tried, on this blog, to keep my readers aware of what is happening in the world that fulfills the prophecies of the Bible, so that we WOULD be a people who watch and pray, as He exhorted us to do. But I was grateful to be reminded that a "Frozen tea party" with a three-year-old was an important moment in my life and in hers, because those are the moments we can celebrate! There is enough turmoil in the world; what we need is to get into the Shadow of the Almighty, drawing closer to Him, and closer to those whose lives we can bless and grace with His Love.
I asked her if she would like to have a tea party and her eyes grew wide as she answered, "Yes! Let's have a Frozen tea party!" For those who aren't up on the latest Disney movies, "Frozen" is sort of a modern-day Cinderella - and Kaydence watches it at least once a day! It has been a long time since my grandchildren here in my hometown have come over for a tea party with Nana. My aunt's beautiful china demitasse cups are on a high shelf now, where they can't be broken. What joy it gave my heart to pull them back down off the shelf and let my tiny little great-granddaughter choose her favorite cup and saucer!
We brewed the tea and got some shortbread cookies on a plate. Kaydence couldn't quite figure out how to pick up the delicate little cup, so I taught her how to put her finger through the handle and then stick her pinky-finger out like proper ladies do. She practiced this skill over and over, finding such delight in her "Frozen tea party," and it blessed me abundantly to think that one day she would be telling her own children about the day her great-grandmother taught her how to properly hold a tea cup!This little story is meant to underscore what the Lord showed me this past week. A loved and trusted sister wrote to give me a small rebuke about my last post regarding Pope Francis' Treaty with the Palestinian Authority. What she wrote was this: "I cannot do anything about the Pope, or Islam or ISIS or the downfall of America. But I CAN do something to help the twenty-something who has a sick baby, and the fifteen-year old who has questions about his faith." I felt the Lord spoke to me through this sister and I am grateful.
The main thing Jesus warned us about in Matthew 24 was to "keep watch," so that in these evil days we would not be deceived. I have taken His warning seriously, and have tried, on this blog, to keep my readers aware of what is happening in the world that fulfills the prophecies of the Bible, so that we WOULD be a people who watch and pray, as He exhorted us to do. But I was grateful to be reminded that a "Frozen tea party" with a three-year-old was an important moment in my life and in hers, because those are the moments we can celebrate! There is enough turmoil in the world; what we need is to get into the Shadow of the Almighty, drawing closer to Him, and closer to those whose lives we can bless and grace with His Love.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Wake Up Call
Something monumental occurred last week and it was mostly bypassed in the mainstream news of the U.S. However, as soon as I heard it all the hair stood up on the back of my neck and my heart felt like it was skipping a couple of beats as I took in the enormous implications of what Pope Francis and the Vatican just did. If you heard about it and yawned, I hope you will wake up. If you heard about it and felt like it just might matter, then I hope you will read what is written below and begin to pray. The following was part of a blog I received from "The Jerusalem Connection." I believe the writer is right on target with his words and his warnings. The dire result of the recognition of a Palestinian State and the division of Jerusalem and the Land will be no less than the horrific judgments of the Righteous God and Judge of Israel, as outlined by the prophets. (Please read Joel 3:2 at the bottom of this blog). There are serious consequences for those who divide God's Land! Yet, these things have been written in God's Word, and it gives us an alarming wake-up call to the Day we are in.
Michael Freund wrote:
“Pope Francis is aligning himself against Israel. In a treaty that was
finalized in Rome last week, the Catholic Church fired the latest salvo
in its 2,000-year-old struggle to disenfranchise the Jewish people.
Meeting with Palestinian officials at the Vatican, church officials
agreed to formally recognize the “State of Palestine” as part of a deal
concerning Catholic activities in the Palestinian-controlled areas… And
just in case anyone failed to get the memo, Vatican spokesman Rev.
Federico Lombardi went to the trouble of going on record as saying,
“Yes, it’s a recognition that the state exists.”
“In
biblical terms, by recognizing a Palestinian state in Judea and
Samaria, the Vatican is effectively seeking to deny the eternal covenant
between God and the Jewish people, to whom this land was promised long
ago. This is not only offensive and disrespectful, but disingenuous too.
Indeed, one cannot help but wonder: what Bible is the Vatican reading?
Whichever one it is, it must be missing some pages, as even a cursory
glance at the Scriptures makes clear that God promised to give the Land
of Israel to the Jewish people and nobody else. In fact, there are over
150 biblical verses ranging from Genesis to Joshua to Chronicles which
state this and reaffirm that Israel would return from Exile to this holy
soil.”…
“So
would the Catholic Church now deem Jesus to have been a “settler” or
“occupier” of Palestinian land? For an institution that bills itself as
“the Holy See” and which claims to uphold sacred values, the Vatican’s
profane involvement in Middle Eastern politics is simply unbecoming.
God says: “I
will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the
ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink
their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant
Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I
have given them,” says Yahweh your God.”…“For the Israelites will live
many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones,
without ephod or household gods. Afterward the Israelites will return
and seek Yahweh their God and David their king. They will come trembling
to Yahweh and to his blessings in the last days.” (Amos 9:14-15; Hosea 3:4-5)
Joel 3:2 "For behold in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.
Woe to you, Pope Francis and your Vatican State; woe to you, France, U.K. and New Zealand, for your resolution to establish a Palestinian State, being presented to the U.N. Security Council; and woe to you, America, for being the driving force behind all these proposals that come against God Almighty and Israel, His Heritage!
Friday, April 17, 2015
The Refiner's Fire: From Barley to Wheat
And so we are "counting the omer" again, counting off the 50 days from Passover to Shavu'ot (Pentecost), as we are commanded in Leviticus 23:15-16. I gave a teaching again about what this means - how Passover occurs at the BARLEY harvest and Shavu'ot occurs at the WHEAT harvest. Barley was thought of in ancient times as animal fodder - and so it can represent the "animal nature" or the flesh. Wheat, however, represents fine flour, the ingredient in a fragrant, lovingly-baked loaf of bread, to be waved before the LORD as an offering. These fifty days, I taught the people, should be a journey of moving from the flesh-nature to the Spirit; from seeking our own way, to walking in the righteous ways of Yeshua, who lived out and demonstrated the perfect walk of Torah. In these fifty days we are to be asking the Holy Spirit to show us the dross that must be burned off; we must submit to the work of the Refiner's Fire, so that we can be molded into the image of our Master.
When I spoke those words, I didn't know how hot the fire would get for me personally! It was easy to talk about it - much more difficult to endure it! The Word says that teachers will be judged more harshly. This is right and true. We have no right to teach it if we are unwilling to walk it out.
The flames heated up this week, and the aroma of burning flesh was a stench. There was some groaning and tears as the Spirit pried my clenched fingers off the things I had refused to let go of. I recalled Mark Buchanan's words: "[He is] now forming in you - sometimes by hammer-blows, grapplings and hip-wrenchings - the image of Christ." Jacob had a limp when the wrestling was over. I'm not sure, but I think I may have one too. But the fifty days are not yet completed - so if I'm not limping yet, Abba, please complete the work so that I am fully sifted and truly ready to be a worthy offering waved before you at Shavu'ot. I want the fullness of the outpouring of Your Spirit, and the likeness of Your image; but I know I'm asking for the flames to get hotter still, and the flesh to be not wounded, but dead!
When I spoke those words, I didn't know how hot the fire would get for me personally! It was easy to talk about it - much more difficult to endure it! The Word says that teachers will be judged more harshly. This is right and true. We have no right to teach it if we are unwilling to walk it out.
The flames heated up this week, and the aroma of burning flesh was a stench. There was some groaning and tears as the Spirit pried my clenched fingers off the things I had refused to let go of. I recalled Mark Buchanan's words: "[He is] now forming in you - sometimes by hammer-blows, grapplings and hip-wrenchings - the image of Christ." Jacob had a limp when the wrestling was over. I'm not sure, but I think I may have one too. But the fifty days are not yet completed - so if I'm not limping yet, Abba, please complete the work so that I am fully sifted and truly ready to be a worthy offering waved before you at Shavu'ot. I want the fullness of the outpouring of Your Spirit, and the likeness of Your image; but I know I'm asking for the flames to get hotter still, and the flesh to be not wounded, but dead!
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.(Isa. 48:10)
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Are You Prayed Up?
I had a dream in which I lived in a small house and a young, strong, beautiful single woman lived next door. She had decided to cut down a huge, massive tree in her back yard. I went out to watch. She used a big chain saw and as the huge limbs began to fall, she positioned herself under them just in the right spots and gently led them to the ground. I was SO impressed with her strength, her courage, her ability to maneuver that tree! I awoke and asked the Spirit what it meant and he gave me this interpretation:"The tree represents Evil - the enemies of MY Kingdom. The woman represents Prayer. I call My people to skillfully bring down the evil that would kill and destroy - and this kind can only come down by Prayer."
I felt this was an urgent Passover message, since the enemy is battling so hard to bring down the people of God JUST BEFORE THEIR DELIVERANCE! And of course it caused me to revisit the passage where Yeshua had to teach his disciples why they were not able to cast the demons out. He instructed them, "This kind can only come out by prayer." Did He mean they should have left on the spot and met somewhere to pray?" No, that would have been too little, too late. He meant that they needed to CULTIVATE A DAILY PRAYER LIFE. Had they been
spending time communing with the Spirit of God and praying to Him when they got up in the morning and when they lay down at night, they would have been what we call "prayed up" - which means they would have already been filled with a great indwelling of His Spirit, and would have been fitted with the armor of God in Ephesians 6, ready to do battle against those demons!
If we are prayed up, we shall be like the woman, able to bring down the large limbs of evil, the constant darts of the enemy, and cast them effortlessly down by the Power of Him who resides within us.
Shalom and may your Passover and Firstfruits feasts be a great celebration of your Mikveh (immersion) through the "Red Sea," which is the Blood of our Risen Messiah Yeshua!
Chag Sameach,
Kelly
Thursday, March 12, 2015
CRUSH TIME
Only three weeks until Passover. In the spiritual realm, that means "crunch time," or perhaps better termed as "crush time." The enemy accelerates into high gear, hoping to crush and destroy anyone that God plans to deliver through the Blood on their doorposts! Are you feeling the crush?
Stop listening to that taunting, tempting voice. Reject the fear. Reject the temptation for revenge, or offense or resentment. The enemy of your soul is trying to trap you into all these negative emotions and lure you back into fleshly places.
Get into the quiet place with the Lover of your soul and listen to HIS still, small Voice. He speaks peace. He speaks encouragement. He speaks Love. YESHUA'S PRESENCE ALWAYS RESULTS IN LOVE. This is what is lacking as the people of the world become lovers of SELF. Yeshua's love is all-powerful because it is a perfect love.
By this we know Love: because Yeshua laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for one another. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in DEED and in TRUTH. (1 John 3:16,18)
Laying down your life for someone does not necessarily mean you have to physically die for them. It will most often mean you must esteem them above yourself; make their needs more important than yours. Can you do this today? Can you take time to hear His Voice today, and then reach out in love to someone you have neglected or hated or resented? Ask Yeshua to plant HIS love in your heart...and then you can! Then you are living in God and He is living in you:
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. (1 John 4:16-17)
Stop listening to that taunting, tempting voice. Reject the fear. Reject the temptation for revenge, or offense or resentment. The enemy of your soul is trying to trap you into all these negative emotions and lure you back into fleshly places.
Get into the quiet place with the Lover of your soul and listen to HIS still, small Voice. He speaks peace. He speaks encouragement. He speaks Love. YESHUA'S PRESENCE ALWAYS RESULTS IN LOVE. This is what is lacking as the people of the world become lovers of SELF. Yeshua's love is all-powerful because it is a perfect love.
By this we know Love: because Yeshua laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for one another. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in DEED and in TRUTH. (1 John 3:16,18)
Laying down your life for someone does not necessarily mean you have to physically die for them. It will most often mean you must esteem them above yourself; make their needs more important than yours. Can you do this today? Can you take time to hear His Voice today, and then reach out in love to someone you have neglected or hated or resented? Ask Yeshua to plant HIS love in your heart...and then you can! Then you are living in God and He is living in you:
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. (1 John 4:16-17)
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
21: Completed to Perfection
Dear friends in Messiah,
John and I had planned this little "getaway" trip to celebrate our anniversary some time ago. We had been looking forward to it so much, believing there would be lovely weather, a nice pool and hot tub to soak in, DVD player in the room to watch a few good movies. Escape! Pleasure! But God said, "No." He literally sequestered us in our small room, unable to go out because of cold and stormy weather. The hotel staff had lied; there were no DVD players and no way to play a movie. The pop machine stole my money twice, no soda for me. OK, perhaps we can at least relax in the hot tub, we thought. "Sorry," the desk clerk informed us, "it isn't working."
It didn't take rocket science to figure out the messages God was sending us: "Stop seeking your own pleasure and seek ME." Once He had my attention, I became grateful instead of bitter. I haven't had this kind of time at home in ages, to just sit with my Lord and listen; to journal His words and ponder His direction. The words have not been easy to hear, but I'm so blessed that He persevered with me and literally "forced" me into a place where I could no longer ignore or dismiss Him with all my busyness and distractions!
Twenty-one Christians were be-headed on a Mediterranean shore, and Father did not allow me to shrug it off as another news story. He made me face those images head-on, looking deeply into the countenances of those brave, faithful followers of Jesus, wondering at the pure shalom I saw there. Their lips were moving as their heads were severed, and someone who viewed it in the Middle East, and who could understand their language, said they were saying, "JESUS CHRIST IS LORD."
Just before I left on this little trip I had asked the Spirit to tell me if there was a book on my shelf that He desired for me to re-read. He caused my eyes to fall on Mark Buchanan's powerful book, "Your God is Too Safe." I've been reading it daily, avidly, knowing it was re-kindling a FIRE of the Holy Spirit in me that has been quenched, buried under ashes of daily routine. But this morning's chapter really astonished me, as it seemed to answer painful questions I'd been asking since seeing the images of these 21 martyrs. In this chapter Mr. Buchanan is asking many difficult questions about why life seems so unfair; why some children die young, why those who love and serve the Lord all their lives die in auto crashes or lose everything in a house fire, why the evil get rich and the good are poor. Fourteen years after this book was written, I ask WHY 21 FAITHFUL BELIEVERS AND SERVANTS OF YESHUA HAD TO DIE SUCH CRUEL, HORRIFIC DEATHS. Buchanan writes, "It's not about life being fair. It's about acceptance. It's about God accepting us as His own, the ones He loves. It's not about being spared from untimely or difficult death. It's about being spared the 'second death' - the death of unbridgeable separation, oblivion and torment, a writhing crowd of teeth-gnashers, and the desolation of unending aloneness. The right thing is to have faith! Faith in the One who doesn't always remedy life's unfairness, but who does far better: He redeems it - its unfairness, its brokenness, its disease and death. And He says to us: TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE!"
As if that answer was not enough to spur us on toward that kind of overcoming faith, I then received a post through the organization Tikun, with no author named. I hope this washes you in tears, as it did me, calling each one of us to crucify our flesh and tear down our worldly idols, so that we might be made worthy to be persecuted or even killed for our faith, only to fall into the embrace of the LIVING GOD! I hope it forever removes from me the desire
to have movies or treats or perfect weather to console my flesh. Here is part of the article from Tikun:
*Consider
the number of the martyrs … 21. That is 3 times 7. Three in Hebrew is
perfection. Seven is complete. 21 martyrs tells us something is
“perfectly complete” or “completed to perfection” … which indicates that
this is a work of YHVH. The Lord allowed this event, and He chose
those, whom He could trust for this assignment, so that the Kingdom of
YHVH could expand in the Middle East.
John and I had planned this little "getaway" trip to celebrate our anniversary some time ago. We had been looking forward to it so much, believing there would be lovely weather, a nice pool and hot tub to soak in, DVD player in the room to watch a few good movies. Escape! Pleasure! But God said, "No." He literally sequestered us in our small room, unable to go out because of cold and stormy weather. The hotel staff had lied; there were no DVD players and no way to play a movie. The pop machine stole my money twice, no soda for me. OK, perhaps we can at least relax in the hot tub, we thought. "Sorry," the desk clerk informed us, "it isn't working."
It didn't take rocket science to figure out the messages God was sending us: "Stop seeking your own pleasure and seek ME." Once He had my attention, I became grateful instead of bitter. I haven't had this kind of time at home in ages, to just sit with my Lord and listen; to journal His words and ponder His direction. The words have not been easy to hear, but I'm so blessed that He persevered with me and literally "forced" me into a place where I could no longer ignore or dismiss Him with all my busyness and distractions!
Twenty-one Christians were be-headed on a Mediterranean shore, and Father did not allow me to shrug it off as another news story. He made me face those images head-on, looking deeply into the countenances of those brave, faithful followers of Jesus, wondering at the pure shalom I saw there. Their lips were moving as their heads were severed, and someone who viewed it in the Middle East, and who could understand their language, said they were saying, "JESUS CHRIST IS LORD."
Just before I left on this little trip I had asked the Spirit to tell me if there was a book on my shelf that He desired for me to re-read. He caused my eyes to fall on Mark Buchanan's powerful book, "Your God is Too Safe." I've been reading it daily, avidly, knowing it was re-kindling a FIRE of the Holy Spirit in me that has been quenched, buried under ashes of daily routine. But this morning's chapter really astonished me, as it seemed to answer painful questions I'd been asking since seeing the images of these 21 martyrs. In this chapter Mr. Buchanan is asking many difficult questions about why life seems so unfair; why some children die young, why those who love and serve the Lord all their lives die in auto crashes or lose everything in a house fire, why the evil get rich and the good are poor. Fourteen years after this book was written, I ask WHY 21 FAITHFUL BELIEVERS AND SERVANTS OF YESHUA HAD TO DIE SUCH CRUEL, HORRIFIC DEATHS. Buchanan writes, "It's not about life being fair. It's about acceptance. It's about God accepting us as His own, the ones He loves. It's not about being spared from untimely or difficult death. It's about being spared the 'second death' - the death of unbridgeable separation, oblivion and torment, a writhing crowd of teeth-gnashers, and the desolation of unending aloneness. The right thing is to have faith! Faith in the One who doesn't always remedy life's unfairness, but who does far better: He redeems it - its unfairness, its brokenness, its disease and death. And He says to us: TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE!"
As if that answer was not enough to spur us on toward that kind of overcoming faith, I then received a post through the organization Tikun, with no author named. I hope this washes you in tears, as it did me, calling each one of us to crucify our flesh and tear down our worldly idols, so that we might be made worthy to be persecuted or even killed for our faith, only to fall into the embrace of the LIVING GOD! I hope it forever removes from me the desire
to have movies or treats or perfect weather to console my flesh. Here is part of the article from Tikun:
*Consider
the number of the martyrs … 21. That is 3 times 7. Three in Hebrew is
perfection. Seven is complete. 21 martyrs tells us something is
“perfectly complete” or “completed to perfection” … which indicates that
this is a work of YHVH. The Lord allowed this event, and He chose
those, whom He could trust for this assignment, so that the Kingdom of
YHVH could expand in the Middle East.
**Remember
that the blood of the martyrs flowed onto the sand and into the
seawater? Scripture tells us in Revelation 12 that we overcome by the
Blood of the Lamb, by the word of our testimony, and by surrendering our
lives unto death, rather than recanting our faith to keep on living.
Those 21 martyrs were ONE (echad) with the Messiah in the fellowship of
His suffering and death. As they were IN Him, and as He was IN them,
His blood was mingled with the holy blood of their own sacrifice. The
blood of the martyrs for Yeshua is holy, and it is powerful. Wherever
it touches, revival is released. Martyrs’ blood ALWAYS fertilizes
revival. Yeshua’s blood was mingled with theirs as it flowed onto the
land and into the sea. The currents and tides of the sea will carry and
is carrying that life-giving blood the full length of the Mediterranean
coastline, and to every country connected to it. Just think about that!
What a game changer that will be in the region!
Those
precious 21 men, whose heads were removed because they held to the
testimony of Yeshua, and because of His word, are now seated
victoriously in heaven. They are awaiting the time, when Yeshua will
return to the earth to defeat all the enemies, who stand against His
reality and sovereignty. These martyrs will return with Him to rule as
His governors across the face of the earth for 1,000 years. Even when
the final battle comes, when satan and all of his forces will finally be
cast in the lake of fire, these chosen ones will never taste
death again. They are living their eternal victory right now. They are
in the presence of the Lord NOW, and they will be perpetually in
fellowship with Him as He rules on the earth and then throughout
eternity. They were chosen for this honor, and they didn’t fail Him.
They presented Him with the BEST GIFT and with the greatest honor they
could give. Oh, that each of us would do the same!! This recent event of
martyrdom has hopefully changed all of us in the true Body of Messiah.
Hopefully it has opened our eyes to see our lives and our deaths in a
different life. Hopefully, it has inspired us to deeper a faith, and
caused us to let go of the fear that satan speaks to us constantly.
When Yeshua said that He would be with us TO THE END, He also indicated
by His words that He would be with us IN OUR END …
Friday, February 20, 2015
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Friends in Messiah,
I just read this little post this morning and it answered the question I've been asking the Father: "What should we do to celebrate Purim this year?" The parallel we have this year to the original Purim and Esther Fast is astonishing. THIS YEAR let us not have little skits where we "boo Haman" and "cheer Mordecai." This year let us remain steadfast in praying and fasting for the people of Israel, and for the leaders of this nation. Let us not just read about Esther, but let us BE Esther, fasting and interceding.....FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
In Him,
Kelly
Once there was a King in Shushan, the most powerful ruler in the world who had a strong disdain, dislike or perhaps even hatred of Jews.
Today there is a President in Washington, the most powerful ruler in the world, who many say has a disdain for Israel the country of the Jews.
Once there was a Persian (Now Iran) who wanted to kill all the Jews, but needed the King's authorization to proceed with his plan.
Today there are Persians (Iranians) who want to kill all the Jews, but needs the President's authorization to proceed with their plan.
The King didn't really care, as long as there was something in it for him - lots of money.
The President doesn't really care, as long as there is something in it for him - a deal with the Persians.
The Jewish Queen wanted to tell the King and expose to him what really is happening, but going in to talk to the King was dangerous.
The Jewish Prime Minister wants to tell the President and his Congress and expose the truth, but going to talk to the Congress is dangerous and could back-fire.
Some people thought Esther should not go, it would just anger the King and make things worse.
Some people think Bibi should not go, it will just anger the President and make things worse.
She asked the Jews to fast and pray for the success of her mission. They did so, the King accepted her words and the plot to destroy them was thwarted.
Will we fast and pray for the success of his mission? Will the President and Congress accept his words? Will the plot to destroy us be thwarted?
We commemorate Esther's plea to the King by fasting on Ta'anit Esther.
*The Prime Minister of Israel has been invited to address the United States Congress on March 3.**
*This year Ta'anit Esther falls on March 3.**
I just read this little post this morning and it answered the question I've been asking the Father: "What should we do to celebrate Purim this year?" The parallel we have this year to the original Purim and Esther Fast is astonishing. THIS YEAR let us not have little skits where we "boo Haman" and "cheer Mordecai." This year let us remain steadfast in praying and fasting for the people of Israel, and for the leaders of this nation. Let us not just read about Esther, but let us BE Esther, fasting and interceding.....FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
In Him,
Kelly
Once there was a King in Shushan, the most powerful ruler in the world who had a strong disdain, dislike or perhaps even hatred of Jews.
Today there is a President in Washington, the most powerful ruler in the world, who many say has a disdain for Israel the country of the Jews.
Once there was a Persian (Now Iran) who wanted to kill all the Jews, but needed the King's authorization to proceed with his plan.
Today there are Persians (Iranians) who want to kill all the Jews, but needs the President's authorization to proceed with their plan.
The King didn't really care, as long as there was something in it for him - lots of money.
The President doesn't really care, as long as there is something in it for him - a deal with the Persians.
The Jewish Queen wanted to tell the King and expose to him what really is happening, but going in to talk to the King was dangerous.
The Jewish Prime Minister wants to tell the President and his Congress and expose the truth, but going to talk to the Congress is dangerous and could back-fire.
Some people thought Esther should not go, it would just anger the King and make things worse.
Some people think Bibi should not go, it will just anger the President and make things worse.
She asked the Jews to fast and pray for the success of her mission. They did so, the King accepted her words and the plot to destroy them was thwarted.
Will we fast and pray for the success of his mission? Will the President and Congress accept his words? Will the plot to destroy us be thwarted?
We commemorate Esther's plea to the King by fasting on Ta'anit Esther.
*The Prime Minister of Israel has been invited to address the United States Congress on March 3.**
*This year Ta'anit Esther falls on March 3.**
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Do Not Pass Me By
Mark 6:47-51
When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake and He was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke to them and said, 'Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.' Then He climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down.
"He was about to pass by them..." Our Lord saw that His disciples were in trouble. He sees when you are in trouble. "About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them...." This would be at 3:00 in the morning. Have you ever been wakened at this hour, unable to sleep? So many I know have spoken about this hour of the night when their troubles seemed too overwhelming to sleep, and they lay in bed feeling crushed and "straining at the oars."
In the midst of our crushing strain, our Lord is there. He is never far from us, His eye is always watching us, and His Hand is always ready to steady the boat we are in; but if we don't cry out for Him, He may pass us by! We have to reach our arms outside the boat and call for Him. Like the old hymn we used to sing, we have to cry out, "Do not pass me by!"
Yeshua (Jesus) will never ignore that plea. He was there all along. He was on the water, in the midst of your storm. His heart was moved by your strain and your struggle. But He waited for the cry of the child, and then He rushed in to strengthen you, bolster your courage, and quiet your soul! "Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid." He climbed into the boat and the wind died down.
Shabbat Shalom!
When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake and He was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke to them and said, 'Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.' Then He climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down.
"He was about to pass by them..." Our Lord saw that His disciples were in trouble. He sees when you are in trouble. "About the fourth watch of the night He went out to them...." This would be at 3:00 in the morning. Have you ever been wakened at this hour, unable to sleep? So many I know have spoken about this hour of the night when their troubles seemed too overwhelming to sleep, and they lay in bed feeling crushed and "straining at the oars."
In the midst of our crushing strain, our Lord is there. He is never far from us, His eye is always watching us, and His Hand is always ready to steady the boat we are in; but if we don't cry out for Him, He may pass us by! We have to reach our arms outside the boat and call for Him. Like the old hymn we used to sing, we have to cry out, "Do not pass me by!"
Yeshua (Jesus) will never ignore that plea. He was there all along. He was on the water, in the midst of your storm. His heart was moved by your strain and your struggle. But He waited for the cry of the child, and then He rushed in to strengthen you, bolster your courage, and quiet your soul! "Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid." He climbed into the boat and the wind died down.
Shabbat Shalom!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)