Another Jesus

I am a Bible believer. I believe we should follow the old and new testament, to the best of our ability. I believe the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one true God. I fellowship with people who others might label as “Messianic”, “Torah Observant”, “Hebrew Roots”, etc. (I don’t like to apply a label to myself. All those labels cover too large of a variety of beliefs and actions.)

I have heard many of these people say Christians with differing beliefs worship another God (or another Yeshua or Jesus or …). That type of comment has always bothered me. Clearly, my Biblical beliefs are different from many people in this world. But, I don’t see that as a reason to judge that their God or Jesus is not the same as mine. And, if there is only one true God and one Messiah, that’s a serious judgment.

People see different parts of other people, depending on their relationship. And, I feel the same thing applies to our relationship with God and Jesus.

The thought struck me one day when I was talking about one of my children with someone that only saw that child in a certain situation. I was saying that she is loud, boisterous, funny, crazy, etc, and, the person I was talking to was amazed. They saw her as calm and quiet. I realized that this is very common.

Using myself as an example, different people in my life know me in very different ways.  How and where I see them, how much we talk, how they see me interact with others, affects what our relationship is like and their perspective of me as a person. Examples of people that see me regularly that will have very different views of me: 

• ·         My husband obviously knows me best. He is my confidante, my friend, my lover, my boss and the head of our home. I’ve lived with him longer than I’ve lived with anyone in my life. We talk off and on throughout the day every day. He sees me interact with people in all different situations. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He is the head of our home.
• ·         My kids spend even more time with me than my husband does, because we homeschool. We are together all day every day. They see me as their mom, their boss, their teacher, etc. They see me interact with others in all aspects of everyday life.
• ·         My bff has known me for years and she still loves me. We communicate regularly throughout the week and spend a lot of time together.
• ·         I have one friend who is my confidante in a very important area of my life. That one area is what our friendship is based on. We talk about other things, but I share my innermost thoughts with her in this one area.
• ·         Those I fellowship with regularly hear my opinions and thoughts on Biblical issues. They see me worship. They see me act as hostess, serve others and teach children.
• ·         People I chat with week after week as I wait for my kids at their lessons see me interact with my kids and others in the vicinity. We discuss how the kids are doing in their activity. We talk about parenting and homeschooling.
• ·         People that work at the stores I frequent (and have frequented for the past 15 years) talk to me regularly. They know I’m married and have a large family. They know I homeschool. But, beyond that, most of our conversation is small talk or a summary of the week’s activities.

·          

All of these people would see me very differently – even those I know well. My husband has a different relationship with me than my kids or my closest friends. And, the others, while they know me to varying degrees, would likely have a very different viewpoint of who I am. If one of the moms I chat with described my personality and our relationship, it would sound very different from my husband doing the same thing. If a friend I fellowship with regularly described my personality and our relationship, it would look very different from my kids or a store employee doing the same thing. You might not even know they were talking about the same person.

It’s not a matter of any of these people knowing someone who isn’t me. It’s simply a matter of them knowing different aspects of me. They don’t even all call me by the same name. I go by Missi, Miss, Gloria, Mom, Mommy, Mrs. Lara, even Mrs. Fernandez sometimes, because my grocery discount cards are all in my mother’s name. My point is, those who know God and Jesus (or Yahweh and Yeshua, or Yahuwah and Yahushuah or whatever other name folks want to use) will know different aspects of Them and Their character, based on the person’s own viewpoint and relationship. As a matter of fact, my God is big enough that we can all know a big part of Him and there’s still plenty left to learn.

Writing Torah

Deut 17:18-20

¹⁸ “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. ¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, ²⁰ that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

Any king ruling over God’s people was required to write out the Torah (the law) – to make a copy with his own hand.  They were to do this in addition to reading and obeying.

I recently decided to incorporate this into our daily school work. Right now, that includes me and our 3 youngest. We also do it when we have family devotions. And, I plan to have my high schooler do it daily when we “officially” start school.

It’s a very simple habit. We start our day with 10 minutes of Bible Writing. We use a composition notebook and write for 10 minutes. The next day, we each pick up where we left off. It’s not a race (until the 14 and 18 year olds do it). For me and my 12 year old son, it’s a chance to read really closely and we often pick up details we hadn’t noticed before.

My two youngest aren’t very good readers yet and would have a hard time copying straight out of a Bible. So, I print up one chapter at a time for them. As they write each word, they cross it off on their paper. It helps them remember where they are in the copying exercise.

The kids appreciate it more than I expected them to. I have actually found my 9 year old copying just because he wanted to.

It’s definitely a long term project. And, it’s a great use of our time.

Get the Leaven Out

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. (Exodus 12:14-15)

Today, we began preparations to have leavening out by Passover.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I don’t spend a lot of time cleaning. I like to plan in advance so we don’t have a lot of waste when it comes time to remove the leaven. I start by going through all of our cupboards and pulling out any items that have leavening in them.  I set them on the counter in a crate so everyone can be reminded that they need to be eaten by Passover.  This is the crate I set out today. We have a particularly large amount of goodies because we just went camping last weekend, so we have lots of leftovers.

Then, I go through the refrigerators and freezers. I make a list of leavened items that are in there. When preparing food, I refer to the list to get rid of these items by Passover.  This year, I happen to have a whole, unopened bag of yeast from Costco. Hmmm. Poor planning there. Oh well.

In the meantime, I minimize the leavened products that I buy. We can go through 2 loaves of bread in a couple of days, so I will buy bread up until a few days before. But, I won’t buy bread crumbs (or yeast) or anything that would take weeks or months to use.

Right before our Passover celebration, we throw out anything left in the crate and anything left on the list. I don’t store my leavening at someone else’s home or hang it on the other side of my fence and take it back after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I throw it away. I get rid of it. I remove it from my life. And, I try to plan it so that I’m not being wasteful. Financially, we have lived in plenty and we have lived in want. But, we have never had difficulty replacing the leavening that we need after the Feast of Unleavened Bread is over. 

Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:6-8)

A question I always have to ask is, “what is leaven”?  The answer is not so clear cut in today’s world. In Bible times, they made a sourdough type bread. They would save a bit of their leavened dough to use as leavening for the next batch they made.  They didn’t have instant yeast (So, they wouldn’t have to throw away a whole Costco sized bag.) or baking powder. 

So, what do I actually need to get rid of? I don’t get rid of flour or grain. I have no problem keeping rice or pasta. They don’t puff up. They swell up with the water they are cooked in. I had actually never even heard of getting rid of that for Unleavened Bread until the last several years. I used to get rid of cream of tartar (church rules), but since that does not leaven on it’s own, I don’t get rid of it anymore. I will make and eat angel food cake. That is just air whipped into eggs. If you leave it on the counter unbaked for long enough, the air bubbles will deflate. True leaven will puff up when left alone on the counter. So, I have wondered for years if I should get rid of baking soda and baking powder. I’m not sure that is a true leavening. If I make a cake batter and let it sit on the counter, the “leavening” action will dissipate. So, again, this is not a true leaven. For now, I still get rid of baking soda and powder and foods made with it. So far, I have erred on the side of caution for this one.

So, I get rid of leavening agents – yeast, baking powder, baking soda – and any products made with those leavening agents. That’s pretty simple. Whatever you decide to get rid of, read the labels of the foods you have in your home. You would be surprised how many products contain leavening. Stuffed pasta usually contains bread crumbs. Grape Nuts, though hard as a rock, contain yeast. (At least they did 20 something years ago when we sat down to eat it for breakfast during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.) Don’t forget any candy you have with cookies in it, like Twix, Kit Kat or Ferrer Rocher. (When you buy a big box of this as Passover treat, you will need to eat it beforehand when your kids read the ingredients. Ask me how I know.)

Removing leaven is an object lesson, and a great one, at that. Leaven pictures sin. We want to get it out of our life – completely. We don’t want to tuck it away just to bring it back in later. We don’t want to hold onto it because it might cause financial hardship. It’s everywhere. Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s well hidden.

We have found that when I stay home, I find it easy to avoid leaven. (Although, no matter how hard I try, I always find some leavened product or child's leftovers that I didn't get rid of.) We don’t have it in our house, so, I would have to make an effort to eat it. As my husband goes out in the world to earn a living, he has a much harder time remembering. It’s everywhere, and the world doesn’t think twice about partaking. When he goes to his supplier to get materials for a job, there are donuts sitting out. When I didn’t send breakfast and lunch with him, it was way too easy to stop and get a bagel or a sandwich without even thinking about it. Just a reminder that when we surround ourselves with righteousness it is easy to live in obedience, but, when we are in the world, we have to be on guard because it is always a battle.

So, when God asks us to remove the leavening from our home, it’s not a hardship. It’s a lesson. It is many lessons. Every year there is something new to be learned. And, we have the added bonus of having a clean pantry.

No Spring Cleaning

It’s Passover season! I mean, seriously Passover season. Not Passover is in 3 months season. But, Passover is really close season. HalleluYah! The new moon has come and we have less than 2 weeks. Passover has been on our mind for a couple of months. But, now we’re in the serious preparation phase. 

Since I’ve been blessed to celebrate Yah’s appointed times all my life, this will be my 49^th Passover. We have been rehearsing this for a long time now.  And, over the years, we have done many different things. There were many years where we spent hours and days cleaning our house - Spring cleaning to remove the leaven.  It was a tradition of the church we grew up in. People even cleaned their windows and such preparing for Passover. Other than the natural yeast that is in the air, I’m not sure how much leaven I will find on the windows. I've even cleaned out my linen closets in preparation, but I’m pretty sure no one eats in the linen closet. At least I've never found any leaven in there.

So, we searched the scriptures for instruction on Passover preparation. There isn't a lot of instruction on preparing. Exodus 12:15 says: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.” It doesn't say “you shall begin cleaning your house for weeks in advance to make sure every last crumb of leaven has been removed.” It doesn't say, “Clean all your walls and windows so the naturally occurring yeast from the air is disposed of.” Especially since it will come right back.

I've learned a couple of things about preparing for Passover. One is that, no matter how much I clean, I always forget something. It might be that rogue chunk of someone’s leftover toast that was hidden behind the school room organizer. Or it might be that box of leavened something or other that I somehow overlooked and it is right in front of my face. It might be that thing that you never would have guessed in a million years was leavened. I mean, Grape Nuts are way too rock hard to be leavened, right? Wrong. Or, it might be that we forgot to empty the vacuum cleaner bag. Or, maybe the bag of yeast in the freezer.

So, we use a different technique now. A couple of weeks before Passover, I go through our food and set aside leavened foods. I make a list of leavened foods that are in the refrigerator and freezer so we can make sure to use them, or throw them away when the time comes. Then, that’s it, until a day or two before Passover. At that point, we make sure every room has been swept. We don’t really eat much food upstairs, so this can be done a couple of days ahead of time. Then, the day of Passover, we make sure the downstairs floors, especially the kitchen/dining area are swept well. And, just before Passover, we throw away our leavened food. That’s it. Passover cleaning in a nutshell. That means the weeks before Passover I can focus on spiritual things instead of being distracted by physical things. 

How Did I Manage Quiet Time in the Chaos of Small Children?

Sometimes I'm not even sure of the answer to that question. It's all kind of a blur. I read this blog post the other day and it really had me thinking.  She states the realities of mothering a newborn so well. I thought about how it’s not just newborns, It also applies to toddlers and preschoolers. Mothering young children is a tough job, yet, it’s also full of rewards.

As you’re going through it, you’re exhausted. Sometimes you’re tired beyond belief and you feel like you’re never going to get enough sleep again for as long as you live.  Sometimes, the thought of changing one more diaper is enough to push you over the edge. The thought of refereeing one more round of “she touched me” is enough to make you insane. Being on call 24/7 is overwhelming and exhausting. Even so, the joy of the little things they say or those chubby arms wrapped around your neck is all the payment you need.

  

 When you’re in the trenches it feels like you’ll never make it through. It’s only a season, but it’s a long season – longer for some, than for others. For me, it was about 20 years. Sure, I longed to go places and yearned to do things that just weren’t feasible with little ones in tow. Sometimes I was desperate for a moment to myself, but that wasn’t feasible, either. I mean, really, I’m just now getting to the point where I can go potty by myself; although, showering without interruption is still a few years off, it seems.

 

One thing that is difficult to figure out is how to have quiet time with God when there are little ones running you ragged. Having a half hour or more of quiet time with God is great, but, as babies came along, I started to wonder how on earth I would accomplish that. I know there are moms that wake up early to get that quiet time in. But, with my kids, it seems like no matter what time I woke up, someone woke up with me. I usually tried to stay up late, but often I was too exhausted after the little ones went to bed.

This was compounded by the fact that I could rarely listen to a sermon or teaching of any kind because I had little people to run after and mommy duties to take care of, whether I was at home or sitting in the wiggle room at congregation. This was my season for noise and interruptions, not for sitting and spending long hours studying the Bible. But, I also realized that God knows exactly what it’s like to take care of a baby. He is the one who created them, after all. So, He wasn’t surprised that I found it difficult to devote long periods of time to Him.

There were days that I wished to have hours for quiet time. The thought of sitting and listening to a sermon was just a dream. And, I’m sure there are many days that I complained to my friends that my husband didn’t cover my motherly duties enough. But, when it comes down to it, that’s not his job. If I have an infant or toddler, they basically are attached to me wherever I go. Daddy spent time with them and gave me a break now and then, but, the everyday responsibilities belonged to me. I didn’t expect him to take care of the baby after he came home from a long day’s work. I never thought he should be caring for baby while I did in-depth Bible study or listened to a sermon. It is better that he should be listening and learning and growing so he can lead the family.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean Dad’s should be hands off, by any means. It’s great when Daddy gives Mommy a much needed break. But, generally speaking, Mommy duties are mine. God equipped me to take care of baby - simple as that. This was not my season to dig deeper into scripture on a daily basis. It wasn’t my season to let Daddy hold the baby while I listened to a teaching or sat in on a sermon. God instituted the family. He made the man head over his wife. The husband is the spiritual leader. God put this in place so the man can lead his wife and children. I think God had it figured out pretty well by not putting the spiritual leader of the family in charge of baby duties. 

This is not to say I shouldn’t have my own quiet time. But, it looked different when I had a little one (or little ones). I prayed throughout the day whenever a prayer need popped into my head. I could certainly find a spare minute or 2 or 3 to talk to Him. Talking to him was often interrupted by littles, but the same was true of any conversation.  At night, when I woke up to nurse baby, I would talk with my Abba. When they got older, they could sit in on my prayer time and maybe add a prayer

of their own.

I could devote 5 minutes at a time to read a Bible passage. If the Bible was out and open, it was that much easier. And, usually in the evening, after they were all in bed, I spent some time studying a topic of interest or working on my Bible study lesson. Realistically, my lesson wasn’t always done when I went to Bible study, but it was done sometimes. And, if I prioritized properly, I managed to spend quality time with God, at least in small bits.

For me, that seemingly endless season is winding down. My baby is 6, and a mature 6, at that. She is mostly self-reliant. As I transition out of mothering little ones, my time with God changes, as well. It’s such a blessing that He knows our life and understands our limitations. And, He equips us to do what He has given us to do.

The School of Messi Antics

Those of us in the Torah observant/Messianic/Hebrew roots movement - it goes by many names, but you get the idea – we’re all disciples, disciples at the same school. We’re all students. We’re just at different levels of education. And, on top of that, we have different interests. We have our core curriculum, which is the Bible and more specifically, the Torah. But, we have different electives. Some focus on temple rituals, others on Hebrew language, the names, calendar issues, extra-Biblical books, new moon, when the Sabbath starts, Shavuot timing, Passover timing, certain terminology, etc. The list goes on and on.

The thing is, with our main textbook, there is no way we’re ever going to know all there is to know about it. We can study and study and study and still be a novice. This isn’t the type of school where you learn the majority of what you need to know and graduate in 4 years. No, this is a lifetime school. So, we have plenty of time to explore electives. But, we need a good enough foundation in the basics to ensure that those electives don’t lead us away from the core curriculum.

Some of us have been attending this school longer than others, so it’s important to remember that we’re all at a different level of education. Those that have been at the school a shorter amount of time might very well know more about some of the electives than students that have been here much longer. And, students that have been here a lot longer might have a lot more education than the new students think. It appears to me that the new students start getting a little more education and begin to think that the long-time students don’t know about this information because they disagree with their conclusion.

I often get the feeling that newer students think I’m ignorant or complacent if I’m not excited about the elective course they’re taking. As I look at the younger students, I realize that I’ve taken many of the courses they’re taking. What I’ve done with that knowledge might vary from what they’re taught. Different understanding on a subject leads to the idea that I’ve never looked into it before, but different understanding is not necessarily because I have no knowledge or interest in the subject. Just because young students haven’t seen me study certain topics or don’t see me living out what that teacher says should be lived out, doesn’t mean I haven’t studied it.

In the decades that I have been at this school, I have done plenty of unlearning. I’ve taken some courses many times. Sometimes, I end up believing the same as I did when I started. Sometimes, I realize that I had things really wrong, or that something isn’t as important as I originally thought. Sometimes when the course is over, I realize that my conclusion is different from someone else’s, and their conclusion is just as valid.

I’ve attended this school my whole life. I’ve taken lots of and lots of electives. Some, I’ve taken many times. Some I’ve just taken once. Some, I didn’t even take the whole class. The overview was enough for me. I find it best to keep reviewing the core curriculum. That doesn’t mean I never take electives. It means that I spend much of my time focusing on the core – the basics, arithmetic, if you will. I can’t do well in algebra if I haven’t mastered addition and subtraction. So, I often go back and review the basics. Then I study other subjects that require a good foundation in the basics. And, with a foundation in the basics, I am more able to discern wrong teachings, wrong attitudes, wrong actions – in myself and in others.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time sharing with students that think I’m uneducated or apathetic; or with students that think they know it all or have all truth in any one (or more than one) topic. I don’t want to discuss my viewpoints with those that say they’re respectful of others’ viewpoints when their words and actions clearly show they aren’t. I want to spend time with students that realize they don’t know it all, are respectful of other students’ beliefs and are striving to be better educated and, most importantly, live out that education in all areas of life.

Musings on the Sabbath

I’ve kept the Sabbath all my life. And, I’ve done many different things while keeping the Sabbath. I’ve followed man made rules and I’ve ignored manmade rules. I’ve bought and not bought. I’ve gone swimming on a hot day and not gone swimming. I’ve gone for hikes and not gone for hikes. I’ve used the computer and not used the computer. I’ve done homework and not done homework. I’ve gone out with friends and not gone out with friends.  I’ve watched movies and not watched movies.  I’ve made it special and not made it special. I’ve put my whole heart into it and I’ve made it mundane. I’ve washed dishes and I’ve used paper plates. . I’ve set aside extra time for God and I’ve not set aside extra time for God.

There are so many grey areas when it comes to keeping the Sabbath.  God didn’t give us a long list of do’s and don’ts. He didn’t specify every little thing we should or shouldn’t do. Basically, what He told us to do is not work – you and your entire household. (Ex 20:8-11)

So, the main thing that I, and we as a family, have always done is not work on the Sabbath.  When we interview(ed) for a job, we say we don’t work from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Because of that, we might not get the job. But, if that’s the case, then it’s not the job for us. When contractors ask Jim to work on Saturday, he declines. The kids’ chore charts are noticeably blank on the Sabbath – except for grooming themselves and feeding the pets.

There aren’t very many things we can DO that are a sign between us and God. He says in Exodus 31:13, 17 and Ezekiel 20:19-20 – “they will be a sign between Me and you”. I find that pretty exciting!  I can follow His laws and keep His Sabbath.  And, the Sabbath is specified in addition to statutes, judgments and laws. I see that as significant. If there is something that is a sign between me and Him, I want to do it!! I want to give it my all.

I don’t always accomplish this perfectly, or even as well as I’d like to. I’ve had times when it would be more convenient to keep working as the sun set. I’ve had times when I haven’t finished my chores or my work. I’ve had times when I didn’t get all the cleaning done or when I didn’t pay that bill I meant to pay.

I’ve had times when the dust on top of that eye-level cupboard top in the kitchen or the bay window is screaming out to me after sunset. But, when I ignore it, I know the dust will still be waiting for me after Sabbath is over, the laundry will wait patiently, anything that needs to be done will still be waiting. And, that’s OK.

Understand, that even though there are times when I might be inconvenienced or I might want to do something else, I LOVE the Sabbath. We LOVE the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not a burden. We look forward to it all week. The little kids count down the days. We enjoy setting aside that time.

If we make it a point to set aside the time God has put in His calendar for us, we will be blessed. Simple as that. He doesn’t ask much of us. Just as the kids know that Daddy will be home for the Sabbath, I know that my Abba will be ready to meet with me as I set the Sabbath day apart and obey Him. We stop our work as He commanded. We dance, sing, pray, study, worship, laugh, eat, enjoy.  We delight in His Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13). We make it a set apart time – a restful time, a holy time, a kadosh time, a peaceful time.

Shabbat shalom!

The Steps of a Good Man

For several months, I've been thinking about writing scripture on our stairs.  You know how you see those clever pinterest posts or other internet ideas that you think are great, but you never get around to doing them?  Well, I finally got around to doing this one.  First, I had to decide which scripture to do. As I was perusing the Bible for a good candidate, I came across the perfect scripture. It is one of hubby's favorite scriptures and it's perfect for the stairs.

I wanted to surprise my hubby. So, when he went to a Bible study conference for a few days, I knew this was my chance. Of course, this was a late night project.  I had to do it after the little guys were in bed.  So, sometime after midnight, I started painting scripture. When I got done, I realized two things: 1 was that I needed to make the words on the top step higher up so they could be seen from the ground level; 2 was that I had skipped a line. O.o So, after scrubbing off almost half the steps, I redid it.  And, I must say, I was very happy with the final results.

This is the view from the front door.

 Ps 37:23-24

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by Yahweh,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For Yahweh upholds him with His hand.

Communion

I've had a blessed Sabbath today – unlike any I can remember.  It all started with Jim registering for a weekend training in Las Vegas.  After he reserved his hotel room, he mentioned that I should go with him to enjoy the room since he would only be there at night.  After a little coaxing from him, and the older girls saying I should go, I decided to go with him. 

I don’t like Las Vegas.  I don’t like the strip.  I don’t like the city. I don’t like gambling.  And, I don’t like the heat. But I knew I would appreciate having some quiet, alone time (in an air conditioned room).  I love alone time.  I always have.  And, with 6 kids at home, it’s not something I get much of. That’s not a problem for me. I just enjoy the snippets of quiet time I do get.  But, I thought this trip to Las Vegas was a great opportunity for a mini-retreat.

So, today, I have been alone in a hotel room all day.  And, today is Shabbat.  So, I’m not going to do normal, everyday things. I’m not going to watch movies or do paperwork or go shopping (that’s another thing I don’t really like, anyway) or do an hour on the elliptical. It’s a day to rest and spend time with our Creator.  And, today it’s just Him and me.  I started by sleeping until almost 10:00, since it is a day of rest.  I think that’s the 2^nd time I’ve done that in the last 20 years, so that was a treat. I read the Bible. I practiced praise dancing, since this room has a little 6x6 foot square just big enough for one dancer. And, I watched a teaching that I had on my to-do list for weeks, but hadn’t gotten around to watching.

http://vimeo.com/40825903

Ironically, this teaching was about communion.  Not about taking communion.  Not about eating the bread and drinking the wine.  But, about having communion with God. About regularly setting aside time to have communion with Him.  Why is that ironic?  Because watching the teaching has been on my to-do list for weeks and I can see that my time of communion is often put on the back burner just like that teaching.

To think that He’s there ready and willing to meet with us whenever we want and we put Him on the back burner!  In our busy lives, we have too many things that take priority over Him. And, often, when we do spend time with Him, it’s in a rushed, distracted sort of way.  We combine time with Him with other things.  And, I realized that I need to change that.  I need to get back to time of communion with Him.

I’ve been through a long season - 20 years of baby/toddler in the house.  It was a blessed season, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, that’s a whole different life and it’s hard to find time for communion when you’re living in that season.  (It's also hard to find time to take a shower or even go to the bathroom by yourself, but that's a whole different subject.:)) I’m not making excuses or saying that making communion a low priority is OK when you have little ones. I’m just saying that it’s much harder in that season of life. That’s reality. And, for me, that season was much longer than for most people I know.

So, here I am with my baby 4 ½.  I can easily set aside a time each day for communion.  And, I need to do that.  I’m off to a good start with my mini retreat here today. (I should do this more often, actually. But, that’s a different topic.) I’ve spent most of the day in communion.  And, I have a chance to be still and know that He is God.  I don’t often get that chance, because even when I’m still, the kids around me aren’t. J So, He has to talk louder so I can hear Him.  But, I’m ready to listen.  And, I’m ready to make communion a higher priority in my daily life.

The First Feast

There is something special about each of God’s feasts.  These are appointed times that the Creator of the Universe set aside to meet with us!  I mean, what could be better than that?  He gives us special days once a year, which are awesome.

He even gives us an appointment every week – His Sabbath.  And, I want to point out that this is not the “Jews Sabbath” as so many like to call it.  This is His day.  He very clearly says “these are My feasts”.

The Sabbath is always a blessing.  But, once in a while, a Sabbath is extra special.  Recently we had such a Sabbath.  We began with Sabbath dinner and praise & worship with visiting friends.  The next morning, we had more praise & worship, along with dancing, in the morning.  Then we had our fellowship with more praise & worship and dancing and time in the Word and eating and fellowshipping with friends.   The teaching even continued on into the first day of the week; although, not quite past midnight as it was in the early church. (Acts 20:7) What a day!  We were completely filled spiritually.

As the Sabbath came to a close, we were discussing how it was like a feast day.  And, we were reminded that this is the first feast listed in Leviticus 23.  No wonder God asks us to set aside that day for Him.  It’s because He loves us so and wants to bless us.  

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.  'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.  ~ Lev 23:1-3

Girl Time with Crunchy Mamas

Last summer, my friend and I decided to host a Bible study for moms of little ones.  It’s often so hard for moms of little ones to get a chance to spend time with other moms.  They’re in the trenches of diapers and laundry and dishes and diapers and laundry and dishes.  You get the point.  So we wanted to help facilitate some bonding with other moms by sharing a weekly Bible study time with us.  And, really, the only way to make it feasible is to bring kids.  If everyone was in attendance, we had 16 kids age 11 and under running around the back yard and/or crawling around our feet. Since most of us tend toward more natural means of parenting and health care (hippie, crunchy granola style), we called it the Crunchy Mama Bible Study.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that group Bible study is difficult at best with kids everywhere.  But, we would have a time of prayer and then turn on the Beth Moore video and listen as best we could.  Between refereeing kids, changing diapers, nursing babies, quieting children, etc, we did manage to get some Bible learning in and deepen friendships. 

Now, some of us are back in a school year Bible study, so the weekly Bible study isn’t feasible. But, we still get together just to share each other’s lives.  What a blessing that is.  There’s nothing like having a group of friends that are there through thick and thin – the trials and the triumphs.  Friends to laugh and cry with, to encourage and exhort.  After a day like today, I feel so blessed to share life with these women.  Today we shared a new pregnancy, a strengthened marriage, adoption in progress, advice about getting married, child rearing techniques and the trials of a baby born with a rare disorder, along with many other topics of conversation.  It runs the full spectrum of emotions.  And, I am thankful to have these women in my life.

Passover is Coming!

I came to the realization this week that we have less than 2 months until Passover.  What an exciting thought!  When Sukkot was over, the 6 months before Passover seemed like it would take forever. But, we’re already down to 2 months and I know we have lots of preparations for our appointed time with the Creator of the Universe. How awesome is it that He wants to meet with us?! I wouldn't think of missing an appointment He has marked on his calendar to spend time with me. (Lev 23:4-5)  So, the preparations begin. 

Spiritually – I have so much to think about.  It has been a difficult year spiritually and emotionally.  I have spent many hours wondering if I am living out what God has given me in a way that glorifies Him.  The end of our family letter from 2011 says it well:

“I pray that God gives us the strength to endure the trials ahead, the wisdom to guide the children he has blessed us with, the peace to know that He is in control and the comfort we need when we feel like we’re out of control. And, most of all, I pray that He is glorified by the life we live as we follow Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.”

But, that hasn’t been an easy thing this year.  Sometimes, it’s very clear how we should live to glorify Him.  And sometimes it takes much prayer and listening to God.  There were weeks on end when the only way I could stay sane was to spend hours in the Bible each day.  And, when I see how much I have had to lean on Him, I see why trials strengthen us.  I only pray that I am glorifying Him through it all and I will glorify Him in the future.

Physically – Time to clean up the house. Just like we clean up our spiritual house, we need to clean our physical house.  I no longer spend hours on end scrubbing and cleaning, because I don’t like the physical cleaning to overshadow the spiritual cleaning. But, I do prepare in advance to start running out of leavening and leavened items.  As I start to think about that, I don’t want to buy cases of anything leavened that we don’t use often.  

Two weeks or so before Passover I pull our leavened products out of the pantry and put them in a crate so we can make sure to eat them. And, I make note of the leavened items in the refrigerator and freezer so we can remember to eat them, and also if they haven’t been eaten, we don't forget to throw them away when the busy-ness of the day arrives. A couple of days before Passover, we will start sweeping the house thoroughly.  The day of Passover, we will get rid of any leavening/leavened products that we still have.

I need to start thinking about when we will start the 10 Plague Adventure (Click on the label “Passover” on the list on the right, if you’re interested in that.) because that is actually next month. Fun, fun!  And, of course, we need to think about our Passover service and the delicious meal to follow! Can’t wait!

No Halloween

So, what do you do for Halloween when you know its evil origins and you don’t want anything to do with it? I won’t go over the facts of this being Satan’s holy day.  If you don’t know about that, and you’re interested, you can look in any encyclopedia or look it up on the internet.  So, I’ll just discuss what we do on October 31. 

We don’t want anything to do with Halloween as the evil of the holiday is so overwhelming.  So, we don’t carve pumpkins in any way.  We don’t dress up; although, the kids dress up many other days. We don’t go to harvest festivals or trunk-or-treats at local churches as we feel this is a compromise we don’t want to participate in.

We used to turn off all the lights in the house and hide in a back room and watch a movie on that evening.  The doorbell still rang many times and we started to feel like we were being imprisoned in the back room and joining the darkness.

Several years ago, we started a new tradition.  We turn on our porch light and the lights in our living area. This way, we fight the darkness physically. Then, we play praise music really loud and sing and dance praises to Yahweh.  This way, we fight the darkness spiritually.  And, we’re doing something we love to do.  We have a time of prayer for all the evil that goes on this day. We also put a banner on our door that says we don’t celebrate Halloween. For instance, last year’s banner said:

·         Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” – John 8:12

·         What fellowship has light with darkness? – 2 Cor 6:14

·         Halloween is playing with darkness.

We rarely have anyone knock on our door when we have the banner up.  So, we can enjoy a time of praise & worship and not have to think about Halloween. 

Why We Strive to Be Torah Observant

Someone on one of my email lists asked this question:

Could you please explain to me why you think it is necessary to observe Old Testament laws in light of the New Covenant and New Testament Scriptures?

This is my response:

It’s a hard thing to explain. I don’t believe keeping the law is necessary for salvation. That is because the only thing necessary for salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior.

As a result of loving and accepting Jesus as my Savior and loving my Father and Creator, I choose to obey them to the best of my ability.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 15:10

If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:3-6

We choose to walk as He walked. We choose to do what Jesus did. Jesus did not look for an excuse to disobey His Father. He was obedient and followed the law and commandments. Jesus did not celebrate Christmas or Easter or any other pagan holiday disguised as a Christian one. He kept the days that His Father commanded us to keep throughout our generations. (Leviticus 23 shows us that these are God’s feasts, not the Jews’ feasts.) I can’t figure out why I would want to use some replacement holiday instead of celebrating the joyous feasts that God has blessed us with.

We just celebrated Yom Teruah yesterday (Lev 23:23-25) – a day that God has not yet fulfilled the meaning of. It was such a joyous day. We worshipped and praised together with dance and song and musical instruments (Psalm 150). We ate yummy food together. We made a loud noise as we are commanded to do. (The kids loved it. They could yell and blow trumpets over and over again without us stopping them, because God commanded us to make a loud noise. :) We’re not quite sure why that is commanded. But someday God will show us and, in the meantime, we just walk in obedience.

And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain . Zech 14:17

People kept the appointed times in the past. We will be expected to keep them in the future. There is no place in the Bible that says we should no longer keep the appointed times that God commanded us to keep throughout our generations (that means ‘forever’, people!). So, why would I not keep them now? Again, I prefer to keep God’s days than counterfeit days. They are an incredible blessing to our family and we anticipate them for months before they arrive

God asks us to not to worship Him the way the pagans worship their God. Yet people use pagan holidays disguised as Christian holidays to worship Him all the time. I would not be pleased if my husband came to me and said, “I am so excited to celebrate your birthday. But, I have decided to celebrate it on my ex-girlfriend’s birthday. It seems like a good day and we always had some really good traditions for her birthday celebration. So, I will take those traditions and use them to honor you and show I love you.” I most certainly would NOT feel loved or honored by that. Christmas is the same thing. The day was originally used to worship the pagan God Nimrod. That is easily found in any encyclopedia. Because of that, we choose not to celebrate Christmas or Easter. (And, because nowhere in the Bible are we told to celebrate Jesus’ birth. It doesn’t even tell us when He was born. If God wanted us to celebrate Jesus’ birth, He would have told us when it was and asked us to celebrate it.)

I am always learning and growing by honoring Him the way He has asked me to in His Word. I don’t have any need or desire to add extra days that He hasn’t requested. We choose to honor Him the way He has asked us to honor Him.

We choose to follow all of the 10 commandments simply because He asked us to. We don’t leave any out for the sake of convenience or for any other reason. We strive to follow all of them, including the Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday as He commanded us) because He made it for us. And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man , and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 God made the Sabbath for us! It is His gift to us! Why would I not accept a gift from God!? I think that would be crazy!!!

We choose to follow the laws of clean and unclean meats because God put them in His Word for us. He knows how He made us and He knows how he made those animals. As a result, He knows what is best for us to eat. Research shows that the meats Our Creator has labeled as unclean are unhealthy for us to eat. It’s not surprising to me that He knew that before men did J

I follow other laws in the Bible that people don’t typically follow. I don’t need to go into details. Suffice it to say, I obey Him because I love Him. Simple as that.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t follow any of these laws perfectly – not by a long shot! I fall short every single day, just like everyone else. As a result of falling short, which is ‘sin’, plain and simple, I need the sacrifice of my Savior. So, His sacrifice is very important to me. Without it, I would suffer eternal death, but because He is my Savior, I can live with Him forever. HalleluYah!!

Missi who, along with her family, is excitedly looking forward to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) - 8 glorious days of celebrating His millennial rule!!! HalleluYah!

Sabbath - A Day of Rest

Ahhhhh! Sabbath. God was so good to give us a day of rest. I don't know how anyone could call the Sabbath a burden. It is such a blessed day and we look forward to it all week. Our countdown to Sabbath tends to start pretty early in the week. At some point, a little bitty one will ask,"Mommy, when is Sabbath?" Then I tell them and they continue to ask until we get to the Sabbath.

I love sitting here in the morning enjoying a cup of coffee, chatting with my hubby, reading the Bible, looking at facebook. The little kids love eating "Sabbath Cereal" (aka, junk food like Capn Crunch, etc.) and watching Sabbath videos. The bigger kids love sleeping in and eating Sabbath Cereal. Then we start the day fellowshipping at congregation. Every week we have a potluck afterwards and the kids hang out with their friends and play on the playground. After that, we continue fellowshipping at our house, since several of the teens, and often other people, come over to our house to hang out for the rest of the day - or maybe even to spend the night.

It's a day filled with God and the people we love. It's all about relationship. What could be better than that?

Thoughts on Legalism

I've been thinking lately about keeping God's laws and how often that results in getting labeled a "legalist". I don't really understand why a believer in God and His ways would be antagonistic towards me if I choose to follow the ways that our Creator has spelled out in His Word.

I am often labeled a legalist. It's just that since I believe God loves me, He created me and He knows what's best for me, I'm not looking for an excuse to not obey Him. I strive to obey Him in ALL things, to the best of my ability. The more I learn, the more I try to do what He says. I strive to be Torah observant (Gasp! That term is sure to have some pointing fingers and labeling me a legalist), but I'm not sure I do a very good job.

My obedience doesn't earn me salvation, but it certainly brings me joy.

Sukkot - A Joyous Celebration

Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather the increase of the land, you shall keep the feast of Yahweh seven days; on the first day a Holy Day Sabbath, and on the eighth day a Holy Day Sabbath. And you shall take to yourselves on the first day the fruit of majestic trees, palm branches, and boughs of oak trees, and willows of the valley, and shall rejoice before Yahweh your Elohim seven days. And you shall celebrate it a feast to Yahweh, seven days in a year, a never ending statute throughout your generations; in the seventh month you shall keep it. (Lev 23:39-41)

I love Sukkot. It's such a joyous celebration and an opportunity to spend extended time with God's people. There's nothing like it.