Heart’s Cry for Israel

I’m not a public person. I would far rather stay in the background and speak to people one on one, but time is getting short, and many need to hear this. At this point, I have an obligation to cry out. Please excuse me if I step on toes by not adhering to your personal pet dogmas about Hebrew names, etc. I’m going to use terms we have in common, that we all grew up reading. You know Whom I am talking about. Please set differences aside and hear me out.

Since I’m pretty much a stranger to social media, I will start with a brief introduction for a little background. I was born during Israel’s 25^th anniversary celebration, in May 1973. I was exactly 5 months old, the day the Yom Kippur War broke out. I was born into a Christian family passionate about serving God, and came to know Him at a young age. I came to an understanding of Shabbat, the biblical festivals, and Torah at age 15, through my own independent study as a homeschooler, and began attending a Messianic congregation with my family at Shavuot in 1989. I studied Hebrew at university, and went to volunteer in Israel with a Christian service organization at age 22. I met my husband upon my return, and he proposed the day after Yom Kippur. We married in May 1998, just as Israel was celebrating 50 years. We have been blessed with 9 children along the way, whom we have homeschooled, and have been blessed to take three trips to Israel with them – one as independent tourists, two as volunteers with another Christian service group. This year, I turned 50 as Israel turned 75. Their celebrations have been my celebrations, and it’s hard to miss my assignment to grieve when they grieve, as well. My heart is crying now, with the families who live in the land.

On one of our trips to Israel, the Lord opened my eyes to the story of the prodigal son, and how it relates prophetically to these times. We have the same Father/Creator, but the gentile believers are the prodigal in the story, coming back into their Father’s household and accepting the “house rules,” after living in rebellion and squandering our inheritance, hanging on our Father’s grace and mercy for generations, while willfully refusing to walk in the Way He laid out for us. The Jewish people are the older brother, who have remained in the Father’s house the whole time. He made a covenant with them long ago, and told them, “all that I have is yours.”

Not that all with Jewish blood are perfect, by any means (they’re as human as we are), but they deserve our respect for carrying the title of “chosen,” in silent witness to the world, of God’s faithfulness. We can respect the observant to an even greater degree, for having been “in the Father’s house,” studying His word for hundreds of years longer than we ever have. They have strong traditions of in-depth education in His Word, and know it better than most of us do.

I see objections raised, to following “the Jews,” regularly. “They study the rabbis and Talmud, NOT the Torah! They are adding to it!” These accusations are cast without knowledge or research and grieve my heart. Orthodox observant children in Israel memorize the Torah in its original language before the age of 10. I have personally heard them singing the words of Torah together, during a school visit in Shiloh. How many of us can claim to have memorized the entire Torah, in any language? After memorizing something as a child, letting it form who you become, you will naturally want to move on to discussing what it means and how to apply it. That’s all the Talmud is – the record of Torah discussions and application of past generations.

We need to approach the Jewish people with humility and gratitude for centuries spent maintaining the Word of God for all of us. We need to not presume that our pitiful Strong’s numbers or year of Bible school Hebrew and Greek somehow give us an edge over a people with not only linguistic but cultural understanding from centuries of soaking in the Torah and applying it to their daily lives.

     It ruins the story of the prodigal son, to have him come back and tell his big brother to step aside, because he understands their Father’s instructions better. So often, we are ungracefully getting in his face and telling him “you’re doing it wrong!” regarding the Feasts, Sabbath, pronunciation of the Name, calendar disagreements, etc. 

In fact, it has gotten so bad that instead of returning as a servant like the prodigal son did, we don’t even recognize our brother’s role at all! I have heard people argue that our older brother has been disinherited because of abandoning the Word for the teachings of men, or just plain, “Those aren’t the real Israelites. They’re imposters!” As if they don’t deserve our love and support, even with what they are going through! This blind (and usually generational) anti-semitism needs to get out, so that the stick of Ephraim can unite with the stick of Judah. (Ezekiel 37)

The Torah movement is an unmistakeable move of God, waking up His gentile followers to the fact that His whole Word still applies, and we should be doing our best to live by it. It has been a glorious awakening for many. However, it has led to an identity crisis, because we are now caught between the Christian and Jewish worlds. Many joyfully went to learn from Jews at first, then got upset when rejected over the Messiah issue and decided they must be the “synagogue of Satan,” and we have replaced them in God’s plan. Others are so burned by being lied to by their prior religious system that any institution of religion is automatically suspect and to be avoided, in preference to every man doing what’s right in his own eyes (not looked on kindly by Scripture, in the contexts of Judges 17 and 21). God intended the Torah to be kept by community, and yet the Hebrew Roots movement continues the grand tradition of protestantism, through its habitual splits and splinters over inconsequential issues only tangentially related to the two greatest commandments, to love God and love your neighbor. (Matthew 22)

     Some claim that we must be the physical descendants of the 10 lost tribes who were scattered abroad by the Assyrians. Umm… this may very well have some basis, but it’s not something to be proud of. Take a look at Kings and Chronicles. The tribes that broke off from Judah NEVER had a righteous king. They were idolaters from the get-go. Their “front man” was Ahab, for heaven’s sake! If being one of the lost tribes is your claim to fame, you probably have some generational junk to repent for. “Ephraim,”often used as shorthand for the 10 tribes of Israel, was infamous in Scripture for drunkenness and pride (Isaiah 28).

     Others say “that nation can’t be of God, because they aren’t holy and righteous.” But the prophets clearly say that God will gather them together, and THEN cleanse them from their uncleanness (Ezekiel 36, Malachi 3). 

     The issue of who are genetically the “real Jews” is – sorry – ridiculous. The 10 tribes were scattered long before Yeshua visited, and He said nothing about those in Judea not being legitimate—just that they were forgetting the essentials of justice, mercy and faith, in their quest to be zealous and stringent with their tithes of spices. We need to take a critical look at ourselves. Could it be that we are doing the same at this major juncture of history? Arguing amongst ourselves over their legitimacy as a nation, refusing them our help and excusing our responsibility in a bout of Cain-like sibling rivalry? That, in itself, is cruelty.

People argue that the current nation of “Zionists” was set up by ungodly Rothschilds, so they couldn’t be the true prophesied return. Is God’s arm shortened, that He could not use an ungodly tool to accomplish His purposes? He has done it before. (See the story of Balaam, for one.) If He had to wait and only use people who were self-made righteous, He would never accomplish anything. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10, Micah 7:2) Only Messiah is blameless. Isn’t it even more miraculous, and to His credit and glory, that He can use the foolish of this world to confound the wise ? (1 Corinthians 1:27)

     As for the argument that some make, that all the trappings of Judaism today are Babylonian, have you read Jeremiah 24 lately? The GOOD figs are the ones carried away to Babylon and brought back to be re-established in the Land. Historically speaking, those who came back from the Babylonian captivity never again worshiped idols, as a people. Those who returned were Nehemiah, Ezra and others – who actually established many of the daily prayers that are still offered in synagogues three times a day. How many of us can claim that level of faithfulness? Those prayers are almost entirely scriptural truths that were determined by Ezra’s great assembly to be foundational to the faith. Yeshua said, ‘For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) Let those of us without sin cast the first stone! (John 8:7)

All of this leads up to my point: what is our role in the current conflict? If you find yourself in any way justifying the heinous evil of these cruel butchers, saying the Jews “deserve this,” or it “doesn’t matter” because they are illegitimate in their ancestral land that God Himself promised to return to them, you are guilty of violating the Torah’s command to not stand idly by when you see evil being perpetrated! (Leviticus 19:16) We are acting like Job’s “comforters” (no help at all, and only making things worse!).

Should we support Israel? Yeshua said we could know them by their fruits. Let’s take a good look at the fruit of both sides. Israelis have been left to largely fend for themselves, as throughout history, yet they come together as a family, along with Jews around the world, despite disagreements, in times of crisis. I saw a story about a non-kosher restaurant in Tel Aviv that is kashering their kitchen so they can serve their Orthodox brothers and sisters. When 6,000 families from the south needed safer places to stay this week, they put the word out, and had places for ALL of them in 45 minutes!! Israelis are some of the warmest, truest, deepest people I have ever known. They place cultural value on life, family, truth, and joy in the midst of heartache. When they are forced to carry out bombing runs, they always first drop leaflets warning civilians to get to safety. In times of tragedy, they strengthen each other and mourn together. One of their “non-biblical traditions” is to visit the homes of the bereaved and sit in silence with them, to offer support.

And we get on our high horses of Ephraimite pride and tell them to stop adding traditions to Scripture. Excuse me? I thought people were supposed to know we were Christians by our love!

Meanwhile, their enemies sneak in and slaughter civilians – to the point of beheading babies! – while we shrug and say, “It’s sad, BUT . . . “ I have even seen “believers” online, questioning whether Israel is “faking it”! Answer: NO! I personally know many there who are suffering, hiding in bomb shelters from rockets, but also going themselves or sending their children into the fray. One man I have met sent his 16 year old to dig graves all day yesterday! There wasn’t enough manpower to bury all the Jewish bodies. And Hamas is as usual, using human shields, endangering their own people by setting up in schools and hospitals.

(Side note: Does the slaughter of innocents ring a bell with anyone? It should, since it happened in both Moses’ and Yeshua’s babyhoods. How about the fact that there were 40 of them? This time IS biblically significant!)

     The prophets are clear about what the role of gentile believers should be, in these last days: 

“Thus says the Lord of Hosts: In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, and say, ‘Take us with you, for we have heard God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23)

“The gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.’” (Jeremiah 16:19)

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people! says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’”  (Isaiah 35:3-4)

     There is a lot of misunderstanding, and our identity crisis is exacerbated by a lack of studying the prophets. People focus on Torah or the gospels and Paul (even Enoch) and forget the middle. We are not left out. These assignments are for us! All this accusation and disunity is actively fighting against our two sticks becoming one in His hand. (Ezekiel 37) Let’s do our best to prepare the way by reaching out in love for our brother, especially at this time of national heartache. We are grafted in. When the root suffers, so should we. 

     We should be humbly grateful if they accept our help in their desperation, as it is hard for them to trust anyone coming in Yeshua’s name. The past is riddled with heinous acts of “Christians” against Jews – crusades, pogroms, multiple national expulsions, and the Holocaust, to name just a few. (Don’t even get me started, deniers – you are believing propaganda!) Let’s redeem the name of our Savior in their eyes. He told us that the sheep will be separated from the goats, based on how we treat “these, my brethren.” (Matthew 25)

These ARE the descendants of the same Jews who were on the earth in His day. Is not their history of calamities and persecution evidence enough of the curses enumerated in Deuteronomy 27-28? Yes, they said, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children” (Matthew 27:25), and that has been used by the church as an excuse to persecute, but did you ever stop to think that His blood as Passover lamb should bring a blessing and protection, and not a curse?

Yeshua’s final prayer in John 17 is a cry for unity among His followers. In the story of Joseph, Judah (patriarch of Yeshua’s tribe) is the brother who stands up, takes responsibility, and offers himself as a substitute for his brothers. Can we just appreciate that? Let’s bring back Ephraim to oneness with Judah in humility, and honor our older brother by acknowledging his long-standing faith and the price He has paid to stay in the Father’s house. Thank God, it’s not our job to judge their level of “savedness.” We have enough to worry about, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

For such a time as this, people! “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.” (Esther 4:14) We can sit by, breaking Torah by not helping in any material way, joining their enemies by our silence, or we can step up, humbly helping them through one more trial, while we have the chance. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

(I will attach some links below, if you are moved to help materially by what you have read. All of these ministries are run by people I know personally, and trust to pour everything you give them straight to those who need it most. Take your pick. At the very least, please share this message around the community.)

Update: my links are looking weird, on mobile. Not sure how to fix it. But I’m sure you are all capable of looking up Cry For Zion, Bridges for Peace, CFOIC, HaYovel, and The Land of Israel.

https://donorbox.org/stand-with-israel-campaign-1 (cryforzion.com donation page)

Home – Global

2023 Home Page

https://thelandofisrael.com/

HaYovel – Volunteer in Israel

Passover Cleaning Tips and Method

“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 ‭12:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭16:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Shalom, All!

After an extended break, I’m back with some notes on how I attack and accomplish the daunting task of cleaning for Passover. I hope this will be timely for some of you, educational for all my daughters and daughters-in-law, and entertaining for the rest!

I am feeling smug because in previous years, when I had an enormous home and an abundance of little ones, I would begin cleaning around the end of January, and then obsessively worry about hamantashen crumbs when it came time to throw a Purim bash. (Parties were always—of course—held at the most cavernous dwelling, which belonged in times past to yours, truly.) This year, although we did host a big party, I also managed to delay all my cleaning until after Purim, and looking at the widely strewn crumbs, I have definitely saved myself some work! Hooray!!

So… I realize that the Scripture quoted above says to take the leavening out of the house “on the first day,” but our houses tend to be more cluttered these days than a one day job can handle. At least, my house does! I love to use this season as an opportunity to get my house really clean, all at once—at least once a year.

That said, there are years when you have terrible morning sickness, a baby is recently born, your family is in the process of moving, or there is illness going on. You know the years I mean, ladies! During those years, it can be helpful to only go after the actual, visible leavening, and rely on the prayer right before Passover, that says something like “any chametz I have not seen or cleaned out, I declare to be ownerless, like the dust of the earth…” In these years, do what you can and take your shalom without guilt.

Also, there is a whole discussion of what constitutes leavening, which I am not going to get into. I am similarly NOT going to focus on the spiritual applications of Passover cleaning. As you do the physical cleaning, there are lessons you will learn, if you allow yourself to notice them. Maybe if I feel philosophical, I will share my personal lessons here, at some point, but today is not that day.

So… to start on Passover cleaning, look at how many weeks you have left until the big Seder night, and leave the week just ahead of it for kitchen and dining room cleaning. From there, divide your house into zones, according to how many weeks you have left. For example, between Purim and Passover, there are 4 weeks. Leaving the kitchen and dining room for the last week, that gives me three weeks to attack the rest of the house. This year, our first week of cleaning went to the basement (where the playroom, Lego room and guest rooms are) and the bathrooms. It helps to start in the areas that are least trafficked with food. Next week, we will hit bedrooms and closets, and the week after that will be for our entryway, closet and living areas on the main floor.

It really helps to have a sign or two to remind people “no leavening beyond this point,”—or as my 6 year old daughter put it this year, “Levening is not Elawd,” so there is a visual reminder in place for those who might otherwise wander absentmindedly with food in hand. (I imagine what would REALLY help is training your kids a long time ago, not to take food beyond the kitchen and dining area, but ya know, that’s just not where we are, in our family!)

After you have your house divided by zone, it helps to set small daily goals, and write them down. I plan to do the cleaning over 4 days of the week, Sundays through Wednesdays this year. That way, I give myself an extra day to complete anything that we didn’t get to, on the weekly list, and there’s breathing room for shopping, cooking regular meals, do laundry and so forth. (Admittedly, I schedule easy meals for this time of year, too.)

In my first week of cleaning, we started slow and easy. The first day, we just rounded up all the obvious leavening in the kitchen cupboards and put it in our big “leavening box,” to be eaten up before the feast starts. Some folks call this “the feast of chametz.” My kids have permission and encouragement to reach into this box for a snack, this month. Graham crackers, bread for toast, crackers, pita chips, etc. are all available. Once eaten, they will likely not be replaced.

The next day, we did one half of the basement, the day after that, we did the other half, and our last day this week went to bathrooms. We didn’t quite finish the four bathrooms yet, so are thankful already for the extra day of scheduled grace that tomorrow gives, to finish the last one, and the floor in the second to last.

We clean each room or area from the top down, and towards the door, starting with cobwebs and moving down so the floors are last, and moving everything that doesn’t belong gradually toward the exit. It’s not rocket science. We have our reusable grocery bag full of cleaning supplies, and a stack of cleaning rags and the vacuum cleaner, so that we don’t have to waste time running from room to room. I also have a bag or bin for trash, and a basket for items that belong elsewhere in the house, so nobody essential has an excuse to leave the designated area. The basket is useful for occupying little messengers, as well, who are too small to do much of the big cleaning. “Here, run this upstairs for me! Thank you for your help!”

Random tips:

1. Don’t forget to schedule one day for cleaning the car(s) out!

2. Don’t forget, at the tail end, to take the vacuum cleaner bag full of crumbs to the big garbage, to go out!

3. We also usually bag up our toaster and take it to the garage for the week, to get it and it’s perma-crumbs out of our dwelling space.

Hope this helps! How did we do? What have I forgotten, or what tips can you add? I’m always interested in learning more!

I have always loved how Passover cleaning helps us relate to the slavery of Egypt and the freedom of the exodus. Lessons abound! May your Passover cleaning season be blessed with anticipation, and lead you into a holiday filled with joy!

Shabbat Prep: My Tips and Perspective

I have been asked several times how I prepare for the weekly Sabbath, so thought I should add it here, so I have an easy link to send people!

First of all, I have to say what a blessing it is to have Shabbat to give us a rhythm to our weeks, especially with the locksdowns/quarantines now going on in 2020. Others keep commenting that they are losing track of the days of the week, but no matter what else is going on for us (or NOT), Shabbat is always coming to lend structure to our week.

I used to leave all the prep for Fridays, but have evolved the routine over the years to fit our family schedule and attention span. And I have to qualify this and say what I will list here is an ideal/goal scenario that is not always met perfectly. I will also plan to address seasonal variations below, as those can be very extreme. I will also add some shortcut tips, for those times of stress or divided attention.

In our house, we try to do the once-a-week “good” cleaning (as opposed to the quick pick-up) on the upstairs on Wednesday, then the downstairs on Thursday. This includes bathroom deep cleaning and vacuuming, as well as dusting and putting away messes that have accumulated during the week. It’s not realistic to expect this to stay immaculate through Saturday, but it sets us up to do the quick pick-up on Friday.

I know some people prefer to get their cooking done ahead of time and put things in the fridge/freezer so they can have their good cleaning time on Friday. We prefer fresh baked goods to thawed ones, so this is what works for us.

I also try to get my Shabbat menu planned and shopped for on Thursday. Realistically, the shopping sometimes has to wait for Friday morning. (There is room for procrastination in the spring and summer months, when there is a late sunset.)

On Friday morning, as early as possible, I get out my Expo markers and in one color, write the list of cooking projects for the day on the whiteboard. Then I ask for volunteers to sign up for the projects they want (ideally, putting their names in another color, if we can find another marker!). When my kids were little, they would choose what they wanted to “help” with, and the current littles do the same now, but we have come to a wondrous point now, where we have a pretty well-trained power force in the kitchen, and the big kids can take on entire responsibility for projects, as well as have the little apprentices under them.

This week, for example, we had 17 yo daughter making cupcakes for dessert with the help of 8 yo son, and 15 yo son making cookies for lunch dessert with help from 6 yo daughter. My 19 yo son made sourdough crackers. We reached a new milestone when my 10 yo son, who has been my challah apprentice for months, was able to successfully braid the six strand challah by himself while I was shopping! 12 yo son shaped monkey bread for breakfast.

Yes, I realize it sounds like we’re doing nothing but baking sweets, but this is our celebration day of the week, so we allow more sweets that usual. I should add that we use fresh home-ground flour and natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, etc. as much as possible, and reduce the sugar as well, in most of these. There’s a fantastic cookbook we had from the library a couple of years ago, called “Baking With Less Sugar: Recipes for Desserts Unsing Natural Sweeteners and Little-to-No White Sugar” by Joanne Chang that I highly recommend. The sweet projects also attract the most helpers, I must admit. But that frees me up to concentrate on making dinner for 2 nights, and lunch and breakfast.

Backing up for a minute, to the beginning of the day … as soon as I put the list on the whiteboard, the assigned helper and I usually start my challah dough. (I might put the recipe up here, if there is interest.) I have been making this challah since I was 15 and living with my parents, so it’s a pretty automatic thing at this point. If you prefer to use sourdough, or let your grains/dough soak, simply start it Thursday afternoon/evening and let it sit overnight – refrigerated or not. It’s a pretty smug feeling to wake up Friday morning when the dough is already made. In that case, I would get the dough out of my fridge early in the day and let it warm up some before shaping. Then, if we are having something like roast for dinner, I will start it on the stovetop or in the crockpot next. Then we have time to work on the baked goods that are not yeasted, while the yeast dough rises a couple of times. I have a rule that I try not to make two yeasted breads in the same day, because the timing is too important. (Like everything else, my personal rules are flexible. I made bagels too, yesterday, with the help of my 3 yo son as “hole poker.”) In most of our houses, we have been blessed with 2 ovens, so it has been a challenge to adjust to only having one again, in our current house. It just takes forethought to plan. I can’t really roast a turkey for Shabbat if I need the oven for breads, cakes, cookies, or pies. I usually make use of the crock pot, instant pot or stovetop for meats, these days. I have friends who use turkey roasters for more than just Thanksgiving, too. And in the summer, there’s always the barbecue!

A couple of tips that make things easier:

1. On a day when I have so many cooking projects going, it helps to plan easy breakfast and lunch. Our go-tos are granola and yogurt for Friday breakfast (I will often make a batch of granola with my helpers on Thursday night, then leave it to cool in the oven overnight. If making homemade yogurt, I have to think of that by Wednesday for the timing to work, with culturing and chilling times.) Lunches are equally easy, with nachos and/or smoothies.

2. Parchment paper is your friend! We reused the same parchment for bagels, challah and crackers yesterday, and never had to wash those pans! Use your judgement on reusing. Pizzas are one and done before the paper starts to crumble, because of the high temps. (My poet daughter actually wrote me an “Ode to Parchment Paper,” since I rave about it so often!)

3. Whoever takes on a project is responsible to clean up that project, including ingredients, dishes used, and countertop messes.

4. The standard Shabbat breakfast at our house is cinnamon rolls, made out of the same dough as our big batch of challah. Two for one!

I realize this sounds like a lot of work. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do it like this. I have a large number of assistants, and do a LOT of homemade stuff, for health reasons and … I don’t know, maybe we just watch too many cooking shows!?!

A shortcut menu (all of which we have employed at different times) might look like picking up a natural chicken or two at Sprouts, already roasted, for $7 apiece, and cooking some rice and frozen veggies or grabbing a boxed salad for sides. Trader Joe’s–and many other bakeries–offer challah that is soft and delicious warmed up at 350 degrees for 12-20 minutes. Dessert can be a pie from Costco and/or a dish of ice cream. You could do the yogurt and granola routine for Shabbat breakfast, or get a box of pastries and slice up fresh fruit. Or maybe cold cereal is a treat at your house. The point is to make it special and set-apart–a day to look forward to. For Shabbat lunches, we often do veggies and dip with smoked salmon and crackers, and/or pasta salad. Sometimes we make sandwiches from leftover challah and a plate of cold cuts, cheese, or pb&j. This week, we’re having bagels and cream cheese with carrot sticks and cucumbers, followed by cookies.

Dinnertime is where the time of year comes into play. If it’s fall/winter and getting dark early, I will usually make stew or soup of some kind for dinner and get it going early, in the crockpot. Then the second day dinner is easy too, because nobody wants to eat that early in the day, so as long as there’s a plan and there are ingredients for something quick in place, we can start cooking after sundown. Our go-to this year has been homemade pizza after Shabbat is over, for which the dough is already sitting in the fridge. However, when the sun doesn’t go down until after 8, we have been known to flip-flop the order and do pizza before sundown and have something already arranged in the crockpot in the fridge so we can plug it in on Shabbat morning and not have to think about it all day. (Depending on your level of observance, you might need this to precook. For me, I have decided that this approach is in keeping with the spirit of the law, if not the letter.) Another good plan is precooking chicken to throw in an Asian or Caesar salad, and eating that with leftover challah. You can pull together anything your family likes, or that works for your diet.

Now, on to the biblical/philosophical reasons that Shabbat prep is so important to me. I have heard arguments from folks in the Hebrew Roots movement, claiming that cooking on Shabbat is not work, and therefore it’s ok to leave cooking to do on the day itself, so you don’t burn yourself out on Fridays and learn to hate Shabbat, or some such reasoning. I disagree. In Exodus 16–BEFORE the 10 commandments are given–at the beginning of the miracle of the manna, the children of Israel are told by G-d, through Moses,

“Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16:23‬ ‭NKJV

Looks to me like THE essential way to prepare for the Sabbath is by cooking!

In addition, my own experience tells me that as a home-keeping mom, cooking is a huge part of MY work, and if I don’t do it ahead of time, I don’t have the time for resting as prescribed. People are still hungry, and I’m the one they come to.

It is worth it to me to discipline myself to plan ahead, and to pour myself into preparing for one entire day, in order to enjoy the sublime feeling of having all my work finally DONE on the next, and having time to sit down and read a book or play a board game and have some unhurried conversation. Honestly, I think it’s almost MORE important for moms than for others, to have that break. Otherwise, there is never a point when our work is done. There is always another meal to make, and more laundry being made. No wonder so many moms burn out and look forward to an empty nest. This approach solves more problems than it creates, as I see it!

Again, the practicalities are up to you, your family’s tastes, schedule and available “personnel.” I decided a long time ago to rule out scheduling big events or homeschooling activities on Fridays, but if you plan ahead, you might find it works for you. Now that my big kids are driving, I am more open to bending that rule, depending on the opportunity.

‬Have any questions, or tips to share, that work for you? Share with the rest of us!

Be blessed!

Homeschool Fun Days!

Shalom, shalom!
We just returned a couple of weeks ago from our Israel harvest trip, and have hit the ground running as soon as Sukkot wrapped up, to get as much homeschooling in as possible before the next inevitable derailment. Be it in the form of guests, illness, or birthday season, it always comes. The freedom to adjust to life is one of our favorite things about homeschooling, and we have hit a quiet stretch right now (just when most are coming into their busy season, ours is nicely winding down!), so we are plugging away.

We have been very happy with our curriculum choice this year – homeschoolingtorah.com. The Elliotts have done a fantastic job of pulling scripture into each subject, and it takes quite a load off of me, doing the planning end of it. And so much freedom to cover what we need and leave what we don’t. What a blessing!

We have been covering our official school subjects Sunday through Thursday this year, leaving Fridays open for Shabbat prep. We have been doing some FUN stuff on Thursdays and some of my homeschooling readers might want to pick up this baton and run with it.

Basically, Thursdays are theme days. So far, we have done “Crazy Day” and “Backwards Day,” just to build anticipation and enthusiasm into our windup to Shabbat. Schools celebrate these kinds of things, mostly during “Spirit Week” around homecoming time. I came across a list online that was talking about finding ways other than sugar to reward kids, and this idea sparked for me. Theme week was my favorite part of the 6 months I went to actual school (kind of like kids who claim their favorite subject is recess), so I figure there is no reason homeschoolers can’t get in on this.

This kid gets into everything!

Very fashionable!

Gotta love the clip-on tie – especially on a t-shirt!

As it turns out, these days are SO much MORE fun for homeschoolers!!! (Since we are all family, everyone is comfortable and not trying to impress anyone, so we are free to participate with abandon – though at least one of us is still camera-shy!)

Fleeing the camera, with a swish of black cape!

For Crazy Day*, we all dressed up in clashing and/or crazy outfits. We had plaid with tie-dye and stripes, sequined hats, clip-on ties, and face paint. We played Musical Freeze for PE, and read some crazy stories. Our other advantage over school format is that we were able to incorporate thematic elements with our food. For Crazy Day, my daughter who was on breakfast duty put blue food coloring into our dutch baby oven pancakes. 🙂

blue pancakes – Crazy!

Chez Blue, herself!

For Backwards Day, we wore our shirts and sweaters backwards, started our school subject list at the bottom and worked our way up, ran our relay course in reverse (Daddy put the kibosh on running it backwards), and ate our meals in the opposite order – breakfast was dessert, lunch was dinner, and dinner was breakfast! We also found some funny backwards jokes to read out loud.

We are all getting into it (even our 4yo who MUST wear matching jammies eventually joined in), and looking forward to future Thursdays this year. I have heard suggestions for Medieval Day, Viking Day, Farmer Day, Pirate Day, Hat Day, Pajama Day, Stuffed Animal Day… You get the picture – the sky’s the limit! (Did I hear someone say Astronaut Day?)

To close this post, I want to give one more shout out to homeschoolingtorah.com. Thanks for freeing up my brain space to think about the fun stuff!!! 😀

Blessings to all!

*Disclaimer: Yes, I realize that many of us can claim “EVERY day is Crazy Day at MY house!” But making it official frees you up to enjoy it. Every little incident throughout the day made me smile and say “well, THIS fits right in with our theme!”

Guest Post: Afraid of Food?

In looking back at my life over the past several years, I have now come to realize that I have been held in bondage to the fear of food. I know that to many this may sound silly, weird or like some kind of super-spiritual madness. But to those who are willing to read my “note,” I ask that you bear with me and read on; I do have a purpose in sharing this, and I’m pretty sure I’m not “off my rocker.”

For numbers of years, I have been afraid of eating highly-processed foods, foods prepared in an improper way, pasteurized or denatured foods, foods with man-made garbage in them, and the like, all under the guise of “conviction.” It was about a week ago that I realized the fear that had gripped me – the bondage I was in, and the dues I’ve been paying for in my surrender to it. The moment my eyes were opened was the point at which God spoke through me to respond to my father on the subject of eating kosher. He asked me if we had a problem with eating half a pizza, with the other half having pork on it. I said to him: “We’re not afraid of eating pork; we eat kosher because we fear and love God.” I sometimes feel like I open my mouth to talk to someone and God starts speaking through me. It’s as though I stop in my own mind and listen to what’s coming out and think, “oh. . . that’s true, that’s good, I never thought of it that way.” And in speaking to my father. I found one of those moments.

In the week that followed, I believe that God spoke to my heart saying such things as these: Don’t deceive yourself any longer into believing that you eat “healthy” because you fear and love me. Don’t believe the lie that you are protecting yourself from “destroying God’s temple, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit” (your body) by eating healthy. You eat the way you do not to honor and glorify the Lord, and not because it’s right or good, but because you are afraid of what will happen if you don’t. You have said that you eat healthy because you are “convicted” to honor the Lord by taking care of the gift God gave you in the body you have. Who convicts you? Are you compelled by love, or driven by fear? Is it not that which comes out of your mouth and not what goes in that makes you unclean?

“When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” – Mark 7:14-16

How do you then justify your biting unkindness toward others who come between you and your fear? In whom have you put your trust – in God or food? In God or herbs and naturopathy? In God or man? If man has said that a certain food will kill you and you avoid it at all costs, are you not putting more trust in man than in God – for who alone numbers your days? Or are you afraid that you will not have quality of life? Is God not good? Is He not just? Is He not the blessed controller of all things? Has God not promised to work all things toward your good? Has God not promised to care for and protect you? And though there will be troubles, will God not deliver you from every one of them? And is God’s love and peace not better than life? How much time do you spend learning about and preparing food? How much money do you spend on that which fades? Are you storing up your treasures in heaven or on earth?

Lay down your sacrifices and cease your idolatry of self. Work no longer to stay the hand of an angry god who threatens you with death, disease and affliction unless you bring your sacrifices. Worship the Lord, the Lord only.

I have responded to the Lord with “YES, I want to worship you alone! And I am SO, SO sorry, Lord for my waywardness and idolatry; please change my heart.” I was amazed to find out after sharing with my husband that he had long believed I’d been deceived and duped into self-idolatry with regard to food. He had been praying for me, and trusting in God to save. It is very humbling for me to confess this to you all, but I feel compelled to share for a couple of reasons. First, our God is SO AMAZING. He is not like the god I once served who is without compassion and whose only motivation is fear. The Lord is patient, gracious, gentle, kind, good, merciful and full of everlasting love (to start with). I stand in awe of the fact that He is faithful even when I am not. And though to you the words (above) that I felt God speak to my heart may sound harsh, to my ears they were gentle and full of compassion. His words were true and to the point, convicting but not defeating. For in fact, godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to life and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. The second reason I am sharing this with you is in the hope that if any of my dear friends are suffering under this same deception, I might encourage you through my own experience that you might recover yourself from the snare of the devil. I am not writing this to point a finger. I’ll leave the job of convicting up to God. I do, however, want to encourage you to seek God and ask Him if you’ve made an idol in your heart, so that you might repent and be free. Now, for those of you who may still be wondering, no I don’t believe it is the good or right thing to (purposefully) be unhealthy and dishonor God with our bodies. The kicker to the lies and deceptions of our enemy is that they are mixed with the truth. The truth, I believe, is that it is a good and right thing to honor and glorify God with all that we are, think, say and do – including the way that we eat. In fact, God has told us how to eat to glorify Him (i.e. eating “kosher,” but of course, man always wants to add to or subtract from the words of God). It is also written that man was not made for food, food was made for man. Food ought not to control us, we ought to be in control of food, without love or fear. Perhaps the question we ought to train ourselves to ask in order that we might guard against idolatry is: “do I glorify God in what I am doing?” For if we were created to bring glory to God, to love Him, to fear Him, and to enjoy His love – then all that we do should bring forth that very fruit. So I ask myself, “is my eating bringing glory to God – or does the glory fall elsewhere?” The only one worthy of our love and fear is the Lord. So the question is, are we sacrificing ourselves to another, and is there something or someone we love or fear more than or along side of God? If so, let us repent, for the rewards of freedom are great!

Grace and peace be with you my friends!

Jen

I really appreciate what Jen shares here, and I just want to say that I was also living in fear of food for many years. My family was bound up with food allergies, and when the Father graciously started opening my eyes, I was in the grocery store, and I went down the aisle with the Holy Spirit looking over my shoulder, pointing out that I was afraid of that and that, and that . . . Then more scriptures spoke to me about this.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons . . . and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. – I Timothy 4:1-3

It is really amazing how many in believing communities these days have food allergies, and troubles with gluten. I have even seen a communion table in a church with labels for gluten-free communion wafers. The question I can’t get out of my mind is, “If Yeshua called himself ‘the Bread of Life,’ then isn’t bread not only good for us, but as essential to our long-term physical well being as He Himself is to our spiritual life?

Another thought to consider, along the lines of Jen’s note: anything you give up because you are afraid of it becomes a sacrifice on the altar of fear, in your life.

On to cleaning for Pesach! (Conversely, it must be good for us to go without chametz for one week a year, right? I wonder how many gluten problems might be cleared up by following this commandment . . . )

Blessings and Shalom to you all!

Bad Tree . . . Good Fruit??

Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. – Matthew 7:17-19

As people who are trying to walk on a more Torah-observant path, many of us have done a good job of cutting out the old pagan and idolatrous practices that had crept into the church over the years. It has been inspiring to watch so many who have honestly evaluated their traditions and, sometimes at great personal cost, stepped away from those that were ungodly in origin.

But let’s think about it for a minute – do we believe that when we turn our backs on these things, the enemy gives up trying to trick us into participating with idolatrous practices? Or might he be concentrating his efforts on sneaking unnoticed into other areas of our lives?

My concern today has to do with some of the “alternative” healing methods that seem to be very common in Messianic circles. They are setting off my discernment alarm bells.

This post is probably going to step on some toes, so please take a minute right now to pray and ask for discernment before reading any further . . . really. Here’s a jump start: Father, we ask for your grace and mercy as we explore this area of healing. We ask that you would give us discernment so that we can abhor what is evil and cling to what is good. Amen.

Not many years ago, I was the “go-to gal” on homeopathic remedies in my little circle. I was the one all my friends would call when they needed to know what remedy to give for what symptom. I had books on homeopathy and I never went anywhere without my kit at my side, ready to treat whatever ailments arose in my children. We did muscle testing (applied kinesiology), cranial-sacral therapy, herbs, vitamins, essential oils, and were up for trying plenty more. When a friend, teaching a class on the spiritual roots of disease, raised some good points, I started to ask tough questions. Soon, there were some scriptures that made sense to me in a new way.

BASIC VERSES ON HEALING

If you diligently heed the voice of the L-rd your G-d and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the L-rd who heals you. – Exodus 15:26

Torah folks usually agree that it’s important to keep commandments and statutes. But we also tend to take back responsibility on ourselves or our doctors or alternative practitioners when it comes to healing, and then many of us apply some kind of worldly wisdom to heal ourselves.

What else does G-d say?

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the ekklesia, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the L-rd. – James 5:14

We are told to place our healing in the hands of our elders – and priests, in the name of HaShem. Yeshua, after healing lepers, told them to show themselves to the priests to confirm their healing and purify themselves according to the law of Moses. Other than an often cursory prayer request, our “default” these days is to go to the doctor or the cabinet full of herbs and oils when we get sick. We only take the matter to the elders when the doctors tell us they have nothing left to offer, but this trust in doctors is misplaced, according to the Word that is our standard. Consider the following:

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. – Mark 5:25-26

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. – Luke 8:43-44

Unfortunately, this woman has a history like many of us, who have spent money we can ill afford on treatments that will not help us.

And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the L-rd, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign. – 2 Chronicles 16:12-13

Over the course of two years of illness, Asa, who had been victorious with G-d’s help in other areas, didn’t seek Him for healing, and this is given as the reason that he died.

WHAT KINDS OF THERAPY?

Let’s consider the question, “How we determine whether a therapy is something we should try?” A common response is that we first investigate (often through reading testimonials or hearing a teaching) to determine whether it “works” or not. But if our plumb line is the Holy Scripture, then there are some OTHER questions we should really be asking first. Like “is this a fitting place for a child of G-d to look for healing?”

If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deuteronomy 13:1-3

Woe to the rebellious children, says the L-rd, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. – Isaiah 30:1-3

MANY of the healing modalities being practiced today by believers have their origins in Egypt. From what I understand, Egypt had a HUGE medical community that was incredibly skilled in the use of herbs and remedies. They were able to embalm bodies to preserve them for “the afterlife,” even before Joseph’s day; but they were plagued by disease.

Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. – Isaiah 36:6

For more on Egypt, its diseases and healing modalities, look here: Healing in Egypt.

Behold, the L-rd rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. – Isaiah 19:1

The ultimate test is NOT whether or not the therapy “works.” Because we have an eternal perspective, we have to ask ourselves what the source of power is, that we are tapping into, and if there might be any negative spiritual impact on us from that. There is such a thing as false signs and wonders, and we need to pray for discernment, so that we don’t fall into deception.

Holistic medicine is dangerous, because it treats the “whole” person – body, soul AND spirit, according to its claims. It is one thing to treat the symptoms of the body, and another to tap into the spiritual powers of another religion for “spiritual healing,” as many alternative therapies claim to do.

“Empty your thoughts, let them be free and peaceful” is NEVER a command anywhere is scripture. That is unplugging the judgement G-d gave you and opening a door for some other spirit being to take up residence. We are asked to bring every thought into captivity under the lordship of Messiah, and to give up our own control in favor of faith and trust, but these are conscious acts of submission. He asks us to trust Him, and give up our cares and worries to Him, but never to empty our minds. “Inviting” anything is the same. If you “invite healing” or “invite the spirit” of whatever, that IS what you are doing.

Going back to the scripture at the top of this article, we need to apply the question of origins to all our healing techniques. It’s all about the roots. If a bad tree cannot produce good fruit, then we need to make sure we are not eating fruit from a bad tree. All it takes, these days, is a quick search on google, for “origins” and “(fill in your therapy of choice)”.

Anything “ayurvedic” is based in Hinduism. It is promoted by the same people who are doing “yogic flying” (aka transcendental meditation/astral projection). Out it goes. This includes oil pulling and neti pots, folks. Both are Ayurvedic healing techniques. Cast those bad trees onto your healing technique bonfire! Trust that your loving Creator has another way for you to be healed.

Essential oils – yes, they smell good. And they are being promoted as a “Biblical” type of healing. But a little bit of research turns up some very disturbing things about the founder of YLEO. A Critical Look. Just a few of the points raised here: his medical education claims are fraudulent, he and his team have reportedly been responsible for the deaths of several people – including that of his own child, and he’s on his third marriage. Though he fraudulently claims to be a doctor, he makes no claim of Christianity or Judaism. He also claims to have learned his “raindrop therapy” technique from a Native American medicine man – who wants no responsibility for what he is teaching. His own website says he has altered his technique so many times that his staff can’t keep up. This is bad company. This man has no moral compass, let alone a relationship with our one true G-d. Can this tree bear good fruit?

Look up the origins of essential oil therapy, and guess what? Egypt – and China and India (again, as an “integral part of Ayurvedics”). History of Essential Oils. I seriously doubt this is what the Bible is talking about the elders doing when they anoint you with oil.

There are even therapies being used by otherwise Torah-pursuant believers, that were originated by folks who openly say that they were consulting “spirit guides.” I hope this is as disturbing to you as it is to me. If not, maybe take another look at Deuteronomy 18.
I highly recommend this article for a scriptural perspective, if you have ever used or looked into Energy Medicine.

WHAT IS OCCULTISM?

By definition, occultism is something that holds itself up as the answer, but is covering (occluding) the real answer. In the spirit realm, according to the Be In Health ministry, occultism comes from fear. We are afraid of the stuff that attacks our bodies, so we want to control that stuff. Anything that we engage in, to control symptoms and attempt to cover ourselves would fit under this category. Our job as believers is to OBEY, and trust Him to cover us. When I was so preoccupied with figuring out for myself which therapies to use and how to implement them for each and every ailment, my focus was on that, and I had no time for other pursuits I knew the Father had called me to, because I was too busy using my “free” time to pursue this knowledge.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me.'” – Exodus 8:1

I was also trusting in this other stuff as my healer. Once I realized that my knee-jerk reaction to sickness was to go to these remedies instead of the G-d I ostensibly worshiped, I realized I was holding these modalities up as idols in my heart.

“For the L-rd shall judge his people . . . and he shall say, ‘Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.'” – Deuteronomy 32:36-38

HERBS USED IN SCRIPTURE

There are some godly uses in scripture of what could be called “herbal remedies,” but interestingly, they do not come from man’s knowledge. In the desert, when the children of Israel came to water that was bitter, G-d told Moses how to deal with it by throwing a nearby tree into the water.

“And he cried unto the L-rd, and the L-rd showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, and said, ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the L-rd thy G-d, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the L-rd that healeth thee.'” – Exodus 15:24-26

I would call that an herbal remedy, but whether there was something in the tree that effected the healing of the waters, or it was just a test of obedience, I don’t know. It’s up to Him – not Moses, and not me.

Other examples of this would be in 2 Kings 2, where Elisha heals the waters of Jericho with salt, and 2 Kings 4, where Elisha is feeding the prophets, and they cry out that there is “death in the pot.” Elisha throws in a handful of flour that fixes it right up.

I don’t know about you, but I find these instances encouraging! They reassure me that our heavenly Father has everything under control, and brings to mind 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but G-d is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

When we have a test and take that opportunity to look to Him for help, He will provide the remedies we need, and they will be something common and nearby that He will use for our healing, not “a hair from the great Cham’s beard.”

The Father has more important things for believers to be worried about than running after the purest, most potent, organic South American jungle plant that has been sold to us as THE thing that will cure our ailments. The enemy is the one who wants to keep us busy with running to and fro after things that will waste our time and potential for eternal profit. Egypt, in scripture, is a place of slavery. Did you ever notice how many people who get sucked in to the world of healing and remedies never find just one answer, but are kept forever chasing their tails for the next treatment, whether for themselves or others? While no doubt well-intentioned, if our loving Father has a simpler remedy to offer, why not take Him up on it, and go on about His business? Leave the Greek thinkers to their heroic quests, and pursue the living G-d!

Too many remedies that call for things like “eye of newt” and “root of hemlock, digged in the dark,” as rendered in Macbeth, are nothing less than witchcraft – which brings us to our next point.

PHARMAKEIA

Did you know that the Greek word from which we derive “pharmacy” is the same word used for “witchcraft” in the Apostolic scriptures?

Here’s the Strong’s entry:

5331. farmakei÷a pharmakeia, far-mak-i´-ah; from 5332; medication (“pharmacy”), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively): — sorcery, witchcraft.

and the source of that one:

5332. farmakeu/ß pharmakeus, far-mak-yoos´; from fa¿rmakon pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist (“pharmacist”) or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician: — sorcerer.

These should really make us stop and think.

And please don’t think I’m saying that all doctors, medicines or herbs are bad. I have seen great healings and miracles take place with their use, and I’ve seen doctors and nurses who are truly G-d’s servants, doing His work as He directs their lives.

My bottom line is this: we need to consult with Him for direction before we endeavor to heal ourselves. When Yeshua walked the earth, He made it clear that He considers healing – both physical and spiritual – to be His business. And He heals those who come to Him and ask. Notice that He wasn’t going around seeking sick people. THEY were coming to HIM. And when Yeshua sent out His disciples, He commanded them to “heal the sick” (Matt. 10, Luke 10). I doubt He was sending them to Naturopathic School.

CONCLUSION

Here comes the altar call, If this is you – If you recognize that you have set up idols in your heart (Ezekiel 14) – for healing or anything else, please take this opportunity to repent and change your ways. Start listening to Him for guidance in this area, too. He promises us FREEDOM from the slavery of Egypt!

(A final note: when you begin listening for guidance [especially if you have participated in occultism], it’s very important to follow 1 John 4:1-3: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of G-d; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of G-d: Every spirit that confesses that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is of G-d, and every spirit that does not confess that Yeshua the Messiah has come in the flesh is not of G-d.”)

Thanks for reading and considering. May we all be blessed with freedom as we enter the upcoming Passover season!

Shabbat and Commerce

Today, I’d like to address a common blind spot regarding Shabbat, among those from church backgrounds who would like to live a more Torah-observant lifestyle. Many who grew up in Christian churches see nothing wrong with going out to eat and then stopping off at Costco or Target as soon as the church service lets out on Sunday. It seems normal and acceptable, and it pretty much is – for Sunday. Some of us may hear tales from the old days about how stores and businesses used to close on Sunday, or maybe know of a few more “backward” (usually conservative) communities or just occasional businesses still follow this practice today. To most, this probably seems quaint, at this point in history, in the U.S..

But once you have been convicted by Torah and the Ruach (Spirit) that you need to keep Shabbat on Saturday, you can get into trouble, unthinkingly applying this practice to Shabbat, as well.

Though not explicitly stated in Torah, it is made abundantly clear in the book of Nehemiah that buying and selling are not to be normal activities on Shabbat:

15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. ¹⁶ Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

¹⁷ Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, “What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? ¹⁸ Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.”

¹⁹ So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. ²⁰ Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice.

²¹ Then I warned them, and said to them, “Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath. ²² And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy! – Nehemiah 13:15-22

We see in this passage that commerce has to do with profaning the day. When we think of “profane” in common understanding, we think of something dirty, or filthy talk – profanity. What it really means, in this sense, is “common.” We have six other days in which we do common things – including working for a living, and spending our earnings. Shabbat is to be unlike the other, common days. In the Havdalah blessings, we bless G-d, “who separates the holy from the profane” (or “mundane”, depending on your translation.) The Torah does say we are to keep the Sabbath holy, and I believe the Nehemiah passage sheds light on how that was understood by the Torah’s original audience.
Shabbat is to be a day of resting – not only from our normal work, but also from acquiring material things. It is a day to be content with what we already have – and thank the One who has blessed us with so much. And more than that – we should aspire to avoid talking about business, or planning shopping trips, or engaging in any more of the workday materialism than absolutely necessary. Setting these as goals will add more Shalom to your Shabbat, without doubt. Just keep telling yourself, “I can do that another day,” and move on.

This commerce avoidance is a discipline, undoubtedly. When my family started to try keeping Shabbat when I was a teen, we didn’t figure it out for awhile. But the Father was faithful and patient with us, and gave us a few lessons we could look back on as markers along the path. The first, we refer to as “Sabbath Jam.” My mom unthinkingly bought two or three flats of strawberries from the local berry stand on a Saturday morning in June. The berries then took top priority, as we went to work cleaning and hulling them all, to turn into our yearly jam supply. We realized our mistake when we were still up to our elbows in strawberries. We were up late in the night, dealing with all the berries, which would have spoiled if we had left them for later. As it was, the jam we made never set, so every time we ate the extremely runny jam for the rest of the year, we were reminded to avoid the common (buying berries and making jam for future consumption) on the holy Shabbat.

Another time, after we were better informed, we went into a store to get some necessary/emergency supplies on Shabbat, and I saw a beautiful shirt I just had to have. It was on sale, and away from our usual shopping locations, so after debating with myself, I decided to buy it while I was there anyway. It wasn’t working, right? And it was so simple – just reaching into my purse for some cash, and it was mine. Well . . . when I got it home, it was still beautiful, but it was sewn wrong. The buttons didn’t line up with the buttonholes, so it never looked right when I wore it. Yes, I could have gone to work and moved all the buttons, but I decided to leave it that way, and keep it as a reminder not to go clothes shopping on Shabbat.
Another problem that engaging in commerce raises is that of paying someone else who IS working, and thereby contributing to their breaking of the holy day that was instituted at Creation (Genesis 2:3). Even if they aren’t convicted that they need to keep this day sacred, if you know better, yet you are contributing to what you know to be their sin, are you accountable?

Just some things to think about, Obviously, this discussion can (and has) gone on for thousands of years, regarding where to draw your family’s lines, what constitutes “emergency spending,” etc.. And this is only one aspect of Sabbath-keeping.

If you are interested in further discussion and examination, I found a couple of neat articles on the topic. The first is really fun, the second is more scholarly, with some great points.

Saturday Without My Wallet

How to Observe a Biblical Sabbath

As always, I welcome discussion and questions.

Thanks for reading, and Shavua Tov!

THOUGHTS ON UNITY or “Can’t We All Just Get Along?”

It takes lots of strands to make a big, beautiful challah loaf. I like to think of the body of believers as each being a strand that contributes to the beauty of the loaf.

Having just come from a marvelous Shavuot celebration that lasted all through Memorial Day weekend, which included believers at all different levels of background and observance – everyone from what I would call “straight” church through to Orthodox Jewish secret believers, thoughts of unity are much on my heart. Praying through this, I believe they are much on our Father’s heart as well.

YESHUA’S PRAYER

Have you noticed that Yeshua’s prayer for his disciples, recorded in John 17 is all about unity? In context, this prayer is spoken immediately before He goes to the garden of Gethsemane, where his betrayal takes place. This is a crucial moment, leading up to the climax of history, and what is on the mind of the Messiah? Unity. Our unity. In part, as He is praying for His talmidim (students/disciples), He speaks these words:

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-25)

Earlier in the same teaching, He instructs His followers, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

One of my friends remarked that this instruction and prayer give the effect of a father who is about to leave the room, speaking to his children: “OK, I’m going away for a little while. Please don’t kill each other while I’m gone.” As a mother of seven, this reading makes sense to me. Yeshua, looking down through history, knew what our greatest challenge would be: getting along with each other.

DISPUTES BETWEEN BROTHERS

Or maybe we’re more like monkey bread . . . with nuts!

Looking through the Bible, this is hardly surprising. Start with Cain and Abel, and go from there. Moses was wearing himself to a frazzle, settling disputes between the children of Israel, when his father-in-law saw what was going on and counseled him to put 70 elders in place to help relieve him of the necessity of paying attention to the smaller disputes. The children of Israel needed to have 70 more authorities put in place to help them settle things!

This wise provision indicates to me that we are to EXPECT disputes to arise in this life. “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known“ (I Cor. 13:12). In this world, where our understanding is darkened, we should expect to have some differences with people, including other believers, and we should make provision for resolution of these disputes. Notice that many, if not all of the letters in the Apostolic portion of the Bible seem to have been written at least partially to settle disputes that had already arisen in the believing community.

There are so many examples of division between those who are supposed to be loving brothers in Scripture that I don’t need to go into all of them here. I pray that the Father will bring to your eyes and mind the ones relevant for each reader.

To lighten this up a bit, here’s an old but pertinent joke:

A man is rescued after many years on a desert island.

As he stands on the deck of the rescuing vessel, the captain says to him, “I thought you were stranded alone. How come I can see three huts on the beach?”

“Well,” replies the castaway, “that one there is my house and
that one there is where I go to church.”

“And the third one?” asks the skipper.

“Oh, that’s the church I DON’T go to.”

CLUB VS. FAMILY

This may come as a surprise, but after being so long in the Messianic community (24 years, this Shavuot!), I have noticed that those who have grown up in the traditional Christian community are generally less tolerant of each other than those from Jewish backgrounds, whether believers in Yeshua or not. Maybe it’s just that they’ve had so much longer to internalize the lessons of Moses and the elders than we have. Whatever the cause, I think we can learn some things here, from our older brothers and sisters in the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It’s not that they don’t disagree with each other (most of you probably know the saying, “where you have two Jews, you have three opinions”), but they are more likely to have mastered the skill of “agreeing to disagree.”

I have heard the different perspectives explained as a difference between a “club mentality” versus a “family mentality.” Jewish people, in general, no matter what their level of observance, view each other as family members. They might roll their eyes at the loudly declared opinion of their obnoxious Uncle Joe, but they don’t tend to decide that he’s too obnoxious to remain in the family. See this video for a prime example:

Those with Church backgrounds are more prone to view their body as an exclusive one, and pick and choose who gets invited to join up, and even then, keep bickering with those who make it past the initiation, building offense upon offense and taking things personally that aren’t meant that way, getting defensive and causing “church splits.”

To anyone with a basic understanding of Church history, it’s hardly surprising to see this effect at work in the body. While there have only been three major branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform) that make room for huge differences of opinion within themselves, the history of the church is like a gigantic, 2000 year old oak tree with all the big limbs splitting, branching off each other, and forming tiny little independent twigs and even splinters. In one town in Georgia, I counted 22 different BAPTIST Churches – and I’m sure each one has its own reason that it’s got a “corner on the truth”! In my observation, this kind of division in the body is one of the main reasons that people give up and leave fellowship altogether. I have a real hard time understanding the point behind “church planting” in the US. Is that really what we need – MORE varieties of church for people to choose from?

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

Several scriptures came to mind, as I meditated on this issue, and all deserve consideration. They are all related, but I’m going to tackle them one at a time.

1.) Though Peter’s vision is usually called in as evidence in arguments about kosher/non-kosher requirements, I would like to reference it here because the whole point of the vision, given directly by the voice of G-d, is “what G-d has cleansed, you must not call common” (Acts 10:15). As Peter interpreted his vision, he said “G-d has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28b). Peter had a huge discrepancy in practice from those he was called to minister to, but G-d Himself instructed him to not regard these things as a barrier between men and interfering with fellowship.

2.) “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5). I have noticed many times that when some issue disturbs me in someone else, if I pray about it, the issue is usually something I need to address in my own walk. His principles hold true! Isn’t He good to have given us this insight? “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (I Cor. 11:31).

3.) “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). It is amazing how many judgments and divisions are made over outward appearances! We tend to get so caught up in setting up our “club” around things like headcoverings, tzitzit, etc., and only surrounding ourselves with people who look just like ourselves, that we miss a great deal of fellowship with others who don’t have the same convictions in those areas. It is good to have discussions and find out the stories behind these choices that believers make. These are good things, but our motivation to take them on should not be “fitting in.” If you are curious about people’s choices, please ask them about them, and don’t presume they are doing something to be “holier than thou” (even though that is occasionally the case, it usually isn’t). Ask, and prepare to have your understanding expanded by someone else’s journey! I have talked to my children about how one of the enemy’s favorite lies is that we all have to look alike. G-d made each of us with a different role to play, and when we are busy trying to be like each other, our individual lights are dimmed. We get so focused on comparing ourselves to each other that our focus gets off of where it should be – following Him as He has called us to do.

4.) “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for G-d has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for G-d is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:3-4) All of Romans 14 is marvelously on-point for this argument, though I won’t quote the whole thing, as I’m sure you each have a copy and will be good Bereans and give it a read. It talks about not judging each other over which feast days we observe, as well as what we eat. None of these things are what some would call “salvation issues.” “The kingdom of G-d is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). I urge you to give this chapter a read, if you are experiencing unity troubles in your fellowship!

5.) “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of G-d” (Matthew 5:9). Think about it – what is the role of a peacemaker? Usually, the peacemaker is the one that talks to both sides involved in a dispute and helps each of them to understand the other side’s perspective. I don’t know about you, but when I see one of my children peacemaking between their siblings, it makes me so happy and proud that I want to shower the peacemaker with blessings. I am thrilled to call that one “my child”!! (On a side note, Isn’t the L-rd good to give us examples we can relate to? I love that!)

WHAT I’M NOT SAYING

Yes, we are warned against wolves in the flock: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember” (Acts 20:29-31a). This does not mean that we cast “wolf accusations” against everyone who is not on the exact same page as ourselves. Think about the characteristics of wolves. Wolves enter not by the gate (“he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” John 10:1) – they don’t respect the authority that is in place, or ask permission from the shepherd to teach, but go around the edges of the flock, preying on the weak or immature believers. So we should be on our guard against those who use these wolfish tactics, even if they are dressed as sheep.

Also, I am not saying that we have to include all believers in our general area in every meeting we have. The Father puts some in place to walk on the road together, while others need to camp out in the oasis for a while or take time to stop and tie their shoes, or whatever. Some of us are incompatible as traveling companions, but that doesn’t mean we can’t respect one another. Give Uncle Joe the space to be Uncle Joe. You don’t need to meet him head on, unless you are being obviously called to confront him or warn him of danger – and you usually aren’t.

I am also not saying that we shouldn’t disagree with each other. This is where “iron sharpening iron” comes in. As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17). But the goal of discussions and debate should not necessarily be to ultimately convince the other to adopt your own opinion. It should be to consider new ways of thinking about a given topic and thereby refine our spirits with another perspective. There is a reason G-d created us with two eyes. If we open both of them, we gain a more complete understanding of what we are looking at. The goal is not to subject each other to increasing levels of “initiation” and grilling.

SO, WHAT ARE WE CALLED TO DO?

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). As long as we are judging ourselves, rather than each other, we can’t forget to take a look at this incriminating piece of evidence. We all fail at this standard by doing unloving things toward others on a daily basis, as far as I can tell. I know I do.

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the L-RD your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” If we never pick another commandment to try to follow, these are enough. For me, the loving G-d part is easy. He is perfect and holy. Our neighbors, on the other hand, are the challenge. They are imperfect, as we are. This is what grace is for. We should also understand, though, that since “all the law and prophets hang on these two,” if we start trying to keep the various laws and instructions in Torah, we will notice that they will teach us what love and grace look like. As long as we focus on internal alignment of our hearts with the commandments, they will tend to drive us toward love and grace, not away from them. The commandments are there to teach us how to love each other, and are chosen as the path of those who love G-d.

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Stir each other towards what? LOVE AND GOOD WORKS!! Let me exhort you: both are important! And neither is accomplished by aligning ourselves on teams against each other. Come on, we can do this, people! Stir each other up, but don’t take offense if someone else doesn’t follow your example or do what you encouraged, or even love someone as you would have them do! Encourage them, stir them up, then LET GO!

“He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
“He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25b).

(For additional perspective, see also Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 for discussion on members of the body having different functions, strengths and weaknesses, and also I Corinthians 13 for what love looks like!)

In the spirit of this post, please feel free to discuss or disagree, below! 😉

Sunset from the Hilltop where we celebrated Ascension Day – the 40th Day of the Omer Count

And now, for a total departure . . .

Hi again, faithful readers! 😉

So sorry – I’ve been a bit busy lately.  Just to get up to date, my darling 5th boy (and 7th child) joined us on January 28 – 18 days “late.” He is a complete and total joy, and a reminder of why I keep going through all this. We are learning so much on our walk lately, accompanied by the blessing of faithful family and friends who have been joining us for celebrations, observances, and lots of fellowship and growth! Since I last posted, we have come through Purim (a blast, celebrated at the local Children’s Museum), our family’s first Bat Mitzvah/Bat Brachah ceremony for our oldest daughter’s 13th birthday, Passover (hosted by us – a mere 30 people this year, and a wonderful experience), Firstfruits/Resurrection Day (picnic at a fun local park), a visit from my grandparents who live in Florida – in their 80s and still going strong.

Anyway, my honey just walked in the door for dinner, so I’m going to cut this short and paste my note to a friend who asked for recommendations for vacation spots in Washington State.  In case you need ideas, here you go!

Here are our top 10 suggestions (ok, 12):

1. Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend – you can either camp or rent space in barracks, infirmary or officers’ quarters.  Very fun, not too pricey, close to cute little waterfront town, marine museum onsite, cool old theater, officers’ quarters museum (house preserved historically as 1910-ish), woods, beach, big open field, close to Waterfront Pizza – our fave restaurant in town, plus lots of fun houses to drive around and look at and events going on all summer.

2. Suncrest Resort, Moses Lake – (number one suggestion from my crew) It’s a campground (mainly RVs and trailers, but our friends did tent camp there). There is a very cool pool with waterslides.  Check the weather prediction first. Kinda in the middle of nowhere, with a totally different climate than we’re used to.

3. Washington Park, Anacortes – like being in the San Juans, without the ferry fare – but still with the ferry fog horns – be forewarned! Great playground, beautiful woods, Nice rocks to climb around on.

4. Birch Bay State Park – Fun little resort area, Seaside feel, waterfront cotton candy and fudge, muddy beach to inspect. There is a waterslide park up there, but it was for sale last year.  Not sure if that’s operating.

5. Seaside, OR – a little further, but lots of fun – carnival rides and arcade, a similar option still in Washington is Ilwaco.

6. Silverwood, (Coeur d’Alene?) ID (more pricey, and further away, but lots of fun, if you want to go a little bigger) Just one step down from Disney – half amusement park, half waterpark, and very well done. You can get tickets a little cheaper through Costco.

7. Leavenworth KOA – Close to, but not in Leavenworth. Pool, game room, great playgrounds, short hike to the Icicle River beach, fun to poke around in the hat shop, etc. – More expensive than other camping, though.

8. Coho Ferry line from Port Angeles to Victoria (you’d need passports and/or I.D. pass cards for this) – From Port Angeles, you could drive up to Hurricane Ridge and all over the peninsula, though, and the Hoh Rain Forest, too.

9. San Juan County Park, SJI – A little-known, but beautiful gem close to Roche Harbor (location of fun marina, great little store and donut shop, historic hotel) and lighthouses to walk to, pretty little cove and big grassy field above the Strait of Juan de Fuca

10. Camlann Medieval Faire and Snoqualmie Falls (camp/stay somewhere near Carnation/North Bend?) – Have you guys been to Camlann? They are starting their Medieval Village weekends this coming week, and they run all summer, weekends only. Candle-making, archery, jousting and swordfighting – to watch or participate in, scribe, costume shop, soaps and flower wreaths, iron forge.  It’s just a few miles from the Falls. North Bend, nearby, also has a short train ride on an antique train.

11. Cama Beach State Park, Camano Island – We’ve never stayed here, but have walked through it.  A bunch of little cabins on the water, low, pebbly beach, outpost for Wooden Boat Center (can rent rowboats/canoes), little store. No camping option available, but the nicest state park bathrooms EVER – Cedar ceilings. Amazing. Cute village effect.

12. Kayak Point State Park – We camped here for Shavuot last year. They have a campground, and also nearby yurts that are a great option.  Down the hill (a hike down stairs from the campground) is the beach with huge playground, big fisherman’s dock, picnic shelters, etc. Totally insane on the weekends – I’d say midweek only.

OK, so obviously, my vacation choices revolve around water – but hey, it’s what the kids want, right?  And we’re in the Pacific Northwest – it’s everywhere! Strangely enough, our Israel trip was one long swimfest, too – Mediterranean, Galilee, Ein Gedi, Jerusalem YMCA . . .

You can also look up summer events and festivals for the state, and follow what interests your family.

Let me know what you pick!