I love this song from ‘Fiddler’…just had to share
May you be blessed as you enter into His Rest this Sabbath!
I love this song from ‘Fiddler’…just had to share
May you be blessed as you enter into His Rest this Sabbath!
Categories: appointed times, biblical truth, commandments, sabbath, torah.
…ok, so I didn’t really have just one thing to say about xmas after all
The Circus Maximus in Rome was where chariot races took place. There, as many as 270,000 spectators were entertained. In ancient times the obelisk of Seti stood at the focal point of the Circus. It had been brought there by Caesar Augustus from Heliopolis, the city of the sun in Egypt.
Now you might be wondering what chariot racing has to do with December 25. The details of a Roman Calendar will make it apparent. In 354 A.D. a calendar was drawn up by a Christian living in Rome. While the other pagan birthdays were celebrated with 24 chariot races in the Roman circus, the birthday of Sol Invictus was celebrated with an additional 5 chariot races- 30 races on December 25th. December 25th was the most important pagan birthday on the entire Roman calendar! Over 200 years after the time of Christ – in supposedly Christian Rome, there is no mention of the birth of Christ on that day. That’s no coincidence!
Christmas was illegal in England. It was outlawed in New England from 1649 to 1658. It was condemned for its pagan roots by the Puritans, the Methodists, the Quakers, the Amish, the Presbyterians and the Baptists. It was made a legal holiday in Massachusetts in 1856. These are easily confirmed facts that theologians are well aware of.
Was December 25th the birthday of Jesus? No it was not – and our forefathers knew that. So how is it possible that this pagan festival has become one of the major components of traditional Christianity? There is one very good answer: Time is the ally of deceit.
Categories: biblical truth, pagan traditions, Richard Rives, world net daily.
I probably should have made this into two posts…but I have a mountain of ironing to get through and I really wanted to share this before I start! So here’s something new I did today with 6 bananas that were not going to make it in this heat.
1. Spiced Banana Icecream.
Categories: biblical truth, cooking.
Isaiah 40:27-41:16
Categories: biblical truth.
just in case anyone was wondering. His blessed Name is Yahweh
Who is moving on the waters Who is holding up the moon Who is peeling back the darkness With the burning light of noon Who is standing on the mountains Who is on the earth below Who is bigger than the heavens and the lover of my soul (Chorus) (Chorus) Creator God, He is Yahweh! The Great I Am, He is Yahweh! The Lord of All, He is Yahweh! Rose of Sharon, He is Yahweh! The Righteous Son, He is Yahweh! The Three-in-one, He is Yahweh! Who is He that makes me happy Who is He that gives me peace Who is He that brings me comfort And turns the bitter into sweet Who is stirring up my passion Who is rising up in me Who is filling up my hunger, with everything I need. (Chorus) You are holy and eternal And forever You will reign Every knee will bow before You Every tongue will confess Your name All the angels give You glory As they stand before Your throne and here on Earth we gather To declare Your name alone. (Chorus)
Categories: biblical truth, Yahweh.
The fall edition of the E-Magazine Sarah’s Tent is now online HERE.
Sarah’s Tent is a Messianic ministry whose aim is to support, instruct, and
encourage believing women as they answer the Father’s call to live out their
redemptive walk by coming into Torah obedience. Issues that are discussed in
the tent are: Torah, The Kingdom, family issues, kosher cooking, and activities for children.
Categories: biblical truth, torah.
They are coming up. Sunday night will be Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets. 5 days later is Yom Kippor or the Day of Atonement. And 10 days after that Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.
This will only be our 3rd year of remembering these very special and set apart days on Yahweh’s calendar. By keeping these days set apart each year, our family has learned much about our Elohim and His plan for His people.
These special days can be read about in Leviticus 23. No matter which translation you read, you will notice that they are not referred to as the “Jewish” feasts but the feasts of the LORD, or the feasts of YHWH. And they are for ALL His people. Not only those from the tribe of Judah (or “Jew-dah”).
Check it out. If you are in Messiah, then you are part of His people Israel and these feast days (and many other things) are for you.
Categories: biblical truth, feasts, Messiah, Yahweh.
God gave you children as a steward and gave you the authority over them:
Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Genesis 33:5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
Genesis 48:8-9 And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
Isaiah 8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.
Hebrews 2:13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
On rendering to GOD’S what is GOD’S:
Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
(People tend to ignore the latter portion of the verse. Our children are not Caesar’s!) Children belong to God:
Ezekiel 16:20-21 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
God’s commandments to us regarding our stewardship of the children He has given us include:
Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.Deuteronomy 6:6-9 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
How someone thinks in their heart is what makes them. How do children learn to think of the world, of God and His creation, in school?
Isaiah 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Again, a child’s mind is trained in school.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Does a child receive this kind of training in public school?
Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Does a child “walk with wise men” in public school?
1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
That’s communications as in “community.” Is it a good idea to put children in that situation?
James 3:13-18 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Psalms 119:97-104 MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Biblical Reasons to Homeschool…Brandon and Rebekah Staggs
Categories: biblical truth, homeschooling.
by Keith Johnson.
Monday August 3, 2009
from Conversation for the journey
I have a friend named Chet who works at the local UPS store. Whenever I go in to send a package, Chet usually asks a question or two about something I wrote down on the shipping form. I hate the tiny forms and the cheap leaky pens. One day, Chet told me something that has spurred me on to join “the conversation for the journey”. He admitted that he too had bad penmanship but this was only because he was forced to write, from an early age, with the wrong hand. You see, Chet’s parents believed in the age-old superstition that the left-hand is cursed. So whenever they saw their son using his left-hand they slapped it. Chet caught on quickly and learned to do most things, including writing, with his right-hand. Eventually he became so accustomed to using his right-hand that he even forgot he had been born left-handed. Throughout his school years Chet struggled with sloppy handwriting until one day, in a moment of compassion, his father suggested: “Why don’t you try your left-hand?” Unfortunately, by then it was too late for Chet to re-learn how to write with his natural left-hand.
Beginning in the 2nd century, the Christian Church underwent its own hand-slapping campaign. The main focus of this process was the eradication of anything that was too left-handed in its orientation. Although Jesus and all his original disciples were Jewish, the Church labeled the Jews as accursed in the eyes of God. Anything that was deemed too Jewish was expunged from the Christian faith. Some people involved in the early formation of the Church like Marcion, followed this to its logical conclusion, proclaiming the God of the Old Testament to be separate and distinct from the Christian God in the New Testament. By the time of the 4th century, the hand slapping by the Church led to the violent persecution of the Nazarenes, the Jewish descendants of the original followers of Jesus, who were deemed heretics for continuing to observe the ancient rites and rituals of the Old Testament.
I am concerned that the Church has moved so far from the foundations of our faith that we have forgotten our left handed origins. It is impossible to understand what Jesus taught us without an appreciation for the Jewish culture and Hebrew language in which he lived and preached. Even the great Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, who is known for slapping the hand of Jews (see The Jews and their Lies) once said:
“The Hebrew language is the best language of all … If I were younger I would want to learn this language, because no one can really understand the Scriptures without it. For although the New Testament is written in Greek, it is full of Hebraisms and Hebrew expressions. It has therefore been aptly said that the Hebrews drink from the spring, the Greeks from the stream that flows from it, and the Latin’s from a downstream puddle.”
I wonder what image Martin Luther would give for those of us present day Christians who have been limited to the confines of the English translation of our bible? Maybe we drink from the bottled water that translators gathered up from the puddle. Who knows?
Without this appreciation of the origins of our faith, I believe that the Church is losing the understanding of who our God is according to His Word and who we are called to be according to His Will. Rather than returning to an understanding of Scripture in its original linguistic and historical context, our present day Church is moving into the feel-good, nature-focused, undefined, unclear, unexplainable, “what have you done for me lately” God who changes colors like the horses of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. He is the green god for those who believe in prosperity theology, the black god for those who adhere to liberation theology, the white god for racists, the black and white god for the reconciliation movement, the red, white, and blue god for the conservatives and the rainbow-colored god for the liberals. The aforementioned groups have attempted to limit the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God of both heaven and earth. These and other -ologies, -isms, and -tions are desperately looking for ways to label people and contain God.
A number of years ago I was encouraged by my Heavenly Father to “try my left hand”. I decided to go through the sometimes difficult and always humbling process of learning to be proficient with my left-handed origins. There are times when I feel the heat from the flames of criticism when I choose not to bow down to the noise of the label givers who insist that I stay away from my left hand. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego provide a biblical model for standing up for conviction rather than bowing down to such people. Other times I want to complain like Moses that “I am slow of speech” regarding the Hebrew language. However, I keep hearing the voice of Yehovah encouraging me that He made our mouth, and that He is with me.
When some people hear that I am studying the language and culture of Jesus, and that I am reading a Hebrew version of the Gospel of Matthew, they want to slap my hand. I understand that because of their desire to label people and contain God they are fearful of people like me. So no matter how hard they slap my hand, I won’t be trained like Chet. I won’t let them force me away from the left-handed history culture and language of my prized possession: the Word of God. I have learned to let the Holy Scriptures, according to their historical, cultural, and linguistic context, define God rather than to let social, economic, racial, religious, or gender do the same. I encourage all of those who are not willing to be labeled while on this journey, to extend your right hand of fellowship to reach out to our original family of faith. I also challenge you to “try your left hand” to grasp the Word of God. Remember the words spoken through Moses who also was encouraged to learn to use his original left hand: “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that Yehovah is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other”. Deuteronomy 4:29
Keith Johnson is co-author of A Prayer to Our Father; Hebrew origins of the Lord’s Prayer
http://www.aprayertoourfather.com
Categories: biblical truth, hebrew.
Honey bees are truly amazing creatures. One of the most amazing things about them is the way that they communicate with each other, and what it is that they communicate. Watch this.
Categories: biblical truth, torah.
Ok, so Alecat over at Serendes and Solace has asked me to participate in the Honest Scrap Award. So here are 10 honest things about me…
1. I have stopped shaving my legs. This is a big deal for me, as I have been doing it since I was fourteen. When my husband started growing his beard, I felt less conscience of the amount of body hair that Yahweh had given me. After all, it is much less than his! So there you go, now you know. No pictures, though
2. I can make bread, yogurt, and goats milk cheese, but I don’t do it very often. I frequently burn sausages under the grill, and it sometimes takes me up to an hour to deliver a cup of tea to my “working on an essay” husband when I have stuck my head in and asked him if he wants one.
3. I really want to move towards a more self sufficient lifestyle, and we actually seem to be doing this! Today I made my own laundry powder. The city is growing dimmer…
4. I cannot attend churches. See my reasons HERE.
5. Almost every day, I learn something I didn’t know before from the Scriptures. No kidding, almost every day. It’s fabulous.
6. I believe in the plain reading of Scripture.
7. I am completely convinced that the Law is NOT done away with. It is the law of sin and death that Yeshua dealt with on the tree. The Torah is the instructions from Yahweh to His people on how to live. It isn’t burdensome, it is a delight. As instructed in Torah, I don’t eat unclean animals, or wear clothing made of mixed fabrics. I keep the weekly Sabbath and remember His holy days. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, is YHWH Himself, and I put my trust in Him to restore the Kingdom to Israel on His soon return.
8. I love history. Love it. I love understanding where we have come from and why we do the things we do. I can’t wait for it all to make sense !
9. I drive a 1985 Range Rover. I drive IT. Me. It has a truck gear box. I am not a city girly-girl anymore
10. I really like blogging, even though I find it hard to construct coherent sentences quickly while someone is waiting for me to do something…I still really like my blog
Categories: biblical truth, family.
1. Disregard for and blatant disobedience to the Law of God.
2. The appointment of “Elders” who according to Scripture, don’t qualify.
3. The teaching of lawlessness and the misrepresentation of Grace.
4. Blatant twisting of Scripture to serve MANY different agendas.
5. The picking and choosing of commandments to follow based on self interest.
6. The lack of teaching the FEAR OF GOD, and the false teaching on the definition of LOVE.
7. Continuing in the sins of countless generations who take the worship and adoration of OTHER GODS, put it before HIS FACE and DEMAND that He accept it as a gift of worship. ie; the paganism of Christmas, Easter, Sunday, Saints Days, etc.etc.
8. The burden and heavy yoke of rosters. (if you have been a part of a church you know what I mean by ‘burn out’.)
9. The general lack of preaching the true Gospel of Messiah and the lack of concern for the lost.
10. The lack of HOLINESS, which reveals a congregations underlining desire to be JUST LIKE THE WORLD.
I understand that there are some congregations that are less pagan in their practices, and less lawless than others. My prayer is that they question their customs, traditions and practices in light of the Scriptures, that they COME OUT of the false system and worship the true God in spirit and truth.
YHVH is not interested in the institutions. He is interested in His people walking in His commandments, and although we may not be in “the land” yet, we should be set apart from the world as His people.
Categories: biblical truth, commandments, gospel, pagan traditions, torah.
Aussie homeschooler blog is asking today;
It should be noted that we are only into our 3rd year of homeschooling, so by many I would still be considered a new one! However, my advice is summed up in the following post that I wrote last year called the things that really matter….
Categories: biblical truth, homeschooling.