Thoughts on the Days of Awe

My life is made up of minutes.
Each minute I use costs me part of my life.
How did I use those minutes?
Did I waste them on silliness, or selfishness, or wishful thinking?
Or did I make a difference in the lives of those around me?
Did I share a smile?
Did I offer a drink of water?
Did I patiently change yet another diaper?
Did I serve?
Did I worship?
Did I obey?

I want to live my life with purpose, making each moment count. Will my husband be thankful for his friend for life? Will my children know I love them? Will I brighten my corner of the world? Perhaps my impact will not be huge, but I hope it will matter.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
(Mat 25:34-40)

Can we obey 98% of the time?

As we enter into the fall feasts, we are given a wonderful opportunity to evaluate ourselves.  We need to look in the dark corners of our closets, peek under the cupboards, organize that high shelf.

So it is at this time that I ask the question:

Am I obeying YHVH 98% of the time?

Yahshua said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."  (Luk 9:62)


We have chosen to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have studied Torah to learn His ways. But is there something lacking? Did we, in our haste, leave off that 2%? Have we rationalized and made excuses to protect that 2%? Does the 2% even matter?

I think the 2% does matter to YHVH.

• Achan only took a coat, some silver, and gold. What was that among all the treasures of Jericho? Probably less than 2%, yet it cost the lives of 36 men, and Achan and his family were stoned.
• Lot's wife only looked back at Sodom for a moment, surely not a long time, but as a result she turned into a pillar of salt.
• Saul only offered one sacrifice when he shouldn't have. That's not a big deal. But it cost him the kingdom.
• David only had one moment of passion, surely less than 2% of his life, but it cost him a child.

My fellow believers, the 2% matters! We must always be seeking to shed that last 2% and follow with our whole hearts. We cannot continue to say, "Look at all I'm doing right" while we hide the disobedience under the rug.

Do we eat kosher 98% of the time? But the other 2% is ingredients on the soup can that we choose to ignore.

Do we dress appropriately 98% of the time, except when it's inconvenient or when no one will see us?

Do we keep the Feasts and Shabbat, but delay dealing with trickier commands like the niddah laws?

Do we talk about our obedience and the things we have learned and forget to help those around us? Have we forgotten the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith?

But that's legalism!

Just a question: What is the opposite of legalism? Logic would dictate that the opposite is illegalism. So the question is whether we are obeying (legalism) or not obeying (illegalism).

The real question here is the heart. Are we busily occupied trying to take care of our 2% or are we demanding that everyone else deal with their 2%, while ignoring our own? 

Torah is very clear on what is expected of us. Sometimes we don't understand, and must lean on the Ruach HaKodesh. We have so much to learn and so much to put into practice. We obey our Heavenly Father because we love Him, just like a little child delights in pleasing their daddy. We are not saved by our works, but we work because we are saved. But let us not assume that we have arrived and are doing all we ought. We have put our hand to the plow. Let us not turn back from the plow, and let us not stand still looking at the plow. We must move forward, always seeking that 2%, that bit of obedience that is yet elusive. There is always room for us to grow closer to our Father. If we are truly seeking to serve YHVH 100%, when would we possibly have time to judge others for their 2%?

May we all grow closer to YHVH in this precious feast time! (I'm off to try to deal with my own 2%.)

Shalom!

Psalm 17:8

Psalm 17:8

"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

I love finding word pictures in Scripture. Sometimes I have to dig a little into the Hebrew to find them. Sometimes they are right in front of me. This verse immediately makes me think of chickens.

I remember hearing a story when I was little about a barn burning down. A hen had recently hatched a lovely little brood of fluffy chicks. Unable to escape the barn, she created a tent over her chicks with her wings. When going through the debris, the barn owner found the mother hen. Her wings were still spread over her chicks. Even in death she was faithful to protect them. As he lifted the hen, out came all her little chicks, completely sheltered from the fire.

I don't know if this is a true story or not, but the picture is clear and beautiful. This is the kind of protection that YHVH promises to give to us. He will put His wings over us and shelter us from life's blasts. We may feel the heat of the fire, but He stands between us and the blast.

Praise YHVH!

Thoughts on the Old Testament

I have been reading through the Bible in 90 days. I have never done this before, and I am awed by what I am seeing. YHVH preserved His truth and His people, even when they did very wicked things and left Him. He preserved their geneology, so they would know who they were when their hearts returned to Him. He preserved His commands, so they could follow Him once again. For as quickly as they turned away from Him, they would repent and return and find forgiveness once again. Thanks to His preservation, when their hearts would return, they were able to restore the Levitical priesthood, proper worship in the temple, feast days, and proper offerings.

As I was reading about Ezra and Nehemiah and how they returned to Jerusalem from Assyria, my heart cried out. How long until we can return? When will we be able to rebuild what is broken? He is turning our hearts back to Him. He will restore all things as He has done before. The only question is how long. It doesn't matter if we are direct descendants or choose to join the direct descendants, He freely forgives when we repent and turn to Him. May our hearts first repent of the our own wickedness and the wickedness of our fathers, and then turn to wholly obey Him. As He sees our repentance, may He begin the restoration of all things.

Sheep and Goats

Scripture talks alot about sheep and goats. I raise both on our farm. They are as different from each other as night and day. This is surprising, since they often are mistaken for each other, particularly by the untrained eye.  Our sheep are rather wild. They do their thing, eating, chewing their cud, making lambs, etc. with little input from us. They take care of themselves. This is great, except for a little thing called parasites. The sheep get infected with parasites, and left unchecked, that little tiny organism can take down and kill a 100lb sheep. We do our best to provide preventive care. We have very effective treatment that would keep those pesky worms at bay. The problem is that the sheep don't understand we are trying to help them. They run in circles, leap into fences, and avoid capture at any cost. We literally have to round them up and tackle them to give treatment. When we try to feed them medicine in the grain, they run the other way, and the goats eat it. As a result we lose sheep to worms despite our best efforts.
      Goats are a bit different. They seem to come out of the womb friendly. Goats seem to prefer the company of people. With very little training, they will come when you call their name, and love to be petted. Obviously, they are easy to medicate, and will steal the grain right out of your hand. One of my milkers, Kiwi, likes to chew on the corner of my shirt. She followed me around the pasture while I chased a sheep that needed treated. Goats are also rather clever and mischievious, and can get in and out of places at will. On the flip side they always come home.
      So how do my observations fit in with scripture? Here are my thoughts, not doctrines, just thoughts. We are most often compared to sheep. I think if we actually behaved like goats and followed our master around and took our medicine and craved a good petting, we wouldn't be in such desperate need of a shepherd. We often act wild and try to do things our own way. The Good Shepherd has to chase us around the pasture, tackle us, and shove our medicine down our throats. If He didn't, we would surely die in our stupidity. But Yahshua did say that He came to save sinners, not righteous. We walk around the pasture, thinking we are in great shape, but we don't know about the little tiny worms (sin) that threaten our very existence. But when the Good Shepherd tries to help us with those worms, we run the other way. Yet He patiently leads us and cares for us in spite of ourselves.
      Perhaps we should make things easier for ourselves and start behaving like goats. We need to run to our Shepherd, take our medicine, and crave the attention our Shepherd willingly gives. To put it in plainer terms, we need to face our sins, accept our Savior's help, and delight in His presence.

Will you say baaaaaa like a sheep, or will you say maaaaaa like a goat?

An encouraging word

Sometimes we just don't feel like ourselves. We are tired, frustrated, dissatisfied, and perhaps just a tad bit cranky. We feel as if we will never be that person that gets things done, reads to their children every day, shows patience when the heat lamp for the chicks gets mysteriously unplugged, and manages to keep a neat and orderly home. We find ourselves surrounded by chaos, barely treading water only to remember that we can't swim. We don't know what to do, but we know we can't go on like this. We feel guilty for yelling which seems to only induce more yelling. So you might have guessed that I have felt a little like this lately. I have prayed and asked for help, and I was led to a blog I had never seen before, and clicked a link to one of their posts in the sidebar. It spoke to my soul and I want to follow the advice given. I am anxious to see YHVH work and help me out of this slump I found myself in. Please read this post if you ever find yourself feeling a bit off. There is great wisdom in the words shared.
HsKubes Haven at Home: In times of discouragement

When will Yahshua return?

Have any of the seals been opened?  Are we the last generation?  When will Yahshua return?  Where are we in end time prophecy?

I will anwer these questions with a question.

Can you tell me when Noah Ephraim will be born?  What time of day will labor start?  How long will the early contractions last?  What will transition be like?  How long will I be pushing?  What will his apgar score be?  Can you put it all in a chart so I can plan?

In Revelation we see the image of birth.
(Rev 12:2)  And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.










The earth has been groaning as in labor, and is waiting to give birth to the kingdom.  Does this come without pain?  Does this come when least expected?  Surely we cannot expect to bring forth a child without difficulty.  We cannot know the day or hour when our baby will arrive.  Some contractions make us think we are in labor when we are not.  But eventually the time comes.  Eventually we take on the most difficult work of our lives, and are rewarded with a beautiful baby.

(Isa 66:9)  Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

The same goes for the coming of Yahshua.  We are simply told to keep oil in our lamps. 

(Psa 119:105)  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

We must have Scripture in our hearts, and our trust in YHVH.  Our house can burn down, and our food be all destroyed, but even then we need not despair.  We have YHVH, and that is all we need.

So keep oil in your lamp, and I have my birth kit ready.

Shabbat Shalom.

Psalm 37:7 Hebrew word study

“Be still before YHVH and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”


Damam - Be still - This word, when taken back to ancient Hebrew, is almost disturbing. The concept of flowing blood and the color red are closely connected to this word. Why? Because when an animal’s red blood is shed, it becomes still and silent. I immediately think of the concept of dying to self.

Khool - Wait patiently - Okay, this word really threw me. When you go back to the ancient Hebrew, the idea of waiting patiently doesn’t exist. Rather you find first the idea of drilling a hole, then piercing, then pain and sickness, then twisting and dancing (like the drill.) Then it occurred to me that we might be experiencing pain, sickness, an unsettled, whirling spirit. At that moment we are to wait.

Kha rah - Fret - This word means to burn, even to the point of anger.

Tsalach - Prosper - This word means to move forward or advance.

Ra a - Evil - to remove the function or purpose of an object or person.

Now, here’s this verse in my own words. It may look a bit different.

When your whole world is out of sorts, and your head is spinning, you must wait. When you feel pain, emotional or physical, you must wait. You must be still as a dead animal. You can bring nothing of yourself to the table. Your opinions, solutions, fears, questions, must all be left behind. You will find yourself a whirling contradiction, full of emotion, yet empty of yourself. This is where YHVH will meet you. This is where He will bring His solution. You will be tempted to burn with anger at those around you. They always seem to have a solution. Everything seems to go their way. But they have used their own ideas, and followed their own way of doing things. In the process, they have trampled on the very design YHVH put into them and the people and things around them. Deep down, they are a broken bowl that cannot be used. But you, you have given up your own ideas. Now YHVH can use you for the purpose He intended. He can fix your hurts and pains in the most perfect and beautiful way. He is your designer and He knows best.

A peek at my projects

I am humbled and grateful to see all the positive comments on the resources I have posted.  YHVH has been very good and has put more ideas in my brain than hours in a day.  I'm so glad you have been able to use them.  I thought it would be fun to give you a little peek at projects in the works, and give you the opportunity to suggest any improvements,etc. to make the materials more useful to you.  I want to be able to encourage you to raise your family in Torah.  Torah needs to be taught when we rise up, when we lie down, when we walk in the way.  I pray that these resources can help you on your way.  So here are some things in the works.

My Little Torah Books - We eat Kosher - is complete and will be posted this week.

Torah copywork will be posted a little bit ahead of each portion.

I plan to put together a chart for each portion that will help you match up the subjects with the "Heart of Wisdom" 4 year cycle.

The next "Walking out the Word" topic will be- just weights and measures.

I am working on some yearly copywork e-books that will be available for a reasonable price.  These will cover various topics in Scripture, or take you through specific books of Scripture.  They will cover K-12 with writing assignments with enough for 40 weeks of school.

I am nearly 25% done with the book you have heard a little about.  It is a beginner reader Torah written for 6-8 year olds.  This will be submitted to a publisher, because I want it to be available in hardcover.

I am always grateful for your feedback, so that the materials I write are the most helpful to you.  Happy homeschooling, and enjoy your journey through Scripture!

Psalm 37:3 Hebrew word study

Trust in YHVH and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Psalm 37:3

Batach - Trust - The concept is one of clinging to security, having confidence in, relying on.

Tov - Good - This word is so much more than good. The idea is of a home, functioning well, beautifully maintained, a place of comfort and bounty.

Shakan - Dwell - This gives the idea of a permanent, settled residence. There is not constant upset with moving around.

Ra’ah - Fed - The entire picture of a shepherd and his sheep is in this word. The sheep do not think of their next meal, or lambing season, or how to treat a broken leg. They simply know the shepherd will handle it. They are fully cared for by the shepherd.

So to rewrite this verse, it may look something like this:

Cling to and fully rely on YHVH. Your source of hope and confidence is in Him, and not yourself. Bloom where you are planted. Make the very best of your present condition. Make your home a beautiful haven for your family and fellow earthly travelers. YHVH will give permanence to your work and your home. He will make your efforts last. He will give you a home in His land when the time is right. He cares for you as a shepherd for His sheep. He knows how you will get through tomorrow, and has already put in place everything you need. You need to do your very best, but you do not need to be prepared for every possible outcome, because He already has it taken care of. When you cling to Him, you will not fall.