Category Archives: Jerusalem

June 12, 2016 · 7:53 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —

Shalom Brothers and Sisters,

I greet you with thanksgiving that we are “one loaf of bread” together before Him, for His purposes and glory, sisters and brothers, family, in this together to encourage one another all the way home. May HE be glorified and blessed and may you be edified.

Today is Shavuot, called Pentecost in the New Testament and in the English “Old Testament” translated as Feast of Weeks. It is one of the three holidays when all men of Israel are COMMANDED to come up to the temple, NOT EMPTY HANDED, and to bring an offering and rejoice before God. The other two “Pilgrim Feasts” are Passover and Sukkot. Of the three holidays, the least is written about Shavuot, and what IS written could cause one to scratch their head. and say, “Huh?” It acts like a minor holiday and yet GOD called it one of the three MAJOR ones, so it is wisdom to listen to and hear HIM.

The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were all songs that were sung (and still are) by the children of Israel as they made the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem from north, south, east and west, up the trails toward the temple mount. Undoubtedly Yeshua (Jesus) and his family sang them as they came up to Jerusalem for Passover as is recorded in Luke 2:41-52. Of course, there WAS no New Covenant yet, so He was brought up according to the Old Covenant, as were his disciples, who later added their writings.

Because there are so few scriptures, I have written them out in full for you at the end of this letter, beginning with Acts 2, because I have found that God does NOTHING in a shallow manner. It is all in seed form, and we do well to wait for the ripe fruit.

So, what IS Shavuot basically? Well, it seems to me that it is “the joyful offering to God of the first fruits in the place that HE has set.” This is an act of obedience. The temple is not here. Of course it also wasn’t yet built when He first set this commandment. The first fruits and grain, two loaves of bread made with the new grain, the best with joy. These words are familiar to us and I find Shavuot a wonderful time to examine my own heart, How much of my joyful offering is rote or flesh. But the first fruits, our first love…Ah ha! What an opportunity to refresh, revive, examine, and offer again our all and best.

BUT HOW IS IT CELEBRATED HERE?

Now, THAT is a good question, because it sure has taken its twists and turns over the years.

Milk! It’s the dairy holiday. We make tons of cheesecake, cheese blintzes, quiche, and more exotic foods. We eat dairy and dress in white. Why? No one knows.

There is a second modern tradition that is evolving into something interesting though. For years there has been a tradition for religious Jews to stay up all night and the following day to study the Torah. But mostly Mishna and Talmud (the commentaries on the scriptures written by the sages, so the students study and argue concerning the interpretations of the rabbis).

Over the past few years, many secular study groups have been rising up spontaneously throughout the country with young and old reading the scriptures for themselves and discussing them. This is exciting to me. People seeking answers outside of the mainstream rabbinical framework. The scriptures promise us that hungry hearts seeking Him will indeed find Him.

Several days ago the following article appeared in our local newspaper Israel h’Yom:

THE BIBLE IS SPREADING ONCE AGAIN by: Dr. Gabi Avital

Over the Shavuot holiday, synagogues and places of Torah study will fill up with worshippers and those eager to learn. Many, even those considered secular, will try to maintain the growing tradition of studying Torah throughout the night.

This spectacular display goes completely against the academic predictions from more than 60 years ago. For example, Prof. Zvi Adar’s “The Educational Values of the Bible” states that “past generations did not speak about the Bible, but they lived in its ways, whereas we, who speak highly of it every day, live outside of it, and so it too is outside of us.”

Later in the book, Adar proposes another approach, a humanistic one — according to which mankind is at the center and God is pushed to the sidelines — to teaching the Bible and adapting it to the nation in Zion. The central reasoning: “The decline of traditional religion in the world as a whole, and in Israel in particular, has also led to the decline of the religious objective for teaching the Bible.”

His reasoning is not completely unfounded. Europe underwent deep secularization, the influence of which is evident in every poll and study, including among Bible researchers and students in the Holy Land. What has happened to the Bible since the early years of the state? What was the result of the painful experience of creating a melting pot of people? Was the Bible also crushed in the mix? As the places of Torah study were only beginning to internalize the depth of the impact the Holocaust had on yeshivas and religious institutions, the academic community took the lead.

The scientists made “critical commentaries” about the Bible. They compared it to the Code of Hammurabi and the Epic of Gilgamesh; dismantled it into verifiable passages; took over its soul with an enlightened scientific spirit; wrote articles, and attended conferences. And yet some say it is precisely because of this that the Biblical Studies departments at the universities emptied out.

However, among the “ignorant,” those who see the Bible as a holy book, the situation is the exact opposite of what the concerned academics are claiming. Bible study is growing and flourishing like spring flowers in a year blessed with rain. Young Israelis are learning Bible verses and passages by heart; the International Bible Contest is taken seriously, and each Shabbat people are reading the weekly Torah portion.

And why is this? From the moment that the future of the Bible was “deposited” into the hands of academia, its fate was sealed: The science that forced its way into Bible research wiped out its soul. Those who remove the soul — that is, God — from the Bible are left with a confusing, violent and irrelevant book. Biblical researchers from academia and the secular seminaries have decided that we must first read the “criticism of the text” and only later a verse on love or social justice. They do not realize that the Bible is not a “biblical text.” It includes some elements of a history book, but that is not the heart of it. The Bible is the foundation of the Jewish people’s soul. The Bible and the Talmud, the Mishnah and the

are amazing creations that any nation would be proud of.

Ahead of Shavuot, the holiday during which we celebrate receiving the Torah, it seems that the Bible is not as scary as people think. Recognition that the Bible is also the foundation of international support for the existence of the sole Jewish state is becoming more and more apparent. The archaeological finds are growing in number and contributing to the verification of events that took place in this land in past generations. More and more people are refusing to believe that the people of Israel are nothing more than a wandering tribe. The spread of the Bible is no longer just a theoretical concept.” (this was in our secular newspaper on the 9th of June)

The scriptures for Shavuot:

Acts 2:1-43

LEVITICUS 23:9-14

NUMBERS 28:26-30

DEUTERONOMY 16:9-12

May we each be found IN HIM ALONE…With our eyes fixed upon Him…for His glory.

Lovingly,

your sister J

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Greetings, brothers and sisters, in Yeshua’s (Jesus’) Name. May HE be glorified and blessed and made known, and may you be encouraged.

The name “Jerusalem” occurs 815 times in the Bible, 669 times in the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament; additional references to the city occur as synonyms.

The number of times will vary of course according to translation. That used to scare me, [ie: how can TRUTH vary?] but the more I understand Hebrew, and the more I learn how to trust The Lord and His Holy Spirit, the less it scares me that translation differences occur. His Truth IS and WILL BE and ALWAYS HAS BEEN and His Spirit can interpret it for our hearts.

It seems that perhaps the fullness of time concerning Jerusalem is here and we must know what He says about this and where we stand concerning the city and His Word. We must KNOW what God is saying about Jerusalem, for surely, though we may not fully understand why, it has a particular place in God’s heart and plans.

Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalyim) is here. It begins Saturday night and marks the 49th birthday of reunited Jerusalem, the beginning of the fiftieth (Jubilee) year. [Interestingly, the Muslim’s month of celebrating Ramadan begins at the same time this year.]

Early this morning as I walked the two short blocks to work from my bus stop, a cloud of holiness pressed me into worship, a bowing down worship. Multitudes of singing birds flew over my head and I began to count the flowering trees, bushes and plants along this very short route. Olive trees, pomegranates, passion fruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, shesek, almonds, apricot, the smell of the jasmine, mint, rosemary, hyssop, and nameless (to me) trees with blue flowers, purple flowers, red flowers and oh so much more. The combination of the colors, the sweet smells and the songs of the birds overwhelmed me and my heart nearly burst. This is Jerusalem!

“What is Jerusalem, Lord? How does she appear to You and what do You feel about her? Teach me please…”

I have NEVER loved a city. I ran from NYC where I was born, as soon as I was old enough, oppressed by the pressure of the too-many-people-and-too-much-noise all crammed together with its demands. I longed for the wind of the country finding its way over the hills and through the trees whispering its own song. And when we made aliyah some 22 years ago I didn’t think of coming to Jerusalem. But Derek Prince said it best: “You can not choose to live in Jerusalem, Jerusalem chooses whom she chooses.”

And I am still full of questions: “Who ARE you, Jerusalem?”

The sheer wonder of it all continued all through work today, and I HAVE to share with you.

“Where were you in 1967 at this time?” I asked in Hebrew nearly every patient that walked in to the clinic. The reaction was UNIVERSAL. All stopped and their eyes clouded over with wonder.

“b’mil’cha’ma?” (In the war?) each asked.

Then they would stand still and look at me.

Shlomo Alkali turned a shining face to me before he had to run off. “I was in kita dalet [fourth grade]. We are 8th generation Jerusalemites. We all fought. I remember it as if it were today.”

Another said, “Although I was only two years old I remember it as if it were happening now. There was a wonder so that our skin stood on edge. I heard the sounding of the shofar. The people that had been dying stopped dying and were dancing in the streets instead.”

Dr. Wexler’s story was the one that brought me to tears (although they almost all did) because he is a bit fearsome. He is now retired but a very famous doctor, artist, writer, highly regarded by one and all. I haven’t spoken to him much. But today, asking him this question transformed him. I wish that my Hebrew were good enough to share with you the entire story, but I must admit that, although I fully understood and entered into the emotion of it, I did not understand all of the details, which this scientist described as nothing less than miraculous and holy. As a matter of fact, the word “holy” was used by nearly everyone I spoke to today. When I asked him where he was, he turned his face to me and stared with a profound silence. His face seemed to melt. “I was a young doctor in the army, stationed in the Sinai,” he said. “Right on the border with Egypt. There I was when the war started. It was big. Very big! But the Bigger One fought for us and they miraculously surrendered to us the first day although we had nothing to defeat them. I was rushed up to the Syrian border in a helicopter, where the fighting raged for another day: more miracles! Then I was rushed to Jerusalem, to Latrun first. Each field hospital was full but we had to be rushed along the front where the fighting raged. Then I was at the Old City when the line with Jordon came down. You know, Jordon had all of this. It was a miracle. It is still a miracle.”

He spoke of being flown in helicopters held together with rubber bands and looking at Moti Gur and knowing he was a great man. “He will be a General someday, I said to myself. ” You could feel the special mantle of authority on him. This same Moti Gur became the General responsible for planning the famous Operation Entebbe to free the Israeli hostages held in Uganda in 1976.”

The stories went on.

“I was fighting for my home with my family,” one said.

Another said, “We lived near the wall and I followed the soldiers into the Old City!”

Each said that there was an electricity in the air that they never felt before or after. Their skin prickled with the wonder of the fact that they KNEW that they were part of a “holy event.”

I asked Bat El (her name means “daughter of God”) who is only in her 20s, if her mother, Ahovah (Beloved) told her about it. She was vague. “My Grandmother told us all about it once and I think my Mother spoke of it, but I didn’t pay that much attention.”

I’ve gotten close to her mother who is undergoing cancer treatment and has grown fond of me. I looked at Bat El and said, “You MUST ask her and ask her again until you feel as if you were there” I showed the younger ones photocopies that I have of the proclamations signed by the Chief Rabbis and Generals thanking God and promising Him that we would guard Jerusalem and be faithful. They HEARD and wanted to know more.

Here’s a link to more info on the 1967 Six Day War here.

And a great five minute video history of the war:

May we each be found IN HIM ALONE…With our eyes fixed upon Him…for His glory.

Lovingly,

your sister J

4 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

May 29, 2016 · 8:27 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Greetings, sisters and brothers,

I want to share a very special testimony.

I am deeply thankful that The Lord did not let me think I was okay so that my self-esteem wouldn’t be damaged. I remember when the book, I’M OK, YOU’RE OK, was published years ago which basically stated that we are who we are and it’s okay.

OF COURSE to an extent, this is true. He made us all with wonderful variations, just as He made the heavens and the earth His way, so creatively. But I’ve also read and reread and reread again His Book and met Him who said “You, follow Me.” He has been faithful to tell me that I was NOT okay but that I was riddled with sin and desperately needed A Savior Whose Blood ALONE could atone for all that was NOT okay in me. And that I needed to confess and forsake those sins. He EVEN is willing to gently lead me along the path that brings me over and over again to His True mirror where I can see myself in His Light and again say, “Oh no! This stinks. Help!” He is faithful.

One of the areas that I have stumbled at again and again is unforgiveness. I’m so thankful He hasn’t given up on me and I long to walk in constant forgiveness of others. I have learned that unforgiveness (for me anyway) often clothes itself in nice “poor-me pity party” terms like rejection, victim, hurt, wounded, wronged, etc. My flesh loves those terms and poor me becomes the focus instead of Almighty God.

The testimony of the woman below is that of an Israeli…NOT YET A BELIEVER…but I believe, a hero. When “I’m ok and you’re ok” there ARE no more heroes. We don’t need them. They might make one of us feel badly and not so ok. I am inspired by heroes to walk before Him Who is Holy. Perhaps you will be too. May the testimony of Smadar Haran encourage us all in this very upside down world.

Smadar Haran tells her story, brings journalists to tears.

Survior of the 1979 Nahariya terrorist attack tells her story to foreign war correspondents, who walk away in tears, shock at her lack of hate, and in awe of her refusal for revenge.

When Smadar Haran spoke, not a single pair of eyes around the table at the Rimon Hotel in Tzfat was without tears.

The foreign guests and journalists who sat around her – all of them veteran war correspondents – thought they had already written and seen everything. But this meeting with Haran, who lost who her husband Danny and her daughters Einat and Yael during the terror attack on Nahariya in 1979, somehow managed to shake them up. While with one hand they were writing down every word, with the other, they were wiping away tears.

This was the first time that the Foreign Ministry had ever flown in a delegation of European war correspondents. The purpose of the trip was to expose the journalists to the terror that Israelis have to deal with, and find correlations between the Israeli and European fight against terror.

The delegation was taught about the security arrangements at Ben Gurion International airport, received a tour of the Israeli border with Syria, and visited injured Syrians who were undergoing treatment at Ziv medical center in Tzfat. However, the headline of the trip was with Haran.

Smadar Haran meets with international journalists in Tzfat (Photo: Israeli Foreign Ministry)

“My story isn’t just my own personal story. It’s the story of the Jewish nation and of the State of Israel. It represents the spirit of the state of Israel,” Haran began.

She continued, “This is a national story, and although I’m a terror victim, I decided not to live like a victim and to re-build my life – just as my mother survived the Holocaust and re-built her life in Israel, just like how the Jews creatively re-built themselves any time there are losses or casualties.”

In 1979, terrorist Samir Kuntar infiltrated Israel on a rubber boat from Lebanon along with three other terrorists from the “Palestine Liberation Front.” The four came ashore in Nahariya, shot dead police officer Eliyahu Shahar and broke into the apartment of the Haran family. There, they took Danny Haran and his four-year-old daughter Einat hostage while Smadar hid in a crawl space with two-year-old daughter Yael.

The scene of the Nahariya terror attack (Photo: Tzvi Roger)

Smadar accidentally smothered her daughter Yael to death while she was trying to stop the toddler from crying and revealing their hiding place.

Danny and meanwhile Einat were taken to the beach where a firefight ensued between the terrorists and police officers who arrived at the scene. Kuntar shot Danny Haran then smashed Einat’s skull with the butt of his rifle, killing her as well.

“After the attack in Nahariya,” Haran went on, “I thought about my values – what type of person I want to be – and I decided that I want to be a person full of giving, not hate. I didn’t seek revenge, and I decided that wherever my life is stopped or interrupted, I would continue anew.”

“I never left Nahariya, and I live there today – close to where everything happened. A lot of the people who came to mourn my loss were Arabs, and they live together with us. My children knew their children. The lives of the Arabs and the Jews are intertwined like a collage.”

Terrorist Samir Kuntar, who killed Smadar’s family, being warmly greeted by Syrian President Bashar Assad (Photo: AP)

When asked what she thought regarding the fact that Samir Kuntar, the man who killed her family, was freed by Israeli authorities, Haran said, “When others asked what I thought about Kuntar’s release, I wrote a letter to the prime minister saying that Kuntar isn’t my personal prisoner, and I’m not his personal jailer. I said the decision needs to be made for the greater good and be done with the best interests of the State of Israel in mind. I knew he would return to terror, it wasn’t something that surprised me.”

When she was asked what her feelings were when Kuntar was assassinated, she said, “To my surprise, I didn’t feel anything, but I was happy to know that he wouldn’t be carrying out any more terror attacks in the future.”

The foreign journalists left the meeting with the emotion showing on their faces.

“Smadar is a model to be emulated, a true hero. The thing that really amazed us was her lack of hate and need for revenge after everything she had been through.”

Sincerely,

Your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

May 15, 2016 · 8:54 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Dear brothers and sisters, GREETINGS in The Name of Yeshua h’meshiach, Jesus Christ , in Whom we trust and believe together. May He be glorified and blessed, and may you be encouraged.

Sometimes we are privileged to witness moments, glimpses through a window, that leave us breathless. This has happened to me several times through the passing of the two memorial days and Independence Day. Then, it falls to me to lay them before The King of Kings and ask Him to give me the GREAT GRACE to translate them to you. May The Lord be faithful, not for my sake or even yours, but for the glory of His great Name, for surely there is a rustling in the top of the mulberry trees.

Each year I find it increasingly difficult to believe that they will pull it off again. It’s sort of like: “Lord, You DID pay the rent last month, but surely this is the month that it just won’t happen.” The fact that the country takes on a mantle of deep mourning, not once, but twice in less than a 10 day period, and the fact that the SECOND memorial day literally personally touches each life here. Just to THINK that the raising of a flag, the changing of a note on the trumpet from a minor key to a major key, that as the sun goes down on the deep grief, that it can really and honestly be buried again and again. And then transformed into great rejoicing, true, real and significant rejoicing, it is inconceivable to me.

But, YES! THEY DID IT AGAIN!

And for me, it was even more dramatic this year than in the 21 past years that I have witnessed them, though I can’t fully say why. Perhaps it was that the grief seemed heavier this year.

But that IS how the nation was born.

And re-born.

Each time it has been it tears and ashes and then the wonder of a nation born in a day.

AND WHAT A DAY IT IS!

What I am building up to is what I heard on Friday at work, again and again, but I’ll share some background first.

We live a short 3 blocks away from Mount Herzl, our main military cemetery, where our founding fathers, presidents, and Prime Ministers are buried along with the soldiers. It is also attached to Yad v’shem (our national Holocaust Memorial), so we do live in a rather central place.

The ceremony is fully televised but it is only in Hebrew and not translated. I am so thankful to finally be able to understand Hebrew, for it is so rich and real and moving. Although it is so near, we watch it on TV and then walk up to join the celebrating throngs watching the fireworks display.

The modern state of Israel both rose up out of war and was immediately plunged INTO war, and the ceremony is begun with a final Memorial prayer of thanksgiving for those who gave their lives. It is truly a “kiss” from the nation interspersed with poignant poem, song and dance, and scripture. This year Isaiah 60:4 was read to open the ceremonies:

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see:

They all gather together, they come to you;

Your sons shall come from afar,

And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.”

The ceremonies themselves are full, but at the center is the lighting of the 12 torches for the 12 tribes of Israel. Each year I wonder where they got such amazing people and then I look around me and there they are in the midst. There is a good job done these days of summarizing the stories of the torch lighters in English. It really helps knowing their backgrounds before they speak. Although they were all deeply moving, I wanted to share about 3 with you.

Two were Arabs who put their lives on the line to stand with Israel and they are both strong, brave Zionists with clear messages to their own communities and those around them. One, a Greek Orthodox priest, declares openly that he is proud to be part of a Jewish Democratic state that gives such freedom and opportunity to all of its citizens. A refreshing message indeed these days from an Arab man. He encourages the Christian Arab youth to serve the country and to take advantage of the educational system provided to become productive citizens.

Also at the great expense of persecution from her own community, a Druze dentist became the first woman from her people to step out and study medicine, encouraging her people in like manner. Brave souls, each of them standing tall amongst the others.

But the one who brought down the house, Avi Biton, a bus driver from Haifa, who though stabbed in the back by a terrorist, purposely zigzagged his bus. His maneuvering threw the terrorist off his feet and allowed his passengers to flee to safety until he himself subdued the terrorist before he passed out. But that wasn’t what brought down the house. He stood before the nation holding his torch and began as others do: “I Avi Biton, son of blessed memory”…but he did not stop there. He went on to name every member of his family tree: grandson of, brother of, father of, Grandfather of…on and on until he ended with a blessing that is a religious’ blessing, used to bless God “Who has brought us to this moment.” His voice broke into a sobbing boom as he continued, full of emotion and passion exhorting the people of Israel to be strong and of good courage and to stand and having done all to stand. The usually emotional but dignified ceremony erupted with cheers mixed with tears. He brought us to our knees and thankfully stopped before he was removed from the central spot.

He brought down the house and we successfully, AGAIN, moved from mourning to rejoicing!

Even as the fireworks began, the yummy smells of chicken and meats roasting over open fires (mangle) began to fill the air as other celebrants went downtown to enjoy street parties.

The country opens up all historical and military sites to the public. It is a truly educational day difficult to describe, but the traditional mangle is very much a part of it. We were blessed to partake with our kehila (fellowship) at a beautiful home belonging to a family in our fellowship in the central Binyamin region (the tribe of Binyamin). It was the sweetest of fellowship while large flags blew freely in the wind framing a spectacular view of the country promised, the country given, and the country rising up again from ashes and countless wars for the glory of God Who never fails.

Being that I go to an indigenous Hebrew speaking kehila, we are blessed to have many soldiers and former soldiers. I was not here in the days being described, but still I sat with wonder, knowing that THIS is what God has done, is doing and will do. Not just HISTORY being written and recorded before my eyes, but HIS STORY still in the process of time…and we His witnesses.

But now I come to Friday. It is one thing to sit with believers who know Him and can see the wonder of it all, but it’s miraculous when the door cracks open and we can see His workings in those who do not YET know Him.

As a native English speaking immigrant, most people don’t expect me to understand, so when I asked each one how their yom h’atzmaoot was, each asked me in kind. They did not expect my answer. That I had been with those who “were there” and who had loved ones who “were there.” They didn’t expect that we were with Hebrew speakers out of the city in an Israeli village.

They began to share with me their hearts.

The big discussion that I heard over and over this year from all manner of people – even the most secular – was if yom h’atz’maoot should be declared a full religious holiday. THAT has HUGE implications for the Jewish people. We do NOT declare religious holidays, period! They were set down in Torah (the Bible). Purim was adopted as a religious holiday, but that was MANY years ago.

At work, I heard the discussion repeated again and again. The premise resounding loud and clear, “But this IS a miracle from God!”

My boss would argue, “But the rabbis say that we can not say that this is TRULY Israel until geula (Redemption) has taken place and Messiah has come.”

Again they would say, “But this IS His miracle. His Hand regathering us.”

After working in this doctor’s office for 18 years, I am pretty much part of the family. Inis and Ahron Har Nooie are a sweet gentle couple, somewhat emotional, but both bank professionals so not TOO emotional. As we discussed the subject and Ahron told me, “I shared my story on the radio yesterday. For half an hour. I was in the Sinai when the Egyptians attacked. Oh, that was war! BIG war! My friends were dying all around me. We had so little to fight with but we had to convince them that we had much more than we did. Our Generals were smart…” He went on to describe horrific battles, the pain and grief and the miraculous feats. With big tears he turned to me and said, “You understand! You really do. This is not a game…a nice nice politically correct game. This is survival, but it is BIGGER than that even! I believe that we are STILL WRITING THE PASSOVER STORY. WE ARE STILL FINISHING THE HAGGADAH (the book of the story read at the Passover Seder). We are still coming out of Egypt, but we ARE coming out of Egypt and His Hand IS STILL LEADING US AND THIS IS A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY. (now this is a secular couple I am speaking about) AND WE HAVE TO KNOW IT AND PROCLAIM IT! WE ARE LIVING A MIRACLE NOW!”

I could have hugged him. He said it most eloquently and pointedly, but dear brothers and sisters, I heard it at least 15 times over and over from different people. THEY RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS INDEED THE WORK OF THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB and they are hungry to know the rest.

I have never had a yom h’atz’maoot like this one.

SOMETHING that I can’t quite see has changed or progressed or moved.

Seasons change and indeed they are running! Jerusalem Day is up next on 6th of June. May we each be found IN HIM ALONE…With our eyes fixed upon Him…for His glory.

Lovingly,

your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

May 8, 2016 · 8:49 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Shalom again to Holocaust Memorial and Remembrance Day (Yom h’Shoar). Welcome, Lord of all comfort and Truth into this day. Invade the hearts of those whose hearts have been so damaged by the unimaginable and yet still hope against hope that there is Truth, Hope and justice. May we who have seen The Face of Truth, Hope and Justice bring your Light into this darkening world.

Yes, it has been Yom h’shoar (Day of Holocaust literally but called the Remembrance day for the martyrs of the Holocaust, or just Holocaust Memorial day) once again, with its full shock of entry and time of deep reflection.

How does one begin to grieve or share the grief of 6,000,000,000…six million?

One at a time.

Our Knesset holds a ceremony: “Unto every person there is a name.” It goes like this: (a quote from the Jerusalem Post) —

“Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel and her daughters lit a candle in her mother’s name, and in memory of her relatives killed in the Jado concentration camp in Libya, where 2,600 Jews were sent, 562 of whom died. Gamliel’s great-grandfather, Shia Bracha, was sent to the camp from Tripoli, and was killed while trying to escape, and her grandparents lost a daughter from malnutrition in Jado.

“Modern Israel owes part of its establishment to the heroes who underwent the hell of the Holocaust and rose from it to fight for Israel’s independence, thus ensuring the continuation of future generations in Israel,” Gamliel said. “The recognition in recent years of Holocaust survivors and victims of the Nazi regime in Arab countries is for me, as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor from Libya, is the closing of a circle and does justice to a large group in Israel that did not receive the recognition it deserves.”

Others who lit candles were Holocaust survivors Esther Meron, Avraham Ivanir, Fruma Galant, mother of Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant, and Svetlana Sorokin, mother of MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), as well as Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Director-General Dr. Yisrael Peleg.

Next, MK Yaakov Margi (Shas) read from Psalms, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yaakov Yosef said Kaddish and an IDF cantor chanted the El Maleh Rachamim prayer.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein began the name-reading by reading the names of children who perished in the Sharogorod Ghetto in Transnistria, where his grandparents and mother survived the Holocaust.

President Reuven Rivlin read the names of soldiers killed in the War of Independence who were the last surviving members of their families, as well as the names of their relatives who were murdered by the Nazis. His wife, Nechama Rivlin, read names of relatives, and had to stop in the middle to compose herself, as she was crying.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept his annual tradition of reading a poem his father-in-law, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, wrote in 1941 in Israel, when he lost touch with his family in Europe and did not know what happened to them. They all perished in the Holocaust.

Supreme Court President Miriam Naor said she and her cousins did research to find out names and details about relatives who were killed in the Holocaust…” AND SO ON IT GOES.

Poignant. Emotional. Indescribable. These are the words that come to me as I seek to describe the day that I have sought to describe for 21 years now. At 10:00 am the eerie wail of the siren sounded throughout the country for two minutes while a nation stood silent and at attention, agreeing to share a mantle of grief far too heavy to be borne alone on the shoulders of tattooed old people.

For one day in the year they open the coffin of a closet where the dark memories lie hidden and share the unimaginable openly, in schools, on television and in ceremonies or homes, so that we can all carry it together with them. We listen to their stories, sit and have tea with them, weep with them and hug them. The stories are collected, written, and dramatized. “They must never forget!” they cry. ‘The world must never never forget!’ they yell collectively, but their voices grow ever weaker.

It has been 70 years now since the Holocaust. Many of them have lived this long because they have a burning passion to “Having survived −survive!” But they are dying because they are, after all, just flesh and blood.

A new and hopeful thing has cropped up. It is called Zikeron b’salon or literally “Memory in the livingroom.” I was listening to a report about it. They said that several years ago some young people were speaking of a need they had to find further expression concerning the Holocaust. Children here learn about it in school from pre-school and the studies continue through the army and university.

During the last year in high school they participate in “The March of the Living” − a trip to Auschwitz death camp. Suddenly they are post army and university and it all comes to an end. A small group of young adults decided to meet in the livingroom, hear a testimony in person or on a tape, and to hold their own discussion and ceremony. It caught on with young people all over the country and this year there were hundreds of such meetings.

Yes, it is taken personally. Life from the dead…hope from ashes.

Last week one of our patients died. Ada Steinberg was 96 and lived with a helper. Originally from Russia, she had never married, made aliyah alone as a teenager, became a professor and had many friends, but she outlived them all. That was a chilling thought to me when she told me that her last friend died. She was now all alone but she went on and became very close to her helper.

She died quietly in her sleep last week and I asked my boss who would sit shiva for her (mourn her in the Jewish tradition). He stopped and said, “I don’t know.”

That wasn’t like my boss. He knows ALL of these things! “Was she in the shoah?” I asked him. To my surprise, he didn’t know that either. It took me quite awhile searching online to find anything about her but finally, on the Yad V’Shem website, (take a look) www.yadvashem.org/ among the recorded testimonies, I found hers. It is in Hebrew and so it will take me awhile to listen, but I intend to. She had a name. She was brave.

I was raised with the Holocaust. Today I found myself wondering how it had colored’ my world. I guess I will never know really. I was very small, perhaps two, when I first became aware of the Holocaust. I had very thick curly dark hair and I was with my Mother. It was summer. I remember the dress that I was wearing. A woman stopped to talk to my mother and she reached out and put her fingers in my hair and began running them through lovingly, but even then at that young age I knew something wasn’t right. I remember her getting down on her knees and looking at me and saying over and over, “I had a little girl like you once, yes, I had a little girl just like you…”

My Mother sheltered me behind herself and I was holding on to her knees. But that was only my first encounter. Holocaust survivors began pouring into our neighborhood in NY, USA and there was a scary feeling about them…something of death held on to them and it haunted me. In our apartment there were books and photos of the newly liberated camps. I would lay on the floor and look at the pictures and wonder.

My conclusion then was: “We must be such an awful people to be so deeply hated.”

HOW THANKFUL I AM THAT THE ONE WHO WAS DISPISED AND REJECTED PURSUED ME AND SAVED ME OUT OF THE HELL THAT I FOUND MYSELF TRAPPED IN!

So I stood outside of work at 10:00 a.m. this morning when the siren pierced the air and prayed for Kala Zeltzer, Yaakov and Ruth Lork and the other survivors that I know by name − for them to be comforted face to Face by The One Who is truly able to understand and bare even their grief and lead them safely home.

God bless you all. Lovingly,

your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

May 1, 2016 · 6:18 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Pesach Sa’may’ack, or Joyous Passover, to each of you from Jerusalem. May His plans and purposes be fulfilled in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. May He Alone be glorified as I share, and may you be edified.

My eyes are overflowing with things I have seen to share with you, and my heart is overflowing with His great goodness as my husband and I sat with my kehila last night, sharing in such a wonderful Passover Seder. The wonder of it all, the fulfillment of 2,000 years, perhaps 5,000 years of PROMISE. He has His body here again, planted, walking, believing, obeying. I am more than a bit intoxicated by His great goodness as I try to write, so please have grace if I become too emotional.

It is difficult to be in love and NOT be emotional and He is surely One to love!

If you have ever lived in a big city, you would probably be pretty impressed to see how our city, Jerusalem, right now. It is literally scrubbed down from top to bottom just before Passover (Pesach). It is INDEED impressive. I have described to you before how the insides of homes, stores and work places are scrubbed, but yesterday was “city scrubbing day” and it is a massive group effort.

I had been absorbed in my Bible reading this morning and had missed my normal Friday morning prayer meeting, but instead finding a heart pounding revelation in Exodus 36. More on that later.

As I went down for the early morning train at 6:15 I saw that the garbage trucks and sweepers were hard at work. A tired looking elderly lady in a nightgown and slippers came out of her building hauling a large bag of garbage over to her dumpster. Suddenly she saw that the dumpster was already across the street being emptied. She looked at her bag and back again at the dumpster. Finally she decided to set it down in the empty dumpster site and shuffled back to her apartment. The garbage man brought the dumpster back and seeing the new bag, with no sign of annoyance at all, ran it to the truck. Even the garbage men and street sweepers seemed in a good mood.

I thanked them for their work and they smiled at me. As the train wove it’s way to the shuk, I was impressed by the silence and the cleanness of the streets. I saw truck drivers along the way with big buckets and brooms scrubbing down their trucks. At the shuk, all of the bread and cake stores were closed and many other places had certain shelves sealed off already. Even the shuk looked shiny.

The bus was soaking wet when I got on as it had already been hosed and scrubbed inside and out, making the seats a bit of a gamble to sit on. It was a delight to weave our way through the clean and quiet streets, decked with flowers pressed into bloom by the blessing of alternating rain and sun over the past few weeks.

I’ve often described my 2 block walk from the bus to work to you because of the abundance of fruit trees lining this beautiful old and quiet neighborhood but I nearly burst into tears as I came to my favorite pomegranate tree which is loaded with fruit at the time of the fall “feast of tabernacles” or Sukkot. There, on the eve of Pesach, the first of the spring feasts, were the very first tiny fluorescent crown shaped buds of the rimmon (pomegranate). What timing! It seemed as if The Lord whispered to my heart: “It is ALL complete…the seeds of the end are in the beginning…the seeds of the fulfillment are in the promise…though it tarry, wait for it.” How beautiful!

At 9:12am (yes…to the minute) the country was to be purged of leaven. Smells of small fires were pungent in the morning air as the last of the leavened food was burned. At work (having already seen the first emergency off in an ambulance and dealt with some 5 other walk ins, we searched the office cupboards for anything not marked kosher for Pesach and brought it out to the dumpsters for the cities final pick up of the day. A big discussion ensued between my boss (semi-religious Ashkenazi – of eastern European origin) and the other secretary (religious Sephardic – of far eastern, Arab country origin) about whether it was kosher for Pesach to NOW eat a kosher for Pesach cookie or if you had to wait until after the Seder.

The traditions differ dramatically. Ashkenazim follow more closely the traditions of the sages while Sephardim seem to follow more closely the scriptures, or so it seems to me. It is a mixture so please never take me as the authority. Anyway, it was fun to listen.

Coming home from work to prepare my part of the Seder meal, I joined the crowds stepping aside so as not to be washed away with the street washer. The washing and scrubbing machines were being driven up and down the sidewalks making us look like ping pong balls, dodging it’s spray and brushes. How shiny everything is now. Windows polished, flowers and plants being sold at every intersection and along the way. Why, it even SMELLS clean and fresh.

“Chag Sa’may’ack” the greeting rang out over and over again between strangers. I smiled at many as I wished them “chag sa’may’ack” and prayed that THIS year many would find The Lamb whose Blood saves us truly from the death angel. I love to listen as older people sit and share stories about the way Pesach USED to be in Jerusalem − “before, when people were exceedingly poor and far more generous with one another.”

By the time I got home from work, the streets were all but silent as families were inside their homes, scurrying to bathe and set tables and put on their specially set-aside clothes.

How quiet…how clean…most of the work was done and now was the time of the heart.

The Passover story, in reality, is written from Genesis through Revelation and is the thread of blood (yes both mortal and Eternal) that ties the books together. After more than 41 years of reading through the Word, it has never been clearer to me.

How pure and perfect is the creation, which reflects The Creator. Then there was sin. The tree that just looked good to the eyes so why not eat it? God wouldn’t see anyway and He couldn’t have been THAT serious, right?

And so, an animal was killed, it’s blood spilled so that our Loving tender God could provide clothing to cover the nakedness of the two suddenly made naked by sin. And then there came Cain and Abel, and we learn that the blood speaks from the ground. “Your brother’s blood cries out to Me.”

Blood and more blood. Sin and more sin. And sin always requiring the most precious to restore us to Him Who IS Most Precious. Such a great and high price paid − sin is INDEED painful, and costly.

So God found “a man” and “a family” and “a tribe of tribes” with which to establish a covenant, sealed with blood. And when Abraham was tested, the one with whom the covenant was to be signed, GOD HIMSELF provided the lamb. And more than 400 years later through His intricate all-seeing plan, the first Passover entered. God called for each family to take a perfect Lamb, keep him and examine him for 3 days and then to sacrifice him at sundown, dipping the hyssop into a basin filled with blood and placing that blood of that pure lamb over the lintel of the door to speak, “THIS IS MY BLOOD BOUGHT INHERITANCE. THE DEATH ANGEL MAY NOT ENTER HERE!”

The key is always the same: His Provision and our obedience.

The death of all of the firstborn in Egypt and the judgment of the Egyptian gods resulted in the continued unfolding of God’s plan of redemption for the entire world. It is still through The Blood of The Lamb, the shedding of innocent Blood for the forgiveness of sin. A blackness that we don’t understand until we stand in His Light.

The Passover Seder was given so that we would REMEMBER and NEVER FORGET. May our hearts always remember The Blood sacrifice and flee daily to that fountain that we are not hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

So today our country rests. It is also Shabat. The Sabbath rest is deep and the city is oh so quiet and peaceful. Here we sit literally surrounded on all sides by mountains of enemies determined to destroy us and a world fixed on dismantling us. We and our leaders sit around the ancient Seder tables recounting HIS triumph in obedience to His command. We sit in the peace of a clean and quiet day.

Our ancestors prepared the meal in homes shuttered and covered with blood, passing through the Red (Reed) Sea, led and shielded by a pillar of fire and a cloud. WHAT A GREAT AND MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

At sundown tonight the time of rejoicing begins. It is a weeklong, matzo eating holiday; a week filled with lots of day trips and hikes, sightseeing, museums, playgrounds, special doings, the priestly blessing given at the western wall with most of the country on vacation. (No, not me. People still get sick and come to the Doctor.) People take the time to examine the country that they love, which is a gift from God Himself.

I have no doubt that this will all pale in the wonder that we will have when we see Him Face to face.

May He be revealed to His own as Joseph was revealed to his brothers…perhaps today.

Lovingly,

your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

April 10, 2016 · 9:33 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

1 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, ²To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Beloved sisters and brothers, I also pray for you − “Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ, Yeshua h’meshiach our Lord.”

Passover (Pesach) is rapidly approaching, with all of the signs evident in the streets of Jerusalem which I enjoy sharing with you. But as I prepared myself to write, just as the Passover Seder reminds us of Who God IS and what He has done. Seder in Hebrew means order, as in things being in order and a certain order to things. The term is even used medically referring to a pulse rate being “mesudar” (in order) or “lo mesudar” (not in order).

So as I read the first verses in Timothy this morning, I thought again of my place in Him. These letters, which have evolved over 21 years, also caused me to think where we came from, for what purposes, and where we are going. It’s a time for assessment to make sure the goal and the path are “in order.”

The above verse said clearly that Paul was called to be an apostle; Timothy, a true son in the faith. Each one had their “place.”

I remember well my own deliverance and exodus from slavery and bondage. Almost immediately, the One who set me free told me to DELIGHT myself in being a “nobody”, an unknown and to keep to the middle of the path. And it was to me, truly, a DELIGHT to know that this was what He was calling me to be.

When I began these letters, they went to three friends. Because they were long and I was hand writing the same thing to each, describing my new life and what I was seeing and hearing and smelling, I photocopied them. Soon it was spreading to other friends and then several pastors saw them and asked to share them with their congregations. A computer came along, and then email and eventually they were being shared more and more.

Now, many of you who get these, I don’t even know you face to face, or even your names. I have heard that they have been translated into other languages and all sorts of things. They don’t belong to me; they are His. But it is VERY important to me that I remain mesudar before Him.

That’s why I re-affirm at times that I really am no one with any authority but that which we sheep all have in Him. I am not a prophet, a teacher, nor an authority on Israel or Judaism. I am a Jewish believer who lives in Jerusalem longing to follow The Lamb wherever He goes, to know Him Face to face, and to be obedient. No more and no less. He told me to bear witness to what I see, hear, smell, taste, where I walk, because the time is short and many others will not get to walk here. And what He is doing here impacts His body worldwide AND the entire world.

It is not better, nor is it special. It just IS and IS HIS PLAN FOR HIS GLORY. And it IS SO IMPORTANT for the body, worldwide, to respond to Israel and Jerusalem according to HIS Heart, which the world so hates. Both His Heart and this nation and people. Luke 17:10 has a WONDERFUL verse that I almost never hear anyone quote, but Yeshua SAID THIS:

” So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’”

So much for the importance of self -esteem!

Aside from Shabat, Pesach is probably the centerpiece of who a Jew is. The Passover traditions vary from place to place and even family to family, but the book of Exodus records the history that we are to remember, re-live, and never forget. Although the release from slavery through the judgment of Egypt and her gods is the center of the Passover narrative, the ENTIRE BOOK of Exodus is nothing short of breathtaking. I love reading it again and again.

The command that was for the children of Israel, repeated many times throughout scripture, is to remove all leaven from all dwelling places and to eat matzo (which also reminds us of the manna in the wilderness) for 7 days. On the first and last days of this holiday, there is to be a holy convocation and no work is to be done but we are to REMEMBER.

Since the main hands-on task given to the tribes of Israel is the physical removal of all leaven, it is done with great diligence (as I have described time and again). Thankfully, just in the years that I have lived here, I have also seen (and heard on the radio) increasing emphasis placed on removing the leaven from our hearts as well.

What does it look like on the streets of Jerusalem?

So, of course, the first thing that happens here in Jerusalem is the massive cleaning of the food stores (every store for that matter). Every shelf, every cabinet and every surface space is scrubbed. Every item removed from the shelf, checked and washed. (NO SMALL JOB!)

As this takes place, the foods containing ingredients “not-kosher for Passover,” begin to move to a designated (messy) aisle. At the end of this preparation time, a rabbi will come and seal off this area with an official seal (shrink wrapping many shelves). At that point, the act of breaking the seal becomes punishable until the end of Pesach.

New, clean shelves are clearly marked “Kosher for Pesach” and the foods appear: matzo, matzo meal, potato flour instead of wheat flour, Passover cookies and cakes made of coconut or meringue, gefilte fish and all sorts of special foods eaten at Passover. While down at the other end, the hometz − cereals, crackers, breadstuffs and foods you would never imagine are not Kosher − sit alone by themselves.

AND depending on the chief rabbinical ruling for various years, things you would never expect either appear or disappear. One year that stands out in my memory was the one that both most cheeses and dry animal food disappeared and became forbidden for Passover. Why? Who knew? There was definitely some grumbling, and that never did happen again − although I make it a point to check my dog and cat food supply several weeks ahead of time since that happened.

Several years ago to my shock, BAKING SODA became KOSHER FOR PASSOVER. Now, I am NOT “religious” and I know that this is not my salvation, BUT BAKING SODA?? You can’t tell ME that this is not a leavening agent!

I wonder if God laughs or if HE weeps…

Along with the foods, giant sales of cleaning items appear AND new sheets, tablecloths, beds, refrigerators, stoves, and so forth. Who knows WHERE the leaven has been dropped and is trying to hide! (Seriously think about our own hearts.)

But in many homes it is more than a ritual. Yes, there are hearts that want to please God and show Him that they love Him. They care about fulfilling His Word and teaching the generations to come as we were told to do. And so the work is done lovingly and the meals prepared to serve others.

“Where are you going for Seder?” Nena, a young secretary, asked me. “We would love if you come to our home.”

“Thank you, we are going to be with friends. How many will you have at your Seder table?” I asked.

“Oh! We have no idea. We cook for about 100 and we will see. It will be wonderful.”

She comes from a large Sephardic (Eastern Jews from Arab or Spanish countries) family who had been in Algeria generations ago. They are very warm and loving, a humble and kind religious family. She and I speak often about Truth and the scriptures.

As always at Passover, the shuk is filled with the fragrance of fresh garlic. It is not the kind that you generally buy, dried with defined cloves, but huge bulbs still moist and their long onion-like tops that can be beautifully braided together. It makes me think of the complaints of our ancestors in the desert when they longed to return to the leeks and garlic of Egypt. Had they only imagined that one day thousands of years later these very items their flesh longed for would flourish abundantly in the land that they had been promised. Every time I look at the garlic and leeks, it reminds me of the perfect faithfulness of God who is not limited by time or space or problems. It boggles my mind!

Part of my every-day reading just happens to have me in the book of Exodus − along with Ezekiel, Acts and 1 Tim. I was surprised one morning when I read God’s commands to Moses to “stretch forth your hand.” You remember, he had a shepherd’s staff.

“What is that you have in your hand?” God asked him and throughout the judgments placed on Egypt, he was told to “stretch out his hand.”

Exodus 14:²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

The scriptures began piling up in my heart.

Mark 3:1-6 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

When He fed the multitude and asked, “What have you got?” And the few fish and loaves were multiplied to feed great crowd. I thought of this man with the withered hand standing in the Synagogue, probably wishing that no one would stare at him, yet wishing to be healed. The leaders were angry but Yeshua told him, “step forward and stretch out your hand.” He had to obey Yeshua in front of everyone. We KNOW that Moses said, “I CAN’T DO THIS GOD,” but God said, “What is that you have in your hand? Stretch it out.”

And I thought how He ALWAYS calls us OUT of our comfort zones with our “very little” and has us give it or break it or stretch it out − and often in front of people who might become angry.

Suddenly 40 years in the back side of the desert feeding the sheep looks VERY tempting!

These people were real: Moses, Pharaoh, the man with the withered hand, you, me, and the Jews of Jerusalem and the gentiles around the world. But more real IS the kingdom of God and THE KING Who has shown us all the way and given us each a small portion in our hand. Some smaller, some larger, but all just enough because HE is The One Who makes the way. Be it through the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea) with the armies of Egypt hot on our heels or through a debt, illness, grief, struggle, and so forth.

So today I’m choosing again to take the little in my hand and stretch it forth to Him because He says to do it.

May HE multiply food to SOMEONE for strength and may it be for His glory ALONE.

As we move on toward Passover, may we be found faithful to the One who took us from our Egypts and has gone to prepare a place.

Blessings with grace to worship Him today in Spirit and in Truth.

Lovingly,

your sis J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

March 28, 2016 · 9:47 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

INDEED! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

You all likely recognize by now the Resurrection morning greeting used by our Russian brethren throughout the years, to which we can all say, “AMEN!”

And thus I greet you all this morning, a morning that the Resurrection is recognized in much of the world even today [“right day” or not is irrelevant as some may take notice and turn to Him somewhere] though the world grows darker. May the light of the Resurrected Messiah grow ever lighter in us and lead us through, baring much fruit, to a triumphant morning in the near future. May His peace be deep in each of us today.

Often during the years we have lived here, my husband and I have gone to the sunrise service at the garden tomb, the place most likely the tomb where Yeshua’s flesh was placed but He didn’t stay for very long. It is an international event as the garden, normally a peaceful and contemplative place, is jammed with tourists, representing 60-70 countries.

For many of them, this moment is a spiritual mountaintop and the service is a gift to them. For me, it’s a time to be with my husband who doesn’t usually choose to be in fellowship at this point, but it is also a blessing and a privilege. Although at times a bit surreal, as we move out into our normal day, riding the train filled with workers for 15 minutes to the next neighborhood and then entering a place of wonder, surrounded by flashing cameras and ipads held high above heads to film it all. (It is available on the web here.)

Then it’s back out into the hustle and bustle of the tension filled streets.

I wasn’t going to mention this journey as over the years it has joined many holidays in becoming sadly divisive, but something happened last night that riveted my attention in a sort of parable.

It got me thinking about this journey that I’ve been on for the past 70 years now, 41 with Him.

As I thought about what I was going to write and how to write it today, I looked back and found myself chuckling. I thought about my most memorable sunrise services:

Back in 1975 when I met Him and the FACT that His rising from the dead meant total deliverance for me and “whosoever will”, broke my chains and released me from painful bondage, and even conquered death…why…who could take it all in. I found that the date I had avoided as a kid. The date that “they” (the gentiles) had painted eggs and celebrated rabbits (I figured), the date that gentiles wore hats and new outfits and had parades was REALLY supposed to be a day to remember the greatest moment in history. The rending of the veil between life and death, the conquering of death, sin and the grave and the setting of the captives free. Oh what GLORY! AND [on top of that] there was this thing called a “sunrise service” where we could go and worship together. I thought that I might be translated I was so joyful!

I found an announcement of a Sunrise Service at a Sacramento Drive-in Church, to be held at a drive-in movie theater. I couldn’t sleep because of my excitement and stayed awake, praying all night, preparing myself. At about 3 a.m. this newly born again now ex-hippie piled my 3-legged border collie into my pickup truck and headed out to the fields looking for this place. I arrived early and was handed a drive-in movie speaker to put on my window and told to honk when appropriate. Well, nothing moved me because I was going to worship.

Being early, my dog and I ran out into the field and worshipped The Lord barefooted in the dew until the sun began to rise and the people came. Happily I piled back into my truck and dutifully honked when told. Then we were invited into the projection tower for coffee. Everyone stared at me when I arrived. I guess I DID loo’ a bit ‘different, but it was MY turn to stare – and yes – run out in fear when they offered me a HOT CROSS BUN! I was SHOCKED! What kind of cult was this mocking the cross? I guess you could say it was a clash of cultures!

My next sunrise service found me in Placerville, California where I read that there was one at the Diamond Springs Church. Again I found my way, this time to a small older wooden house built close up to others. About 10 people were gathered in the back yard with chickens, a pig and a goat. A Baptist Hymnal was handed out each of us. To my surprise a very chubby boy of maybe 12 came out with a TUBA and began BLASTING “Up from the grave HE arose”…accompanied by the slamming of windows all around and a few nasty words.

So far I was not being the witness of the Resurrection that I wanted to be. The following year I took a blanket and my new baby (thank You Lord) AND dog and found a beautiful quiet hilltop where we worshipped. Then I went to the opening market and told everyone, “HE’S ALIVE.” They stared. Still no fruit.

And there was the year that a schoolteacher and I went to the highest place between Naknek and King Salmon Alaska, which happened to be a graveyard. It was a perfect place to have a tiny worship service (being He had conquered death), except that a sudden blizzard arose with the sun and we were stranded in a ditch until my husband woke up, found me missing, and came to look for us.

Along the with these anecdotal times were also wonderful ones and all along the way He has led me, even to this hill in Jerusalem.

With the moving of the body worldwide to understand and embrace more and more of the Jewish roots, there is an evolution taking place that is beautiful, sometimes hard, sometimes humorous, but always needing grace, like most changes. I realized that many churches celebrated Passover this week, having made the connection between Passover and the Cross. But the Jewish calendar, which dates from Moses, is different than the Gregorian calendar and so this year Passover (Pesach) isn’t until 22 April. Oops.

HOWEVER…this brings me to my Parable.

I SPILLED THE YEAST!!!

What in the world does this have to do with Resurrection, Passover, walking through 70 years and so forth.

EVERYTHING!

Purim finally ended on Shabat (Saturday evening). In a Jewish household, particularly a JERUSALEM household, the passing of Purim means one thing – PREPARATIONS FOR PASSOVER MUST BEGIN IN ERNEST.

The center preparation theme of Pesach (Passover) is “GET RID OF THE LEAVEN” (in your heart and ALSO in your home)

Exodus 12:18-20

“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

I’ve said before, many people simply make plans to go to a hotel for Passover and leave the cleaning to others. They seal up their houses. Those who can’t afford it: scrub.

I imagine that a tent was relatively easy to scrub or simply move.

Old apartments full of cracks, upholstered furniture, wooden tables and chairs, refrigerators and stove and TOASTERS are NOT so easy, and depending upon your degree of sensitivity to the commandment, it can be stressful.

“But,” you say, and RIGHTFULLY so, as a Jewish Blood bought redeemed by The Precious Lamb believer, aren’t you under grace and not under the law? You are FREED from the law of sin and death.”

Yep! This is true. And I am NOT saved by the keeping of the law. I know that and am free in that. But that Love that bought me and brought me back to my ancient homeland and people, placed a responsibility upon me to walk before Him in a manner pleasing and clean in this land and to rightly divide the Word of Truth. So, as I love Him and look at these verses I see in Exodus 12:14-17 (and SO many other places)

” ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.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.On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.”

I do not struggle with this. I embrace it. It has been given in divine Love and I receive it that way as a witness among my own people.

But I’m seventy. I don’t bend as well or see as well and my scrubbing hands can get stiff and tired, not to mention these knees. It was with that in mind that I assessed my kitchen earlier in the day and mentally divided up my cleaning. I keep it to getting rid of anything leavened and cleaning the kitchen well. I have three weeks to do that, and I was ready to pace myself.

UNTIL I SPILLED MOST OF A BIG SACK OF YEAST LAST NIGHT!

Being a good wife, I had baked some yeast rolls for my husband thinking that this would be my last working with yeast before Passover. I was pretty careful with my surfaces and had cleaned up well, placing the yeast to the side to get rid of when done. Those of you who bake bread KNOW that yeast is alive and that it is VERY VERY STICKEY. Even when it is dry.

Soooo, when the whole bag tipped over, NOT onto a smooth surface mind you, but between two cabinets, I yelped! Things got worse as I attempted to clean it up. I stood back and surveyed the mess and prayed. “HELP, LORD!”

Yes, I did look to Him, and as I stared, I saw the PARABLE. Here it is: the eve of the day that Resurrection is to be celebrated. Here it is: the preparation for Pesach. Here it is: the law and grace. The WILL to do is there but OH WHERE IS THE WAY? No matter HOW much I try to scrub out the leaven, I still spill the yeast.

I sat down.

And I laughed.

Oh, I kept trying to gather up the yeast, but I sang as I did.

And I worshipped Him and began to think about those HUMEROUS sunrise services. Oh my, the TUBA in the middle of a tiny town on a Sunday sunrise! The honk to say Amen and Halleluyah! The hanging out of our windows to scrub off any leaven that might be sticking to an outside windowsill. All of our attempts to please Him were accomplished on the cross.

And for one, brief, fleeting moment: it just seemed THAT EASY! HE DOES ALL THINGS WELL.

Am I still struggling?

Well, OF COURSE! But I want to keep the parable of the yeast near at hand.

And so I lovingly close for now. If any of you have had the grace to read through this, may you be specially blessed! HE IS RISEN INDEED.

Blessings with love, for His glory,

Your sister J in Jerusalem

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

” And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” Revelation 4:8

Greetings sisters and brothers, who have the same privilege as I do to share with the host of heaven and bless and worship Him Who sits on the throne. May He be glorified and adored and lifted up in you and in me, and may you be blessed. I am so thankful to be part of His body with you!

I grew up with the old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. What a good reminder to look to the Lion who is also The Lamb. Revelation 5:5-6 humbled me greatly awhile back as I read “…Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah…And I looked, and behold…a Lamb…” It’s neat how even the weather and the calendar can point us to worship Him.

Here, March blew in with a roar. A HOT roaring wind with bright sunshine warmed my cold bones and caused me to look at the hills, so recently drenched with rain, now bursting everything into spectacular bloom. In January our many almond trees turn white with blossoms and remind us, even in winter, of the mighty and enduring promises of God (Jeremiah 1:11,12). They stand out as sentinels along the cold winter hills. But with the warm sun, as they begin to shed their blooms, they are joined by the rich fullness of deep greens and vibrant colors dazzling the eyes as literally everything bursts forth into color.

The birds rise in song to add delight to it all. Oh, winter is set to return with more rain and cold, but it is so true that the heavens declare the glory of God and His handiwork is simply on display everywhere we look, even in the midst of agonizing situations.

One look at Him and then it is all put into perspective.

Coming home from work today, I had to stand on the bus. Thankfully I was perched right behind the row of single seats, which end with a somewhat comfortable padded headrest (for wheel chairs actually). It made a nice place to steady myself and lean against. I found myself looking down over the shoulder of a teacher who was reading papers and I glanced at them. To my surprise I saw that they were poems, and happily, as I looked, I saw that I could really understand most of the words.

It appeared to be a writing assignment for adults, but using particular words: heart, fly, day, good and some others. These words were repeated many times in each poem and I was taken aback as it seemed to me that the assignment had been given to soldiers who had suffered trauma. I was literally gripped by the raw open- hearted cries written on page after page. One wrote of a beautiful day, fly away, like my friend who flew so many flights until the last…and didn’t come aback. Another spoke of too many wars and ended with the cry repeated three times “shalom l’yisroel” (Peace to Israel).

Page after page written by tired young hearts crying for peace and weeping over promises still around the corner. I was stunned. There I was − standing on the bus, resting my eyes, and they just happen to fall on to such a secret place. I prayed for those who wrote the poems. I wish I could explain it to you, that right there, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a crowded bus, a treasure chest of hearts opened.

Now my reading of Hebrew is NOT perfect and I COULD be all wrong. Perhaps it had nothing at all to do with what I THINK I saw. That is one of the drawbacks of being an immigrant: some things are misinterpreted. But that is what I THINK I saw, and it is quite likely a pretty accurate interpretation.

It’s amazing what we see when we look.

But what do we do with it then?

It is now a month since my last letter. I hear the helicopters overhead as America’s Vice President is here for talks with our Prime Minister and the leaders of the Palestinian Authority in the midst of the ongoing terror attacks, the Iranian weapons build up, and wars all around us.

What to share with you after this month of absence? There is just so much. Observations, thoughts, events − where to begin?

Yesterday I thought of you as I was coming home on the bus.

A woman in a wheel chair was safety-belted to the wheelchair rest. When we came to her stop, there were no young men on the bus able to help her off by lowering the ramp by the back door. The bus driver patiently stopped the bus and came to the back. Lowering the ramp, he then pushed her gently down it. As he came and started up the bus again, I thought about our drivers. What an amazing lot they are! Our public transportation here really IS for the entire general population. Pressing into the buses are old, young, baby carriages (including twin carriages!), wheelchairs, crutches, canes, blind canes and seeing eye dogs, regular dogs, cats in cages and kittens in jackets, teenagers, people praying , people singing, people coughing, and sneezing. There are the crazies, the teens, the mentally challenged, the soldiers, the tired, the hyperactive, and then there are the LANGUAGES − you name it.

Not ALL of the bus drivers care about everyone, but a surprising amount do. That’s a pretty tall order. People really CAN be pretty annoying, especially when there are so many ALL of the time. It has touched me that after each attack on a bus, the driver is so very concerned for his passengers.

I spend a great deal of time on the bus and the train. I get to recognize those I see regularly and pray that someday it will make a difference that someone prayed for them while bouncing along the roads of Jerusalem.

Our oldest daughter with our 10-year old Granddaughter and 5-year old Grandson were here with us to celebrate my 70th birthday, and it was a great gift. We went to the zoo, the beach, rode the train, and even drove up north for a night at her friend’s house. It was rural and very restful for me there.

But it was all a whirlwind. A wonderful one, but a whirlwind none the less and I am still very tired. Many people have been asking me, “when I plan to retire,” and that has had me thinking. We never planned for retirement and being that we need to pay the rent, we don’t see any way that we can retire. However, we are 70. Hmm!

This has been a wonderful and true test for me. FAITH! Oh yes! We believe…and we really do…but I find that the TRUE test of faith is when the bank balance is negative, when the strength is gone, when the medical tests don’t look good, and when the exit door approaches. I mean, I DO believe that He provides, gives strength, heals, and has provided eternal life more wonderful then we could ever dream of.

As the old saying goes: “I believe in the sun when it isn’t shining.”

But lately it is as if I feel HIS Spirit searching me deeply and saying, “Will you believe NOW? Will you REALLY BELIEVE?”

Isn’t He just wonderful, that He will search every corner of our hearts to make sure that there is no “fool’s gold” there but only TRUE GOLD, TRIED IN THE FIRE?? I am so THANKFUL that He will not let us fool ourselves with a counterfeit.

So, when will I retire? I don’t know. But when He tells me that it’s now, I want Him to find only faith in me and no fear. And because He is God, I trust that He will and sing Habakkuk 3:17 −

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—

¹⁸Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. ¹⁹The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills”.

I have told you how I have shared at work with one of the younger secretaries, Mali, about Him. I asked for prayer for her quite awhile back. I have grown to love her very much, none the less I was taken by surprise when she came in the day before I left for vacation for my daughter’s visit and handed me a small golden box. “What is this?” I asked.

She was SO excited. “It’s for your birthday! Quick, open it. It’s real gold. Do you like it? Do you like it?”

I wear one piece of jewelry and that is the menorah that my husband brought back for me from his first trip to Israel. He got off the plane and handed it to me and announced, “We’re making aliyah.”

The menorah is the 7-branched candelabra that God commanded to be in the temple. It represents His Holy Spirit and is woven throughout scripture, being particularly evident in Zechariah and Revelation, as well as all of the description of the temple. I have worn this since my husband gave it to me that fateful day back in 1992 or 3.

I pealed back the wrappings on Mali’s gift and there was a delicate gold necklace in the shape of Israel with a Star of David over it.

“Oh do you like it? Will you wear it? I can return it…” she was so excited. This was SUCH a big gift for this new mother. Her face was shining. She looked at me and said, “I was going to get you all sorts of things, but when I saw this I thought about how much you love Israel and I thought this was for you.”

As she put it on me I was so deeply touched. I never know how I appear to people or how they perceive my words. Mali and I speak only in Hebrew, so I am SURELY not sure what she sees and hears of me, so this touched me.

God loves Israel.

Why? His choice. I don’t know, but I know that I want to stand in agreement with Him. It isn’t always easy or in sync with what my own reasoning or emotions might dictate.

In my current reading through His Word I ask Him more and more to set my heart firmly in agreement with Him NO MATTER WHAT. I was taken back and literally thrown into prayer on Tuesday as I read Ezekiel 6 −

“Yet I will leave a remnant, … 9 Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. ¹⁰And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”11 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! …¹³Then you shall know that I am the Lord, …Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’”

Suddenly I saw “because I was crushed“ and it broke my heart.

We HAVE the power to CRUSH GOD’S HEART! HOW AWFUL!

Thankfully it means that we also have the power to bring His Heart pleasure. I saw myself as a part of the fruit carried away captive to the nations and as The Scriptures said He showed me my sin. I “loathed myself for the evils which I committed…” and was granted the greatest gift of all…repentance unto salvation.

And I looked around at us today and I wanted to pound my fists and stamp my feet and pray for revival NOW! Before The Heart of God could be further broken. How we complicate His message through His Word, with our own affinities and interpretations. I don’t want to cloud the Truth. I want to see it as He says and to be His servant for His glory, and to reflect Him, as He IS to the people whom He chose for His own purposes.

As He displays Himself in the heavens above and all creation, so He also displays Himself in the times and the seasons. He has set for Himself appointed feasts and even though Purim (23-25th of March this year) will soon be upon us, it is really Passover (Pesach 22-30 April this year) that we are looking toward. Preparations are beginning and hearts are stirring. I hope to share some peeks into this special time in the next letter.

But for now I will close this letter. May we all be constantly filled with wonder and worship of The One and Only True God Who deserves all praise and glory, love and obedience. He Alone is holy, and we are His.

Lovingly,

your sis J in Jerusalem

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare

February 14, 2016 · 7:57 am

inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in the name of the One who created heaven and earth and Who redeemed us to be a remnant for His Own glory. May Yeshua h’meshiach − Jesus Christ − be glorified and blessed and may you be blessed and encouraged.

What a world we live in and what a joy to know that we are in His Hands and He is neither early nor late nor taken by surprise by anything.

I went down town to the local “outreach book store” where my dear friend works. While I was walking there on Jaffa Road (Rehov Yaffo), the main thoroughfare along which our train now runs, I was struck by a strange mixture of tension and relaxation. Blue lights flashing from police vehicles that precede and follow the trains, keeping watch for suspicious people and objects, rush up and down the tracks every minute or two. The trains are constantly a target of stone throwers and there have been various incidents on the train as well. You can almost see the sinews on the necks of the police/soldiers standing out as they strain with tension, searching the crowd and the tracks.

It seems almost odd that the sidewalks along the tracks are dotted with cafés filled with umbrellas and tables full of people sipping coffee and eating, messing with their cell phones and just visiting. Now it is true that this is an Israeli strategy. The national stance is that “where one is killed, two will stand and are planted; we will live life as normal, even if the times aren’t normal.”

Having been given more than ample opportunity to practice this, we are good at it. Nonetheless a mixture of emotions hit me:

1) This is sad…

2) This is resilient…

3) Does anyone else notice this or am I the strange one here?

Frankly, I don’t know, BUT what an example of the believer’s stance was on display before me. Surrounded by enemies sworn to destroy us, we are protected and guarded by His host to stand in the gap and praise and worship Him with peace and joy while taking no thought for tomorrow.

This suddenly seemed to me to be a glowing example of faith.

And perhaps faith IS the issue here. Although granted, maybe not all of those people seated along the tracks were standing in the faith of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, BUT SOME ARE!

As I rode the train home I was surprised to see long banners of the Israeli flag being carried along with calls for repentance. We are called here to be priests unto God!

Because I believe His Word, I believe that in the end, we will see it come to pass, just as He said, not necessarily as our limited personalities interpret it. To quote just one of many promises:

Jeremiah 33:16-16 and 25, 26

¹⁴‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: ‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ (yes…we who are blessed to know His Name know that He has been here once…these wait for Him with anticipation not knowing that He has already come once and will return!)

²⁵“Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’”

It’s amazing – but not really – how up to date His Word is because it is eternal and TRUE. Several mornings ago I was engaged in my regular reading, part of which currently is in Genesis when I read:

The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,

And you shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

Because the Lord has heard your affliction.He shall be a wild man;

His hand shall be against every man,

And every man’s hand against him.

And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” (Genesis 16:9-11)

^”Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.” (Genesis 17:19-21)

The wind was blowing just right this morning so that I heard the piercing sound of the Muslim call to prayer. I usually don’t hear it because I live on the western side of town. I thought, this is the age-old wrestling match between Jacob and Esau. The two wrestled in the womb before they continued to wrestle on earth. Yes, they’re still wrestling today.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob −Elohim − is NOT the god of Ishmael and Esau: Allah. Their nature and character is as different as is their expression of who they are. Elohim calls to life while Allah to death. The inscription around the top of the Alaksa Mosque is “allah is one…and HE HAS NO SON.” (Yes, this is inscribed in Arabic).

And yet: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only begotten Son…”

It is so very evident as I walk through the streets that the ancient battle is still being fought today.

After leaving the bookstore, I noticed a different tension as I waited for the train. Then I heard it: the dreaded word ‘pe’goo’ah‘ (attack). I listened awhile and it was obvious that someone was badly injured. It turned out to be two young boarder police/soldiers. Both women. The 19 year old later died of her wounds.

Did you hear about this? Or about the many others?

I began to ask those around me for more details, which were still sketchy. The attack was just 2 stops away, at ‘Sha’ar Schem’, often called Damascus Gate in English. It seemed that there were 3 attackers with knives, guns and explosives.

Many of my fellow passengers on the train were young soldiers. I could see their emotions. They wanted to scream but that they didn’t know how to express themselves. They needed to care. They needed to DO SOMETHING and so there I was… the first available little old lady they could do something for. I became their object of attention.

“Here, can I help you? Why don’t you stand HERE?” one young soldier took my shopping cart and moved it to where he was, regardless of the fact that I had a perfectly good spot.

Another soldier standing nearby and not wanting to be outdone said, “Do you know where you are going? Can I help you find your way?”

This COULD have been offensive if I didn’t understand their need to give, to help, to find some control in the midst of these uncontrollable’ situations. That is what our soldiers are trained to do: to find the solution.

I smiled and said, “Thank you but I just live here. I’m on my way home from work.’” I thought about how I so often NEED TO DO SOMETHING when The Lord would have me sit still and wait.

How little He asks of us: to trust and obey…and die to self! Oy! Yes Lord!

Thank you for your prayers for this nation and our people. We shall see HIS glory and HE WILL BE GLORIFIED!

God bless you.

Lovingly,

your sis J

6 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as Christianity, Church, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, Spiritual warfare