Tag Archives: Church

June 18, 2017 · 6:19 am

A Shadow’s Viewpoint of His Dad

Dad and mom

“Roy, where’s your shadow?” the tractor salesman asked Dad.

And with that statement, I received a nickname that stayed with me for quite a few years. I was Dad’s shadow, his tag along little boy, who traveled with him when he went to town or a neighbor’s place or Uncle Bob’s farm or the Haldane Elevator or wherever.

Of course, being Dad’s shadow had its unique benefits because he was a softie and I could always squeeze a dime or fifteen cents out of his pockets. This was more than enough to buy an ice-cold Nehi Cream Soda and a Baby Ruth candy bar at Donaldson’s Grocery Store in Haldane or a Pepsi and a handful of peanuts at Gentry’s Farm Implement in Polo.

As his shadow, I watched Dad climb Gene Bolen’s and Matt DeWall’s silos up to the top so that a new crop of silage could be stored in them. He was the fearless neighborhood Spiderman and unafraid of heights. I also saw him help Lawrence Zumdahl, Walter Paul, and Doc Link with their projects. Dad always had time to help neighbors and also drink their coffee. “Black please, no sugar or cream,” he always answered on how he liked his coffee.

And of course, there was Uncle Bob Duncan. Dad farmed with Uncle Bob for thirty plus years and never once did this shadow ever hear Dad speak an angry word at Uncle Bob or vice versa. Both treated each other with the highest mutual respect.

When I was six years old, Dad put his shadow (me) to work for the first time, driving a tractor which pulled the hay fork into the barn. It was an easy job. All I had to do was pay attention to him and push in the clutch when he waved his arms at me. But as youngsters sometimes do, I anticipated his commands and stopped early a few too many times. At last, Dad said to me, “From now on, watch me. If you don’t see me waving my hands, keep on going…even if you end up in the orchard. Do you understand?”

His voice alerted me to the importance of his commands.

All went well for a few hours.

Then, Mom showed up and talked with him while we were working. The load of hay moved up into the barn and I continued driving the tractor, waiting for the waving of his hands. But he continued talking with Mom. I drove past every one of my earlier stopping points and headed for the orchard. Finally, I saw him frantically waving his hands. I stopped.

He ran toward me. His face was red and he held his hat in his hand. “Sonny, I am so mad…but it’s not your fault…it’s mine. But I am so mad! You pulled the backdoor out of the barn with the hayforks. I’m so mad! But it’s not your fault. Honest, Sonny, it’s not your fault, but I am so mad!”

I can still see him standing there next to the tractor tire, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in his agitation, so angry and yet so careful not to hurt my feelings. He eventually helped me off the tractor and gave me a hug. All was well between Dad and his shadow even though his barn door was busted to pieces.

And this is how Dad treated me his whole life. It is called love.

A few days before Dad’s death, a nurse asked me, “What was your dad like?”

“He was a good guy who wore a white hat and sat on a tall white charger. He always arrived at the scene just in the nick of time with a few dollars in his pocket, a hammer and a pair of pliers in his hands and words of encouragement in his mouth for his loved ones and neighbors. He was my hero,” I said.

And I believed every word of it.

(Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2014, Amazon eBook)

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June 17, 2017 · 6:48 am

If God Loves Us, Why Do We Still Suffer? (Part 3)

“If you can’t pay the truck payments up to date by Monday afternoon, bring us the truck. No more stalling because it has to be one or the other,” said the Ford Motor Credit official.

I hung up the phone, wondering if the Lord had another financial miracle in His basket to deliver me out of this predicament.

The new Ford F-150 pickup became a part of my life just five days before that dreadful morning on July 8, 1994. A special offer to businessmen lured me into the Ford dealership in Ames and the zero down payment financing sealed the deal. The dealership even filled the dual tanks with gas before I drove off the sales lot. What a blessing, I thought at the time.

Then, my financial nightmare hit.

The $300 monthly truck payment and insurance expenses added millstone weights to my downward death spiral. On the one hand, I needed the truck to remain a painting contractor so I could earn enough money to pay off my bad checks and painting debts. Yet, on the other hand, there never seemed to be enough money left over from my painting jobs for truck payments.

I eventually trusted the Lord to work out all of my other financial problems, and even had peace about each of them, but the Ford F-150 was a different story. I could not remove the nagging fear of losing it. It haunted me day and night.

The truck payments were ninety days late four times in the year after July 8, 1994. My problem was not an imaginary fear, but rather, a real one. I awoke each morning and looked out the window, checking if the truck still remained outside in the parking lot or had been repossessed during the night.

A friend grabbed my shoulder one morning during a prayer meeting, turning me around to face her.

“The Lord spoke to me about you, and said the cares of the world are pulling Larry under,” she said, staring into my eyes.

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s the truck. I can’t quit worrying about it. Pray for me.”

She prayed, but I still had no peace about the situation.

I fasted and prayed against every possible demon. I read Psalm 37 and countless other scriptures to bolster my faith, but still, the fear of losing the truck sucked every bit of joy out of my life.

The Lord finally spoke to me in a vision while I slept one night: “The truck is Mine − not yours. It is My responsibility to watch over it. If I choose to give it back to Ford Motor Company, that’s up to Me, and not you. So, quit worrying about it.”

My fears evaporated that morning. Why worry about someone else’s problems, right?

Ford Motor Company repossessed the truck six months later. I washed, waxed, and cleaned it before returning it to the dealership. It was the Lord’s truck and I wanted Him to know how much I appreciated driving it.

(Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2014, Amazon eBook)

Upon my salvation in 1985, the old man, with its sin nature, didn’t just go away. I needed to renew my mind. This trial revealed some seeds of sin — fear, doubt, unbelief — from my old nature were still blooming and growing strong in my soul.

You see, much of our suffering comes because we reap what we sow.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

(Continued in Part 4)

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June 16, 2017 · 3:35 pm

Spiritual Warfare in San Francisco (Part 3)

This time the spiritual darkness over the university cleared up enough so I could see through it. There, directly above Sather Tower, was a tarnished brass throne and sitting on the throne was a creature, which resembled a monstrous, grotesque gargoyle. It had an elongated, dragon-like face with horns next to its pointed ears, man-like arms with talons for hands, a scaly reptile-like main torso, and wolf-like hindquarters. A long tail wrapped itself around the being’s front paws.

I realized the spiritual murkiness over the campus originated from this creature. It controlled what looked like a tinted screen layer over the whole campus, which filtered out rays of light from the heavens above the screen. The atmosphere below the screen was murkier and darker than the one above it. Not only was the creature filtering out light rays: it was also spewing out, in rapid AK-47 salvos, what looked like commands from its mouth to the ground below.

“What you’re seeing is the governing demonic principality over the University of California, Berkeley. It’s a religious one, and one of the gatekeepers mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 16:18. Now, look down,” he said, pointing to students walking along the sidewalks below us.

I watched various students crisscrossing the Campanile Esplanade on their way to classes. They looked normal, wearing typical college apparel. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. My spiritual eyes then kicked in, and what appeared normal in the natural realm was not so normal in the spiritual one.

Have you ever seen pictures of a flying dinosaur known as a pterodactyl? It has a long, slender head with a mouth of sharp teeth, scaly-like body, web-like wings, and talons for feet. This sort of resembles the creatures I saw, sitting on the shoulders of almost every student walking below me. Each creature was the size of a large crow and had wolf hair on its body and a slender rat’s tail. They constantly whispered into the ears of students while holding a wing over the students’ other ears. The creatures also defecated and vomited on the students so that each person dripped with slop and sewage. It was ghastly and I yearned to warn the students.

“Follow those two over there,” said the angel, pointing toward two guys.

I focused on the two students. They continued talking to each other as they walked into a free speech area where a street evangelist preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. Both stopped and listened. I watched the pterodactyl-like creatures use their beaks to snatch the seeds of the gospel out of the twosome’s hearts with swift surgeon-like precision. The two students walked away after a few minutes, none the better for their experiences.

I wanted to shout and warn everyone. Someone needed to do it. Why not me?

The angel touched my shoulder again with his hand. I turned toward him.

“Now, it’s time for your spiritual ears to be opened.”

He reached up and touched both of my ears with his hands.

Wouldn’t you think it would be quiet in the spiritual realm over the University of California, Berkeley? Well, it is not. There is constant clamor, reverberating throughout the whole atmosphere, most of which comes from the ruling principality. But what really shocked me was the demonic principality’s words mirrored the liberal attitudes on the campus, from the deans down to the professors, and then, to the students. The religious principality constantly spewed out proclamations like:

“All white Americans are racists… All wars are immoral and wrong… Homosexuality is not a sin… Pro-choice is a woman’s right… Same-sex marriage is morally acceptable…Traditional Christianity is irrelevant, mean, hateful, judgmental, and dogmatic…Jesus never said anything about homosexuality…Jesus is the Way which is open to other ways, such as Hare Krishna, Buddha, and Mohammad…God is a God of love and not judgment… Satan and demons are fictional beings, thought up by fundamentalist nuts…The Bible contains no more authority than the Koran, Buddhist sutras, Veda, and other spiritual writings…Creating social justice is the main emphasis of the gospel…Global warming is a Christian stewardship concern…”

I stood there with my mouth open, drool running down my chin.

“Hey, many of these statements I agree with,” I muttered aloud, not realizing I had done so.

“And that’s why you are deceived.”

“Deceived? Me?”

“Yes, you and most liberal Christians who believe such garbage.”

“But, but –”

“Not only are you deceived, but your faith is dead when it agrees with Satan’s agenda. He’s always a liar, even when his words sound like truth. Your faith, in order to have life, must be based on what the Lord has stated in Scripture and is presently saying to His church.”

I kept quiet as his words ripped my theology apart.

He paused for a beat or two.

“Not only is this IOU collection day, but it is your deliverance day,” he said in an authoritative voice. “Your past deception, your dead faith, and your deliverance from all of it will give you an understanding of the spiritual battles taking place on America’s college campuses, beginning with the University of California, Berkeley.”

His eyes locked on mine.

“But how –” I stopped myself. How could I complain when I did not know what I was talking about?

The angel almost grinned.

“Now, you’re starting to learn.”

(Excerpt from Deceived Dead and Delivered by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2013, Amazon eBook)

(Continued in Part 4…the full series to date  can be read here.)

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June 10, 2017 · 4:06 pm

If God Loves Us, Why Do We Still Suffer? (Part 2)

What was God thinking about when He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden? Didn’t He know that the clever serpent (Satan) would attempt to take the Kingdom away from man through deceit and spiritual warfare?

This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. (2 Thessalonians 1:5)

God wants royal sons and daughters who are worthy of His kingdom. He wants His royal family to learn how to trust, obey, and worship Him in all situations, but achieving this status takes time, training, and testing of our faith in Him.

For Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden was their classroom. They were trained over a period of time, maybe even decades, and then the serpent (Satan) administered their final test to them.

Now, remember: Adam and Eve had authority to rule over everything on the earth as God’s ambassador. They could have ordered the serpent to shut up and go away, but they didn’t use their authority that day to do so. Instead, they listened, believed the serpent’s lies, and sinned.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. (Luke 16:10 NLT)

Because Adam was unfaithful with the handling of his authority to rule in the Garden of Eden and to keep just one commandment, Adam never received full authority to rule over the whole earth.

Therefore, Adam’s treason in the Garden resulted in his (and through his lineage all of mankind’s) spiritual death, a life apart from the Spirit of God. So, instead of being a son in the Kingdom of God with royal benefits, Adam and all the rest of mankind after him became slaves in the kingdom of darkness, under the cruel god of this world: Satan.

But even with Adam’s failure, our Father had another garden and a second Adam in mind so the Kingdom of God would eventually rule on earth.

(Excerpt from Storming the Kingdom by Larry Nevenhoven, © 2014, Amazon eBook)

The first reason why believers suffer – even though God loves us – is that we live in a fallen world because of Adam’s sin.

(Continued in Part 3)

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June 8, 2017 · 8:33 am

Prayers for America (6/8/2017)

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Many years ago, I was praying by myself at the little church I attended in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I was walking around the sanctuary and praying in the Spirit, not really focusing on any particular issue, just focusing on the Lord. A scripture somehow floated through my mind:

Be angry, and do not sin… (Ephesians 4:26)

The scripture caused me to stop walking and say, “Lord, I’ve never understood that verse. How can I possibly be angry and not sin? It looks impossible to me.”

Almost immediately, a deep anger consumed me, causing me to pray in wild and scary tongues for forty-five minutes. As I prayed, I realized that I wasn’t angry at anyone, but instead, I was angry at Satan and his wicked horde of demons.

Here’s the revelation I received that day:

Anger is a work of the flesh, and therefore, a sin — unless — it is provoked by the Holy Spirit.

My prayer today:

Lord, help American believers to be slow to anger and to be ruled by the Holy Spirit so that we can change cities and neighborhoods. (Based on Proverbs 16:32)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

 

 

 

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June 6, 2017 · 5:07 am

Prayers for American Christians’ Eyes to be Opened (6/7/2017)

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My personal sins do not hurt anyone else but me.

Is the above statement true or false?

On the one hand, our personal sins do hurt us individually by hindering our fellowship and relationship with God. But we have to also remember that sin is rebellion against God and His ways. The prophet Samuel said to King Saul:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry… (1 Samuel 15:23)

Our sins – hidden or open – empower the god of this world through its powers of witchcraft and divination. Plus, our stubbornness to hold onto our personal sins by not repenting of them may eventually cause the sin to move into the highest rank of wickedness: iniquity. This hideous sin is the one that forces God to eventually judge a nation when it hits a certain measure of wickedness.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

Remember: we all struggle with sin and our old sin nature. This is an everyday battle for all of us. But as long as we hate our sins and continue to cry out to God for His mercy and grace to help us rid ourselves of whatever sins we struggle with, He is faithful to do just that.

My prayer today:

Lord, open the eyes of American believers and show us who we are empowering with our actions and words, whether it’s You or the god of this world.

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for American believers’ eyes to be opened.

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June 5, 2017 · 8:26 am

Mountains Melt at the Presence of God (Part 6)

One of the great ironies of Christianity is that believers are always in His presence:

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Each believer is God’s earthly temple. We consist of a body, soul, and spirit, which is akin to the Outer Court, Inner Court, and the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament’s Temple. Just like the OT Temple, God dwells in our personal Holy of Holies or spirit man. But unlike the OT Temple, there is no veil stopping us from entering into our personal Holy of Holies whenever we want to do so.

Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century monk, wrote The Practice of the Presence of God. The classic book is a compilation of his letters about how to be mindful of the Greater One’s presence each day. In a nutshell, Brother Lawrence conversed with God all day long.

Maybe that sounds too easy, but here is what Paul the Apostle wrote:

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

If you were around me very much, you would notice that I do this all throughout the day. I just simply say, “Lord, I need Your right now” or “Lord, help me” or “Lord, I need Your peace and grace right now” and so forth.

Does the Lord show up on a white horse as soon as I speak?

So far, this hasn’t happened but what does happen is that I’m instantly aware of His life-giving presence within me. Does this happen every time? Yes, it does because of His promise to us:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

But there is the other side of this amazing divine irony of God’s presence.

(Continued in Part 7…the full series to date can be read here.)

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May 31, 2017 · 9:23 am

If God Loves Us, Why Do We Still Suffer? (Part 1)

Jesus and His disciples were ministering on the east side of the Jordan, in the same area where John the Baptist baptized thousands of Jews. Miracles were happening and Jews were being converted when Jesus received the message from Mary and Martha, stating their brother Lazarus was extremely ill.

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in Bethany, which was a day’s journey from the Lord and His group. So, what does Jesus say?

But when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)

Most of the time when we study John 11, we reflect on how Jesus heard the voice of His Father and did not move unless the Father showed Him to do so, even in dire cases like this. This time, let’s not do that, but let’s instead think about what the messenger thought about Jesus’ words.

Now, I would suppose the messenger was a trusted friend, relative, or servant of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Maybe Jesus had even met the messenger when He visited Bethany earlier in His ministry. Maybe Jesus even had a close friendship with the messenger and that’s why he was chosen to carry the message. Scripture doesn’t reveal anything about the messenger, but I believe human nature has changed little over the centuries since this happened.

It’s my guess the messenger was stunned and dumbfounded when He heard Jesus’ reply. You see, there’s no doubt in my mind the messenger believed Jesus would drop everything and follow him to Bethany because otherwise why would Martha and Mary have sent him? After all, didn’t Jesus do exactly that when Jairus, the ruler of a synagogue, implored him to come and heal his daughter. And also, Jesus was instantly ready to follow the centurion to his house for a sick servant.

These healing stories were known and repeated over and over throughout Judea, but in this particular case, Jesus did not move. He stayed on the other side of the Jordan.

Can you imagine how sad and confused the messenger felt on the twenty-five mile return trip to Bethany? Their last hope to heal Lazarus was gone. Jesus would not come!

Then for the next day or so, the messenger watched Lazarus get sicker and sicker until he finally died. Wouldn’t you think the messenger thought Jesus had failed them?

Okay, this is only the beginning as we consider why believers suffer and how the Lord may use it for His glory.

(Continued in Part 2)

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May 30, 2017 · 10:38 am

Prayers for American Christians’ Eyes to be Opened (5/30/2017)

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I was at a breakfast meeting not long ago when I said, “Americans need to be prepared for the many calamities, which will soon be happening in our nation.”

A leader shook his head. “Well, I am praying these calamities will never happen,” he said.

“Really?” I said.

“Yes, I don’t believe these calamities will happen because godly prayer warriors are praying against them.”

The conversation died because I saw we were both entrenched in our views.

A few days later, I was talking with another Christian who explained his reasons for believing in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory: “I believe God loves His children so much that He doesn’t want us to suffer.”

“Oh,” I replied, “I don’t believe scripture supports your beliefs on that issue, but even so, our views on the rapture shouldn’t affect our walks with the Lord. We need to pray and seek the Lord for His leadership in our lives on a daily basis.

It’s my guess that 80 – 90% of Christians agree with these two men and disagree with me.

My prayer today:

Lord, open the eyes of American believers so that we can discern the signs of the times we live in right now. (Based on Matthew 16:3)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for American believers’ eyes to be opened.

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May 28, 2017 · 6:29 am

Inside Israel

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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 —

“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. On that day, declares the LORD, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the LORD of hosts, their God.’ “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem. “And the LORD will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them. Zechariah 12:2-8)

I greet  you with a longing heart to lift up praise and worship worthy of the Lord. May our love for one another, our encouragement of one another, our admonitions and edifications and exhortations to one another be a blessing to Him. May The Lord be glorified and blessed, and may you be blessed and encouraged for His glory.

Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) began this evening (now yesterday evening) as the sun was going down. Not just any anniversary of the day that Jerusalem was liberated, but the 50th year since she came again into the inheritance God Almighty intended for the children of Jacob. It takes reading from Gen 1:1 – Rev.22:21 to begin to get a ray of understanding, enough to humble us − knowing that we will NEVER see the whole picture in this life. But, oh, we KNOW that it will be breathtaking!

YOM YERUSHALEYIM  looks like this in Hebrew ‫יום ירושלים

Fifty years ago today on the Hebrew calendar, Jerusalem was liberated from Jordan and like the rest of those whom the Lord had sent into exile, She came home.

It has been QUITE a week here (this may be the understatement of the year).  I listened to all of the meetings with US President Donald Trump as it becomes daily even more impossible to trust the media. So I listened carefully, giving far more time to the coverage than I would have chosen, but I’m glad that I did.  Yes, I have opinions and observations and wonderings, but they are all dwarfed in the face of YOM YERUSHALAYIM. This 50th anniversary of GOD’S HAND  landing here and re-writing history in a matter of a shocking 6 days.

Today is the 24th of May, 2017 and I walked most of the way to work this morning, despite my current lack of physical strength. I wanted on THIS day to walk these streets, pray these streets, sing these streets, and open my eyes to whatever He would show me.

Although I left my apartment at 6:15, the train, which ran all night last night – usually it stops between 1 am -5 am – so the celebrations could take place all through the night. The train was full of religious people, making their way to the Western Wall.  Oh yes I DID so want to go this morning to thank Him, but of course I thanked Him as I walked and sang amidst the birds, the flowers, and flowering trees, wondering what it all means. I prayed for mercy and the fear of God, God ALMIGHTY

You KNOW of course, that Allah is NOT the same GOD, right? I have told you before that written around the inside of the Dome of The Rock, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are the words (in Arabic) “Allah is one AND HE HAS NO SON”.  He said it himself.  If we say that Allah is the same God that we worship, then we are denying Jesus, period.

And so I sang: (no this is not me singing Psalm 147:12, 13, but a better rendition.)

I HAVE A FAVORITE QUESTION that I ask everyone at this time of year who is old enough to remember:  “WHERE WERE YOU ON THIS DAY IN 1967?”

The answers usually bring tears to my eyes and a sense of awe as each one speaks of “the miracle that GOD has done.” Their eyes ALWAYS mist over.

Shlomo Levi  is not our patient, but Dr. Meshulam’s patient.  I’ve seen him over the years but usually Dr. Meshulam’s secretary is working and I don’t serve him. However I was alone on Friday when he came in.  His jet black hair belies the fact that he is 81, which I saw when I opened his chart.  “Adon Levi, where were you at this time back in ’67?” I asked.

He looked shocked for a moment and then as if transported to another place, that mist fell.  “I was at the Kotel (the Western Wall),” he said.

I thought that he meant he had followed the throngs in after it was taken, the thousands of survivors that poured weeping through the Old City gates, to touch the remaining wall of the temple, denied to them for 2,000 years.

‘Yes?’ I asked, urging him to continue.

“You have heard of Motta Gur?” he asked.

“OF COURSE,” I answered, remembering the iconic Corporal who led the advance.  I was carrying around his proclamation in my purse to give out to people as a reminder: ‘The Old City is in our hands!’  He wept over the radio as he made the earthshaking announcement. Later promising before God in prayer – also written on my copy of the proclamation, that we would watch over Jerusalem faithfully,  keeping her for God.  OF COURSE, we ALL know Motta Gur.

Shlomo began to quietly speak, “I carried his radio equipment.  I had to stick to him like glue, but I was there when he made the proclamation.”  Tears began rolling down BOTH of our faces and I jumped up and gave this small religious man, not much taller than I am, a big hug and thanked him.

His eyes shined with the wonder of His memory, he pulled out his teudot zehut  (Identity card) and said, “I was given this special stamp in my ID.”

I looked at a seal of Jerusalem and the notation of honor to those who took part in the battle for the liberation of Jerusalem.  “It was a miracle you know,” he said.  “There was NO way that we could have done it.  The fighting was fierce…we were weakened with no food or water for so long…out-numbered…it was a miracle!”

Yes, it WAS a miracle, and those words are repeated again and again with each story.

I was surprised when I asked Avi where he was on that day.

In 1967 I was a wild hippie, out of college, and didn’t THINK of Avi being a kid, so it took me back when he said, “Well, I was only seven so I couldn’t fight but my Mother kept us children in the shelter. But I lived in Sanhedria and the Jordanian barbed wire – and so the fighting – was on our street – fierce fighting.  I kept trying to peak out.  My Mother had a job keeping us down and quiet.  It was SO exciting when the guns became silent and the people began running out, yelling, ‘The Old City is Free!’ They were dancing and crying in the streets and thanking God.  I didn’t understand really but we were all so happy.”

The city really did a marvelous job of security closures while U.S. President Trump was here.  The street closings, as difficult as they always are, seemed much more orderly this time, and although not easy, I WAS able to get a taxi home as opposed to when U.S. President Obama was here. Then I had to walk the lengthy distance home.

My taxi driver was seventeen in 1967, JUST under the eighteen year age where he could join the army. BUT he was welcome to join the “mitnadev” or “volunteer army,” running errands, filling sandbags, bringing messages, food, and water. 

“I lived in Mamilla.  Do you know where Mamilla is?’ he asked.

Mamilla, like Sanhedria, was RIGHT on the border with Jordan, right against the Old City walls.  My dear friend Tamima has delighted me with her stories of growing up there and then being there for the liberation.

“Yes I do.  My friend Tamima grew up there.”

He looked at me. “Tamima Ben Tzvi?  Yes, I know Tamima.  We were all together like one family back then.”

We smiled.

“It was all so intense…so much shooting…wounded…helping at the hospitals…but then it was over.  My two friends and I walked ALL around the walls of the Old City.” He shook his head in wonder before continuing. “And then we walked to Hebron where we went to Machpelah (the cave of the Patriarchs, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah are buried…the burying plot purchased by Abraham as recorded in Gen 23:1-20) to pray and give thanks for this great miracle. (This taxi driver was not religious).

Others told me of defending their kibbutz or smaller community outside of the city with furious fighting and miracle after miracle. GOD WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE AUTHOR OF THIS ASTOUNDING GIFT.

I handed out my copies of the proclamations made at the wall by Motta Gur and Rabbi Goren, the Rabbi who is seen in all of the historic photos blowing the shofar on that day of days back in 1967. (You can check the photos here.)

I must close now. My husband has come home for supper.  May His joy overflow to you and HIS concern, His heart, His plan and His purposes.  I once again quoted from Zechariah 12 at the top of this letter.  Thank you for praying with us as the world closes in on us, but our God will not be mocked.  He has been glorified, He is being glorified (though not enough) and He WILL be glorified.

God bless you.

Lovingly,

your sister J in Jerusalemnn

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