Teach them to your children

As part of our tour of Jerusalem/Northern Israel with Tom's parents we stopped at the Kotel (the Western Wall). On our way out we saw what is supposedly the world's largest mezuzah. Mezuzot are placed on doorways of homes, businesses and gates (including our apartment), in keeping with Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

"Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our G-d, ADONAI is one]; and you are to love ADONAI your G-d with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, and write them on the door-frames of your house and on your gates.

Oh, and that's our fourth child growing in my belly. Not as famous as the giant mezuzah at the Kotel (nor as big!) but I though you might like to see.

Jewish Roots Classes

In the last several years we've read countless books, taken a lot of classes, and listened to many well-educated people in order to better understand our role in the Kingdom. As we searched the L-rd revealed Himself as the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the G-d of Israel. In many ways this has revolutionized the way we live and read the Bible. Many questions have been answered and historical inconsistencies are now clearer. As we continue on this journey of learning about the Jewishness of Jesus we are thankful for those who are helping us along the way.

Kingdom Living, in Kansas City, is now hosting three different classes through the School of Messianic Jewish Theology. You now have the opportunity to study the Jewish roots of the Bible and Christianity so you can better understand how things are playing out in the Middle East. These classes will also help you see how you can participate in bringing His Kingdom to the earth. It doesn't matter what your school or Church background is, everyone is welcome to come. Please click here for more information and a synopsis of each of the classes offered. We highly encourage these classes and know they will bring depth to your study of the Bible. Studying the Jewish roots of our faith may even change your life...it changed ours.

New Year, New Discoveries

Celebrating the Torah at the Western Wall on
Simchat Torah, Rejoicing with the Torah

It's a new year and that means a new reading cycle for the Torah and the Messianic Writings (New Testament). If you're interested in getting your hands on the new schedule (so you can look ahead or have it in case I miss a week) you can find it here. Genesis 1-6:8 and Matthew 1-3 are the readings for this week. This is a great way to become more familiar with the foundations of the Bible, the Torah and the teachings of our Messiah, the Living Torah. This specific schedule has two very important functions: one, every week there is a specific reading that observant Jews read for Shabbat (this tradition goes back to the time of Yeshua; See Luke 4:16-22); and two, the Messianic Writings are included in this cycle so every week you are reading from one of the four Gospels. We highly recommend engaging in this practice; since Yeshua is the Living Torah what better way to know Him then through the original Torah and His own life story?

Day in the Life: Yom Kippur at Yad Hashmona

For Yom Kippur we joined Ahavat Yeshua and a few other congregations at Yad Hashmona, a Messianic Moshav, or Kibbutz. We had a magnificient view of the Judean Hills from our room, and enjoyed the beauty of the entire place. The L-rd encountered us through new friends and we even met a few people familiar with our congregation back in Kansas City. It's exciting to join together with so many like-minded individuals to observe this special time, when we focus our hearts toward Yeshua and His glorious plan of redemption through His sacrifice. 

We are now ready to join in the celebration of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. We turn our eyes toward Heaven and await the marriage supper of the Lamb! We hope you're enjoying these Times of Joy, Moedim L'Simcha!

The New Year

Shana Tova! Happy New Year!

We returned to Jerusalem just in time for Rosh Hashanah. Literally, it is the “head of the year” as it marks the beginning of a new calendar year. Biblically, it also marks the agricultural new year: it is a time for planting in Israel; in the seventh year it starts a Sabbath rest for the land; and every 50 years it is the beginning of the jubilee.

This moed, or “appointed time”, of G-d in the Biblical calendar is referred to as Yom Teruah, or the “day of blasting”, associated with blowing the shofar (Lev 23:24). On Monday, as we were in our apartment, we heard a shofar outside and ran to the porch.  There were a couple of observant Jewish men walking around our neighborhood asking people if they had observed the commandment of hearing the shofar blast for Yom Teruah. They then blew their shofar and helped the strangers fulfill the commandment of hearing the blast of the shofar. 

I love hearing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah because to me it is a reminder of that great shofar blast that will announce the coming of King Yeshua. It’s like an annual commemoration of the second coming of Yeshua!

The shofar blast is supposed to wake us up from our slumber in sin because it is a symbol of repentance. Repent for the King is returning! This is why it is sounded before Yeshua brings judgment to the entire earth as He returns as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Repent for the King of Heaven is coming to bring judgment!

Ezekiel 33:2-5 “‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, And he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the shofar to warn the people, Then if anyone hears the shofar but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the shofar but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself.’

Today, may we listen to the shofar blast and repent and renew our covenant with Yeshua whose blood atones for our sin. May His imminent return be soon and in our days!

A walk to the playground

Yesterday we walked down to our local playground. On our way we noticed black smoke rising from the local Arab village. Apparently they started a fire, perhaps to celebrate the Jewish New Year, but more likely to harass the Jewish soldiers on duty at the checkpoint.

The village view from the playground (not taken yesterday).
The smoke came from just below the orange-roofed building on the right.

As we played hide and seek with Cassidy we heard loud pops, and looking down we saw the Arabs shooting fireworks at the soldiers. We stood around with a group of people watching and soon a man from our neighborhood, presumably in his thirties, struck up a conversation with Tom. He's an observant American Jew who used to teach Jewish philosophy in the Old City but now runs a business. As a side note he said the local Israeli municipality built a playground down in the village of Shuafat but the locals burned it down, so the Arabs sometimes come up to French Hill for the playground. A similar thing happened when the municipality built a post office in Shuafat, except they firebombed it. I guess they really like French Hill.

He then asked Tom about himself and Tom responded by telling him of his university studies into the Jewishness of Yeshua. They had an interesting discussion about the historical Yeshua, in which Tom described Yeshua as wearing tzitziyot (the traditional fringes that this man was wearing). Never a dull moment.

As we walked home the black smoke was dying down and the fireworks had ceased. I guess it's just another Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem.

He is unpredictable

I remember when Zeke was in the ER at Shawnee Mission Medical and I looked at the clock as it approached midnight. I thought, "Surely he will be fine. August 24th is Aunt Ann's birthday." Just nine months before our visit to the ER my aunt died suddenly, presumably of a heart attack. She was the only aunt I knew and my mother's only sibling. So that night, as we watched the medical staff fight to keep Zeke breathing I could only ask for God's mercy and believe that he would let August 24th continue to be a day of celebration.

But just a few hours later, after a safe transport to Children's Mercy Hospital, the staff ran out of options.  Our son was connected to tubes and machines and he wasn't making any progress. At one point, when the doctor told us he thought Zeke had a 50/50 chance we truly believed this was good news. The L-rd was going to work a radical miracle and bring our little guy around. We prayed that even though Zeke coded several times, for too many minutes to count, that the Creator of the universe would bring Zeke back to complete and perfect health. But we believed it would happen on this side of eternity.

We left the hospital that morning stunned. I am still overwhelmed by the thought of that day. It is incomprehensible to me. One day we had our beautiful Ezekiel John, named after Aunt Ann's husband, and the next day we were left with empty arms.


Writing this I feel a deep pain inside. I'm still disappointed that we only got ten days with him and that if he had remained with us he would be a three year old. But comfort comes with the truth of the word of G-d. I've posted it before, and I'll probably continue to post 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 because it is now a part of me, part of my story: 

Now, brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died; otherwise, 

you might become sad the way other people do who have nothing to hope for. 

For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that in the same way God, through Yeshua, will take with him those who have died. 

We visited the garden tomb today, a beautiful spot that replicates what the crucifixion location and tomb would have looked like. There is a door inside the tomb and a sign there says, "He is not here, for He is risen". It is because of this amazing action -- that Yeshua did not stay in the grave -- that we have the true hope of seeing our sons again. G-d is loving and good and stands with us in our grief. He must have been grieved to let His Son go to earth, to walk among men. He must have been grieved to see the way His Son was treated by people, some ungrateful for his miraculous power and some worried about losing their earthly power. He must have been grieved to watch His Son suffer unspeakable physical torture. But He allowed it because of love and goodness. So we spend this day, and every other, remembering that He is good and His love endures forever (Jeremiah 33:11). And this I know is true, because it, too, is a part of my story.