Its HERE!!!!!! Can you hear the wind!!!!!

That day has arrived!  It is Shavuot!  Better known to us as Pentecost!  Are you ready for it?  Have you been anticipating it?  Something is about to happen and you had better hang onto your hat!!!

The Spirit has come upon you like a mighty rushing wind.  Do you feel like
he performed a lot of pruning on you over the past seven weeks?

Let me start off by giving you some facts about Shavuot.  This is the day the 10 Connections (Commandments for all you Bible Belt Christians) were given at Mt. Sinai.  It is the day King David was born and also the day he died, (many years later of course).  AND the day the Holy Spirit was given to all individual believers!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WOW!!!  What a day!  Oh yeah, and at the first Pentecost at Mt. Sinai there was this golden calf incident and as a result 3000 people died.  (See Exodus 32 for the full story)  Now fast forward to Acts and what happened on that Shavuot?  How many accepted Yeshua and repented of their sin?  3000!  (See Acts 2 for the full story, go ahead and read the entire chapter.  It won't hurt you to read it all!)  A rectifying of the original Pentecost!

Okay, now that we have been through The Counting and WE are at Pentecost, what does that mean for us?  Well, we have prepared ourselves to receive Torah into our hearts and have the Holy Spirit do signs and miracles within us and through us, wouldn't you say?  If we have truly prepared our hearts through the counting we are ready to receive what He has for us!

Let me just say, coming from the daughter of a carpenter, if you have not properly prepared the foundation; you ain't ready to receive the walls!  Have you properly prepared your foundation?  If not, go back through each of these weeks for the next 49 days if it takes it and then again and again and again.  Is it time waisted?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  No time spent preparing your foundation for the walls God has prepared to give you is ever time wasted!!!!  I cannot help but be reminded of the scripture from Luke:

"Yeshua answered and said to her,  'Martha, Martha, you are worried and alarmed about many things.  Nothing is necessary except one thing and Mary has chosen the good portion that will not be taken from her.'"  Luke 10:41-42

Time with the Master is NEVER time wasted, but will reap rewards unimaginable!  Are you ready to receive your walls or does your foundation still need a little work?  If so, get to work while there is still daylight!!!   ITS PENTECOST!!!!!!!   I hear the sound, of a strange and mighty wind.  And its closer now than its ever been!  OH and BTW!!!!  Part of the Shavuot celebration is to enjoy something made from dairy today, so I think for all of you that can go there, a trip to DQ is in order!!!  I guess I will have to make a trip to Kroger for a little "dairy-free"  rice milk cream!  lol!  But I will enjoy it just the same!!!!!

I have enjoyed this journey immensely and hope to be back with a new post this weekend.    SHALOM!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four for one Special! The last four days of The Counting!

This is a picture of the senior adult group from my parent's church.  The two
men are the point of my posting this pic.  The man in the blue jeans was my dad.
The man in khaki's was a man named Lenon Hall who lived to be 102.  Both men
exhibited every single sign of this week's Counting.  Many of the women in this
picture did also.  My mother is sitting in blue next to my dad.  I just wanted to
put faces with the words on this page.  Half of the people in this picture have
gone on to be with HASHEM, but their legacy lives on.  

This is the last installment in The Counting of the Omer for 2013!  Oh how wonderful the journey has been!  I am so sorry for not posting these separately, but I had to work both Saturday and Sunday (and was also sick), then yesterday my computer decided to get a slight virus as well!  Just got it all back together!!!!  Better late than never, I suppose!

Do you think you are closer to maturity now?  Can you see the road more clearly?  We have four days worth of The Counting to finish up and then tomorrow.........something very special!!!

Day Four - Netzach of Malchut or Endurance of Maturity

This attribute brings us to the question, where do we go from here?  Endurance of Maturity reminds us that the person who has reached a place of maturity knows they will never truly be able to just sit back and ride out life until the Messiah returns.  The truly mature person knows that he or she must be in constant communication and connection with God and in His Word to stay mature.  Apart from that step, we will never be mature nor will we stay in a mature state.  Maturity is not a mountaintop experience, but a plane of being.  It is breaking through that "wall" during a marathon and then keeping pace until the end of the race.

Have you gone through the wall?  Are you willing to stay in the race or did you think this was just a great mountaintop experience?  Keep up the pace and in that sense.....pace yourself!  Spend the time needed with your Master.  You will not regret it.


Day Five - Hod of Malchut or Humility of Maturity

The attribute of Hod gives us humility.  Do you recognize that your maturity comes only from God and His grace?  Are you thankful and grateful for that maturity, daily?  Each and every time you are looked to for guidance by others, does that immediately bring you to a place of thankfulness to the Father or is there arrogance on your part?  Hmmmm, there is no place for pride or arrogance in maturity.

I want to give you a little project, because I think humility and thankfulness kind of go hand in hand.  Starting with the letter A, go through the alphabet (you may have to get a little creative with some letters), thanking God for an aspect of your life for which you have gained maturity.

Day Six - Yesod of Malchut or Commitment of Maturity

Sometimes our struggle to reach spiritual maturity leaves us a little skiddish.  We are often afraid of falling back into the muck and mire we fought so hard from which to break free.  That fear makes it difficult to commit to various endeavors.  On the other hand, easily obtained maturity often has the opposite effect.  Overconfidence causes us to over-commit to people and things we should definitely stay away from.  So, how do we know into what and whom we should place our time and energy?  This is where prayer is essential and maturity becomes a key role.  "If you truly stay in my words you are my disciples.  You will know the truth and the truth will bring you out to freedom!"  John 8:31-32   "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  I Timothy 1:7   And never forget that:  "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall"   Proverbs 16:18  Neither of these are mature ways, fear nor pride.

Are you afraid of commitment or are you over-committed?


Finally Day 7 - Malchut of Malchut or Maturity of Maturity!!!!!  We have arrived or have we?

Well, we have made it.  The pinnacle or crowning glory, Maturity of Maturity.  There are a couple of pictures that come to my mind for this one.  They are both from Hollywood, but oh well.  One is Yoda in Star Wars and the other is the commercial where the guy climbs a mountain.  He is seeking to find the Tibetan Monk sitting in a cave in order to ask him that one life question.  Wisdom that surpasses all understanding!  Is that what comes to mind with you when you think of Maturity of Maturity?  There are quite a few scriptures that come to mind for me also.  "Gray hair is a crowning glory.  It is gained by living a Godly life."  Proverbs 16:31.  "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."  Proverbs 31:26.  "Moses heeded the words of his father-in-law,"  Exodus 18:27.

You see Maturity of Maturity is not only knowing what to do, but knowing who to listen to as well.  The greatest scripture associated with this attribute has been under our noses as modern day Christians all along, but we really had no idea what it meant in its fullness.  Any guesses?  Why not turn to Galatians 5:22 and read with me.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control.  Nothing in the Torah stands against such things."

That, my friends, is the ultimate example of Maturity of Maturity!  No one nor anything on earth can argue against any of these!  You can find the most die hard atheist in the world and present someone to them who exhibits these qualities.  If you ask them to present a case against them, I would guarantee they will not be able to do so.  Go ahead, I dare you!  Of course, it may be hard to find someone who consistently exhibits these qualities.

Now, I want to give you a little bit of a Bible myth buster or perhaps I should call it a church myth buster.  When you turn your life over to God through Jesus.....well, Jesus doesn't grab hold of the Holy Spirit by the ankles and zap you and make you into this mature of mature person!  You don't get to go directly to Mature!!!!  This is not the game of "Christian Life".  The penalty of sin may have been removed, but we still have to work on our own lives and grow!  Paul told some of the congregations that very thing in his writings.  We are not given the luxury of being saved to live a life of ease just sitting back and letting God spoon feed us into becoming fat,sassy, spoiled rotten brats!  We are expected to feed ourselves, grow and go to school while all the while learning as much as we can and maturing.  It is up to us to build the relationship with our God and our Saviour!  He initiated it, but will not force it any further.

Now the question, how bad do you want it?  Are you willing to make sacrifices to achieve Maturity of Maturity in your life and to have the ultimate relationship with your God and your Saviour?  Today is the day for you to choose.  The first day in the first week of The Counting I started with the analogy of being delivered from our "Egypt".  At the conclusion of that story in Exodus, just as Joshua was about to lead the Israelites into the promised land Moses set before the people a question.  Today I lay that same question before you also.  

"I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you will live, you and your offspring - to love HASHEM, your God, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days,"  Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Joshua reflects back this same question to the people just a short time later when they seem to forget the lessons they had previously learned.

"If it is evil in your eyes to serve HASHEM, choose today whom you will serve:  the gods your forefathers served across the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we sill serve HASHEM!"  Joshua 24:15

So, who do you choose to serve?  Today is the day of decision.  As for me.......well, I choose HASHEM.  I have been there with those other gods and well, they just sat there like a lump of dirt.  I know my redeemer lives!  And I ain't NEVER goin back!!!!!  Praise be to my God!

SHALOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its Raining Again, Expect a Rainbow! Day 3 of week 7

It is a rainy morning and I am having, of all things, a garage sale.  I planned one for last weekend, but it rained then also and the temperature was very chilly.  At least today is a warm one.  I could complain, I guess, but as I sit in my garage looking out I see the most wonderful sight.  The trees across the field have a fog within them that is on the move.  I suppose it is a cloud of rain, but it reminds me of the Smoky Mountains.  We are surrounded by fields and a little mouse disturbed from his nest is now running back and forth along the wall of the garage looking for a place to call home.  The birds seem to love the rain as they are playing in the puddles and chirping their songs of joy.  One little bird is now finding a place of refuge underneath my car as the rain picks up speed.

We complain about such little things, yet the creatures seem to rejoice in them.  Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder.  Have you ever stopped to think about beauty and exactly what that means to you as an individual?  I know that each of us find different things attractive.  I personally do not find anything beautiful about paisley, but my sister-in-law thinks it is the best.  I love the mountains and the sight of the rain moving among the trees this morning brings such wonderful memories of my trips to those mountains, while others I have spoken to say they hate the mountains.  That thought is something I cannot fathom, but I am sure there is a reason for their hatred.  I am not really all that crazy about pictures of the southwest, but in all fairness I have never been there.  I cannot say truthfully that I don't like that landscape without ever having visited it.

Experience shapes our opinion, in many ways, of beauty.  I always thought the ocean and beach were beautiful until I visited there.  We went to the ocean for the first time, shortly after a tropical storm had made its way up the coastline.  I was greatly disappointed.  The water was a murky brown like the lake near my house.  The sand was nice, but really nothing all that great.  The strange thing was I came back yearning for more, not of the ocean, but the deep, deep south.  What had me mesmerized?  It wasn't the beauty of the ocean, but the Spanish Moss and the houses that adorned the coastline.  I fell in love with the beauty of something other than what I went there for.

Today is Tiferet of Malchut or Beauty of Maturity

The Beauty of Maturity is finding that experiences of life have allowed you to find beauty in the things you would never have dreamed. A mature person allows God to show them true beauty in life and not rely on their world to define it.  A truly mature person has listened to the Master enough to know, without asking, where the beauty is in each and every situation or person.  This person will not only find the beauty, but they will seek it out.  An immature person will either immediately pick out or seek out the ugliness.

So, which one are you?  When you look through the looking glass, do you see the rain or are you anticipating a rainbow?

Shalom!~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only 5 more days to go! I can't wait!!!!

This is day two of week 7 and what a ride it has been!  I do believe I have a better understanding, not only of who I am, but of who God is.  I have been able to see these seven attributes of My Master and  a glimpse of His glorious love and mercy.  When I look at Him from these angles there is no way I can see Him as an angry Oaf who sits on a throne throwing lightening bolts down upon us.  I never saw Him that way before now, but I know many of you may have.  Many people see God as a Zeus type of character who derives pleasure in taunting and "punishing" His creation with each little mistake they make.  

The Lord God is not like that at all and the Bible DOES NOT show that image of Him.  The interpretation of scripture by people who do not know the Hebraic way of writing, lifestyle and teachings have given us the Zeus depiction of God.  The Jews have never known or thought of God in that manner.  Isn't it refreshing to know the truth?  Does it set you free, just as His Word said it would?

Today is Gevurah of Malchut or in our terms: Discipline of Maturity

Maturity is reaching a place where people look to you for authority due to your well roundedness.  (Yes, I know that really isn't a word, but it kind of should be!)  Let's just say they know you have been there, done that, bought the T-shirt and have worn it well.  They look to you for advice.  Now comes the Gevurah or discipline part of the equation.  Do you try to show your authority where you don't have knowledge?  Do you try to use your authority where you really have none or shouldn't be?  Do you realize where you have wisdom and understanding and where you do not?  Perhaps you need to set some boundaries (discipline) on your maturity.

On the other hand, do you fail to step in and use your authority when you know you should?  Do you often keep silent even though you know you should impart your wisdom in a situation?  Perhaps you have set too many boundaries on your maturity.

Too little discipline usually involves pride and too much discipline usually involves fear.  Neither of these are a sign of maturity, so in essence have you truly reached maturity?

Until tomorrow, Shalom!~~~~~~~~~~~

All Grown up!! A lesson in Maturity

This, my friends, is a bittersweet week.  It is a relief in a way since I do not HAVE to post every day and also it is sad that I do not HAVE to post every day.  I have enjoyed posting most every day, because it has kept me focused.  It is been difficult, because I have not been in the Torah the way I should.  I would love to be able to do nothing but spend time in the Torah, but alas I must work.  Perhaps there will come a day when God will allow me the privilege to be able to spend time in His Word and write more.  Until that day comes, I will be thankful for what He has given me and do my best to not complain about my circumstances.  (Notice I said I will do my best to not complain!  It is not easy, I know.)

This is the last week in our Counting of the Omer and what a week it will be as it will end on day 8 with a wonderful surprise and the culmination of a promise from the Lord, blessed be He!!!  Will you be ready to accept it?  You know, considering that Mother's Day is coming about Day 5 in this week and the Proverbs 31 woman will be preached from a multitude of pulpits this Sunday; you will know the truth of that chapter.  Will you have the qualities defined within you by this Sunday?  Perhaps, if you have this Saturday off from work, it would be a good idea to take these past 6 weeks coupled with this week's lessons and go back over them.  Assure yourself you have everything taken care of in your life and watch what happens on Sunday morning when the Spirit works through that Proverbs 31 sermon your'e likely to hear.

This last week is about Malchut or Maturity.  Malchut can be defined many ways; maturity, sovereignty, kingdom, feet.  For 2013 I have chosen maturity to represent this glorious attribute of God within us.   Maturity is unlike all other six attributes in that it is not an activity, but a state of being.  Maturity is a culmination of loving kindness, discipline, beauty, endurance and humility being bonded together through commitment.  Maturity is reaching a place in life where you can see yourself through God's eyes and see that you are here for a reason.  You have a place, a purpose and you make a difference.  It is knowing that you are loved and cared for and you have nothing to fear.  Security and confidence - not haughtiness or PRIDE!

DAY 1 Chesed of Malchut - Loving Kindness of Maturity

Maturity is always loving and kind.  It does not force its authority on anyone, nor does it force its views upon another.  If you are a leader, do you lead with kindness instead of harshness?  Do you listen to others ideas and encourage others or tear them down?  Is your spirit kind or critical?  Do your words lift up or break down?

I was reminded of these things this morning as my son asked, "Mom, why do teachers want their students to fail?  Doesn't that reflect back onto them?"  I had to answer, "Yes, son, it does."  I know he wasn't speaking of all teachers, but as a freshman in college taking finals he was speaking of a particular teacher.  Do you love to see people under your instruction fail?  Do you ever say, "Let's just see how hard I can make things for them!"  Maybe this is the way you parent.  Perhaps you should re-think your leadership skills for this is not maturity.

Until tomorrow........Shalom!

The week of Yesod! (I guess this week's lesson is for me!)

Are you a trailer up on blocks...........

or a skyscraper?

                                 


Okay, since this week is supposed to end tomorrow I am giving you the week in retrospect and also all at once!  Can you handle it?  Of course you can!!!!  I have faith in all of you!  Its myself I lack faith in.  Oh well, let's get started since we have a lot of ground to cover.

It is week six in the Counting of the Omer.  I am going to give a refresher for those who may have just joined in.  At Passover something unique begins.  It is called the Counting of the Omer.  It requires taking 7 of the 10 attributes of God and going through them on a weekly and daily basis in a cross-match fashion.  Seven days and seven weeks.  Each day is assigned a different attribute and each week is assigned a different attribute; therefore each day has a daily and weekly attribute assigned to it.  For example week one is the week of Chesed (Loving kindness) and the fourth day is Netzach (Beauty), making the fourth day of week one Netzach of Chesed or Beauty of Loving Kindness.

Every day there is a type of devotional or soul searching a person goes through following this protocol to re-order one's life.  This is a process where we re-evaluate our life and put it back on God's pathway.  This process is carried out every year.  There are 49 days in the Counting and on the 50th day a special celebration takes place, but the explanation for that will have to wait.  Right now you should be focusing on preparing yourself for what is to come, sight unseen!  Can you do that without knowing what is to come, just knowing there is a promise from God that something is coming?

Okay, let's get started.  The week of Yesod - Commitment

Day 1:  Chesed of Yesod - Love of Commitment

We love commitment, do we not?  We are committed to everything in America!  We are committed to watching our favorite shows, teams and sports, gun rights and the environment.  Now don't throw stones if you are for or against any of the examples I gave.  I am not taking sides or saying that any of these are right or wrong.  I have a program or two I watch, I have teams and sports I keep up with, I am a gun owner and I hunt for food, and I also do as much as I can to recycle and protect the environment.  There is nothing inherently wrong or right with being committed to any of the above examples.  I know you could find arguments for or against some of them, but within reason there is nothing sinful about any of them.

The question is, what does love have to do with them?  Can you remember the post where I gave you the definition of love?  Love is.....God.  If God is love, then He must be the basis of our commitment.  This is where we must start on ALL our commitments.  What I am afraid of is that we commit to everything except the things which really matter.  I mentioned a few things, but how committed are we to marriage, our children, poverty and peace and hunger?  How committed are we to helping young people who may be at risk of becoming another mass shooter?  Can you see the glimmer in the shard of mirror?  (See post from Dec. titled: Shattered Mirrors and Diamonds Once Lost Now Found)

Is God the basis of your commitment?

Day 2:  Gevurah of Yesod - Discipline of Commitment

Our commitment must have discipline in order to function properly.  You know us as a human race.  Some of us would commit until we had no hours left in which to sleep, while others would never commit.  There are also some of us who just can't say no to anything, so we would commit to too many things or we would be so committed to one thing that we would be doing everything in that endeavor.  We would be unwilling to relinquish control to anyone else and others would be unable to receive a blessing from serving in that capacity.  Still others get so gung ho about the things they commit to, they forget about obligations at home.  Are you one of these people?  You need disciplinary boundaries to stop yourself from over-committing.

Do you have a problem finding time to commit to anything, because you see too many other things that hinder you?  Maybe you won't commit, because you find something wrong with everything that is brought before you to commit to.  You have too many disciplinary boundaries and need to lift some of them.  Give yourself some freedom to commit.

Seek God's wisdom about the thing or things He would have you commit yourself, your time and money for today.

Day 3:  Tiferet of Yesod - Beauty of Commitment

The beauty of commitment is a well laid foundation upon which that commitment can be built.  It is impossible for you to build a foundation without first having a firm foundation yourself.  Do you have a foundation, laid by God, upon which to build a commitment?  If not, this is the best place to start.  You must get this first step right.  Yeshua (Jesus) is the cornerstone which has already been laid.

If you have the foundation you can use it to build upon in any commitment you undertake.

Day 4:  Netzach of Yesod - Enduring of Commitment

Commitment requires long term devotion.  A foundation built to last.  A foundation which is built incorrectly will cause the building to crumble, but a correctly built foundation will give strength and stability for centuries to come.  The rains may come and the winds may blow, but the walls will stand firm!  Is your commitment more like a trailer up on a couple of concrete blocks or a skyscraper with a foundation reaching several stories underground?

Day 5:  Hod of Yesod - Humility of Commitment

True commitment requires humility.  "foundation whose architect and builder is God."  Hebrews 11:10.   I used the Kentucky Derby horses as an example of humility during the week of Hod.  Humility is taking a wild stallion and under the direction of a master, bringing him under control in order to be useful.  It is not beaten down, but bringing that wild strength under the control of a master to be used for good.  The horses which ran in the Derby yesterday would have been of no use if they had never been under the training of a master.  As long as that horse listens and obeys the master he will be a great and mighty machine, capable of accomplishing great and mighty works .  Left on his own he will be just another stallion on an open range.  Chances are he will never be known or seen.

Are you willing to allow yourself to be in subjection to the Master as you go about your commitment?  If God is your architect and builder how can you not let Him give you instructions on the rest of the building?

Day 6:  Yesod of Yesod - Commitment of Commitment

Is your first commitment to your commitment or is it to the One who is committed to you?   Before any commitment can be fruitful you must first be committed to your commitment with God.  It is essential that you spend time every day in His Word and in communion with Him.  This requires commitment on your part.  Spend the day renewing your commitment with Him!!!!  His mercies are new every morning!!!

Day 7:  Malchut of Yesod - Maturity of Commitment

The end result in any commitment with which you are involved should be God and His righteousness.  If you are not ultimately pointing people to Him, you should go back through each of these steps to resolve the issue.  It matters not what you are committed to.  If you are a child of God, your commitment to everything should point to the Father.  Your commitment to spouse, children, work, sports, gun control, environment, poverty, school, politics, playground safety, equal rights, health care, quilting, music or whatever.

Even Yeshua was diligent in pointing the way to God in His commitment while here on earth.   Dwell on these 7 things between now and Wednesday and we will then begin the final week in our Counting.  Oh my friends, the culmination of this counting is beginning and I can feel the excitement in the air.........you do not want to miss it.  IT IS WORTH WAITING FOR!!!!  Oh how I want to give you a hint.  If I quoted the scripture, many of you would know exactly what I am talking about, but I don't want to spoil it.  I want you to focus on these things first and not run on ahead.   FOCUS!!!!  YESOD - COMMITMENT!!!!  Are you committed?  Until Wednesday, May 8, Shalom!~~~~~~~

Yesod and Malchut of Hod - I have to catch up!

Today has been a unique experience for me.  I started a new shift at work and it will certainly take me a little while to get my schedule down to a good regimen.  By combining the last two days of the Counting of the week of Hod, I am still a day behind so stick with me and I will try to get caught up completely within the next week.

Yesod of Hod is all about Commitment of Humility.  How committed are you to your humility?  Are you committed even when you don't see results?  How committed are you to your Master?  Are you still committed to Him and His instructions even when you can not fully understand them or can not see the reasoning behind them?  Can you follow those instructions blindly, trusting God, knowing that He sees and knows what He is doing even when you can not?  Does it give you a foundation to build upon?  Does it bring you to the next step...............................................................................................................



Malchut of Hod - Maturity of Humility.  When you arrive at the place where God's instructions and teachings have become second nature, you have achieved maturity.  This place cannot be achieved without all six of the other steps being put into place.  If you are not totally surrendered to God and His voice, you will never achieve maturity of your humility.

I have already admitted I have a LOT of work to do.  I was reminded of that fact tonight while watching Joyce Meyer on television.  As she was speaking she recounted how she used to be and how she had to keep herself in check as a person in ministry.  Her statements made me think much, much more highly of her.  Humility!  She seems to be in touch with her humility and has kept her dignity in tact and that is a very important aspect of maturity.

Keep working on it folks!  It is WORTH IT!  ~Shalom!~