WHAT I BELIEVE

It's all about Him (Jesus). I care about people and where they will spend eternity. Being connected to the lives of others is very important to me. I have very conservative religious and political values. I believe in supporting whoever is in office at all levels of government, with prayer. God says they are the instruments of peace in the world we live in. I am not only a believer in Christ, but a follower. I believe that we are all called into this life with a purpose and destiny assigned by God and when we understand that, receive it and live it out according to the Word of God, we will be counted among the Bride of Christ at that great Wedding Supper of the Lamb. We are all born in sin; have lived a life of sin; but are made new when we confess and turn from our sins and receive the free gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are not perfect but do not practice sin. And if we do sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us so that we continue walking in the Light as He is the Light. God gave His Son, Jesus laid down His life, so that none should be lost. If we miss the promise of Eternal Life in Heaven, we are responsible for the outcome...... I am a pilgrim and stranger on this earth, here on assignment, an ambassador for Christ, and long to see the Jewish roots restored to the church of today. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. "May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." For the sake of my brothers and friends I will say, "Peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity. Psalm 122:6-9 WHAT I BELIEVE: •In the verbal inspiration of the Bible. •In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. •That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor. •That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins. •That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. •In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost. •In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart. •In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost. •In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. •In the nine gifts and the nine fruits of the Spirit as taught in the New Testament, healing is provided for all through the sufferings of Christ. •In the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. •In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked. FAVORITE QUOTES Jesus said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is not greater commandment than these." (Mark 12:29-31)

THE FEASTS OF THE LORD: WHAT HAS BEEN / WHAT IS TO COME

From my limited knowledge of the Feasts of our Lord, the time between Rosh Hashana (aka:Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (aka: Day of Atonement) is referred to as 10 days of repentance and reflection (aka: Ten Days of Awe). It is the beginning of a New Year and is a time to specifically look at our lives, repent of what is not pleasing to God and ask ourselves how can we better serve Him. Taking time to reflect on our lives in light of the Word of God is something we should be doing always, but our Father intended us to specifically and deliberately make time to focus on just that on His schedule, His time clock. I'm sure we can agree that these 'traditions' that we have overlooked for 1600 years are rich with God's plan in helping us stay focused and obedient. And I have found that knowing what little I do know about them and how they are not only rich in the traditions of our Lord and His ideas of how things should work, they are also a reflection of our Savior. Spring Feasts have already been fulfilled and Fall feasts are yet to be fulfilled by the coming of the Son of God, Christ Jesus, Yeshua Ha Mashiach, the King of Glory. We know that our Messiah's return will be announced by the sound of trumpets (Feast of Trumpets) and conclude with that awesome Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and then comes the Feast of Tabernacles which remembers when Israel dwelt in tents in the desert after coming out of Egypt ( aka: reflective of sin or separation from God) and God tabernacled with them in the desert. The Feast also reminds us that when the trumpet sounds, and Christ returns, He will Tabernacle with us, in Person, on earth. The Feast of Tabernacles will continue to be celebrated even after our Lord returns, according to Zechariah 14:16-19. I do not share this information to bring confusion to the Body of Christ. My knowledge is very limited but enough for me to believe celebrating what our Father established from the beginning, only for our benefit, adds a richness in our understanding of His plans for us. I understand and every evidence recorded in secular history, proves that man changed the traditions of God and made their own traditions by rearranging these celebrations to accomplish their political agenda and having done all of this without any authority to do so. Man does not have authority to change what God has written in His Book. I can't help but believe that as that Day draws nearer, the Church would be stronger, and more prepared to finish the race, if we could enjoy the connectedness of knowing the plans that our Father set forth from the beginning to help us develop strong bonds with Him and strong bonds in our families when children are raised to celebrate, on God's timetable, the Feasts which not only remind us of our past but point to our future in Christ Jesus as well. For my seminary educated brothers and sisters, for the Messianic Community, and my Jewish friends, please understand that my knowledge is limited and here only expresses what I have in my heart. Salvation is in Christ alone but at some point we have to ask ourselves, if none of this means anything, why did the apostles, the early Church and Jesus Himself keep these traditions. Ask yourself how they got changed and then ask yourself if it is time to get on God's time clock, God's schedule. I believe when the Church returns to her Jewish roots, we will see God's power unleashed in our lives and in these last days. I believe the Feasts of the Lord are one more component of knowing our Father and how He thinks and how He has planned for us. Galatians 3 teaches that "they who are of the faith, the same are the children of Abraham." That gives us the same DNA, by adoption, as those who believed before us. Why then should we resist the blessings of keeping God's plan for us, for our families to remember what has been and what is to come?

WHOSE WORLD IS THIS?

Are you always asking why there is so much evil in this world if God is God? "Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Whose world is this? Whose Blood has redeemed you from the god of this world if only you can believe and follow Him?

NEVER GIVE UP!

Things not going so well? Starting to question why you are even caring about what people say? Wondering why there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel? " These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (Jesus speaking John 16:33) No matter how you 'feel', GET UP, DRESS UP, SHOW UP and NEVER GIVE UP

CARRIER? SLAYER? OR ENABLER?

ARE YOU A VISION SLAYER? When God called Moses to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, He called Moses! He placed the Vision in him and even though Moses was reluctant, he submitted to the call. God gave Moses an assistant, his brother Aaron, but the Vision and the anointing to bring the Vision to pass was in Moses. Aaron, despite his weaknesses, was an Enabler of the Vision, not the Carrier of the Vision. When the Vision grew beyond Moses’ capability to deal with all the details, his father-in-law suggested that Moses select righteous men to deal with the issues, only bringing the most difficult cases to him for resolution. These men were not the carriers of the Vision, they were the Enablers. At no time in the Word do we ever see God pouring the same vision at the same time into multiple persons. This would create confusion as there cannot be multiple heads directing the process. God works through one man, who then builds a team that is committed to enabling the Vision. In today’s culture, we witness an element committed to maintaining control over the Vision Carrier. This ought not to be so! If the Vision Carrier is called of God, he is the Primary, Anointed, Called-out one to birth the Vision. The rest of us are either Vision Enablers or we are Slayers of the Vision. The Vision Carrier is not and should not be subject to the personal prejudices and opinions of those not committed to being Vision Enablers. The Vision Carrier is not beyond making mistakes, take Moses for example, but the bottom line is, he makes the final decision. Just like in a marriage, the two may not be able to agree on a given subject, so the husband then is charged with making the final decision. And it could very well prove to have been the wrong decision, but Christ is his head and they will work it out. It’s the same with the Vision Carrier, he is the one who will answer to the Father for every decision he makes. Our job is to come along side and work with the Vision Carrier to bring the Vision to pass. If we are not Enablers of the Vision, then we work against God and have become Vision Slayers. Check yourself!

DON'T JUDGE ANOTHER MAN'S SERVANT!

When you are sharing what you think is true, when you are repeating rumors, when you are guilty of accusing another man's servant (for that man will answer to his Master) you are guilty of character assassination....the Bible says it's the same as murder! It spreads like a cancer, corrupts your heart and the hearts of others. It contaminates the possibility of the effectiveness of the Gospel. It contaminates the hearts of young Christians because they trust your information is pure and true. What an ugly outcome when we do not let Love cover a multitude of sin. Ask yourself how many times you have been guilty of such a crime as those you have accused. May God forgive every time your mouth has rehearsed the curse and caused the evil one to rejoice, because love has not been the focus of your heart. How, then, can you say that you Love God whom you have not seen, when you do not Love your brother whom you have seen? "There are three things that remain—Faith, Hope, and Love—and the greatest of these is Love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

FISH OR CUT BAIT!

So you have been on this journey for a long time and you think you know what building the Kingdom of God should look like.....yet you sow discord among the brethren (of course thinking you are doing God a favor); you participate in character assassination by propagating rumors you have heard discussed (and you have 'listened' to, in spite of knowing that God holds the sin of gossiping the same as the sin of murder). Let's be very clear about this behavior.....it is wrong and innocent blood is being shed. And even if there is some 'truth' that is being shared around, you will not be held guiltless. "There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that kill innocent people, a mind that thinks up wicked plans, feet that hurry off to do evil, a witness who tells one lie after another, and someone who stirs up trouble among friends." (Proverbs 6:16-19) Even if there is a shred of truth to all the accusations....it is not your place to judge. It is God's job! It is our's to bring reconciliation to any situation that might rise among us. It appears to those on the outside, that you are no different than the world; no different than those who do not profess to know the God of the Universe. STOP IT! If you have been offended. Make it right. You are just as responsible to clear the offence as the 'offender'. Either be part of the solution, or get out of the way, but do not be a participant in bringing down those who are also on this journey Home. Either fish or cut bait! Get in or get out! For in the end, "ALL things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28) When you are taking things into your own hands, damage that you cannot imagine is being done in hearts and lives you cannot see. "It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble." (Luke 17:2) And if you think this applies only to little children, you are mistaken. We have people born into the Kingdom every day that are babies in Christ. Some remain that way for many years........and they can be severely damaged when older, more experienced ones are participating in sowing discord among the brethren. If this post is offensive to you, ask yourself if it's offensive because you are guilty and are justifying what you are doing. A church, a business, a marriage, a friendship, a family can be severely damaged by this kind of behavior. I am not your judge but the Word is and the Holy Spirit is speaking to you to repent of this behavior and to bring healing to whatever the situation is; bring mercy and bring Grace...for where sin abounds ( and believe it.....gossip/tale bearing are sin) Grace does much more abound. Be a builder and a lifter of those around you. God will forgive everyone and reconciliation will come. We are in perilous times and this is no time for us to be wasting the Gift that the Father has given us in His Son, Jesus, the Christ. Live a crucified life and make it count!