B"H

Sophia aka Sophie

What a cutie. We don't know for sure what breed she is, but we suspect she's part beagle and possibly mixed with a german shephard. She has big paws and is only 4 months old so time will tell. More photos to come soon.

Shlomo

B"H

Penninah & Miriam - June 2006

Apples don't fall far from the tree.

Shlomo

B"H

Recovering From PFE

It's Saturday morning, day 6 of our return from the hills of Tenn. Nearly all week I have been thinking and reflecting on the events and people I met last weekend at the PAPA festival. First of all I want to give thanks and praise to GOD for granting us a safe journey both ways and a nice time together. If I were a more organized person perhaps I might have shared these thoughts sooner and in a more cohesive manner. As it is, I'm glad to be able to make it from day to day as I try to collect my thoughts and say something intelligible.

You may ask, "What in the world is PFE?" Ha ha ha, I made it up and it stands for PAPA Fest Euphoria. I had a great time at the Fest, as I knew I would. At the last minute, last Wednesday, our plans nearly fell apart and I thought that I might stay home after all. I tried to hitch a ride with some of the nearly 35 people from our neighborhood, but they were quite packed in and barely had room for themselves. I really wanted my family to be with me, even though they didn't share my exuberance for this event. I'm glad that things worked out the way they did and in the end, we all had a good time. We even gained a new family member from the process. I'd like to introduce Sophia, our new dog, to my Xanga family and friends. Hopefully soon, I'll post her picture and everyone can see what a beauty she is.

Speaking of pictures. I finally figured out to upload photos from my memory stick to Xanga. Last Fall, after we got our new camera phones, I bought this software that allows me to transfer photos and other info from the phone directly to my PC. I had the worst time getting it set up and then after it was finally working I needed to upgrade my operating system from Windows 2000 to XP. Ha ha, what do you think happened in that process? Yep yep, the company that sold and installed the new software deleted all my old programs including Data Pilot.

Grrr. At home we are still using a dial-up modem. It took me nearly 4 hours to download that program and in a flash, it was all gone. To say I was upset is a mild understatement. I don't blame the computer technician too much. He was just doing his job. I should have known better and ordered a disk from the company instead of taking the "simple" route and downloading directly from their server. For the time saving of not waiting 3 - 5 days for the mail to arrive, I instead added all sorts of tzoris because of our slow connection rate.

So, now it's all good. I have reloaded the software and I have photos to share. My greatest regret from last weekend was that I didn't take hardly enough pictures. It was hot and a lot of our stuff was scattered about. That might seem like a reasonable excuse, but in my case it's beside the point. (I wear my cell phone nearly all the time and I even have it under my pillow when I go to sleep. The only time I usually turn it off is when I'm at work, because that place is under ground and so filled with concrete and other electronics that I can't ever get a signal there.) I wish I had been more mindful to take pictures, because who knows when I'll ever see some of these folks again?

Here's a view of what the site looked like. We were all out in a big open field on the side of a hill. As I understand it, there were about 500 people in attendance ~ 430 adults and 60 + kids (12 and under).

There was a community kitchen where folks could share cooking aparatus and food, and the open space made visiting easy from one tent or campsite to the next.  

This is shot of me with The Tribe - AndeAhmik. I love these guys so much. I was really blessed to be able to meet up with them and spend a little time to affirm their calling and try to encourage them. They have asked me to stand with them in prayer and I'm not only glad to do it, I'm honored to be asked.

This is me with Eric, a new Xanga friend. I happened on his site while surfing around from one place to the next. He's a neat guy and you can check him out more at his site. 

There's so much more to share, but so little time. Later I'll try to post again and add more details to the story.

Blessings,

Shlomo

B"H

Glad Return

We're back from our trip and all is well. I am so grateful to the LORD for the opportunity to go and meet the various people at the PAPA festival. My plans and hopes were to meet IRL a bunch of folks that I had only known here in cyberspace. I attended one workshop and it was very good, but mostly I wanted to meet people and make new friends and I wasn't disappointed. Later I'll try to write some sort of review of the weekend and give a general report of our experiences.

Blessings,

Shlomo

B"H

A new update.

Since there's good and bad news I'll start with the bad and things can only get better from there.

Bye Bye Bella

For the past four months we have had a dog named Bella. She was a black lab mixed with terrier or spaniel. We acquired her from an organization called R.A.I.N. (Rescuing Animals In Need). Although we are not perfect people, I truly believe that we did our best to provide Bella with a loving and safe environment. Somehow or for some reason, even though our home is basically a warm and friendly place, Bella seems to have been plagued by fear and insecurities. On numerous occasions she has growled and lunged at various persons, both family members and friends. This past Sunday, our friend Sandy had the unfortunate experience of being the first actual bite victim. Because we feel that having an open home and entertaining friends and other guests is a part of our calling from GOD, it is incompatible for us to also have an aggressive and dangerous dog.

To make a long story short, after a lengthy phone convo with one of the ladies from R.A.I.N., Penninah was sadly convinced that Bella should be put to sleep. Her unpredictable aggression and scary disposition was a clear indication that she had been mistreated at some point before she came to us. Try as we might, her fears were too deep seated and we were ill-equipped to facilitate the healing she would need to overcome her inner scars.

On Monday afternoon in the office of a highly recommended Vet, Bella made her ascent into another world. Will we ever see her again on the other side, one can only hope? I am certain that just as we are able to grow and change through the power of GOD’s love, such is also true of animals and other creatures.

Roadtrip to Greenback, TN

After several months of waiting and wishing the potential highlight of my Summer has finally arrived. In a few short hours we will load our van and drive off into the night, heading south toward the outskirts of Knoxville, TN. My wife and daughter are really good sports to come along on this outing. We are going to the annual P.A.P.A. festival (People Against Poverty and Apathy). It has been advertised as a “family reunion.” Being that I am such a great advocate of intergenerational friendships, I think this will be a fantastic experience. I have met a lot of people these past few months here in cyberland that I may now have the privilege to actually meet IRL. I hope to relax, enjoy the camping and make some new friends. In the midst I also expect that we shall have the opportunity to share our unique perspective on the faith as Jewish believers. Who knows what else GOD may have in store for us? I shall share it with you all after it is revealed.

That is all for now my friends. Please do pray for us and expect to hear a report of the goodness of GOD in the land of the living.

Blessings and Peace,

Shlomo

B"H

Church History: The Light and the Gory

Church history can be fascinating to study, but it can also function as a depressant like none other. How can it be that the very same people whom we celebrate as heroes of the faith, acted in such evil and cruel ways towards others? For me, I can only maintain my sanity by considering the lesson of the wheat and the tares. Jesus said that we must allow them both to grow here and now. If we try to uproot the tares then we will also destroy some of the good wheat with it. Instead, we are to let them both grow and flourish and the angels of GOD will sift them apart at the time of the final judgment. Whenever I discuss this stuff, I pray that the LORD will give more grace, because this is one extremely fertile area of spiritual warfare.

I'm not going to write a summary of Church history here. That is a project far beyond my abilities and altogether outside the boundaries of interest here in Xangaland. What I do want to share though is a part of my life's passion to see unity in the Body of believers.

Those of you who know me, know all too well that one of my hobbies is Church History. I haven't read any of the major works by the great theologians of the past, but I have read a ton of articles by and about these men and women of GOD. I have had the great privilege of participating twice in a symposium of some of the best modern Messianic Jewish thinkers of our time. I have also been blessed to know personally a prominent Anabaptist theologian who only lives one block from me. My primary area of interest and study lies between the present and the time of the Bible translators; Hus, Wycliff, Tyndale, etc. I became a believer during the tail end of the Jesus Movement (1967 - 75) in 1973 and have since studied the movement extensively. I don't regard myself as an expert in this field, but neither am I a stranger to most of the names and places that were important and influential then. I am roughly familiar with the era of the 1st and 2nd centuries, and I think I have a decent handle on the Jewish background of Jesus and Paul and the early believers.

I mention all of this because I have no true credentials in the conventional sense of the word. I love to read and study and am a highly self-motivated learner. On the other hand, I have a HS diploma and nothing else. I have been blessed by GOD, in regard to the work that I do that pays our bills. I feel very humbled in the presence of most of my friends who have multiple college degrees.

My interest in Church History is subordinated to my passion for unity in the Body. I grew up in a family that wasn't really in the pale of belief. My Father was a nominal Baptist and my Mother was intermittently active in the local A.M.E. church. I never had any special feelings or attachments to any type of organized denominational religion. When I became a believer at the age of 21, I described myself as non-denominational.

I have learned to appreciate and love believers from all sorts of backgrounds and traditions. I like to share a teaching from 1 Cor chapters 1 - 3. In that passage Paul berates the believers for being carnal or worldly in their thinking because they allowed themselves to be divided according to who their teachers were. Some were followers of Cephas (Peter), some followed Apollos and others were disciples of Paul or Barnabas. Paul clearly rebukes them saying that by dividing along these lines they are showing the evidence that they are not really mature and are walking after human or worldly thinking. He wanted to teach them many other spiritual lessons, but he couldn't, because they weren't mature enough to handle it. (Check out the Bible passages yourself and see if I'm correct in my interpretation.) Who is Cephas? Who is Apollos or Paul? They are merely the servants of GOD through whom the Word was preached. One plants and another waters, but GOD causes the growth and increase according to His own purposes. 1 Cor 3: 1 - 7 

Suppose we change these names and then consider how it might sound.

For while one says, I am of Luther; and another, I am of Calvin or Wesley; are you not carnal? Who then is Luther and who is Calvin or Wesley, etc and etc except ministers by whom you have believed?   1 Cor 3: 4 - 5

Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Finney or Moody or Billy Graham, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And you belong to the Messiah; and the Messiah belongs to GOD.      1 Cor 3: 21 - 23  .

Our past as believers is filled with heartache and tragedy. Exclusion and hatred were visited by one group on another even to the point of violence and death. All in the name of GOD, Who is love and ever compassionate.

We desperately need each other. GOD has purposely not given all of His fullness to any one group or individual. If we are ever going to progress and begin to reflect GOD's glory, then we need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks through the many different movements within Church History. Is GOD at work among the Jesus Freaks and left over Christian Hippies? What about the Crusts and those who are Emergent and Emerging? Is GOD interested in healing the rift between Blacks and Whites? What about the chasm between the Jewish and non-Jewish disciples? Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Eastern, Antiochian, etc.). How can we ever overcome the centuries of mistreatment and misunderstanding? Will Jesus' prayer in JN 17 ever be fulfilled? "Father I pray that they may be one as we are one in order that the world may believe that You have sent me."

I pray that we might soon learn to love one another in deed and in truth, not just with our words. I see many believers exploring paths from the past in an attempt to gain greater depth to their faith and I think this is good. While I may not be personally interested in some of the aspects of high church traditions, I certainly recognize that there is so much that I don't know that I am therefore hesitant to be critical of things I have little or no knowledge of.

Blessings in the name of Yeshua Adonaynu (Jesus our Lord),

Shlomo

B"H

The Blessing Over Bread

Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohaynu Melech HaOlam

HaMotzi Lekhem Min HaAretz.   Ahmayn

 

Blessed are You O LORD, Our GOD King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

AMEN

 

Several years ago I was at a Bible conference where Zola Levitt was the main speaker. He is Jewish believer who had a very robust ministry for several decades. Sadly, he was promoted to glory last month after a brief battle with lung cancer. Zola wrote many books on the topic of Jewish evangelism and the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith. During this conference where I heard him speak I have always remembered his interpretation of the standard Jewish blessing said before most meals.

The HaMotzi is the name given to this prayer. Technically it is said over bread, but since most meals have bread as a part it has become the most common Jewish prayer before eating. Zola made a point of referring to the fact that Yeshua (Jesus) said that He was the Living Bread that came down from Heaven (Jn 6:51). This was spoken in contrast to the manna which was eaten in the wilderness. Indeed the manna was the provision of GOD, but it only sustained life in the present. Those who ate it lived and then died. Jesus, as the Living Bread, gives life both now and in the future. Those who eat of this bread shall never die. Zola stated quite profoundly that at nearly every meal, Jews all over the world were giving witness to The Resurrection as they prayed before eating.

Blessed are You O LORD ..... Who brings forth bread from the earth.     AMEN.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Shlomo

B"H

Mother's Day - A Sad Story

I don't generally like to tell bad things about myself, but truth is truth. I wish I were a perfect person and didn't do bad things either. I especially wish I didn't hurt and disappoint those whom I love and who also love me. CIP - Penninah and this past Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is a fixed day on our calendar. You can look up Mother's Day for next year, the year after that and etc. No one can use the excuse that they didn't know when it would be. It only occurs once a year also, so celebration fatigue isn't a reasonable argument either. What am I leading up to? 

I didn't properly celebrate my wife as the mother of our two children this past weekend. It is also true and important to mention, that this is NOT the first time such a thing has ever happened. I am exceedingly glad to be married and glad according to the particular person that I am married to. I didn't directly mistreat my wife except for the act of neglect. We didn't go out to eat where she would have liked and we didn't do anything else at all. We attempted to go see M:I - 3, but even that I managed to mishandle ( we got there late and my wife won't tolerate missing even one minute of a movie). So these pass few days have been "hard times" between us. I say that I understand how she feels, but that doesn't change the fact that it still hurts to not be treated special on this one day of the year. Talk is cheap. Right action is the only thing that matters in these instances. I share this and other incidents of sin and failure for two specific reasons. First, I trust that I have here in this cyberspace environment, a few good friends. A few decent people who will take this news of my current faults and pray for me. I don't brag about my shortcomings as though it was a good thing. Rather I really wish that things had turned out differently, but it was my fault the way it was. Secondly, I believe that knowing and confessing our sins helps us to stay humble.

Thanks, in advance, to all my kind friends,

Shlomo

B"H

This morning I have two items of good news to report.

1. Joe Boxer Update


2. A blessed e-mail from A <--->A

1. As I mentioned in my previous post Joe Boxer (aka Ezra) came out to help us bury his cat Snickers and say good-bye. Our time together was good, or perhaps bittersweet. It's always rather sad when families are brought together by death and tragedies, but it's better than not at all. I had been feeling very hurt and defeated since Ezra left home. He's 19 and it's fine for him to set out on his own, but the manner of his departure caused me to doubt and wonder if I had adequately prepared him to face life without us. All the hardships of the past several years; the passing of both of my parents, moving 900 miles across the country, seeking to find a healthy congregational experience, homeschooling, financial difficulties, etc & etc stood menacingly at my door, each waiting their turn to take me down. The greatest pain of Ezra's leaving was the fear that our relationship had been curtailed by a breach of communication.

After we dug the grave for Snickers - no easy undertaking that was - we went out to breakfast. We ate at a cozy little dinner Penninah found years ago where the food is great and the service and atmosphere is even better. I can't say enough good things about Pat's Place. Anyway, going there was sort of like 'old times' for us. Later that evening I had the pleasure of a long phone convo with Ezra. Right now I assess things as being "good," not perfect, but at least we are heading in the right direction.

2. I received a wonderful report from a cyberfriend who's name begins with A and ends with A. (A <--->A) Things are going well there and so I am very happy.

Be blessed today my friends,

Shlomo

B"H

Last night, around 12:45 AM or so, our cat Snickers passed away. He was only 5 yrs. old so this was very unexpected. He was sick for the past 3 or 4 days that we know of, but may have been ill much longer. Penninah took him to a pet emergency clinic last night, but it was too late. Apparently he had some type of urinary blockage and was therefore unable to pass his urine for the past several days. The vet examined him and was preparing to give him some anesthesia for his pain when he suffered a heart attack.

Snickers was Joe Boxer's cat, but we all feel terrible about this sudden loss. In a few hours we will prepare a grave for him in our backyard and then say our last good-byes.

Life is very frail. Surely we all know this, but most of the time we don't live as though we did. We lie down to sleep and always expect that we will get back up and continue on where we left off. Sometimes our regular plans get interrupted.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would help us to live

our lives in such a way that You would be glorified and

that we might have no regrets. You have not given us the

power to know what will happen in the future, but You

have promised that You will always go before us. Just as

You are faithful and true to Your word, please enable us

that we might reflect Your character, even when we don't

know where we are going. Thank You for Your

Lovingkindness. Help us to extend mercy and grace to

others just as we have received the same from You.

AHMAYN  (AMEN).

 

Shlomo