another update on our son's car

By God's Mercy, our son has a new car -- new to him, and working well, though not perfect.

Life continues to be used of The Lord to remind me of my own imperfections. Cars, and people, don't have to be perfect, from what we humans "think" the word "perfect" means (by definition), to be used to do much good. God wants us to see that if we don't look, think, act, speak or live "perfectly," we can still do much good, if only we will (as fully as we are wiling to) live, for our Dear Lord, in submission to Him and His Word and His Will.

The word "submission" means we are lining up our life, as we live it daily, and and our plans, thoughts, words and actions, "behind" The One Whom we are following.

If I call myself a disciple, or follower, of The Lord Yeshua (Jesus) The Messiah, I must also realize that includes an attitude of full submission to Him, in every way. If not, then I did not make a full commitment to follow my Lord, but maybe I only committed (in my heart and soul) to follow Him "when it's convenient" or "when I *feel like it.*"

So, if I chose to admit I do believe that Yeshua (Jesus) came to earth to die in my place, why did I not also choose, as I grew in Knowledge of Him, to re-commit my life to living fully submitted to Him, to His Word (His commands), and to His Will?
In my case, I have, but (at times) slip back into wrong thinking.
This indicates a "stronghold" has been built in my soul, with my permission (though unwittingly; I was not alert to what was going on, ... and it occurred without my conscious permission; nevertheless, it did occur, and does affect my thinking and my actions), giving the enemy of God "ground" to affect my thoughts, attitude, and actions.
This can easily be "stopped." I just need to pray to my True Lord (Who is ever Patient, Merciful, Loving & Kind), telling Him (agreeing with His Truth) I realize I was wrong, mentioning specifically what I did, and then asking Him to forgive me, ... then, asking Him to build in my soul His Truth. (from His Word) I can mention a particular verse He has brought to my attention, that day, as a thought (of His Truth) from His Word, to focus on. It might be a Truth statement about His character, which I desire He build in my soul, to replace the wrong thoughts and attitudes which had been affecting me, ... because of that former stronghold that was there.

Anyway, as our son drives this car, he is (again) using it to do good, working for a ministry that teaches many, affects thousands across this world, ... as well as helping those who are in prison and in the military, as well as their families. He also uses it to come and visit us, and this time of year we celebrate his moving from one age to the next year's age. ;o) We thank God for this son, because God is using him to bless our family in a mighty way.

And we thank God for allowing him to receive a car to use, for serving those he serves, in ministry. (and others, who are in business) God is good! He knows our needs better than we know them. He may have us wait, as our son had to wait, for this car, ... but He is not ignoring us, or making us suffer. Most of our suffering is of our own making. (from my understanding, anyway) Some of it is meant as an attack to discourage or hurt, or even destroy our faith, by the enemy of God, of course.

The Lord only allows as much "trouble" or "suffering" as He knows we can, through His Strength, Help and Grace, glorify His Name through, with the deliverance He will bring to us, ... once we've gone through a (temporary) time of suffering.

Our son has been very patient, during this "trial" of suffering, which was not entirely of his own doing. God did allow it, because He knew He could us it to both encourage and edify those who know our son, as well as others who read (before) about how his other car was "destroyed" by spring rains that came so fast, and with so much volume, that that car's intake valve became water-logged. (which led to his former car's "death") Then, The Lord allowed another person, who dearly wanted to provide a good car for him to own, ... to never be able to finish fixing a car he hoped would work well for our son. Our son invested a sizable amount of money (from our limited resources) in this other possible car. (when one has very little money, any amount of money, over one's bill-paying resources, can seem quite sizable) That never worked out.

We all saw that was something God was allowing to happen, not for evil, but only for Good. It was something God now has used as another lesson in both humility and trusting belief. Forgiveness was another exercise we needed to "give," because there were some involved who, though they tried to help our son, simply were not allowed, for reasons we do not understand, but God knows about. As God continued to allow things "not" to work out, over quite a few months' time, we did realize that (and never lost hope that) God would work something out for our son to, again, have a car he could own and use.

So, now, it is a blessing to me to be able to report to you that God has not only done miracles in providing (as YHVH Yireh / Jehovah Jireh, The Lord Who continually provides for us) a "new" car for our son to own and use, for ministry work he does for Him, but God has also chosen to allow him to register and license it, and get other coverage he needs, to keep it "under authority." Hallelujah!! God be praised!! May His Name be glorified by all these things He continues to do, to uphold us, carry us through, and show others His mighty Power He uses on behalf of His children, ... to show the world that God is, indeed, alive, working in and through submitted men (and women), and ... though we don't always do our part, or honor Him with all our being at all times, He is ever Faithful, and does His part completely!

Yeshua (Jesus) is Lord! He is Faithful and True! Let's praise His Name together, for He is Good, and His Mercy endures forever!

... as we walk along this pathWay ...

Life continues to surprise me!

Does it surprise you, thrilling your heart, when YHVH God does something you can only describe as amazing, or awesome, or wonderful, on your behalf?

Well, I must share with those of you who read this blog that The Lord Adonai YHVH God has chosen, in His mercy, and in working through those who are true believers, to do some amazing things on behalf of our family, as we continue to support other ministries, … day by day, from week to week.

He has chosen to use an anonymous donor to donate a good-quality automobile to our family ministry (!). We praise God for His merciful, loving, kind-hearted, and patient Spirit! We thank The Good Lord for showing Himself strong on our behalf as we have kept trusting He would remedy a situation that has been one version of spiritual warfare, involving more than one believer in the community. But God is faithful! He is able to overcome any obstacle! Hallelujah! Let’s praise His Name together, and rejoice that He will provide, as He has promised, … when we continue to show Him we are willing to serve, as He opens the doors.

Our ministry includes the teaching / apologetics ministry done by our Life in the Bible Institute … to enable us to “get around” to places where we already go –

a nursing home,

soul winning,

choir,

youth projects,

Bible class (Sundays),

puppet ministry (done mostly by our children who are under age 18),

one, in our family, having a willing heart to bless the lives of others by playing piano in church and, when possible, at nursing homes we visit,

and one, or more, of us singing, in church, or … “on the mission field” (as part of a missions trip to the Philippines, as happened earlier this year), … or as part of a group of 5 to 6 young people, harmonizing together for God’s glory, to encourage believers in The Lord,

singing as a family of 8 … wherever someone asks us to come sing,

opportunities to help others by writing quotes or names in calligraphy, for specific individuals,

and more — one of our adult family members ministers to a lady in a nursing home.

… I hope to begin, soon, Lord willing (as He opens the doors for this) to help lead some monthly meetings / fellowship / learning times for the benefit of some young ladies in this community, as well as beginning some monthly fellowship opportunities with moms who teach their own children at home, and older ladies (some who are widows; some are not). Ladies’ teas are a delightful way to encourage women, especially widows, and those who would like their daughters to learn some of the Christian social graces, that build Godly character, and … uplift the soul. They serve as blessed times of fellowship, for ladies, also.

We stay quite busy, being asked to help with a ministry here or there, or else we’re teaching … or helping with someone else who is, ….

But, without a real car for over 2 months, now (a car that works / runs), it has been quite tricky to find ways to get to places we’ve been asked to get to, around the community where we’ve been living for just over a year, now.

There will be many opportunities to use this car. We do pray it will be used to bring God glory to His Name, because it’s His car! All that we ‘own’ actually belongs to God! We give all our ‘things’ to God, so He is The One Who watches over them, and takes Good care of His things!! Amen!

He is The One from Whom all Good things come, … He made all the metals (from where they were mined, from the ground, and then refined) and plastic (from petroleum), and leather (thank you, dear cows!, designed by God in Heaven), plus the rest of the materials that go into the making of a car, as well as the man hours, the labor, and … the effort and energy they must do, to produce a car that runs well, and is made well, ….

The next time you drive your car, please praise The Lord our Maker, Creator, Who designs all things perfectly, praise Him for Who He is (YHVH; El Shaddai; El Elyon; YHVH Yireh / Jehovah Jireh), and praise Him for His mighty Power to turn things that seem to go wrong, into things that produce Good!

He is perfect! He is Almighty! He is El Elyon — The Most High God! He is our Provider, our Protector, our Hope, our Strength, and our Joy! He does all things excellently, and uses all circumstances to produce / bring about Good, for those who are “the called” according to His purpose. — for the glory that is “due” to His Name!

While we awaited His Help, with regard to providing a car for our family, He was building in us a more humble, more meek, attitude. I pray He will continue to develop that attitude in my own heart, as He teaches me more about “abiding in Messiah Yeshua.” (abiding in Christ)

One day, all people of all nations will bow their knees, and admit / acknowledge the Truth that He is Lord of all! — YHVH God, and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, The Anointed One of God, the Holy One of Israel. (see Romans 14: 11 and Philippians 2: 10)

And … please praise The Lord Adonai YHVH God, Who has seen fit to give us a car to be used in service that will bring praise and thanks to His precious Son’s Name — Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus Christ)!

And … please thank Him for what He has done in providing food and water for you, as well as clothing you need, each day! He promises no more, but He does provide much more … than just food and clothing!

We have waited, and … have hoped in Him alone Who is able to do all things well! And He has kept His promise to hear the prayers of His true children — you all, and us.

We are not special (compared to other believers) or better than anyone else on this earth. We are merely “forgiven” by The Lord God Almighty, because of our belief in, and trust in, His only-begotten Son, Yeshua (Jesus), Who gave His Life in our place, to pay the penalty for sins we committed, thereby redeeming us. As The innocent Lamb of God, Yeshua took upon Himself the sins of all the people who have ever lived on this earth! He paid it all! — by willingly sacrificing His precious Body and Blood on the Roman execution stake, outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem. Why? Because He loved us … long before we knew or loved Him! That is how much He loves you and me! Hallelujah!

But in God’s eyes, we are His children, because He has engrafted us into His Vine, and has delivered us out of the power of darkness and into The Kingdom of His Dear Son (Yeshua)! (the Kingdom of Light, eternal Life and Love) (see Colossians 1: 13) Yeshua says He calls us His friends, if we do whatsoever He has commanded us (to do). (see John 15: 14)

(below is my version of Matthew 7: 7-8):

Ask, and keep asking, and it shall be given to you.

Seek, and keep seeking, and you shall find.

Knock, and keep knocking, and it shall be opened unto you.

For each one that asks receives, and the one that seeks finds; and to the one knocking, it will be opened.

We are not special people, you all!

We are just people who have been workin’ for The Lord, as you all are, who are true believers in The Lord, and in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ), who sometimes work also for companies, or individuals, … to earn income, and then, we get to serve pastors or missionaries, … or encourage other believers, by singing, or teaching, or sharing, or helping with some project they’re working on. ;o)

Life can get challenging!

I believe God is opening the door for more ministry, by providing a car with which we can “do it.”

If you are reading this, and if you believe in The Lord Adonai YHVH God, as we do, and (especially) if you believe in and trust in His Son, Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), for deliverance from eternal damnation, and into His Kingdom of Light, Life and Love (of YHVH God; agape Love — His unconditional Love He showed us when His Son voluntarily chose to come to earth, be born here, live, suffer and die, to pay the penalty for sins we committed, though He was entirely innocent of those sins, … and God raised Him up on the third day, according to The Scriptures, as prophesied by the Old Covenant / Old Testament prophets, and now, He is alive, and sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty, in His Throne!), please pray for us — M, K, A, A, E, B, M, and M. Yes, without exact names, that’s all 8 of us. ;o)

We do appreciate your prayers!

God is at work! In us, in you, for us, for you, through us, through you! That, by itself, is amazing! He accomplishes it by His Holy Spirit! Bless His Name!

God is so generous! And He is teaching us to show generosity to others! When He uses another believer to show us His generous Spirit and Love, we are so thrilled! (in our emotions) … and we are joyful! (in our spirits) … and we are built up in our Christian walk, in Him, Who is our All in all, to tell others and to share more about The Love of His Son, Yeshua, so others can ”gain” eternal Life!

Let’s praise The Name of The Lord together, for ever and ever! … beginning now ….

The Lord is our victory! His generosity goes on and on!

I Corinthians 15: 57-58 reminds us ...
"... thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding (!!) in the work of The Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor (for / to win souls for His Kingdom) is not in vain *in* The Lord."

I Corinthians 15: 50-54 also speak of victory ...
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit The Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption (that which is able to die; the *flesh*) inherit incorruption (eternal life). Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trump: for the Trumpet shall sound, and the dead (in Messiah) shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So, when this corruptible (body of the flesh) shall have put on incorruption (immortality),a nd this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

The Lord is the Victor over death.
He alone holds the keys to death and hell, now.

We can trust Him Who is True.
He alone is able to deliver these mortal bodies into (as He changes them into incorruptible spiritual bodies) immortality.

I John 5: 4 shares with us ...
"For whatsoever is born of God (our Father in Heaven, YHWH, the Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob / Israel) overcometh the world (system): and this is the victory that overcometh the world (system), even our faith."

I John 5: 5 - 13 continues ....
"Who is he that overcometh the world (system), but he that believeth that that Yeshua (Jesus) is The (True, Only-begotten) Son of God (YHWH)?
"This is He that came by water and Blood, even Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ); not by water only, but by water and Blood. And it is The (Holy) Spirit (of YHWH) that beareth witness, because The (Holy) Spirit is Truth.
"For there are three that bear record in Heaven, The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost (Spirit): and these three are one.
"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His son.
"He that believeth on The Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.
"And this is the record, that God (the Father Almighty) hath given us eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son.
"He that hath The Son hath Life: and he that hath not The Son of God hath not Life.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on The Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal Life, and that ye may believe on The Name of The Son of God."

I John 5: 20 ... shares more truth, for those who believe ...
"And we know that The Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is True, and we are in Him that is True, even in His Son Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah (Christ). This is The True God, and eternal Life."

He has already won the victory over death, and over this world system in which we live, being on the earth as we are. He won it through His Life, suffering death, burial, and subsequent Resurrection from the dead! (on the third day after He died)
All we need do is realize we have no way to get to Heaven ourselves (on our own merit), after we die, because we were born unable to measure up to God's "mark" ... His standard of Righteousness, of sinlessness, of being pure in heart (on our own), of having a right attitude at all times, and in every motive of our hearts, ... and more, because He requires us to be holy, as He is holy, and we can only do that by being "in" Messiah, through our belief in His Name, and in His atoning sacrifice as the Lamb of God, in our place, to redeem us (each of us individually).
We can never do enough to earn our way into Heaven, or eternal Life, on our own, by ourselves.
We need a Redeemer, One Who is our kinsman-Redeemer (as Boaz was, for Ruth), Who is willing to "pay the debt owed" by our sins, and iniquities, in God's sight, ... to make us acceptable to The King Eternal (Melech ha Olam).
We must believe on The Name of The Son of God, Who took upon Himself our sins and iniquities, on the tree, the Roman execution stake. To do that, we can "call upon The Name of The Lord," and He will surely save us (deliver us from eternal condemnation) from the wrath to come. He promised. He cannot lie. He is The Truth! He will do it!

The victory has been won! Yeshua the Messiah has won it *for* us! Hallelujah!!! Let's (we who already believe) trust in Him, Who made us, has redeemed us, and will carry us through into eternal Life with Him, in Heaven! Those who read this and do not know Him may visit http://www.lifeinthebible.org/ to learn *how* to join the family of God.
http://www.openwordbase.com/ has some interesting research you may wish to explore! It's a great resource for school teachers!

Practical Ways to Save Money and ...

... enable your family to "have more" of what you want (deep inside):

1. For happiness, be sure you look to The Lord Almighty for what you ask --
Contentment is found in making oneself aware of what one's resources are, and what one is able to do with them, as well as what others have done, before us, or for us, and how that is benefitting us, now.
Contentment also has to do with our being willing to look at and really "see" (with a heart after God's own Heart) life from an eternal perspective, which is revealed more and more as we read / study His Word.
Contentment has more to do with my relationship with God, than with what I own, or have, or want. If I am already abiding in Him, as fully as He enables me to, then I am content with all that He allows, and all that He gives me. If I am not doing "my part," then I find I want more, of many things -- time, resources, books, things, fun, ....
Contentment is a state of mind: if I am focusing on, and asking The Lord to show me, what He wants me to accomplish today, then I can be content that what I do "get done" today, was pleasing to Him, though it may seem to me that it was not "enough." He is not as hard on us as we are on ourselves, in expectations! We must realize He is full of compassion, full of mercy, full of Love, full of ... Peace, and always ready to forgive, hug, hold and ... comfort us, loving us with an everlasting Love that we still do not understand, this side of Heaven. ;o)

If I ask God for anything, it might need to be strength to endure, or a kind word for someone who is unkind, or a willing heart to accomplish a particular task or duty He's given me to do, or a right attitude toward those who oppose themselves (as He says, in His Word), or a helpful heart to those who need help, if only I will open my eyes to see.

If I ask God for His help today, am I asking Him to do the part I don't want to do? Or am I just asking Him to enable me to do it, with a sincere smile?

Contentment has to do with "stuff." If we are letting God "stuff" us with His far-reaching, enduring, tolerant, peace-loving, kind-hearted Love, then we can choose to be content.

Contentment can become a regular event in our hearts, that continues, as we continue to "die to our selves, our wants, our desires," and as we take on His desires, His-Self, His wants, and let Him "live" His Life of mighty exploits through us.

a. (a practical application of what to do, to be ''happy'')

While on earth, you may choose to write down all the people, all the happy memories, all the good things you have observed that God our Father in Heaven has done for you, with you, through you, and to you, ... that has so encouraged your heart. If you "journal," be sure you read some journal entries you've written, that have to do with answered prayer, or blessings you realized were orchestrated by The Lord (as they all are)

2. For getting work done, make sure you made a list of what you needed to do, each day.
Make sure you, then, checked off what you accomplished.
You may find you need to write a new "to do" list each day (as must of us do), or else you may choose to use a white board, or a wipe-off board, to just erase what was "finished." --

b. (a practical application of what we can do to "get our work done")

Check to be sure your goals are not too high: some of us are high achievers. We set goals that are quite high, even for ourselves. We expect quite a lot from others we know well.

Check to see if your goals, for yourself, are a bit high; and think in terms of what you have seen you are able to accomplish, by a certain time goal, and then, write those down.

c. If you write down your commitments on a blank calendar, and also you see it looks quite "full" to the eye, ... please re-consider what you and your family / your children are involved with, with respect to sports teams, or events in the community (that you are involved with, participating in), and look at commitments you've made to help with church projects and, perhaps, home-education-related activities, such as co-ops.

Are these activities physically 'draining' you?
Are you trying to do too much, just to please or help others?
Are you allowing yourself to say "no," when you should?
Are your children considering how "all the running around" affects mom, and the family's budget? Are they merely "thinking of themselves?" (and not their parents' valuable time) (and not the cost of the activities they want to be involved in)
Are we training our children to be selfish, without realizing it? Are they already unkind or ungrateful, in their attitudes, when we must say "no?"

d. Am I listing "priorities" for each day, on a master list, and referring to it, daily, to "stay on track?"
The Fly Lady's "notes" and "lists" are quite helpful, for many of us, though some items in her house are not in some of our houses (I have no extra room called a dining room, in this house, for example). You may wish to use whatever ideas "apply" to your life and house and duty lists you have, ... from visiting her site at: http://www.flylady.net/
There are other sites that share many helpful hints. If you search online for forums of moms who offer helpful household hints, or lists of "chores" that must be done, in most households, you will find the help you need. I don't need to re-invent the wheel here, by listing all the stuff we have, at our house, to do, to keep it clean, or to make sure meals are prepared on time, or to make a way for those who have allergies to breathe in less dust, each week...... ;o)

e. Maybe this should be listed first, but are we, as moms, eating right, getting enough rest (as much as our life situation will allow), and getting enough proper exercise, as well as some interaction with other moms, even if some of it is through online forums, or email moms' groups (better yet, begin a group, in your home, or at your church, for moms to meet, while dad, grandparents, or a friend watches our children, just for fellowship and to pray together and encourage one another)? Be sure you take care of your health. Find ways to prepare foods that will give your body more nutrients than they would, otherwise, get. This will build up your energy, your health, your brain's ability to think right, and your emotionally-balanced heart / mind. You will, then, be "suited" to do what you are expected to do, by your family. ;o)
If you need some ideas on this subject, please visit: http://www.westonaprice.org/
or http://www.windymeadowsfamilyfarm.com/
or http://www.utmost-way.com/biblicalapproachtohealth/

So many have shared very practical, real to life, solutions to how to take care of our bodies, our health, our body's chemical balances, hormonal balances, but we must have the tools we can "get our hands on" and "let our eyes read" and "our minds think about," in order to benefit from what others have found to be true.

For example, I used to follow some of the ideas in the Hallelujah Diet 'program.' Never was fully convinced it was a "be all and end all" program I should follow, rejecting all others. But ... I did try it, for a good while. However, have found that others, such as Dr. Jordan S. Rubin, and Dr. Roger Billica, and some others, known as "functional medicine doctors," have already shared much, in books, and through other resources they have produced. We just need to find and read them, so we can benefit from what wisdom they have gained.

In another post, I will share some very helpful book titles, for you to read. These are life-savers!

Keep looking down! -- from your position in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus)!

A Recipe For The Holydays

Hanukkah is called The Festival of Lights

Our Lord was truly born at the beginning (the first day), of the Feast called Sukkoth (Succoth, pronounced sue-coat), on the 15th day of Tishri, in October.

But as so many Americans celebrate a time when they want to praise and thank God for sending His own Son, Yeshua (Jesus) to earth, we can honor Him better by avoiding the parts of the "seasonal activites" that commemorate any of the pagan aspects of what Americans call "Christmas." Mistletoe, the holly & ivy wreath, the gold & silver decorated "tree," and more, especially the idea that "a lady" (originally called the queen of heaven, in Babylonian religious celebrations) and "her baby" boy, ... but not our Miriam (we call her Mary) with her baby Yeshua (most call Him Jesus), of Bethlehem, of the City of David. (she was a descendant of King David) (her betrothed husband, Yosef {Joseph} also was a descendant of David)

The Festival of Lights, known as Hanukkah (some spell it Chanukkah), is a commemoration of another miracle YHWH God did, long ago, on behalf of Jacob Macabee, and his family, when Antiochus Epiphanes, the wicked Syrian ruler, ... desecrated / defiled The Temple in Jerusalem, in defiance and hatred toward YHWH God, and His chosen people. (this is a very simplified explanation)
The priest lighted The Temple menorah (the 8-branched candle), but there was not enough oil in it to keep it lit for long. So, all who honored YHWH God prayed, for Him to do His Will, ... and the rest of the story is: YHWH God made the oil, in the menorah (the lamp in The Temple), last and continue burning for ...... 8 days!
All who saw it happen knew only YHWH God could have done such a thing!
... so, to honor Him, and what He did, the Jewish people have celebrated Hanukkah ever since!

And ... since Yeshua (Jesus) is known as The Light of the world, The Light for all people, we can celebrate this Festival of Lights, ... in what we Americans call our last month of the year, and ... we'd be honoring YHWH God, with our Jewish brothers and sisters, ... while honoring our Light, Who is The Messiah of God Almighty (the Anointed One of YHWH).

I look forward to learning more about this holyday. The Lord has been opening doors of knowledge to many believers, in America, to see that ... we need not be surprised at how "appalled" most American Jews are, at what we (who call ourselves) Christians (Christ followers; I call myself a true believer, instead.) do, at this time of year, which they seem to sense (even if they also do not know the whole history behind it) that the American form of Christmas ... is merely a rehashing of a Roman Catholic accession to an old, pagan, Babylonian religious celebration, plus some other pagan "symbols" ....

We can do our Father in Heaven an honor, and a service (this is only my personal conviction), by honoring our Light, (the true) Messiah Yeshua.

He truly lights all our days and all our nights! He truly has shined in our hearts, with the glorious Gospel of our eternal deliverance!
He truly is The Light that shines! ... upon all people who will believe, ... and trust in Yeshua the Messiah, as Lord of all, and as Redeemer and Deliverer (He is our Salvation; His Name, Ye'shua 'means' salvation).
All who call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved (delivered from eternal condemnation).
He is ever merciful ... and so generous to us, in allowing us to be engrafted into the vine He calls His family! Praise His Name (haShem)!

Though you, or someone you know, or visit, during this season of the year, may celebrate the "typical" American "Christmas" way, ... please do not condemn them. But if they ask you, and if you have become convicted, as I have, about finding another way to honor The Lord, ... you may explain to them what you have learned. (lovingly)

... but first, do a search, online, to learn, for yourself, all you can, from reliable, trusted sources (believers you know, and ... any whose sites you go to, and ask God about, and ... learn from, that seem to be sharing 'the truth' about the history and meaning behind symbols used in Christmas), so you will have "a way to show them" *why* you have chosen, this year, to honor YHWH God and His Son, Yeshua (Jesus), as The Light ....

It does not matter to me how you celebrate this time of the year. I will not be offended with you. This is just something I must do, because God has been workin' on me, about this holiday, for a good while. He will not let rest, until I make this change, at least personally. It will be a joy to do more of what He has been teaching me, for some time, ... about celebrating Yeshua's holydays / feasts He participated in, while He was on earth.

If they were good enough times of Joy-ing in The Lord YHWH, His Father in Heaven, then they are good enough for me, to celebrate, ... adding to the "Jewish holidays" ... a believer's viewpoint, including any fulfillment from Yeshua's Life, on earth, or His teachings, that God has made me aware of.

I look forward to learning more.
Thanks to a dear mom friend, who also homeschools, I now have Robin Sampson's book, entitled _A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays_. You can find out more about it, by visiting: http://homeschool-books.com/xcart/home.php
She has blessed our entire family with this book, and I hope to learn much from reading and using it!
God be praised!
Blessed be The Name of The Lord YHWH!
Praise Yeshua! He is Lord!

... until later, stay in The Word. Keep your focus on Yeshua! He is your Life! (you who are believers)
... and to you believers, ... keep looking down! Remember, that means we are seated with Yeshua, the Messiah, in heavenly places, ... and 'in Him,' we abide, ... at the Right Hand of The Father Almighty. wow! An amazing truth! But God is Truth! And He cannot lie. So, we must believe and accept that we are seated high above all principality and power, and all things that oppose God and His Son, Yeshua, even what Yeshua called "the world system." And He has overcome that world system. So, we, in Him, can, also. If we believe, and trust, and ... obey His commands.

As I study the Commands of Christ (Messiah Yeshua), using the website (to enroll, and begin receiving daily emails, teaching me, and using other links, to do further studies, on each command Yeshua gave), I gain more Wisdom, and spiritual Understanding, while learning more about Him, my best Friend, my closest Brother, and ... my King Eternal, ... my Gentle Shepherd, Who leads me, as one of His sheep. You can find out more about learning these commands Yeshua wants us to know, and respond to, at:
http://iblp.org/iblp/discipleship/dailysuccess/commands/

God be with you, as you journey through life, learning all you can, before you meet Him Face to face .......!
Shalom!

Found some more that's inspiring at Robin's place

Am finding The Lord is urging each of us, as this universe winds down, for the coming "place" God has designed to make, to replace it, ... as true believers, we all need to get serious about what He has taught us, about "moving" away from our usual thinking, that comes into our minds from our flesh, and "move over" (each moment) into "the spiritual rest" (and the righteous thinking) that our Lord Yeshua the Messiah desires for us to take part in, and join Him in, and also ... let Him use for the good of all whose lives our life touches.

So, am hopin' to share some thoughts with you here, that might encourage your heart, today, ... after being reminded by some thoughts Robin Sampson shared on her blog, yesterday.

This related to our "Spiritual Rest" in our Lord Yeshua,

as shared by Robin Sampson, on her encouraging blog, at this link,

http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/spiritual-fruit-begins-with-spiritual-rest/
you can experience "spiritual rest" ... as you choose, daily, or moment by moment, to "dwell" in The Lord Yeshua haMashiach. He told us to do this, so He must have known the benefit, the lessening of "stress" having negative effects on us, if we would, and the benefit to our health, beside the improving of our relationships with others, that would come, as well, from our ... just surrendering to His Spirit, and ... choosing (it is a choice) to "rest in" His LovingKindness (as The Lord Who does all things for our good, and Who *is* Compassion), in His Care for us (as El Shaddai, The One Who is just what we need, at any moment, if we will only cry out to Him in our need), and in His generous Grace (which is "sufficient" for every need we have), and in His Shalom Peace (which does pass, go beyond, all our human understanding, and fills us with Peace that overlooks and overcomes all strife, all anger toward us, and all hatred in words or actions toward us, from those who do not understand what God is up to, in us, or maybe, through us, that they are "taking" wrongly).

So often, I forget that my Lord Yeshua is wanting me to "release" my tensions to Him alone, and ... not let what others say or do "affect me" in the old way they used to. Am observing that, in my life, and thinking, some old habits or thought patterns are not wanting to let go, or go away, as much as I believe they should, or as one of my daughters reminded me they should, the other day. I must, instead of following "natural" ways of thinking, choose consciously, to switch over to the Path of Light, that (when I am on it) enables me to think in The Way of The Lord, because His Word He has given us "the mind of Messiah." -- wow! Imagine that! It is true! He *has* given us His Way of thinking, His ability to "choose righteousness," instead of our old fleshly way! If He has set me free (and He has!! Amen!), then I am "free" indeed (assuredly!)!! Hallelujah!!!

The Lord is always right here with each of us who "abide in Him," so, for me, I can overcome my old tendency to let the wrong attitudes of others affect me in a negative way, but only by His Loving, Might-filled, Righteous, Merciful, Kind-hearted Power (dunamis) working in me His Will for my life, as His friend.

As I choose to "dwell in the secret place of The Most High (El Elyon)," I "shall abide under the Shadow of The Almighty (El Shaddai)." (from Psalm 91: 1)
Then, as I practice "dwelling" in His "secret place," I will be able to demonstrate that (from verse 2, of Psalm 91) I can say "of The Lord (YHVH), He is my Refuge and my Fortress: my God (Mighty One); in Him will I (choose to) trust."

*If* I let worry about our family's future in the nation we were born in (maybe we need to make plans to be ready to leave, should The Lord lead us to do that, to opt for serving on a foreign mission field, rather than the large field, ready for harvesting of souls by The Lord, right here in America), or concern for others' actions and words (that damage the lives of those around them) that God will reprove, or observations that lead me to correct another whose life is not going as God would wish it to go, and they are not seeing the path they have left (God's perfect Will), nor the one they have chosen to walk on (which does not please God), which I maybe just need to (surrender my rights to) leave to God to correct that soul (whom He loves immensely), in His own Way, ...
....... then I have chosen, also, to not demonstrate that I am able to "dwell" (by His enabling, abundant Grace, that gives me the desire and the "power," or ability, to do, or accomplish, His Will!) in Him, "under the shadow of His" protecting, Loving "Wings."
... and if I do that, I am also not choosing to run to or dwell in Him as my "Refuge," though my right mind knows He truly *is* my Refuge, and my Strength! If I forget to think on these things, at a time of 'crisis,' then I am guilty of not seeing Him as He truly is, in one aspect, as my "Fortress" ... where He rules and reigns, and overcomes all enemies of His Love-in-action toward all those who put their trust in His Son, Yeshua haMashiach.

Will I choose to fully trust Him ? Will I, at least, try to trust Him a big jump more, toward Him, than I did yesterday ? Am I willing to give up, or yield to Him, my rights to correct that other person, who is also "on" God's pathway of Life, but who is stumbling, perhaps, or making a few wrong choices in thinking, as I have, so often ? Am I willing to show more patience toward others, whomever they may be, in order to let God work in their hearts, rather than expressing what I am observing that they are doing that I know God will judge in His wrath, toward those who do evil ?

He is surely in charge, and in control of all things that occur in this universe! I must choose to remember that that is The Truth! It is!
I can let Him take care of 'fixing' things that go on, in the lives we live on this earth, before we get promoted to His Glory Land!
He does know the right thing to do, even if it does not "look," to me, like the one doing what is wrong, or being allowed to remain alive (though even this nation's laws would say that one deserves to die), or like the one whose life touches my own, and what that one is doing, or has done, has had a very negative effect on my own, ....
I must remember that The Lord is fully able to deal with each of these circumstances, and each person whose life touches mine, in a negative way.
If He knows best what to do, in each of life's situations that He allows to come up, and affect our hearts, or our emotions, or our income levels, or our children's lives, or our country's leaders doing what is evil, or planning evil behind "closed doors," or ... then I must leave it to Him to do what is best. I do know He is able to deliver me, and anyone else, from those who plan evil, in this country, or in any other, if He wants to use that deliverance to bring more lost souls to a saving knowledge of His Truth, and of God's Son, Yeshua haMashiach. He can! I must leave it to Him!

His Mercy endureth forever! I must show mercy, in action and in words, and attitude, from my heart and soul that God is sanctifying, as He works in my life, daily!

My concerns for the welfare of others, or for the provisions I want to help them with, or for some blessing I would like to see them experience as a result of the right choices they could make, with regard to an area of their lives God wants, very much, to bless, or for the healing God wants to do in the heart or emotions, or more so, in the physical health, or lack of it, that someone I know is experiencing, painfully, or for the good God desires to do, in the spiritual growth of a believer, to enable that one to grow much more close to His Heart, but they do have blind spots, they are not "seeing" are causing themselves much pain, and they do not, if made aware of them, want to make the necessary changes that would open the door for God's abundant blessing to pour down on them, from Heaven, so much so, that they would not know how to receive it all. But what a huge blessing it "would" be, if only they could "see" what they cannot now see, with their spiritual eyes, due to hardness of heart, or due to resistance to His Holy Spirit's work in their lives, as believers in The Lord.

Anyway, Robin Sampson's short article on "Spiritual Rest," inspired me today, as well as The Lord urging me, has led me to write this.
I do hope it offers you the hope He has available for us all, if we will just "cry out to God," for the "Help" that He truly is and has for us.
He patiently waits on us, to "move." (over to His way of thinking)

... that must be why, David wrote, in Psalm 27, verse 14, as he sings: "Wait on The Lord (YHWH): be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine (your!) heart: wait, I say, on The Lord (YHWH)."

In Isaiah 30: 15, The Lord urged Isaiah to write down these encouraging and helpful words, to guide us to make some right choices, with regard to "spiritual rest" we can find only in Him: "For thus saith The Lord (Adonai, our Master) God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved (delivered); in quietness (trusting Him) and in confidence (knowing He has a plan to do good for us, at all times) shall be your Strength: ...."

And ... in Isaiah 32: 17, the prophet shares with us another insight God wishes us to know and think about: "And the work of Righteousness shall be Peace (Shalom); and the effect of Righteousness quietness and assurance forever." wow! That is what we all want, and need, especially in these times of uncertainties.

... but God has not forgotten us! He never will! His thoughts about us and toward us (for us) are so numerous, daily, that we cannot count them all! And all His plans for us are for our good, and they "are" good!

Please visit Robin's site, to read her article there, at the Heart of Wisdom (her blog area), using the link below:

http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/spiritual-fruit-begins-with-spiritual-rest/

Fruit of the Spirit Friday - Spiritual Rest

God is able to fill us with all Goodness, Gentleness, Joy, Peace, Love, and Strength, and even with His Kindness He can enable us to demonstrate toward those who are His enemies! He can make even our enemies (His enemies) to be at Peace with us, if we are staying on His Path of Life, by choosing, moment by moment, to "dwell" in His Son, Yeshua haMashiach, The Lord Who made us, and knows us, and wishes for us to come to Heaven, so we can enjoy the inheritance He wishes to share with us, in Glory, for eternity! Hallelujah!!

Blessed is the man (or woman) who ...

Psalm 112: 1 - 10

Blessed is the man (who) feareth The Lord (YHWH), (who) delighteth (continually) greatly in His commandments.
His seed (children) shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth forever.
Unto the upright there ariseth Light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
A good man showeth favor, and lendeth (without expecting anything in return): he will guide his affairs with discretion (judgment).
Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in The Lord (YHWH).
His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth forever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.
The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

... just had to share this with you!
It is a good reminder of how much God cares, in detail!, about those who believe in and trust their lives to Him. And it shows us that, if we are called "righteous" by Him, because of our belief in His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, God our Father will surely reward us for our generosity, and doing what is just and right in His sight.

May The Lord be with you, all your days, showing Himself strong on your behalf!

Do you wonder what some folks are thankful for?

Wonder what everyone else says they are thankful for? (on blogs)
I only know what I see I should be, and am, thankful for:

1. God, my Father in Heaven, choosing on His own volition, to love me, who was unloveable, and I still make lots of mistakes.

2. Yeshua, God's only-begotten Son, The Anointed One of YHVH (YHWH, depending on how you pronounce His Hebrew Name, He told Moshe / Moses, long ago), Who also IS The Mighty God, The Lord Adonai, as His Father is, Who chose to make (create) me. Then, He voluntarily chose to come to earth and live as a man, suffer, be mistreated, spit at, lied about, talked about behind His back, ... and innocently die, in the place of folks like me, who deserved the death He died, ... to redeem us all.
He chose to suffer and die in our place, though we did nothing to earn such amazingly blessed and wonderful treatment. He made us, He knows us (what we are like, deep inside; He had Jeremiah the prophet write it down: "The heart {of man and of woman} is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"), and He still has chosen to share His agape, unconditional Love with us, just as He promised to Avraham, long, long ago, and as He promised to King David of Israel, of the tribe of Yehudah (Judah).
Yeshua was born of the tribe of Yehudah; it's appropriate that He was, because Yehudah means praise. He deserves all our praise for Who He is! Amen! Hallelujah! He is Lord of all!

3. The Holy Spirit of YHVH (YHWH). He is my Comforter, Who strengthens me continually. He is my Help, in how He works in me, and teaches me, as my perfect Teacher, because He helps me to know what my Lord wants me to do, and then He even reminds me to do it, and urges me that, when I'm not having a right attitude toward The Lord, I should change it.
His Mighty Power enables me to do what YHVH wants me to do, for His glory! It's called dunamis, in the Greek. This "power" is only to be used for good, and it can only come to those who honor, and trust in, believe in, The Holy One of Israel, The True One, and obey the commands of, following the teachings of, The Lord Yeshua, The Lord Adonai YHVH, The Ruach haChodesh (The Holy Spirit), Who are "One." One God in 3 persons. YHVH's Holy Spirit dwells within my spirit, and He fills me. "The fruit of The Spirit of YHVH is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness (usefulness; excellence; kindness), goodness, faith (believing trust in God), meekness, temperance: against such, there is no law." -- from Rav Shaul's letter (letter of Paul the Apostle) to the people of Galatia, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23.

4. ... for the redemption Yeshua bought for me, by willingly shedding His innocent, precious Blood, and Body, on the Roman execution stake, in my place, ... because I believe in His Name, and have called upon The Name of The Lord, to be delivered of the power and the punishment I deserved for my own sins and iniquities. He paid it all. The account (of my debt I owed to God) is paid in full -- an accounting term, meaning nothing more was owed to YHVH, to satisfy His justice. I am free indeed, because The Son has set me free. Hallelujah!

5. ... God's blessings He showers upon me and my family, daily. He does so many things, I must count them all, and it would take for ever to do that. But I will try. And will write some of it down, as I am able, on one of my blogs. Perhaps I will remember to copy it here. Usually, though, I write those things on one of my other blogs, such as the one at:
http://threadsofsilver.wordpress.com/ (which I do not use as a blog, but as a free, online newsletter for olde-fashioned moms and older young ladies) ... or ... http://.....(my).multiply(page).com (you need to be invited to know that url)
... or ... "my facebook page"
... or ... "my xanga page"
... or ... (oh well, is that enough for you?) ...
... okay, ... maybe it's broken up into very small bites and it is on my twitter page,
... or ... maybe there is simply not enough room for me to list all that I am thankful for on twitter, so I joined a forum for "twitter-ing mommas"
... besides ... a hs moms' forum I am also on,
... or ... well, I'll stop now. (there were actually more; but you don't want to know) ;o)

... I do hope to write more later, about some things (in this world) I am grateful to God for.

Some time....
If I do not write much here ..., maybe that is because there is so little room in this box, that it must be meant for those who use little words, and say little.
I seem to have lots to say.
So, for me, this box feels quite limiting.
Now you see why I only write things on this blog, less often than some folks do.

Well, sorry ... : (concluding statement) This list was surely found to be much less exciting than what some, who know me, might have imagined. I regret that.
Reason? Realized I need to finish doing something else, before the rest of this night has gotten away from me. We moms almost never get to truly rest, except when we get to enjoy some truly-relaxing sleep. And we do realize we need to try to use our time wisely, as much as possible. (big grin)

For those who are disappointed, here are some passing thoughts:
(as part of a longer, continuing conversation ... between two individuals ...) But then, what does anyone know about anyone else, .. except what they've observed, or have been told?
If we know a person well, we'd already know part of what we'd be sharing on a blog, anyway. We'd only want to come and read the specifics, on a blog, that we figure we don't already know. Right?
Then, perhaps you should find something else more adventurous or inspiring or educational to do, instead of reading this particular entry. ... perhaps.
... just perhaps. (sorry; being silly for those who come here and may think I never have fun; this is one of the rare moments, when I've been cooking most of the day, and now I finally get to share something, and then I am so tired, I am only typing silly thoughts, at this point. I apologize to those who thought I only share serious, and educational thoughts here. We all make mistakes.)

However, what I am *thankful* for, is less than what I am willing to demonstrate, in real actions and real words, that I am truly *grateful* for. (this statement demonstrates, in words, the difference between the word "thankful" and the word "grateful." Okay, that was educational.) And what I am truly grateful for is listed above here. And that was enough. Because that was the main part of my life -- The Lord, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He IS my Life!

The rest of what I am thankful for is also good to recall, and remind myself of. But you all have so many things you are also thankful for, which would match what I am thankful for, that I decided I'd not repeat what most everyone else would be saying, on their blogs.

On the other hand, ..... perhaps I should have.




... nah! Not worth it....
God knows the entire list, by heart.
And from my heart, to His, I am truly grateful for all He has done, plus the stuff I cannot remember, and also what I did not notice He did, for me, and for you.

Hope you know Him. If you do not, please contact me (if you know how to; if not, just contact God by speaking to Him; He is always listening; He waits for those who are willing to talk sincerely with Him!), so we can talk about Him, and how much He loves you, too, just as much as He (has loved and) does love me.

He loves every person He has made. That includes every person, who ever lived!
He knows which ones will respond to His free gift of eternal Life, and which ones will reject it.

He knows us by how our hearts look -- our motives, and the root of what our thoughts, words and actions are.
... is your heart in "God" condition?
Hope so!

If you are reading this, there is still time for you to respond to His free offer .....!
Go ahead. All you could lose is eternity, living 'in' a lake of burning fire, that never burns out, nor do you quit feeling the burning ...... ever!

You might lose remaining with satan for ever, who won't be glad you're there in the lake of fire. He does not care about you.
He wanted YHVH God's "power" without His Good character! What a mistake!
So, those who go to "the lake of fire" with satan will only be completely, and horribly, beyond imagination, miserable, every "day" for "ever." -- !!

It is not worth an eternity, to imagine that if I surrender my life, on earth, to YHVH God's control and authority, ... and to Him as my Master / Lord, that I will, then, have to suffer under a miserable life here on earth, until Yeshua takes me up into the clouds, to meet Him in the air, and then, ever after I will be With The Lord!
My life, as a true believer, on earth has been much more exciting, miraculous, healing-filled, joy-filled and full of Shalom Peace that does flow like a river (over me, and in me), than any other life I had, before I surrendered my life to His control.

We will all live for ever. The question is: *Where* will you "live" for ever?

I'd rather see Yeshua, and be with Him, than do anything else! For ever!! Hallelujah! (I can't wait, Father!!) ... Maranatha!

Ever Thought About ...(?)

Ever thought about ... (?)

... how The Almighty, Compassionate, Generous, Kind-hearted, Awesome, Strong One, The Lord God ... delivers His children from harm, danger, drought, famine, and pestilence? Ever wonder about how He uplifts them daily, from each test and trial, ... and even encourages, provides and protects them?

Ever figured He's busy continually healing His children, helping them get out of some "real jams," or messes, or how He gives them hope when the future does not look positive?
Ever wonder how He fills them with His Shalom Peace while their lives appear to be in the middle of a storm? (of trouble that's comin' at them?)
Ever think about how He gives them His enabling Grace?, to get through the "hard times?" -- !

Ever think about this?: Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurs to God? He is never surprised by anything that goes on, on earth! He's always quite far ahead of us! He's ever planning out things for our good, though "situations" and "circumstances" may not look so "positive" to us, at any given moment.

Ever wondered why ... God never stops to think about things. He already has them figured out, long before we arrive "at that moment in time." --!

And, among other things "Good," that happen to us, at times, God our Father in Heaven is always *doing* (producing) (bringing about) (arranging circumstances so that we see they are working for our) Good for us all, who are His children. But ... it is only for those who are His children!

Dwell in His Loving care!
He is ever there! (He is Immanuel! -- God with us!)

Trust in His Strong Arms!
He'll deliver you from all harm!

His Peaceful Voice with calm you;
He will always come through.

The Blood of Yeshua will cover,
Over you He will hover.

As a hen, for her chicks cares,
El Shaddai will protect you where-
(ever you are).

He is able to deliver you,
In praise He dwells, fights for you!

Give Him the praise due to His Name!
(use His Names to "bless" haShem!)

Baruch haShem Adonai YHWH! (Yahweh)
Baruch haShem Adonai Yeshua!


Have a wonder-filled day, today (and tomorrow) basking in The Loving Lord's "Light" ... with His rays of Hope, Health and delivering Help, only He can give!

He Loves you with an everlasting Love! And underneath are the Everlasting Arms! He rejoices over you with singing, and with Joy, and ... He rests in His Love for you! -- from Zephaniah 3: 17

the next update on the Up Hill-ies

The families and people here in Tennessee have welcomed us with open arms. For that, we all are very grateful to God, our Father in Heaven!

Even the folks who do not truly 'know' The Lord Yeshua have been very gracious and friendly to us, as we share with them how they can know for sure that, when they die, they will go to Heaven, to be with God, with Yeshua the Messiah and with The Holy Spirit of God, the Ruach ha Chodesh. I have been amazed at how willing to listen most people here are, when we tell them of our Lord and Redeemer, Yeshua!

It can only be that God is making more folks 'more open' to spiritual topics, because they do continue to 'appear' in the newspapers and through other media sources. We get our "news" only from the internet and through emails others write or send to us. So, since we are not hearing all of what those folks (the lost souls, who are not aware of how much God has done for them and how much He dearly Loves them) are hearing or seeing, in what they call 'the news,' we can only figure that God may be using all the disasters in weather, all the war stories, the horrible failure of our government, of companies, of banking systems and of the government educational system in the USA ... to cause them to realize that, if God exists (and He does!), maybe they 'should' begin to be 'willing' to listen to what He wants them to hear.

We miss our beloved, long-time friends we had to move away from, in Texas, and elsewhere!

However ...
The home educating families we have met in person, since we moved, have also welcomed us with open arms!

Just this week, we have counted 5 other families who use the same home education curriculum / program we use! For us, that is a very encouraging answer to prayer! When we first moved here, we were only aware of two families. Then, when we first visited the Bible-believing, soul-winning, prayerful, faith-filled congregation where we are now members, we met one more family.
The lady through whom we met the folks we now rent this property from ... has a son whose family also use the same materials we use, to educate "their" children! We knew of her several months ago. But we only learned a few days ago, that her grown son and his wife educate their children with the same materials we are glad to be using.
And we owe our learning about those materials to some very dear friends whom God let us meet, over 16 years ago, when they invited us to attend our first Basic Seminar (formerly the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts), in Dallas, TX -- the DelMuls! Thank you, Mary Lou and Daniel! You all have been such a blessing to us, to know!

And now, the Lord has let us learn, through another kind mom who contacted me, who also home educates her children, in a city not far from us, about two more families, who use the same materials we use! wow!
And a group of home-educating families, who meet in the city where we live (just outside of), also care enough to be using some booklets to teach and encourage their young people and children with ... which are part of a program called the Keepers of the Faith. It is a bit like a Biblical alternative to Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Many home-educating families like this program!

So, once again, God has blessed us with one more thing that I had prayed God might, if He wanted us to, allow our younger children to use, to learn some good and fun skills through using the booklets of the Keepers of the Faith, Keepers at Home and the Contenders for the Faith 'clubs.' The link for this ministry is at: http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/

Besides all that, one group of home-educating families allowed several of us to go along, on a field trip, not long after we moved here, to a waterfall, ... actually we saw two waterfalls. They were not far from the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Nestled in among the mountains, they were just there, flowing down from high hills, and then continuing to flow on and on, over larger and smaller rocks ... on down, following gravity's path to the lowest point, a river in the area.

Mini-Geography Lesson:

Am learning more and more about the rivers in this area, since we moved here. They all, on this west side of the Appalachian Mountains, flow into the Tennessee River, at some point. And that flows into the Mississippi River. It surprises me the path that the Tennessee River follows. Would have thought that the creeks, streams, small rivers and larger rivers, would flow south into the Gulf of Mexico. But there are hills far too high, south of this area, to allow for that. So, to the west, the further the Tennessee River carries water and its supply of fish and all else, the elevation continues to go down, until the water reaches the Ohio River, at Paducah, Kentucky, before the Ohio flows further west, for a short distance, and dumps its contents into the wide, old Mississippi! We sure have a lot to learn! Geography is so fun to look at, and think about. God has made this world so very interesting to study about. And He keeps us asking questions, doesn't He?!

Isaiah 57: 15 reminds us
"For thus saith The High and Lofty One (Who) inhabiteth eternity, Whose Name is Holy; I dwell in the High and Holy Place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." !!

God is so generous!

He has used other folks He already knew before we came to this place, to live, to want, freely, to share with us their abundance of vegetables, as well as their time!
He has moved the hearts of folks who live in this area, and love The Lord, to gather food and other material things we can use, and pass those things on to us, to use as we are able.
Hallelujah!!!

And The Good Lord Who rules over all has seen fit to allow us, as a family, soon to share about the new ministry called the Life in the Bible Institute!
Please pray that The Almighty, Who orchestrates all the good that goes on, and allows the evil for His good purposes He can bring about, after it occurs, to use our family to do the good, in teaching, and in passing on to others the Knowledge of him and of His Word, that He has been teaching us, to turn the hearts of men ... to their Maker, Redeemer and best Friend!

The Lord YHWH bless you in all you do, as you seek His Face and as you will to do His Will, for His glory, praise and honor!

... more later ....

-- keep in touch!

Update for the Up Hill-ies

We are still here! ;o) (big smile) Thank you for waiting for an update on what we've been doin' ... up on this hill in the mountains of northeastern Tennessee!

Here is a list: (for those who are engineers I've worked for, businessmen I've worked for, doctors I've known, former public school teachers who only wanted to be listened to, and who often were mathematics educators, as well as many who are ... non-artists, non-musicians, and otherwise prefer things to be ordered (which is a good thing!), listed (related to orderliness, and that is good!), not "conversational" (sorry guys, but some of you are that way; other men are the opposite of that way) or ... who like to listen more than they talk, and are known by some as deep thinkers. Yes, I am one who prefers to talk (only when possible and only when it is the preferred mode for relaying very important information!), rather than listen. But that comes because I have just finished reading over 2 hours' worth of information and facts from human sources, plus truths and amazing and miraculous "doings" of God Almighty, from His Word! So, I am "ready to talk!" ... now)

1. visiting congregations of true believers ... who are all quite serious about what they believe, Who they believe in, and how they plan to live out what they believe

2. ... and we found one. But that is not to say that the other choices were not also good. We just chose one, because that one will surely keep us quite busy, as one outlet for serving God and reaching out to the community as well as sharing our life testimonies of how The Lord Yeshua The Messiah brought us to the knowledge of The Truth -- that He bought our Redemption and has made full atonement for our sins, and for our sinful lives (of the past).

3. we've been singing as a family of 8, at times when others have asked us to sing, before a church congregation. We are willing to sing elsewhere. Just need to find time, during a week coming soon to a city near you, ... when one or more of us can contact "other organizations" that might be receptive to us coming to sing. I believe it may be that our dear Lord, Who bought us, and owns us, is awaiting us becoming "more professional" and "more together" as a singing family, ... so that our "sound" (overall) will show we are "ready" for singing for groups other than just churches where we are already members.

4. we've been helping with the bussed-in children's ministry, that Harvest Baptist Church has, for children who live in a nearby city, near where we are, as well as children in the city where we live. There is an outreach program that ministers to at least 30 to 40 families, and several of us have been involved in the Sunday morning "worship and Bible lesson time" with the children who are a part of this program. Our own children are also involved in it.

5. we have helped in door to door, one on one, evangelizing in neighborhoods as well as other areas. We usually pass out Gospel tracts, when we can, during the week. We meet with others, weekly, also, to go out, door to door, to share The Message of how anyone can come to "Peace" and "Reconciliation" with The Lord God and with His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, through knowing "their spiritual condition" before God, and then, through accepting the free gift, through Grace, of "redemption" and "rest" through trusting and believing in the atoning sacrifice made by The true Lamb of God, Yeshua the Messiah, Who voluntarily gave His Life, on the Roman execution stake, for our lives. Now, all we need to do is (after we have accepted His free gift, through Grace) live our lives for Him, Who loved us, when we did not love Him!

6. we have helped with the Vacation (summertime) Bible School (learning time and craft time and enjoyment time) that Harvest Baptist Church organized, during June of this year. We volunteered to:

a. plan for, and offer a list for food donations among members of the congregation, and ... then buy and prepare food for the children (and some for workers) at the VBS.

b. teach (two of us) classes of children, from age 4-5 up to age 11-12, about The Six Days of Creation ... and about Dinosaurs living at the same time as man, and being created by God Almighty on the same day as man was created (day 6) ... and about The worldwide Flood during Noah's lifetime. At least 20 children accepted Yeshua's free gift of salvation! (out of almost 60, who came) We pray God will give each one a desire to know Him better, in the days to come. And we pray their parents will allow these children to attend a Bible-believing church in this area, or ours, so they can continue to grow in their spiritual life in The Lord, each child.

c. help decorate (be in charge of decorating, as much as was desired) the classrooms, as needed, and ... to decorate any other areas used for VBS

d. help with sound during the song singing time, in the sanctuary, during VBS, as well as passing out refreshments, during class time, and to help with game time on Saturday afternoon

... more later. Time to go "share the Gospel." (out in the community)

... stay tuned !

We have, so far, been made aware of 5 other home educating families who live in this same nearby area of His world, who ... have basically the same standards as our family has become convicted of, by The Lord. We rejoice in this news! God likes His children to be encouraged! And strengthened in Him and in His Word ! And He likes His children to know all they can, that will enable their "spiritual battling" to be done effectively, through His Holy Spirit and through His mighty dunamis Power! Hallelujah!

New Ways our Lord is upholding us as we journey

The Lord upholds His children, as you all well know. ;o) He carries us along in His loving, everlasting Arms! He fights all our battles "for" us!

As you know, we have begun a ministry, full time, called Life in the Bible Institute. We still have "the vision" for that, as shared by Michael Dante, "the President." We are a non-profit (no kidding!), charitable organization, approved by the IRS, as a 501(c)-3 "teaching" ministry / charitable organization. We depend completely on God, to provide, uphold, enable and qualify us all, who contribute to this ministry.

The latest "news" is that, after we all gleaned what our understanding hearts could glean from "the President's" reading (this week) of the book _Prayer: Asking and Receiving_ by John R. Rice, and after we prayed specifically about some needs our family and ministry have, God proceeded to do three things:
1. He enabled us to believe, beyond sight, for the upcoming financial needs of this ministry and family, and He began the next morning providing, through one widow we know, a gift that has already helped us,
2. He then allowed us to meet another home educating family who, later that evening, called to ask if we could help them with a banner for the church where the dad is an associate pastor. We trust that that could provide some ... financially, though we can only arrange these banners through a local printer, who gets most of the benefit from us offering the service to design the banner on our computers, and then pass the "work" onto him.
3. The Lord then had a man at church who works as a contractor ... ask "the President" if he was available to help him do some remodeling work, in someone's residence, not far from where we live. We trust that that will also provide some ... financially.

We consider all of these God's provision, in a special way. Bills come due. God provides!
He is amazing! He is awesome! He fills us with "wonder!" He is truly The only One we need!
Hallelujah! Praise to His Holy Name! He always comes through, and when we pray specifically, He does mighty wonders that even the skeptics have to admit could only have been done by Him!
He is God Almighty! The Provider! The Protector! The All Sufficient Saviour! He is The Lord!

We are thanking Him for this new provision.
... one more:
4. The next morning, after all of that other stuff happened, a businessman called to ... see if he could "connect" *our President* with some companies that have "jobs" he can do from home.

We will see. We are already clearing out as much of our stuff as we can, to get ready for an upcoming move. We may soon live elsewhere. Stay tuned, for what God will do next.
He has given us an amazing amount of "financial backing," let's say, through gifts and donations from those who know us, in the area, over the past several months, especially in December... when it was needed most. I won't list each amount, or who gave us gifts and donations. But God has them all on His list! And He has some big rewards for those folks, because we happen to know that they gave like the Macedonian congregation (the believers) who gave sacrifically to Paul, to take their gifts to the poor believers living in Jerusalem, ... long, long ago. And God abundantly rewards those who give out of their lack of abundance! And they gave cheerfully, saying to us that God had prompted them to give.

The Lord likes us to give to those who are in need, and we must do that, even if we think we are in need. Right? He loves to provide extra, to each of us, just so we can do that. God is so good!

... keep looking down! ... from your position up in Heaven, since you are seated in Heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ)! Dr. Timothy M. Warner put that phrase in a book he wrote, along with Neil T. Anderson, entitled _The Beginner's Guide to Spiritual Warfare_. It is available through the ALERT bookstore, if anyone wants to read and learn from a copy of it. It's very helpful and enlightening. You may know of someone who is not as aware as you are, of "things" that come as a result of "spiritual warfare." If you do, please pass on the title of that book to them, so they can begin to learn more. They will thank you for it, later. And God will do the work in them that He may already be doing in you! Hallelujah! God is pleased, I believe, when we pass on to others the helpful advice or information we have been given, by others!

Let's share God! He is generous! He wants everyone to come to Him!
Have a super-great day, asking and receiving from our Heavenly Father, all that He has in mind for us to receive! Ask, seek, knock ....

... going back to asking now ......

Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chap. 3

Ephesians 3: 14 - 21

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto The Father
of our Lord Yeshua ha Meshiach,
15 of Whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named,
16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His
Glory, to be strengthened with Might (Greek, dunamis)
by His Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Messiah may dwell in your hearts by Faith (trusting
belief); that ye, being rooted and grounded in Love (Greek,
agape, God's unconditional Love based on His promise to
Abraham, in Genesis 12: 1-3, and Genesis 15: 1, 5-6 and
17: 1-2),
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the Love of Messiah, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of
God.
20 Now unto Him Who is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to The Power (of
His Holy Spirit, the Ruach ha Kodesh) that worketh in us,
21 Unto Him be glory in the church (believers) by Messiah
Yeshua throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Letter to the believers at Ephesus:
Ephesians, chapter 4 ...
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of The Lord Adonai, beseech
you that ye walk (live) worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called,
2 With all lowliness (humility, depending completely on God
for everything) and meekness (yielded in attitude, letting
God be your strength, yielding all your rights, expectations,
plans and hopes to God, Who is due all things, and Who only
does you good at all times), with longsuffering (long-enduring
patience), forbearing one another in (Greek, agape) Love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of The Spirit (of God) in
the bond of (Shalom) Peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit (of the Lord), even as
ye are called in one Hope of your calling;
5 One Lord Adonai, one Faith (trusting belief in God
Almighty), one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through
all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given Grace (which gives us
the desire and the power to do God's Will) according to
the measure of the Gift of Messiah.
8 Wherefore He saith, When he ascended up on High,
he led captivity captive, and gave Gifts unto men.
9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also
descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the Same also that ascended
up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He gave some, apostles, and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting (maturing) of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Messiah:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the Faith (trusting
belief), and of the Knowledge of The Son of God (Elohenu),
unto a perfect (mature) man (spiritually), unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness (as shown
in Taoism, in Zen, in Hinduism or Buddhism, in Islam,
or animism, or the New Age movement,
or environmentalism or in "saving the earth," or in
queen of heaven worship (Sophia and other forms),
or in any false religion, most especially seen in
those who are involved in either Mormonism
{so-called followers of Jesus Christ ... but they
follow not the true Yeshua ha Meshiach!!}
and in Jehovah's Witnesses ... neither of whom "know"
the Lord on High, the true Lord Jehovah, the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Who is God Almighty,
The Great I AM, The Ancient of Days!),
whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the Truth in Love, may grow up into
Him in all things, which is The Head, even Messiah:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of
every part, maketh increase of the body unto the
edifying of itself in Love (Greek, agape).
....

Shalom ! Hoping this day will bring you true Peace ! ...

I John 3: 1-2
Behold, what manner of Love The Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall se Him as He is.

As you go through your day, today, my prayer for you is this: that God our Creator and Redeemer, The Lord YHWH, The Most High -- El Elyon -- will impart to you His True Knowledge, so that by His Grace, you may be enabled by Him and empowered by Him, through His Holy Spirit -- Ruach ha Kodesh -- to accomplish all the good He has ordained for you to do. May The Lord fill you afresh with His Spirit's filling, so that you overflow with His Peace-filled-ness, to all with whom you come into contact, especially those who would seek to harm or distract or destroy you.

May the protective Right Hand of The Lord YHWH, His Hand of victory He uses in battle to completely disarm, confuse, defeat, and overcome His enemies, defend you against the enemy of The Lord God, who seeks to steal, to kill and to destroy.
But God, Who is rich in Mercy and Lovingkindness, has already accomplished the complete destruction of every plan of the enemy, through the finished work of willing, whole-hearted, true sacrifice, done by His only begotten Son, Yeshua our Messiah, the Anointed One of God our Father, on the Roman execution stake, on Golgotha, just outside the walls of the city of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).

He is The Man of Peace. He made Peace between God and men (women included!). Hallelujah!

II Corinthians 5: 18-19 teaches "And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Yeshua the Messiah, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation: To wit, that God was in Christ (Messiah Yeshua), reconciling the world (all people who would believe) unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses (transgressions committed against His law, teaching) unto them (not condemning them as guilty); and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

He has defeated death, sin, the devil (satan), and the power of fear, of sin, of the flesh, and of death, that were over us. In II Timothy 1: 7 God says to us "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of Love, and of a sound mind." But now we are in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ)! ... "in" Him! He is our Life! He is able to deliver us from every form of trouble, suffering, deceit, affliction, guilt, and the effects of both iniquity and willful disobedience (sin). And He daily delivers us from much more than we realize. That is why we can, each day, thank Him for numerous blessings and ways He has protected us, provided for our needs, and even kept us alive. Many of us are only alive today because He has decided that that is what He wants. There may be no other reason to explain why we are still on earth. He has something "else" for us to do for Him. :o)

II Corinthians 5: 20-21 reminds us "Now then we (who believe on Messiah Yeshua as the Son of God and as the propitiation for our sins) are ambassadors for Christ (Messiah), as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's (Messiah's) stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin (to carry our sin on His body) for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

All we need to do is:
cry out to Him for mercy,
agree with what His Word says we have done that transgresses God's law (His teaching and commands), admitting "I was wrong," and
asking Him if He would forgive us.

If I have broken one of God's commands, I have broken them all.
James 2: 10 shows us "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God;" as it says in Romans 3: 23 (Shaul's / Paul's letter to the Roman believers)

I John 1: 9 shows us "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just (does the right thing) to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
His Mercy does endure for ever ! And Yeshua promised, while on earth, He will never forsake us ... ever !
Psalm 66: 18 shows us "If I regard (like, approve of) iniquity in my heart, The Lord Adonai will not hear me (my prayer request):" So, I must be sure I speak sincerely as I confess to God my Father what I have done wrong, choosing in my will to see it from His perspective. Then He will cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

My desire to please and honor Him is higher, as a believer in Yeshua (Jesus Christ), than my desire to do what I want. I cannot be my own boss. I do not know all things. He does! So I choose to agree with Him, because He knows all things, and is able only to do what is right and true and good (best). And God only chastises (corrects, punishes in order to bring back into line with His righteousness and with His holy standard of living) those He loves as His own children.

Since Yeshua purchased me with His Blood He shed in my place on the Roman execution stake, I belong to God, the Father Almighty. And Yeshua is my Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, and best Friend, even my Advocate before The Father. He intercedes for me continually in Heaven, right now. He made me. He knows me better than anyone else could. And He loves me more than anyone else ever could. And He will always allow only what will do me good, or what He can turn to produce good, in my life, as long as I work with Him, and let Him work out His Will, His way in me.

My part is to respond to what He allows with the kind of humble, meek (yielding my rights to having things my way), and loving attitude of my spirit and soul that He will enable me to have, by His Grace (confident in His faithfulness and generosity that He has already demonstrated while on earth). It is only possible to do this if I am already born again, of His Spirit, by Grace, through believing trust (some call it faith). He helps me respond in the right way, then, in bad situations, if I am willing to allow Him to live His Life through me.

Galatians 2: 20 reminds me "I am crucified with Christ (Messiah Yeshua): nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ (Messiah) liveth in me: and the Life which I now live in the flesh (in this body, on earth) I live by the Faith of The Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Life can get really hurtful, very painful, full of what seems to be unfair suffering, or mistreatment, or worse -- as our brothers and sisters in Christ in other areas of the world have found is happening to them, for their belief and trusting faith in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) -- being persecuted for choosing to be aligned with Yeshua, God's Son.

But all evil in the world is a result of sin, and most people will reject God and His beloved Son, Yeshua, in truth. Therefore, I must realize that God will do whatever it takes to turn mens' hearts to Himself, and He will draw them to His Heart, by any means that He knows will get their attention and work (succeed). He knows best.

If my suffering will cause someone else to see The Truth, then God will use it for good. If I am blameless (having confessed all my sins, thus far), and am choosing each day to live with a heart that understands what He wants me to do, to the best of my ability, and if I am choosing to do that (be a doer of The Word, and not a hearer only -- from James 1: 22), then my life will produce the most fruit for His Kingdom.

Fruit, for a follower of Yeshua (Jesus Christ), is the souls I have let Him win into His Kingdom. Good fruit is produced as a result of my right actions, done with a right attitude, at the right time and directed (led) by the Right Person -- Yeshua the Messiah. Good works are a result of believing what God has taught me, and doing it, also. But though I may do many good works, for the right reasons, all I can bring with me into God's eternal Kingdom, when I die or Yeshua calls me up into the clouds, one day, is "fruit." (souls)
He will bring souls into His Kingdom as I humble myself, and see myself as He sees me, completely dependent upon Him for everything. And when I line up my life with His plans for my life, I show I am His. In John 15: 14 and 15, Yeshua says "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. ... I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you."
And in John 15: 9 and 10, Yeshua says "As The Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My Love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My Love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His Love."
John 13: 17 shows us Yeshua saying "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

Am I following Yeshua's example of how to live? Am I forgiving those who trespass against me (and by that, against Him) before they ask me to? Am I asking God to forgive them, because they did not realize what they were doing wrong, by what they did to me? Am I taking account of what I have done wrong to others, today? Am I examining my own conscience each night, before lying down to sleep? Am I excusing my own sinful attitude, while accusing others of doing wrong to me? Am I willing to look at my life situation through the eyes of (using The Word of) God? If so, then God can work with me, and mold me into the vessel of honor He designed me to become, for His glory. This will bring me Joy.

Wow! If you made it through this, and are still "with me," you are a "keeper." Sorry -- speaking as a former fisher-woman. Grew up fishing pretty regularly, on lakes in Texas, as well as mountain streams in both New Mexico and southern Colorado. My daddy grew up on a farm, so he was familiar with fishing. My mom knew how to fish, living on a farm while growing up, also. So, we had fun, while we learned how to "keep" only the ones big enough to eat (the good ones). Life seems to be about fishing for the ones God wants us to help Him catch. But He wants to reward them, not us, by sharing the inheritance He gave His Son ... with the ones He has "delivered" from the lake (of fire). He sure paints some graphic paintings, with His words!

... stay tuned..., more later ...