Sabbatical: Day 3/Western Wall

As we neared the wall there was singing. Many Jewish young people walking arm in arm and singing with enthusiasm and joy as they go to the western wall and celebrate their love of God and Israel. The scene I beheld made my heart leap. Men on the north side of a partition and women on the south. Some praying at the wall while others were singing and dancing with ecstatic joy and laughing. This made our Pentecostal meetings look like a wake. Joy at a level I have never seen in a public place. God's people praising him for life, love, home and country. These People were Jews from all over the world but their faith in God was all that was important. Oh if we Christians were as thankful as these people are.  

Our next stop was for Sabbath dinner. We were invited into a Jewish home to participate in a traditional Jewish Shabbat Dinner.
This young couple moved all the furniture out of the living room and set up tables for all thirty four of us. They had spent the whole day cooking and preparing so we could be part of their normal Sabbath meal. This home is about the size of my own and it was very close quarters but as soon as we began the closeness became symbolic of our relationships with each other and with God. Seven courses of delight and with each course a blessing, a song, a story and love, love, love. As our host began he thanked God for the past week, protection and provision and God's presence each day. Then he proclaimed a blessing on our food, his family and each of his guests. He sang most of the rest of his worship. He sang a song of love and devotion to his wife, to each of his children and to his extended relatives and to us. In Hebrew he sang and in English he told us what he had said. My tears flowed as I experienced this love and gratitude flowing as praise to God. I told Nancy how beautiful she is and how I love her., she was crying too.
Every part of the meal is centered around God, Family and Faith, in that order. Our host has a talent; he can mimic other peoples voices. He ask each of us to tell a little about ourselves, where we live, years married, children. As we took turn he would mimic some of us so well that we spent hours just laughing and enjoying his gift. He did not try to mimic me and I wondered why so after the meal as we were cleaning up I ask him why. He said; "Texas, your voice is too big for me" so we laughed some more. This togetherness of the Jewish family every Sabbath is the reason that this country and these people are so strong. They are glued together at the family level, the national level and at the spiritual level. There is no separation of church and state because they are one people. God please help America find it's way back to you so we too can be one as a people too. His closing blessing was for the new week to be better than the last and for his new american friends to be useful in God's Vineyard as we select a new president. We all said AMEN! 

Up or Down...Heaven or Hell?

Where do we go from here? Government is a mess, the courts are filled with political activist' acting as judges, preachers are spending more time beating each other up than saving souls and perversion is the order of interest. God told us that there situations would be the norm.......Just before he sends Jesus to "Catch Away" his bride......the Church. Where do we go from here? That depends on your choices, lifestyle and/or your standing before God. Where  you go.......is up to you!

8-18-2015      Luke 9:22-26

S.       22Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

O.      Jesus foretells of his death and resurrection and gives warnings.

A.      I must spend my life in total surrender to the ministry. I must be a living example for Christ and speak boldly to any, and all, who will listen.

    
    P.       Father; increase my boldness and help me overcome my fears of failure. Holy Spirit, fill me              up. Amen.