The pagan roots of Christianity and the evil origins of rabbinic Judaism are subjects many well-intended theologians and intellectuals like to study. Why? Is it to expose where others may be falling short in the area of true holiness in our congregations? To expose hidden idolatry that others may be committing unaware?
The Torah forbids the uncovering of nakedness outside of the undefiled marriage bed. Yet where in the world do people uncover nakedness more than any other?
- 43% of all internet users view pornographic material online
- 75% of people “accidentally” view pornographic site(s)
Whenever you have kept the festival of unleavened bread or are now keeping it, what did you think of when you ate matzah? What does it mean to digest, to internalize unleavened bread?
A Hebrew Roots leader once told me he did not believe that there is ‘power in the blood.’ He just couldn’t find it in the Scriptures. Where are the witnesses to what the blood of the Lamb can powerfully accomplish in the heart and soul? Like with every doctrine, the foundation for what is claimed about the blood of the Messiah starts with the Torah.
The disease was killing me.
It wasn’t a virus that ran its course, nor was it an infection that antibiotics could kill. There was no natural cure. No doctor on earth had a remedy. It was destroying me. It was destroying my ability to think straight and talk coherently. It was robbing me of ambition, and energy and killing my relationships.
What does it mean to live free? Some say the Law is bondage. If you want to be free, I’m told not to live under the ‘Old Testament,’ live by the New! My mother told me that, attempting to get me to eat pork just to prove it. Why is there so much confusion about what it means to be free from the Law, free to do what ‘New Testament’ believers do?
Most of you wouldn’t give a chocolate Easter bunny to a loved one. But would you give that special someone Dove chocolates? Okay, so their ingredients are not so healthy. I am not advertising for Dove chocolates here, but I do wonder why they are so popular. Here’s my question:
Why do chocolate and the dove make for a token of true love?
No one was allowed on the other side of the fireline where the fire was burning. Of all my duties with the Forest Service, fighting forest fires meant meeting the strictest protocols under the most authoritative regime to which everyone involved had to submit. Everyone is obliged by a strict dress code. Each tool and each piece of equipment must meet the code for firefighter standards. Everyone is required to follow orders at all times. Not following protocol or breaking the rules could result in serious injury or even death. The fear of the fire kept even the rowdiest of loggers in line.
Leslie and I love to walk a sandy beach together as close to the waves as we can. The Pacific Ocean was named for its generally pacifying nature.
There’s something about the cycle of waves washing onshore, and then retreating until the next wave rolls in, that is so relaxing and peaceful, yet invigorating.
Surveying streams in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon often made me hot and thirsty in the summer. Mapping a stream up to its source usually took me to steep, rocky ground in the mountainous National Forest where I worked.
Everybody loves a go-to guy. He comes through for you like no one else can when you’re in a pinch. He’s Mr. Clutch – always right on time with just what you need! When no one else can get the job done, he delivers. He’s the selfless team player every coach and his teammates love. He’ll do anything he can for you, and he’s really good at it.
Something so cool about YHWH is how His ways are paradoxical, boggling the mind of the worldly, but clicking right on with the righteous. A paradox is a self-contradictory statement that makes no sense and is impossible on the surface level. Let’s see how YHWH works with the impossible about letting go and giving.
piritual gifts – what do we need spiritual gifts for? For what purpose should we seek the Father in Heaven to grant us spiritual gifts to manifest in our midst? Why do spiritual gifts seem to be a mystery to many Messianic and Hebrew Roots believers?
Fathers have standards. I like to call it ‘the Torah of the house.’ When a father raises his children, he teaches them what those standards are, how to measure against them, and how to apply those standards. It’s part of raising godly children.
As a keeper of the Torah, why do I focus on the Messiah, the Son of God, and not on the Father so much? Partly because I love the One Who gave His life for me and saved my sins; but also because I have seen far too many Hebrew Roots folks sideline Yeshua and focus too much on the Torah. I try to be part of swinging the pendulum back. Paul focused on the Messiah – he wrote that the goal of the Torah is the Messiah unto righteousness. (Romans 10:4) For this, Paul was accused of teaching against Moses. But did Paul lead people away from respecting and obeying our Father in Heaven?
Ever wonder – how in the world I ended up in this trouble and how can I find my way out? All I can do is cry out to YHWH for help! Hoshiyana – save me now! Abba, I’m listening! Somebody tell me how I can make it out of this mess! Somebody tell me what to do!
Anything having to do with Zion has a bad rep these days throughout the world. The avowed enemies of Israel use it in an accusatory way all the time. Bad actors have hijacked the concept of ‘Zion’ to deceive the religious into supporting their agendas to control and dominate people. The devil counterfeits, corrupts, and hijacks everything righteous possible. Zion is in travail over the ‘controversy of Zion’ (Isaiah 34:8) as the birth pangs of Zion are upon us (Isaiah 66:8, Jeremiah 4:31, Micah 4:10, Romans 8:18-23)
But should we allow the adversary to control and dominate the narrative on what ‘Zion’ should mean to the believer? Should we give the term over to be the stronghold it is in narratives against the people of Israel? What do the 161 Scripture verses say about Zion? What are Yah’s purpose and plan for Zion and is it in the Torah?
To Be in Beulah or to Be Beheaded?
Many of us would love a vacation enjoying a beautiful land in a far-away, mysterious place. Travel agencies portray vacation destinations as delightful places to be married, or for a honeymoon. The problem for most of us is that we’re shackled in local areas by our jobs and limited incomes. But the people of YHWH do have a delightful destination that Abba calls ‘your land, Beulah (Married).’ How are we ever going to make it there?
One of the last things most of us want to do is to talk to a group of people or speak to someone who holds a position of authority above us. It’s especially difficult if it’s something you believe they don’t want to hear but is critically important to say. Be encouraged, we can stand on the shoulders of men of faith who were much like us.
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