The Rock

Yeshua is the Corner Stone (Isaiah 28:16) He must be the foundation, the very Rock on which we must build our house. Everything else is sand. We obey Abba Father because we can and we want to because of the love He has shown us through the gift of Yeshua the Messiah! He is our example and leads us as we walk that very narrow way. He is the Gate! Please do not reject Him! Put Him first or you will get lost and fall off the path.

Yeshua/Jesus is not just an after thought, but was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).  He is Lord and Messiah.

1 Peter 2:1-10
 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, of all deceit, hypocrisy and envy, and of all the ways there are of speaking against people; and be like newborn babies, thirsty for the pure milk of the Word; so that by it, you may grow up into deliverance. For you have tasted that ADONAI is good.
 As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to him, you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be cohanim set apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah. This is why the Tanakh says,
"Look! I am laying in Tziyon a stone,
a chosen and precious cornerstone;
and whoever rests his trust on it
will certainly not be humiliated."
 Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who are not trusting,
"The very stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone";
 also he is
a stone that will make people stumble,
a rock over which they will trip.
They are stumbling at the Word, disobeying it- as had been planned. But you are a chosen people, the King's cohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; before, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.   

~ painting by Alice Brasser

What's Your Prison

My nephew was accepted into the Air Force Academy. Immediately, he was stripped of most of his freedom. He had to keep everything in his room in a specific order. It did not matter if it was convenient for him or not. He could only walk on certain squares of concrete in the courtyard. He literally had to run everywhere!  He had to memorize whole pages of a certain manual they used and if anyone in a higher class asked him to recite a page, he had to do it. He had to chew his food a specific amount of times before he swallowed it! He was forced to do everything and anything someone above him would ask him to do. If he got it wrong, 50 push ups was the penalty.

His mother said that by them taking away their freedom, it would break them down so they could be taught what they needed to learn to survive. This way, they could truly appreciate their freedom, as well.

The amazing thing is, I remember something my nephew said when we went to visit him in Colorado Springs. We were all together driving up Pikes Peak and the Old Boy (my husband) was trying to scare the living day lights out of us by getting as close to the edge as possible. He does not like to use his brakes because he does not want them to burn up! Our brakes were nice and cool at the brake check point, let me tell ya!...but I digress! As I cowered in the the back seat, my nephew told me he was going to remember how the people treated him as a new person at the Academy.
 "Oh really? You're gonna get 'em back, huh?,"  I said, with a smile.
He said, " No! I will not treat people the way they have treated me!"
I was pleasantly surprised and admired the integrity I saw in him.

As I read my Bible and look at some of the people I have admired through out my life, I noticed that almost all of them have been put in a situation where they have lost their freedom - prison, to be exact. Think about it. Most all of the patriarchs, prophets, disciples had been in exile or prison of some sort. They had been restrained, beaten and broken down so they could be retrained to trust and follow the Father! They had to learn to appreciate the freedom and safety there is in following Him!

I think of people like Corrie Ten Boom, Richard Wurmbrand, Dimitru Duduman and the Heavenly Man (Brother Yun). Look them up, please. They all suffered and were in prison. They have all been greatly used by our Father and have seen Him move in amazing ways.

I asked one of my close friends once what her "prison" was. She immediately said, "The Crypt!" You see, she had lost everything, including her home and was forced to live in the dark, dirty, cold, basement of an office building. This is what she referred to as "the Crypt", with obvious disgust in her voice. This woman is being greatly used by Abba Father now,  but she had to be broken down in order to be built back up! She has had to learn how to trust Him for everything.

What's your prison? Are you in prison now? Perhaps He is breaking you down so He can build you back up - HIS way. You are no different than anyone else. If Yeshua endured it, then we must too. There is no true freedom outside of Him.

Solitary Confinement (Richard Wurmbrand) 9 minutes:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7_1j5FXC2Aw

The Journey

One time, I got it in my head that I had to get me and the old boy to church. He had gone to church all of his life, but obviously knew nothing about the things of the Bible so I felt it was my duty to find him some good teaching. After all, we needed the fellowship...right?

Faithfully, I would drag him to a different church every Sunday, ever searching for that sweet hour of prayer, fellowship and teaching. We would either be late, or fight the whole way!!! Yeah, fun times. Finally, I decided ( notice that big "I" and not "we") that we should go to a local church in the neighborhood. It was only 5 minutes away and the people were nice, plus the pastor was new. He wasn't even the real pastor and had yet to be officially sworn in or whatever you call what they do when they make someone a pastor. The best part was the short drive there. We had no time to argue!

This pastor-to-be encouraged us to attend classes he was having about this particular denomination. That should have been my first clue something was wrong, but I wanted my beloved husband to understand God's Word and for us to have fellowship with believers. Is that so wrong? Seriously?! Anyway, I made a comment about Israel during this class, and pastor-to-be got very uncomfortable and made a comment about how Israel WAS God's chosen people but now things were different.  He emphasized the word "was" and something inside me panicked. My heart said, "No, this is not true!"

After a couple of months, pastor-to-be had a party in his honor because he became the official pastor of this church. A very strange thing happened at this party. The whole congregation attended. We were eating barbecue chicken and sitting at different tables. There were at lot of people there, yet this man, who was now pastor, walked up to the table my husband and I were sitting at and looked directly at me. He began to tell everyone at our table about his special barbecue sauce. The name of it was a play on words from a halloween movie. Alarm bells started going off in my head like crazy!!! Then, looking directly at me, he asked, "Do you know what you call shrimp, wrapped in bacon with my special hot sauce? Jewish nightmare!" ...all the while, looking directly at me! It was pure, demonic, evil, directly mocking me and I knew it! I was shocked! He laughed and walked away. I just looked down and my sweet, very sensitive husband knew he had upset me. The old boy asked me what he meant. I was not Torah observant at that time, but very quietly explained to him that Jewish people do not eat seafood or pork and he said, " Ohhhh!". You see, I was still on this great adventure, trying to figure out where my Father was leading me.

Meanwhile, the Lord gave me a dream that changed everything! So much started happening and I was hungry for Him and wanted to really, really know Him . I had questioned the prosperity and tv preachers for quite awhile. I was struggling with the Sunday or Saturday Sabbath. Everything was a huge struggle and a difficult, yet extremely great adventure!

The Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh in Hebrew) let me know that I must stop picking on my husband and let HIM do the work. He told me to keep my hands off! We cannot make people understand things...only He can. Needless to say, I left that church and left my husband alone. It eliminated a lot of confusion in my life and my marriage!



Shalom, Shalom!

Dream About Who Is Watching

I used to be really, really, really into politics. My poor husband didn't dare watch the news because I would get so angry about how biased the main stream media was and how ridiculous the politicians were! He heard about it from me like a crazy person ranting over their losing sports team and yelling at the TV. I am a little slow sometimes, but I finally figured out this was not pleasing to him, and toned it down.

One night, I had a dream. I have learned over the years that there are dreams and every now and then, there are DREAMS. They are the ones given by God and stand out in a different type of a way.

In this dream, I was in someone's home and Michelle Obama came in with a large entourage of people. For some reason, I had to babysit her kids (not the 2 she has, but a bunch of kids!).I was not too happy about this, but meanwhile she left, yet her people stayed. The kids were quite wild and I had just about had enough, when her entourage decided to leave, too.

As I walked these people to the back door, they all stood in a line, waiting to go. I began to tell them why their politics were wrong. As I went on and on, I looked at them and their heads were all hanging down and looking at the floor!

 "What's the use," I thought, " They are not even listening!"

Then, I looked again and even though I saw that their heads were down, I saw one person's eye pop open and peek at me...then another person did the same! About 3 or 4 of the people were peeking at me, even though it did not seem like they were looking at me or listening at all! This dream really stuck with me for awhile, but I did not understand it.

A few months later, after having this dream, I was at my In-law's place, sitting at the dining room table with my brother-in-law and precious mother-in-law. We were all discussing issues concerning the quality of life. My brother-in-law's  father-in-law was very ill and needed special care. Meanwhile, my nephew (about 15 or 16 years old) was watching tv nearby as we talked.

We started talking about the ethics of how much time and care we spend on the elderly, and were wondering when do you let go? I began to talk about how we must be very careful of when to give up on a life because we do not know what plans Abba God has for them, or how they may touch other people's lives. I then told them about a woman who Corrie Ten Boom knew in a communist country who was paralyzed, except could use one finger and would type out chapters of the Bible. No one suspected her, because she seemed so helpless and many people received the Word from her! It gave her a reason to live and the police never suspected her or her husband.

After talking for awhile, I happened to look down, and there was my sweet nephew sitting on the floor, close to the table, listening very intently to everything we were saying! Suddenly, that dream came rushing back to me and I understood! You never really know who is listening and watching, but Abba has a plan...

On another note, but along the same lines, I was watching "Jewish Voice Ministries" and they were talking about a huge event they had somewhere in South America. Many thousands of people attended and they proudly said that 50 people accepted Yeshua as their Messiah. Well, I thought, what's the big deal? Only 50? Immediately, the Ruach (Holy Spirit) convicted me and let me know that this was wrong, wrong, wrong! He reminded me of Yeshua  leaving the 99 and going for that 1 lost sheep. Matthew 18:12-14 says :

"What's your opinion? What will somebody do who has a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away? Won't he leave the ninety- nine on the hillsides and go off to find the stray? And if he happens to find it? Yes! I tell you he is happier over it than over the ninety- nine that never strayed! Thus your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to be lost.

We must simply love and obey our Father and let HIM take care of the rest...not looking to the left or the right! We may be very surprised one day to find out just WHO was really listening ~ Shalom, Shalom!

I Want To Know Him

One day when I was a young girl, I walked down the street with my girlfriend, to the new Catholic church so she could make " confession"  to the  priest. I was not Catholic, so I waited in the beautiful courtyard which had different statues of Yeshua/Jesus depicting His death. I believe it is called the Stations of the Cross, perhaps? I remember standing there and saying, " Lord I want to know you more...I want to REALLY know you." He honored that prayer, let me tell you!

A couple of years ago, I prayed the same prayer again, but this time I asked Him to let me know Him, not like they SAY He is but how He REALLY is and boy, did things happen! Everything I ever believed was challenged, and much was changed because He began to give me dreams, expose false doctrine and started teaching me what His Word really said.

It is now over forty years since I prayed that first prayer and I find myself praying it again... Lord, I want to REALLY, REALLY know you! I can't get enough of Him! He has been so good to me and it is an honor and a joy to serve Yeshua! It is a great and new adventure everyday! It is worth every trial, everything that I struggle to give up...everything you could possibly imagine cannot compare to REALLY, REALLY, REALLY knowing my Lord, Savior, King and Friend, Yeshua the Messiah


Tell me...do you know Him?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE

Down The Road...

I was now employed, but transportation was becoming quite a problem. "Red Fred", my Mom's little car that she let me use, while she took the bus, finally had enough, and totally died on me. My Uncle found me a car to drive, but that one didn't last very long either. I would take it somewhere and it would refuse to back up among other things. It was just not going to work at all!

I was hired at the small mattress factory because two women had gotten into a fight and one had walked off the job. The one who had walked out was allowed to keep working there however, and was not the easiest person for anyone to get along with. She was good friends with a guy who also worked there and he had a car he wanted to sell for two hundred dollars.

This car was an old Oldsmobile 88. It was white and had so much rust on it, people used to say it looked like it had cancer! It had a red, beat up vinyl top, but the interior was immaculate...a very plush red fabric and so clean! I thought this would be a great car for me and the price was right if I could just scrape up the money somehow.

Well, I prayed about it and did manage to get the money and this man agreed to sell it to me. Unfortunately, at the last minute, he told me that this woman decided that SHE wanted it so he was going to sell it to her instead! I was heartbroken because I was so sure that car was meant for me. I was crying and talking to a friend of mine about it and I remember telling him that it must not be God's will for me to have it. This wise friend said, " Wait a minute...maybe it IS meant for you. Let's pray about it." and so we did.

The next day, the guy had a change of heart and decided to sell it to me after all! I drove that ugly, old car for many years! I never once changed the oil in it... I didn't know you had to, and it never lost a drop! How funny is that?! The guy who sold it to me quit working at the mattress factory shortly after he sold me the car. A few years later, he could not believe it when he saw me and I was still driving it.

Why am I telling you this, you are probably wondering? Well, a couple of years before my Dad passed away, he had a botched operation and was in the hospital for a very long time. He was unable to swallow or eat and was very confused. I would go and stay with him at all hours of the day and night, praying for him as I watched him suffer. It was early in the morning, still dark out, and I was driving to the hospital to see him before going to work. I thought things were looking very bad and began to get discouraged. This cold, dark morning, I began to wonder if it was God's will for him to make it. All of a sudden, I remembered that old car and how it didn't LOOK like it was God's will for me to have it, but it really WAS after all. I had not thought about this in years and I knew the Holy Spirit was encouraging me and speaking to my heart, so I held on to this hope and kept on praying. When I was told my Dad would never swallow or eat normally again, I could boldly tell them that I walked by faith and not by sight!!!

You see, when God shows you something, you can bet it's going to happen and happen it did! My Dad swallowed again and began to eat. He went into a nursing home and then back to his own home, where he lived until just before the very end of his life.

I used to sing a song that said, "Down the road, a little bit farther, we shall all understand". I have found this to be true and as I look back, there have been many things I have not understood at the time, and I have often wondered "why?". As time has gone on, I can see how they have prepared me for my future in ways that only my Heavenly Father could have orchestrated! I'm sure you have seen this in your own life too, if you think about it!

The Day He Provided

Did I tell you that I had been a desolate woman? Yeah, my brother used to say he hated to be around me sometimes 'cause I had such bad luck. That's pretty bad!

Anyway, I had gotten divorced in October and my little girl died in December and the State pretty much cut me off from all of my money except for rent. I know what it's like to have to scrounge for toilet paper, and it is an awful spot to be in! Looking back, I sure am grateful for my Mom and my Grandma. I was very young and had little work experience, but I began to look for a job.

I started seeking the Lord, too. I had always believed in Him, but tended to stray quite often. Actually, I have strayed for most of my life, I am sad to say, but now I needed Him. He was my only hope! I started to read the Bible and pray, all the while trying to survive and find employment.

One day I woke up mad...I mean I was MAD. I went into my dining room and started pacing back and forth and started getting honest with God. Now, I would not recommend this if I was you, but I told Him that I had been trusting Him for a job and there were no jobs, and it wasn't fair, and I had no money for anything and I couldn't understand it ....all the while, angrily pushing my dining room chairs under the table and pacing back and forth. Finally, I decided to sit down in my old rocking chair.

I said to myself, ok.... just calm down. I began to pray as I started rocking back and forth in that old chair. I was tired and weary of life in general. I explained to the Lord I was very sorry and asked Him to forgive me. I told Him that I still trusted Him and that I would not let Him go so please don't let me go. I have often prayed this very same prayer since that time, in fact.

It seemed like less than 5 minutes went by when the phone next to me rang. I could not believe it! It was my friend (who worked at the mattress factory) saying, get down here right now! Two girls just got into a big fight and one walked out. You've got a job if you want it!

Woo Hoo! I flew down there in the little red car I was driving at the time. You could see the road through the floor of it and the seat would not stay up, so it was propped up by a milk crate behind it. Sure enough, I got that job even though they decided to keep the girl that had walked out!

For the first time in months, I felt so encouraged! Not only had He provided me with the much needed employment, He was alive and listening to me. Most of all, He was kind and very merciful! It was enough for me and gave me the strength I needed to keep pushing on.

Psalms 3:2-4
Many there be which say of my soul,
There is no help for him in God. Selah.
 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;
my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
 I cried unto the Lord with my voice,
and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

The Day He Stopped Time

I was a desolate woman. I was divorced, on welfare and my handicapped daughter had passed away. I was alone and dirt poor but eventually found a job...which is another amazing story all together.

Anyway, I got a job running a sewing machine at a mattress factory for 10 hours a day. They said I'd never last, because I had to start at 6:00 AM and I had always been a night person. I ended up working there for 10 years, however!

I hadn't been working there long, when one morning I woke up late. Not only was I worried about losing my job, I also made an extra 20 cents an hour just for being on time, and this would be gone as well.

 I rushed around like a crazy woman! I could not think straight. All of my clothes were in the laundry so I quickly found a shirt to iron. As I frantically ironed that shirt as fast as I could, I remember praying, " Lord, sometimes I wish you would just stop time, like you did in the Bible during that great war that one time!" (see Joshua 10) I kind of laughed as I said it.

I was finally off and driving to work. There was no way I would make it on time now. As I rounded the corner and drove down the hill, I saw the traffic lights were blinking. The company was located on an intersection and everything was dark where I worked. It was a summer day, and all of the employees were sitting outside! The lights were on across the street, but no power on the side of the street the mattress factory was on!
No one was counted late that day, because the power outage had stopped the time clock!!!

Now, some may say this was just a coincidence , but I know differently. There are NO coincidences with our God! Never underestimate Him. If He heard that simple little prayer from me, you can be sure He is carefully listening to every prayer you pray as well!

We are living in a time when we must remember the great things He has done for us so we can have the faith, courage and strength to trust Him when the very hard times come. This is how the Children of God have encouraged themselves since ancient days. Just read the Psalms! Many times they would remember and carefully go through the great things Adonai had done for them.

Please be encouraged today that your Father's ear is listening to you. He will help you in His good time in amazing ways that only His creative mind can think of! Don't give up...we need the encouragement of your testimony ~