What is it to Pray in a State of Divine Transformation?...

I saw a meme this morning on Romans 12:2

Romans 12 "...I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God..."

It got me thinking about conforming; because there have been recently those who have been attempting to change my understanding to their own or to their group's, church's, or ministry's understanding.  I have had folks attempting to make my path more palatable or politically correct...  less abrasive or confrontational...  In years past there have been those who have demanded I take their side instead of follow The Lord's direction; and following Him has cost me friendships and luxuries that my flesh is eager to have.  But these are man's ways...  I have long been inspired by those such as Luther and Wesley who strove to repair the damage man has done to the family of The Lord; and such is my own passion in ministry - that it become that I am first a Child of the Most High, a Brother to Jesus...  and second a Goth, a Wesleyan, etc...  ...   It comes down to how we interpret and understand the most important commandment in relation to the 2nd most important commandment.  We so often focus on loving our neighbors that we forget to replenish and rejuvenate ourselves in loving Ha-Shem.  When we become depleted then where does love for our neighbors come from; and how can we continue if we do not first return to the source of all love?

It is difficult because I want to see others have a hunger and thirst to please The Lord as I do; I live in order that one day I might see His face with my own eyes.  Should I conform to the world and not change my heart back to The Lord, then who will as Moses calm His anger and wrath?... who will like Jesus reach into the pain of every heart in mankind and heal the injury?... who will like Job or Paul lead his persecutors to faith and redemption?...  who will like Daniel or his companions declare with great conviction their love of The Lord even in the face of death?...

So, I am writing this today to encourage a change in the way we all, including myself, pray...  conform ye not to the modes by which the world harkens and beseeches the divine, but instead in the righteous models that have been displayed for us throughout Scripture, let His Word transform our ways into His ways and conform our lives to be extensions of His own through the symbiosis of His love, justice, and righteousness...

Jeremiah 11:13 "For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. 14 "Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster. 15 "What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?"

1 John 5:16 "...If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that..."

Exodus 32:10 And The Lord said to Moses, "...Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation..."

Exodus 33:12-23  And The Lord said to Moses, "... And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live..."

If we can not see His face and live, then let us see His face and die! for what good is it to strive toward Him if the best we can hope for still leaves Him outside our range of sight?!?  I can honestly say that if I could see His face for even a moment, I would lose all interest in all else and nought else would ever matter to me again... I pray begging for Him to reveal Himself... I worship craving to find even His feet to fall upon...  I live every day hoping faithfully that His covenant is true and will one day bring me to direct eye contact with HIm; and if such does kill me, then so what - at such a time it can be said of me that I did all He desired of me and gave all I had to give; and my reward is rest in the gaze that will never forget my face or my name even long after His glory has consumed me... ... ...

When will The Lord return and ransom His people, when will He pour out His wrath against their oppressors?... ... it would seem that the prayers of the faithful are what holds back His hand... it would seem that our faith is being tried and tested, stretched and at times broken because we take to our knees in compassion and mercy to reach out to give the unrighteous 1 more chance after 1 more chance at true and incorruptible life... What is it exactly to pray for your friends and to pray for your family and to pray for your enemies?... to me, it would seem that to pray and intercede is to place my own soul in the way between them and The Lord that they not receive what His Law says they should; but instead, mercy and healing and restoration that one day they too may join by our side as missionaries on this terrestrial road...

To me, it is a powerful thing to think of prayer in this light.  As in Matthew when asked of His eventual return, Jesus basically told His disciples that when none left expect Him to return then and only then would He return... ... what if it is in the last beat of the last heart of the last faithful human being that the wrath of The Lord finally is unleashed?... maybe it will be so and maybe it will not, but to think of our prayers having such an impact on the world around us is quite inspiring....and in James where we are told that the prayers of the faithful can even pierce through the doubt and absence of faith in the sick and wounded... what power and ability He hath entrusted to us!?!  it is awe-striking!

Christmas Day...

Christmas day is over, but our celebrations are not.  Today, on the second day of Christmas we begin to visually sift through those who truly celebrate the season and those who have gotten lost in the business and even the godlessness of the season.  Nine years ago, my grandmother died two days before Christmas; and with her the joy of many.  You see, she lived for seventeen years after having a double hemorrhage stroke; and she used the miracles she was given to be a miracle for countless others.  In a way she lived every day of her life as if it were her last; and as such, she treated each "last" day as if it were Christmas - her favorite.  Of the countless souls she has touched and influenced over her life, you will never find one who can remember her without a warm and welcoming joy all about her; and if ever she were asked a reason why, the only reason she could ever give was "Jesus".

What does this have to do with Christmas?  Well, there are many who try to dissolve the celebration of Christmas...  those who think that Christianity is nothing more than a Christianized Pagan Celebration.  Christians and non-Christians alike strike at the "Pagan Roots" of Christianity almost on a daily basis now trying to convince us through loud and lofty voices, through rumor and speculation, and through misinformation and outright lies that there is nothing genuine, noble, or true in Christianity...  and Christmas along with it.  As oft' as others try to dismantle Christmas, people like my Grandmother know the true meaning of this holy season and never stop living it.   I know I am not anywhere near where she was in her walk with Ha-Shem, and a day rarely tarries when I don't catch myself complaining to or nagging Ha-Shem about something; but because of Christmas, everyday I can start anew and try one more time to live like Jesus and make her proud of the family she left behind...

What is Christmas?
When did its celebration first come to be?
When was Jesus' birth?
What of the Nativity?
Who were the Magi?
Really...  a king celebrated by Shepherds?
What of the Pagan influence?

These are among the many questions I hope to ponder and address in this endeavor if study, reflection, and writing…

You see, it was with the death of my grandmother that I actually started paying attention to the holiday season each year.  At first I thought that I was trying to re-discover that “magic” that seemed to have died with her.  What Ha-Shem has been revealing to me piece by piece and little by little has been so much more than I ever could have hoped or dreamed.

It is from hope that we are inspired to dream and from striving toward those dreams we are greeted by unexplainable, repeating, and observable circumstances - these are the evidence and substance of the usually unseen realms - and it is to this very evidence that we refer in every occasion that we make proclamations of faith.  You see, it is not a blind and meaningless faith at all; as in accordance with the laws of Science, it demonstrates a growth from the repeating and observable…  and while we cannot replicate said events though any means aside from continuing to hope and dream, we can know with certainty that every time we strive toward those dreams unexplainable and observable circumstances will follow…

The holidays, every one of them…  every holiday in every month and season is all about remembering the “hope” that once lived among us…  they are about striving to grasp hold of such hope once again in order that we might remember how to dream by reminding us what has happened before when others dared such preposterous things.  And in daring to dream we give power to the usually unseen powers to accomplish miraculous things in our lives.

“... and the usually non-terrestrial presence of Ha-Shem took on physical existence over the waters of te deep…”  Genesis 1
Etymology of the Word “Christmas”: 

I used wikipedia for this word-study as they have an extensive article on Christmas containing over 200 references.  Below are a few items I found to be of note in the wikipedia article when it comes to the word “Christmas.”

* "Christmas" is a compound word originating in the term "Christ's Mass"
* It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038
* Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed"
* Mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.
* The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter"
* Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās).  "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās.
* In Old English, Gēola ("Yule") referred to the period corresponding to January and December.
* Noel" (or "Nowell") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs), "(day) of birth”.

The Wikipedia article has much more information on the etymology of “Christmas” than I listed above as well as detailed references from which it draws its data; however this is sufficient for my intents and purposes. Now at this point,I have no little interest in discussing the various traditions we have now associated with Christmas, but rather my interest is solely on tracing through the actual data we have on its origins that we might understand in reality from when and from where Christmas originated.  From the above, we can see the word traces back to nearly the beginning of the 2nd Millennium CE/AD. 


Biblical and Historical Evidence of Jesus’ Birthday:

I recently read an interesting article on the Biblical evidence both for and against a December 25th celebration of the birth of Jesus.  In short, drawing from passages in Matthew and Luke, the conclusions of the article are that according to Scriptures either the birth or the conception of Jesus would have happened during the season we now know as “Advent” and the “12 Days of Christmas”  Advent begins on the first sunday after Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas Day.  Counting forward from December 25th the “Twelve Days of Christmas” end on January 5/6th and in some traditions they begin on January 6/7th and end on the 18/19th. 

Now I don’t particularly see the difference between birth/conception as something to get terribly riled up about.  Looking from culture to culture and tradition to tradition in today’s world, we see rejoicing at both times of conception (baby showers) and times of birth.  If Jesus was Conceived in December rather than born than it was in December that Mary was visiting her cousin Elisabeth whose baby leapt inside the womb knowing already who was growing inside of Mary.  

The details are not what give us cause to celebrate Jesus birth, but the hope that His birth promises us is what gives us cause to celebrate.  Parsons, the author of the above mentioned article, concludes with this: “...Every day, then, may we celebrate the life of our LORD and Savior, Yeshua the Mashiach! Amen.”  You see, we are grafted into Abraham’s Tree that is we are made beneficiaries of his covenant with Ha-shem.  In Genesis we read how Abraham admitted his own unworthiness to forge covenant with Ha-Shem and in response Ha-Shem promised to pay Abraham’s price into the covenant that his shortcomings become irrelevant.  Along with paying entry for Abraham and his descendants into this particular covenant - a covenant we remember every time we take Kiddush and every time we partake in the Eucharist - Ha-Shem also took on the penalties for breaking the covenant; and weather it be His conception, His Birth, His Death, His Resurrection, His youth, or His ministry we have just cause to celebrate the Hope that Ha-Shem has promised us.  The very same hope that began the traditions that we now have 2000 years later.

In Judaism we have a festival of Hope that typically falls in mid-late December; it is called Chanukah.  it is no mere coincidence that Chanukah and Christmas share manky symbols, traditions, and even proximity on the Calendar.  For those unaware, Christianity was considered as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, etc among the various sects of Judaism by much the world until the early-mid 4th century CE/AD… Christianity, before Roman Catholicism was a Sect of Judaism.  It was not spontaneously created by Constantine or any other Roman Emperor from a mishmash of pagan sources.  The Pagan Roots of Christianity are in their entirety a myth aimed at dividing the Ha-Shem’s people in order to destabilize and destroy the Church... You can read all about the Eight days of Temple Dedication in the Chronicles and Kings or about the Hasmonean Kings that made this festival famous in the books of Maccabees.  Today, Chanukah and Christmas traditions remind us that with as far as we have strayed from Ha-Shem, there is Hope.  Something about that hope births countless miracles - unexplainable but constantly repeating and observable events - in and around each of us who never forget what this season of holiness is all about.  For me, it was in my grandmother’s last days in the hospital before being released on hospice; and in spite of not being able to muster strength to speak in months, as I strummed my guitar and sang her Christmas Carols in her hospital room, she sang with joy and life.  For my own witness this has carried on for nine years now where a certain “magic”about this season births miracles, and even now, from time to time I can hear her voice singing along with the choir unrealized by many.
  
Now, keep in mind that the Bible as we know it has existed since the first Latin Vulgate Bible was written/compiled at the turn of the 5th Century CE/AD which extends our above timetable for evidence for/against the support of the December 25th Scripture more than 600 additional years.  This was all made possible by the Synod of Hippo 393 CE/AD and the Council of Carthage 397 CE/AD.  Prior to the Rise of Roman Catholicism in the 4th and 5th Centuries, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke take us back another 200 years (give or take) to the 2nd Century CE/AD.  

For some further reading, one might gander into the writings of the Church Fathers from the 1st and 2nd Centuries, several of whom were referencing a Celebration of Jesus’ birth and dating it to December 25th.  Others might turn to the historical inspiration for Santa Claus in St Nicholas who was not only a bishop of the Church during the rise of Emperor Constantine, but was also among those present at the Council of Nicea at the beginning of the 4th Century.  Another interesting note is St Nick’s feast day on January 6th.  While these beliefs and traditions have come a long way from where they began, very few of them actually originate in paganism.

I am far from exhausted on this topic, but that is about all I have in me to write today…  hopefully I will get to a bit more of this by the turn of the year… 

Holiday Memories

It's that time of year once again... when many of us struggle to overcome the hurts of Holidays past so we can fake a smile through Holidays present and survive to Holidays future…

For many, the holiday season brings joy; while for others it brings pain...  Every memory, tradition, relative, and friend has "baggage" carried along with them; both good and bad as this baggage is,it is still there; and it will be with you for as long as you choose to carry it.

We all have our reasons/excuses for putting up walls and pretending that things are fine ... hoping/praying that if we believe hard enough than the source of our misery will just cease to exist; but that is not what is best for us…

For a long time Thanksgiving was a time in my family when all the extended relatives on my dad's side would come together and we would share good food and memories.   About 8 years ago, this changed; as my grandmother spent the weekend and the weeks to come in and out of the hospital, dying...  I remember going to the hospital each night I was home from school; to visit her and play Christmas songs for her, all the while praying for that miracle that everyone with an ill loved one prays for…

The miracle I wanted I did not get; as she died just days before Christmas...  

Memories of my Grandmother are coupled with baggage,...   of the amazing, disciple she was...  of the tremendous faith and joy she radiated...  of the strength she demonstrated in the years of countless miracles she was part of while here with us on Earth....  of the pain we all felt when we were helpless to help her while she was dying...  of the loss and emptiness we felt when she was no longer there...  One of my fondest memories of her though is this: Only years after her double hemorrhage stroke she stood there in the living room of my parents house dancing with my grandfather...  Defying all odds, she danced; and I have a picture on my desk of the event to remind me everyday of the miracles Ha-Shem gives us even when all hope seems to be lost and even when we are not expecting it...  As I sit here revising what I wrote 3 years ago, then just under 5 years after her death, people she has never met, not even once, are to this day changed and affected by her walk with Ha-Shem...

Thinking about it in retrospect... while I did not get the miracle I wanted, I got the one I needed. My last visit to see her in the hospital, just before she was sent home on hospice... My Grandmother SANG! I can't even think to remember what song it was but only that over my own voice and over the guitar... SHE SANG!  The miracle of this is that for months she had not been able to even speak, but SHE SANG!!!.... years later now, and there are still people who spring to life at the re-telling of this memory... and lives that my grandmother never even met are changed by that same Vine whose branches bore fruit in her... does so in me... and likewise in so many others...

When I originally wrote this article, 3 years ago on Advent Sunday, I had just returned home from church and for the first time receiving a sense of that hidden magic of the season.  I drove to church and heard nothing but Christmas music the whole way there; and by the time I arrived, I was crying.  For the 5 years prior I had, in a way, carried hate and dislike for the season, because of what I lost - more baggage.  I was consumed by thoughts of how wonderful that weekend had been for me... about how peaceful the holiday seemed, even with all the baggage that I was only just then realizing that i had been carrying with me...  And listening to that Christmas music on the way to Church, reminded me of the marvel of what the holidays are all about.  "...For unto us a Child is born..."  Something that began over 5000 years ago, continuing on...

Every single trial boils down to this one thing... do you believe that Ha-Shem is big enough and powerful enough to accomplish all that He promised us He will?!?  Do you believe that Ha-Shem who carved you from His very flesh with the sword breathed from His very lips cloths you in the very feathers from His wings that it be remembered and realized once again,  “...  before I knit you together in thy mother’s womb, our souls danced indistinguishably from one another…” - this is the promise of a restored life through the Messiah promised to every generation of man that has ever walked the Earth…   the restored life we now live, bathed in the blood that tells the angel of death, “.. this one has already died…”

While I did not receive the miracle I wanted; I did receive other miracles; without which, I would not be here nearly 8 years later to give thanks and rejoice in this season of hope today. As was the case 3 years ago when i originally wrote this, this year we celebrated Thanksgiving with little more than immediate family.  Again, I was surprised with one of the most memorable thanksgiving weekends of my life.  In less than 2 weeks, it will mark 10 years since I met my wife and one month later we will be celebrating 4th wedding anniversary...  The miracles of Ha-Shem’s timing and the intricacies of His path and planning for us are such marvelous things; that when I look back at all the things I could have done differently, I find that there is no way I could bring myself to change them, given the opportunity; because of all the miracles I would have missed out on if I had.

So what memories are burdening you this holiday?  which ones are giving you  hope?  which ones are dragging you down? and which ones are driving you on?  we all have baggage; it is part of the human condition...  How have we dealt with it? how do we view it?  how do we move on, separating the good memories from the from the hurts and pains that tend to ruin our good cheer?

This is the miracle of the season, that we, in our depraved condition, are blessed with Hope...  Hope of a better life...  of Good things to come our way...   of a Redeemer...  of a loving “God”...  of fulfilled promises...  of memories to give us strength...  of a "light at the end of the tunnel"...  of family togetherness...  of the Kingdom of Heaven coming and becoming established in this world, on this Earth we all live on...

No, I may never be able to listen to a Christmas song again without shedding at least a tear; but the “God” of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, My Grandmother, and me shall always be here to give me good memories as a foundation to push onward toward the promises He has already given us...

Here is what I would like to see happen in each of us in the days to come: dig into your life, examine your story, highlight everything that would not have happened if not for Ha-Shem.  Write these things down, read them, speak them out loud to an empty room or to your neighbor.  As difficult as the journey has been; the account for how you ended up here today, for why you believe what you believe now, for all the events in which you have born witness to the power of the Almighty.  The testimony of His journey with thee is an incomprehensibly powerful weapon against our current situations; and it will surely strike down the greatest turmoil in order to expose the miracles of this holiday season.

Find a Memory, any memory, that is more powerful in your life than the depressing drudgery of everyday life.  Give this memory to Ha-Shem and let Him grow it into a mighty tree of Hope where you can find refuge in all the blessings, miracles, and promises that the He has in store for you.  They are there, should you choose to look…

We are priests, prophets, kings, leaders, role models, etc... It is all the places that you have been and all the things He has already done that will most definitely give you the drive and the ability to reach for that "impossible dream" that the Devil wants you to believe you will never reach... But Ha-Shem has already done all these things in your life; the battles He fought on your behest before you were even a twinkle - remember them; and take pride in all He has done and is doing…   As Moses, charge into the days ahead with your arms raised in worship; as Joshua, charge into the days to come with the call to worship sounding from thy lips; and as Daniel fear nothing when you are on your knees - for the Devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion and in your faith and prayer the lion’s mouth is held powerless.

The Transcending Circle

This began 7 years ago as a vision... while I was walking around the outer wall of the Old City of Jerusalem... A circle of prayer transcending space and time, life and death, ethnicity and politics... 

Since that day in the middle of my study abroad program in Israel, I have dreamt this dream and have seen this sight over and over... in my waking and sleeping... in my private and corporate worship... I have seen faces long since lost and heard voices thought in the grave... all in unison, all as one... praying prayers, singing their songs...

In recent events, I have had a few very sleepless nights... the sleeplessness in tandem with recent and current tragedies inspired and moved moved me to begin writing - completing the circle I first began to see 7 years ago... brothers and sisters I have never seen or known, but there they are in the circle... their faith lives on...

-----

The Transcending Circle

Outside of space

Outside of time
There is a place

Of prayer and power

Of hope and faith
Where all the voices
Of all the saints
Join as one

10,000 dreams
10,000 stories

10,000 legends

… fade away...
10,000 tears
10,000 screams

10,000 goodbyes

10,000 graves

My heart is raging
My mind is racing
Like a wardrum
Leading the march
To that magic place

Where dreams are born
Where demons dread
And angels swarm

10,000 faces
10,000 voices
10,000 heartbeats

… fade away…
10,000 tears

10,000 screams

10,000 goodbyes

10,000 graves

The paradise
That never was
Nor ever will be
In this land of sin
The magic place
Where dreams are born
My only home
When sleep evades

10,000 faces
10,000 voices
10,000 heartbeats

… fade away…
10,000 tears

10,000 screams

10,000 goodbyes

10,000 graves

From places known

From far away

From distant times

From today and yesterday
The magic place
Where dreams are born
Where hope is found
To face the storm

10,000 faces
10,000 voices
10,000 heartbeats

… fade away…
10,000 tears

10,000 screams

10,000 goodbyes

10,000 graves

I’ll see them there
Where faith arises
Life of its own
Amidst their prayers
In the magic place

Where dreams are born
Where loved ones lost

Live and breathe

10,000 faces
10,000 voices
10,000 heartbeats

… fade away…
10,000 tears

10,000 screams

10,000 goodbyes

10,000 graves

Singing lips

Folded hands

Bended knees

Please carry me
To that magic place

Where dreams are born
Where demons dread
And angels swarm

Let their voices
Never drift away

Let their faces

Never fade

In that magic place
Where dreams are born
Where demons dread

And angels swarm

Let their voices

Never fade
In that magic place

Where dreams are born

In that magic place

Where dreams are born

Justice Without Mercy is Tyranny

Chapter 6 of Genesis begins with the costs of man's actions...   the costs of MY actions "...his days shall be a hundred and twenty years..."  Now cut off from the tree of life, man's days upon the earth begin to wither, as a flower wilts when it is plucked from its stem.   What can we do to steadfast once we are severed from that which was meant to sustain us? Our death has come and the verdict is that it shall be slow like a clipped rose in a glass of water.  Science shows us that the cells that make up a man's body begin to wither, wear, tear, and decay from the day he is born...  There is no reversing it...  If Ha-Shem says it then, it is so; the promise shows fruit, be it grim, fruit non the less "... and in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die..."...  no amount of medication or exercising will change when your time on this Earth is finished! Nothing!...

But that wasn't enough in Ha-Shem's eyes; for like He declared on Mount Sinai to Moses, He declares first here "...  I will destroy man whom I have made..."  Man had fallen so far from the tree that bore him that he corrupted every living thing on the Earth to perversion of the Ha-Shem's design; and ALL had failed their divine design.  We were created to steward over Creation with divine dominion; but instead, we corrupted, perverted, and ruined that which we were to care for.  I kinda picture the Cave of Wonders from Aladdin, and see that 1 little ruby as the forbidden fruit; and trying to take that 1 thing in all the world that was reserved for Ha-Shem alone destroys all of the rest of the wonders that Ha-Shem intended for us to enjoy and be blessed with.  Ha-Shem becomes so repulsed by His creation that he once called "Very Good" that he declares that he will destroy the entirety of the earth and all that is in it.  "Every living thing shall perish!"

But Ha-Shem is gracious and loving and forgiving... and His gaze shifts to Noah who is described as being Just and Perfect...  a man who lived in a time which Ha-Shem is so repulsed by everything that He has created that He chooses to destroy it all.  Just like with Enoch in chapter 5, we are reminded that "walking with God" is still a feat that is within our reach as men; it is still something that men can do more than just dream about.  For it is in our very design; it is the divine scheme behind the blueprints of our existence to be in ha-Shem's presence and share in His marvel and wonder; if we so choose then no abyss, no hight, no expanse can keep His Shekinah from us.  First Enoch, now Noah...   Ha-Shem reminds us He still loves us and longs for us "...But with thee shalt I establish my covenant..."  The Hebrew word here is "B'ryth" or "Bareet"  and it is a Confederacy, Covenant, or League.  it is a deal forged by the passing between 2 pieces of flesh.  The details of this covenant are not mapped out for us to see at this time; but it is forged in passing between 2 pieces of flesh. I can't help but think of communion when i read this.  "...  this is my flesh broken for you ..."  again we have promise here of the Messiah; at least a hint to it...

And again I remember a promise from chapter 5:  "...  Noah, saying the same shall comfort concerning our work and toil ..."  the first hints at the events and aftermath of the flood; before man even had inklings that the Great Deluge would actually happen; within a name a promise was given to allow Ha-Shem to give man mercy in His judgement...   While enduring the very thing that man is given to punish him for eating the fruit of knowledge; he is now given a promise that there will be comfort, there will be release, there will be mercy....  Release will come in the covenant we will forge with Ha-Shem as we walk between the bloodied pieces of flesh that mark us as HIS people, HIS disciples, HIS prophets, HIS vessels of truth onto all creation..

What is Ha-Shem's design for me?  What purpose does the Ha-Shem have in my creation and existence?  What "note" can I play so well that nobody else in all of creation could possibly take my place?  Where is the vine that birthed me?  The vine that sustains me?  The vine that produces from me fruit?

What treasures and trinkets is the Serpent waving in front of my face in attempt to beguile me away from Ha-Shem's design?  I am faced now today as I am everyday with the choice between the tree of life and the tree of knowledge...   which one shall I eat from?  Which fruit am I living my life for?  Does it show to those who innocently pass through my life and never again cross my path? What could I do differently and would it be closer or further from the Ha-Shem's design for me?

Am I walking with Ha-Shem? or man? or alone?  Who or what is driving me onward?  What is the status of my own covenant with Ha-Shem?  Do I drink the blood and eat the flesh idly without realization of what it represents and means?  Am I furthering the corruption of this world or am I correcting it?  Does Ha-Shem count me as one of His own?

Who am I?  What is the name that Ha-Shem has given me?  What does it mean?


If the Scriptures truly are the Breathed Word of Ha-Shem then every element within is His Promise, every element within has His power to sculpt the whole of the world around us, and if we so choose, they have the power to sculpt us as well...

A Reality Once Dreamed

In some ways, this post has nothing to do with my seemingly abandoned theme for this Blog (The book of Genesis); and in other ways. it has everything to do with the Blog...

I have been wrestling with a lot of things today and lately; and I am well aware that i am not the only one; but still, in the midst of the storm one's own trials are always more apparent than those of others.  My own battles are but common struggles; my solutions, are a little less common...  Dreams vs Realities... Spiritual vs Terrestrial... God vs The Images Man Has Built of Him....
I know what I want out of both this life and the next... I know what He wants as i continually study the Scriptures and the Dreams He has placed in me... What I don't know is how to make this all happen or where to go that it become reality beyond a dream...

God keeps bringing Ecclesiastes 9 to mind for me...

"Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works. Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity: for that is your portion in this life, and in your labor which you take under the sun."

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where you go."

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. For man also knows not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them."

I feel often feel like I am sinking... with weights tied to my hands and feet.. fighting the loosing battle to bail out a sinking ship... and the battle ensues, "To fight for what I have dreamed... or to embrace the fate that circumstances have dealt unto me"...

But Nay... nay, I cannot accept this; for my God has brought me through such severe storms already! I cannot believe that this which pales in comparison shall be my undoing... there has to be another day on dry land, another day at sea, another day before I sail with Him upon that Crystal Sea...

And to the gods of this world and their prophets, I share in the testimony of Daniel, that his faith lift me in the absence of my own: "...we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up...”

Though the Battle Rages On, the War has long since ended... I pray my strength not to fade before the sun doth rise again... I pray my life to blossom still and not be strangled by the thorns... I pray my faith like a Forest of Oak hold His ground against the armies of this 'eve... I pray the storm rage even more that when it settles and when its through when I stand against the moon, the morrow's sun reveal to all that in spite of all the greatest strivings of the devils, demons, and men against me... I pray that when the dust doth settle and the morrow's sun doth rise that His strength still flow through me as I lift my gaze to meet His eyes to give Him glory for the entire night...

All these things have happen all that's been done... has not been meant to break His son... and though "... It is Finished!... " has been sung, the Final trumpet has not yet rung... I pray that though I hunger and though I thirst... though I long and pray day after day... to see Thee come, to see Thy face... to live for You... to bask in Thy grace....

Matthew 6 ...
"Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"

And even if I live not to see the end of this storm on this 'eve... O, LORD, still my knee shall bend to You alone!... May Thy Will Be Done!...

The Power of a Name

We remember from Geneis 1 that Adam was created in Ha-Shem's likeness and image and was given a divine appointment as steward and keeper off all the Earth.  Here is Genesis 5 we read, "...male and female created He them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam..."  did you catch that?  "He called THEIR name Adam."  The ones we know as Adam and Eve, by Ha-Shem's own lips were given 1 name to share between them.  They were so close that they shared a name; and as the Hebrew word "yada" implies in Genesis 4, they were so intimately close that their souls danced and were indistinguishable one from the other.  It is very important to undersand the relationship man and woman were intended to have - a relationship to complete, a relationship to share - all held in place and together by Ha-Shem's presence and identity in their life.  It is the same relationship Ha-Shem shares with Himself as both King and Queen...  as both Father and Mother...  As we read in Deuteronomy 6:4 "...Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one..."  and what we don't see in the English is the Hebrew word "Echad" which translates to "One".  But this is not merely the number "One" but Rabbis have expounded on the meaning that what should really be understood is "...  the LORD is united and complete in all of His many parts..."  and Ha-Shem "Yada" Himself - Ha-Shem's many parts dance with each other in an eternal relationship in such a way that no element of the identity of Ha-Shem can truly be distinguished from another...  The Father... The Spirit...   the Son...  all bear each other's traits and as Ha-Shem are truly indistinguishable and indivisible...

Have you ever noticed how much work relationships are?  Why is this so?  when did Ha-Shem place this curse on man?  The answer is that He didn't curse man with this; it is another example of the Serpent slithering into our lives...  Of Sin ensnaring and devouring us,  And Why?...  Because we let it!  How much more like Ha-Shem can we get than His very likeness and image!

This was the relationship Adam had before falling to the Serpent's rule...  The moment that Ha-Shem was no longer ever present with Adam, hostility arose between man and woman as fingers were pointed and fault was assigned.  Ha-Shem's curses constantly reminding Adam what they had lost...  what they gave away and cast tot he swine...   Day after day, we see as the result of Sin's prowl, the rift between Adam and Ha-Shem growing greater and greater.  As Adam drifts further from Ha-Shem so to has  he drifted from himself...  Without Ha-Shem there can be no unity between them and they grew so far apart that where Ha-Shem called them Adam, they were now Adam and Eve…

As people living in the western world, we don't tend to place the stock in the power of a name or the power of one's lineage, and because of this we can miss so much in the book of Genesis, especially here in chapter 5 where we are reading of Adam's descendants.  But remember for it is by no other name that we have power at all than the name of the Messiah who bled Himself that He could testify to Ha-Shem, calling you innocent, redeemed, and free!...  their is no name in Heaven or Earth aside from "Jesus" our "Emmanuel" that bears this magnanimous power to give you and I such image and likeness that it should be said of us "...  on this day, you were born here on My Mount Zion..."

"...  and Enoch walked with God ..."  Here is the power, because Jesus restored Adam and all their lineage to Ha-Shem, we can be encouraged, for a mere man was able to achieve a state of being that had not been seen since the Garden of Eden.  This tells me that just like the story of Jesus' life, ministry, etc. a life of sanctification is still possible for man to live.  It tells me that Ha-Shem's command, "... Be ye holy as I am holy..."  is not impossible to follow and live.  Enoch did not die, he simply went straight away to be with Ha-Shem just as is the case with Elijah.  THis is not to say that if you live a life of holiness then Ha-Shem will sweep you from this world into His realm, but that we too by the power of Jesus blood that now flows through our veins are able to live holiness.

"...  Noah, saying the same shall comfort concerning our work and toil ..."  the first hints at the events and aftermath of the flood; before man even had inklings that the Great Deluge would actually happen; within a name a promise was given in which Ha-Shem would give man mercy in His judgement...   The very thing that man is given to punish him for eating the fruit of knowledge; he is now given a promise that there will be comfort, there will be release....

Some thoughts and questions to guide our meditations...

I want you to spend a little time thinking about your name.  Maybe even do some internet searches on it and find what your name means...  what its significance is...  What is in a name?   My name?  Ha-Shem's name?  what clues does this tell me as to the His will and direction in my life?

Where is Ha-Shem in my life?  How does this affect me and my relationships with those the He has placed in my life?  My spouse? Parents? Siblings? Children?  Am I being drawn nearer to those in my life or driven away from them?   Why?

What is the goal I have for my life?  How does it compare to the map laid out for us in the lives of people such as Enoch, Elijah, or Jesus?  what am I doing that is bringing me closer to that goal?  What am I doing that is distancing me from that goal?

Where do I find comfort in life?  What things in my life keep me from these comforts? What things bring me closer to them?  What is Ha'Shem's role in my discomfort?  In my comfort?  in my strivings?  In my success?  In my failings?

If the Scriptures truly are the Breathed Word of Ha-Shem then every element within is His Promise, every element within has His power to sculpt the whole of the world around us, and if we so choose, they have the power to sculpt us as well...