Alphabe-Thursday "L"

[A]Long, long time ago,
I can still remember.
How the music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver,
With each paper, I’d deliver..

Okay, all together…

So bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry.

(Thank you, Don McLean ~ 1971)
Okay, I cheated…but when I saw the L, it made me think of a long, long time ago.



L is for lame
L is for lazy
L is for livid
L is for Lord
L is for love
L is for lovely
L is for loyal

And as Garfield would say ~ L is for LASAGNA

So, my lazy classmates, before the lovely Mz. MatLock looks in and becomes livid, I lovingly suggest we turn our loyal hearts toward the task at hand. Dig those L’s out and Look aLive!

For more on Alphabe-Thursday, lug your lazy self (just kidding), over to the lovely Mz MatLock's and checkout the loyal link ups! After all, lucky for you, we don't want you to feel Looked over, left-out, or left behind!

Blessings,
Cheryl

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

A Thankful woman's Book of Blessings is brought to you by Judy. To play along, simply list 5 things for which you are thankful. Stop by her blog (by the same name) and link up your post to the others. Be sure and link back from you blog!

My five are pretty simple, but it is in simplicity we discover the extra-ordinary!

1. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of life.

2. I am thankful for the splendor of spring, where we see the story of resurrection right outside our window, when all creation celebrates the return of life.

3. I am thankful for family. Yeshua is my "Rock", but my family is my anchor.

4. I am thankful that His mercies are new each morning, regardless of the day before.

5. I am thankful for each blessing He has brought into my life.

Okay, my lovely friends, it is your turn! And just for the record, my #6 is ~ I am thankful for you and your gift of friendship!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Tuesday's Treasures

Shaylee Elizabeth is six. She is also ornery, mischievous, funny, and she loves to pick a good fight! (But you could have probably guessed that from her picture, right?)

Our menu for Resurrection Sunday was ~

Grilled Chicken
Purple Hull Peas
Fried Okra
Mac & Cheese
Green Salad

and Strawberry Shortcake

and of course CANDY!

(We were suppose to have garlic bread, but somebody forgot to pick it up! No names, please.)

For more Tuesday's Treasures visit my friend, Mari's blog! And just for the record, Mari, I've been meaning to tell you, I think your button for this meme is one of the cutest buttons I've seen! I love it!

Counting of the Omer ~ Day 5

I am still running behind. Please forgive me and know, I will eventually get caught up...I hope!;-)

Since I am running behind, I am "borrowing" this post.

It is from Michael Caton, Joined to HaShem *ministry* (which by the way is located about 35 miles from my home). Michael Caton is one of the teachers I study each week's Parsh (portion of the Torah) with.

Thanks for reading! You'll be provoked to think and you will be blessed. ~ Cheryl

Another Facet

Just what is this guy Pharaoh’s problem? Does he not see that everything he has is falling down around him? Why not just let these Hebrews go and get back to life as normal before more tragedy comes upon Egypt? Why does this guy not see what is happening? It comes down to one word, or rather the lack of one word in his life. The word is fear. Until the time of Moses walking into the palace, Pharaoh had never feared anything. He had been feared, but what had he ever feared? He had until this point in his life been god to Egypt, but now had been brought face to face with a God who was not play acting and was much more powerful that himself. Because he had never feared anything, in his small mind he thought that in the end he would be able to beat this God of the Hebrews. He just had no concept of what he was dealing with.

This past week a friend sent me an article she had written on what it means to fear HaShem. She has requested to remain anonymous. As you read the excerpt below, consider how life for Pharaoh might have been different if he had been able to have a copy of this emailed to him some years ago.

“I have had the experience of standing close by a train locomotive when it is “idling”. The amount of power represented there is astonishing to me. I can feel the ground shake if I get close enough. I feel very insignificant next to a piece of machinery whose wheels are much taller than I am. I have walked across the track in front of a standing locomotive and it is a frightening experience. It may be that I recognize the power difference between it and me.

“Imagine the fear that is in place when I stand close to the tracks as the locomotive is moving past me. The amount of fear increases with the speed of the locomotive. The power of the locomotive makes the ground shake even more when the train is moving and goes up incrementally with the speed of the train. I would not consider standing in its way. Even if the locomotive is traveling at a very slow speed, I am humbled to know that I am no match for it.

“The locomotive is not vindictive. I have to put myself in a place of complete disregard of it in order to get hurt. I have to disobey the rules that have been put in place for my safety.

If I have this amount of fear for a big man-made object, how much more fear should I have for the Creator and King of the Universe. The amount of power represented by Him is astonishing to me. I can feel the pulse of His very presence if I get close enough. I feel very insignificant when I think of everything that He is. I have walked into His Presence and it is a frightening experience. It may be that I recognize the power difference between Him and me.

I cannot imagine the fear that is coming when I will see God moving at full speed in all his glory and power. I would not consider standing in His way. Even on a daily basis at a much slower pace, I am humbled to know that I am no match for Him.

God is not vindictive. I have to put myself in a place of complete disregard of Him in order to get hurt. I would have to disobey the rules He has put in place for my safety. "

Now let’s forget about Pharaoh for a moment. Did not the Hebrews lack the very same thing when it came to their relationship with their God? Were the plagues also about showing His awesome power and restoring the respect for Him they had lost? With each new plague did they not stand in awe and wonder similar to my friend in the above story with the locomotive? I think their actions in the end would prove this thought correct. It was not relationship that put them in the house behind the blood, but rather a good dose of fear.

What does all this have to do with you and me today? The answer is quite simple. It has everything to do with us. Today, His judgment is like the above locomotive. It is however not parked at the station for us to walk around and admire, but rather moving full steam to destroy every wicked thought and deed that man has devised. The choice for you and me is between two actions. Will we realize its approach, and through obedience to His Word take our place of refuge and protection under the shelter of His redemption? Or will we continue to play on the tracks of the world system, thinking that we will at the last moment jump out of the way?

So, just how is this “Fear of YH VH” working out in our lives today? Do we disregard it totally like Pharaoh did? If you are reading this commentary the answer is probably no. Are we more like the Hebrews? Probably. In fact, maybe alarmingly so. Have we, like them, allowed fear to be watered down to just having a bit of respect? I can give you a clue to where each of us is though. Answer this one question. When is the last time you said or thought these words, “I know what His Word tells me to do, but …” The answer can be as deafening as a locomotive!

* * * * *
On a personal
note:
Dot, dh's cousin that had surgery last week, is home. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Thank you!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Sundays In My City

Want to take a walk? Our weather is improving daily!



Of course, some of us have had to work!



And some of us just run around like crazy people.



Others prefer to take a nap! (me, me, me!)



What ever you are doing, have a blessed weekend!



To see what, where, and when others are doing, visit Unknown Mami

Blessings,

Cheryl

Counting of the Omer ~ Day 4

With a houseful of company, I managed to not post last night, so I will be trying to catch up for a day or two.

I felt like I needed to go back a few years, 400 or so, and take a look at the life of Joseph. Reading about the life of Joseph we see many glimpses of the person and the work of Yeshua the Messiah.

(Any time you find the number 3 or life where there should have been death (resurrection), you will often find glimpses of a Messianic significance – something you may also find in the life of Yeshua. Jonah is a prime example.)

Tonight I want to look at a short period from Joseph’s life.

Remember the dreams Joseph interprets while in prison? One was of the chief baker’s and the other the butler’s (cup bearer), who were Pharaoh’s servants?


There were THREE branches on the grapevine, which equaled THREE days.
• There were THREE baskets, which equaled THREE days.
• The THIRD day was Pharaoh’s birthday

Joseph interprets the dreams to mean, one would be promised life in three days, one would be promised death. This is a foreshadowing of the Messiah. Joseph is incarcerated as a criminal, though he was innocent. According to Isaiah 53, Yeshua was incarcerated as a criminal, even though He was innocent.

Here we see one criminal will receive life, one will receive death. How was the baker to be executed? He was to hang on a tree. What about the two criminals who hung on the tree at the same time as Yeshua? Didn’t one receive death, while the other was promised life?

Now, look at the professions of the two criminals in Genesis 40. These are prophetic symbols pointing to the Messiah. One is a baker, the other is a cupbearer – prophetic pictures of the bread and the wine. The two elements Yeshua (Jesus) used to illustrate His redemption! The elements we see at the Last Supper, which was done just prior to the Passover Yeshua gave His life. He became our Passover lamb.

This is actually, Saturday night. Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday. May you be blessed in great measure! Shalom!

Counting of the Omer ~ Day 3

Counting of the Omer ~ Day 3

Today is Thursday, April 1, 2010, or Nissan 18, 5770.

BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.

I wanted to be sure to point out one or two other points that I find interesting concerning the first Passover and that time in Jewish history.

I am always amazed at how God brings all things together, in such great detail and then leaves little clues to help us unwrap the mystery of His Word. However, once we follow the clues, unwrap the mystery we discover even more clues, more nuggets to unwrap and even deeper meanings.

Yeshua (Jesus) said Moses wrote about Him. Yet, when we read the Old Testament, we find that Moses never speaks of Yeshua (Jesus). Still, we see Yeshua in much of Moses writings, if we really dig in and look. We saw that in the Omer last night, in the Hebraic word Moses uses to express the salvation of YHVH (the Lord). The Hebrew word Moses used is “yeshuat.”

In the book of Deuteronomy we discover that the message of the Torah is basically ~ obey these words and you will have life. Through the Passover, God gives us a picture of this very thing.
(wish I could illustrate this!)

The Israelites were commanded to place the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their dwellings. Keep this in mind.

Ancient Hebrew is a language of picture like illustrations. The word for life is chayim. The shape of the first letter (chet) looks something like a capital H only the horizontal line would be moved to the top of the vertical lines. You often see this on pieces of jewelry. It is the abbreviation for the word life. If you trace this shape with red, it would look much like the doorposts and lintel covered in blood. Hence, when we obey (as in the first Passover) we receive life. This is a continuing theme in the Torah.

The next thing I want to look at tonight is pretty simple. It is easy to see the type and shadow of the Passover Lamb, that Yeshua would one day take the place of. If you have studied at all, this connection is a given. Right?

The Passover lamb(s) had to be observed for a short period (4 days, I believe), to ensure it was without defect. It was the priest who declared the lamb worthy of sacrifice, without spot or blemish.

Knowing this, and knowing John the Baptist was from the tribe of Levi (the tribe of the priesthood) we see the significance of John the Baptist’s pronouncement in John 1:29:

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

And finally, yesterday (the 17th of Nissan) marked the Feast of First Fruits.


Yom HaBikkurim - or Day of the First Fruits

• The first products of the grain harvest
• The beginning of the production of the harvest season
• It can be viewed as "the promise of more to come" – (or, we could say the Messiah connection!)

Other events that took place on this day:

• Noah's ark safely came to rest on Mt. Ararat - Gen 8:4
• Moses led the Israelites through the parting of the Red Sea - Ex 3:18; 5:3
• Walls of Jericho fell - Joshua 5:13
• Hebrews delivered from Hamman's plot to destroy all Jewish people in the book of Esther - 3:12; 5:1

The odds of all these events occurring on the same date have been calculated to be : 783 quadrillion, 864 trillion, 876 billion, 960 million to: 1
Tomorrow is Good Friday. May you and your family be blessed!