Our Feast Notebook

In the beginning....the Feasts were very confusing! There was so much to learn and sort through in regards to YHVH's Appointed Times. There were (ARE!) calendar differences and teachings, traditions to consider. The relevant Scriptures were peppered here and there in The Bible and wanted to keep track of the threads of evidences of the Feasts in not so obvious places, as we discovered them outside of the initial Torah instructions too. It was SO much to keep up with! So I decided to start a Feast Notebook. This notebook has nothing but FUNCTION in mind. Organizing my thoughts from one year to the next is important to me as I desire to see the "big picture" of His plan and how He has unfolded our own walk as we learn to synchronize our lives with it.

These are other elements that I try to incorporate into my Feast Notebook:

• I chose a notebook that was rugged enough to last through the years, and could handle being toted with us, shoved under the car seats during trips to special events and to withstand the riggers of camping trips for Sukkot. I wanted a notebook with lots of room, and secured pockets too. I love the zipper element of this too. It helps hold in loose odds and ends that may get tucked in "on the fly" and it keeps them safe until I can get back to it and properly secure and organize them. This notebook was the perfect choice for us.

• I also wanted a place to tuck teachings that were helpful or instramental in our walk in regards to the Feasts, as well as links.

• I wanted to provide a place to journal our personal experiences, each year for each event. How we observed it and the personal little thing you don't want to forget, like mishaps, and things related to the development of the children, as well as our spiritual revelations and growth.

• YHVH always puts new people in our path during the Appointed Times. People whom we can minister to and others who minister to us. We are so encouraged by seeing what Yah is doing in the lives of others and the work that he is doing in the hearts of His people as He is restoring them to His Word and Himself in mighty ways! This too, is something I want to keep records of. This helps me keep these folks in prayer year after year, even if we never have the opportunity to meet again. This community is like none other...there is a true sense of FAMILY that is built in keeping Yah's Appointed Times together. It is like brothers and sisters coming together to honor the Father they love at His request, they gather and celebrate Him. This is also a place for a "directory" to stay in touch with those folks, since they are often from far away places. It is so precious!

• Decorations, centerpieces, teaching tools, and things like that were also things I wanted to make notes about or even save in a "feast tub" to reuse if we really liked them. The notebook would provide a central place for that. Maybe that centerpiece we used that one year, didn't "do anything" for me...but one of the children remembered it as very special and they would like to recreate it when they start keeping Feasts in their own home. One may never know! SO a picture or even a little "how to" that was saved might really bless them in the future. It might bring a little piece of "home" with them when they find them selves far from us or maybe we have passed on.

• I have a divider with a pocket labeled for each Feast. These are placed in order of the Biblical Year. On the front of each divider is a "practical" element of the timing of the feast (which was so helpful in the beginning!!). The pockets allow me to quickly tuck in loose papers, pamphlets, keep sakes etc.

• I wanted to have a place to collect special feast recipes. I have our Pesach Lamb recipes, Charoset, and lots of Matzah recipes. Food is always intermingled into the Appointed Times in some way, so I wanted to be sure I recorded my successes, and even my failures if they are things I want to be sure to learn from.
  
  Now, don't get me wrong. I love things to be beautiful too...and I really enjoy the creative process of making things beautiful and special! However, I had to accept that there is 'a time and season for everything'. So I came to terms with the fact that for now...in this season (of likely SEVERAL years), I am going to try to just record as much as I can...then when the kids are grown and I have more time on my hands...if Y'shua has not yet returned....I will turn this eclectic collection of materials into a beautiful keepsake for each of my children. That was a compromise I decided I could live with.
  
  Keepin' it Real: When it comes to cataloging things, I seem to always fall short of my intent to do the grand things I plan. I start things and don't follow through to my satisfaction...but that is changing as I learn to be more practical about my goals and limitations and stop beating myself up over my ideals and my reality. I still aim high, but I have learned to push through my imperfections and make lemonade out of my lemons (instead of pitching the lemons in the trash, because I originally planned for was 'peaches')! With persistence and grace....each year, I get better and may add a new element or habit to the process to make it more complete and thorough. One year I might be really good at adding recipes, while another year I may be really good at journaling. One year I may forget about it all together, while the next year I become diligent to update and contribute to all the elements of the project.... And so it is...an accurate record of our walk after all..isn't it?!!!
  
  
  

The Way of Love

In a recent post we shared about some "personal growth" type studying were are doing as a family during this season of Counting the Days Between First Fruits and Shavuot. We mentioned a list of "5 things" Ben and I had made to work on in our own character and also to instill into the children by example and correction...Well...long story short...Yah put 1 Cor 13 on our hearts...so this is what we have chosen to work on in this season together as a family (in addition to our other studies). Doing this will be our main focus, our overarching "theme" to cultivate and develop in our "way". This 50 day period is kind of like our "Love Boot Camp". (Is that a contradiction?? Yah Help me!) Our goal is to really shift our focus in this direction as a family...We pray that this be our direction and aim always and forever after...This 50 day period is one of changing habits, accountability and correction for all of us...If we come to mind please pray for us during this time...Yah has probably brought us to mind for that reason! :-)

These are our initial plans - but of course we will remain open to hear the leading of Yah through all this (adjusting things as needed)!!

1. Hide the word in our hearts! We have started memorizing chapter 13 together as a family. Each morning, we will read the whole chapter. Then we pick the first section (often a verse - but it will be done in "thought chunks" not just by verse numbers). Mamma or Pappa will read the day's section we intend to memorize and discuss it. (Defining words, and making sure everyone in the family has a clear understanding of it's parts and it's context to the whole chapter.) Then we will spend time exercising it together and repeating it until everyone can repeat it without looking - word for word - and it is committed to memory. Sometimes hand motions, faces and makeshift sign language can be very helpful for the little ones in this process! Then the next day we read the whole chapter, review what we memorized, and repeat the process with the next new section, adding on to the end of the last and always reviewing them together the next day. We will try to review it "as we walk in the way" through out the day. We will also repeat the whole chapter at bedtime.

2. Love Song It is my hope that I can put this chapter to a tune, and we will start singing our love chapter. We have found that music is a very effective tool to remembering the Scriptures - not to mention a very pleasant one. It is recalled more often in the day and really implants JOY into the process which lightens our souls. If we are successful with this, we will record our little song to share with you.

3. Changing Habits This is the hard part... catching ourselves and correcting ourselves when we behave in ways that are not "loving" as is so clearly defined in this chapter. We will need to make new choices in considering others as more significant than ourselves!! We have pledged to remain teachable and pliable and WANT this to be our normal way...there is no place for impatience, irritability, pride, selfishness and haughty attitudes in Yah's house.

After we do this with 1 Cor 13 - we intend to do the same thing with Philippians 2:1-12

The Way of Love
1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Messiah's Example of Humility

Philippians 2:1-12
So if there is any encouragement in Messiah, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Messiah Y' Shua, who, though he was in the form of Elohim, did not count equality with Elohim a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore YHVH has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Y'shua Ha Messhiach is Lord, to the glory of YHVH the Father.

Halleluyah!

Hailey's 13th Birthday Interview

Hailey Faith's Birthday is next Monday. She is about to turn 13! She is our first born and what a blessing she to us! It is so obvious why these years have come to be called the TWEENS because we see this struggle happening within our precious daughter. The struggle between childhood and being a young lady. She had grown so fast over the last year especially! Besides the fact that she is in my shoe size (9!) and almost as tall as me; she is also maturing in her interests as well. She is a "fun lover" by nature, so I think part of her struggle is not being quite sure that she likes the changes she is experiencing from the inside out. I think she is not quite sure if it is still OK to be 'fun' - yet at the same time...she is excited about the and realizes these new things are 'fun too'...so she inches forward to embrace them.

We thought we would take this opportunity to introduce her new project. Hailey is starting her own blog called Heroine of Faith . If you would like to visit or follow her there she would love the encouragment. It might be a little slow going until fall with all the new farm activities of the season, but this is a "school" excersize for her to practice her developing English and Communication skills in a fun way so it will be ongoing.

Hailey has become such an amazing helper to me in the home. She LOVES to keep the home and she has learned so much so fast. She has more homemaking skills entering into her 13th year than I had when I married at 26!! She slings Chazaq around on her hip like seasoned momma and changes a diapers like a pro! Not to mention her Hebrew is stronger than mine and she plays piano like I always wished I could! What a joy it has been for me provide an environment for her to blossom and excel in so many ways as a growing maiden! I don't know who it blesses more; me, her, her future husband or the generations to come! But what I do know, is that YHVH is faithful and when we walk in His ways and follow His lead for our lives, the rewards far outwiegh anything we could have done on our own!!

I could go on and on about my precious growing girl...watching her grow up makes me want to freeze time for the rest of them...(because it hurts so good) but I know that is not right - so instead I will try to remember to number our days and treat them as preciously as they true are!!

Instead of having her birthday interview with the rest of the kids, she wanted to do it after they all went to bed. Girls like those quiet talks with mom when they get older you know! However, I quickly learned that her and her brother (Elijah) had already conspired. His birthday is one month later...so they worked out a couple deals between them with their birthday plans! :-) She was still undecided about what her main event should be though. I suggested we look through some of our books for inspiration. We got out Kids Love Tennessee and Fun with the Family in Alabama to see look for something speical to do. She had it narrowed down to two choices that she was very excited about. One was called Constitution Village (An open air historical museum in Hunstsville AL) or a Really Large Flea market! Hmmm... she chose the flea market! The one we saw in the book was over 3 hours away, so we decided that was too far to go...but that we would hunt for a really big one closer and with the help of Pappa asking around, we think we found one. We are going to celebrate on Sunday, and they are open on that day too. She is so very excited! She is hoping for birthday money from Grandparents to spend at the market. :-)

We have a special gift waiting for her too, which I can not reveal, because she likes to read our blog and I don't want the surprise spoiled, but I bet she will post about it. :-)

For her birthday meals she has chosen:
Breakfast - Cherry Shaker Cake , because we can make it ahead and "get on the road" to the flea market.

Lunch- Flea Market Food of her choice! Which will include some sort of birthday treat (instead of having cake at home)

Family Style Dinner Theater - She has requested broccoli cheese baked potatoes and a movie. She has chosen 'UP' for the movie. This was one of those moments where she stopped and questioned herself as far as maturity. She also confessed this was the "part" that her and Elijah had conspired about. She really wanted to see the movie, but felt like maybe she was getting to "big" for a cartoon. I reassured her that this was a family event, and daddy reassured her that it was one of HIS favorite movies...so she thought maybe it was an OK selection after all. ;-) We watch so little TV just occasional movies/documentaries and teachings now and then (and actually this has to go on our computer screen because we don't have a TV in the house anymore). So it is a real treat.

Signed,
The Most Blessed Mamma in the World!

Spicy PB Apple Flat Bread

We were having a simple simple flat bread lunch of quesadillas. I wanted too zip them up a bit with more than just cheddar cheese so I sprinkled some of my homemade taco seasoning mix on them.



They were tasty, but admittedly, a bit too spicy for our liking. We also had sliced apples and peanut butter on the table to accompany our quesadillas, so I thought...what would happen if I spread some peanut butter on there to cut the spice and topped it with sweet crispy apples??

It was delicious!!

Counting the Omer/Days - Revised

In the midst of posting our little family prayer for this season, we realized...hey, we forgot to post the Scripture. So we added that...and as Scripture often DOES...it brought conviction and spurred further study again....We wanted to better define "omer" and realized our understanding needed to be refreshed. We dug further and realized....hey...wait a minute!!! We were off...(imagine that). It might be a matter of semantics to some...but we strive to purify our walk to be as "clean" as possible...KNOWING that we will still be fallible and our worship is not perfect...we still press in with honest intentions to live our lives for Him as He leads us by His Spirit and through the Scriptures..... So we have decided to tweak our prayer song and re-post it as we count the days between the feasts, but first a little "background".

What is Counting the Omer? Counting the Omer is actually a term used in Judaism that refers to the 7 weeks from the date of First Fruits (Yom HaBikkurim) to the Feast of Shavuot (Catholicism renamed it Pentecost) as commanded in The Scriptures.

Lev 23:15 You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to YHVH.
What is an Omer and where does it come in? An omer is an ancient dry measure that was used in Biblical times and is defined in Exodus 16:36 as being a 10th of an ephah. We see it used to define the amount of manna to be gathered by each person in the wilderness. If more than that was gathered it would spoil. It's specifically of measurement seems to be important in the context of the usage of the word omer in Chapter 16. Exodus is the only location where the Hebrew word is used in the English translations. All the other places where the Hebrew word omer is used in the Scriptures, it is translated in most of our English versions as 'sheaf'. These are those locations:
Lev 23:11,12,15
Deut 24:19
Ruth 2:7, 2:15
Job 24:10
The Strongs number for the word omer is 6016.
When trying to find the "conversion" to modern day measure for an omer - we found a HUGE variance in that number. It seems to us that it is very UNclear as to what the measurement of an omer or an ephah actually equals. This raised the question on our home, if maybe it might be sort of like our understanding of a bushel...a basket size....or rather a bundle size instead of an exact weight type measure. ??? But we are left still being very unclear...

When searching the ancient Hebrew for omer (eyin, mem, resh) this is what we found: The letter root (eyin, mem) unfolds-
Eyin - is the word picture 'to see' or watching, knowing or witnessing
Mem - is the word picture of 'a mass' or vast quantity of something
Resh - is the word picture of "head" often seen as people or beginning

Put together the understanding becoming "witnessing a large collection of something". This is where the bundle or "sheath" understanding comes into play. YHVH gathered his people to receive/witness the Torah and the Ruach Ha Kodesh in mighty ways. We can't help but winder - How might he gather us one more time in the part of the prophecy which has not yet come to pass??? We can only wait and be 'at the ready' to find out!!!!

(It is very hard for us not to spring board into a 15 page word study related to barley and harvest and people and Abraham at this point!!! But we will abstain for the sake of simplicity. If the spirit leads you there...GO! It is very eye opening!! And quite relevant to this fulfillment of these feasts!)

Our Personal Experience with this season in the Past:We have counted the days between First Fruits to Shavout as commanded ever since our first year of learning to keep YHVH's Appointed Times. Until the time of this writing, we called this time by its traditional name from Judaism called "Counting the Omer". This time is used to prepare our hearts for Shavuot which is a precious commemoration of receiving the Torah in the book of Exodus AND The Great Out-Pouring of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) in the book of Acts. (which is NOT highlighted in Judaism.) This time is traditionally spent studying and praying about a characteristic that help us carry out the heart of Torah, and often leads into many other studies. Personally speaking, it has always been a notable time in our walk where YHVH gives us direction, refines our walk in Him and shows us things we did not see before. It is often a time where He chastens us and brings us to another level of maturity. It is something that we have come to look forward to and embrace with grate appreciation and expectation. It is kind of like the quiet 'one on one' time between the "big events" of the Spring Feasts.

Our Personal Course Correction: This is where our personal course correction comes in from the first paragraph. Last year we added a little prayer song to our family tradition of Counting the Days between the feasts and used the terminology that we adopted from Judaism of "Counting the Omer". But what we realized is that this phrase is not entirely accurate. An omer (sheaf) of barley is waved (by the priests) on the first day the counting of days to Shavout which is also the Feast of HaBikkurim (First Fruits - also the Day Y'shua was risen). HOWEVER, we are counting the days to Shavuot, not the sheaves of barley (even though this is a harvest related feast of thanksgiving). So we are choosing to use the term "Counting of the Days" in our family instead of "Counting of the Omer". This has also changed the end of our little family prayer we sing. (Below is our revised version for you.) :-)

Some of Our Practical Applications this Year: This is a little prayer song that we learned last year and added to our family's observance of "The Counting the Days" from First Fruits to Shavuot. We sing this together every evening as we gather round the supper table at the turn of the day as the sun sets and we enter into a new day. On the first day of this season, we realized that our previous prayer song was a little "off" because we used the tradition prayer saying "the commanding of the counting of the omer". That is Judaism, because although we always counted the days...we called it the 'omer'. Again, this might semantics to some to some....but the fact is YHVH commands us to count the days...so that is how we will pray it as we do it. :-)

Here is the family singing the (revised) prayer together, as we will every night in our process of counting. 

Here are the children alone singing it (It is so sweet to hear babes sing!!)

Here is the transliteration of the prayer's Hebrew: "Baruch atah YHVH, E-loheinu Melekh Ha-olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al S'firat Ha- yomime. Amain."

Here is the English translation: "Blessed are You, YHVH, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the days. Amen."

At the end of our prayer, we tear off the front page of a homemade calendar which contains that day's number in the count, and declare what number it is in the count. Since this is leading to the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) we also make it a point to "name" the number of the weeks each Shabbat as it rolls around, because we are not only counting days but weeks as well. Then we sup and study Scriptures after our meal. Each year our topic of Scripture study changes to whatever Yah puts on our hearts for that season. This year we are exploring entries in the Leningrad codex, where the name YHVH contains the all of the vowel pointers in it to see if there are any significant patterns or lessons to be learned there. This only occurs 49 times, so it seemed to beg for a Feast of Weeks study. Also, the name "YAH" (again with vowel pointers) appears exactly 50 times, so that too is being covered. On a personal growth level. Ben is going through the book The Exemplary Husband, by Steward Scott. (the workbook is linked because you can look through it) I am digging through my "godly women/mothering" books for freshened inspiration in my role, because it has been a while since I have done that! Hailey is continuing in her Bright Lights Studies with mom and topical words Studies using Nave's Topical Bible (she uses a print version - but this link is a free online version). Elijah is continuing in his Biblical topical words studies (as they are learning to develop Biblical Character traits) with Instructions in Righteousness and the concordance in the back of his favorite Bible for his reference tools. Papa and I together have written a "top 5 values" for our parenting focus. These are things in which we are going to use as our own guidelines in conduct to be sure we are being good examples in these areas and cultivating these characteristics in our family, as we all learn and grow to be better ambassadors for YHVH and try to represent His "name" well.

The Counting of Days adds a wonderful structure and purpose to our walk, that is so helpful (and needed!) for our family. We could simply choose count the 50 days all at once and mark our calendar and call it 'done', but instead, we choose to embrace it and use it help develop new disciplines or habits in our family to strengthen us for Him. However, it is our understanding that the ultimate purpose of counting the 50 days to Shavuot is primarily for that purpose: To get you to Shavuot. If you are a "destination focused" family or a "journey focused" one...either one fulfills the 'command' to count the days.
May Your Fruits Be Many and Sweet in the Year to Come! 

Our Family Jots and Tittles - Passover and Matzah

Blessings to our Friends and Family!

What a wonderful week we have had!

We had some new friends join us for Passover and the beginning of Matzah here on the farm. It was such a treat to get to know their family and spend time with them. They have 5 small children so our kids had lots of fun playing together. Our calendar reckoning was one day apart, so we had a "double celebration" as each Papa lead their family through keeping the Passover as they were lead, while the other family was a guest in their home. This family actually BROUGHT their home! As they are spending their last 8 months of military duty in a (very nice, new) camper. It was exciting to see what YHVH is doing in this family's life! It never ceases to amaze me how He speaks to us all individually from the inside out...then (when HIS timing is right) He connects us with others who have gone through the same experience to encourage us that we are not nuts! :-) I am so sad that I failed to take pictures!!!

Our Passover meal consisted of :
Roasted Lamb
Hummus
Matzah
Parsley (and salt water)
Charoset
Baba Ganoush
Chocolate Toffee Matzah
Wine

We burned any remaining Chametz (leaven) in our fire together with prayer and reflection, before we roasted our lamb. We blew the shofar, worshipped a little, sat around the fire as the lamb roasted, played a game with the kids with some "props" as we reviewed the plagues, and confirmed the day as we spotted the full moon. We hid some Matzah for the kids to find with the story paralleling the Matzah to Y'shua. (but they didn't end up searching for it until a couple days later! Our night ran late all the littles they had played so hard together and we forgot naps!) We ate our meal in haste, with our fingers as we stood around our table together.

The next day for the First Day of Matzah we grazed on left over from our previous meal (except for the lamb!) and had a few more goodies made ahead for snacking:
Ants on a log
Seasoned Popcorn
Boursin (Dip) with cut veggies
Lentil Salad
Kiwi

It was a nice day of rest after a the busy day of preparations the day before.

Than later that evening, we had roasted goat with our guests and wine and matzah and parsley. That was the first time we ever had goat meat before. Much to our surprise...it was good! :-) It's flavor might have been a little bit more mild than the lamb, but it's texture was stringier. Our friend's were here for 4 days and 5 nights. We look forward to a long and fruitful friendship them in YHVH.

There was a lot of study and prayer this season about slaughtering our own sheep for the event....we went round and round between all the relevant Scriptures of the original event in Exodus to Moshe's final word in Deut. on the matter. Our conclusion was not to slaughter the lamb on Passover (as we knew it) based on the words in Deut. We were going to prepare one our sheep ahead...but as our week unfolded...we ended up going for the lamb roast we had in the freezer! Our friends however BYOG (Bring their own goat) and chose to remember the Passover using the model of the original Passover in Exodus. We believe that every man is the 'Priest' of His home by the authority of Y'shua as the 'High Priest' and it is his duty to lead them. We were all prayerful and respectful of each household's conclusion and prayed that YHVH accepted each of our expressions of keeping His feast and our hearts to obey the best we knew how. There are so many many personal things learned at each feast and each year it is so different for us! Of course each year, we deepen our understanding of the Scriptures and we are humbled, yet a little more in our expression of worship. Each year we learn to lean more on HIM and are so very grateful for His mercy and grace as we (seem to STUMBLE) walk out The Scriptures and live for Him. As I type this, I see a silky red sash flapping in the breeze that is affixed to our front door's frame for this week to remind us of His bountiful mercy and grace then and now through the Exodus lamb and Y'shua.

This time of year often has the overall theme of "purging" for me. It seems to start with the all the study and prayer as the Biblical New Year approaches and we prepare our hearts for His upcoming feasts. We are challenged and stretched and cleansed as our walk moves forward. We go through the practical applications of the feasts, we clean out the leaven literally and spiritually by the help and guidance of YHVH. So I also find myself reducing and reorganizing our living space too. Spring cleaning and new (or renewed!)direction often come at this time for me.

One of these "expressions" during this past week in our home was the desire to "flush our second floor" of the house. That must sound funny - but let me explain. Last year when we moved here, we raised the roof of our small two bedroom house to add a second floor. This gave us the rough framework of two bedrooms and a second bathroom and attic and some closets! Well, for the sake of budget...we had to stop there and make some tough financial choices to put thing on hold. It's exterior was finished, the rooms were framed, it was insulated and has it windows. The exterior was finished, so it is secured from the elements. Ben even roughed in the electric so they there were outlets and lights. We have a working toilet (but no sink or shower yet). All this is great right? My DH accomplished ALOT in a very short time with the help a of a good friend. I truly am grateful. This allowed us to set the kids beds and dressers up, and hang clothes in their closets. This gave us an extra toilet to run too which comes in handy for this family of 8! This also allowed us bring in tub after of tub from the barn that needed to be sorted through from our move. We didn't have to run to the barn to find a pillow case any more! We just had to find the Rubbermaid tub it was in upstairs. Clearly an upgrade! This opened up the barn for more appropriate use too. Well, here come the conviction part....During a casual conversation with our friends, we started talking about "compartmentalizing" things to cope sometimes. The topic of my upstairs came up and I became totally convicted. I stated that I deal with it by not going up there. All my family agreed that I avoid it like 'the plague' and the topic changed (for everyone else). YHVH showed me very clearly that I was NOT grateful for all I had been given and that I was being a poor steward of it. The part I haven't yet explained, is that my second floor had pretty much become a "throw hole" (as I came to call it). The kids slept and changed up there, and many of our household supplies were stored up there...but it was done without order or respect to proper stewardship. There was still some construction stuff left over from the project and tubs that were unlabeled and unorganized, because I would avoid them. I would send my older kids up there to put things away or get things out. This went on for a year!!! Ben prayed for them at night upstairs..I gave my blessings DOWNSTAIRS! I can count the times I asked THEM to dust and vacuum on one hand in a year! This environment had fed a lack of consideration in my children regard the upstairs and they treated is poorly. YHVH revealed to me my own hypocrisy in the matter of our second floor. I was training them to avoid things they didn't want to deal with. I was training them (through example) to be lazy slobs. I was training them (by example) to only do the right things when someone was "looking". There was no accountability, no discipleship and no guidance. I would dish out an occasional admonishment to the children out of frustration for when I did actually go up there and see its condition but renounced and responsibility in it myself. Shame on me!!!! If you know me...I really appreciate things to be efficient and orderly whenever possible...I also try to cultivate good stewardship in my children and try to train them (and maintain for myself) to walk with thankfulness and gratitude in ALL things. Man, was I convicted! So on the 2nd and 3rd days of Matzah, I got to work...side by side with my oldest children to transform the upstairs into a living space that reflected our values to steward the things that YHVH blesses us with to the best of our ability. So we cleared the floors and corners and rearranged and cleaned and pulled down cardboard walls the boys had put lots of holes in. We went through drawers and tubs and re- labeled and organized and filled bags for donations. We pulled out sheets, fabric and fabric shower curtains we had on hand and hang them from the studs for privacy and to cover some exposed insulation and wires. We hung curtains for the doors started to move the baby's things upstairs in the boy's room. We cleared out all the storage tubs from the kids rooms (to remove the feeling of living in a storage bin!) and popped a couple (VERY) simple decorating elements up. We repackaged many of the tubs to make them more accessible and usable. We stored things in the attic that were more seasonal so that we could have clearer living spaces. IN doing all this, everyone was renewed. I apologized to the children and let them know it wasn't going to get like that again. We talked about the importance of stewardship and thankfulness (again, a topic which is not foreign to them). It feel so good to purge the "leaven" from our gates as He reveals it to us! This has also inspired a Papa do do a couple more things up there, that we CAN do because we have the supplies to do them (it is not a matter of $), since the slate has been cleared to do that. It is still is a very rough unfinished area, but we have decided to make the best of it be truly appreciative for what we DO have by taking good care it. My children have a new spring in their step too...It is clear that they appreciate my effort and attention in this matter. It is clear that it was lacking and they are grateful that it has been restored. I have pledged in my prayers, never to let it get even close to that condition again. That I will make it a regular habit to be upstairs with my children, guiding them and teaching them upstairs AND downstairs! Thank you Father Yah for your rod and staff for they comfort me and are a an everlasting source of needed help for which I am so very grateful! May it always be so!

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Here it is Friday and I am going to try to recap our week as best I can. Things have been so busy around here. We get up early and go, go, go, until we can't go 'no more'. :-) So typical of Spring time, as the days get longer so does our activity. We stay outside working until the sun squeezes us back inside, then have a late dinner. The children's winter bed time is 7pm. We have been eating dinner around 8 this week. But I also find they are sleeping in a little later in the morning, so they're still getting what they need. :-) I let them, because it gives me some "quiet time" for prayer and planning and such...so it's a win win. :-) We have been working on getting these big olive barrels clean. They are 55 gallon food grade drums that had olives imported in them and we want to use them for grain. However, we can not seem to get the olive smell out of them! :-) We have tried various methods: castile soap, power washing, thieves essential oils, simple green and even bleach. We tried about a qrt of bleach and filled it with water and that wasn't strong enough. So now we are trying a half gallon of bleach in one barrel to see if it is effective. We put it in at the end of the day yesterday (now only testing one barrel until we find a solution!). I think I'll just let it sit until Sunday and then dump it dry it out and seal it up and then sniff it on Tuesday and see what we've got. Does anyone else have any suggestions??? We really wanted to use these barrels for our own grain...but may end up just using them for animal feed and other farm uses if we can't get them clean. :-( Hey does anyone know if there is such a thing as food grade bags that fit in a 55 gallon drum???

Do you remember that super long list of projects we were hoping to accomplish with out big chunk of tax money this year? Well, we had to take off one of those projects...the sewer. Man, it was a tough call! We have a "drain field" right in our back yard that seeps more than it ought! We have had it assessed and estimated for new pipe to be run to fix the problem...but our money is not going to stretch that far. The YUCKIEST part - is that our super huge wooden play structure has been sitting in it!!! It has been quarantined for quite some time because we were hoping that it would be a moot point with the fixing of the sewer this fall....well once we came to the realization that we just couldn't swing it - the reality of moving the play set sunk in...Yesterday, Ben disassembled into three large sections and took the goodies off of it (swings, slides, rock wall,etc.). Then Elijah and I pitched in to move help move it. We had a (really faithful) friend stop by and help too which was really nice because we were at the largest section at that point and it was very nice having the extra man power! We took 4 pieces of 4" PVC pipe that was 10 feet long, and used it to roll the structure to the side field. We used wood pieces and a couple strong 2x4's as levers to tip each section up onto the first pipe, then some got in front and some got in back and we rolled it up on the pipe. We gave a couple feet between each pipe and rolled another pipe under. Once we had two pipes under it was very manageable...because we could "teeter" the unit over the pipes to get the next pipe under. We would roll it a ways then the last pipe would spit out the back and Elijah would grab it and run it around the front and we we would repeat with two pipes at a time. The pace was slow and steady, yet smooth and it went without a hitch. No back injuries or anything. The grossest part was getting it out of the initial sludge patch and dealing with those "messy" pipes. (YUCK!!!) Papa was able to get the whole play set reassembled and leveled before the sun went down. It was another victorious homesteading moment! We found the first pipe in our woods some time ago and that is what gave us the idea. We ran out to purchase three more at $10 each. The cost to move the play set ended up being $30 dollars, but having it relocated...was priceless! :-) We figured since this method of moving very heavy, awkward and large objects, was so effective, that we would probably use it again in the future...We thought they might fill another need in the future too...so we decided the pipes were a good investment to clean up and keep.

We have been "meaning" to upgrade our fencing for the sake of our new flock of sheep. It has become clear to us that it is not adequate enough for them. But we did pretty good in our first week, they were content just where they were, as is. Well...that all changed as the end of Shabbat was approaching. We were eating and one of the kids looks out the back window and yells the sheep are in the back yard!! The whole flock of 17 was grazing right outside the back door. (The grass is always greener on the other side, right?) Well our breed of sheep are known to have very keen defensive instincts ...in other words, they are very weary of activity of others and are quick to flee if they sense danger!! Long story short....we had a very difficult time trying to get them back into their field. So difficult that, in fact, we failed -- that night at least. We got one baby in the barn and hoped that would lure the flock back. It was dark and our efforts were fruitless. They did come back by morning and as it turned out, they were back in their field...all but one that is. We have lost a baby...Despite our searches on foot, four wheeler and car, we can't find him. We pray He finds his way home. But at this writing he has been gone 2 days. :-( Needless to say...the following day was fence amendment day. We picked up over 6oo ft of sheep fencing and did the perimeter of the field they are in. We have so much more to do in the front field and are going to create more paddocks which will help up manage the flock better and move them around more easily. What a learning process! I am sad about our lost lamb... On top of him being lost, it is turkey hunting season, and we have coyotes and dogs that run free in our area! Not to mention..he was nursing...I am not sure how he will fair with out mamma ewe in that sense either. :-( So...that is all I am going to share for this week.

Until next week - May YHVH bless you and keep you and may you keep your flock within your gates!

Much Love, The Tribe of Ben

Pesach Play List

Spinach Matzah Quiche

This is a wonderful dish to make ahead for Shabbat, or use the idea with your favorite quiche filling!

4 **Wetted Matzah** (See below for instructions)
2 1/2 C cooked, drained, chopped spinach

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1T lemon juice

2T parsley, chopped

1tsp pepper

1C feta cheese, crumbled

4 eggs, beaten

3/4C heavy cream

1/2C plain yogurt

Grease a 9" pie pan. Place 4 wetted Matzah on the counter in the shape of a larger square. Turn a pie plate upside down and trim the matzah with 1 inch around the outside of the pie plate (with a sharp knife or scissors). Now, turn the pie plate right side up and and put the matzah in the plate with points at the center, forming a uniform crust.

In a medium size bowl, mix the next 6 ingredients together and put in pie plate over the matzah. Gently place the crumbled matzah on top of spinach mixture. In another bowl, mix together the last 3 ingredients and pour into the pie plate.

Bake the quiche in a preheated oven at 350F for 40-45 minutes. Insert knife or toothpick into the center to ensure it is done. May serve, warm, room temp or fridge cold. Enjoy!

**Wetted Matzah**
This was a trick that I learned from the Matza 101 cookbook and it opens a world of fun in Matzah! :-) It creates a texture like an cooked Al-delta Lasagna Noodle texture when done right. I noticed, different brands/flavors, responded differently, so it takes a little "feeling it out". It doesn't take long to get the hang of. However, expect a little bit of a learning curve. :-) This is my version:

Cover counter top with heavy duty white paper towels.
Fill a large bowl up with cool water. The bowl needs to be large enough to fit a piece of Matzah while being held under the surface.
I do not like to "dunk" more than 3 pieces at a time. I find it doesn't work well.
I hold it under for about 20-30 seconds, but this may vary with your brand. (Wheat takes longer than the white. Streits absorbed quicker than Manaschewitz in flavors I tried.)

Place on paper towel and cover with damp paper towels. The books says it depends on the paper towels on how long that takes. It could take 15 minutes to 1 hour. You should check every 15 minutes.
If you need more moisture, spray with a water bottle. (Maybe you need more time or didn't dunk them long enough to begin with.)
If they are too moist, take paper towels off and let sit for about a half hour (watching them).
Now you can use your Matzah in place of any cooked noodle, or raw pastry crust! Enjoy and have fun experimenting.

First Fruits/Counting the Omer - Video

Knowing that this is a controversial topic and there are two main schools of thought on the definition of "Sabbath" in the original text concerning the date oif First Fruits. We post this video to share our understanding. This is not in anyway intended to offend anyone who may reckon it as a the fixed date of the 16th (The day after the first day of Matzah). So we post this in humbleness to share our own conviction. (Each man must make up His own mind.)

Matzah Meat Cigars

This recipe is a modified version of a recipe from Matzah 101 It makes 40 small rolls, kind of like small "taquitos". It is a popular Middle Eastern dish. This takes some time, because you need prepare the matzha, brown the beef, assemble and bake. This recipe uses **Wetted Matzah** (see below for instructions)

1/2 tsp garlic powder 1C fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder 1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt 1-2T crushed red hot pepper
1/4 tsp pepper 3T lemon juice
10 pieces Wetted Matzah (see below for instructions) 1tsp salt (or to taste)
2 lbs of lean ground beef
1 bay leaves, crushed
6-7 cloves of garlic, pressed


In a small mixing bowl combine first 4 ingredients and set aside. Gently butter both sides with soft butter. Cut 10 pieces of Wetted Matzah** into quarters (giving you small pieces). Set aside on parchment paper and prepare a greased baking sheet.

Brown the meat with the seasonings (All the remaining ingredients). Let cool enough to handle. Place about 1T of the meat mixture into each small matzah square and roll against the grain into a little log, placing the seem side down on the sheet and bake at 400F for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

**Wetted Matzah** This was a trick that I learned from the Matza 101 cookbook and it opens a world of fun in Matzah! :-) It creates a texture like an cooked Al-delta Lasagna Noodle texture when done right. I noticed, different brands/flavors, responded differently, so it takes a little "feeling it out". It doesn't take long to get the hang of. However, expect a little bit of a learning curve. :-) This is my version:

1. Cover counter top with heavy duty white paper towels.
2. Fill a shallow baking dish up with cool water. The dish needs to be large enough to fit a piece of Matzah while being held under the surface. I do not like to "dunk" more than 3 pieces at a time. I find it doesn't work well. I hold it under for about 20-30 seconds, but this may vary with your brand. (Wheat takes longer than the white. Streits absorbed quicker than Manaschewitz in flavors I tried.)
3. Place on paper towel and cover with damp paper towels. The books says it depends on the paper towels on how long that takes. It could take 15 minutes to 1 hour. You should check every 15 minutes. If you need more moisture, spray with a water bottle. (Maybe you need more time or didn't dunk them long enough to begin with.) If they are too moist, take paper towels off and let sit for about a half hour (watching them).

This recipes was modified from a cookbook called Matza 101

Matzah Cream Cheese & Onion Bakes

This recipe was (slightly modified) taken from Matzah 101 Cookbook

These are quick and easy. This recipe serves 4.

3 Matzah Crackers (broken into 4ths)
3 T of butter, softened
1/2 small carrot
1 small onion
1/2 small celery stick
1C cream cheese, softened
1tsp Chicken Boullion
1/4C parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika (for topping)

Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. Take your matzah pieces and coat both sides with butter, and put on the greased cookie sheet; set aside.

Chop carrot, celery, and oinion very finely (in food processor). Add cream cheese and soup mix (boullion) and process until well blended.

Spread approximately 2 T of cream cheese mixture on to each Matzah quarter, top with parmesean cheese and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake in preheated overn at 450F for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Matzah Shabbat Menu & Recipes

I thought I would post my Matzah Shabbat Menu with all of Preparation Day (Friday)included. This is what I have planned:

Prep Day Breakfast
Matzah Brunch Bake
Fresh Sliced Kiwi

Prep Day Lunch

Matzah Cream Cheese Onion Bakes

Erev Shabbat Supper

Matzah Meat Cigars

Papa's Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and

Mini Matzah Apple Tarts
Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and butter.
Preheat oven to 400

Cut Matzah sheets into 4 = Squares and butter both sides

Sprinkle both sides generously with Cinnamon and Sugar mixture to taste. (Fructose or Rapadura or Sucanot or Maple sugar are all good.)

Dice apple, finely and top each square generously.

Sprinkle with cinn./sugar again.

Drizzle with honey or maple syrup.

Bake for 10-15 min until toasted and apple has softened. (Some people like cheese on top!)

Shabbat Breakfast
Premade Matzah Cinnamon Toast (Sprinkle with Cinnamon and Sugar and put under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. watch closely. Let cool and seal in an air tight bag.)
Sliced Cheese and Apples
Coffee or (Raw) Milk

Shabbat Lunch
Spinach Matzah Quiche
Matzah Ice Cream Sandwiches (With Papa's vanilla ice cream)

Havdalah Meal
Matzah Tacos

Take Wetted Matzah, gently butter it on both sides and season it well with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (or seasoning of choice). Use a cereal bowl as your guide to cut into a circle with sharp scissors or knife. Lay the circle over the side of a baking pan (I like to use several bread pans, mine have a lip and I can fit lots of them in my oven at once.) Or whatever you have that will work! Bake at 400F for about 15-20 minutes until lightly brown and crispy. Let cool completely and store in an air tight bag until you are ready to use them. Stuff with your favorite taco fillings.

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Good Morning Everyone!

Late Tittles again! :-) This has been a wonderful and busy week, but I have been away from the computer, so I will try to recap as best I can.

Last week our dear friend had her baby at home, a healthy little boy - named Ezra Joseph on his 8th day. He is a precious little boy. This is their 5th child. I was able to spend the better part of her first week, helping around the house as she healed and bonded with baby. It was such a precious experience. She did the same for me during our last baby. Our families are very close even though we live over an hour and half away. We are truly blessed to have such good friends!

It was our original goal to try to BE THERE for the birth, but I had a very strange "reaction" when she was in labor. I has severe leg and abdominal pains that put me in bed for a whole day and one of recovery. We joke with each other and say it was sympathy pains in the Spirit for her labor (you know like those weird stories about twins mile away who feel things when the other has some sort of physical trauma)...because this was the first time I ever experienced anything like this before out of the context of my own pregnancies!! Weird Huh??!!! I WAS very prayerful for her through that time but told her I would like that to go much differently next time if she had anything to do with it!! :-)

I took Chazaq (my 15 month old) with me as well as Hailey (almost 13). Chazaq is still nursing, so I wasn't ready to be away from him for that long yet. Hailey was the helper's helper. :-) As was Morgan, Amy's daughter, who is 10.

Amy had prepared a lot of meals ahead which really made my job easier, it was so wise of her to do. In the last couple months of her pregnancy, she simply doubled the meals she was making and put them in tins pans in the freezer. She marked and labeled them. She had plenty of food in the freezer when I left, too!

I returned home on late Thursday night. We had a busy Preparation Day the next day. Ben did a great job while I was gone, but there were lots of things to "catch up on" before Shabbat.

Ben was so instrumental being able to help Amy during this time. He held the fort down like a champ, even without me and Hailey there! This was a very creative effort on all their parts, because He still continued to work (bank sales) AND farm chores while caring for 4 kids (10,7,5,4) all the while. What a Renaissance man!!! So we really had a chance to "serve others" last week!

In the midst of that all, we also brought home our herd of Barbados Black Belly Sheep!! 9 Ewes and 8 babies. This also included lots of last minute preparations. We made a shelter for them in the barn, and changed some fencing around (MUCH more of that needs to be done this week.) They are so neat and we are learning how to care for them as we go. The family we got them from was a widow whose husband used to care for them. They had a larger herd and she was eating her way through them, but had full freezer and filler her adult children's freezers and still had all these sheep. She was ready to move the herd on, since she has arthritis and did not want to care for them. We got a pretty good deal and she was relieved of the burden. I hope to post more about them another time, with pictures and such.

Did I mention a couple weeks ago we got a donkey???? He was free (meaning $0) and we know very little about his history, which we know is NOT ideal for getting livestock!!! But we thought we would take the chance. Our hope was to use him for a guard donkey for the herd. However, we are thinking now that it might not be a realistic job for him under all the circumstances. (We hope to post more on him with pictures too...if we can! This season is so crazy...so many things to do it is hard to blog about them too.


Last Shabbat we took a trip to visit some dear friends over in Russel Creak (about an hour and half away). We had lots of catching up to do. They are a lovely family with 11 children, many of which are now young adults not yet married but still living at home to help and serve as a family until Yah leads them to their spouse. Purity and simplicity, service and love pour forth from this family who are zealous for YHVH, His Torah and His Messiah! It was a long long day but it was so worth it!
Their oldest daughter was married last year and she and her husband live on the farm in a separate house. They just had their first baby, and we missed their shower because all that sickness we endured last month...so we got to see their precious little baby girl and visit with them too. They have also been instrumental in encouraging a family in the "plain" community in their area whom YHVH has hearkened to Torah!!!! How exciting is that??!!! This is a very tumultuous situation for this family, because the Father is showing them so much in Scripture they never saw before. Lights are going on left and right in their spirit, and our friends have been there to help encourage them when they have questions. This has been such a challenge for them because the community down on Russel Creak is "Plain" -- very similar to Amish (they are often called Amish, but they are not - however they do adopt many similar practices of dressing plainly, living in CLOSED community, with strict religious control and choosing to live off the land and give up many modern conveniences). Long story short, the family (the McJ's) are under great strain and persecution from their Community. They are trying to share what YHVH is showing them in Scripture, but the group is in great opposition and see them as "going astray" and are trying to break them down with guilt and many many interventions to get them to stop talking about such crazy heretical things as is plainly stated in Scripture (but conflict with their understanding). Living in this tight community, they have given up all their "wordly" assets and are feeling very stuck. They know they must leave, but are "tied" with no place to go or resources to get there - they really are dependant on the community. Our friends, the F-Family have been trying to connect us with them. They were supposed to come over for this Shabbat, but they were struck with a similar sickness as were we for the baby shower when we were supposed to meet weeks earlier. So the men walked up to their place, this last Shabbat to meet with Mr McJ and encourage him (shortly after they were there a van pulled in from out of State, from another branch of the "brotherhood" for another intervention to try to talk the family back into their senses!) Long story short.... after the van left, Ben offered for the family to come to our farm as a retreat and regroup place. However, we only have the one small house. We have the matter of a shelter for them to figure out! (With no funds!) They have 7 children in our family's age range and she is expecting #8. They are much younger than us. :-) So if you would please pray for this precious family and how we may help them...that would mean so very much to both of us!!! They really are feeling desperate and trapped and hoping to be "set free" to follow the Scriptures as the Father is leading them to! They are also hoping to go to Family Week with HaYovel for their first Passover. This would be such an amazing blessing for them to see and experience some of our community from all over coming to together for the Feast.

Lastly, the other thing to "catch up" on is rather strange to announce. But 2 weeks ago, we completed our process of ordination. We are officially legal paper carrying Ordained Ministers! We hope to post more about this, as it too was a precious day and piece in Yah's puzzle for His plan for us (that we do not fully understand...but continue to follow Him step by step as He unfolds it). It is funny because this "piece of paper" means nothing to us....but was clearly something he was calling us to do...so we do what anyone who is living for HIM and walks in the Spirit does - we obey...whether we understand/agree or not!!! We have become quite resolved to being on a "need to know basis". He tells us what we need to know, when we need to know it...so we don't go getting our own "big ideas" and going ahead of Him and spoil His plan. We have learned to embrace this sovereignty and protection and LOVE it....this is just one of "those things". :-) We hope to post more about that later too.

I am sorry I don't have pictures to share this week. It is all I can do to get this typed out.

Love to You All in His Precious Name!
The Tribe of Ben

Spring Feasts Calendar Tutorial

This is a very nice overview explanation of the Biblical Spring Feasts. It is direct and organized and to the point. One of the best I have seen. I can not "recommmend" the author's site as we have not explored it fully. However, this calendar is very good so we thought it worth posting. We wish we had something like this when we started! It can take a while to really "get it" and as soon as you think you do...you learn there is so much more to learn! :-)

Part 1:



Part 2:

Messiah in the Passover

A video reflection

The Exodus - Pesach

Here is a theatrical remembrance of the Exodus as we prepare our hearts for the upcoming Biblical Feasts/ YHVH's Appointed Times.

Simple Modesty Matters

As we learn to simplify and live our lives for Yah (God) and walk in His ways...He often convicts us in the area of modesty. Especially those of us who truly needed that message more than others! I am ashamed to say, I was one of those people. When YHVH (God) put this topic on my heart and started showing me my own issues in the matter, it was hard.....but I am so thankful He has!! There is SO much more to this topic than simply "what you wear" or fitting some sort of "image"... no...no...it goes much deeper than that. It reaches into our motives, our insecurities, our desires to be accepted, our needs for approval, our pride and even our desires to be desired. As women of The Word, we let go of all those things which we once saw as "rights" and we consider others as more precious than ourselves. We consider Yah's reputation more important than our "rights". We learn to trade desires for fashion, shopping, and keeping up with trends for honoring and guarding ourselves and others through a conscious choice to cloth ourselves in modesty. We learn instead of spending money on these things, to spend money in areas of service and ministry to better the lives of those around us. Instead of desiring jewelry and labels to decorate ourselves, we spend time cultivating the fruits of the Spirit which (we pray) adorn us and sparkle brighter than any diamonds or rubies ever could. Instead of surrounding ourselves with shoes and purses, we choose to surround ourselves with children and/or good works of service to bless others. Instead of pursuing past times that (everyone else does - that) may cause us to compromise our modesty, we choose those things which glorify The King of Kings. Some people may look at us and call us "simple" in a bad way..but we know deep down in our spirits, that The Father brought us here to THIS kind of 'simple' for a purpose. We realize it is a precious and beautiful act worship and that it is so small in the grand picture of things...yet - so big!

I just came accross this video and thought it was a wonderful teaching on the topic. It runs 26 minutes.

In Him,

This post was shared at Simple Thursdays

Our Family Jots and Tittles

Hello Precious Friends and Family, We seem like we are operating in a perpetual place of "catch up" these last few weeks with the colds and things that have happened. Always find ourselves "still behind" so our attention has not been on blogging and updating things well. Its all we can do keep things rolling. So please bare with us. We do hope to get back into the swing of updating things better in this next week (or two). :-) Naomi had her 7th birthday! We had some sickness still in the house, so we still have our date at the museum to do...but we had a nice day at home. Naomi helped make all her requested birthday meals with Momma. She opened gifts from family and Papa out together a scavenger hunt for her and her siblings (which is always a hit!). Here is my littlest helper, helping Mamma do the laundry. Notice the tongue of intensity.

Mom and Elijah digging holes to plant the Orchard. We are missing picture of our other two helpers Papa and Shiloh. :-(

Wednesday our dear friends had a baby boy at home. I have been able to help (and will continue too) throughout this next week as momma takes the time to heal and recover. What a precious time!

Turkey Season is here and they are up close to the house with Shiloh gone. I do hope we take few shots and bring a few in! We hope to get some pictures of them. We have big ol' Toms strutting their stuff, puffing up and playing their "drums" for the ladies. It really is a beautiful thing to behold!!!

We had dear prancing and frolicking near for from our orchard. We had forgotten how brazen and close to the house they would get before Shiloh came! Instead of passing through, they hangout and play games like kids in the front yard! Again... a really neat thing to witness!

We have discovered termites in the house! We have someone coming to take a look in two days. :-(

I know I am forgetting so much!!! Again..please bear with us!

Loving Life and Embracing its Complexities in YHVH's Name!

The Tribe of Ben

Going To Israel

About a year and a half ago we met this family through some mutual friends.

There whole family came to our aid when we had only lived here for one month and we had only met them once! They live about 3 hours away from us, and with short notice set aside work and plans to serve us. We were so very blessed by them, they truly were an answer to prayer!

This family is zealous for Yah and His ways and spent 6 months living in Israel a few years back. They have longed to return ever since. This is becoming a reality for their two oldest children (Hannah and Thomas) this May. (As they have saved their money for a few years to accomplish this.) They will be serving a family they know for part of the time and exploring the home land together the other part of the time. They are young adults (early-mid 20's) who have stayed in their parents home as they believe in purity and the headship of their father and serving the kingdom with their family as they wait (and prepare) for their Yah appointed spouses to start their own family's.

Thomas and Hannah are going to share their adventure in Israel by blogging about it while they are gone. We will be following them and praying for them, and thought you might like too as well. Here is their blog http://www.hebrewhillbillies.blogspot.com/

In Him,

Pamela