Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles

Sukkot (Hebrew) or Feast of Tabernacles is such a precious time for our family. We always take off the 8-10 days each fall to gather with other believers and worship YHVH. We rejoice, learn, grow, connect and worship. I pray ALL those who love Him and want to live according to His Word, will also embrace His Moed (Appointed Times)! They are all a beautiful part of His way of preparing our hearts, minds and souls to walk more intimatly with Him.

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In His Loving Arms,

Ha Yom Kippurim / The Day of Atonements

So often, as Believers we question if the Feast of Atonement anything to do with us. We are told it is a Jewish Holiday. We think it doesn't apply to us. There are so many lessons to be learned here. It is so much more than "bible history". It is QUITE relavent to us today, and YHVH has yet to fulfil His Fall Feasts. It is so important that we understand and embrace the messages Our Creator has given us His Word, may those who have ears let them hear.

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Much Love,

Yom Teruah / Feast of Trumpets

Yom Teruah is often called The Feast of Trumpets in English and the first in the series YHVH's Fall Biblical Feasts.

We purchased this complete feast teaching by Mark Biltz early in this walk. (covering all 7 feasts in depth.) It was a bit overwhelming at first, because he moves SO fast - but it is a wonderful teaching packed full of information. I wanted to offer it here in secments for each fall feast for anyone who hasn't seen it before or may like to reveiw it. I still enjoy visiting it. :-)

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May all His people gather for His Precious Moed as they aline themselves with is Word and YHVH's Ways.

Shavuot: Placed in the Middle

Shavuot is here again, and I find myself needing my annual refresher course as to what this means and what to actually do to honor this Holy appointed time. Out of all the feasts, this one is unique as it is the only Holy Day widely celebrated by both Jews and Christians. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) this day is called “Pentecost” (which translates into English as “50 days”), the Hebrew name “Shavuot” more accurately implies “the Feast of weeks”, and largely due to the language barrier between Greek and Hebrew, most Jews and Christians don’t even acknowledge that they share this Holy time. Jews largely see Shavuot as a remembrance of the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, while Christians see Pentecost as the “Birthday of the Church”. For those of us yearning to understand what YHVH actually intends to teach us, I fear this one-day celebration gets lost between the week-long “Spring Feasts” and the week-long “Fall Feasts”. Instead, let us consider that this aspect of Shavuot being “placed-in-the-middle” is actually an important part of YHVH’s plan for humanity. We can learn much by breaking Shavuot down into simple themes:

Agricultural -- Each feast was woven into the harvest schedule in the Promised Land.
Traditional -- Many celebratory customs for both Jews and Christians have developed over the centuries.
Prophetic-- The overarching themes of Shavuot transcend history and imply wonderful events still to come.
Personal -- The deeper truths embedded in this day should stir our souls and inspire us to press even deeper into what The Father has promised for us.

The Agricultural Aspects of Shavuot

For most of us in the 21st century, the agricultural aspects of His feasts are really hard to understand or visualize. The instructions for Shavuot are in Leviticus 23:16-21, “Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to YHVH. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as first fruits to YHVH. And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to YHVH, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to YHVH. And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before YHVH, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to YHVH for the priest. And you shall make proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.”

Shavuot is one of only three appointed times that requires a journey to the Temple. This day is connected to, and in some ways contrasted against, the Feast of First Fruits, which is the Feast that begins the 50 day count to Shavuot. First Fruits began the years harvest with the first ripe crop of the season, barley, sheaves of which were waived before YHVH. Shavuot marks the middle season of the harvest, as a day-long pause between First Fruits and Sukkot, which is the final harvest celebration in the fall. Rather than simply waiving a full sheaf from the harvest, the worship on Shavuot involves two loaves of leavened bread waived in a similar manner. As we will discuss at length later, these 2 loaves represent several different things all at once: The two stones of the 10 commandments, Judah and Israel, restoration and power, relationship and rules, grace and obedience. I you could consider Shavuot a "sandwich" Feast, as there are two loaves and we are right in the middle. Sorry. I couldn't resist.

Interestingly, a less ceremonial commandment is included at verse 22, "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am YHVH your God." This is a fantastic reminder that the harvest that is being collected does not belong to the farmer, but to The Creator. It is also a reminder to the poor that although YHVH is our provider, He still expects us to go collect His provision…and not sit around and wait for it to be delivered. He meets us in the middle.

Whether you call it “Shavuot” or “Pentecost” the very name defines the calculation of the specific day to celebrate. In Leviticus we read, “And you shall count from the morrow after the Sabbath from the day you bring the Omer [Sheaf] of Waving; seven complete Sabbaths shall you count... until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath you will count fifty days...and you shall proclaim on this very day, it shall be a holy convocation for you " (Lev 23:15-16, 21). Honest students of scripture have argued over the exact way to calculate the intended date for literally thousands of years, so this article will certainly not answer that question definitively. The 50 day count toward Shavuot begins with the Feast of First Fruits, but determining that day is where the controversy begins. The Scriptural phrase “the morrow after the Sabbath” is the focus of the debate. During Yeshua’s time, the Pharisees argued that First Fruits should begin on the 16th day of Nisan, the day after the “annual Sabbath” that began the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Sadducees, who were in control of the Temple services during Yeshua’s day, held that First Fruits would begin on the day after the first “WEEKLY Sabbath”, that followed the start of Unleavened Bread.

We know that Yeshua was the First Fruits of the Resurrection, and He rose on the “first day of the week”. We also know that Shavuot that same year (50 days after the Resurrection) also occurred on a Sunday. Add to this that the Leviticus command also says to count “Seven complete Sabbaths” and that Yeshua never scolded the Sadducees for distorting the Holy calendar, and it seems like First Fruits should always be a “Sunday” and therefore Shavuot should always be a Sunday”. This is just one of the many aspects of Shavuot where the traditions of men can easily distract us from the message of our Holy Father.

The Traditional Aspects of Shavuot

Both Jews and Christians have developed traditions that are far removed from the agricultural aspects of this Holy Day. The Jews have created a tradition called “counting the Omer” where every one of the 50 days from First Fruits to Shavuot are individually numbered vocally and in prayer. This acts to build much anticipation to the Feast itself as well as anchoring it to the Spring Feasts where the count began. Although it isn’t stated specifically in the Torah, the timing of Shavuot roughly coincides with the commandments being read aloud by YHVH from the mountain top at Sinai. Therefore, the Jewish traditions are focused on remembering and edifying that event. Often, the Torah and Talmud are studied all night long, with special prayers said at dawn. Dairy products are central to the celebration, to remind the Jews of the “land of milk and honey” that was part of the covenant being ratified at Sinai. The book of Ruth is often specifically read and studied. Ruth was a gentile who chose to join the Tribe of Judah and adopt YHVH as her Elohim.

Christians rarely connect “Pentecost” with the Hebrew Feast of Shavuot, but instead count 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. On this day, in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jewish worshippers assembled in Jerusalem. Of course these worshippers were not there at random; they were being faithful to the commandment to travel to the Temple specifically for Shavuot. As the testimony from Acts puts it, “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yeshua Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Because of the power of The Spirit and the sudden explosive growth of acceptance of Yeshua as Messiah, Pentecost is considered “The Birthday of the Church”. Often Christians describe “speaking in tongues” as some sort of “heavenly” language…not discernable to humans except via a supernatural understanding. While that may be true, the event in Acts 2 shows YHVH and His Spirit specifically transcending human language, and allowing all of his worshippers to speak to one another unhindered by their mental knowledge of one-another’s language. It was the reversal of what YHVH has caused in Genesis at the tower of Babel. At Babel, men were scattered to prevent their own power from corrupting the earth, at Pentecost, men were gathered together to manifest YHVH’s salvation and power to save the world.

An entire denomination of Christianity, Pentecostalism, is derived from focusing on the specific gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, ” Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.” There is a risk that a spiritual walk that puts too much emphasis on “exercising the gifts”, with little understanding as to what they are for, can seem chaotic, distracting, or selfish. It’s kind of like giving a 16 year-old a red Ferrari on the day they get their learner’s permit, and not expecting them to even read the manual first.

Perhaps the tradition Christianity most inappropriately associates with Pentecost is the changing of the 7th day Sabbath, to the 1st day of the week. As the account in Acts mentions, this day did occur on a Sunday. As discussed earlier, The Sadducees understanding of the commandment to number the days from First Fruits to Pentecost, recons both First Fruits (the Resurrection) and Shavuot to always fall on the 1st day…by YHVH’s design. The Pharisee’s understanding of Shavuot timing still will result in First Fruits and Shavuot happening on the same day of the week, and in AD 30, both Feasts occurred on 1st day…again by YHVH’s design. On the year that Messiah died, rose, and sent His Spirit, both religious camps (Pharisee and Sadducee) “coincidentally” agreed on the timing! No commandments were overlooked, or changed, or “upgraded”, in the Acts chapter 2 miracle. This was simply the eternal Torah commandment being fulfilled, right on schedule. Arguing that this is why the 7th day Sabbath should be changed to the 1st day is using perfect divine timing as an excuse to distort perfect divine timing. This is heresy at best, and needs to be discarded as a false tradition.

It seems that the key to unlocking the understanding of any of His appointed times, is to take the time to transcend tradition--not necessarily to always discard it, but to step back from it to see the wider picture that is being painted by our Heavenly Father. If we simply eat cheesecake each year, stay up all night wired with caffeine, and go to Church for the special annual worship service, we will miss the breathtaking plan for humanity that is spelled out for us within these set-apart events. More importantly, we risk missing YHVH revealing His heart to us in a greater way each year. In the course of doing this, we may find ourselves led to discard the man-made traditions if we discover they contradict or distract from the heart of the Father, or we may be led to further embrace certain traditions with a fresh and deeper understanding of how they came to be. Either way, it is well worth pursuing the deeper messages that YHVH is teaching though His Holy celebrations.

The Prophetic Aspects of Shavuot

Just as the Pharisees and Sadducees were able to cast their traditional expectations aside regarding the timing of Shavuot, the overarching theme of this Feast revolves around “restoration” and “power”. The events in Acts 2 were a fulfillment of many Scriptural promises and prophesies, and the power of the Holy Spirit was not poured out randomly, but to those where were desired a relationship with YHVH and had been obedient enough to show up in Jerusalem on the appointed day. That being said, YHVH had made several promises about His plan to restore His divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and in doing so fill them with new power to keep His commandments. Ezekiel 39:29, “And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares YHVH God.” Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” Ezekiel gets to the point of what the Spirit is to allow us to do. Ezekiel 11:19-20, “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Yeshua, too, made specific promises that were fulfilled on this day. In John chapter 14, He tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come after He ascended to the Father. The Spirit would be a helper forever that would give us the power to keep His word! John 14:15-29, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Yeshua answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.”

The theme of all of these prophesies, especially when read in context, both from the Old Testament prophets and from Messiah, was an expectation that supernatural power would someday be given to believers that would help them understand as well as live out the commandments given by YHVH in the Torah. Just as Messiah said in Mark 5:17-21, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Man’s nature wanted to things his way, while YHVH (knowing better) offered a better way. This promise of supernatural power was to transform man from the inside, beginning with his spirit, so that obedience to the commandments and therefore a life transforming metamorphosis could begin. It is the indwelling of His Spirit that gives us the power to live a more righteous life than the scribes and Pharisees.

This miracle was foreshadowed during the very giving of the commandments themselves. At Sinai, Moses comes back down the mountain with the set of stones both cut by YHVH and written by YHVH. He is distraught to find that during his absence, the newly formed nation of Israel, who had just weeks before promised YHVH, “All that YHVH has spoken we will do and will be obedient” (Exodus 24:7), has instead made for themselves a golden calf to worship. Very importantly, they did not turn their back on their new God in order to worship the gods of Egypt, they simply incorporated their former pagan methods in the worship of YHVH. Nevertheless, this is still forbidden, and Moses breaks the tablets into pieces--symbolically and literally “breaking the promise” that our ancestors had just broken in Spirit. Scripture tells us that 3000 Israelites were put to death that day as punishment for allowing this “adultery” to be committed.

The shadow picture here in Exodus is showing us that despite our broken promises to YHVH, and despite His divine and just punishment, YHVH gives Moses and His people another chance to make things right. He asks Moses to cut a second set of stones personally, and bring them before YHVH to get a renewed copy. The scriptures tell us “I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke”. This was a renewing of the covenant that the people broke, not a new set of rules nor a new covenant with completely new terms. This second time, there was an implied partnership, with the stones (representing our hearts) being brought before YHVH for Him to write on, rather than us expecting Him to simply change our unwilling hearts for us while we continue to resist. During the outpouring of the Spirit in Jerusalem so many centuries later, 3000 obedient Jews were saved. This is an obvious parallel to the 3000 disobedient Israelites killed before the first renewal of the covenant.

Of course, the renewing of the covenant was also prophesied in Jeremiah Chapter 31, “Behold, the days are coming, declares YHVH, when I will make renew [SEE NOTE AT THE END] my covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares YHVH. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares YHVH: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares YHVH. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” This opportunity for each individual to renew their covenantal relationship with YHVH is what was fulfilled during Shavuot. The fingers of flame that rested on the Disciples heads was reminiscent of the fiery finger of YHVH writing the commandments in stone on Sinai.

The Personal Aspects of Shavuot

Understanding how the events of this day affected our Biblical ancestors is nothing but intellectual trivia if we don’t let those lessons affect our own personal behavior as well. We may not see the tongues of flame over our heads, but if we let Him, the very finger of YHVH will write His commandments on our hearts as well. In fact, as YHVH’s children we are left with no plausible excuses for disobeying His commandments. We have been offered and have accepted redemption. We have been adopted as YHVH’s children. We have been betrothed to His Son. We have been given clear instructions. We have been sent Messiah as “The Word made flesh” to model and emulate, and we have been given His very Spirit to dwell inside us. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses also warns our people not to find reasons for disobedience, but instead to choose to obey. Deut 30:10-20 “For YHVH will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of YHVH your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to YHVH your God with all your heart and with all your soul. For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of YHVH your God that I command you today, by loving YHVH your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping His commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and YHVH your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving YHVH your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that YHVH swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."

The divine placement of Shavuot as the central feast in the Holy calendar cannot be ignored. The feasts of the Spring are about “beginnings” and about washing our sins away so as to be acceptable to YHVH. Conversely, in the Fall feasts we see a great and terrible judgment coming, but also a great expectation of the celebration of fullness and completeness. In Shavuot, placed in the middle, and the only celebration appointed to Summer, we realize our current situation. Without His helper leading us into truth and helping us to walk in His ways, we would truly run back into our sinful ways. Our Father may see us as sinless, but our earthly reality to various degrees is still one of learning and growing. We are reminded that our spiritual walk, like the timing of His feasts, is a process and a journey—not a once and done experience. In Corinthians 13, Paul writes, Verses 9-10 “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” Verse 12 “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.”

The bread we eat during the Spring feasts is unleavened, to remind us of our status as sinless from our Father’s point of view. The sheaf that is waived in the spring are the grains of the first harvest, pure, not yet winnowed, not yet cracked, not yet ground, not yet baked. The fully prepared loaves of Shavuot however, are leavened, reminding us of the reality of our fleshly imperfections. There are two fully baked loaves of bread waived before YHVH, one for each errant house of Israel, as both Christians and Jews attempt to understand our distinct places in Our Father’s eternal plan. Again, like Shavuot is placed in the middle of the Feast Schedule, so are we now placed in the middle of history (His story). This understanding should have a profound effect on our purpose in His kingdom in these days. This is the time for restoration, reconciliation, and reaching out to one another. A time to allow YHVH to restore our understanding of the Scriptures, and to finally allow His two kingdoms to reunite under one king. In His mercy and grace, He is now preparing us to face the great and terrible days ahead. Jeremiah 50:4-5, “In those days and in that time, declares YHVH, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek YHVH their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to YHVH in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’”

Ezekiel 37:21-28 “…then say to them, Thus says Lord YHVH: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am YHVH who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

During the Fall feasts, when the trumpet sounds, judgment comes, and we are finally sitting at the banquet table with our Bridegroom, our walk will finally be complete and the very temporary dilemma we now live with will be resolved at last.

May you have a blessed Shavuot! Ben

NOTE: The 2011 Stone’s Tenach has the Hebrew word ‘Chodesh’ in Jeremiah 31:31 translated as “renew” instead of as “new”, thus further reminding both Jew’s and Christians that YHVH has renewed His covenant with his people several times in the past, and that the Jeremiah prophecy is unique because BOTH houses will have the covenant renewed. There is no “new” covenant, just a fresher version of the same covenant written on our hearts instead of on stone.

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! :-)

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Happy New Year! Or is it?

Here is a link to one of my favorite secular websites. http://www.crescentmoonwatch.org/ For those new to this concept, the Bible says that the sun, moon, and stars were created as a sort of a giant public clock (Gen 1:14-18), visible to everyone on earth. This clock is used for days, months, seasons, and prophecy, (but not for fortune telling or worship). Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to read this clock with precision has been mostly lost, and those of us attempting to synchronize our lives by it do so with a certain amount of speculation. Here is another website that gives some helpful tools.

That being said, most folks and most traditions use the "new moon" as a benchmark for months, and just like our "modern" calender, a new year begins on the first of a new month. Tonight, for those of you with clear skies, the first slim sliver of the moon will be barely visible, chasing the sunset at the end of the day. It may be visible for just 15 minutes, just above the horizon, as you watch the sunset. (Even if you are perfectly happy with the modern calender, this is pretty cool and pretty to see.)

There are some who believe that the "dark moon" is the sign to note, but for those of us who strongly believe that the visible sighting of this moon marks the beginning of a new "Biblical Month", there still remains a controversy. Although this moon should be clearly visible to Americans, in Israel it will remain invisible until TOMORROW night's sunset. So, for those of us who can see it tonight, we are essentially getting a preview of what our brothers in the Holy Land will see 24 hours later.

Again, depending on how certain words are defined in the original Hebrew texts, this particular moon could also mark the beginning of the Biblical Year (Month 1). There are many believers waiting to hear about the "ripeness" of the barley crop on the day the moon is visibly sighted. Depending on that status (click here for the status), tomorrow night (March 6th, 2011) may be the first day of the new year...therefore Passover and the other Spring feasts will start in about two weeks, around the time of this months full moon. Other folks clock the new year based on the position of the Sun in the sky on the day of the new moon (based on the date of the Vernal Equinox). Still others use the stars to make a similar calculation. Except for a tiny minority, tomorrow night's moon remains either the first day of the year, or the first day of the LAST month of the year.

To most "mainstream" Christians, the moon and it's phases seem disconnected from the faith. Watching for the moon, and paying close attention to the stars may even seem akin to astrology or witchcraft. I myself was unaware for most of my early Christian walk that "Easter" is calculated by noting the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. This calculation is simply using the Pope's calendar instead of YHVH's. Easier, yes...but more Holy? That is for each believer to wrestle with individually (or I suppose one could ignore it rebelliously).

I think that's just about as small of a nutshell that's ever been made for this issue, so...

Happy New Year to many, Happy New Month to many others, and Happy pretty sunset to the rest.

Ben

The Passover Problem Solved...

For the decade or so that I was a mainstream Christian, there was absolutely no debate nor even a lingering doubt about the traditional timeline of Messiah's last week (pre-resurrection). Good Friday was obviously a Friday, right? Nobody had ever brought up the (now) obvious problem of Yeshua's words about Jonah being in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights, and that being the sign of the true Messiah. A Friday crucifixion and a Sunday morning resurrection simply did not meet those criteria.

Then, once becoming familiar with our Hebrew roots, the 3 days and 3 nights issue was solved with a better understanding of how Passover is honored from a scriptural perspective. However, now we had a new issue. There seemed to be a rush to force all of the aspects and elements of a traditional Jewish seder into the gospel accounts of Yeshua's final meal. Was "The Last Supper" really a "Passover seder"? How could Yeshua be the host of a seder, AND the "main course" at the same time?

Here is a GREAT yet simple article by Tom Bradford that answers both questions in an honest and encouraging way.

Here is the link:

The Passover Problem Solved

-Ben

Unity, Diversity, and Passover

Unless we have purposefully restricted ourselves to one teacher or one school of thought, it doesn’t take long to realize that there are many “disputable matters” in this ‘Torah and Messiah Centered’ walk. There are at least 8 ways to pronounce YHVH (or is it YHWH?), not to mention His ‘nicknames’. I know of 4 reasonable ways to determine when the year begins and therefore 4 different schedules to celebrate the other appointed times. Some Torah keepers avoid speaking the commonly known names of the days of the week, as each one is named after one false god or another. There are even some who won’t eat bananas or mushrooms because, according to modern scientific definitions, they don’t have “seeds”. (Genesis says only green and seed-bearing plants are for food). From the outside, modern Christianity may view these disputes as legalism run wild, and from the inside, this may seem like chaos or even a good excuse for a good old fashioned schism. Instead, I have come to appreciate this reality as an object lesson of The Creator’s love for diversity, and as evidence that the “Restoration of His Kingdom” is HIS job, not ours. The Passover meal is both an opportunity to celebrate our unity with the Father despite the complex variations of our specific theologies and doctrines, while at the same time it is also an important object lesson reflecting who is NOT part of the Body.

What to do with Chanukah??

We wrote the following series of articles as a result of conversations that were happening on The Messianic Keepers at Home Forum, in one of our groups "Exploring Our Hebrew Roots". I asked Ben if we could gather the information we had learned to share it with the ladies and well...it turned into a very comprehensive series of all the things we have learned to date surrounding the topic of Chanukah. (It is so hard to "leave things out" when it all connects to the big picture!)

We have been studying this topic for 4 years and it can get very sticky when it comes time to make a conclusion on it. YHVH is bringing so many families to His Torah so fast in these end days...there are so many topics to weed through and learn about and make decisions on. Especially if you are seeking the TRUTH and you have oneness and worshiping YHVH as your center and sole objective! Few things can be ignored! We finally came to the place where we could share all He has shown us in the past few years. It is long and involved, so we have broken a very long essay into parts, hoping that it would be easier for people to "process". We wish we could have released this sooner than we did...but we were really spending time on it to try to make it clear and being prayerful about it all as we wrote it. We expect it will challenge you, but hope above all, that it will bless you!

We suggest reading the articles in order and want to encourage you NOT to draw any conclusions until you have read it to completion.

What Do We Do About Chanukah? - Part 1

What Does Sukkot Have to Do With Chanukah? - Part 2

The Winter Solstice and The Abomination of Desolation - Part 3

The Stars - Part 4

So...What do we DO about Chanukah? Part - 5


We would love to hear your comments, reactions, questions, etc.

Bond Servants to YHVH,

Ben and Pamela

Lessons Learned By Keeping Shabbat

In the last 3-4 years since we have come to keep Shabbat (and Torah and The Feasts) we have learned SO much in doing so! It has blessed us immensely! This Shabbat I find myself reflecting back...it seems like a whole other life, before Shabbat. YHVH has steadily (and radically) turned our hearts toward Him and turned our lives and habits into a life of worship. One that HE has defined - not us. One that HE has ordered - not us. As a result we are walking more closely with Him than ever (and we thought we were close with Him before!), I pray that growth never stops in Him!

YHVH uses His Shabbat to train His people! Scriptures tells us it is a sign between Him and His people. We have seen this in so many ways! Shabbat itself, (all by itself) does not do that - however, when His people come to it with a contrite heart with the expectation of meeting YHVH and glorifying Him in it...then He does a mighty work in us. Here are just a few lessons learned, specifically in regards to keeping His Shabbat:

He has taught us to put YHVH's ways before our own: I remember when we first started "trying" to keep Shabbat what a struggle it was. Our habits were very hard to break! I am ashamed to say, it became very evident that WE were running our lives very selfishly and that YHVH was an accessory to us! Our heart attitudes were all wrong! We had such a hard time resting in Him! Oh how our selfishness was magnified! It was the weirdest thing. We suddenly wanted to do other things on that day even even than before. We were just like a spoiled child who is told they can't have candy-- so that becomes their desire and their minds plot and plan and try to reason as to why or how they can! When we were convicted to lay things down for Him all of a sudden it opened up this whole day...all this "time" we never thought we had...so our flesh was very quick to want to fill it the desires of our hearts! It was a real struggle. Through this YHVH really showed us what the desires of our hearts were!! It was so revealing! And they changed too, from week to week in the beginning. One week it was "work", work that just HAD to get done (in our minds), work that we were not willing to lay down. The next week it was "entertainment"; we had such a strong desire to do something "fun". The next week it was "shopping", there were things that we just felt we HAD to get. The next week it was "service"; We wanted to work, not for ourselves but for the church. The next week it was "social", I don't remember what it was, but it was an event that was NOT conducive to YHVH and His ways and we would have been with folks who didn't understand/keep Shabbat...and we being babes - were convicted that it was a distraction...then the temptations would cycle again. As we overcame them and laid them down...each one...YHVH was exalted. He was put higher than any of these things. Obedience was being cultivated in us. A willingness to do the Father's will over our own was established. A willingness to do our Father's will over the World's agenda became a lifestyle! I am so thankful that He revealed our hearts to us and that He brought us through that time. He did it one step at a time, one Shabbat at a time, as He trained us to change our desires and to change our habits for Him. Keeping Shabbat is a very tangible exercise in submission. Sometimes that means not doing some "good" things, it also means lessening the trivial things we might do otherwise. Keeping Shabbat from the heart means that we totally reprioritize the things we do and our values.

Shabbat gives us time to really be still in Him and "unplug" from our daily lives: I used to so boldly say, "We are supposed to worship God every day of the week, not just Saturdays." As a dismissal of the holiness of the day. I was ignorant and foolish. I didn't understand the significance and level to which YHVH wanted us to "set the day apart". I would say "everyday is set apart". What a deception I was walking in! Shabbat is special, like no other day. We could not function in society if EVERYDAY was like Shabbat. There are responsibilities to tend too. We have found that this "unplugging" has made us even more productive than when we rammed 7 days a week. Now...we are like horses ready to charge out of the race gate on Sunday to do work, completely satisfied and content in every way...every week! As the sun sets on Friday evening, we are begging to meet with YHVH and take that license for respit in Him. We really see the beauty of His set apart day and see it above all other days.

Shabbat has given us a burning passion for Him: I used to struggle to get daily devotions in for a half hour every day and when I did...it was never enough time. It was disjointed and lacking in depth. A few verses here a few verses there. I would use devotional books that spoon feed me theology and it dumbed-me-down to understanding my own faith and Creator. I longed for my husband to be the spiritual head of our household and lead us in the Scriptures (as did He!), but days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months...and still things did not change...that was before Shabbat! Since we have started keeping Shabbat (after working through all those fleshly matters mentioned above!), my husband's flame was lit! We used this time to study Torah. It was like pouring gasoline on the little flame that flickered in us! A VERY STRONG passion was ignited and burns bright all through the week. We study, and discuss His word constantly in our home. YHVH's Word has become the center of our home! We all have a passion for it. Even down to our littlest ones! We GET what David declares in the Psalms. We relate to that burn and desire every day...this passion was birthed, nurtured and developed on His Shabbat. I don't know if you have ever been on a Christian retreat. You go away (like a vacation) even if only for a day and you focus on YHVH. If your heart was in it, you come back changed! Or some might think of it like a vacation...a quiet cabin in the woods, others may picture a quiet beach...you unwind and are refreshed. People who are "lucky" get to do this once or twice a year. But YHVH has given us this precious gift EVERY WEEK!!!! What an awesome, loving plan He has established for us!!

Shabbat has created in us a cyclical, perpetual pattern of worship: YHVH uses His Shabbat to train us in our habits. We need repetition to create the new habits in us. He uses the Shabbat to put us in rhythm with HIM and His body of believers. He uses it to train us for a lifestyle of worship. Shabbat opens our eyes to His character. He is consistent. He is dependable. He is established and undeniable. He was here before we came and will remain long after our bodies wither. It helps us to recognize and see the "ebb and flow" of His Biblical Calendar and Feasts, His Creation, His purpose and plan for us! He gives and takes away. Things come and go. There are times and seasons for all things. The sun rises and the sun sets...and does YHVH's Shabbat.

Shabbat teaches us to obey: Personally, having come from a rebellious heart, this has been a very obvious lesson for me. The Scriptures are very plain about Shabbat. It is straightforward and clear that YHVH established it and that it will never pass away. He gives us many examples of how important it is to Him therefore how important it should be to us. He even calls it a sign between Him and His people. Yet...we (as a Christian church) still want to define it our way, by saying "every day is the Lord's" or "Sunday is the Lord's Sabbath" because of this reason or that excuse. Scripturally speaking...that is just not accurate! Spiritually speaking, it is rebellion and defiance toward the very plain directions that YHVH has been deliberate to give us. We used to ignorantly do what everyone else was doing...unaware of what the Scripture really taught because we weren't devoted to understanding it for ourselves (there's that spoon-fed thing again!) Then, when we asked Church leadership, the answers that we were given were a few out-of-context and twisted single verses used to paint a pre-determined doctrine, while attempting to nullify many, many other Scriptures that establish the Sabbath on the seventh day. References to "church fathers" came up and so on. At that point we had a choice to make...we were no longer ignorant...on that day we had to choose whom we served. Did we serve our "friends" in the church? Would we be peer pressured into a lie or would we trust and obey the teachings of our Father? We chose to trust obey our Father.

What I find very interesting is that when we were in the Christian church, they seemed to create a battle between grace and obedience. They painted obedience to so much of the Scripture as "legalism and works" and called it "the way to death" if it didn't fit their doctrine. All the while teaching obedience in areas that did fit into their doctrines. It was very vague and confusing. It really warped our understanding of YHVH's heart in this! It took much study, prayer, and reflection to sort through this! Yes...it is true that works in and of themselves are not what YHVH wants. Anyone can do nice things...people can even do the things He tells them to do (like keeping Shabbat or doing good works!) and turn them into empty works devoid of their designed purpose in Him. But it is something quite different when we walk with Him intimately and obey Him with a right and pure heart. It is also quite a different thing to redefine an instruction and then do something all together different as we wave a flag of "self-appointed exception to the house-rules of our Father". I don't know if or how YHVH draws the line in these matters. I just don't want to be anywhere near that line! I want Him to say "Well done good and faithful servant, to whom I am well pleased!". So, my Father's desires are becoming my own. My life is not my own and I am delighted, privileged, and blessed to lay down my life for Him whom I love.

Shabbat has humbled us and established our identity: I don't know if I can accurately explain this next lesson if you have not experienced it. Let me try it this way - Once we got into the groove of Shabbat and HIS rhythm was established in us....Other revelations of Scriptures started popping up like popcorn! The transformation the Scriptures described (and we THOUGHT we had already experienced) was happening in technicolor! All the sudden...what we used to read in the Scriptures as "them" in the Old Testament became "us". He showed us that we ARE Israel. We feel like we are still scratching the surface in this respect as we learn and grow in the language and culture from which our Scriptures are written. However, we now understand the contexts and identify with Scripture like never before. It's as if we have crossed over into the Bible...not just reading it from a third person perspective. Our identity has changed. We are His set-apart-people. The picture that was painted by our church was of "us" (christians) and "them" (jews). But The Scriptures don't do that! It is one cohesive story a plan for a people. Those who were formerly of the Nations are grafted into the nation of Israel. He has ONE people. I used to be so proud and say things like "how could they do that"? and "They were so stiff necked"...but He showed me...that was me...we are just the same. If we fail to see it, we too fail to see the errors of our ways, as we repeat history with a new label. We are proud people and YHVH is using His Shabbat to restore His people EVERYWHERE back to Himself, and the result is that they become unified with each other because they are unified in HIM and His Word...Not broken into thousands denominations based on of the doctrines of man.

It was like this: I used to be a selfish wounded adopted child. I defined YHVH's first children as different than myself. All the while my father is trying to teach me...I am the same. He is giving me gifts and promises, but my wounded and selfish heart only excepted some of them. I ignored other gifts or couldn't accept them because I wasn't mature enough or ready; I even (ignorantly) bad mouthed and spoke against some of His promises! But my Father is faithful and forgiving and merciful and by meeting with Him...regularly...I slowly started to see what it was He was telling me all along! He has ONE family and I am in it! Is it so strange that I would start taking on the characteristics of my Father's house? That those things which I was previously raised in my other house fall off as my new identity as Yah's child emerges? As I accept my inheritance, bit by bit...I start to look more like the family that YHVH has established. Halleluyah!

Shabbat is used to set us a part: All through the Scriptures we see patterns of YHVH selecting and dividing people. It is not His delight that any man should perish, however it is very clear in Scripture that many will! I often ponder what it means to be "set apart". It is translated in most of our English Bibles as "holy". He has sanctified His Shabbat and made it holy. He has also sanctified us and made us holy. He has made the Sabbath for us as a holy boot camp - training us and shaping us in His ways. I am also reminded that being set apart for His purposes does not always mean it will be easy, or glory filled, or fun. He sets apart martyrs for His purposes too. He sets apart servants to suffer and He calls us to bear one another's burdens. This is something we must accept and embrace too. I sure hope for the attractive assignments...but he always sends us trials to strengthen and test us too!

Shabbat is used to teach us how HE orders our days at through the week: Now as we walk, in this ebb and flow of Shabbat, I find that my week revolves around Shabbat! It is a beautiful shadow picture of how we are to live, with Him at the center. We schedule our projects that take several days earlier in the week. We plan food and shopping on most of the 5 days of the week, leaving Friday as preparation day for Shabbat, and tying up loose ends. Much like people do when they go on vacation, but we do it every week. Making sure our work is complete and left done well. It makes us much more productive and able to fully enter into our rest on Shabbat with a sense of a "job well done" all week and things brought to completion as best as they can be. It has created in us a deliberateness. A walk of intention and responsibility. We try to be sure the car is gassed up in case YHVH presents us with an opportunity to fellowship with others and make extra food in anticipation of divine appointments. We try to clean up the house and make sure there is no laundry in the machine..things like that. Things that would nag at us as having been left undone. Thursday is often preparation for preparation day. I try to have my menu planned by then, because it may require a last minute run to the store. I try not to run errands on Friday (preparation day) because that takes time that we prefer spending doing the things that need to get done. If we put that off...it puts us into a pinch and we don't get things finished like we want. So Thursday is often the day lists from the week are reviewed and final lists for Friday are made. My husband does a similar thing with His work day. Because He has control of his schedule and does not have to punch a clock like many people. He makes it a point to make his Fridays light. He doesn't usually schedule new things on Fridays, so he is thoughtful of Shabbat all week long and he uses Friday morning to tie up His loose ends. He tries to be available to prepare in the evenings too, cleaning up loose ends from the week at home that did not get done and being circumspect in regards to those things. We work together to help one another however we can, by employing the kids accordingly so the other can better do what he/she is "racing the sun" to get done (as we like to say). Most of the time it gets done. Sometimes...it doesn't...either way we surrender it all as the sun sets and we settle into a very slow and restful meal that enters us into our much looked forward to Shabbat.

Shabbat is used to refresh our bodies: This precious day that YHVH has given us not only ministers to our minds, spirits and souls, but it ministers to our bodies. I helps us recalibrate after a week of serving. I am able to slow myself down enough to take a nap...and that simply will not and can not happen on the other 6 days of the week. Not only because my schedule doesn't allow it...but my body doesn't either. I know everyone's bodies are different in this...but I never knew a nap in the day (as an adult) when I was well..until Shabbat. It's a beautiful thing! :-) The act of music worship is also intimately woven into this day for our family. We are all learning to praise and worship Him with music, dancing and singing. All physical expressions of worship toward Him. Things that take practice and training and refresh our bodies, minds and spirits and brings us into unity with Him and one another. If we did not have this day to ground us, I do not think we would have the discipline to carry it out through the week and incorporate it in to our daily lives either. I find what He cultivates in us on Shabbat when we are still, spills into the rest of the week and hopefully into the lives of others...because our cup runs over with HIM!

Shabbat is used to give us security and to truly rest in Him: Trust is always at the core of anything we do with or for YHVH. When we decided to honor YHVH's Shabbat, we trusted Him in so many areas to do that! We trust him that our work would get done, and that we would endure the judgements of others. We trust His provision for us. We trust that He will show us how to do this well and that it be a delight. Above all, we trust that His Word is true and that we are living according to His ways.

Shabbat teaches us the difference between HIS rest and OUR rest: Maybe folks who do not see this intimate and ongoing dance between YHVH and His Bride every week, just think of Sabbath as a "day off". They think they aren't going to be "legalistic" about it and they will observe the "one day in 7" idea or they choose to observe Sunday as their Sabbath, because they think it was ordained as such by the Resurrection of Yahshua. (Which is not supported in Scripture!) We rest on other days sometimes too - but it is not ordained in the way Shabbat is. Yes, we can "meet with Him any day"...but HE specifically named the 7th day for something special. It's as if YHVH called you and made a date with you on Saturday and you said, "no..I'd rather sign junior up for little league...but i'll see you on Sunday. We'll see ya then...bye. (click)" Let us not forget...this is The Creator of the universe calling us for date!!!! I don't know about you, but I am not going to stand Him up! We are liars if we claim He is our "all in all" and put mowing the lawn or grocery shopping or little league before Him and pencil Him in on another day. This day is not "just any day in a cycle". Niether YHVH, nor Yahshua ever declare that Shabbat was overridden, changed or replaced. We need to see the error of our ways and come back to Him and let Him do a mighty work in us!

Shabbat is used to unite and divide His people: There is always a duality in the lessons of YHVH. He is not a black and white God - He is Technicolor God! Does He use Shabbat to divide the goats and the sheep? Does YHVH use it to divide the lesser in the Kingdom and the greater? I don't know...what I do know is that He said it, so we do it and we love it and He has blessed us for it. The same is true for every family we know who has done this in thier hearts. We also see that it is a stumbling block for those who haven't.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate my original point to sharing these things that YHVH has taught us so for. YHVH uses His Shabbat to teach and train HIS people in HIS ways. It is a continual and cyclical object lesson for His children. It is a date that He made with His bride long before we were ever born. It is for our sake, to strengthen us and to give us a place of rest and security. It is (one of many) demonstrations of YHVH's soveriegnty and love for us. We embrace it and are exceedingly greatful for it. When we embrace it with a contrite heart He is glorifed and we are transformed.

In Him,

Sukkot 2010

This is a Linky where several people volunteered to share posts on YHVH's Appointed Time - Sukkot (or Feast of Tabernackles). I have moved it here, so others may access it in the HomeShalom archives.




May You be Blessed!

Yom Ha Kippurim -2010

This is a series of links to articles related to YHVH's Appointed Time, called Yom Ha Kippurim (or The Day of Atonements). I have moved it here so that it may be accessed in the HomeShalom archives.

Our Sukkot 2010

There is so much to share, I couldn't possibly cover it all! I know my description will not do it justice...but I will try to give you an idea of what our week was like.

In a few words: Beautiful, inspiring, challenging, edifying, encouraging, uplifting, cleansing, intimate, revealing, humbling, learning, growing, celebrating, rejoicing, loving, working, giving, receiving, laughing, crying, holding tight and letting go.....

We met with about 15 other families at a state park in TN to keep, honor and celebrate YHVH's Biblical feast of Sukkot (otherwise known as The Feast of Tabernacles or Booths) the best we could where we are and with what we've got. About 9 families stayed all week, as others came and went during the week as their schedules, lives, commitments allowed. Families from TN, MO, HI, FL, NC, PA, KY and AL were present. We have been to larger gatherings before, but this was very special because it was small enough that you could really get to know folks and spend time together and build connections-- that is much harder to do in a large gathering.

• Torah Study Daily - Every morning we gathered around in our camp chairs, children on blankets and read from the Torah. Our goal was to read the book of Deuteronomy that week together as a group. We read about 4 chapters a day; it took a couple hours every day...but it was a SO worth it! The Fathers/Husbands read and discussion was opened to all. There was no "speaker" or preacher or anything like that. It was just several families who are passionate about Yah's Word, reading it together and sharing. It was beautiful.



• Worship and Praise with Music Daily - The family who"hosted" the gathering often lead the group in this. They had song books printed up for the group and had many talented musicians in the family. Guitar, keyboard and violin. A couple other families also lead at different times. It was nice, very "organic". There was Hebraic dancing every day and all were encouraged to join. Even the littlest ones were welcomed into the circle. There was also a Baptism / Mikvah as we gathered at the TN river. It was a beautiful thing as whole families went in the water to express their unified commitment to YHVH.



• Serving Daily - There were many opportunities to serve in the group as needed. People arrived and left at different times, so the men were quick to help others set up (and tear down) their camps, as needed. Older children from different families always had the younger children of neighboring families on their hips. There was a beautiful awareness and servitude between the age levels. There was such a tender awareness of the littlest ones. This, I was keen to notice as I have so many! :-)

We also had a chance to go to a family farm and help them bring in the sorghum harvest during the week. All ages...even my little ones. We stripped and cut the sorghum. it was a wonderful experience. I knew NOTHING about sorghum before that day...and left with a very well rounded knowledge of it! The farm was nestled in Amish country on Russel Creek in TN, on an off grid farm. Of course that is what we are striving to do (go off grid and farm - among other things they do) and so it was a real blessing to us. We got to see so much in action first hand. We learned a lot and it really connected some dots for us! We were treated to a surprise wagon ride at the end of our work day. The family we were helping does not use tractors, rather horses for their farm work - so the oldest son hook up the team and took us for a ride up the dirt road.

• Daily Hospitality- We hosted or were guests at other camp sites for meals every day. One of the beautiful traditions about Sukkot is to have guests over in your "sukkah" (tent, booth temporary dwelling or Tabernacle) and fed them and celebrated the feast. That was going on all week long between the families. We had a couple larger corporate meals too...but it continued through out the camp...as it hummed with fellowship all week long. Shofars blowing at any given time with a "Halleluyah" after were sounds in the backdrop through out the week.



• Less Was Best- There were some things planned, but the schedule was intentionally left"open" to allow The Ruach (Spirit), lead the event...and He did! There was never a dull moment...but it never felt pressured or "busy". The first night we were there, it was late at night, I was tucked in I heard a very strong wind in the camp. It was so strong I was not sure if it was rain or wind. As I listened; it was as if I heard the would "ruach" being blown thrown through the trees, I heard it again and heard Him say "I am here". Boy was that powerful! My hair stands on end as I recall it. YHVH is SO GOOD!



• Iron Sharpening Iron Daily There were many conversations all week long about matters in Torah and the Body of Messiah. People bringing things to the surface the YHVH had been working out in them and showing them. Talk of how one determines the new year was a hot topic as we find many people becoming more aware of the things that YHVH has put in place to "clock" His calendar, according to Scripture's record. It was good stuff. The Body encouraging and challenging one another without offense to people being in different places and a real willingness to understand and seek out YHVH's truth...it was spiritual poetry in motion!



• Giving/ Learning and Growing Daily There was such a sense of commrodry and generosity in the camp. In the "spirit" of Sukkot, people came ready to give and share. There was a giving table, baskets full of bounty from farmers harvest and food that they had put up. People were sharing and giving of the things they had to give. Everything from, music, recipes, handmade items, food, clothes, supplies...there was so much. Everyone came expecting to give. I was so wonderfully surprised to receive so much! We were actually given a small cook stove, when someone learned that we had taken our heater out and looking for another way to heat the house (because my daughters hair caught fire on our old heater twice last winter!). This couple (whom we JUST met!), went back home loaded up a brand new cook stove they had in storage and gave it to us! Another dear friend sewed jumpers for my girls and took time to teach me how to start knitting and Hailey how to Crochet! I also had an opportunity to embroider a square in a young lady's "coming of age quilt" (Her parents were giving her a surprise tea during the week and all the ladies gathered to encourage her and celebrate her passing from girlhood into women hood.) I had NEVER embroidered before, so one of her sisters and another friend sat and taught me how...and I was able to embroider a Scripture into her quilt. It was a precious experience. Another person demonstrated/taught us how to make colloidal silver and sent us home with a gallon! The list just goes on...as people gave of their resources, their time their experience and their skills to build one another up all week long! My friends adult daughter from PA surprised me with a precious gift she made (just like one she made for her mom) since we share the same heart for adoption. It was a really sweet mug with Scripture. They weren't even camping with us, they came for a day visit from another state park meeting about 2 hours away. It so sweet (but too short) to see their family too!



• YHVH Taking Us to Another Level We find that every one of YHVH's Appointed Times brings an acceleration on our walk with Him; Be it revelation He gives us about Himself or His plan, further clarity of Scripture study, strengthening our spiritual muscles, humbling us and fixing our course, encouraging us on the vision He has put in us, further equipping us to go to the next level or commitment and service, developing a stronger love for His people, demonstrating His sovereignty, refreshing us if we have become weary, and sometimes even a much needed "clobber up side the noggin". We are so thankful for His Appointed Times!!!! We wouldn't trade them for anything in this world. He gives His people exactly what we need! He is YHVH Yirah!

• Making Life Long Friends - True Kinship I believe that life long friendships were cultivated at this feast. I spent time with women whom I truly fell in love with. That is a very precious thing to me. I pray it be so! (I'm getting all mutsy even thinking about it!) The richness and transparency and openess and love. It was a much needed thing in my life. I am so thankful!!

• Cooperating and Dieing to Self Daily When you dwell with a group of people, in order to do it and keep your shalom it takes cooperation and dieing to self. Maybe things aren't being done the way you would, maybe you have needs that are not being met or are "out of sorts" or out of your comfort zone? Maybe the spirit of offense tries to rear its ugly head, or judgement sneaks in or selfishness reveals itself. These are all great opportunities to learn humility and how to truly LOVE one another as ourselves. It is what we make it. We can minister life or death; YHVH has given us that power. It is our job to make the choice, and to remember we reap what we sow.

In short, I think this verse best describes my experience this Moed:

Phil 2:1-5 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Messiah, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Yahshua Messiah

Amen!

Some friends doing Sukkot in THE LAND

Here is a quick link to some friends who spent Sukkot in Israel as they serve farmers by volunteering to harvest in the vinyards.

Yom Teruah Family Recap

We looked for two nights and did not see the moon. But did see a beautiful sun set (as we often do) on our farm - as we watched and waited. That planet in the distance is Venus (do not be mislead).


The next evening we arrived in Chattnooga just before the sun had set and raised to an overlook to see if we could spot her. It was very foggy and we could not, but we blew anyway, because we had confirmed the siting in Israel earlier that day. (The whole time difference thing.) Gideon is only 4 but he gets a strong sweet sound out of the Shofar! So much so, it actually brought a tear to my eye and made me ask YHVH if He is annointed in this area. He has a gentle and sweet heart, yet has a warrior's spirit. A momma can't help but wonder how the King will use her children as they grow!


The next day, we hiked in gardens and in Creation. It was a wonderful day together as we reflected on YHVH's majesty together as a family.

We couldn't resist a picture of a " formerly rich man" enter the eye of a needle. :-) Halleluyah!

More Blowing ensues......
This was one shot of where we went in the mountains of Chattanooga TN. As you can see it was a foggy couple of days. We were there the night before at sunset to welcome the Shabbat and watch for the moon, but did not see it. However, we had confirmed the sighting in Israel at the beginning of our treck to the mountains (the whole times zone differnce thing), so we blew as the sun set and all the next day!

This point we were at in the mountains was at the intersection/overlook of 7 states. It was a real joy to blow His blessing over such a territory. It was kind of wierd in a public place...but...we have laid down that fear of man long ago. :-)


Blow Papa Blow!

Blowing over 7 US States to declare the soverighty of our Lord!

Elijah blowing over the States. He was the first of the kids to learn to blow a couple years ago. He lead the way for them.

Eliana was so proud of herself. She is 3 and can finally blow after a year of trying, spitting and watching us. It is the funniest thing to watch, becasue she is SO tiny and this roaring sound comes out of her shofar now. This is the small horn here, but is especially a site to behold when she blows the Yemanite, it is as long as she is tall!!!

Above: We tried to get a picture of Eliana blowing over the moutains as we stood behind the wall (like the picture of me) but all you could see was a shofar peeping up from behind the wall! Can you see the little horn sticking up behind the wall there, next to my hand? Eliana is down there blowing!!

I was sad to realize we didn't get a picture of Naomi blowing this time. :-( But she did!

Now...whenever we travel on a Shabbat we like to make sure we have a full tank of gas before taken care of on Preparation Day and we always pack the big cooler full of food for our travels, so that we don't eat at resturants; It helps us keep the day "set apart". We have done this many times...so you think I would be an old pro, right? Well this time, the zip lock back of silverware that was prepared was accidentally left behind on the counter at home. So this meant we were eating bean salad (our main dish for lunch that day) with our fingers! We also had endulged in a rare treat of store bought cake. The kind that is super fluffy and crumbly and heavily frosted...Yep...we ate that with our hands too! We managed to be creative by digging out "The Spoon" that we keep in the car (if needed for "corrections" away from home)...so that is what daddy used to dish the sloppy cake. Other than that - it was all fingers!!

Things don't always turn out how we might plan...but it's what we "so with it" that counts! Of course we all had a good laugh over it!

After our trip to Chattanooga we arrived home on the farm and looked for the moon again (3rd night) after having blown all day...to see if we could actually spot the moon with our own two eyes (we still like to look 'til we find her). And there she was ever so faint in the back ground. Can you see it? It is above the power line in the picture above Hailey's head. We all blew (again!). :-)

Gideon - The Tubal Warrior

Much Love ~ from the Tribe of Ben!