White Linen

It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. – Rev. 19:8

Our guests arrived on Wednesday, June 13, 2012. We were doing a conference with Mike Clayton and Kelly Ferrari Mills. They brought another couple along with them Rosemary and Vernon Norton. Rosemary works with linen and makes beautiful throws, skirts, and bedding just to name a few. After our meal Rosemary gave me a beautiful white linen throw. I was extremely grateful and I knew it would come in very handy at the Convention Centre. I do not have great circulation due to my quadriplegia so I tend to get cold when I'm in an air-conditioned place. I usually take a thin blanket or a sweater and something for my legs for when I do get cold. However, this new beautiful white linen throw was a true gift! The next day, Thursday, we headed off to the Convention Centre and as the conference got underway, shortly after praise and worship, sure enough I began feeling quite cold. I put on the beautiful white linen throw. By evening I was absolutely freezing. Rosemary then handed me a natural coloured throw which really helped warm me up! She then told me to keep both! I had picked out beautiful outfits to wear for the conference for each day. As it turned out I had to cover them up with my two throws, no one could see my nice outfits. What I came to understand was that when I would wrap myself in them I would warm up so that eventually I could uncover myself. Then when I started feeling chilled again I would cover myself up. I learned a lot about linen, it keeps you cool in the heat and warms you up in the cold. However, on Friday afternoon Rosemary and Kelly gave a beautiful presentation on just what the flax has to go through before it becomes a beautiful piece of cloth. I was listening intently and then I heard that beautiful still small voice as I looked down at my two throws. I was first given a white linen throw because that is how my Heavenly Father now sees me! Even though many times I don't see myself that way I thought to myself, to which I quickly heard of course, it's not what you still see in the natural but what I have cleansed with My Own Blood, and it is cleansed indeed! Tears started streaming down my face as I sat there listening and I clearly heard Him saying to me it was my intent for you to have the white linen throw first! What an amazing Creator we serve! We always look at things in the natural when we need to be more in tune with His Spirit!

Theresa

I Refuse To Believe I'm Stubborn ...

39 And He (Yeshua) came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” -Luke 22 39 - 46 (NASB)

Several years ago comedian Jeff Foxworthy got some mileage with a routine called "You might be a redneck if". What made the bit funnier in my opinion was the fact that the people he referred to, may not have been aware that they actually fit in that category. I enjoy humour like that, commentary on the human condition through the speaking of truths that people may not want to see about themselves (hmmm … sounds familiar doesn't it?) When I think about the story in this week's Torah portion Bo (Exodus 10:1 - 13:16), I am amazed at the stubbornness of the Pharaoh. He simply refuses to budge from his position despite the overwhelming evidence that he was not going to win this battle with God (hmmm … that sounds familiar too). For real insight, contrast this stubborn behaviour with the words of the Messiah in the Luke passage you just read -- Yeshua prayed "if it is possible, remove this task but yet, not my will but YOURS" Like many difficult choices, doing what He eventually did (dying), wasn't the way He would have chose, but it was the way that was necessary. How we answer this kind of prayer says much about who we really are, not who we say we are. Later on in these verses we see this point illustrated (people saying they are one thing but doing another) as the Messiah deals with His disciples, seeing they are not yet at the point they should be. While we may have wondered or even looked down a bit on how these guys could have fallen asleep on their Master when He seemingly needed them most, we would have to admit we have failed Him many times as well. Like the Redneck bit however, we may not even be aware that we fit in that category. Is there an area in our life God is pointing out to us, that we are stubbornly refusing to budge in? If I honestly look at that question in my own life I have to say yes and then the prayer and crying out to God starts :)  Just like the disciples, who still needed quite a bit of tweaking (and the outpouring of the Spirit), we too need to recognize that we are stubborn in some areas and must follow Yeshua's model "not my will but YOURS" to get it straightened out. Actually when it comes right down to it, God spends much of our journey here in this life breaking us of our stubborn will (specifically our pride) and the need we have to have things work out how "we'd" have them. Eventually, if we let Him, He conforms us to the truth that it is better if they work out how He would have them (Romans 8:28). In stark contrast to the Pharaoh, Yeshua and other characters in the scriptures modelled a kind of life that is so foreign to most of us in the culture we are ensconced in. Putting our wants second isn't highly praised today in popular culture, yet in God's Kingdom it is the only way to achieve greatness (the last shall be first and the first shall be last "-Matthew 20:16). I guess if you're determined to be stubborn in something, being stubborn in living out that verse works for me.

Myles

Born a Slave but Set Free

We were watching a movie the other night called "Gods and Generals". It was a movie about the Civil War in the United States. At one point in the movie the Northern army took control of one of the cities in Virginia. The people who had owned one of the homes had escaped but left the black slaves behind to take care of the house. When the Army came in they needed to use that house as a hospital. One of the young female slaves came to one of the soldiers and made a plea to him to please win the war. She said "I was born a slave but I want to live free"! The soldier replied "they were trying and with God's help they would win." As I thought about this many things ran through my mind. As we read in this week's upcoming Torah Portion (Exodus 1:1 - 6:1), God calls Moses to help Him deliver the children of Israel from slavery. It was a terrible misinterpretation of Scripture that caused the southern States to believe it was okay to have slaves. How many times have we misinterpreted Scripture? The point I want to make is that we all were born slaves. Psalm 58:3 says, "even from birth the wicked go astray from the womb they are wayward and speak lies." Psalm 51:5, "for I was born a sinner yes, from the moment my mother conceived me". We are slaves to sin yet we have a King and Savior who paid the ultimate price so that we might live in freedom. Free to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. We need both the Holy Spirit and we need the truth of the Torah. If we throw out either one it will be a misinterpretation once again of the Scriptures. I am grateful to Yeshua my King and my Savior who purchased me. I was one who was born a slave lived as a slave but is now set free to worship Him in Spirit and in Torah!

Theresa

Getting over it ... (Genesis 50: 15 - 20)

Israel's early family gatherings in Egypt must have been great. There was just a bit of family tension I would suppose? It must have been tough for the boys to reminisce  ... "Remember that time Joseph, you know, when we all ganged up on you and sold you into slavery? Then we told our Dad you were dead? Wasn't that a riot? How was prison life?" Actually I don't imagine much was said before Yaakov's death about "that event" in the 17 years that Joseph and his brothers lived in a reunited family situation in Egypt. Like most families, who have had their share of turmoil, these kinds of things may not have been dealt with to the degree that everyone felt resolution. Sure there was an acknowledgment of forgiveness in the family of Israel's case, even hugging and tears. As we examine the passage in Genesis 50: 15 however, deep down there was much uncertainty. Listen to these words " When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "what if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for the wrong which we did to him!' Because we all come from imperfect families (yes it's true we do), I think all of us can think of "Joseph" type situations that they may have been the victim of or even the perpetrator of. It troubles us even more because of the level of trust and love that was supposed to be there and yet all of that seemed very moot in light of the feeling of betrayal involved. If we're truly honest with ourselves, we would admit most of these situations with family, friends, congregations, in the workplace etc. that we can fret about for years, thankfully are not of the severity of what happened to Joseph. They still may have affected and shaped our lives in some way however, whether good or badly. How we deal with these hurts is what God calls "forgiveness" and it's the only thing that not only makes us right before God, but also keeps us sane. I googled this on the definition of forgiveness and I think it's as close to the scriptural one as I could find -- "A definition for forgiveness could be -- giving up my right to hurt you, for hurting me. It is impossible to live on this fallen planet without getting hurt, offended, misunderstood, lied to, and rejected. Learning how to respond properly is one of the basics of a believer's life." Joseph's response in verses 19 - 21 is awesome. Read it for yourself. How much pain could be removed if we simply responded to those who have damaged us, even severely, in this manner? The thing is, at some point all of these things will be examined and judged according to their merits or problems by YHVH who is the judge of all the earth (Gen 18:25) anyway. What good does it do to let something that will eventually be dealt with and dealt with fairly keep us from the joy that God wants us to experience in living? Besides, God forgave us as Ephesians 4:32 says, what right have we to hold a grudge or bitterness when we have been forgiven so much? 

Myles

It's 2012, has the world ended yet?

Well it's that time again, the start of another new year on our Gregorian calendar. This time though it seems more interesting to me since we've been told (for about four years now) that this year 2012, is supposed to culminate with the end of the world at some point. Funny, we're just at the beginning and I'm already talking about the end. Maybe you could say I don't know my beginnings from my ends I guess. Seriously though, Yeshua our Messiah had plenty to say about just living each day and not getting overly bothered with the "what ifs" in life. In Matthew 6:34 He told us this "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I think we've all had periods where we contemplate the future and the things that "could" happen or that "may" occur and it can really trouble us. Mine just happened recently when my wife had a sudden SVT (speeded up heart rate) and was rushed to emergency. She is very well now thankfully. The global financial problems probably only serve to exacerbate the hysteria that seems to be taking place in our time (see world wide protest being Time Magazine's story of 2011 as proof people are upset and afraid and not going to take it anymore). In stark contrast, Yeshua told us many times not to fear. I particularly like these words from Luke 12: 32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom." The way I see it, what better time then now to take these words from scripture at face value and start believing in them. Our God is the one in control of tomorrow and He has promised us that if we put our trust in Him and don't let fear overtake us, we will be given His kingdom. He has CHOSEN to do this GLADLY!  The words He spoke to Avram all those years ago are still as relevant today "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” -Genesis 15:1. God is our protection, our shield, and with Him we have no reason to fear, even death. He says we have an amazing reward to look forward to so let's rejoice in that ... Happy New Year All!


Myles