Author: cj

Servant of Yahoshua (Jesus); i have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of the church. Although i failed her, in many ways, it is my desire to waken her from her slumber. The same slumber in which i served. my life verse, which i will mention often, Micah 6:8 "Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly... author, “Staying the Journey, the narrow road” published December 2019 a bit outdated in regards to some theological understandings but the core is still solid.

Milk vs Steak

There is a fairly popular drink in the health and fitness section of grocery stores called Muscle Milk. i don’t recall if i have ever had it but there is always a chance, i just don’t remember. i do know that my youngest son drinks them on occasion before he goes to the gym or when he was playing hockey i think he would drink one before practice. Anyway, the point is that the drink is supposed to nourish your body and stimulate muscle growth and recovery. How well it works i don’t know, this is in no away an endorsement. i bring it up only to make this point, in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Paul writes about milk verses meat.

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Messiah. I fed you with milk, not meat, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”

Earlier Paul writes, “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of Elohim, which Elohim decreed before the ages for our glory.”
(1 Corinthians 2:6-7)

Growth is a good thing. We should all strive to grow in our understanding and relationship with Yahoshua Messiah. Paul was really writing out of frustration to the Corinthians because they were lacking in the growth department. We can all relate at times to the Corinthians i think, hitting a point in which we become stagnant in our relationship with Yahoshua. On the other hand i also believe we can relate with Paul in becoming frustrated with others seemingly lack of growth even if we have poured into their lives.

One thing is for sure, we are supposed to be learning and growing. There is a beginning, of course, Acts 15:19-21 says; “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to Elohim, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” Most folks stop reading at verse twenty but it doesn’t stop there verse twenty-one indicates growth will come because Moses is read every Sabbath in the synagogues. Two things are evident here, Moses is read, meaning the Torah, or the Law and when is he read? On the Sabbath. The Gentiles were participating as a sect of Judaism known as the Sect of the Nazarene. It was understood that the Gentile believers would learn and grow. Remember ALL Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, and for doctrine as Paul writes to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

There is growth, Philippians 3:12-16 says; “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Messiah Yahoshua has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Elohim in Messiah Yahoshua. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, Elohim will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.” Growth is important. It isn’t the works that save us, no we are saved by the Grace through Faith. It is the Mercy of YHWH because of the work of Yahoshua.

Therefore, because of the work of the Yahoshua we respond to Him by growing in obedience to Him. In Luke, Yahoshua is recorded as saying, “Why do you call me ‘Adonai, Adonai,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will show you what he is like:” (Luke 6:46-47) Growth is important.

There is a goal. 1 John 5:1-5 says; “Everyone who believes that Yahoshua is the Messiah has been born of Elohim, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him. By this we know that we love children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and obey His Commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of Elohim overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Yahoshua is the Son of Elohim?”

As James 1:22 puts it; “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We must be active agents. Milk, is great in the beginning, maybe even muscle milk, but we must, in fact it is absolutely imperative, that we desire the meat of the Word. So that we grow, in that we seek to know Yahoshua, as we are known by Him and not just the new believer but all who call on the name of Yahoshua.

You are loved,
cj

Your holiday’s, Your traditions

i attended a local Hebrew Roots congregation this past Sabbath. First, i am not a part of the Hebrew roots movement as defined by Hebrew Roots but i am a proponent of the whole of Elohim’s word. Anyway, i went to their Friday evening service, i did not intend to also be present for their Saturday service, but i was. The pastor is very passionate about Hanukkah and as it were, Hanukkah, is the holiday that started me on the path that i am on now. So with great interest i listened and took notes. While i was incarcerated i did lots of reading, in fact besides sleeping, reading was probably the thing i did the most. i also, penned 35 future blog posts. i had numbered them and was planning to put them up in the order they were numbered. However, with my visit this weekend to Everlasting Convenient, i am moving post 15 up 7 spots.

i was limited on my choice of Bibles but i did have two. Well, my celly had one which was an ESV provided by the Gideon’s and i had a NLT Life Application Study Bible i found in the little bookshelf that we had access. In it i was reading Leviticus, about the appointed times of YHWH.

Leviticus 23:1-5
And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘The Appointed Times of YHWH, which you are to proclaim as Holy Gatherings, My Appointed Times, are these:’”

Let me interject something here, look at the language being used, “Holy Gatherings” and “MY Appointed Times.” You will also note that in Exodus 12:48-49 YHWH gives instruction for the foreigner, and the sojourners within the camp who align with YHWH are to participate. He caps His instruction with: “There is ONE Torah (Law) for the native-born and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

“‘Six days work is done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a Holy Gathering. You do no work, it is a Sabbath to YHWH in all your dwellings. These are the Appointed Times of YHWH, Holy Gatherings which you are to proclaim at their Appointed Times. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to YHWH.”

Note again, these are “MY Appointed Times.” i found it interesting that when i read this having a study Bible with notes i decided to read the note to see how the NLT scholars spinned, this one and here is what they wrote: “God established several national holidays each year for celebration, fellowship, and worship. Much can be learned about people by observing the holidays they celebrate and the way they celebrate them. Take note of your holidays. What do they say about your values? In what ways do your celebrations and holidays reflect your relationship with God?” (Emphasis Added)

Here we have in Leviticus, a clear declaration by YHWY on HIS Appointed Times for Holy Gatherings and the emphasis the scholars chose to make in their foot notes are about your holidays. What a disconnect to what Elohim was stating and in light of Exodus 12:49 and other places i feel we as the church are really missing out on His Appointed Times for our pagan influenced holidays. Not to mention that we as gentile believers are GRAFTED into ISRAEL. They are the root and the root keeps the branches alive.

“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.” Romans 11:17-18

Just before this Paul writes about how we gentiles are in a sense, causing the Jews to feel jealous. Romans 11:11 “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.” We do not replace them, we are grafted into them and therefore become part of the remnant of Elohim.

Remnant is by definition, uncommon. What are your uncommon traits? The world, secular, pagan, or Christian, celebrate Christmas with much of the same nonsense. Easter is a close second. These are both man made celebrations for they are not found or directed in Scripture. One could make this same argument for Hanukkah because it is not a gathering that was appointed by YHWH in the Torah. Rather, Hanukkah was birthed out of the Maccabean revolt. It is a celebration of the rededication of the Temple Altar after Antiochus Epiphanies invaded Judaea and sacrificed a pig on the altar in the temple. He also tried to change times, and seasons, the Holy Gatherings. This was predicted in Daniel, Antiochus was a type of Anti-Messiah, this will happen again. In Revelation we are told in the twelfth chapter seventeenth verse, “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of Elohim and hold to the testimony of Yahoshua. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”

The New Testament Church is called to be different. In the world but not of the world. The Church is called to be different. The center candle of the Hanukkah Menorah is known as the servant candle, which lights the other candles. The eight days of Hanukkah are significant in remembering the faithfulness of Elohim. One could even say the servanthood of Messiah Yahoshua. The Church is called to be different. The rededication of the Altar in the Temple, restoration, new birth, we the Church and individually are the living Temple of Adonai Yahoshua. Hanukkah should be a time within the church and the family of rededication of our hearts to Yahoshua. It should be a time in which we serve as the center candle, lighting those around us. As Messiah served.

We are the light of the world, a city on a hill, called out of the world, and grafted into Israel. Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, a.k.a. Feast of Dedication. Did you know that Yahoshua Himself, celebrated and was a part of the Feast of Dedication? John 10:22 “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Yahoshua was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.” Isn’t it our goal as followers of Yahoshua, to be like Him?

Imagine, if the fulfillment of Romans, in making the chosen people of Elohim jealous, is to celebrate the feasts, to honor the Sabbath, to rejoice in and rest in the Messiah of Israel, whom they rejected. It would stir jealousy if we honored YHWH of the Bible more if we actually honored Him as He lined out rather than the man made religion, with a Messiah the Jewish people easily dismiss as not their Messiah. Yet, it is their Messiah, Yahoshua, was and is their Messiah. The Father, YHWH, is the Elohim of Israel and we are grafted into Israel. Therefore, we should not ignore the root because we grow because of the root.

Should we honor our holidays or should we honor His Appointed Times, His Holy Gatherings? And if we are to celebrate human tradition or a holiday created by man, shouldn’t that holiday and or tradition not look like anything the world has to offer but be separate, holy, sacred? The Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah, a feast Yahoshua Himself honored seems like a pretty good place to start.

You are loved,
cj

Plenty of want . . .

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and want, abundance and need.” Philippians 4:12

There is no shortage of want in our world. There is also no shortage of need. The want here in Philippians isn’t the kind that says, “I want a new car,” it is a want that is based in the lack of necessity. The expression, left wanting, used; “I was hungry but i was left wanting.” Although, one could argue that we live in a society where there is plenty of want, I want this or I want that and it gets blurred with I need this or I need that, basically used, interchangeably.

Here in this passage, Paul writes to the Philippians to express his understanding of both living a life that was plentiful and one that was lacking. i am sure there is a great number of us who could say the same. i for one have lived on both ends of that spectrum and all points in between. Currently i am well on the side of want and need, unfortunately. i don’t write this however, for sympathy but for experience. i am writing to encourage, you but also me.

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Philippians 4:11

This is easier said than done. Oh sure i try very hard to live this out everyday. In fact i would say that i am content. However, that doesn’t remove the stress of knowing one’s situation and getting lost in the needs of life. It boils down to faith. Sadly, i need reminding of Elohim’s faithfulness often. In fact, i carry with me in my Bible a dollar bill. On it i have written a date. It was that date, another season of need, that Adonai showed up in a miraculous way meeting the need. i love being reminded of this story.

i had been unemployed for sometime, just after the birth of my first son. The bills were piling up and we were in need. One morning i had just gotten back from my morning prayer time with Adonai when there was a knock at the door. It was our neighbor Carlos. He said, “I had a dream the other day that I was supposed to give you some money from my bonus. But I wanted a new TV so I bought one. We got it home and set it up, plugged it in but it didn’t work. That night I had the dream again that I was supposed to give you that money. The next day, we exchanged the TV. We brought it home, set it up, and plugged it in, it didn’t work.” He smirked, embarrassingly, and continued, “The same thing happened, I had the dream and the next day we exchanged the TV and again it didn’t work.” Animatedly, he continued, “We checked the outlet, it was fine. We even had them at the store check the third TV which was a different brand and at the store it worked. Anyway, last night for the forth night I had the dream again. I don’t dare get another TV! So please, accept this check because it is for you.”

The check was for the amount of our bills that were due. i still get shivers when i think of this story. Oh and Carlos came back by that weekend and said, “I just thought I should come by and tell you that last night at my wife’s office party, she won the raffle for a new TV!” i am not saying that happens every time but boy oh boy when Adonai blesses He doesn’t miss a beat.

You see His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. i am not envious that Carlos got a new TV and I was just able to pay bills. No, i am blessed because, i was a part of a miraculous moment where i was taught of Adonai’s faithfulness in meeting needs. Carlos was taught Adonai’s faithfulness through obedience. And we now share forever a moment of seeing the miracles and wonders of our Adonai. We need to learn to trust YHWH through every trial even self-inflicted ones.

He is unchangeable, Divine Perfection, and He is able. Proverbs tells us: “Trust in YHWH with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear YHWH, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:5-8)

Not just this but we are also reminded to rejoice in our sufferings! Who wants to rejoice while they are suffering? This is also challenging. Yet, we are told in Romans 5:3-5:

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because Elohim’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Have you ever been in need or left wanting? In that, have you ever, doubted and feared? Do you think that you are too far from Elohim’s favor to be blessed? Are your wounds self-inflicted? There is hope for us still! Philippians 3:12-14:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Messiah Yahoshua has made me His own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of Elohim in Messiah Yahoshua.”

The world looks at struggle and sees failure. Adonai looks at the heart and sees our resolve, our faith, our endurance. So stand in the face of adversity knowing Whom stands with you.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

You are loved,
cj

Eternal Life

11 — “Holy Father, keep them in Your name . . .”

John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Yahoshua, Messiah, is not only a look into the heart of Messiah but it is also the keys to the Kingdom! i will let the Words of Adonai tell the story as i will add very little in way of my flawed human words, as they will most likely just get in the way. You are encouraged to read all of John 17 for yourself, here, i am only highlighting a few verses . . . Whether they are the most important, or the most relevant, or even the most powerful, who can say as the Words of Elohim are living and active so as to touch the reader or the hearer right where they are! So, i encourage you to read it all, but i also invite you on my journey, as i sat and soaked in these Words of Yahoshua, where i was for it was what i needed in the moment on my journey.

3 — “And this is eternal life, that they know You the ONLY Elohim, and Yahoshua Messiah whom You have sent.” Oh that i would know; may i know You as i am fully known by You!

15 — “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” Adonai, You sustain me where i am. May i lean on You and trust in You for the battle belongs to The Adon! The devil has no authority over those washed in the blood of the Lamb.

17 — “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” YHWH, Your Word is the only truth and that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. May we that call on the Name of Yahoshua, Your living Word, be set apart for You.

20 — “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” Thank You Adonai for including me in Your prayer for i am one who has come to know You and believe, through the words of Your Apostles.

23 — “I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” To be a part of the unity of Elohim is to become perfectly one. Oh that we would experience that perfection now but we know that we are flawed and broken individuals. Even the early Church struggled as we read in Acts of favoritism, judgement, strife, disagreement and the like. Still Adonai this is our goal because it was Your prayer for us.

26 — “I made known to them Your Name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Your name YHWH is great and worthy of praise! May we not take it in vain, or misrepresent You by declaring things good, when You have declared them abominable. That we would in the Unity of Messiah proclaim Your name and make it known, even more so now as we see Your return drawing closer. Be in us through Your Holy Spirit for we know that there is no unity, or power, or hope, without Your presence in and through us.

Eternal life and the keys to the Kingdom.

You are loved,
cj

We are not immune.

“Yahoshua answered them, ‘Do you now believe?’” John 16:31

Yahoshua, until the end of His ministry was instructing the disciples on belief, faith, and accepting the unknown. Yet, trusting that it is known from above. Even with all of this instruction, and even with the disciples proclamations, “Now we know . . .” “You are the Messiah.” “Adonai and Elohim!” They still scattered when the soldiers arrested Him. We are not immune.

Lesson; even if we believe in our heart of hearts, the deepest center of our beings, we can suffer doubt, confusion, struggle. We are not immune. To walk by faith and not sight takes practice and patience and discipline. It requires us to search through our hearts, our minds, and the Scriptures. We are not immune.

“Adonai, I believe, oh that You would yet, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

Have you ever sat with someone who questions their worth, or their salvation, or whether they are forgivable? Even with an arsenal of Scripture, where verse after verse shows the mercy and the grace of Elohim, one can still have doubts. To judge such a person is to judge ourselves. We are not immune.

i encountered this mindset a lot over that past 60 days or so. So often in fact that it made me stop and think about my own understanding of the forgiveness of Elohim and that which is provided through the blood of Yahoshua; Behold the lamb of Elohim, who takes away the sin of the saintly church attendee. No not exactly. We are not immune.

i shared with my celly one evening this passage from Micah 6:8, we are to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly. i have been rediscovering this truth since i typed these words, based on a familiar quote, “The End Does Not Justify the Means.” It hasn’t been easy, it has been extremely difficult and painful, in a heart wrenching way. We are not immune.

“But how?” Echoes in my ears and in my own thoughts. That is when the calm comes and the gentle reminder; “Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledging Him (YHWH) and He WILL guide your steps.” Proverbs 3:5-6

It is the promise that we have an advocate, a counselor, a friend, and not just one who empathizes with us but one who has overcome! Peace in Yahoshua, peace through tribulations and peace through trials.

“Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-33

And just as the Father did not leave Yahoshua alone, so too now, Yahoshua will not leave us alone. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” John 14:16

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16

We are not immune, but we are protected.

You are loved,
cj

The Inhumanity of Humanity pt 2

60 Days and Nights

“I was in prison and you came to Me.” Matthew 25:36

In a span of 60 days . . .

There was a place called bologna row, where i spent four days. It is called bologna row because for breakfast (yes breakfast) and dinner, that is the main course, bologna sandwiches.

i had a conversation with a gang member from Pomona, California. Since i lived in the area we were able to talk about places of familiarity. There was a place in Covina, called “El Loco Taco,” we were in agreement, it was the best restaurant around.

i got to know a guy who lived the movie Fast & Furious as a character in his own life story. Upon returning, after he was gone for a spell, he brought with him two books. “31 Days of Prayer” for me and “Highway to Hell” for himself. He said, “Here I brought you a piece of heaven, and for me a piece of hell.”

What a mess you leave that could easily be cleaned

Now that you’re here do your best to see

i met men named, Black Eagle, Little Bird, and Melvin. There was a man in a wheel chair, another who walked stooped over. There was a yeller, i don’t know what he was yelling, i don’t think anyone did. There was a gang, i referred to them as the blue shoe gang, mainly, because they all wore blue shoes. One guy who had a cast was caught with a shank. Then their was the broken hearted fool, well a few of those. The saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” was a thought i had many times.

Every evening at roughly 7:40 mountain time the call came, “Prayer circle, prayer circle!” This was followed by The Adon’s Prayer, “Our Father . . .”

i read The Hobbit in three days, and played a million games of chess, give or take. Shaving was a challenge, it took some practice to not look like i was slitting my throat. There was a day with no hot water which was better than the day without any water. In a room built for one, i slept on the floor. Well, i had a two inch thick mat that was roughly three feet wide and six feet long. There was a leak through the wall from the shower, which was just next door. Every night at 3am the nurse came through administering medication to those who had need.

“But the righteousness of belief speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens?’ — that is, to bring Messiah down; or, ‘Who shall descend into the abyss?’ — that is, to bring Messiah up from the dead. But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in you mouth and in your heart’ — that is, the Word of belief which we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth the Adon Yahoshua and believe in your heart that YHWH has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. . . . For ‘everyone who calls on the Name of YHWH shall be saved.’” Romans 10:6-9,13

Humanity truly is inhumane. Sadly, speaking from experience, i sat with individuals in jail who hadn’t even been convicted, hadn’t had their day in court, being treated exactly the same, worse in some cases, than others who were serving out their sentences.

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Adon Yahoshua Messiah, from whom all family in the heaven and earth is named, in order that He might give you according to the riches of His glory by power, to be strengthened in the inner man, through His Spirit, That Messiah might dwell in your hearts through faith — having become rooted and grounded in love, in order that you might be strengthened to firmly grasp, with all the saints, what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, in order that you might be filled to all the completeness of Elohim. And to Him who is able to do exceedingly above what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him be glory in the assembly by Messiah Yahoshua unto all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

The goodness of the good news is this, that those who call on the name of YHWH, who believe in the Son Yahoshua Messiah, these are new creations, the old is gone. There is no distinction in the eyes of YHWH for He see’s His Son, Messiah Yahoshua, our filthiness washed in His righteousness. If only we had eyes like Yahoshua, if only we had hearts like Yahoshua, if only . . . “Put on then, as Elohim’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Adon has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. . . . And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Adon Yahoshua, giving thanks to YHWH the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:12-14,17

May we filter our vision through the lens of Messiah Yahoshua.

You are loved,
cj

The Inhumanity of Humanity pt 1

When i was a young teenager, i don’t recall my exact age maybe 14, we put our family dog, Shawnee down. Shawnee was a beautiful, intelligent, protective, friend. A full bread German-Shepherd who had been with us since i was just two years old. As with many German-Shepherd’s Shawnee suffered from debilitating hip dysplasia. i remember the day the decision was made, i carried her to the car and put her in the back seat in tears. She looked grateful, of course i don’t really know what she was thinking but it was almost as if she knew and was thinking, “thank you, you have been good to me, it is my time, I love you;” Spoken with her eyes and the gentle nudge of her nose to my cheek.

Later, i would have a similar experience with Nanook a coyote/terrier mix. Think of a coyote’s long pointy snout and slim build, covered in the shag of a terrier’s fur. She was incredibly loyal, protective, and loving. As i held her in the veterinary office and watched them inject her, the relief in her eyes as the pain faded away, i again sensed the thoughts of gratitude. “Thank you for all you have done, I am ready to go but know this, I have and always will love you.”

While serving as pastor, i sat with many a family as they said goodbye to a loved one being taken off life support. The words of affection spoken to mostly lifeless bodies by those remaining behind always tore at my heart. Being a comfort in a time like that is never easy and no matter how many times i had experienced it, it never got easier. Death is uncomfortable, even when expected.

In 2020 i said goodbye to my mom. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in April and she died in August. While on hospice she was home so we got to spend that time with her as opposed to how hospitals were treating families due to Covid, inhumanely. However, watching my mom fade away each day was ten times worse than being in the room with members of my congregation as they said goodbye to a family member i really didn’t know.

We strive to live forever in a fallen world rather than celebrate into our forever, eternity with Yahoshua. Of course families who do not have that hope or are saying goodbye to someone who doesn’t have that hope will rightly grieve more difficultly. Not withstanding this notion of the lost-loved-one, for what do we preserve life that we sacrifice our loved ones to pain and torment? We treat our pets with more dignity.

i was talking with Melvin, a friend of mine, one evening. He recently lost his mom. As we talked about grief and loss, we also discussed the impact such an event has on the family dynamics. Through our conversation that evening i was once again struck with the inhumanity of humanity. Don’t get me wrong life is precious. We only get one shot on earth really, but i think we need to seriously consider our end of life options. No i am not talking about letting people suicide themselves because life is hard or uncomfortable or even when suffering some incurable disease, at least not in the beginning. That’s really a side note, just me thinking out loud with my fingers. The point that i want to make here was made in that very famous Pete Seeger song, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Also, you can find it in the pages of Scripture . . . Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
YHWH’s Given Task
What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that Elohim has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Written into the pages of Elohim’s sacred book we see that time is ordained. There is a time for every purpose and that He, YHWH, El Shaddai, has made. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what Elohim has done from the beginning to the end.

i don’t necessarily have the answer to this one. When i began writing, i simply wanted to express the idea, that we treat our pets with greater compassion than we do our human loved ones. And as i read the words in Ecclesiastes and sing the song in my head i can’t help but wonder, how might we treat end of life situations with a bit more compassion and humanity? And, more importantly, how do we steal time, or redeem time, or spend time in a way that expresses the Creators beauty of life?

You are loved,
cj

By Faith Abraham

Perfect religion is action, not emblems, idols or merely attendance.

By grace Abraham was chosen. Through faith Abraham believed.

Hebrews 11:8-10, 17-
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is Elohim. . . . By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ He considered that Elohim was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

The inconvenient truth of Scripture, “Faith without works is dead.” James 2:14-17 says: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Prior to this James says: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well. . . . For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (2:8, 13)

The overwhelming number of examples in Scripture point to the inconvenient truth of working out our salvation and that even with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). No, i am not saying we are saved by those works but as Abraham shows it is by our faith we are driven to action. Faith is not stagnant. We must live it.

In so doing we will, do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.
We will love our neighbor as ourselves.
We will esteem others higher than ourselves.
We will become servants of all.
We will live by faith.
For by faith we say to this mountain move . . . Live as if Messiah is returning today.
Tell others.
Love.

Knowledge is not sufficient. This next point will be a controversial statement and although wholly true, there is a yeah but . . . However, within the context of living our faith, belief itself is not sufficient; For even the demons believe and tremble. James 2:18-19 “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that Elohim is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.”

When life becomes difficult whether by ones own actions or through events outside of ones control, how an individual responds will reveal their faith and whether they believe what the Word teaches. May we all live not by sight but by Faith in Yahoshua, the author and perfecter of our faith.

You are loved,
cj

From the back, the church lady clapped

“And when He (Yahoshua) drew near and saw the city, (Jerusalem) He wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’” Luke 19:41-42

Yahoshua, knowing the future fate of Jerusalem, wept for He knew what was to come of not only the city but those who dwelt within its walls. As we look out at humanity and those living without the knowledge or hope of the Savior we too should weep. Our hearts should break also for the faithful who have made poor decisions, struggled or stumbled. (Good Intentions) Yet, unfortunately the church is the first to pick up stones, to cast judgment, and to condemn. This should not be so.

The writer to the Romans points out in the twelfth chapter (16-21), “Live in harmony with with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of Elohim, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says YHWH.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Taking joy in another’s misery is not at all how Yahoshua lived. He wept over Jerusalem and their apathy. He knew their hearts. Elohim knows the heart; there is nothing hid from Him. We need to trust His judgment whether we see it or not and not weary ourselves. What we should be worried about is Matthew 25:31-46. The final judgment of Elohim where Yahoshua will separate the sheep and the goats, not the worlds definition of these two terms but Elohim’s. The world has inverted these two, they say it is bad to be a sheep and good to be a goat yet we are told here in Matthew the opposite. To the sheep He will say, “‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Adonai, when did we see you hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me.’” The goats will ask the same question but the answer they are given is that they did none of these to the least.

We must have the heart of Yahoshua, not the heart of Jonah. We must live from a place of forgiveness and compassion. The key to forgiveness is forgiving. We are instructed in Adon’s prayer, “and forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” He expounds on this just a few verses later (Matthew 6:12, 14-15), “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” It is from a heart of forgiveness that i try to live. It certainly isn’t easy, and i require constant reminders and patience in prayer to do so but it is my hearts desire to live in a place of forgiveness. It is foundational. And it is i believe wrapped up in the final statement of Yahoshua during His sermon on the mount.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rains fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

Storms are nothing new to me, mostly of my own doing, even if stirred by others looking for lightning to strike me dead. If we do what was taught, then on the day when the trials or testing come, we can be confident our response will show a foundation built on the rock of Yahoshua. The other option, the sand of self-will and worldly wisdom, only leads to a total collapse. Our hearts are revealed in this matter as well when we look at the plight of others, even if the plight is self inflicted. The sting of the cheers is hurtful and heartbreaking. May our hearts align with Yahoshua, may we weep, and may we pray, and may we build upon the ROCK.

From the back, the church lady clapped.

You are loved,
cj

Highlight Reel

If you spend any amount of time on social media you have seen a parody video. Basically, an edited video, where they take a bunch of clips and make up funny speeches or even songs. i don’t have regular cable or satellite TV so to get my sports updates i watch a YouTube channel that edits the games, splicing up the game to just highlights and a two-three hour game becomes a 15 minute highlight reel. They are enjoyable to watch and more often than not i don’t know who won the game until i watch it. The only problem is that i will be listening to the color man tell a story and just when he is about to finish the clip ends and the video is on to the next play.

For example, i was watching a baseball game and the announcer said as the clip began, “tying run to the plate”, now mind you if you weren’t paying attention one would assume that this was the tying run at the plate. However, looking at the scoreboard there was nobody on base and the team up to bat was down by 2. So this wasn’t the tying run. The edit would have you believing otherwise if you weren’t truly paying attention.

This is how many people who go to church every week, live out their faith. They get clips of the Bible, a verse here and there, and then string together highlights that just don’t tell the whole story. Maybe its enough to get by, “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15) i am not writing to question one’s salvation, but to challenge the walk. You see the whole of Elohim’s word is important. The Will of the Father, is to know the Son, but even the demons know and tremble. James writes, “You believe that Elohim is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:19)

In Yahoshua’s High Priestly Prayer we are given a glimpse of His heart for the children of Elohim, both His chosen people, and those who are grafted in by believing in the Son. Read all of John 17 on your own at some point, now even as to not miss a detail, here i am only highlighting a few spots . . . In the end you will know the final score but you will miss smaller details that get us there.

He begins; “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true El, and Yahoshua Messiah whom you have sent.”

1. Yahoshua glorifies the Father.
2. The Father gives to the Son.
3. Yahoshua gives eternal life.
4. Eternal life = that one know’s the only true GOD and His Son Yahoshua.

“Now they know that everything that You have given me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that you sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All mine are Yours, and Yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”

1. Everything is from the Father.
2. Believing in Yahoshua is believing in the Father.
3. Yahoshua pray’s for His own.
4. His own (the Church) glorifies the Son, in turn the Son glorifies the Father, we therefore glorify the Father through the Son.

“That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in US, so that the world may believe that You have sent me . . . I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the WORLD may know that You sent me and loved them even as You loved Me . . . I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

1. The Father and the Son are one.
2. Yahoshua desires that we be one with Him.
3. Yahoshua glorified the Father by doing His will.
4. We glorify the Son by doing His will which is the same will as the Father.

Do you know Yahoshua? Do you know the Father? We can know the Father, through the Son. We can glorify the Father by glorifying the Son. What does it look like to be in the will of the Father? To live for and in the Son. Yahoshua is the Word of our Father Elohim made flesh, the WHOLE of His Word.

We are called to be set apart from the world. A chosen people, set on a hill, that introduces the lost to Yahoshua, the Son of Elohim. We are in the world, we are not to be of the world. May we glorify Yahoshua, as He glorified the Father.

You are loved,
cj