Come Seek With Me

I had been there once before, so my reaction was a bit unexpected.  As I bowed in prayer, surrounded by a landscape of arid mountains and caves, my head suddenly jerked upward...eyes wide open.... I scrambled through my bag to find a pen and page to write these words: Two Witnesses Two Witnesses -I had been on that trail before.  What did it mean now in this context? This was my experience at Qumran.  You may recall hearing of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Well this is where they were found.  It's a vast desert area south of Jerusalem, where The Essenes, a sect of religious Jewish men, meticulously copied the Bible and carefully stored it away in a system of caves.   Why? I am not able to answer that question, but I do believe that The Holy Spirit must have been involved.  You see, those Dead Sea Scrolls, buried in the caves of Qumran, authenticate the very scriptures we read today.    They are a witness. Did the Essenes know that they had been called to a life of solemnity in the Israeli

In the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, on the Via Dolorosa, stands a Roman Catholic church bearing the above tiled work of art.   The work is called the 'Mother of Hope' in English and depicts Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  While aesthetically pleasing, I get the distinct feeling that Mary's friends and neighbors in Nazareth would have a hard time recognizing her.  I think in the Christian world, it can be much the same with Jesus.  As a Christian, do I represent Jesus in a way that His friends and neighbors would have recognized Him?   I found myself thinking about that during my time in Israel.   Paul speaks of provoking his Jewish brothers to jealousy for their salvation  in  Romans 11 . But how can that happen, if our Jewish brothers do not recognize the way we represent Jesus...Yeshua? What changes are we willing to make to better represent Jesus...Yeshua to His own kinsmen? What changes am I willing to make in order to more authentically share Him back with the people who f

the desert beyond Be'er Sheva It was a hot June afternoon as I looked out into the desert near Be'er-Sheva.   Though the ruins of the ancient town were before me, I was more inclined to turn my back to them in order to take in the land outside the town walls.   I had something on my mind...   I was thinking of a history from Genesis chapter 21 .  You know the story, I bet.  Isaac is weaned, and Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac during his celebration.  Sarah demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Scripture tells us that, "the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's eyes on account of his son." ( Genesis 21:11 )  --I know many often think of Abraham as having only one son, Isaac, but the truth is that Ishmael was his first born.  Abraham loved Ishmael, and the demand from Sarah to send him away must have cut like a knife to his very core. But we are told that Abraham did send both Hagar and Ishmael away... Why? Because "God said to Abraham, &#

Stock photo used to protect privacy - not an actual location photo The location is only known by word-of-mouth.   The building, nondescript. There is no signage.  But a quiet stream of people find their way to it. And the sound of singing can be heard echoing in the alley... It is a Messianic congregation of believers in Yeshua in modern-day Israel. During my recent visit to Israel, I had the great privilege of visiting a Messianic congregation for a portion of their Sabbath worship service.  Of all the places our team visited in the land, this was by far my favorite experience.   The building was not beautiful.  The context was not historical.  Our time there was incredibly limited.  Yet, it impacted me more than almost any other aspect of the land. If you care to know why, give me a few more lines of your time... The music was authentic...Hebrew worship, straight from the Psalms.  

   Dear Friends and Readers, I was recently asked to share how I study. Well, I find myself studying right now, and I thought I might invite you along.  Today I am collecting thoughts and scriptures…much like strings.  I hope that once they have been arranged a beautiful tapestry will come into focus.  We shall see.  If you care to look over the raw materials as I study it out, feel free to come seek with me… Thoughts:  Isaiah chapter 35: Wilderness and dry land will be glad Desert will rejoice and blossom They will see the glory of YHVH Then He will save you Eyes of the blind will be opened - Matt 20:34 Ears of the deaf unstopped - Mark 7:32-35 Lame will leap like deer - John 5:1-8 Mute will sing - Luke 11:14 Water will burst forth in the desert - John 7:37-39 A highway will be there –a roadway – The Way of Holiness It is for the one who walks the way - John 14:6 / several verses in Acts as well:  Acts 9:1-2 is a good starting place The redeemed walk there - 1 Peter 1:18 - Redeeme

  Hello Again Dear Friends and Readers! Last we were together, in Part 1 of The Place of His Choosing , I shared with you that I once had this question: Should believers be attempting to celebrate YHVH’s appointed times outside of Jerusalem with no physical temple? We looked at several scriptures where YHVH commanded Israel to worship Him at “the place of His choosing,” and that left us with a few new questions: Has Israel been left without a temple? and Where is the place of YHVH’s choosing today? I believe when we answer the latter two questions, we will be able to answer the former one.  Ready to dive in?  Let’s go! Let us first think about the purpose of the tabernacle and the temple of YHVH.  Scripture shows us that in their respective times, they were the dwelling place of YHVH.   We see the glory of YHVH filling the tabernacle in the wilderness in Exodus 40:34-38 , and His glory once again filling the temple in Jerusalem in 1 Kings 8:10-11 .  These were the places that YHVH used