Famine Breaker

“Moreover He called for a famine in
the land,
He destroyed all His provision of bread.
He sent a man before them –
Joseph – who was sold as a slave.”  Psalm 105:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .

Lord, thank You for coming for us, for suffering the cross, in order to end our personal famines.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Sent Be(for)e Us

en.wikipedia.org

I have sent
a Man before you

My Holy Son
by humble birth

to put an end
to your famine

to be the Bread
of the whole earth.

All The Days Of His Life

“So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.”  2 Kings 25:29

“And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.”  2 Kings 25:30

Jehoiachin was blinded and locked away, but not forgotten forever.

Lord, thank You for bringing out the imprisoned and letting us sit at Your table for the rest of our days.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

My Portion

What more could I ask
than to be at the table with You

cared for by Your presence       
included in what You do

my needs being met
each and everyday

never going hungry
fed by You always.

Returning

“Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited His people in giving them bread.” Ruth 1:6

Things can be going along so well that I don’t even notice I have moved away from God.

Lord, I long to return to You daily / hourly / moment by moment. For You alone have what I need to survive. And here’s a simple poem . . .

He Visits Us

Floating in His peace
blessed – just so blessed

how did we end up here today
in such an inner mess?

Oh let us return to You, Lord
over and over again

to the land of Your sustenance
where You visit us with bread.

Does This Offend You?

“”Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it’?” John 6:60
“When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you’?” John 6:61

How can I be offended by the One who died for all my offenses?

Lord, when You speak a harder truth that I don’t understand, I desire to stay humbled before You until I do. And here’s a simple poem . . .

A Hard Saying

Eat My flesh
and drink My blood
and you shall abide
in Me.

Your fathers ate manna
and are dead –
eat this Bread
and live.

(from John 6:56, 58)

Inside Israel- to those who “do” and those who “don’t”

“Hi!” and welcome to a look inside Israel. Today J of Jerusalem shares about how He has the power to rent the veils of traditions. I hope and pray this encourages you in your faith. God bless you and thank you! Now, here’s J . . .

HE IS RISEN, INDEED! (I am in Jerusalem, and I am living proof…trying to be a living witness to that fact here among my people)

When we left ‘the old country’ more then 16 years ago now, the traditional holidays were evolving among many (not all) ‘real’ Christians. It was happening spontaneously all over the country and in other countries as well as some tender souls became saddened by the commercialization of some traditions and often an exposure of ‘roots’ of traditions that didn’t fit the way they wanted to express their love for The Lord, for their wonder at His birth and resurrection. I know that many of you no longer celebrate them in the traditional ways, AND, that others (EQUALLY AS SPIRITUAL) do…so it’s funny, but I find myself ‘torn’ by wanting to wish those of you who ‘DO’ the blessing of finding HIM in the midst, and perhaps a way to share…while not ‘offending’ those who DON’T. WHEW! Did you follow that??)

Now… I, personally, do NOT celebrate them according to tradition, but because my husband has deep roots in some of those traditions (and currently NOT deep roots in Him Who it is about), I look to Jesus who “A bruised reed shall He not break and a smoldering flax shall He no quench; He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” Isa 42:3

All of that said… it is always a TOTAL WONDER in me that certain days have been set aside to recognize HIS miraculous, silent, birth…and HIS triumph and victory over death and the grave! Much of the world ‘stops’ … and some people are curious and others people, like my husband, are just a bit more tender at that time…what an opportunity!

With all of that in mind, I rose early and read the last chapter of Luke before waking my husband. I doesn’t matter WHAT day I read the last chapter of Luke…it is ALWAYS full of wonder! Since my husband’s heart attack he leaves the house at about 6:30 to get to rehab for exercise by 7 and be back to work by 9. Since I don’t work on Sun, I went with him today (in vain) HOPING that PERHAPS he would agree to go to the Garden Tomb after rehab since it is ‘along the way’ and I was hoping it would stir him. While I waited for him at rehab, I was confronted by the ‘silent’ tv screen. It was a Christmas movie. Humorously, many of the movies on tv this week were Hollywood versions of Christmas. I was saddened by how totally secular it appeared to be. Still thinking about that, after rehab I went to the shuk, since today is a ‘duel holiday’ (I love when that happens!) – the last day of Pesach and once again a festive meal will usher in a full day of rest. As I said ‘hag semach!’ to so many vendors and fellow shoppers, I could picture their joy at learning ‘He is risen indeed!’ and pray that day would be soon.

HOWEVER…something struck me on the bus. Two young women sat in front of me, either tourists or foreign students from the west. They were happy and I was wondering if they came from the Garden Tomb, or another early morning service. As they got up to leave I saw that one was carrying a bag of meat and the other, without a bag, two loaves of bread. It stood out starkly at the culmination of Passover. First of all, because she didn’t have the bread in a bag…but mostly because it was ‘bread’. It is Pesach and there is no bread available in the Jewish part of Jerusalem… and it is an offense to most people to see it during this time when Exodus 12:49 says “One law shall be to him that is home born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you”. It actually has the same effect as seeing a person nude in the street.

I DO have a point in this long diatribe. Seeing those girls with the bread made me think again about the Christmas movie that played this morning…and the other Christmas movies that Israelis seem so intrigued by. How SAD that this is their perception of Christians (AND Resurrection day apparently)! With the limited exposure that most of my people have to our Messiah, how SAD that the enemy takes such occasion to again and again slander His Name before my people whom He came to save. If these girls were ignorant of or didn’t care about the Passover… couldn’t they at least be sensitive to the culture of the area that they were visiting?

BUT!!! WITH JOY I REMEMBER BACK TO MY OWN EXPERIENCE!! I had NEVER heard a witness of Him…Who He was or Who He is and what He had done…and my exposure to these holidays were the same that I had just seen…BUT! THE ONE WHO’S POWER IS STRONGER THEN DEATH IS ALSO MORE POWERFUL THEN THE ENEMY’S TOOLS AND DISTORTIONS…AND AS HE RENT THE GRAVE, HE ALSO RENT MY HEART AND MIND AND REVEALED HIMSELF IN SPITE OF THE DISTORTIONS I HAD SEEN UP UNTIL THEN! HALLELUYAH!!!!!!

WHAT LOVE!

How much bigger He is then all of our limitations!

So…whether you celebrate holidays traditionally, or not at all…I am sure that we can all rejoice over the fact that HE IS RISEN INDEED! May He SOON (now!) reveal Himself to my brothers and sisters in the flesh! God bless you all. May we be ‘wise as serpents and gentle as doves’ for His glory.

ani b’derek

Divided and Broken

“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves. . .'” Luke 22:17
“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’.” Luke 22:19

This has me thinking of when He divided the loaves and fishes to feed the 5,000. Now He is preparing to feed the whole world.

Oh Lord, please let me be willing to be poured out and broken for You as You were for me. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Together

Go and prepare
a place for Me
where we can gather
intimately
for I’ll be divided
poured into each cup
broken, passed ’round
Bread filling you up.

Bread From Stones

“And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread’.” Luke 4:3
“But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”.’ ” Luke 4:4 (Duet. 8:3)

Did satan know or chose to ignore that he spoke to the Cornerstone who had been commanded from ages past to be the Bread of Life?

Thank You, Jesus, for showing us what we truly need to stay alive is You. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Holy Wheat

This Rock is
life’s bread broken
food enough
for everyone.
Could satan hear
those stones cry out
praises to
the Holy One?

Learning To Be Mindful

“Then He charged them saying, ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’
So they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘It is because we have no bread.'” Mark 8:15-16

It’s easy for me to elevate the apostles and forget that they were human . . .just like me.

Thank You, Jesus, for taking ordinary earthly people and making disciples of them. And here’s a simple poem . . .

The Things of God

Jesus warned them of the Pharisees’ leaven
and they looked upon their bread,

He spoke to them in parables
but they didn’t understand what He said

Yet Jesus didn’t throw up His hands
and simple walk away

He taught them to be mindful
of the things of God each day.

Defective

“No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.
He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy;
only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect. . .” Leviticus 21:21-23

No one wants defective goods . . .except God.

Thank You Jesus, for being without defect for us, able to draw near and tear the veil, to be our sacrifice on the altar and our Most Holy daily bread. And here’s a simple poem . . .

Holy Recall

Full of defects
from head to heart to toe
often passed over
and rightly so
until that day
I knelt before His throne
and heard, “Redeemed”
“Beloved . . .My very own.”

God sees you today and loves you truly!

RE: the RE

“Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, ‘. . .I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint along the way.'”  Matthew 15:32
“Then His disciples said to Him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude.'”  Matthew 15:33

It hadn’t been that long ago when the same scenario had taken place and Jesus had fed the five thousand.

Oh Lord, thank You for Your patience and understanding of my ability to forget and not fully grasp.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

What I Thought I Received

In my humanness
I too often forget
and need repetition
for lessons to stick.

In Your Holiness
You always repeat
what I need to relearn
when I stay at Your feet.