In the past several years we’ve seen numerous significant natural disasters in many places across the globe. For thousands of years there have been earthquakes, famines, and plagues which have brought havoc to mankind. The events of these past few months, however, seem to be breaking new ground (forgive the pun) in the global shaking that has been increasing over the past century. For instance, when have you ever heard of a volcanic eruption shutting down air traffic across an entire continent for a week, which, itself, may be only a precursor to its neighbor volcano’s explosive power which portends 10 times the devastation! Similarly, has the world ever witnessed the destruction of another underwater “volcanic” event spewing massive quantities of crude oil for a month into the ocean and threatening to affect a quarter of the globe? Aerial photographs of this disaster have the appearance of “blood” and remind one of passages from Exodus or the book of Revelation. Just a few months ago, these events would have stretched our imagination….but these are the signs of the times in which we live!

As we witness these groanings of creation, the literal birth-pangs of the “Day of the Lord”, we also must be awakened and prepared for the coming HARVEST. The fig tree provides an example: this tree spends a year growing its green fruit, until suddenly, within a few weeks the figs mature and must be harvested. The majority of the fruit is harvested in those last weeks. I believe we are in that time when the fruit of the world is rapidly ripening and will be needing US to be laborers for this final Harvest.

In the past week, we ourselves have been delighted to see four people we’ve been praying for several years, come to faith. They came in a “bunch” – very quickly! But I believe this is just the beginning. The harvest season is upon us – and as the signs of the times intensify – as the birth pangs become shorter and shorter and harder and harder – we will see many more we’ve been praying for, suddenly begin asking questions; questions for which we have answers, real answers. It may not be uncommon to hear, “I’m terrified! What must I do to be saved?”

These signs of the times are literally screaming at us, “Prepare yourself spiritually for the harvest season is upon us!” God has appointed us to live in this day…. for “such a time as this”, to help fulfill the Lord’s great desire that His house be filled. So…let’s get our “gospel” shoes on for the harvest of a lifetime!

This past weekend we celebrated the festival of Purim, the holiday which commemorates Israel’s amazing reversal in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), when queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai together gained victory for the Jews and protected them from annihilation at the hands of the evil Haman.

“Coincidentally” we experienced our own personal drama on Friday as the holiday was getting underway. A bolt of lightening struck just outside our house destroying the neighborhood’s transformer and cutting off our electric power. Then, later that day, as I was driving to the Dead Sea region to pick up a package, a river from the desert suddenly exploded out of nowhere, sideswiped my car, and nearly washed me into the Dead Sea. The force of the river was so powerful that it lifted the rear end of my car off the road, ripping off most of the bumper, while the front wheels struggled to maintain traction as I desperately maneuvered out of the cataract and forward to safety. For the next 7 hours I was stuck between two rivers as the rains that came down over Israel the night before inundated numerous valleys leading to the Dead Sea. I later spoke with a police officer who informed me that last month a driver in similar circumstances was carried into the Dead Sea and drowned!

I do NOT actually see these experiences as “coincidences” but as signs and portents of things to come. We will soon be facing serious unexpected storms which will shock and possibly dislodge us from the roads we are traveling on. But we are under Divine protection as our focus is on the Lord, and our devotion rests in Him. We may be badly shaken — but He will rescue and restore us!

The message in these days of earthquakes and tsunamis is clear: “Do not fear, for I am with you, even unto the end of the age”.

This is one of my favorite promises in the Bible – that God turns mourning into dancing! He takes away the anguish of being clothed in sadness and replaces it with gladness. However, notice what God doesn’t do – simply stop your mourning and make it disappear. No, He transforms it…into joy! He turns your sorrow into gladness. He takes your failure and creates success! We serve an awesome and mighty God, who says, “all things work together for good to them that love Him, and to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Let’s take time to dwell on this promise. Our sorrows, disappointments, tragedies and failures are very real– but they are also “raw material” for a divine transformation that our Lord will accomplish in His time for His glory. And we WILL dance! God will do it. Our part is simply to wait…believe…and cling tightly to this wonderful promise!

When we first moved to Israel we experienced a thundering earthquake that measured 5.2 on the Richter scale. I was in my Hebrew class downtown, and my wife and newborn were in our Jerusalem apartment. I don’t know if any of you have ever experienced an earthquake, but it can be very scary. My wife told me about her experience.

She was sitting in our bedroom with the baby in her arms, when out of nowhere came a sudden loud roaring sound, followed by a shaking of all four walls, and all the contents within banging against them for what seemed like an eternity.

So many things go through your mind when you’re in the midst of a life-threatening experience like that. Rivka said that as everything was shaking, she began to fear what could happen next. But in the midst of it all, Riv looked down at Elianna in her arms. Would you believe, she was perfectly content — happy, smiling, even drifting off to sleep as the earth shook all around her.

Each of us can take a lesson from Elianna. Even in the midst of craziness, chaos, distress, crises beyond our control, we as believers must rest, trusting that we’re safe in the loving arms of the Father.

Is your world being shaken right now? Know that God is holding you today. No matter what you’re facing, you can trust Him fully to cover you and protect you. Relax in His sheltering arms!

As we are entering Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, I want to share a touching story about a an exceptional woman who assisted 2,500 young Jewish children out of the ghettos during World War II.

Her name was Irene Sendler. She was an employee of the Polish Social Warfare Department who had a special permit to enter the ghettos to check for signs of typhus. During these visits, she would wear a Star of David as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people. Once inside, she would convince Jewish parents to part with their children as she and others created for them false papers and smuggled them out so to put them in various good homes around Poland. Sendler then buried the childrens true identities in jars in her back yard, hoping to reunite them with their families after the war.

In 1943, Irene was arrested by the Gestapo, severely tortured and sentenced to death. She was able to save herself by bribing German guards on the way to her execution. Listed on bulletin boards among those who had been executed, she was left in the woods unconscious, with broken arms and legs. For the remainder of the war, she lived in hiding. Though she had suffered much, she continued her work with Jewish children.

In 2007, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and lost to former vice president Al Gore.

May we take up the call of Ruth – “your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God!” To Israel and the Jewish People, know that you have thousands of friends standing in solidarity with you!

Driving through Jerusalem two days ago on our way to Ariel, we saw the most incredible sight – a double rainbow over Jerusalem! It was interesting that we saw the rainbows on our way to see the Ortiz family. For those of you who are not familiar with the Ortiz family, earlier this year this family was the victim of a horrific bombing. Their 15 year old son Ami opened a Purim basket rigged with such explosive power that it totally destroyed their apartment– and nearly killed the boy!

Looking at the close-up photos of that day, I realized that it’s not just amazing – it is absolutely miraculous that Ami survived an explosion which occurred in his own hands, at point-blank range, and devastated the apartment in which he stood! We had never actually seen Ami in person. So after he came into the room and sat down next to me, my wife, Rivka, was still waiting for him to arrive – not realizing that it was Ami that was sitting next to me! She couldn’t believe this was the young man that survived the bombing! That’s how astounding his recovery has been thus far. Although he still lives with continual pain, his family is believing for a complete recovery – and we believe right along with them! At one point I turned to ask him, “Do you feel any bitterness from what happened?” His response showed no trace of the anger or bitterness that one would expect. So Ami is also a living portrait of the miraculous power of the grace and forgiveness of our Lord!

Death was seeking this family in Israel – yet God completely protected them. They have become a sign of His powerful deliverance! The rainbows we saw on the way were a picture of God’s covenant faithfulness, which has been bountifully poured out on this faithful family in Ariel.

We have a choice each and every day how we will live! It’s been said of our life that its significance is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to those events. Our attitude is the one thing we can have full control over – whatever situations are thrown our way! It may not be a bombing, as happened to Ami, but perhaps we can learn a lesson from this young man – there is NO trial or temptation that necessarily forces us into a sinful attitude of bitterness and hatred; with Yeshua as our perfect example and His Spirit as our power source we can always overcome.

As I write, it seems the prevailing concern among people everywhere is -– what’s going on with the economy? I’ve probably been asked more questions about the economy in the past two months than in my entire lifetime. People are watching their wealth dissipating and dwindling away. Reflecting on these material losses reminds me of a story about a lady who perished in Pompeii in the first century.

Pompeii was a flourishing city in Southern Italy until 79 AD. Suddenly, for two days Mt. Vesuvius erupted and completely destroyed Pompeii in all its pomp. The city was covered in meters of ash and pumice for 1700 years until it was accidentally discovered in 1748. When archaeologists began excavations in 1910 they uncovered a petrified woman clutching some of the finest jewelry ever recovered from the ancient world. She was apparently attempting to flee the doomed city, and in her haste, holding desperately onto her valuable possessions –- she lost her life.

During its time Pompeii was a magnificent city, yet it’s destiny was destruction by a nearby volcano –- and so it is with our world today. There’s so much beauty on our planet earth –- yet its destiny is certain! The day is soon coming when it’s elements will be destroyed with fire, the earth and everything in it, laid bare, [2 Peter 3:10] –- and our earthly possessions will not come with us into glory, (only what we have done with them).

As the Apostle Paul said, we came into this world with nothing – and when we leave this world, we take nothing with us. We can make the mistake of holding too dearly onto our earthly possessions, making them our “treasure”, (rather than storing treasure where moth and rust do not corrode etc.) – but this is a costly error, as illustrated by our “petrified lady”. Instead, let’s remind ourselves that we are stewards of God’s possessions, responsible to use them with His interests in mind, to further His Kingdom with the things He has entrusted to us. With so much work to be done, let’s never allow our earthly possessions to petrify us with greed or fear thus preventing the eternal work we were preordained for, and stealing our eternal rewards.

June 12, is independence day for the Philippines. In 1991 the day was forever marked by one of the strongest volcano eruptions in history. Mount Pinatubo, dormant for over 500 years, began to erupt, and three days later exploded with twice the power of the 1980 Mount St. Helen’s eruption. The release of power blasted a cubic mile off the mountaintop and the earth shook for eight hours. The eruption produced an ash cloud that rose over 50,000 feet into the atmosphere. If that wasn’t enough, Typhoon Yunga then struck the island nation with fierce winds and torrential rains which mixed with the ash creating what the locals called “Black Saturday!”

The United States was forced to abandon and eventually close Clark Air Force base, located just a few miles from Mount Pinatubo, due to the devastating blanket of fallen ash. When a vulcanologist was asked to account for the widespread damage which sent thousands of American soldiers and Filipinos fleeing, he replied, “When a volcano is silent for many years, people forget it’s a volcano and begin to treat it like a mountain.”

Now here’s a lesson from nature. We should always be aware of how our sinful nature has the potential to erupt. It would be a big mistake to ignore this possibility simply because it has lain dormant for a season…even a seemingly long one.

Solomon writes a profound statement in his book of Proverbs, which, when paraphrased goes something like this; “Can someone play with fire in his lap without incinerating his clothes?”

The enemy of our souls would love for us to believe that we can somehow play with sin, without it negatively affecting our spirit and our walk with the Lord — oh how deceptive Satan can be!

D.L. Moody was a fairly simple man and I love the way he dealt with sin. He said, “When you’re thinking sin, think scripture!”

Let’s be on guard! Sin is a dormant volcano which can erupt at ANY moment and set our house on fire. How do we prepare? First, by being aware of the possibility…then…;”Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee”. [Psalm 119:11] Let’s meditate upon His Word, allowing it to sink deep into our minds and our hearts, so that the only fire which burns there…is the fire of God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.

True story! In 1940, a large and wonderful Christian family, the Rudolph’s, announced the birth of their 20th baby! Though the baby was not expected to live, having been born prematurely and with polio, she defied all odds. She did live, but by the time she was four she had suffered polio, pneumonia and scarlet fever. This little girl was badly crippled with hardly any use of her left leg. While her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing outside, she was left confined to braces.

“Will I ever be able to run and play like the other children?” she asked her parents. “Honey, you only have to believe,” they responded. “If you believe, God will make it happen.” And she did! Now and again, she would practice walking without her braces with the aid of her siblings. On her twelfth birthday, she surprised her parents and doctors by removing her braces and walking around the doctor’s office unassisted. She never wore braces again.

Her next goal was to play basketball. The coach only agreed to let her play as a means of getting her older sister on the team. She was given an outdated uniform, but she was allowed to work out with the other players. One day she approached the coach and promised him if he would give her an extra ten minutes of coaching each day, she would give him a world class athlete. He laughed, but seeing she was serious, half-heartedly agreed. Before long her determination paid off. She became one of the team’s best players.

Her team went to the state basketball championships. One of the referees noticed her exceptional ability. He asked if she had ever run track. She hadn’t. He encouraged her to try it. So after the basketball season she went out for track. She began winning races and earned a berth in the state championships.

At the age of 16, she was one of the best young runners in the country. She went to the Olympics in Australia and won a bronze medal for anchoring the 400-meter relay team. Four years later in Rome she won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team — all in world-record times. She received the prestigious Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in America.

This is the amazing story of Wilma Rudolph, an Olympic gold medalist, who believed the promises of God.

We must never allow our circumstances to dictate what we can accomplish or who we can become! Let’s believe the promises of God for our lives and be encouraged to move forward for him! All things are possible to them that believe!

This is a story relayed by Corrie Ten Boom, “It was Christmas, 1944. My sister, Betsie, had died. I was in a hospital barracks in Ravensbruck, a Nazi prison camp. Dark it was in my heart, and darkness was around me. There were Christmas trees in the street between the barracks. Dead bodies of prisoners had been thrown under the Christmas trees. I tried to talk to the people around me about Christmas, but they mocked and sneered. At last I kept quiet.

In the middle of the night I suddenly heard a child crying and calling, “Mommy! Come to Oelie. Oelie feels so alone.” I went to her and saw a child not so young, but feebleminded. “Oelie, Mommy cannot come, but do you know who is willing to come to you? Jesus will come.” Oelie was lying on a bed next to the window, not far from lack of food, she had a sweet face and beautiful eyes. A bandage of toilet paper covered an incision from surgery on her back. That night I told this poor child about Jesus. How He came into the world as a little baby how He came to save us from our sins. “The Lord Jesus loves Oelie and has borne her punishment on the cross…. Jesus is … [in heaven] right now. He is getting a little house ready for Oelie.” Later I asked her what she remembered of what I had told her. “What is the little house like?” I asked. “It is very beautiful. There are no wicked people as in Ravensbruck only good people and angels. And Oelie will see Jesus there.” The child added, “I will ask Jesus to make me brave when I have a pain. I will think of the pain that Jesus suffered to show Oelie the way to heaven.” Oelie folded her hands; together we gave thanks. Then I knew why I had to spend this Christmas in Ravensbruck.”

Often we find ourself in difficult situations or places and we can’t for the life of us understand for what possible reason we’re here — but be encouraged! We may not understand but God does! And who knows whether you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this?

Today marks Holocaust Memorial day here in Israel. Each Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel, war sirens blare throughout the whole Land to call us to remembrance. Cars come to a halt, even on the highways. Pedestrians stop where they are and pause for a couple of moments as the sirens ring to remember the 6,000,000 Jews who died and many more who suffered under the Nazi regime during WW2.

You may know that these atrocities and many more over the years were done in the name of Christianity. Hitler himself said he was a Christian as he murdered millions. Years of torture, abuse and murder have taken a toll on the Jewish people. The few survivors of the Holocaust still living have been battered both physically and emotionally. Even their children and their grandchildren are are bruised and lack understanding of God’s great love for them, especially as it pertains to the idea of Christianity.

We need to be praying for the Jewish people. We need to be pouring out much love upon them. That they would see the truth that our God is a loving God. So loving that he would send His one and only Son to die for our sins and theirs. There’s so much work to be done!

We know a Christian woman who has struggled with her past for years. She rarely thinks or speaks of anything else. And as a result, her life has just spiraled downward, despite all our attempts to minister to her. It breaks our hearts to see.

Have you ever tried looking in your rear view mirror while you drive your car forward? Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But this is what we’re actually doing when we constantly think about our past as we try to move forward in the Lord! It’s a surefire way to crash.

We need to learn from the past, not live in it. We cannot move forward unless we stop looking backward and focus on the great things God has for us ahead! There’s so much work to be done!!

After our very small wedding in Jerusalem, my wife and I planned to have the big ceremony she’d always dreamed of, in Havre De Grace, Maryland. Rivka had it planned it to the tee. It was an outdoor wedding next to the longest standing lighthouse on the east coast. We were going to wow our guests with an entrance by way of sailboat. Ten dancers with candles in glasses were to proceed my beautiful bride as I awaited her under our hand-crafted chuppa, lit by the sunset on the bay.

Unfortunately, things didn’t flow quite the way we had planned. Nothing went right — and when I say nothing — I really mean nothing. We got started terribly late because some important wedding party guests were late, so the sunset entrance didn’t happen. It rained and rained and the cold wind blew. We had no indoor option. We did end up coming in on a sailboat, but we were both soaking wet! The electricity kept flickering on and off, along with the sound, during the ceremony because the generators we rented were not working well. The wrong song was played as I was coming down the isle. There were ducks quacking and meandering around in search for food in the tent beside us,and I tell you, that was only the beginning! The whole event seemed like it was written by the Marx brothers!

Despite the circumstances however, we laughed throughout the whole thing. We decided to trust that the Lord was in control, and just enjoy each other. Just before our pastor closed out the ceremony, he said something along these lines: “Marriage is not about sunny skies and perfect weather — what it’s really about is being joined together to weather the storms!” Surprisingly, many of our cold, wet guests shared with us that they were incredibly touched and blessed. Both believers and non-believers alike remarked that they could see the joy of the Lord in our lives.

The Lord has joined himself to us, not just through the sunny days, but through every storm of life. God never promised us perfect weather, but He does promise that He will walk beside us even in the most difficult of times.

Keep your mind set on Him and you will be at perfect peace through every storm!

There are two rainy seasons that occur in Israel, “Yoreh” the early rain and “Malkosh”, the latter rain. Right now, we are in the midst of the Malkosh.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to Jews, of course. They were familiar with the rain and how vigorously it comes down these seasons. They knew not to build their houses on sand — or else they would quickly collapse when the rains came!

The Lord is warning us about building our houses on weak ground. He knew that stormy seasons would come and He wants us to be prepared! We don’t want to be one of the many whose houses will collapse because they were built on fame, fortune and other things of this world. We must be careful to build our house only upon Him. Even building our houses upon seemingly innocent things like family, tradition and good works is dangerous. We want to be of those who’ve established our foundation upon the ROCK of the truth of His Word and who will be able to weather the coming storms because of it!

Are there storms raging about you today? Let’s hurry and examine whether our lives are completely built upon the Rock.

At first glance, it would seem that God allowed this earthquake to take place in order that Paul and Silas would be set free. The earthquake came and their bands were loosed. There was nothing holding them back. They could have fled immediately – wouldn’t have you?

But no — Paul and Silas waited…and as a result, the jailer and his entire family were saved!

Many times we assume God’s reasoning for doing the things He does. The Lord may have released us to walk through a door that He has clearly opened — but He may also have other purposes in mind. Let’s not be so quick to assume. There’s no hurry. God won’t shut a door if it is His divine will for it to be open!

Let’s be patient and be sure to be led by the Spirit of God. These are amazing times we’re living in. We don’t want to miss out on God’s perfect will! There’s much work to be done!!!

The Grand Canyon Park bookstore operated by the National Park Service found itself in the midst of some controversy a few years ago when they were selling a book written by creationists much to the ire of the National Center for Science Education.

The book detailed how the Grand Canyon could have been formed from a “catastrophic” event – a catastrophe such as the flood of Noah’s day. Imagine that, it may have been a catastrophe that created such beauty!

Nearly 2000 years ago, the disciples witnessed a catastrophe — the crucifixion of our Lord. But the Lord used this tragedy to redeem all mankind. This great catastrophe was turned to ultimate beauty.

Each of us has experienced tragedy in our lives. Inevitably the question arises — Why? Let’s be encouraged by one of God’s most beautiful masterpieces. The Lord can turn our great catastrophes into great beauty — into great victory!

Let’s turn to the Lord with our catastrophes. He can turn the most difficult tragedy into an incredible work of art!