Mar 19
Failure is never a pleasant feeling. It isn’t enjoyable to lose a job, see a relationship falter, or fail a test. But the disappointment we feel when we face defeat can be turned to joy if we look at it the right way!
Nov 30
We continue looking at the ancient Hebrew alphabet: the modern word for "religion" is the word – "dat" – spelled in Hebrew, "dalet"- "tav". The ancient Hebrew letter "dalet" pictures a door. And as we have previously shown, the "tav" is a covenant sign which is pictured as a simple cross. So the word "religion" in ancient Hebrew, could also be expressed as "the door of the covenant sign (a cross)”.
Aug 30
Last week, the United States experienced an earthquake — the most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years. For many, it was the first time they had ever experienced one. This reminded me of when we first moved to Israel, in 2003.
Aug 08
Tonight begins Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar year. Some of you may know that a lot of bad things have happened to the Jewish people on this date, the first of which was when the spies returned with an evil report of Israel, written about in Numbers 13 and 14. Both the first and the second Temple were destroyed on this exact day, hundreds of years apart. The Crusades began on this day in 1095. The Jews were expelled out of England on this day in 1290. They were expelled out of Spain and Portugal on this day in 1492. And these are just to name a few!
Feb 01
The word "midst", in the Greek, is 'meros' which literally means "the middle". In the 'meros' of the throne in heaven is the Lamb of God. The very focus of heaven — the center of attention — is the Lamb of God!
Dec 21
Maybe it's because we live in the desert and our bodies crave salt to maintain a certain level of hydration or something, but lately we've become big fans of salt around here. Not a day goes by that our daughter, Elianna doesn't ask for "salt in my hand please", lol. "What in the world does salt have to do with grace and truth?", you ask. Well, I'll tell you.
Dec 14
Leonardo da Vinci, who excelled at many things — as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher said a wise thing…
Sep 03
Nature provides us with an illustration that closely parallels the insidious tactics employed by our adversary. According to scientists, Arctic polar bears feed almost entirely on seals. To enjoy such a meal, they sometimes resort to a cunning bit of trickery. If the hole through which the seal gets his food is near the edge of the ice, the polar bear will take a deep breath and swim under water to its exact location. Remaining below the surface, he will then make a tiny scratching sound, imitating a fish. When the charmed seal hears this, he dives in for a quick supper, only to find himself suddenly entrapped in the huge, hungry embrace of his predator.
Nov 11
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give to you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. For the past 5 days, I've been home alone with my two young children while my wife is ministering in Germany. For the past few [...]
Feb 23
Matthew 13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. [...]
Aug 27
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 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 [...]
Aug 13
Mark 10:18-21 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all [...]
Aug 10
Mark 10:18-21 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all [...]
Aug 03
Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. The word verily, in this verse, is the Hebrew word “emunah” (em-oo-nah). It also means faith or faithfully. When we trust in the Lord, He declares that He will faithfully feed us. How [...]
Jul 13
Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, In the famous Louvre Museum in France, there is a painting by Bartolome Murillo called, "The Miracle of San Diego". In the [...]
Jun 27
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Although it is fictional, it is meaningful, nonetheless. There once was a girl who hated herself. You see, she had become blind in her early teens from a rare disease. Not only did she hate herself [...]
Jun 01
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. We mentioned recently how we've been really going through some stuff this past month and we're just exhausted. Well, when I read this story, it got me thinking. When a power [...]
Apr 12
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. One of the more neglected commandments of the Lord among us is to test all things to see if they are of Him. In Revelation, John spoke of [...]
Jan 02
1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: I remember when our little girl, Elianna, was just starting to nurse. Her mother's milk was the very essence of her growth. Would you believe that now, even at the ripe age of two, that Elianna still [...]
Dec 22
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. D.L. Moody spent many hours praying for faith. He once said, "If all the time I have spent praying for faith was put together, it would be months. I thought that someday faith was going to come down and strike [...]