Tending the Temple Daily

  As we study the Word Of Yah, aka our Bibles, we will start seeing that our ways are not His ways. (Isaiah 55:8) Our Father wants us to learn His ways and apply them to our lives. (Proverbs 23:26, Psalms 81:13,Proverbs 8:23) For most of us this is a process. Yah is merciful and patient as we learn His ways.  Some changes are easy, others not so much.  We can find ourselves bargaining with Yah when we are asked to give up something we like, or change something that turns our lives upside down.  I went thru trying to compromise on these issues. But in the end I could see that the compromises were not working,  and I was still in disobedience.  Some compromises I tried were because the changes I was making were affecting others, and they didn't like it.  For instance,  my kids were still at home when we gave up Xmas and Easter for the Appointed Times of Yah. We used Hanukkah as a transition celebration.  Kids are used to getting gifts, they loo...

  Truth is truth and isn't changed because someone's perception is skewed.  Ouch! Watch your toes! There is no "my truth" or "your truth", there is only THE truth. Facts matter, precise language matters and we must stop putting our own personal touch on these things.  The mainstream media do this all the time.  Looking at ALL the facts, not putting aside the parts that don't fit our desired outcome, is what a wise person who wants to see the full picture will do. Listening to the full message, understanding the meaning of each word, cluing into who is the speaker, for whom is the message intended, the culture of which the speaker and audience are part will help is truly understanding what that message is.  Often people read or listen to a message and only perceive it based on their own personal opinions, biases, and limits.  The Holy Scriptures found in our Bibles are so often misunderstood and taken out of context.  Seems to me that those Scriptures a...

  Have you ever floated on a river? The current will take you with no effort of your own. Easy, breezy, relaxing and smooth, just floating on by...till you hit the rapids. Then you gotta navigate this river, trying to stay in the current while avoiding the rocks and debris in the water.  I feel like walking in The Way, being lead by the Holy Spirit  is similar. When life's circumstances are calm we can more easily float,  relaxed in the journey, relying on the current to take us. But when life becomes turbulent, problems arise, people treat us roughly bashing us against the rocks, broken limbs entangling us, we get off course. We have been moved away from the current,  now stagnant, caught up in the debris and struggling. We need to get out of the tangled mess and back into the current, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to press forward on the journey of life.  As I  find myself in the tangled mess I wonder, "How did I get here?" The truth is I...

       "Abba, Father, give me a heart for people" because I don't like them very much.  That's an ugly thing to admit,  but mostly true. I don't want to feel that way.  I want to be warm and inviting, a social butterfly, open and comfortable around others. But I am not. I am guarded and distrusting, keeping people at arm's length. That way they can't stab me in the back while hugging me. How do I love people when I feel like this?  Avoiding people is a natural reaction, yet not a righteous one. I can't avoid people outside of my inner circle all the time, even if I was inclined to do so.  I am NOT inclined to do so because I want to love people, even if my only motivator right now is to walk in obedience to my El and Messiah.  Why I feel this way is key for me to overcome the lack of faith I have in this area of my life. I feel this way because of my life experiences. People, including myself,  can pour out on us the ugliest thing t...

  "God knows my heart". Yes, yes He does.  Let's see what He says about that:  Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 17:9  “The heart is crooked above all, and desperately sick – who shall know it?" ‭Marqos (Mark) 7:21-22  “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil reasonings, adulteries, whorings, murders, [22] thefts, greedy desires, wickednesses, deceit, indecency, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." Ok. So,  the inclinations of our hearts are wicked, self serving and in opposition to Yah. What now? Ask him to show you where you're in error, and to lead you into repentance. The goal here is to let Him change you and your heart to be in unity with Him. ‭Tehillim (Psalms) 139:23-24  Search me, O Ěl, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts; [24] And see if an idolatrous way is in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. ‭Tehillim (Psalms) 66:10 "For You, O Elohim, have proved us; You have refined us as silver is refined. One day He will giv...

  Life in The Way is a series of tests. Will you be obedient to Yah's instructions? Will you be wise enough to shut up when necessary? Will you put others before yourself? Will you exhibit the fruit of the Spirit? Will you choose Yah's ways over your own? And on and on. Learning to abide in The Spirit, living moment by moment listening for the direction of the Holy Spirit, is truly our safe place.  My new favorite quote is from Jim Staley, goes like this: The trials you hate are the proving grounds for your spiritual promotion.  And I say Amen and Amen. In going thru these trials we must be constantly checking our behaviors, and attitudes,  to measure if we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Check yourself before you wreck yourself.  We can clearly see the errors of others and severely judge them, but are we checking ourselves?  It's been my experience that when I've severely judged someone,  I soon find myself in a position to be judged for the same th...

  At the end of February I broke my arm. This put me in a position to have an unplanned vacation for two months.  During this time my husband also had a surgery.  So here we are,  stuck at home,  recooperating together, limited in what we can do.  So we binge watched tv. "Vikings" and "The Last Kingdom" are two of the programs we enjoyed.  This morning as I was driving to work I was thinking about the Danes and how they were portrayed in these programs. The wanton indiscriminate slaughter as they raped and pillaged their way thru England really struck me. As I'm thinking about this, I'm also listening to "Redacted" on my phone tell me how many fighting age men have illegally crossed our Southern border. Of course we don't really know how many,  the number given was an estimate, but it's into multiple millions.  Many concerns have been voiced concerning these "migrants" and what we don't know.  This is what I do know.  Yah is i...