Tending the Temple Daily

  Years ago someone wise said to me, in my hour of need, "God is interested in your holiness, not your happiness." Hmmmmmm, I wasn't sure what to make of that at first. What kind of wisdom is that?  I was pretty unhappy, miserable even, perhaps a bit depressed. Happiness was my dream. What do you mean? I want to be happy!!! What is holiness? Being perfect?  HA! I pictured a hyper modestly dressed lady, immaculately clean home, willingly obedient children, always sweet, kind, and orderly, knelt in prayer, hymns, doves, halo, radiant glow...what does that even mean, holy? I am millions of miles away from that! Holiness!?!?!!?!! Ugh!!! I was indeed desperate, depressed, abused, at the bottom, broken, alone, afraid, and acutely aware of my sins. I knew my life was the consequences of my choices. All I knew to do was read my Bible and pray. Psalms, yes Psalms, anything accredited to David, the one after Yah's own heart. David knows what I'm going thru, his situation wa...

  I don't think I understood what Yahusha meant when he spoke of shifting sand till I stood on the beach ankle deep in the water at Galveston Island. (Matthew 7:24-27) As the waves came in and out the sand beneath my feet washed away. I live in Oklahoma,  you just don't get the same washing away of the sand at a lake beach.  That feeling of sand washing away beneath my feet is a perfect description of how I have felt as Yah is  opening my eyes to all the inaccurate teachings I have received.  The holidays based in paganism, the mixed traditions, how Bible canons came to be, why some books are considered Scriptures and others not, and why politics sometimes determined the canon, and it goes on. There were moments I wondered if anything I had been taught was true. That's where you find your secure foundation: Yahusha,  him crucified and resurrected.  Everything else was viewed with new eyes, weighed and either kept or discarded.  That sand washing a...

  Forty years ago I met a trans person. This was a man living as a woman. I was 20 years old and very naive. I was asked to house sit/baby sit for a husband- wife truck driving team. The husband was bringing the semi truck back to Oklahoma from a trip to Canada where he had been training a person to drive big trucks. This driver-in-training would be staying at the house with me and the children while mom and dad made a haul to Texas.  I might have been told that the driver-in-training was a woman, I don't remember.  But I don't recall being concerned about this stranger. So mom and dad pull out for their Texas haul, leaving me with this person. By all appearances,  this person seemed like a woman. I'll call her Susan, I don't remember the actual name. Not very pretty, horrible pock marked facial skin, (things I noticed as a judgemental 20 year old), but she was nice.  We had a lot of time to talk and get to know each other.  I remember getting this "guy" vi...

  Don't you just love those pats on the back? The little affirmations that confirm to you that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing. These things are so encouraging.  Especially since the enemy can be actively discouraging.  I do love those moments when Yah gives me a sign that I'm on the right path, like the lady approaching me at Walmart to expess her pleasue to my boldness on social media, my son and his wife telling me they are doing their best to eat clean, my granddaughter singing praises to Yah from the backseat of the car, and so many more. But the key is to be secure in your walk when there are no affirmations, when times are difficult.  Makes me think of Job when his friends were talking to him. They were convinced Job had brought judgements against himself, the tragedies he was experiencing were proof of that. Job knew, however,  that he was living out the instructions of Yah. He was living righteously....

  The other day I had a brief conversation with a young man that I just can't get out of my head. I replay the interaction over and over. I feel like I should be seeing something "between the lines", if you will. A deeper meaning, another layer of understanding perhaps. Writing down my thoughts helps, so here goes.  We traveled to Missouri to meet with our assembly for Shabbat. Fortunately, my youngest granddaughter was allowed to go with us. She was especially excited to go because she could meet some people she had only seen on video and heard through the car speakers. She knows all their songs and boldly sings them from her booster seat as we roll down the road. These people are the praise/worship leaders of the assembly. They are a couple known as Linden and Ruth of Left and Right Ministries. I ran into Linden in the parking lot. I told him my granddaughter was excited to meet him. He was always a person on a screen, and now he's right in front of her. He responde...

  Have you heard about the drones? News reports the drones are appearing over more and more cities and military bases across the USA and Eutope. Lots of speculation as to who is responsible for the drones, but seems no one really knows.  Are they alien? Black Ops? Iran? Watchers? Regardless of what they are and who is responsible, as a redeemed child of the Most High you have security.  A great deception is prophesied to come on the earth. A deception so great even the elect might be deceived.  ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, Revelation13, 2 Timothy 4:3-4). I understand this to mean that even those we hold in high esteem for their knowledge, wisdom, spirituality and experience could fall victim to the deception.  Our only life line here is to know the Word of Yah. Listen intently to what is being presented and weigh it against the Word of Yah. Do not waiver to the left or to the right.  Yahusha told us that His own (sheep) will know His voice. Truly this means to...

I have had a few hard to explain experiences in my lifetime. I know what I know, but sounds crazy when I try to explain it to others. Like that time I was rescued by an angel:   This was way back in the 1980's. I was living in Fayetteville NC near Ft Bragg and Pope AFB. It had been reported in the news that summer about several women being attacked along this certain stretch of road. These women were in car breakdown situations when a carload of men would arrive. The women thought they were going to be helped, but instead they were brutally attacked. I had a job in the mall working evening hours to close. This schedule had me leaving work pretty late at night. One evening as I'm driving down that stretch of road the alternator in my car went out. Lights started to dim, car coasts to a stop in the parking lot of a business. Remember no cell phones, I look around, no payphone, no people, nothing but darkness. Then I hear music, car radio, and see headlights heading towards me. Bu...