On several occasions I have shared the amazing beauty and depth of the Stu Lowndes’ videos. This morning I was again drawn to search them out and spend some time pondering the cavernous depths he opens with Scripture connections, imagery and music. ~ Masterful, leading to worship!
Enjoy this video and then go to his YouTube channel and drink the rich depth of other topics explored in verse and music.
[Originally posted with a slightly different audience in mind, however, within marriage, fitness is beneficial in a number of ‘other ways,’ too… Men, belly fat stores testosterone instead of letting that course through your veins and cause you to chase your woman… Just sayin’.]
Health and fitness is not complicated or hard. Really good general fitness and health can be achieved fairly simply and I want to offer a simple plan as well as a few thoughts. But first… why?
A couple years ago I wrote an article with a few thoughts on how to prepare for a wilderness experience. For my regular readers, that will especially interest you as it regards the state of the world and prophecy, but from a more general perspective, it explains that overall quality of life and longevity are dependent on a three legged stool of mental, spiritual and physical health.
For our purposes, I want to offer a simple plan that should demystify basic health and fitness as one of those three legs that support ‘your stool.’ At least in the US, there is a 50+% obesity rate with a significant portion of those being medically termed, ‘morbidly obese.’ General fitness escapes more than 80% of the population by several standards, meaning in difficult times, a very high percentage will succumb to some combination of physical inability to lack of mental willpower due to the excessive shock of moving from sedentary existence to very active or even survival mode.
Continue reading “A simple recipe for fitness and health”Yesterday’s Torah portion, Korach (Numbers 16-18), offered an interesting thought regarding some recent posts on my blog. We have been and will continue discussing headship and God’s instituted authority structures. The name of yesterday’s portion was ‘Korach’ after the man who led a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
Korach means ‘bald.’ As in, ‘uncovered.’ Both of the last two week’s portions can be summed up as ‘God’s judgment against those who rebel against His appointed authority.’ The result is stepping out from under His covering.
Scary stuff! Will we be fully submitted to Him and His ways, or do we negotiate and rebel? Israel wanted to return to Egypt claiming it was the ‘Land flowing with milk and honey.’ Korach wanted to institute his own tabernacle and priesthood. The people were generally grumbling against Moses and Aaron, and by extension, the Angel of the Lord, leading them in the wilderness.
33 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 20:33-38
Will we rebel or come to total submission? Only one option will reap the reward of the Kingdom.
Selah.
“How can we be the salt of the earth, if we keep sugar coating the message?”
Gary Moore
(From Kelly’s Facebook page…)
No doubt, we need to be compassionate in our delivery, but we should not avoid the hard truths or deeper topics simply because they are unpopular or politically incorrect. Every prophet and apostle, as well as the Messiah, spoke truth to their own detriment. We should be so bold.
Selah.
It is with great peril that we negotiate with the Elohim of Avraham, Itzhaak and Ya’acov. We may come with a list of terms, however, we quickly find it best to simply hand Him a blank check.
If you consider yourself a servant of the Most High, dare to take the leap. Quit negotiating and simply sign the check. Long-term, it is much less painful.
If we set our course out of consideration for what others may think or concern for how this group or that group will accept us, then we are guaranteed to fail. If, however, we base our course on the unassailable truths of Scripture, then our Guardian will overwatch and protect with a shield known only to those who enter complete submission to the will of the Almighty and His Word. May we be so bold, so daring, as to cast off the moors of western culture and tradition in favor of returning to the tribal lifestyle of a Biblically Hebraic people. No other course will return us to the Land.
Selah.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”
Exodus 1:22 NASB
The Hebrews were multiplying and the new king in Egypt was getting nervous. He began with enslaving the Hebrews and making their lives miserable through forced labor, but when that did not stymie their obedience to ‘be fruitful and multiply’ the Pharaoh commanded that the boys be thrown into the Nile and the girls be left alive. Presumably, he thought to destroy the seed and future headship in one fell swoop.
While we do not know how many were thrown into the Nile or otherwise killed, but we can understand from the grave dangers facing Moses as a child that the dangers were exceedingly great and many sons of Israel died in this type of Shoah. Did it leave a generation of women wringing their hands and wondering how to fulfill God-given desires and Creation order? Did Israel simply allow their precious daughters to leave the fold and seek men elsewhere because of the shortage? Maybe they all just became old maids and spinstresses? Is this even relevant today?
I’ve heard the question quite a few times in recent years. “Where have all the good (Godly) men gone?”
Continue reading “Where have all the good men gone?”2 Now it will come about that
Isaiah 2:2-3
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law (Torah) will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Do we really accept Torah?
This awakening to Torah that is happening across the planet is amazing, messy, crazy and fascinating. Clearly, Abba is up to something, because there is no other explanation that fits this phenomenon.
Still, do we really accept Torah?
No doubt, this is a process. We are learning and the understandings are varied. There is no monolithic opinion or system, though many try to control or direct it… I myself am guilty as I share what the Father and His Word teach me. But, do we really accept Torah?
Continue reading “Do we REALLY accept Torah?”Many who visit Israel, do so with a tour group and spend most of their time staying in hotels, thus missing prime interaction with people who live in the Land. There are some who take the ‘road less traveled’ and adventure on their own. These souls who wish to drink in the fulness of the Land and experience the richness of Divinely guided interaction, often seek lodging in apartments, bed and breakfasts or even, when opportunity presents, with a family, open to interaction.
I want to share a couple places that generally only get passed along by word of mouth, special places where the fellowship is sweeter and you are treated like family. If you need a ‘base camp’ for a few days in Tiberius, Jerusalem or a nice retreat for a medium sized group in the Judean hills, keep reading.
Tiberius – There are not many places on the shore of the Galilee that have a better view than Avi’s three bedroom home with expansive patio. Perfectly tricky to find and only available through direct contact, we have enjoyed this gem for a weekend with several other couples. Our Shabbat fellowship was wonderful and the late night chats were priceless. The sweet hostess is a wealth of information and a dedicated watchman, called to this particular perch.
Avi, originally from the US, has lived in the Land for about 25 years, if I remember correctly, and been in the Tiberius area for at least 10, hosting travelers from the northern house. She sets a daily scrumptious breakfast, included in the recommended 170 NIS/person/night donation. Fruit, fresh eggs, yoghurt, dates, nuts and lots of fresh delicious coffee and juice.
Continue reading “Israel: Off the Beaten Path”On several recent trips to Israel, I have watched with interest the construction of a high speed rail from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The rail, significantly, connects Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem via a non-stop, 28 minute luxury trip for just 11 NIS. Very, very convenient and nice. I can’t wait to ride this ‘magic carpet made of steel‘ at Shavuot.
The Jerusalem Post Magazine has a fantastic article about the rail line as well as a mild chiding of the Israeli media for their incessant negative reporting surrounding the line, inspite of excellent service, wonderful experiences and glowing reports from users. I read the article and it only increased my excitement to ride. You’ll have to check it out yourself…
But, the article had a few lines that jangled my thoughts. The author very nicely recounted aspects of Theodore Herzl’s vision and the fulfillment that even this high speed train is a part of. One quote that really caught my attention follows,
Continue reading ““…mindsets are difficult to change…””
11:3 Restoration 