For 2,455 years, far-flung
Jews were expecting Messiah to arrive.
400 years after the prophecy
was told, Elohim decided the time was right; and no one was expecting the way Messiah
arrived. For 33 years, only Yeshua’s earthly family, a devoted cousin, a
handful of disciples and a small gathering of Believers understood – then Elohim’s scheduled Passover arrived, which led to Yeshua’s appointment at Calvary,
which led to His glorious Resurrection on which the Church was established: not
a church building … but the Body of Believer’s, of whom Yeshua referred
to as His Church (aka, His Beloved Bride; His chosen. His devotion. His own
- His family).
And today – 2055 years
past Yeshua’s Passover Supper/Crucifixion/Resurrection, too
many who call themselves Christians are expecting "right now!" prophesies to unfold, and try to force Messiah into a contrived
box of their own human dimensions: and far too many miss the point
entirely, and arrogantly/ignorantly pass the blame of Calvary’s
necessity on “the Jews”, instead of looking at the face in the mirror and
seeing the entirety of the necessity. They do not recognize the fact that
they, in their own piety, are as blind today as the pious Jews were then.
Everyone from time
immemorial, to present day, is trying to limit a limitless God.
I try not to do that, but I
am sure that at some point every day, I do exactly that without realizing it. I
am human. I often fail to do the right thing … even while doing ‘the right
thing’. That is why we need the love and grace of Yeshua’s salvation 😊
I was wide awake around 4:30
AM: prompted to get out of bed (I noticed I was feeling much better), showered/dressed,
coffee in the travel thermos mug … and on the road by 8:15 AM. I reached Fellowship
a full half hour before actual service. It was a Holy Week miracle 😉
No joke; I have been feeling miserable all of last week – and I still wasn’t
feeling too swift last night when I fell into bed. Driving to Vancouver this
morning was not slated for this morning.
But Elohim had unexpected
Plans slated for me today. And I’ve
learned to roll with the unexpected.
As
soon as I entered the building, and sat down; the music team started running
through their song service lineup.
This morning's musicians aiming for harmony ... Marty Goetz is the composer & original singer.
‘He Is My Defense’ song
I remember when this song
was first sung – it was in the mid-1980’s, and Marty first sung it live on a
televised Jewish Voice Ministries program: Bob had died his second death in the
Fall of 1981, so this song had to have been conceived and birthed in 1982 or
1983 because Bob had gotten saved in 1981 and was watching Jewish Voice with
me until it went off the air in the later 1980’s … and this was one of the
songs Bob liked and memorized 😊
We eventually bought the
cassette, and listened to it as we drove to, or from Messianic Fellowship in
Portland, in the later 1980’s. When we became Grandparents, our granddaughter
Alyna (1995) … and her younger brother (2014), sang to the cassette: yes! We still
had it, and it sounded good as new because we took care of our stuff 😉
(I teared up hearing the music team this morning, but I didn’t choke up, or
cry): Alyna loved messianic music so much, I thought she would be bilingual;
she moved so easily between English and Hebrew. Remembering the sound of all
their voices singing this song are good memories.
Now, none of
them are around; singing, or otherwise. But the sound of their voices still
ring in my ears.
The shofars were blown before
service kicked into full action.
I love to hear the shofar being blown.
The sound of the shofar calling us Home is a Believer’s expectation …
Our daughter – and her
children, all listened to Lamb’s music; in house, in the vehicles, bedtime …
Yeshua is the final Passover Lamb; the expectation of salvation once & for all, for all that believe on Him. Joel Chernoff is composer & original singer.
‘Sacrifice Lamb’ song
And Keith Green too.
Keith Green is composer and original singer.
‘O Lord, You’re Beautiful’ song
None of them will ever be
able to say they had not heard The Word; or been taught about Messiah. And I
believe, that even living the lifestyles they currently are living (the
adults anyway, Azariah is for the time being exempt because he’s only 7½),
Elohim will be faithful to me. I may not live in the flesh long enough to see
their salvation ... but I believe in Elohim’s faithfulness.
Service was good, as always.
The message was about the Passover Holy Week, leading up to Calvary and the
empty tomb.
Yeshua was fully God & fully Man; He was born in human flesh to fulfill a divine purpose; He is our example of Spirit over flesh.
As Believer's in Yeshua, we also place Spirit above flesh ... and determinedly set our 'faces like flint' in determination to win the race before us.
After service, I decided to
attend the April Passover Seder this year … it has been a while since I attended one
with Bob, and I miss that Passover festivity; so, I purchased my ticket … and made
plans to watch the ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ movie later on, at home 😊
Jesus of Nazareth Movie – Full 6-hour Length (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z6IfzcUap8)
Then, still feeling
rejuvenated, I decided to drive to Battle Ground. It was a sunny day, and I had
the time – and the gas: I needed to alleviate the cabin fever affliction of being
cooped up last week during the gray, rainy days, with a cold 😉
Decided on a side trip to prolong my Holy Week Daytrip, today.
On the 4-lane 'freeway' to Battle Ground; this type of freeway I don't mind - it's not a frenzied pace.
Sights like this, make my heart smile.
The Patriot Guard Riders
were founded in 2005 to shield grieving families of fallen soldiers from those
that would maliciously and disrespectfully disrupt funeral services (what
kind of a heartless moron would do such a thing!). The Patriot Guard Riders
have thousands of volunteer members that span all 50 States of the USA – they are
a registered organization. The organization has grown, and so has the outreach:
they also now honor first responders as well as military veterans.
It was raining off and on,
but it was a muggy wetness. In no time at all, my baby-fine hair looked limp
and stringy while it stuck to my humidity moistened skin ☹
HOT, MUGGY, day in Battle Ground!
I was glad to leave the
humidity of Battle Ground’s atmosphere behind as I put my Albertson’s purchases
in the Highlander; and headed home.
Green Mountain Road, Woodland from Battle Ground-WA; via WA-502 W and I-5 N. 27 mins.
As I drove through Woodland,
and climbed up the lower end of Green Mountain Road … I decided to swerve onto
the upper Green Mountain Road instead of battling the slipping and sliding Lane
Road: it really was very rough this morning, and I wanted to avoid any serious
mishaps of a road that is seriously dropping away. I’m adventurous, but
I’m not given to foolishly playing with my life or vehicles.
So, on a hope and a prayer
that the upper portion of Green Mountain Road would be a stabler roadway, I
took it. I remember Bob driving that road, and it was in good shape. An older,
skinner road; 2 miles of snaky curves and hairpin turns – but it was still
waay more stable than Lane Road: and both roads drop onto Cloverdale Road,
which would drop me into downtown Kalama. A hop-skip-and a jump from home.
Drove the upper part of Green Mountain Road on the way home; the road was definitely more stable than the lower Lane Road.
Upper Green Mountain Road; the car is filthy inside and out, but won't be washed until freezing temperatures are past.
Upper Green Mountain Road, Woodland to Martins Bluff, Kalama; via Green Mountain Rd and Martins Bluff Rd. 5 minutes.
Martin's Bluff, Kalama to Cloverdale, Kalama; via S Cloverdale Rd. 7 mins.
It
was a nice drive; and the memories did not trip me up.
Back in Longview, I turned
off onto Industrial Way, and decided to nip into the Indy Way Diner and grab a
burger basket for Supper; I’d only had a travel thermos mug of coffee and 3
slices of deep-friend bacon for breakfast … I was hungry.
Indy Way Diner; my third time back here, in 3 years.
It looks like the stools and booths have been reupholstered;
but other than that – and the fact that Bob is no longer around in the flesh
– the place hasn’t changed much.
