I must confess that I have been somewhat remiss in submitting any new entries to this diatribe. For those one or two who may actually be following along, I must proffer my deepest apologies.
I attempted to publish a new entry yesterday, but not having learned from my first attempt on this blog, I published it without first saving it as a draft, and lost it in its entirety in the process. I have thus learned to either save it first, or draft it offline and publish it later, as I am doing with this one.
Previous Issues Update:
Michael had his rifle returned! After five months, and several (increasingly harsh) calls to various sources, private property is back in private possession. My last call was to the detective in charge of property (?), and within two days, the original investigator was at our door, and she brought the rifle. I had been harboring threats and thoughts of fascism, but Dee brought me to a different line of thinking (as she is wont to do). Apparently, the detective in question has pressing personal issues that may have precluded her from timely return of the rifle. My flesh begrudges that there is no excuse, but my spirit reminds me that I (who shares Paul’s sentiment of being chief among sinners) have neither room nor allowance for judgment. In either circumstance, my flesh is satisfied with the rifle’s return, and all is well.
We decided to forego public education for the complete quiver of Arrows again this year. It seemed the right decision, and G-d willing, there is always next year to reconsider. It was a minor letdown for one of the eldest, but all of them have settled into the routine of early rising and the regimen of schoolwork the past two weeks. Curriculum choices are abundant, so we value your prayers for wisdom as we forge through the next 170 scheduled days.
I neglected to mention my ultimate choice for Wednesday night study. With the failure of the VA in St. Louis to approve school funding in time, I missed the deadline for fall registration at Moody. The upside to this is freedom to pursue a longer study!
Consequently, I chose Dawson McAllister’s "A Walk With Christ to the Cross", which is an incredible and up-close look at the final hours of Yeshua’s earthly ministry. It is a powerful study with evangelistic and revival-inspiring content, and I look forward to great returns.
Those who regularly peruse this page may have noticed the addition of links in the sidebar. They are sites I personally recommend, and it is far from comprehensive. My personal recommendation, of course, holds no real value, but they may prove of some interest!
And Continuing On…
We had a special service on Wednesday, held jointly with Beth Simcha. Normally, they hold services on Saturday and Tuesday, so this was the first opportunity for both congregations to fully mix and meet. How sweet it was for us to come together in unity and fellowship (Psalm 133)!
I regularly address our Sunday School class on the dangers of preterism. I have repeatedly warned them that should they ever find themselves in a church that teaches the replacement of Israel with the church, they should be aware that that church has problems with its ecclesiology, as well as its eschatology. What logically follows is that it should probably be questioned on its other doctrines, as well. I personally hold that particular view in contempt as heresy, as it violates what Paul so clearly lays out in chapters nine through eleven of his Roman epistle. I challenge the reader to read that particular trilogy and NOT be touched by it.
At any rate, the joint service had a special speaker, Mike Clayton of Joined to Hashem. Mike is a gifted speaker, and spoke powerfully on the significance and responsibility of Biblical covenant relationships. He also gave details of his recent trip to Israel, and I felt somewhat akin to the Emmaus disciples, as my heart burned within me. This is a rare, although not unprecedented, occurrence with me. The first time I felt it was when I first read the trilogy of which I just wrote.
Simply put, I hold a deep and unexplainable love for the Jewish people. The few drops of Jewish blood in my extremely mixed heritage may explain it, but I don’t fully accept that. I have a feeling that whatever YHWH may be moving us toward; it just may have something to do with Israel.
Coming home Wednesday night, I reminded the Arrows of the importance of touching the mezuzah as they went in the house. We have had one inside the front door for months now, but after finally obtaining another klaf, I mounted one at the back door last weekend.
I thought I was fully understood, until I individually asked them about it when we all were inside, and learned an important parental lesson (sometimes, you need to review instructions!). One of them responded to the question, "Did you remember to touch the mezuzah?" with, "I don’t know what that is, sir."
As it turned out, my assumption of their understanding was woefully overestimated, to say the least! Most of them thought they weren’t allowed to touch it!
We eliminated all confusion Thursday night; we sat down as a family and reviewed Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21, and discussed the significance of the mitzvah.
If you followed the recent Gaza "disengagement" debacle at all, you may be surprised to learn that the last settlers just left this week. Jeff Jacoby discusses it here.
Katrina has left an indelible impression upon our country. Whether you choose to believe those who proclaim this as G-d’s judgment, or those (such as RFK, Jr.) who moronically declare this to be the responsibility of conservative politics, it is a tragic disaster. I take comfort in the fact that churches were among the first responders; this is as it should be, and is a clear sign that the Body of Christ is not completely asleep.
Following Katrina, it was nice to see that Lee and Maria have apparently decided to remain more aloof. I mentioned to Dee that Lee is an appropriate name for something full of hot air but completely harmless. Her hope is that he doesn’t live up to his name, suddenly changing course and spontaneously moving a different direction….I feigned ignorance at the meaning of that observation!
Even without natural turbulence, we have had more than enough socio-economic buffeting to compensate. After an announcement from our beloved governor on Thursday that there would be no gasoline rationing in North Carolina, that’s precisely what was taking place in some parts of our state on Friday. There were even reports of some stations selling gas for as high as almost six dollars, and other stations allowing only ten gallons per vehicle.
Dee and I have been pleasantly surprised at our lack of concern. I am a self-acknowledged "dopey optimist", but she has always been more firmly grounded in reality, so I was at a loss to explain our relative calm in this latest storm. That is, until I realized the promise of Isaiah 26:3-4:
(Or, for my Jewish brethren)
We may be troubled on every side, but yet not be forced to distress; we can be perplexed, but not be compelled to despair (II Cor. 4:8). Stayed upon Jehovah, our hearts can be fully blessed. Fellow saints, I leave you with this:
Amen and amen. He is faithful and true!
I attempted to publish a new entry yesterday, but not having learned from my first attempt on this blog, I published it without first saving it as a draft, and lost it in its entirety in the process. I have thus learned to either save it first, or draft it offline and publish it later, as I am doing with this one.
Previous Issues Update:
Michael had his rifle returned! After five months, and several (increasingly harsh) calls to various sources, private property is back in private possession. My last call was to the detective in charge of property (?), and within two days, the original investigator was at our door, and she brought the rifle. I had been harboring threats and thoughts of fascism, but Dee brought me to a different line of thinking (as she is wont to do). Apparently, the detective in question has pressing personal issues that may have precluded her from timely return of the rifle. My flesh begrudges that there is no excuse, but my spirit reminds me that I (who shares Paul’s sentiment of being chief among sinners) have neither room nor allowance for judgment. In either circumstance, my flesh is satisfied with the rifle’s return, and all is well.
We decided to forego public education for the complete quiver of Arrows again this year. It seemed the right decision, and G-d willing, there is always next year to reconsider. It was a minor letdown for one of the eldest, but all of them have settled into the routine of early rising and the regimen of schoolwork the past two weeks. Curriculum choices are abundant, so we value your prayers for wisdom as we forge through the next 170 scheduled days.
I neglected to mention my ultimate choice for Wednesday night study. With the failure of the VA in St. Louis to approve school funding in time, I missed the deadline for fall registration at Moody. The upside to this is freedom to pursue a longer study!
Consequently, I chose Dawson McAllister’s "A Walk With Christ to the Cross", which is an incredible and up-close look at the final hours of Yeshua’s earthly ministry. It is a powerful study with evangelistic and revival-inspiring content, and I look forward to great returns.
Those who regularly peruse this page may have noticed the addition of links in the sidebar. They are sites I personally recommend, and it is far from comprehensive. My personal recommendation, of course, holds no real value, but they may prove of some interest!
And Continuing On…
We had a special service on Wednesday, held jointly with Beth Simcha. Normally, they hold services on Saturday and Tuesday, so this was the first opportunity for both congregations to fully mix and meet. How sweet it was for us to come together in unity and fellowship (Psalm 133)!
I regularly address our Sunday School class on the dangers of preterism. I have repeatedly warned them that should they ever find themselves in a church that teaches the replacement of Israel with the church, they should be aware that that church has problems with its ecclesiology, as well as its eschatology. What logically follows is that it should probably be questioned on its other doctrines, as well. I personally hold that particular view in contempt as heresy, as it violates what Paul so clearly lays out in chapters nine through eleven of his Roman epistle. I challenge the reader to read that particular trilogy and NOT be touched by it.
At any rate, the joint service had a special speaker, Mike Clayton of Joined to Hashem. Mike is a gifted speaker, and spoke powerfully on the significance and responsibility of Biblical covenant relationships. He also gave details of his recent trip to Israel, and I felt somewhat akin to the Emmaus disciples, as my heart burned within me. This is a rare, although not unprecedented, occurrence with me. The first time I felt it was when I first read the trilogy of which I just wrote.
Simply put, I hold a deep and unexplainable love for the Jewish people. The few drops of Jewish blood in my extremely mixed heritage may explain it, but I don’t fully accept that. I have a feeling that whatever YHWH may be moving us toward; it just may have something to do with Israel.
Coming home Wednesday night, I reminded the Arrows of the importance of touching the mezuzah as they went in the house. We have had one inside the front door for months now, but after finally obtaining another klaf, I mounted one at the back door last weekend.
I thought I was fully understood, until I individually asked them about it when we all were inside, and learned an important parental lesson (sometimes, you need to review instructions!). One of them responded to the question, "Did you remember to touch the mezuzah?" with, "I don’t know what that is, sir."
As it turned out, my assumption of their understanding was woefully overestimated, to say the least! Most of them thought they weren’t allowed to touch it!
We eliminated all confusion Thursday night; we sat down as a family and reviewed Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21, and discussed the significance of the mitzvah.
If you followed the recent Gaza "disengagement" debacle at all, you may be surprised to learn that the last settlers just left this week. Jeff Jacoby discusses it here.
Katrina has left an indelible impression upon our country. Whether you choose to believe those who proclaim this as G-d’s judgment, or those (such as RFK, Jr.) who moronically declare this to be the responsibility of conservative politics, it is a tragic disaster. I take comfort in the fact that churches were among the first responders; this is as it should be, and is a clear sign that the Body of Christ is not completely asleep.
Following Katrina, it was nice to see that Lee and Maria have apparently decided to remain more aloof. I mentioned to Dee that Lee is an appropriate name for something full of hot air but completely harmless. Her hope is that he doesn’t live up to his name, suddenly changing course and spontaneously moving a different direction….I feigned ignorance at the meaning of that observation!
Even without natural turbulence, we have had more than enough socio-economic buffeting to compensate. After an announcement from our beloved governor on Thursday that there would be no gasoline rationing in North Carolina, that’s precisely what was taking place in some parts of our state on Friday. There were even reports of some stations selling gas for as high as almost six dollars, and other stations allowing only ten gallons per vehicle.
Dee and I have been pleasantly surprised at our lack of concern. I am a self-acknowledged "dopey optimist", but she has always been more firmly grounded in reality, so I was at a loss to explain our relative calm in this latest storm. That is, until I realized the promise of Isaiah 26:3-4:
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is
everlasting strength:
(Or, for my Jewish brethren)
You will keep whoever's mind is steadfast in perfect shalom, because he trusts
in you.
Trust in the LORD forever; for in the LORD, the LORD, is an
everlasting Rock.
We may be troubled on every side, but yet not be forced to distress; we can be perplexed, but not be compelled to despair (II Cor. 4:8). Stayed upon Jehovah, our hearts can be fully blessed. Fellow saints, I leave you with this:
Phil. 4:6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Phil. 4:7 And the
shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your thoughts in Messiah Yeshua.
Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever
things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of
good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about
these things.
Amen and amen. He is faithful and true!
posted by Lee Monical | 7:21 PM
3 Comments:
Howdy!
I must confess, I enjoy this quite a bit, reading your blog about your family, your life, your faith and your thoughts! You should consider writing a book, perhaps a memoir of sorts!
I'm glad, and very grateful that you are all safe-I have constant worry about you, Dee, and the kids, and the seemingly constant barrage of weather disasters and events that affect you all more than it does us in the middle of the corn fields.
It is stunning to look back after all the events and changes that life has placed in our paths and to realize that all of it is/was a transition to prepare us for a better place to be in our hearts, and a better way to be in our minds.
Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend with the family, send my love.
~S~
Were I to write a book, you know of course, that _you_ would have at least an entire chapter!!
I recently started a blog called Preterist Heresy that you may find interesting. Entire blog to reveal the holes in this system. Feel free to check it out when you have time.
http://preteristheresy.blogspot.com/
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