Category:
Spiritual Growth
The back story to Passover is a mysterious one. Yet it seems strangely, even portentously relevant today. Exodus 1 recounts that after Jacob and his sons died in Egypt, the Israelites “became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.” (v.7) The rabbis teach the ancient Hebrews…...
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This year, as Christians mark Holy Week to prepare for Resurrection Day, Jews celebrate Purim on March 24. Purim is based on the book of Esther. The merry festival recounts God’s victory over His enemies’ attempt to annihilate the Jews. Calendar convergence of the two holidays is quite…...
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Today was Jerusalem Marathon Day, an event that drew 30,000 runners and almost as many spectators. We learned a few days ago that our home was along the planned route, so we looked forward to watching out the window. I should have anticipated that in Israel, a marathon of this…...
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The joyful feast of Purim*, based on the book of Esther, falls this year on March 12-13. (In certain places the holiday will extend to March 14.) Some Bible scholars believe Yeshua was in Jerusalem for the purpose of celebrating Purim when He ministered in John 5. I will not…...
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Do you want to know the passion and burden of God—His kingdom purposes—for today? If so, think Israel. God is “crazy” in love with the nations. That’s why He created one called Israel. Least among them (Deuteronomy 7:7), she would serve as key to His redemption of all nations.…...
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There’s nothing quite like spending New Year’s Eve and Day in Israel. Offices, shops, schools and even the streets teem with business as usual. Knowing the world’s secular year changes by a digit each January 1, Israeli society nevertheless revolves more around the Biblical than Gregorian calendar. It’s unusually…...
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This time of year we are often asked if we believe Christians should celebrate Christmas. Surprisingly, those questions usually come from Gentile, not Jewish, believers. They point out the holiday often replaces the Jewish roots of Messiah’s incarnation with folk rites originating or associated with pagan dieties. They are…...
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Every winter when I was a child, as Christmas trees and manger scenes filled the world around me, I confess I dreaded Hanukkah. Growing up in a non-Jewish part of town when ethnic diversity definitely was not celebrated, Hanukkah left me the odd girl out. But through the year-in,…...
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NOW THAT BLOOD MOONS HAVE COME AND GONE ….. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates God’s faithful provision in the past, while anticipating His glorious kingdom of the future. Meanwhile, what does it mean for us today? At its core, the magnificent seven day feast honors and celebrates YHVH’s gracious…...
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The traditional Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, comes in two days and inaugurates the year 5776. Could the holiday hold any special meaning for Christians, based on this year’s combination of numbers and letters? Rosh HaShana is described in the Bible as a day for Israel to blow trumpets.…...
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