Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Yesterday we returned from a 12 day trip of Israel. What a beautiful country it is. I loved the culture and the people-especially the children. I was especially impressed with the sense of peace the Israeli people have. If you walk through their shops or watch them interact with each other you will very seldom see them act in anger. That was surprising to me because the country is surrounded by known enemies who may attack at any time yet they are not allowed to defend themselves without reprisal from the rest of the world. Their tax rate is over fifty percent. Imagine if half of your paycheck went to Uncle Sam. There would more than a little anger boiling over. They have a peaceful demonstration at City Hall-we turn to domestic abuse. I understand that "Pray for the peace" refers more to the volatile situation surrounding their existence as a country and the countries that border them but as a people they are at peace.
However their country is similar to ours in that many have turned away from the Lord. In Judges chapter ten the people of Israel began serving other gods and the Lord became angry with them and sent the armies of Ammon to cross the Jordan and fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. I know that many don't believe the Lord works that way any more but this is a clear example of what happens when we turn away from the Lord. He will find a way to wake us up and turn us back to Him. Teshuva in Hebrew means to return to a state of spiritual purity and we are now in a month in the biblical calendar that asks us to examine ourselves and return to the ways of the Lord. We often drift away from what we know is right and that's a normal occurrence for we are human and sinful. In Hebrew it's known as Yetzer Hara or temporary confusion a temporary drifting away. But this is the perfect time for all of us to redirect,get back on track and return to that state of spiritual purity.
The Lord told the Israelites in Judges 10:14 if you want to serve other gods and you are in trouble then let them save you. But the Israelites understood what they had done and in teshuva returned to the Lord and confessed that they had sinned and the Lord saved them.
This is the time that Israel is receiving their wake up call from God and we are also. Our economy is on the brink of collapse and Israel is on the brink of war. It is time to return to the Lord. So instead of praying for the peace of Jerusalem please join me in praying for the salvation of Jerusalem and the salvation of America.
Psalm 27:1 Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
Psalm 35:3 Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me "I am your salvation."
Psalm 53:6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Jesus or Yeshua in Hebrew means He saves or salvation. In the Brit Chadasha or New Testament it states:
Luke 1:69 and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
In Romans 11 it talks about Israel being hardened and only a few elect received Yeshua as their salvation. But it's time for the olive branch that had been broken off to be grafted back in again(Romans 11:11.) It is time for teshuva. So please when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem remember also to pray for their salvation.

Life marches on

The last two weeks have held alot of change for us here at Lion's Gate. John Michael went through exploratory surgery to give us an idea of how critical his kidney condition was and thankfully the doctor believes he will be able to save the kidneys without a threat of dialysis. What a relief-yet still it rests on John Michael's shoulders- time will tell if he is mature enough to handle it.
Lance has now been a week in Haifa, Israel. I feel there is great purpose in his semester there and pray for his protection. He says it is absolutely beautiful and you can see for miles in all directions. His four roommates are all from Israel and he likes them all. They have all served in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) which gives them common ground right from the start. He has one month of Uplan which is intensive language training six hours a day six days a week. Then in late February he will start classes. He seems a bit overwhelmed with it all right now but sounds happy.
I finally can sit in my livingroom with a fire glowing brightly from our freshly installed fireplace insert-its motor gently humming filling the room with warm blasts of air. We now have two inserts in two fireplaces which at thirty degrees outside makes it plenty warm inside. This is our heat source and we struggle with installing anything more that would make us more dependent on electricity. The wood floor went in last week and it is so beautiful I won't allow shoes, dogs or cats in the room. The dogs lay at the doorway and try every now and then to sneak in but I won't allow it. The fireplace facade is the last thing needed to finish the room. The framing is built, we just need to drywall and paint it.
We are working diligently to move off the grid and become sustainable in our own right but sometimes feel it is an overwhelming task. There are days when it seems it should be our highest priority and other days when I just want to sell everything and just rest for awhile with no animals to take care of, no fruit trees to prune, ponds to fill,gardens to till and plant. I think if we could just hire one person who might live on the land rent free and work here we would progress much more quickly. I guess that is something I will have to take to the Lord in prayer.

Dining Room

Valley of Blessing

Dancing for the Lord

Controlled Chaos

We here on the farm are moving into the holiday seasons with such great expectations. Our house is chilly to say the least with the cold weather setting in and no heating system installed but we are moving in a positive direction. We have purchased a blower system to go in the living room fireplace and will be getting the wood floors in throughout the downstairs this next week. I've planted my strawberries and garlic to ensure a bountiful crop next summer and put in another grape vine. Our fruit trees were overflowing this year and I was able to put up forty quart jars of fruit and 10 jars of jam(grape, green pepper, fig and peach). Our freezer is full of frozen squash, zucchini and tomatoes and soon Tom Tom the thirty pound turkey we've raised will cuddle up in there as well in preparation for the Christmas meal.
We are hoping Lance is accepted to the University of Haifa, Israel for the study abroad program starting in January and we plan to join him for a visit if he stays through the fall.
It seems our life never stops it's twists and turns but we have always been fighters and even though we get down sometimes we generally rise to each challenge with stronger resolve than we had had before.Our life is full. We love our Lord and pray each of our children will find His grace and love as they become adults.
John Michael has been in the fight of his life with serious kidney issues this fall requiring hospital stays but we pray the Lord will bring healing and restoration to him. He is such a warrior. He will begin teaching children for church next week. He went to the pastor on his own and worked out all the details. His class will be 8-10 children age 3-8 years old.
I have been asked to teach dance at church on Friday nights in Greensboro and on Wednesday nights in Grays Chapel. We will be presenting to another church on Sunday December 5th Davidic dance and prayfully opening doors for sharing how our Hebrew Roots have everything to do with Christ and Christianity. I am praying for guidance on this as it is a huge responsibility and we still have so much work that needs to be done to make our house livable. My dad will be coming in December to take the boys deer hunting at a friends hundred acre property in Virginia and they get to stay at her cabin! It was so nice of her to offer, she has been so generous to us this year. I know my dad will put in some hard labor here at the house when he comes which we also appreciate tremendously. He has always been there for us and never let us down.
I pray your life is full but maybe not quite as full as ours and you find time to rest, relax and spend time with friends and family this season.