Rabbi's Corner: Thoughts &Testamonies

Friday, June 19, 2009 

Nothing but a "has-been"

       For many years, eating cherries, peaches, and apples has-been a thing of the past for me, as I developed a strange allergic reaction to eating them in my mid twenties.   Well yesterday, as I was pondering on the revelation that Ad-nai turns a new page in our lives every morning,  I asked Him to show me if I am stuck reading information from a previous page...   IMMEDIATELY He led me to open the refrigerator; I was looking for something a little more meaningful, but I played along.

There sitting on a shelf was a small bag with seven cherries...   In my spirit I said: "ya?!... and the point is?..."   Then I felt Ad-nai smile as if to say: "New page, ya?!..."

I tried to reason with Him;   "Ad-nai, I did what you told me to do;   I told the people all about this new page thing, and I believe it has to do with important things like being a better Dad, not some dumb cherries.   Besides, I'm all good with cherries...  I can eat plenty of other fruit..."

Then the question came:  "Have you ever eaten cherries today?  who told you you're allergic to them today?...  ya!..."

I must confess;   Preaching is a heck of alot easier then dealing with this "crap"...  I so don't need this aggravation...   Why can't I go do something useful like prepare for Shabbat's service, or read a psalm, or something...

Well, the next thing I know, my cheeks were stuffed with all seven cherries, peaches and apples...

30 seconds later, that all too familiar tingly feeling began to grip my mouth and throat, but I used my mouth to declare: "GET OFF ME;  I've already read that page, and I refuse to read it again!!!"      In about 2 minutes the tingly feeling subsided, and I had zero effects, other then enjoying cherries peaches and apples, for the first time on this new page...

I pray this silly testimony is a blessing...   Enjoy the New adventure of TODAY'S page...

your servant
rabbi peter

 
Monday, September 14, 2009

the 4th Mishkahn Mikvah
Goliath “Uncovered”
Ad-nai takes the feeblest of us to unveil the most powerful revelations of His Kingdom, and it is marvelous to see.
This past Sunday, we were blessed to participate in a most holy “mikvah” (water cleansing) experience in preparation for the autumn festivals of the L-rd. It was amazing to see so many people come, though I have emphatically said that I will go on their behalf.
Each person so precious…
Some there on behalf of those who could not be there.
Some, rededicating their walk with Ad-nai.
Some to assist others.
Some to experience the blessing of giving their lives to G-d in Yeshua’s name for the first time.
Some immersing themselves in water desperate for the L-rd to rekindle their faint flickering flame…
Some to share a soggy sandwich.
Some to enjoy a sunny day at the beach.
Some having no clue why they were there.
Some simply to bare witness to it all.
The individual stories, intimately precious beyond words; none greater than the other, as Ad-nai continues to write His Salvation through the pages of our lives.
As a participant and witness to it all, I pondered on a particular page being written…
I saw a daughter of the King helped up from her walker and proceed slowly toward the water… It was an awe inspiring scene; a gesture of amazing faith. Perhaps similar to what the army of Israel felt when they saw a twelve-year-old boy step forward against impossible odds to take down a giant.
However, the awesomeness of this gesture was not rewarded by the victorious collapse of a mighty giant. In fact, the awe-inspiring moment vanished quickly as I was gripped with the reality of the situation; there was not a single human there who could have taken her partially limp body out of the water, and back to the safety of the shore…

Surrounded by countless hands, pulling, grabbing, scratching, and squeezing every part of her body; people having to drag one leg in front of the other, she managed to return to the safety of her walker, after having been immersed in the water…

As encouraging as I was able to be, so as to not expose my concern, I asked her: “are you OK?”
She smiled and answered: “I was able to do it because I just kept dying to my self… I had to keep dying to my self… I died to my self the whole time, and that is how I was able to do it…”

Then it hit me; dying to herself, allowed her to be placed at the vulnerable care of Yeshua’s many imperfect hands. And in His hands, however imperfect or incapable they may be, it is impossible to drown when you’ve already died.

So there it is; the awesomeness of the collapsing giant “uncovered” at last…

It isn’t the end of our tribulation, our sorrow, our disappointments, or the end of the pain people have inflicted on us… no, it isn’t even some huge frightening monster name Goliath at all… but the giant has been “uncovered”


The collapsing giant is YOU…

If these words frustrate you because you recognize yourself as a person who is tired of dying, go to you’re nearest cemetery and shout with a loud voice: “ Who else here, is tired of dying like me???” Don’t leave until they answer you…


Oh that His people could all be full of M.S., having their limp, deadweight, exposed body pulled and dragged out of the water, by Yeshua’s imperfect hands, that they may experience LIFE.

Your servant
rabbi peter
F.Y.I.
GOLIATH
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Biblical
Other Scripts: ???????? (Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced: g?-LIE-?th (English)
Hebrew Meaning: "uncovered"
This was the name of the giant Philistine who was slain by David in the Old Testament.

 
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The power of the Creative Word

As I was pondering on this parsha to teach on Shabbat, I felt Hashem reveal some very interesting mysteries... He revealed to me that there is a difference between His "creative word" and His "instructional word"
His creative word is untouchable, completely unaffected by obedience or disobedience. Simply put, He speaks it, and it becomes! Light has no choice, nor does darkness... Water has no choice. It simply sees itself separate from itself as this thing called atmosphere or sky appears at the sound of His voice... Islands and mountains, the seas, plants, stars, the birds and sea creatures, and every living creature on land, not a single atom has a choice... It simply appears as Hashem's creative word goes forth. The fullness of physical creation is perfect and complete without a single moment of choice... There is only one thing missing; the likeness and image of the ONE creating it; Himself...
If He speaks "it" into existence, "it" will never be the image and likeness of Himself, for He is The uncreated Life Giving Spirit, and "it" will simply be a created dust man with a living soul. Thus, there is a change in the creative order. No longer does He speak using the creative power of His word. Instead, He gathers for Himself a large hunk of mud and breathes into it... The mud does not decide to cooperate. It simply becomes a living soul. Then He rests because the physical part of creation is complete, ready to be transformed by the Spirit... He now has the walking piece of dirt into which He can place His seed, so that He to may reproduce after His own kind... But how can this be... He is not dust; dust must decrease that He may increase.
So here comes His instructional word... This is the word that is affected by choice; obey and live, disobey and die. His instructional word must come after creation is complete, or else we would still be in the garden as a living a soul made of mud, and that is not the fullness of His image or likeness. In addition to giving this instructional word after creation is complete, He gives it to man BEFORE He draws Woman out of him. Thus Woman is deceived, but Man sinned, for it was to him that Hashem spoke the "instructional word" not to eat from the tree of knowledge.
The stage is perfectly set!!! NO WAY will this man made of dust live forever, he will fall to dust, the serpent will eat dust, but THE SEED placed in this dust will remain and will crush the serpent's head.
This dust eating serpent brings us down to the grave, yet something completely bazaar happens in a wilderness filled with snakes; a serpent is placed on a pole to give life to all who look upon it !?!...
Well, there you have it... His ways are not our ways; The creative word Himself became flesh, Emanuel, but was not esteemed by men... how could dust men esteem such an amazing thing?.... so He was pierced on a pole and became the curse on our behalf, in order to crush the serpent's power over us. And then was buried in the dirt that He may come up and multiply the image and likeness of Himself into all who look upon Him.
And now through those who believe, He speaks with the untouchable power of His “creative word”, until the earth is filled with his glory, as we near the completion of the 6th day when He says: "Let "us" make man in our image..." and we look at each other, shrug our shoulders with a curious smile and watch it happen, as flawlessly as Light appeared at the sound of His voice...
One day is as one thousand years?... it is written somewhere...
Your servant
revee peter