Thanksgiving-Good or bad

Happy Sabbath,

How is it November already? Seems like we were just observing the Spring festivals not too long ago.

Thanksgiving is coming up. Many say this holiday is ok, one we can observe. Others say it's based in paganism and something we shouldn't be observing. Others will say, it represents the oppression of the Indians and we shouldn't observe it.

What does history say?

The pilgrims were deeply religious. They had fled England to Holland to flee religious persecution in 1607. During this time in Holland, they lived among another exiled group-Sephardic Jews.

When the pilgrims looked for a way to give thanks, they looked to the bible. Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles is one of the pilgrimage festivals and it is a feast of lots of food.

The Feast of Tabernacles and Thanksgiving have a lot in common-

Both take place in the fall.

Both are about pilgrims! The early Christian immigrants of America were later known as pilgrims, much as the Jewish people used to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year for the holy holidays.

Both began with people groups who were persecuted and had to flee.

Both require harvesting and joyous gathering.

Both are based on the Biblical exhortation to express gratitude. Sukkot is regarded as a model for Thanksgiving.

Both celebrations are centered on expressing appreciation for a plentiful harvest.

Both are centered on family and communal gatherings.

Both feature an abundance of food and feasting!

Our family used to travel to the Twin Cities the Friday after Thanksgiving. Usually, there was usuallly aroound 30 of us that woould get together. One year, I was talking to one of the moms who homeschooled. She told me that she had a set of encylopedias that stated that the 1st Thanksgivinng was during the Feast of Tabernacles. I thought it was rather interesting that it was in a encycloipedia She was going to send a picture of the page to me but never did.

What do you think? Thanksgiving is a time for family. To give thanks and be thankful we have each other.

Until next time,

Lori

Here is the web page I partially referenced - https://www.biblejournalclasses.com/blog/thanksgiving-and-the-feast-of-tabernacles-2

On the Way out of the Wilderness?

Shabbat Shalom,

I got word on Tuesday that my employer accepted my religious accomodating. I will have Friday and Saturday off. They have my scheduled Sunday thru Thursday, 1:45 pm until 10:15 pm EST. It was an answer to a prayer.

But, while I was waiting for them to get back to me. I started putting out feelers for another job. A couple of opprotunities came up, doing the same thing I'm doing now but for more money.

I got thru the initial intervew and have a team interview coming up now.

If I get it, I won't have to work 2 jobs anymore.

Not sure when I'll know, but hopefully soon.

Hope every one has a great Sabbath and a great week,

Lori

Into the Wilderness

Shabbat Shalom,

Last week I wrote an article aboout the wilderness and how some of us are in various stages of the wildeeness.

This week, I went from the edge of it to the middle of it fairly quickly.

My position is being eliminated and I'm being pushed into a job that I don't particularly care for in the same company. And they are trying to schedule me to work on Saturday from 7 am to 3:30 pm. This is not an option, no ifs, ands or buts about it. My husband didn't believe in life insurance or pension plans so I CAN'T afford to be without a job but I'm not going to break Sabbath to stay employed.

I told the manager of this department that working on Sabbath isn't an option and that is non-negotiable. She then asked me if I was resigning my position, I said no, I'm not resigning my position but I informed you in an email that I couldn't work from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. I was to the only shifts left after the seniority had their choice were the ones that were Saturday and Sunday with Thursday and Friday off.

I've had to contact HR to start a case asking for a religious accomodation, to have Sabbath off. I think it's ridiculous as I was told when I was hired that I didn't have to work Saturdays at all.

The sabbath is a sign between YHVH and his people. (Ex. 31:13) We don't work on Sabbath. My husbanad wrote a song called God's people and one of the verses says-Sometimes we get fired, we ain't fooling around. We're God's people.

One of the people in our study group works Friday nights til midnight and gets home around 1 in the morning. When I hear that during the study, I think what are you doing? But that is between him and YHVH.

Please keep me in your prayers as I navigate the wilderness again.

Til next time,

Lori

What is your wilderness?

Greetings and Happy Sabbath,

I hope everyone had a great Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles. I spent this year at home. My oldest dog who just turned 16 isn't doing well, so I thought I would stay home, just in case. I did do a couple of day trips that were fun.

When you think of the wilderness, what comes to mind? Does the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness for 40 years come to mind? Or how about Jesus wandering in the desert for 40 days without food and water? And Satan attempted to tempt him during this time?

How about your own wilderness? What trial are you going thru right now? Most of us that are living this way of life, know that we are going to have trials and tribulations. Most of us are in 1 of 3 places, we are either heading into a trial, right smack in the middle of one or we are heading out of one. Once a trial is over, do we thank YHVH for bringing us thru? Do we thank YHVH when we are in the middle of one?

Scripture tells us to be thankful for our trials-

James 1:2-4-Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:12-Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 5:10-And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Philippians 4:6-Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Romans 5:3-Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

1 Peter 1:6-In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

YHVH allows trials to come upon us to strenthen us, to rely more on him and Yeshua. It's ok to be glad when the trial is over, we can breathe a sigh of relief and then continue to move forward with our lives. But, we need to remember, we still need to rely on YHVH for everything in our lives, not just thru a trial. Not say, ok, this trial is over, I got it from here.

Every single day, we need to rely on him for everything, just like the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

I spent some time during the weekly sabbath on Oct. 10 reflecting about the last 7.25 years of me and my husband's marriage. 33 out of those those 88 months, we were deep in the wilderness. So deep, I never thought we would find our way out again. Fortunately, after 18 months we found our way out. But after only 15 months, we were back into the widlerness again but this time, we wouldn't be able to find our way out together. This time, he received the cancer diagnosis and it was terminal. This time, I would have to navigate the wilderness alone 80 days after diagnosis. Am I still wandering in the wilderness 4.25 years later, absolutely. Do I see a light at the edge of the trees? It's faint, but yes, I see it. I pray daily, asking for help and the strength to navigate this life that I'm walking alone after almost 34 years of marriage.

So again, I will ask, What is your wilderness? Where are you in the wilderness? And are you thanking God for the time in the wilderness?

Have a great Sabbath,

Lori

Evicting Demons from a Home

Greetings and Shabbat Shalom,

I hope everyone had a blessed Yom Teruah and Yom Kippurim is only 4 days away.

From 2003 to 2009, my husband and I had a one person trucking business hauling grain around central Iowa and occasionally making a out of state run. It wasn't always easy work and sometimes it was down right impossible. During this time my husband befriended another trucker who lived 5 miles west of us.

One day, they invited us over for dinner, which we accepted. The entire time we were there, I got this uneasy feeling. That we were being watched, that something or someone was standing directly behind me at the table. A short time after we finished eating, I needed to use the restroom. I had to walk right by the stairs leading up. I glanced off to my right and looked at the top of the stairs. At the landing, there stood the most evil looking being/creature I had ever seen. I went to the restroom and then came out to the living room. I told my husband we were needed at home and needed to leave. He looked at my face and knew not to ask what was up.

When we got in my minivan, I told him drive.....get us out of here, I'll explain once we get on the road. Once we hit the county road, I told him what I felt at the table and what I saw at the top of the stairs. He took my hand and said, ok, we will not return to that house. He asked Yeshua to protect and our home in case they followed us home.

I've always beenn sensitive to evil and the workers of evil.

A few weeks later I had a rare day off, so I took the opporunity to sleep in. I started having a dreram where we were back at that house. I was standing in the master bedroom looking towards the double windows that faced the north side of the house. I saw 12 faceless beings and every single one of them had evil seeping off them.

At the same time, my husband and the homeowner were talking at a elevator in Des Moines. He said he and his wife were having issues with strange noises, banging and things being moved around in their home. They were being attacked in the middle of the night. He asked my husband if we could help, to which my husband said we can try. He came back to his truck and called me, woke me out of my dream. I told him what I was just dreaming, he was speechless (which was rare for him) and was shocked that at the same time the homeowner was talking to him that I was dreaming about their home. I tried to go back to sleep to get more info but I couldn't so I thought, I must have all the info needed.

After 3 days of fasting and prayer, we went over to evict the demons from the home. I said we need to go upstairs to the master bedroom. I had never been in the upstairs of their home nor did I know what the bedroom looked like. I was shocked, everything looked it did in my dream, the color of the walls, the curtains, even the knick knaks on the dresser and a shelf.

I said open the doors to the attic. There were 2 of them, one on the west end of the house and one to the east. We began to pray and order the dmons out of the house. All of a sudden, I feel pressure on my shoulders and my chest, something or someone was trying to push me backwards or push me over backwards. I started my own prayer in my mind, to protect me from the attack happening to me personally Gradually releasing the pressure from my shoulders and chest and then it was gone completelly. At the same time, the prayers of my husband and the homeowners stopped to. I said they are gone.

We sat at the table where I had felt these evil entities just weeks before. We told them the demons will be back unles you do some things. Get rid of pagan holiday decor, get rid of your cross idols, get rid of books that have or talk about pagan holidays. They said they would think about it.

A few weeks later, my husband was talking to the homeowner at a elevator. The entities had returned and so had their problems. My husband asked him if they gotten rid of ththe stuff we told them to. No, they still had it, they didn't believe they caused the problem.

My husband told him we helped you once, we won't do it again until you rid the house of thoose items.

It's been years since I've talked to them but the last time I talked to them, they were still having issues. My reply was......You know what you need to do.

Yeshua rebuked demons, he sent them ito a heard of pigs thaatthty jumkmped over a cliff. (Matt. 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:29-39)

Yeshua cast a demon out of a boy. (Mark 9)

Seven demons were removed from Mary Mmagdalene. (Luke 8)

What demons can you rebuke during the fall festival?

Until next time,

Lori

Happy Yom Teruah, sound the shofar!!

Greetings and Happy Yom Terua,

The new moon of the 7th month was seen in Israel tonight. The fall festival dates are as follows.

Yom Teruah-Sept. 13

Yom Kippur-Sept. 22

Sukkot-Sunset Sept. 26th thru sunset Oct. 4th.

Yom Teruah is a day of blowing trumpets, sounding the shofar.

This is the day that Yeshua will return at some point in the future. How do I know that? The new moon of the 7th month is a moon that we don't know when it's going to show up until it does. When Yeshua returns, the whole world will hear the trumpets, not just the US or Israel, but the whole world. (Matt. 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:16, 1 Cor. 15:52, Ewv. 11:15) No man knows the day or hour what Yeshua will return, only the father. (Matt. 24:36, Mark 13:32)

Pray that he returns soon. There is so much evil going on in the world.

Until next time,

Lori

Prayer-Our communication to YHVH

Greetings,

The last part of the Armor of God is prayer. This is our communication to God. He isn't a endless wish list to fulfills our desires, our desires to be healed or for family and friends to be healed. He answers all prayers.....even if the answer is no.

Jesus gives us an exemple prayer in Matt. 6:5-15. This is a outline for our prayers but not something to be repeated all the time when we pray.

There are 10 types of prayer-

1. Prayer of Adoration-These prayers come from a place of genuine awe of who the Lord is and all that he does.

2. Prayer of Thanksgiving-Prayers of gratitude are prompted by an answered prayer, deliverance, recognition of how good and merciful God is, or simply because we have been given another day of life.

3. Prayer of Confession-Jesus called those he interacted with to confess their sins and sin no more. <>p> 4. Prayer of Vows-Praying a promise to the Lord is a prayer that we may pray when we are making a life-changing commitment and that we need God’s strength, guidance, and help to fulfill.

5. Prayer of Quiet Reflection-Prayers of silence draw us away from prayers filled with words, and into a place where we quiet ourselves down and reflect.

6. Prayer for Healing-A prayer for healing is usually spoken when we seek restoration for our physical bodies, spiritual wholeness, or emotional wounds.

7. Prayer for Deliverance and Help-When we are facing challenges, hardships, or oppression, we find ourselves praying for deliverance and breakthrough. YHVH is one who can help us in ways no one else can.

8. Prayer of Intercession-Praying for others is a crucial part of being part of the body of Christ. The Bible instructs us to pray for one another and to intercede on someone else’s behalf.

9. Prayer for Transformation-As followers of Jesus, we aim to live like him, live according to his ways, and enter into a lifelong process of sanctification. Praying for this type of transformation in our hearts, minds, and lives is purposeful.

10. Prayer of Blessing-Prayers of blessing are often said for visiting missionaries, or families relocating to another church, those starting a new job, or new graduates. We pray blessings over newlyweds, newborns, or even over a new house or car. Prayers of blessings are found throughout Scripture and are powerful ways to ask for God’s best to be poured out.

A Prayer for Every Need-Prayer is conversation with God and that conversation may differ when it comes to the motivation, meaning, and purpose.

Yeshua prayed in the Garden of Gethsemine before he was arrested the night before his crucifixion, he prayed for that cup to be taken from him. But he told the father, your will be done.....not mine. He fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, he was tempted by the enemy. But he held fast to the will of father and following Torah. He prayed for Lazarus to be raised from the dead and it was so. He prayed for the healing of the little girl and it was so. He healed the man who had lain on a mat all of his life and that man was healed. The Pharisees were irate because accoring to the oral Torah, healing on the sabbath was forbidden. Read that again, according to the Oral torah....not the written Torah.

Our prayers are answered accordiing to his will,not ours.....even if the answer is no. I prayed for my husband's healing daily but ultimately he lost the battle.

What is your prayer? May YHVH answer it.

Until next time,

Lori