Happy Hanukkah!!!!

Happy Hanukkah Everyone! Tonight at sundown starts the beginning of eight days of Hanukkah. Boy am I ready for this!!! It's a celebration...for eight days we celebrate....lots of food, fun, playing games, food, singing songs, food, family, food, friends, food, laughter....did I mention food?! We'll eat for days!!!

Some of you may not know what this is all about...I posted a guest post on ABNPoppa's blog, but I'll try to explain it here too. This is a typically Jewish Festival. We've been doing this Festival for about 8 years now. And I have to be honest. To my Christian friends that don't celebrate this, I'm sorry. You're really missing a great celebration! Let me explain what led us to start doing this....I can do that in one word: G-d! Well, I better do 'some splaining' to quote Ricky Ricardo of I love Lucy fame.

About 200 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes was king of Syria. He was a Greek Hellenist. He also controlled all of Judea and Samaria. (Northern Israel) Being a Hellenist, Antiochus believed in the 'if it feels good, do it' train of thought. And he also worshiped the Greek gods. For several years that didn't really affect the Judeans (the Jews)until he began making laws making the practice of Judaism illegal. This began a bit of grumbling but some Jews tried to fit in by becoming more Hellenistic themselves. When Antiochus took over the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and decided to slaughter a pig on the altar...well, let's just say it didn't go over well. There was a priest nearby named Mattithius who had 5 sons...and they were NOT happy campers!!! In fact, they led a major revolt against the entire Greek Army! After Mattithius died, his son Judah the Macabee (the hammer) took over and continued the revolt. It took them two years, but this little band of really hacked off Jews defeated the entire Greek Army and won Yerushalayim back. Pretty incredible, huh. A bunch of farmers, shepherds and lowly craftsmen, banded together beat the Greek Army with all it's weapons.

Well, the first thing this group of Macabees did was to clean and prepare the Holy Temple (which I believe was built by King Solomon) so that YHWH could dwell there again. They cleaned the Temple, remade the altar, remade the Holy implements and went to relight the Holy Menorah (a large seven branched candelabra) when they discovered there was only one small jar of sanctified oil for the Menorah. Oy Vey!! What's a good Jewish boy to do?! Well, gather up plenty of olives, and make oil of course! So they did. This was a time consuming process that takes about 8 days to complete....and then a priest had to sanctify it. So when they returned to the Temple with it's wonderful Menorah made of gold as commanded to Moses hundreds of years before....figuring they'd have to relight everything....LOOK! The Menorah was still lit! All 7 bowls of oil were STILL burning!!!!! A mighty miracle took place there! So quick, let's have a celebration! And this is where the celebration of today gets the 8 days of celebrating....

Now, move forward to Yeshua's time, and check out John 10:22. It says Yeshua (Jesus) was in Yerushalayim for the Festival of Dedication...This means Yeshua (Jesus) celebrated Hanukkah also. Which only makes sense when you remember that He was a Jew...raised by Jewish parents in a Jewish household. And His followers were Jews also. So of course they'd celebrate Hanukkah. It's great fun! And have I mentioned the food??? But I digress.

So about 8 years ago we noticed that verse in John 10...and started looking into what that meant. We found a jewel hidden before our eyes all these years! For eight days we thank Papa for His provision, protection and love. We eat foods made with oil, cooked in oil or splashed with oil. We eat jelly donuts (sufginoyt), cookies with icing, rugellah (rolled jelly cookie things), and chocolate gelt by the pound!!!! We play games, spin Driedels to win more gelt (chocolate coins) laugh lots, and sing silly songs. My favorite is sung to the tune of Mammy's Little Darling Loves Shortning Bread...only we sing Bubbe's little darling loves latke cakes. (Bubbe is Yiddish for Grandma) or we dance, or we laugh. We spend time with family, friends, and celebrate all the blessings we've already gotten, will get or have right now. We pray prayers using words from His Love Letter to Us! We pray for family for friends and for the world. And we attempt in this season especially to make the world just a little bit better for us being here. Now, we try to do that all the time, but we make more concerted efforts to beautify the world and those around us at this time of year. So if I'm quiet for the next few days....I'm either eating, praying for you my friends, dancing with the Lover of my Soul, eating, cooking, playing games, eating, singing or eating more! Now that you will be in our prayers every day. You are anyway, but we'll ask special blessings for you....and thank Papa for sending each of you into our lives...whether only online or in person.....you've blessed us both ways. May Papa shine His light into your lives and show you the amazing blessings He's given you especially at this season. Shalom and Mozel Tov!!! Spitfire and the boys

Thanksgiving wishes for all!

My thanks to Mr. Norman Rockwell for his wonderful talent in painting the essence of Thanksgiving. I want to wish all my friends and readers a most blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving. This is the day that we in the US pause to thank Papa for all the marvelous blessings He's given us. We are free to worship as we wish, to gather together in groups to share our blessings with each other, to celebrate our successes in our own way, to pray to YHWH in our own ways, to express our love for each other in our own ways, and to live in this country where we can pursue our own ideas of happiness freely. This is a day when all business usually closes (except hospitals, fire departments and police stations of course), families gather together and share love, food and fellowship.  It's a grand and wonderful holiday....although there's really nothing holy about it...except we're to be thanking Papa. But it works for us.

So as we all gather together, eat entirely too much food, watch football games or play our own family games, and enjoy making wonderful memories together, I want each of  you to know I count you among my blessings. Papa has blessed me with some of the best friends in the entire world and I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. The blessings you've given me as you share parts of yourselves and your lives with me are so precious and dear to me. Often your examples of Yeshua's love to me have brought tears to my eyes. I thank Papa for blessing me with your friendships-whether close, sharing food together type friendships or over the internet only type friendships-each one has made my life richer for you being in it. May Papa give you the best of His blessings not only this day, but each of your days here on this planet. I love you each and can hardly believe how gifted I've been by having you in my life. Mozel Tov! (Happy Celebration) and Happy Thanksgiving to you each. Shalom, Spitfire

Psalm 20

Hi friends. It's been awhile again since last I posted. It got pretty chaotic here, and while I had a couple things I thought about posting, I ran out of steam before getting to it. I even pulled my 'round to it' coin out and it didn't help. Oh, well. What? You asked what a 'round to it' is? It's a coin that says "I have so much to do today I hope I can get around to it all." It's a joke thing that Pawpaw gave us years ago....

Well, moving on. Little Critter and I were doing Torah study this week, and ran out of Torah portion before we ran out of week....so we read Psalm 20. Have you read it lately? It's an incredible Psalm. So, as this week seems to be a week of horrible news all over the place, I thought I'd share it with you, my friends. It's almost like a prayer. So this is what I wish for you this next week....

"1. For the leader. A psalm of David:
2. May YHWH answer you in times of distress, may the name of the G-d of Ya'akov (Jacob)protect you.
3. May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Tziyon. (Zion)
4. May He be reminded by all your grain offereings and accept the fat of your burnt offerings.
5. May He grant you your heart's desire and bring all your plans to success.

6. Then we will shout for joy at your victory and fly our flags in the name of our G-d. May YHWH fulfill all your requests.
7. Now I know that YHWH give svictory to His annointed one-
He will answer himn from his holy heaven with might victories by his right hand.

8. Some trust in chariouts and some in horses, but we praise the name of YHWH our G-d.
9. They will crumple and fall, but we will arise and stand erect.
10. Give victory YHWH!
Let the King answer us the day we call."

Isn't that wonderful?! Now if we go back to verse 4, that's spoken of in Acts 10:3 when the angel appears to Cornelius and says YHWH remembered all his prayers. So that means that the prayers we submit to Papa are remembered by Him and count as though they were burnt offerings. Pretty cool, huh. Those that are Torah observant know we still offer burnt offerings according to Leviticus 23. For instance, each Erev Shabbat (Evening of Sabboth) when we make the Challah (bread) for the evening dinner, as we braid our loaves of bread, we save a piece of dough for YHWH. We cook Papa's piece with our loaves and before we start the ceremony for lighting candles to welcome Shabbat, we take the piece we'd cooked for Papa and go outside to present it to Him. It may sound strange to some, but once you've done a couple of times, it just doesn't feel right without it. Little Critter loves this part! He breaks his piece of bread into many pieces, says the prayer with us then throws his pieces in all 6 directions. (I realize we only do that during Sukkot, but he loves to do it, and we don't stop him. I enjoy it too. It's fun to thank Papa from each direction and toss our crumbs out for all the little birdies and worms (and stray cats) to enjoy.) Now, do I burn my bread each week? Good grief NO!!!! That would be a waste of the resources Papa's given me! But I do cook the bread in my gas oven so it's like an unburnt burnt offering. (or something like that)

So as we all head into another week that no doubt will bring distressing news from all directions, remember that this is the prayer I pray for each of you this week. And as we prepare for Thanksgiving, let's not waste much time being distressed by all the lunacy surrounding us. Let's concentrate on the things we have to be thankful for and remember that the lunacy just means the sound of the shofar (trumpet) is getting closer each day. Shabbat Shalom my friends. Spitfire

Veteran's Day 2009

As we start our day today, we need to remember those who fought to give us the freedoms we have. Today, in the US, is Veteran's Day. It's a National Holiday to remember those who sacrificed so much to allow us to have the liberty to make our own choices about so many things. I realize I have readers from other countries, and I hope you will forgive my choice of postings today. But, especially after what happened last week at Ft. Hood, I feel it extremely important that we as a country remember how much we have to be thankful for.

The memorial service for Ft Hood was held Tuesday. It was a tasteful, dignified and respectful service. We chose to watch it on TV (Fox News carried it live) We flew our flag outside, (although we can't do the half mast thingy....but we flew the flag anyway. And will fly it again Wednesday.) The only downside was that as the POTUS was walking up to the podium to deliver his remarks,some yahoos decided it was appropriate to yell and hollar. Now, I don't care if you are for OR against the POTUS....but hooping and hollaring during a funeral memorial service is just poor etiquette! It's inappropriate, disrespectful and down right rude!!!!! That put my hackles up pretty high. The rest of the service was tasteful and respectful....oh, and the poor little bag piper....bless his/her heart. I don't now if it was the cameras not able to pick up the sound well, or the piper being so nervous he/she couldn't play or what, but we couldn't even figure out what song he/she was trying to play. OK, NOW the rest of it was fine. Even the POTUS did an appropriate job in his remarks. I still don't like him, but he did do a good job on this. I'll give him that. And perhaps now some healing can begin for all those involved. It'll take time, but now our goodbyes are said, and healing can begin....sort of.

We found out last week our former Dr was one of the victims. That made it more important that we watch. Little Critter was a bit put out saying "MMOOOMMM!!! Why do I have to watch this? More people died in other wars!" And while I was proud that he understood this was an act of war, I told him "This is history happening. One day you'll be able to tell your children you saw it all unfold. Besides, it's the right and respectful thing to do. These folks protect your freedoms. You can spare 30 minutes to watch and pray for their families!" (I am SO mean!) I also told him to be prepared for a test afterwards.....of course I didn't give him one. But I did make him tell Dodi about it when Dodi got home from work. (More than one way to skin a cat!!! LOL!)

As we consider the great sacrifices of those that fight for our freedoms, we need to go out of our way to do something FOR these great men and women. If you're money is as tight as ours, there are still things you can do. My little Cub Scouts all signed a couple cards that I will deliver today to the VFW, American Legion and VA. Last year, Little Critter made cards and gave them to some of the vets that live nearby. You could also place flowers on graves of  deceased veterans in a local cemetery, take time to pray for our soldiers both active and retired and their families, fly your American flags, thank any vets you know personally. Especially our older vets. They seldom get thanks. When Little Critter made the cards and delivered them to two WWII vets we know, both men sat there, read the cards, then cried. At first, I was deeply concerned we'd done something wrong. But both men told me that in over 50 years, no one had EVER told them thank you for fighting for our freedoms and safety!!! I was shocked!!!! Can you imagine how you'd feel if you did something really tough for someone to help them out and they NEVER said thank you!?!??! My goodness. Our manners as a nation are in sore need of spiffing up! So where ever you live, try to thank a Vet for his/her service. These folks endure mind boggling hardships and horrors  that haunt them for life, so that we remain a free and safe country. And they do it with grace, with a firm sense of duty to country and a burning desire to share the greatest parts of this country with others. They are heroes in the truest sense of the word.

I realize there's always a few goof balls in every deck, and so it is with our military. But for the most part, these men and women are some of the most upstanding, bravest and lest complaining folks you'd ever meet. I know, we live close to the largest military base in the country. We meet soldiers all the time. And they are awesome! (And I'm NOT saying that because two of our boys are in the military. Of course I think our boys are wonderful.....but I also know they can be goof balls....at times.) And while you're saying your prayers today, remember to ask Papa to protect, guard and guide our military folks, to comfort and strengthen their families, and to reunite those that are separated by miles due to duty to country.

Have a blessed day my friends, be sure to teach your children what this day is all about, remember how blessed we are and look for the Love Letters Papa will send you this day. Thank you to all the Vets out there...especially Pops-one of my favorite vets (next to Pawpaw that is!) Your sacrifices are appreciated more than you know, and I don't want you to ever say that no one thanked you for what you've done for us. You've given so much, the least I can do is thank you. Shalom my friends. Spitfire

My heart is breaking....

Hello dear friends. Please parden the moroseness of this posting...after what happened today, I'm just so distressed. For those that didn't hear, there was a mass killing just down the road at Ft Hood Military Base. This is the base eldest son was stationed at until this past May. (Thank you Papa for sending him to Colorado last May!!!!) When he was transferred out, I was quite dissappointed....I wanted to keep him nearby. But now I'm so thankful he was transferred out!!!! And my little heart is just breaking all over the place for the families of those that were shot today. My heart is even braking for the family of the shooter. Can you imagine turning on the news and finding out your son/brother/cousin had opened fire on a building full of folks he worked with and killed 12 of them?!?! Bless their hearts. I realize they are Islamic, but I feel certain their shock is just about the same as the families of those who got calls saying their child/brother/sister/wife/husband had just been shot while on base. This is just SUCH a mess.

Torah tells us that in the last days the world will be upside down and backwards...well, OK. It says people will say right is wrong and wrong is right. That appears to be what we're seeing today. Apparently this shooter felt it was right to plan to go down to the most crowded building on the base and just start shooting because he didn't want to be deployed overseas later this year... I can understand his not wanting to have to go overseas to where the fighting actually is. No parent wants their child to place themselves in harms way. But when you join the military, you have to know there's always the chance that you'll have to fight! So I'm angry with him for inflicting so much pain to SO many people. But at the same time, I also feel a bit sorry for him. Being Islamic, he doesn't know the wonderful peace and joy of our YHWH. And because of what he's done today, he's shamed his family, himself and shed a poor light on his fellow Islamics. Even those that are not radical, but are simply the folks next door. I have friends that are Islamic....they are wonderfully kind, sweet folks who accept us as we are just as we accept them the way they are. Now all Islamics look like folks you need to beware of. That's not right....he didn't have the right to do that!!!! Now he's killed his military career, and most likely any civilian career also. In fact, I think it's fairly safe to say he's now a 'dead man walking'. If he's not sent to prison for the rest of his life for the deaths of those 12 soldiers, he's a walking target for someone angry enough to kill him for what he's done. Here in Texas, we take the 2nd amendment seriously and most everyone has a gun in the house, plus you don't forget your manners when you're visiting from out of state...we'll happily send you home! So he's not only forgotten his manners, he done messed with our military! That's not wise when you're in a state that still remembers the wild west....if you get my drift.

On a brighter side, (I always have to find that brighter side you know!Grin) immediately after the shootings, as soon as the area was no longer on lockdown, there must have been 47 churches that opened their doors for any and all to come for counseling, prayer or just to be with someone else. Schools stayed opened and kept kids until parents could come get them (many parents were caught in the lockdown on base), civilian counselors began offering their services for any that needed them, the whole town and even the surrounding areas all joined hands, closed ranks and began working together to ease the shock, horror and fear of what was going on on the base. It was incredible to see. Even the hospital that Dodi used to have to go to for his bloodwork, took in 10 of the injured and then closed the hospital to the public so the famlies of the injured could have some privacy. Now for a major hospital to close themselves to the public (they had a couple check in doors you could enter after screening if you had someone already in the hospital) and deny the press access to the hospital is pretty awesome. They shut their doors to extra money and respected the families of those injured. Judging from what I saw on my facebook page, there were almost immediately prayers going up from all over the country for all involved as soon as the news broke. So I am thankful that so many folks from so many places who had no involvment or really even interest in what was going on here in Texas took the time to pray for all involved. I'm  so thankful to YHWH that neither of our boys were there.....and that I was safely here at home with my darling Little Critter, that so far as we can tell none of our friends were on base at the time so weren't involved, and that instead of shrugging shoulders and saying "It doesn't involve me, why should I care?!" all the surrounding towns jumped up to help in whatever ways they could. It was almost like 9-11. For a few hours, everyone forgot about religions, politics, race...we were all just Americans and we'd been attacked. We joined together to help each other, to pray for each other, to listen to each other. So while my little heart is breaking, it's also rejoicing. HaSatan may think he rules this world, but for a few hours, I got a glimpse of what heaven would be like. Everyone working together to help each other.

Well, my friends, be sure you take the time today to tell those you love how you feel, hug those close to you, share your heart with those not nearby and don't forget to thank Papa for all the blessings He's given you. Life is short....the times are hard....and the night is on us. But we also know that joy comes in the morning! Shalom, Spitfire

More "new" things from Torah.....

Is it just me or are others seeing things in Scripture that they've never noticed before?! I'm beginning to think I've never read these verses before....except I know that to be false! I've read these repeatedly for several years!!!! Sigh. Perhaps my eyes were just not open. But let me continue.....

This week Little Critter and I were reading the Torah portions for this week....We were reading Genesis 12-17:27. Now I divide the readings up into a couple chapters a day for the week. So we read Chapters 12-13 Monday and I noticed something I've never noticed before. It was like Papa had highlighted it to tell me something....In Chapter 12:1 it says " Now YHWH said to Avram, (Abram), "Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you." Ok, now jump down to verse 4, it says "So Avram went, as YHWH had said to him, and Lot went with him."

Did you see that? YHWH said go away from your kinsmen and then it says Lot went with him.....hmmm. So does this mean Avram disobeyed? Now I understand that Lot was Avram's nephew and that Lot's father had died young. So presumably Avram had jumped in to be a father figure for the young nephew...so did Lot go along as a member of Avram's family? I don't have an answer for this. But if you know the story of Avram and Lot you know that by Chapter 13 verse 6, there's trouble between Lot and his herdsmen and Avram and his herdsmen. Now, call me silly, but it would seem to me that if my father had died, my uncle took me in and treated me like one of his own kids, let me travel all over the countryside with him while providing for me and then found a nice place for me to live nearby his place, that I'd see to it that my 'herdsmen' kept a civil tongue in their mouths!!! I mean after all, from what the Torah tells us it appears Lot really had it made. Just hang around with his Aunt and Uncle and grow fat and wealthy. But there's trouble and Avram tells Lot to choose which side of the property he wants so that the two groups of family won't fight. Lot, of course, chooses the river property that was the more fertile for himself. Avram goes to the less fertile area. But then has to keep going back to rescue Lot and his family. Now, what's wrong with that picture?! Well, it appears that Lot didn't learn the lessons Avram had tried to teach him about Papa and didn't teach his children better either. So he repeatedly makes poor choices and Avram repeatedly has to save him from himself and his poor choices.

The point I got from this was that we do the same thing! Papa tells us how to live and be pleasing to Him and have all His blessings in Torah. But we repeatedly make poor choices and choose to do things that are not pleasing to Papa or we compromise what we know is the right thing to do and then have to be rescued from our poor choices. We refuse to 'leave our kinsmen' and go where Papa tells us to go. He's called each believer to be 'a called out group' and 'a company of priests' in His service. But do we do that? Are we really different from the world around us? Or are we indistinguishable from heathens all over the world? Hmmmm.

This may get me in trouble, but I'm going to say it anyway...and if I offend someone, I'm sorry. Truly. But all around me there's all sort of Halloween junk. Is this something we as believers should have anything to do with? Or is this another example of  not 'leaving our kinsmen'? Let me explain. What is Halloween? Its the evening of All Hallow's Eve. A night of remembering the dead...any light bulbs going off yet? Ok, I realize most of us dressed up as kids and went trick or treating. But look at what is going on today and compare it to 20-30 years ago. Is it the same? Of course not! Everything about Halloween is now uglier, more gruesome, more bloody and just overall dark. Does that sound like something that Papa would be encouraging? Would the One who created all life suddenly be all in favor of celebrating the dead?!? I don't think so. I know many churches and "Christian" groups have changed the names to Fall Festivals or Harvest Feasts, but isn't it still just a Halloween party with a different name? If you want a feast or a festival, Papa gave us several to choose from in Leviticus 23. Sukkot is a wonderful festival. It's fun, it celebrates the end of the harvests, there's TONS of food, (always healthy in our house, but that's just us) lots of singing, dancing, playing games....awesome family time. So why would believers feel that a celebration of the dead is better than Sukkot? Hmmm. I don't know. Perhaps they haven't been taught about the feasts of YHWH. Perhaps they've been told they don't HAVE to celebrate those feast/festivals anymore. Folks, those are lies from the same heathen who says Halloween is the best holiday to celebrate. He's also the one who is the father of death, ugliness, and darkness. Now, I realize someone will say that Leviticus 23 was for the Hebrews (or Israelites) but where do you think Christianity came from?!?! Yeshua didn't come to create a new religioin....He wanted to create relationships! So I feel it important, especially at this time, to make sure we're in relationship with Papa and that we're willing to 'leave our kinsmen' and follow where Papa tells us to go. It's time all believers (irregardless of religion or denomination) join together and become that 'fellowship of believers', that 'company of priests' and that 'holy and set apart nation' that we've been called to be. It's time to 'leave our kinsmen' and return to our Father's house...a house of prayer for all nations.

So as we get closer and closer to that awful night called Halloween, I pray you each choose to 'leave your kinsmen' and follow instead the steps of the Father. May each of you be blessed this week. Shalom, Spitfire

Mind boggling words this week

This week's Torah portions included Genesis 1-6:8, Matthew 1 & 2 and from the Prophets, Isaiah 42:5-43:10. So Little Critter and I read them during the week. (I split the readings up and we do a couple chapters a day. That way we have time to discuss and talk about them and he can learn more from them.) Well, I have to admit, we were both comforted as we read the creation story and the birth of Yeshua in Matthew. But when we read Isaiah...I was just stunned at how beautiful those words are. I've read them many times before, but all of a sudden this week, several phrases just jumped out at me. So I'd like to share them with you, my friends.

First, in this passage of Isaiah, YHWH is talking through Isaiah to not only the people of  Israel, but talking TO Yeshua....and also to US. That's what struck me this week, YHWH was talking to US!!!! Too cool. Ok, so if we look in Isaiah 42:6, look at this phrase:"I am YHWH, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you...." Now, imagine the young Yeshua studying his Torah lesson and seeing that. Can you imagine how wonderful He felt to know it was Papa talking to His Son?!?! Even now, when I read it, it makes me feel so incredibly loved and special...He's called me, He's holding my hand and watching over me. Even ME!!! Whew. Kinda makes ya feel you can go out and do incredible things, doesn't it. Well, before you run out to make the world so much better a place than it is right now, please hang on a minute...there's more. Yep, there's more.

Jump down to Isaiah 43:1-3. Have ya found it? Let me help you..."But now says YHWH who formed you O Ya'ackov (Jacob); and He who made you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I called you by name; you are MINE! When you pass thru the waters, I will be with you...."

Did cha catch that? "Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are MINE!" Jumping Jehoshaphat!!! Doesn't that just make your heart swell? He calls us by name...we are HIS! Ok, I'm ready to start dancing now. Happy dancing, happy dancing. He knows my name. He's called me by that name. I am HIS!!!! Now for those who are wondering why this is so exciting for me. Let me explain. I'm not any great beauty, my younger sister was the beauty. My youngest sister had a figure to die for and all the boys eyed her...in fact, I didn't have a figure until after age 40! True story, I was still getting asked for ID when I'd go get wine for Shabbat after Dodi and I got married...I was 36 years old!!!!!! I grew up with speech problems so got teased all the time and was severely hearing impaired (though no one realized it till I was 27 years old...all just thought I talked funny. LOL!) I was told often that I was 'piddly' (meaning unimportant, not worth much) and inconsequential by family members....I believed it for years. I was (and still am to a large extent) the odd one in the family. Now, don't get me wrong, my family is wonderful....but I didn't quite fit in. (Still don't) So for the creator of the universe to know my name and call me important enough for Him to take notice of me is thrilling to me. But don't we each feel that way sometimes? Kinda like we're invisible to those we love the most? Well, dear friends, now you know...Elohim (Almighty G-d) knows your name and calls you HIS! Pretty cool huh?

Keep going...it just keeps on getting better and better!!!Down in verses 4 and 5 He tells us "Since you were precious in My eyes, you are honored, and I love you;and I give men instead of you and peoples instead of your soul. Fear not, for I AM with you;"  Didn't I tell you it got better?! See, no matter how dark and disparate it looks around us, no matter what our leaders attempt to do or take from us, we who believe in Yeshua are honored and loved and YHWH is with us. So there's no need to be afraid. If He created all we see, and provides food and shelter for the birds of the air wouldn't He also take care of us? Of course He will. He just told us He is with us....He knows our names, holds our hands,  He loves us and is with us...always. WOW!!! So while I may get momentarily angry or irritated with what politicians are doing or not doing, with the goof that just cut me off in traffic, or the teenager that just dumped the leftovers of his Happy Meal in my yard while yelling obscenities at Little Critter or I....I'm not afraid. Papa's with us. He will take care of all of it. And He'll do it in such a way that those who don't know Him will understand He did took care of the problem. He Does stand by His words. And He loves us. Whew! So awesome.

So as we go into another week, my friends. Never forget what we read today. He knows your name, He holds your hand, loves you and will be with you....though it all. So stand proud, be fearless, listen  for and follow His voice and do great things for His honor. Now, let's go through this week praising Him and making this world a better place. Shalom, Spitfire

Life is going on.....and on....and on

Folks, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in the last 10 days...it's been more hectic than normal  and  I haven't taken the time to write much more than checks!!! LOL! Oh,well. Things will get better.....one day. Let me catch you up on what's going on.

We didn't get to spend nearly as much time in our Sukkah as we'd hoped. Between the rain, the colder weather and Dodi fighting the flu....well, I know Papa will understand. We had a blast the few times we did get to spend time in it. And are now plotting and planning how to make it better next year. (with more room for some small cots to sleep on...one for each of us even!!!!!) We did get to celebrate several times with our fellowship at the corporate Sukkah. That was fun...it was way different from what we normally do, but it was fun even so. We're truly blessed to have found a group of like minded believers!!!!

After Sukkah ended, we danced ourselves silly with Simchat Torah. This is a celebration found in Leviticus 23:35.It is a celebration of finishing the yearly Torah portions and beginning again on them.It also denotes the end of Sukkah. It's a day to praise, sing, and dance with the Torah. The Torah is held by various members of the Synagogue while they dance to music and is passed to others. Most all are eligible to hold the Torah and dance with it. It is an absolutely thrilling thing to be able to dance with a scroll written so many years ago and dictated by YHWH Himself! Whew! I thought sure I'd lost several pounds after all that dancing.....unfortunately, those pesky pounds seemed to find me again latter in the week.......oh boo.

Little Critter and I have restarted school in earnest again. We had been doing our Torah studies and some other reading, but not all subjects...kinda waiting on Simchat Torah to restart everything all at once. So Monday we restarted. We did Torah study, new word for the day, Hebrew practice, spelling, , science, some art, listened to music and discussed rhythm, and math. Didn't get to History/geography, but not to bad for a first day back. We were also somewhat slowed down due to Dodi being home sick.....bless his heart. He finally admitted he felt horrible, and missed two days of school. (something that doesn't happen often during football season!!!) Tuesday turned into a horrible, awful, no good day....Little Critter woke up cranky, Dodi felt better, (thank Yah!) but I woke up from sleeping on the loveseat feeling like a human pretzel being unwrapped. So we didn't get much done Tuesday. Today has been MUCH better!!!! Dodi's back at work, Little Critter woke up much more cheerful and has worked really hard to make up his work missed from yesterday as well as do today's work. Even the Sun came out today to allow me to FINALLY get some laundry done! So we're dancing again....well, OK, maybe not dancing, but at least we're smiling! Points in our favor! LOL!

I hope each of you have had a wonderful and blessed week while I was overwhelmed here. Somehow it seemed there was not enough hours in any of my days to get all my stuff done. And I have no doubts it will happen again...but I have a plan to make sure I don't get overwhelmed again. I just remind myself "I can do all things thru Yeshua who strengthens me", then I remind myself to 'rejoice, and again I say rejoice in everything!" I find that if I do this, I get three times as much done, no one gets too cranky with me, and I don't get so cranky with anyone else. It truly makes life more pleasant...even in unpleasant situations.

So my sweet friends, keep reminding yourselves how precious you are to Abba (Father), spend plenty of time in His Love Letter to you, and just know it will get better....also know I pray for you daily even if I don't always say anything on your blogs.... I read them all. Shalom, Spitfire

Sukkot 2009

Well, we did it! We got the Sukkah built in record time. Of course most of this has to do with Dodi helping...and our deciding we really could afford to spend a few dollars to buy wood to build it out of...instead of using the bamboo cane we normally gather along the roadsides....but I digress.

Some have heard me speak of our first couple of Sukkot. Flimsy doesn't begin to describe them...in fact I have it from a reliable source that there were 2 battalions of angels holding the silly thing together the first year Little Critter and I build a Sukkah. We had NO clue what we were doing....we only knew Torah had said in Leviticus 23 that this was to be a permanent celebration for all generations. And we were going to do the best we could to build a Sukkah or die trying! (the latter could have easily happened if not for the afore mentioned battalions of angels....)So below is a couple pictures of the second year we build our Sukkah. It's only slightly better than the first year. (But I don't seem to have pictures of the first year.......oh boo Nanc!!!)

See how Little Critter is having to brace the sides....and we had no roof for fear the whole thing would collapse on us! It was pathetic...but we were SO proud of ourselves. We cut the bamboo, stripped all the leaves off, wired the lattice on and prayed real hard whenever anyone was inside it......

Well, this year, Dodi and I determined we needed to do something a bit better. (construction wise) So I bought some lumber and Dodi helped Little Critter and I nail everything together. We even got to decorate this year! We'd been afraid to the last 3 years for fear the weight of a couple sheets of paper would be more than the walls could hold up...LOL! So here are some pictures of this year's Sukkah.

The green stool is for our Shabbat candles and wine glass.  We'll sit in the chairs. This first pic is late afternoon on Friday, 2 October 2009. We have the whole thing slightly under the carport in case of rain.(we have 60% chance of rain all week.....figures heh.)

The Indian Wind Catcher is symbolic of the Thunderbird shield Dodi's
ancestors would have carried. Dodi is Native American or American Indian. So we wanted to include some of his heritage in our Sukkah...since he'll be gone much of the week with school and football. This way, there's a part of him in the Sukkah with us! Grin. And the row of  TV trays will be our 'table' for all the food....See our cane for our roof? Isn't it beautiful!?! (this is where you politely agree....I have cuts and scrapes all over me getting that silly stuff!!!!)

This is what it looked like after we'd lit the candles and Tiki torches. That's Dear Cousin's leg you see at the left...didn't realize I'd gotten him in the picture too. Our Lulav and Lemon (couldn't get a Citron) are in front of the candles on the stool. Doesn't it look better than those first ones?! (again, this is where you politely agree....even if you liked the pathetic one!!!!!) We even have a couple woven mats on the floor to make it a little nicer. I feel kinda like we've gotten our first 'home' instead of a rented apartment on the ghetto side of town. Pardon my pride please. But I think even Papa is pleased with this Sukkah! After 3 years of hearing Him giggle and laugh out loud at our versions of Sukkot, tonight as we prayed and praised Him....I heard no giggles, snickers or laughs....only angels joining us in praising Him. Now if it just doesn't rain tomorrow night, we may even get to sleep in it! I'm hoping next year to make it a little bigger so we can have friends come join us...and be inside the Sukkah. But I believe we're off to a great start. I'll update later in the week...and let you know how many nights Little Critter and I slept out on the ground in our Sukkah! (I think I hear my bones screaming already!?!! LOL!)

So my friends, whether you celebrate Sukkot or not, enjoy this week of meeting with Papa and have a blessed week. Our's is already off to a great start! Grin. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Sukkot! Spitfire

High Holiday over....now back to life

Please forgive my absence for the last week,my friends. We celebrated the High Holiday of  Yom Kippur and since this is the first time we've had a fellowship to celebrate with, it involved a bit more of my time (and kitchen) than I expected. Grin. Now that we've finished our Days of Awe (focusing on Papa's instructions to us and where we need to personally improve or need to make adjustments to our understanding) and our Day of Atonement (a 25 hour complete fast....no food, no water, no coffee...gasp! NO COFFEE?!?!?! ) I am pleased to state that we survived, enjoyed and grew both individually and as a family. Even Little Critter decided he needed to fast (even though we explained that as a child he was exempt). He made it 18 hours before he couldn't stand it and had to eat a half a banana. (I offered the whole naner, or some real food, but he refused.) So we were all proud of his determination to learn to lean on Papa to help him do something really hard for him. (I also kept our activities to an absolute minimum! Like, get dressed and make beds only....LOL!)

So now it's back to real life.....with the only notable difference being Little Critter and I will be working on building our Succah this week. We both look forward to this season best of all! This is known as the Feast of Tabernacles (found in Leviticus 23:34-43.Deuteronomy 16:13-16, John 7: 2,14). It's a wonderful celebration, and of course Little Critter LOVES both the making of our Succah, but  also the eating and sleeping in it too. So as we work on the building of this 'amazing house' (spoken with deep gratitude to Papa who keeps the silly thing from falling on our heads and annihilating us!!!) I'm sure there will be pictures and wonderful stories to share. I look forward to sharing this next adventure with you.

We also will have to begin to work on his popcorn sales for Cub Scouts...he's actually inWebelos, and reminds me regularly that he's no longer a cub scout...but in Boy Scouts, there's two major levels with several more levels within the two big ones....ah 9yo boys....such sticklers for precision when it applies to them being grown up and refusal to allow the same precision to be applied to their responsibilities. Gotta love 'em...grin.

Dodi's blood sugars are continuing to come down lower and lower. He even fasted with no ill effects...and only had to take half his meds while doing it! Papa is SO wonderful!!!! We're now waiting for Dodi to no longer having to take any meds. Papa can do it....

So my friends, I pray that as we start the New Hebraic Year, that your new year is blessed beyond your ability to imagine, with an abundance of  love letters from our Papa. Shalom, Spitfire

Who says miracles no longer happen?!?!

Well, folks, I am SO excited!!!! I have something truly amazing to tell you about. Let me give a little background first so that the magnitude of this announcement is understood.

Dodi and I were married about 4 or 5 years when he was diagnosed with diabetes. It runs in his family so it wasn't a horribly big surprise, but it was a bit of a shock non the less. Dodi is a large man....he stands a little over 6'3" and was maybe 40-50 lbs overweight. But we thought we were doing a pretty good job eating healthy foods and avoiding those foods that weren't good for us. So I dove in feet first into researching all I could find out about diabetes and how to control it with as little medications as possible. So we modified our diet and worked on more regular exercise....although with Dodi being a coach, he got quite a bit of exercise to start with.
For close to 5 years we controlled his diabetes with mostly diet and only 1 pill a day. Then, with time, it started to get harder and harder for that 1 pill to control the sugar levels. For the next 15 years his blood sugars were controlled with diet, and increasing amounts of medications. This was frustrating to us, but what could you do?! The doctors kept urging us to follow the American Diabetic Association's diet  plan... but there was something about that plan that really bugged us. So we developed our own plan...one that cut down on sugars unless natural sugars found in fruits and veggies, using honey for sweetner in cooking, ect.  I continued to track research in diabetes and we tried various diet programs trying to get on top of this insidious disease....to no avail. His blood sugars kept going up. So this past summer our family doctor referred us to a Hematology Specialist. (specialist in blood issues). The specialist was horrible! I think I posted on his attitude of  "well, this is what happens when you poison your body and don't do what you should." (Needless to say, since I do the cooking, I was NOT a happy camper with his attitude or his words!!!!) This same specialist told us there was nothing else to be done but to begin insulin shots. I asked about some new glucose inhibitors I'd read about and was told "you're not a scientist, you couldn't possibly understand what you're taking about". (red hair now standing on end!!!!) Then he ended the visit with "You will begin with insulin and your only choice is whether you want 1 shot a day or 4 shots." We explained we'd just started a new diet plan, and a holistic approach to the diabetes. He told us it would do no good and we had to follow his advice. So in June, Dodi began his insulin shots everyday. He hates them, I hate them, and I absolutely despise what the insulin has done to his energy levels, his well being and the frequent 'crashes' when his blood sugar drops down below 50! 

Well, the first of September we had to choose our insurance carrier for this new school year. Our previous carrier was going to charge us $600 a month for Dodi and Little Critter to have insurance! Plus $25-$50 per Dr.'s visit and they would only pay a portion of  Dodi's meds. This meant our medical/insurance bill was going to go from about $150 a month to closer to $500 a month. So we looked thru the choices the school district gave us, and changed insurance carriers. This meant we had to change doctors also. (Our family doctor retired effective 9-1, so we'd have had to change doctors anyhow.) The new doctor believes in holistic health. She also ordered new blood work and further tests on Dodi. Today we went back to see her. (this is where the amazing thing comes in.....keep reading!)

It seems that Dodi's HDL (good cholesterol) is a little low, so she suggested he start eating a few almonds daily. OK, easy enough to do. Then she said his LDL (bad cholesterol) was fine, blood counts were good, prostate looked great, ect, ect, and then...Oh, this isn't good. We asked what wasn't good and she said his A1C. (This is an average of his blood sugars for the last 30 days...the blood cells keep a record of the sugar amounts in them for 30 days. Isn't that amazing in itself?!) Well, the A1C was 7.1 which is wonderful when you consider that back in June it was 13.8!!! (Over about 10 or 11, the sugars in the blood stream start damaging internal organs, eyes and extremities.) She showed us where his A1C needs to be 6.7 or below, but agreed that to pull it down almost in half in less than 4 months was pretty amazing. Then she looked at his log of blood sugar counts for the last 2 weeks, we told her about the several 'crashes' he'd been having and she said the most amazing and miraculous thing....she said "Stop taking the insulin".We both said 'Excuse me!?!" And she said, she could control his blood sugars with pills instead of having to use the insulin if we'd continue on the diet plan we're on. We follow a Biblical diet!!!! So our miracle is that the doctor has taken Dodi OFF insulin!!!! Dr's NEVER take diabetics off insulin....they always increase the amounts of insulin. But Dodi is OFF insulin!!!!! Oh, I am SO pumped!!!!! I  am happy dancing all over the place!! I realize this doesn't mean Dodi's diabetes is cured.....yet. But my next goal is to refine our diet to the point he IS cured and no longer needs to even take oral medication for diabetes. It's a big goal, but I know that "I can do ALL things thru He who gives me power." Phil 4:13

For those who don't believe this is a miracle....well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But for those of you who have diabetes, know someone who does or understand diabetes, you'll understand. And we owe it all to Papa. In Genesis 1:29, Papa tells us what He prepared for us to eat. Then in Leviticus 3:17 He added that we should eat neither fat nor blood....ever! (Those belong to YHWH) And in Leviticus 11 YHWH tells us in fairly plain language what is acceptable to eat and what is not acceptable. We are finding that if we follow those instructions, we do not look or feel as bad as we did before we started following Torah. In fact, we have more energy and accomplish more than some of our kids!!! Papa  knew how He'd designed our bodies and what they'd need to efficient operation....so if we follow His instructions, miracles truly DO happen!

I pray you will find your miracles awaiting  you in His Love Letter to you, dear friends. I thank Papa daily for each one of you and lift you up to His throne each day during our time together. Be blessed, know you are loved and experience His love. Shalom, Spitfire

Finishing Psalm 27

Ok, now that we've made it thru the first of the Days of Awe...the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, let's work at finishing Psalm 27. The following verses are some of the most powerful in my humble opinion. So let's get going.......

"11.Teach me Your ways Adonai; lead me on a level path because of my enemies-12. don't give me up to the whims of my foes; for false witnesses have risen against me., also those who are breathing violence.

13. If I hadn't believed that I would see Adonai's goodness in the land of the living...
14. Put your hope in Adonai, be strong and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in Adonai!"

Isn't that awesome!?! Can you imagine the Creator of the Universe teaching you His ways?! It just gives me goosebumps to think of it!!!! I want with all my heart for Him to teach me His ways! I wouldn't mind a level path just to make my life a little easier....but then again if it was too level, I might forget all I owe Him for His mercies towards me. So while my life often gets hectic and I often become frazzled....I really can't complain. We always have food to eat (even if not always our favorite things to eat), we have a great house (with only a couple leaks....Grin) we live in a great town, in a wonderful state, in a wonderful country....the only way things could get better, I reckon, would be to be living in Israel during the 1000 year reign of Yeshua. (Jesus).

But look at that last line....One interpretation of that phrase 'put your hope in Adonai' states that a more correct translation would be 'wait on Adonai' , to wait for His perfect timing. So as we watch our country being torn apart by divisive forces, and our world getting darker and darker in terms of morality, sanctity of life, and just manners in general, take heart. "Put your hope in Adonai and be strong. Let your heart take courage!" Adonai is still in control. He's not at all surprised by what's going on. He knows what He's doing.

I was listening to a speaker tonight, who stated that if we wanted to know what's going on in our world, reread Exodus 1-3. It talks about a new Pharaoh coming to power who didn't know Joseph or the covenent made with Joseph. And he began to institute laws to keep the Israelites from leaving Egypt...by oppressing them. The speaker (Bill Cloud) then stated that when President Obama was being inaugurated, the Torah portion came from Exodus 1-3....and that YHWH had done this not to punish the Israelites, but to draw them out of Egypt. But first, they had to relearn how to depend on YHWH....not on the Egyptian system to take care of them. (Anyone see some parallels?!) It was a very interesting speech.  And as I looked thru Exodus 1-3, I was struck by the similarities. Perhaps what's going on now in the US is to get us to stop waiting for the Government to take care of everything for us and lead us back into depending on Him who loves us more than anything. Perhaps if we'd learn to put our trust in YHWH and put our hope (or wait on His timing) in Him instead of having to have everything we want right this minute, we'd see a great change come about not only in this country.....but in the world. Or perhaps....just maybe, we'd hear a loud trumpet call...and see a magnificent white horse....It's a thought.

Well, my dear friends, I pray you have a blessed week. I pray those of you who just celebrated Rosh Hashana were renewed and blessed, that those who celebrate it next weekend will also be renewed, strengthened and blessed, and that those of you who don't celebrate the Feasts and Festivals of YHWH would have a great, blessed week....and feel drawn to celebrating with us. (Only because the Torah (Bible) tells us to and because it is SO enlightening, and fun to boot!) Pray for my Mom please. It appears she had a mini stroke this past week.....and this worries my Dad and I. Now I pray for each of you daily. Shalom, spitfire 

Certifiable????

Friends, I think it may now be that I've crossed that line into certifiable! Yep, in a moment of insanity, I agreed to help coach Little Critter's soccer team....Now before you all say "SO?!" let me remind you that I am no longer a spring chick. Ok, I'm probably not even a summer chick any longer. Keep in mind our eldest foster son is 29...OK, now you're getting the picture. So what in the name of sanity made me agree to this idiocy?!?! All I can plead is insanity. We had 7 boys (9 and 10 yo boys) with no coach. And the head of the soccer league said he had a mom (who's never coached anything and knows less about soccer than I do)who agreed to be a coach if she had someone to help. I got chosen....sigh. What is that little three letter word I keep forgetting at strategic times???? Hmmm. Well, I did help coach 2 years ago, and was made head coach when the man coaching had his shift at work changed to second shift.....OK, I'll do it.

Well, Monday was our first practice....Fortunately 6 of the 7 boys have played soccer before so it's mostly getting them to play as a team, with a little extra practice for the one child. OK, we can do this! So I'm kicking the balls to them for them to block and then kick back to me.....I jammed my big toe. Don't know how I did it, but by the time we finished our 1 1/2 hour practice, I could hardly walk! Dodi looked at it, prescribed a cold washrag which Little Critter took maniacal pleasure in getting for me.....(I HATE being cold! So the little rat filled that washrag with ice! And then grinned the whole time he held it on my poor swollen bare toe!!! LOL!) So I determined that perhaps I didn't need to kick so many balls to them at the next practice. Great plan! But it backfired on me.....sigh.

Thursday was our next practice. The toe was better....at least no so swollen so I could put  my tennis shoes on. Off to practice we go as soon as I get off work. (I work part time) We're having a great practice, but when it came time to set them in their positions for our game this weekend, there was no one to play the opposing team. Well, I got one of the little brothers to come help me and said we'd be the opposing team. (Yep, I just don't learn do I?!) So I punt the ball into the middle of their positions, and the race is on....they kick to each other, they're passing the ball, running for the goal...Oh good grief! That's MY goal! I take off down the field trying to block the kick for a goal and take a flying leap missing the ball completely but land on my belly in the goal zone. The boys hoop and hollar for the point they made...I pick myself up thinking there's something wrong with this picture...but not yet sure what's wrong here. (Yes, sometimes I'm not the brightest crayon in the box!) So we all line up again and I again punt the ball into their midst, they start passing the ball beautifully, heading again for my goal, but this time I'm smarter! I run into the mix and start trying to steal the ball from them!! That'll teach those little wormy boys!!!! Yea.

Unfortunately, my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, so as I'm trying to steal the ball, I land on TOP of the ball instead of behind it...the ball rolls....my foot goes with it.....and SPLAT! I'm doing the splits..sideways. ARGGGGGG! As I'm sitting there looking at my legs going in opposite directions, I realize there's this horrible burning pain in my left groin area....OH NO!!! Of course the boys don't realize anything's wrong until they've finished scoring on me again. (WORMS!) Then as I'm dragging my body off the ground, muttering "I'm too old for this nonsense!!!!" They exclaim, "But Miss, you did that really well!!! Besides, your cool for being so old!!!!" Awww. Aren't they wonderful little worms!?!?

So tonight, I'm thankful that I have to do nothing but stand on the sidelines during our game this weekend, and that our next practice isn't until next week!!!! That gives Papa plenty of time to bind these old bones back together and strengthen them!!(Or give them some better flexibility.....I'm not sure which I need more of) And I'm also thankful that Sukkot isn't for another week so I have time to heal a little before Little Critter and I start building our Succa. (that's another blogpost.....) Now I just have to figure out how to get all my cooking done tomorrow for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanna without having to get out of my chair here.....LOL!

Hope each of you learn from my mistakes here and don't forget to make sure your brains have functioning cells before you open your mouths....I'd hate for anyone else to follow my example....it's painful. Of course I'm going to tell everyone this is my weight loss program. Yea, hurt yourself so you can't walk into the kitchen to get any food and you're sure to loose weight!!!!! After soccer season I think I'll work on a less painful method of loosing those last few pesky pounds! Be blessed, enjoy a giggle or two on me tonight, and know I'm thankful for friends who will laugh with me....at me. Shalom, and Shana Tova Umetukah (blessed and sweet new year). a very sore Spitfire

PS Lest anyone think I'm really complaining....I really would do this again in a heart beat!!! This will most likely be LittleCritter's last year to play soccer (no leagues for the older kids yet)and the precious memories we're making are priceless! If my being in pain a few days is all it takes to make these kinds of memories, I'll gladly do it. Before too much longer, he'll be a teen and no longer want to do things with Mom. So I'll eat it up while I can!!! And thank Papa for allowing me to have the privilege of being Little Critter's Mom!

A time to mourn...a time to rejoice

This has been a rough week. Last Shabbat Dodi got a phone call that one of our former students, one of his football players had died. We of course, were shocked! We knew Darryn was in the military and were quite proud of his service and the wonderful young man he'd become. But to find he'd died?! He's not much more than a kid....how in the world could he be dead? And what of his family??? Oh, heavens. This is horrible. They just lost their only daughter a few years ago to a rare (and fast acting) cancer. Now one of the twins?! Sigh. Heavy heart.....and tons of prayers for the family and all the friends of this young man. 

When I wrote my last post, the one about 9-11, these things were heavy on my heart. I knew then that Darryn was on his way home for burial...I also knew he had married and had a young son. My heart was breaking for them. Then the details started coming out. WOW! To think we'd known him when he was still a wet behind the neck kid....sometimes a bit squirrely, always going full blast, but a good kid. Well, I digress....let me continue.

Friday morning, as I'm preparing homemade applesauce and roasted chicken for Shabbat dinner, we get a phone call. It's the neighbor letting us know Darryn's motorcade is going to be coming up the street in a few minutes...Little Critter and I drop everything, grab our shoes and the US flag off the front porch and run out back to help the school welcome Darryn home. This weekend was home coming. And now one of our own was coming home....on 9-11....in a casket. The irony of the situation did not pass me by.

If you look (very carefully I'm afraid) just even with the police car is the tip of another flag...that's Little Critter and I. Did cha find us? Oh well. Little Critter (who never knew Darryn, but knows Darryn's father) was proudly standing at Boy Scout attention holding our flag against his belly and smartly saluting the motorcade. I turned my head so he wouldn't see my tears....my baby was growing up....and another Mom, one I know personally, would never see her baby again. sigh.

The Patriot Guard flanked the hearse and then followed it with about 15-20 motorcycles, flags waving proudly in the wind. Cars from local police, sheriff, and constables were in the motorcade...and then the family. My heart just broke for them. And then swelled with pride as the students and parents lining the street silently raised their index fingers (like in 'we're number 1). This is a tradition that occurs each time the School song is played. And these kids, most of whom were too young to even know Darryn, were standing there giving him a home coming welcome....with tears running down their young faces.

Friday afternoon, we went to the viewing....saw many of our friends there. Met his wife, pregnant with their daughter who's arrival is expected in time for Christmas. Did you hear that? That was my heart breaking a little more for the baby girl that will never meet her father....and the two year old son who will soon have no memories of the fun he had with his daddy. Gulp.

Shabbat we went to the funeral. It was a beautiful service (if you can say that about funerals of young people...) and during the service, one of the military commanders told the crowd that Darryn had died a hero. He was riding in a humvee when they took gun fire, he saw an IED coming at the humvee and shoved three other soldiers to the floor of the vehicle. They all survived....but Darryn took the full hit. CRACK. Now my heart was broken into a million pieces. Here we'd had a true blue, real life hero in our midst years ago and never even knew it! An example for Little Critter of the words of Yeshua come to life...."No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends" (Yochanan (John)15:13). It made the Shabbath service later this evening more bittersweet. As we sang the songs and listened to an incredibly timely teaching, I couldn't help but remember another mother....one I know and one I've only read about. Both of whom lost their sons early in life....both of whom freely and gracefully gave their best for the betterment of mankind. I am humbled. My role as a mother is more clearly defined.....I have lots of work to do, but my job is made easier by those who've gone before me, giving me real examples of real heroes for Little Critter to emulate.

Papa, thank you for determining that even when it's a time to mourn, You would supply opportunities to rejoice at the same time. Rejoice in the life of a young man who heard your voice, followed it all the way to Your Gates and set an example of valor for those that follow him. Please bless Darryn's family and his friends. Hold them close to Your heart and comfort them as only You can do. Todah Abba. Shalom, spitfire

A Reminder from Papa

 

Today is a day to remember...to remember one of the most horrible days in modern history. A day that affected not only America, but most every country in the world. A day that affected almost 3000 families...and not in a helpful way. A day that many asked "Where was G-d?!"

But I suggest that Papa was there all the time. Did He allow the disaster that happened that day? Perhaps. We know He didn't prevent it occuring...because it did happen. But does that mean He wasn't there? I don't think so. I believe that in the midst of all that horror, He was watching and waiting. And each and every time someone called out to Him, He rushed to the side of that person, reminding them of His love for them, comforting them, protecting some and for those who had accomplished their purpose here..He released them from the horror of the situation and took them home. 

Most everyone over the age of 10 remembers where they were and what they were doing that day. For those of us old enough, it's like the day President John F Kennedy was shot. A day that will live forever in our minds and forever bring a pain to our hearts. A day that changed America....

As we go through this day today, I suggest we all need to remember what happened on this day 8 years ago. Remember all those innocent folks that died...the mothers,fathers, brothers, sisters, children, spouses. We need to remember the families that were forever changed in such a horrific way...the parents whose child died, the children who's parents never came home from work that day, the brothers and sisters who will never again get to share secrets/jokes/hugs with their siblings, the spouses that will live the rest of their lives with holes in their hearts....but also remember that Papa in His infinite mercy and love was there. He knew from the beginning of time that day would occur. He knew from the beginning of time the heroes that would need to spring from nowhere to unselfishly and inflinchingly give all they had to save/comfort/rescue/treat others. And He made sure those heroes were where they needed to be so they could be His hands and feet, His eyes and ears, His mouth speaking soothingly or comfortingly to those that grieved, or hurt, or were frightened.

I pray this day, while solemn, also be a celebration of the lives of those that died, the contributions of the heroes we didn't know we had, and the awe inspiring love that was demonstrated by people all over the world as for a little while, differences were forgotten and we were all children of Papa. May He give comfort and strength to the families that experienced loss, wisdom and compassion to those who only watched the disaster from afar, and a knowledge for all that though that day was painful and nightmarish, He was there. Just as He has been in every disaster since Noah's flood. Just waiting for us to call out to Him, whispering in our ears how much He adores us. May those called by His Name, remind each other and tell those that don't know...and may His peace dwell with us all. Shalom, spitfire

My heart's cry

As we continue going thru Psalm 27, verses 7-10 speak to my heart SO much. See what you think.

7. Listen, YHWH, to my voice when I cry; show favor to me; and answer me. 8. My heart said of you, "Seek my face." Your face, Adonai, I will seek.9. Do not hide your face from me, don't turn your servant away in anger. You are my help; don't abandon me; don't leave me, G-d my savior. 10. Even though my father and mother have left me, Adonai will care for me.


Wow, isn't that something!?! In the Interlinear Bible, the original Hebrew says in verse 7: Shema YHWH.
Now in Hebrew Shema is usually translated listen,but it means SO much more than that. It's really more like: pay attention, hear me, attend to what I'm saying with no distractions. So King David was telling YHWH that he wanted the Almighty's undivided attention. Can you see yourself doing that? Is your relationship with the Creator of the Universe so close and real that you feel comfortable saying to the One who made you, "Pay attention here! I'm talking to you!" There's days I'm not so sure I have that close a relationship, but it's what I want. David then goes on in the original Hebrew to say: 'my voice when I call and favor me and answer me.'

Not just show me favor, but favor me. You know, you've seen your kids do this: "pick me, pick me Mommy! I want to help you, pick me!" I can just see David, the king of  Israel praying and saying "YHWH, listen up, I've got to talk to you and I want you to not only hear me but favor me."(pick me or show favoritism for me and answer me) Keep in mind, this is the man that was called a man after G-d's own heart. So don't you think he could ask anything and YHWH would hear him?! Hmmm. What a great relationship they had to have had. A relationship I aspire to and feel certain we all wish we had with Papa.

Verse 9 also has a slight variation in the Hebrew. Where the translations say "don't turn your servant away in anger.", the original Hebrew says; " do not turn away in anger your servant." While this may seem to be no big deal, look a little deeper. The first one says kinda like 'don't send your servant away because you're angry'. While the Hebrew seems (at least to me) to be more of  "don't turn yourself away YHWH when angry with your servant." It appears to me to be like with our children again....do we send them into their room because we're angry with them for an infraction, or do we turn our back to their little faces and then ignore them being there. That's a pretty big difference. One is a discipline meant to teach a lesson, the other a punishment intended to hurt. Does this make sense?

Then in verse 10 I love the phrase "Adonai will care for me." David's just stated that he'd seek Papa's face, that Papa was his help. Even if everyone of any importance left him, even then, Adonai will care for me. Doesn't that just give you goose bumps?! If we look back into ancient history, the most important people in a person's life were their parents. Children were considered a 'gift from YHWH', a treasured property to be cherished. And in this time period, children were not considered adults until they'd reached the age of 20. They lived with their parents until that age or if they'd married young, they lived next to their parents (or inlaws). So no matter who leaves you, or deserts you, or treats you badly....Adonai will care for you. That just makes me want to dance and shout for joy!

I'll be honest with you dear friends, there've been times in my life when it felt like everyone I loved had turned their backs on me. Some in anger, some in disgust, some in total apathy. And it hurt!!!! I didn't know if I could survive it....but through it all, Papa cared for me. He dried my tears, he held me in His arms, He whispered in my ear how precious I was to Him, how wonderfully He'd made me and even  how proud He was of me. He never left my side...through all the ugliness, the horribleness, the darkness....He stayed with me. He heard me and showed favor to me.....and cared for me. What a glorious promise this is. He's done it for me. He'll do it for you, dear friends. Papa is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow...He never changes. So if you're going through a rough time, or feeling like everyone has turned their back on you....read and ponder these verses. And remember.....He WILL do what he promises to do. And Yeshua promised He'd NEVER leave us. I pray you believe this and that my little scribblings here have brought you some joy today. Be blessed, know you're loved....and know I pray for you. Shalom, Spitfire

One of my favorite parts of Psalm 27

As we continue to go thru Psalm 27, we've come to one of my favorite parts! I LOVE verses 4-6. So here we go:
"4. Just one thing have I asked of YHWH; only this will I seek;
to live in the house of YHWH  all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of  YHWH and visit in His temple.
5. For He will conceal me in His shelter on the day of trouble,
 He will hide me in the folds of His tent, He will set me high on a rock.
6. Then my head will be lifted up above my surrounding foes, 
and I will offer in His tent sacrifices, with shouts of joy; I will sing, sing praises to YHWH."

Can you imagine that friends? To live in His house?! Wow! I just know Papa's house is a marvelous and wonderful place. To be able to see Him face to face and visit in His temple just blows my mind. I can hardly wait for this to occur!!!!

And the picture of the Creator of the Universe caring enough about me to hide me in the folds of His tent!!! Do you realize how much that would show His love and care of us?! Oh, just think....when any trouble comes along, all we have to do is call on Him and Papa comes, scoops us up and then hides us in His tent. Now our troubles can't find us! We're hidden from them and surrounded by His love. We're set high on a rock....above the troubles. What an awesome picture! To think I'd not have to worry about what to cook for dinner, about Dodi's diabetes, or if  Little Critter is learning enough, or Nana's growing infirmities (both physical and mental), or Pawpaw's growing hearing problems or Dear Cousin's heart problems...or the garden drying out....or eldest son's latest troubles.....or....anything. WOW!

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't spend all day worrying about these things. I know Papa has everything under control. And I know He's working things according to His plans....not mine. But the idea that all worries and troubles would be completely gone is just amazing to me.  I want and seek for it to happen NOW! (Yes, I don't have a large supply of the "P" word......what is the "P" word? Why patience of course. You don't think Spitfire was given me as a nickname just because of my red hair did you?! LOL!) But since the prayer commonly called the Lord's Prayer states "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven", I really don't see why it couldn't happen here. If I can just learn to leave all my worries in His lap and let Him take care of them instead of constantly taking them back from Him....sigh. Well, I'll have to keep working on it, won't I. And I pray, dear friends, you learn this lesson also. To be able to leave your worries with Papa and not constantly take them back to see if you can fix them. (I know I'm bad about that. red face.) He loves you more than you realize and wants to hide you in His tent...and take care of all your worries. Please let Him. He does it SO well!

And the part about seeing the beauty of YHWH really appeals to me also. I know how much beauty I see around me but I just know there's beauty beyond my imagination even to see. Oh what joys I'm sure there are in Papa's house! To see the sapphire throne, the garden like setting, the beauty of His face. Sigh. In the meantime, I will enjoy the beauty around me. Then I can imagine how much more it will be in His house!! Too cool! Talk about sensory overload! My poor little mouth will be hanging open so much I'll most likely have birds building nests in it. LOL!

Well, I hope today's little blurp has been helpful to you. When I feel overwhelmed with all I'm trying to accomplish in a day, I read these verses....and it comforts my heart no end. May it comfort yours also. It's just another of Papa's Love letters to us....Let me leave you with a picture of some of His beauty here.

 
Now I think I have some singing to do! Shalom, Spitfire

Just keep trusting, just keep trusting.....

Continuing our look at Psalm 27, let's look at verses 2 and 3.

2. When evildoers assailed me, to devour my flesh,
my adversaries and foes, they stumbled and fell.
3. If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear;
if war breaks out against me, even then I will keep trusting.

Well, if you're even halfway conservative, no matter what your political persuasion, you most likely feel assailed and encamped against. And in many ways, you are. There's an all out push to stuff Papa in a box, hide Him in the closet and then lock the door while telling the world He doesn't exist. And then, to go after those of us who would much prefer He be left out in the open, free to do with this world as He sees fit and reminding all of us of the ways we're to travel this road of life. But we seem to be in the minority. OK, then just let us worship the way we wish to and don't stuff all this humanistic, atheistic, hedonistic stuff down our throats. I have nothing against atheists or hedonists.....not my place to come down hard on them. My job, as I understand it, is to point out Papa's Ways and His desires for them and their lives with grace and love. (Boy is that hard some days!!!!!)

But as it said in verse 1, Adonai is my salvation and light, the stronghold of my life. So do I need to fear? Heavens, no. I still say that if He could move several million (or thousand depending on your counting) Israelites thru the wilderness for 40 years without once having to replace their clothes, or shoes and making sure they had food and water that whole time, He can certainly take care of my loved ones and me. He is the same yesterday, today and forever....He never changes. He's not like normal men that change their stories to suit their purposes. He's the Eternal, the Creator, the El Shaddai,  the YHWH Yirah. He knows how many hairs are on your head, how many blood cells in your veins. Don't you think He also knows the desires of your heart, your needs, your hopes. Yes, Beloved friends, He knows more about you than you know yourself. And He promised in His love letter to us that a)He would never leave us alone, b) He loved us with an unending love, c) no one could grab us out of His Hand, d) He would fight for and with us to make sure we stayed His and best of all, e)He'd cover us with His wings (the corners of His cloak)and be our rear guard.

So, to paraphrase my favorite brain dead fish....just keep trusting, just keep trusting.
Shalom, Spitfire
My thanks to the writers of Nemo and especially Dory for the title. Giggle, giggle.

Happy Preparation day for my Jewish friends. For those not Jewish, have a great weekend!

Do not fear....

Well, as we move along thru this Hebraic month of Elul, several of my friends have assured me I have not offended them this past year. Whoo, I can sleep now...well, perhaps a little later. Grin!

Another Elul tradition is to read/recite Psalm 27 as part of our daily prayers. So I thought I'd share a few verses from that Psalm that seem magnificently appropriate for our times my next few posts. It just amazes me sometimes that words that were penned 1000's of years ago are still pertinent today. Boy, isn't Papa wonderful?! OK, moving along here.....

1. Adonai (G-d) is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?

Well, hey, that one verse is enough!!! Just think about it, friends. Or as David the Psalmist would say...Selah, which is Hebrew for think about it, ponder this, meditate on this. Or in modern English (Texan dialect) "chew on this till ya get it!"

If we belong to Adonai, then who do we need to fear?! Do we really need to worry what those folks in DC are trying to do to us? If the Creator of the Universe is our provider, then can anyone here really do us in? I think not!!! Now, before a few friends get all upset, I am NOT saying we don't need to make our voices heard on subjects dear to us. (For example this monstrosity the House turned into a bill supposedly about health care!) Torah teaches we are to be in submission to our leaders....WAIT---Don't start yelling yet! Submission means (according to Mr. Webster) yielding to or submitting....now submitting means: yield; refer or present; offer; suggest.

Did you see that? Look closely at those last three definitions....refer or present; offer; suggest. So even being Torah Observant, I have every right to present or offer my opinions of what's going on. I also have the right to suggest other ways to accomplish something or suggest that if it's good enough for WE THE PEOPLE, it's good enough for our representatives...Do you see where I'm going here? The trick is, according to Torah, my words must be spoken in love, with kindness. We must learn to 'come and let us reason together.' And if I'm doing that (even if the other party is acting foolish and rude!) then I have nothing to fear! My Papa, the One who created those turkeys, the One who knows our thoughts (and theirs) better than we do...well, He'll take care of me. So am I just sitting around thinking I don't have to do anything because Papa will take care of me??? Oh, come on folks, most of you know me better than that! Yes, I've most likely got a dossier in DC about 6 inches thick for all the emails I've sent to everyone I could send them to voicing my opinion on the healthcare/insurance reform/Obamacare mess. But I'm not really worried about the outcome. I have no insurance....just a major medical plan in case of an emergency...like having one of Little Critter's 'inventions' crush me or something.... giggle..

I haven't had insurance for almost 4 years.....and haven't needed it. Papa has taken care of all my needs. Now I realize not everyone can do that....Dodi for instance. Until his diabetes is under better control (which will happen much faster and better after football season short of a miracle!!!!) we need to have insurance for him! (The insulin alone is impossibly expensive and when you add in the other 4 meds he takes....well you get the picture.) But I know that even with Dodi, that Papa has it all under control. If we simply trust Him to take care of the things we need....He'll do it. Hey, He made sure several thousand (or million depending on the counting) Israelites had enough food and water for themselves and all their servants and all their critters during 40 years in the desert! AND made sure their clothes and shoes didn't wear out that whole time!!!!! Don'tcha think that if He could do that, He can easily take care of your needs, sweet friends? Oh, I KNOW He can!!!

So as we continue thru Elul, searching our hearts and repairing/restoring relationships....let's also not neglect repairing/restoring the most important relationship we can have....the one with Papa. Wouldn't it hurt your feelings if your child told you he/she was afraid there'd be no food for him/her tomorrow....or that you wouldn't provide clean clothes for them? How much it must hurt Papa's heart when we doubt that He'll take care of our needs....Let's each ask Him to forgive us for doubting His provisions and work on not fearing. I hope this was helpful to you. Shalom, Spitfire

New Month, New post

OK, I realize most of you are questioning my sanity with the title of this post....but tonight was the start of a new Hebraic month. The month of Elul. The sixth month of the calendar YHWH gave to man. In Nehemiah 6:15, it talks about the walls of Jerusalem being built during the month of Elul. The meaning of the Hebrew word Elul is nothingness. Where the walls of Jerusalem were nothingness, (due to being torn down during the Persian invasion) Nehemiah had been sent by King Darius to rebuild them. The month of Elul then is a month when Hebrew people world wide look into their own hearts, see the emptiness, and begin to rebuild. Pretty cool, huh.

This month is also regarded as the month 'the King is in the field." Now most folks would say 'HUH?!" But let me explain, it's really awesome! When a King of a country would go about to visit his subjects, as he neared a town, the servants would pitch the King's tent out in a field near the town while the emissaries (or ambassadors) would go into the town to notify them the King was waiting for them to finish preparations for his entrance and he was 'in the field'. Now while the King was in the field waiting for the townsfolk to prepare for him, he was relaxed and the 'regular joe's' (and joie's LOL!) could go visit him in the field without all the pomp and circumstance. So in Hebraic thought, this is the month The King is in the field....He's waiting for us to come to visit with Him in a relaxed and neighborly manner. Isn't that an awesome idea?! The Creator of the Universe is waiting for us to visit without having to worry about proper Court Etiquette. Wohoo, Papa, I'm working my way to ya!

This is also the month when orthodox Jews will look at this past year, ascertain where they've offended someone, and do what they can to make amends or restitution. Now, we are NOT orthodox Jews.....OK, I'm not real sure we're orthodox anythings!!!! But to me, this sounds like a wonderful idea. It's kinda like Elul is the Hebrew form of Lent....except that instead of giving something up, we're spending 40 days preparing our hearts for the meeting with the King in the field and we're repairing relationships with all we know. Whoo. Boy, do I have lots to think about! So as I prepare my heart, and help Little Critter prepare his heart....and we think back over our year....if I (or we) have offended anyone, please tell me. I wish to seek your forgiveness and make amends. It just wouldn't do to go to the field to visit with my King and have ought that a brother (or sister) has against me. I do not believe any one has offended me....except those people in Washington DC....and somehow I just don't see them seeking to make amends for offending me. So I'll have to work on forgiving them on my own I suppose. Oohh, this could get tough! Well, I know Papa will help me with this....after all we'll have 40 days to work on it! And if He can create all we see and more in only 6 days, I have no doubts He can help me fix this in 40 days.

So, my sweet friends, may you find this month with relationships strengthened, hearts filled with Papa's love for yourself and all you know and may you also spend time with The King who's waiting in the field for you. Shalom. Spitfire

PS Please don't forget to tell me if I've offended any of you. I truly have not meant to, but want to ask your forgiveness. And Pops, that includes you Sweetheart! ;-)Thanks. (Toda.)

A Torah Study with a twist

"But Mommy, how can G-d be Father, Son and Holy spirit all at once?!" So asked my dear Little Critter several weeks ago after we'd read Torah portions for that day. Whew, now what was I going to say???? How do you explain to a 9yo something most adults have trouble with??????
Well, I prayed extremely quickly "Papa! I need some help here please. Some words of wisdom would be nice about NOW!" And suddenly I thought I had a plan. I explained it was kinda like Mommy. I'm Little Critter's mommy, but I'm also Daddy's wife, and I'm also a daughter to Pawpaw and Nana. In the same way YHWH is Abba (father), Yeshua (Son) and Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) but still YHWH Himself. I asked if this made sense to him and he replied slowly, yea, kinda. So I thought it was settled and he'd just kinda stew things over for a few days. Silly me......

So Saturday at synagogue, Rabbi was teaching on a similar subject when the question was asked if Yeshua was diety. We all thought a few minutes, several voiced ideas.....and then Rabbi said "Prove your answers!" Well, Little Critter tried to explain it in his simple way and Rabbi looked confused. So I told him my analogy I'd given to Little Critter a few days earlier, but said I didn't know of a chapter and verse from Tanak I could use to prove it. Then Rabbi, in the most wonderful way possible, came over to Little Critter and took his hand and asked if he (Rabbi) came over and took Little Critter's hand off and talked only to that hand or grabbed his mouth and pulled the breath out of it to talk only to that breathe would Rabbi be talking to Little Critter? Suddenly most every adult in the room could smell the smoke as Little Critter's pistons were chugging thru this most puzzling question. Then the light dawned and Little Critter said "Rabbi, you can't do that. Those are parts of me and if you tried to take my hand or my breathe and talk only to them we'd all think you're silly!" Rabbi then gently explained that was the point. Yeshua and Ruach HaKodesh (Jesus and Holy Spirit) are part of YHWH and to try to take them out and make them separate from Father is silly. All of a sudden, you could hear light bulbs going off all around the room as adults suddenly understood what had been explained to them in various Protestant/Catholic/non denominational churches all their lives. The idea of the 'three-in-one' nature of Papa is hard enough for adults to understand (and many don't) but for a child of 9.....well, it's worse than Greek! And that easily Rabbi made it clear not only for Little Critter, but for several adults as well. So the answer to Rabbi's earlier question was now clear: Yes. Yeshua IS diety because He's part of the Father!
After study was finished, I couldn't help myself and asked Rabbi if my explanation to Little Critter had been far off. He laughed and said no, it wasn't too bad....but making it apply to Little Critter was the trick. I walked away feeling much better about my abilities to teach this darling little trouble maker....because Papa will always give me the words I need when I need them.
I pray you find the words Papa sends you each day. He talks to you all the time and wants so badly to share His love with you. Shalom.