Happy Hanukkah!

Hello my sweet friends. I see it's been a month again since last I posted.....oops. I'm sorry. And for those of you who sent me private emails, I'm SO sorry I worried you! Life has been incredibly busy and I'm a little behind the ball.....but it's going to get better! I have faith! Now, let's get on with this post!

 This Wednesday, we began the holiday of Hanukkah. For those who don't know what this holiday is, it's also known as the Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication. If you look in your B'rit Hadasha (New Covenant) in John 10:22, it mentions that Yeshua was at the Temple in Yerushalayim for the Feast of Dedication...This is not a Levitical feast, but it is a Hebrew feast. See way back during the Hasmonean Era in the land of Israel, there was a family named Macabbee. Matthithias was the father and was a righteous, priest of the line of Aaron. He had 5 sons who were also righteous men. Now the Seleucids were taking over the land of Israel and their king Antiochus IV had conquered Yerushalayim. Now as if that wasn't bad enough, this king also put an altar on top of Papa's altar, and slaughtered pigs on that altar! He totally trashed the Temple, the house of the Father! Then he proceeded to terrorize and murder the Israelites, ruled that the practice of their faith was unlawful, and tried to burn all the scrolls. Matthithias was furious and vowed to destroy the Seleucids. He did a pretty good job, but he was old and died before the war was finished. So his sons took over. The eldest was Y'huda (Judas) Maccabee also known as the Hammer. Well, Y'huda and his brothers followed YHWH's ways faithfully and were strong leaders. So they fought the Seleucids and eventually won freedom for the Israelites and the land of Israel. This is all told in the apocryphal book named appropriately 1st Maccabbees. There are 4  books of the Maccabbees, but they were taken out of our modern Bibles a long time ago, and put with the other apocryphal books. (some of those are really COOL books! You should read them sometime.) Back to our story. The Maccabbees ruled wisely for many years, but eventually greed, corruption and forgetting YHWH took place and the Hasmonean Era ended with all the Maccabbees gone....sigh. Oh, I forgot the best part!!! Silly me.

So after Y'huda Maccabbee and his army had wrested Yerushalayim from the Seleucids, they cleansed the Temple, rebuilt the altar according the Mosaic Law, and reinstalled the Golden Menorah. They could only find one flask of consecrated oil to light the Menorah with. And it takes 8 days to prepare fresh oil. So they lit the Menorah with the oil they had, then left the Temple to go help prepare a fresh batch to keep the Menorah lit all the time as commanded in Exodus. Well, when they arrived back 8 days later....fully expecting the Menorah to not be lit anymore due to lack of oil.......guess what! It was STILL burning!  Now normally, the priests had to fill the Menorah's branches twice a day to keep it burning. But this time, it burned for 8 days with only one filling!!! Hence the phrase, "A great miracle occurred there" ("here" if you live in Israel). So during Hanukkah, we light one candle a night until we have all 8 candles burning taking us to the end of the 8 days festival. For those of us who know Yeshua, He's there too.....see there's a 9th candle that is only used to light the other candles. It's called the Shamash or Servant Candle....Aha! Did you catch that??? The Shamash is the servant candle.....it represents Yeshua! Now, in our family, we exchange small gifts with each other each of the 8 nights with one night being a bigger gift. And we fry lots of foods to eat to represent the provision of the oil burning so long. If you've never experienced Hanukkah, it's LOADS of fun! There's latkes to eat, and sufnyiot (jelly donut like pastries), and chocolate gelt (like coins) and kugel (noodle dish to die for) and songs to sing, and dreidle to play....oh the fun!!!!!

So in among the other things going on....and there's a ton of them,(but that's for another post)....we've been having a blast celebrating Hanukkah. And as we're celebrating and reading the story of the Maccabees, we're also offering prayers that Papa would spread some of our joy into your lives, and bless you each with His Love. I'll try my best to post again soon....probably from Grandma's house at the end of the month and try to catch you up on all the other stuff. In the meantime, know I thank Papa for each of you my friends each day during my prayers and am SO blessed by having you in my life. Happy Hanukkah! Spitfire

Sukkot 2010

Well, Sukkot is over so I figured I'd better get this post up.....This is a picture of our Sukkah. This shows the edge of the Sukkah itself, as well as the tents. You can sorta see Little Critter's small tent between the table and the large tent that Dodi and I slept in. We were supposed to have rain most the week, so that's why we put the cabana over the tents. Ours is waterproof, but Little Critter's isn't.
We had a blast! We ate out there and slept in the tents several nights. A couple of nights, it was SO hot and humid none of us could sleep so we moved inside...and one night, it got cold (down in the 50's!). Something in the air changed the night it got cold and Little Critter's allergies flared up badly. We had to move inside that night also....but we stayed out as much as possible. We had plenty of good food made from harvested veggies and even had friends come visit a couple of nights.

Some of our friends think we're nuts to do this, but they've never tried it. I heard someone give an incredible explanation of Sukkot that I'd like to share with you. Sukkot is one of the moedim or appointed times to spend with Papa. (Kinda like you have Dr. appointments.) Only this appointment is with the Creator of the Universe! And while you're sitting in your sukkah, the three walls represent the arms of the Father. So while sitting in your sukkah, you're wrapped in a hug from the Father! The ground below you is like His lap, the plant material on the roof (we use river cane) is like His beard tickling your head. And the whole feeling while following the commandment laid out in Leviticus 23 is that you really ARE sitting in His lap, getting a hug from Him. It's wonderful!!!!!

I hope each of you had a blessed week of Sukkot. We traveled to Dallas the end of Sukkot (which lasts 8 days) and shared Simchat Torah (the joy of Torah) with a lovely congregation there. Dancing around the building with the Torahs was a blast! Those who've never done such a thing can not begin to understand the wonder and joy it gives. And I have no words to describe it well for you.....We danced, we laughed, we danced some more, we praised Him for His gifts to us, and we met some really wonderful folks. Such a wonderful blessing for us. Our Papa is so good to us!!!

Well, as we start over on our Torah readings, I pray each of you will learn many new things from Papa. May He speak of His love for you, His expectations for your life and His promises to you. Be blessed. Shalom, Spitfire

Shana Tova

Today starts Rosh Hashanah. This is referred to in the Torah in Leviticus 23 as the feast of Trumpets. It is one of the Holy Convocations Abba commanded us to keep. It's fun! We lit our candles, said our prayers, and ate our food....lots of food! Then we joined a congregation about 3 hours away online. It was great!!!

Many of my non Jewish/Messianic friends will question why we do this? What's the big deal??? Let me explain. In Leviticus 23, it says that this is one of the feasts of YHVH. It's one of the times called a moedim, an appointed time. It begins the 10 days of awe...leading to Yom Kippur. Now some will quickly say we don't have to do this, Yeshua did away with this. After all, it's Old Testament. But I would say to you, please read the passage again....YHVH said it's to be an appointed time for all generations for all time. So then  you may say Yeshua did away with it. But Yeshua said Himself He didn't come to do away with the law, but to fullfill it. To take it to a higher level. The blowing of the shofars is to remind us to come back to the Father. It's to remind us that HE wants to meet with us. I know for myself, that if Abba said He wanted to meet with me, I'd want to be there!!!! It's a time in our busy,hectic lives when we get to stop, focus our hearts and thoughts on Him, on the marvelous things He's done for us through out history. It's a time we can come before Him and ask forgiveness for our sins (not that we can't on any other day, but this is a special time with Him), do some repentance (called Teshuva or turn things around) and know that we're forgiven, loved and special to Him.

On the first day of Rosh Hashana, there's a tradition of going to a body of moving water (a lake, a river, whatever) and throw pieces of bread on the water. It symbolizes our sins all being washed away. Now I realize that Yeshua did this for us with His blood. But if you've never tried it, I whole heartedly encourage you to try this. It's amazing!!! You stand on the side of the water, think about the things you did this past year that you'd really like to get rid of. Then take that bread, put those actions/words/activities/whatever figuratively on that piece of bread. Ask Father to forgive you for doing those things, and then (the best part!) throw them out on the water. Watch them for a minute or two and they'll usually sink to the bottom of the water. It's a physical picture of what happens when we pray for forgiveness. And I was amazed the first time we did this how freeing and releasing it is. I've know for many, many years that Papa would forgive me my sins if I asked Him. But seeing it happen, seeing them sinking to the bottom of the lake or river....whew!!! It's powerful. There's a verse that I can't find at the moment (of course) that says Papa takes our sins and places them at the bottom of the sea, as far as the east is from the west. This is just an example of that happening for our eyes and hearts to see. Try it.....you'll like it! ;-)

There's another tradition that says G-d opens three books on this day. Those that are tzaddik (righteous) are written into the book of the righteous. Those that are bad/evil are written into the book of the lost forever. (Don't want my name there!!!!) Those that are kinda on the fence, not really righteous but not really evil, are written in the third book and given 10 days to straighten up. Then on Yom Kippur the names are scribed to the book of the righteous for blessings and long life. Or to the book of the Evil and death both physical and spiritual is their reward. So many Jewish/Hebraic folks will greet each other with Shana Tova. This means may your name be written for good. So my wish for each of you my friends, is Shana Tova. May your names be written for good and may your new year be sweet. Shalom.

Month of Elul

Hi dear friends. Sorry to have been gone so long....it's been hectic. What can I say??? Well, today we began the month of Elul on the Hebrew Calendar. So you ask, what does that mean??? Let me explain...if I can. Elul is the end of the Hebrew Civil calendar. It is the 30 days before we greet Rosh Hashana (the Hebrew New Year for the Civil year)and typically is spent as a time of reflection. So, what do we reflect on, you might ask. We reflect on  our thoughts and our actions this past year. Were there things we aren't so proud of in the way we treated others? Were there ways we didn't shine the Father's love into other's world? Did we show any signs of growth in our attempts to be more like Him who created us? And on and on.....you get the idea.

I suppose in a way it's like the Catholic tradition of Lent....only instead of giving up things we reflect, repent for things not done according to Torah (that's called Tashuva)and make sure we're changing those things as best we can. Will we still mess up? Of course. But we try our best to become more and more like our Father by imitating His Son....Yeshua. See Yeshua came to show us that Torah COULD be followed. It really wasn't too hard for us, if we learned to fully rely on and listen to Abba. But in our hard headed, stiff necked ways, we don't like to listen to others or rely on someone else for the things we need/want. So each year, we spend these 30 days and the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (total 40 days....like Lent) to reflect, to do tashuva (which means more than just repent....we must also change our ways and make restitution if possible for our errors) and prepare our hearts for Father to join with us in celebrating Sukkot. (but more on that next month....grin)

So as I reflect this month, I will find many things I need to change,  and then look for His wisdom on how to do that. I have already realized that I will need to tashuva for my neglect of this blog! And of my sweet friends that visit and have their own blogs. I have been remiss about keeping up with my blog writing and reading. Please accept my apologies. I will attempt to do a better job this next year...I can see where this next year is going to  be quite full already, but I will do my best to do a better job and be a better friend to you. I see it as a form of respect for you, dear friends. How can I say I'm a friend if you seldom hear from me????Or if I seldom visit you in your places? I can't. I delight in reading your responses to my posts. I enjoy reading the things going on in your spots of the world. And am delighted to correspond with several of you outside the blogs. So I will rearrange my computer time so I can spend more time with you...

Well, we blow the shofar each morning (not too early!!! don't want to irritate the neighbors...)so I need to get a few things finished before I go to bed tonight. I pray each of you will have a blessed and wonderful week, that Papa will speak to your hearts as you reflect on what I've written here....and that your reflections will bring you closer to the One who loves you the most. Shalom

PS. To my Oriental friends, please translate your comments before leaving them.....I haven't figured out how to translate them and post them together yet. I'll keep working on that. And thank you for your comments.

A debt we can't repay......

 All across this land, there are hundreds of thousands of people who owe a debt they can not repay. Who would be those folks? It would be each of us who live in freedom and (at least) relative safety in the United States of America. Today, we remember all those brave men and women thru the years who gave all they had even including their lives to protect us and our country. Yeshua said "No greater love is this, that a man would give up his life for a friend." And over the years, there have been thousands and thousands of these brave service men and women who fought for us. They loved their country enough to write a blank check saying they'd give their all to protect this land. And they paid that check with their lives.

Three of our foster boys were in the military. I know the sacrifices they and their families make. I know what it's like to get phone calls in the middle of the night from a child who is half way around the globe from home and suddenly is so lonely, sick, or frightened they can't help themselves and call home knowing they'll be waking Mom and Dad up...but doing it anyway because they just HAD to hear those voices and comforting words. I know how it feels to just KNOW your child is in danger, and there's nothing you can do but pray for them and wait for that phone call that tells you they're OK. The panic when you realize a birthday or special holiday is only 2 weeks away and you haven't mailed the package overseas to your child. The pain of a hearing a child call and tell you how alone he feels so far from home or how he's struggling with doing those things he knows are right when he's surrounded by the wrong things to do.....and only being able to use words to comfort and support them. I can only imagine the loneliness of the wives who now have to do everything themselves for 6months or more...with no relief. (although that would be much like football season for me)or the pain of the children that will never know what a great Mom or Dad they had......

And I know there's NO way I can repay the debt I owe these families, men and women who have given up so much to protect my family and I. To protect this country even to the point of giving their lives for us. So I take this time to honor them, to thank them for their sacrifices and courage. And to ask Papa to bless the families left behind...Thank you Military people. You are a good portion of what makes this country great!!!And I'm proud of the example you've set for my still young son. You've taught him patriotism with your actions far better than I can ever do...I owe you a debt I can never repay. Thank you for your courage, your selflessness, and your love of your fellow man. May YHVH  bless your families. Shalom.

A New Year for Trees

Well, dear friends, I've made it thru the first three weeks of tax season and I'm still kicking! (Just barely some days, but kicking just the same. LOL!) Things will be more than hectic for a few more weeks and then they'll slow down to a more reasonable rate. So please hang in there with me.

This week we have Tu' B'Shuvat. That's Hebrew for "the fifteenth of Shuvat". This is the eleventh month of the Hebrew year and the 29th of this month (which is the 15th of Shuvat) is the day we start over on figuring out what we're to tithe from our trees produce for giving to YHWH. Now, since there isn't a Tabernacle in Jerusalem anymore, we really don't have to count out a tithe and send it to Yerushalyim. But it's also when we plant new trees. Dodi would like to get a couple olive trees, but I don't think they'll grow here in our area. Our second choice would be a pomegranate tree. Little Critter and I LOVE to eat pomegranate. So it'll be fun to search out a new tree for our yard. (not to mention figuring out where we have room to plant another tree!!!!)

For Shabbat this week, our congregation is planning all sorts of wonderful foods made from things from trees. I'm planning on making some old fashioned Kolaches with apricot and prune fillings, pear and pomegranate salad (it's wonderful!!!!) some date logs and possibly a walnut encrusted fish to go with our salad and barley soup. Oh, and I was asked to make cinnamon sticks for the congregation. So I have lots of cooking to do this week just for Shabbat. I wonder what I'll cook for our meals this week.....hmmm. Forgot to think that close to home....worried more about getting everything I'd need for Shabbat. Oh boo!

Our scouts will be having their car races. Little Critter has done a really good job on his car....in my humble opinion. And my little cubs all made some great looking cars. It'll be interesting to see who wins the races. I'll try to get a pic of Little Critter's car after the race and post it. He did it himself with Dodi only helping him put the tires on. And I helped him draw the letter Zayin on the trunk. It's also the number 7 which was the number he wanted his car to have but he wanted it in Hebrew. He even took one of the little Star of David's we used at Hanukkah that missed being put up and placed it on the front of his car. It really looks cool!

All other things are going well. Work is busy, but really going quite smoothly. Still a little trouble with our afternoon receptionist, but she's young (really young) and a bit immature. So I'll have to continue doing some retraining on how to deal with folks with her. But the rest of it's going well. Wow, I don't know what's going on outside, but that's the third set of sirens I've heard going nearby. I'd better get off here and start praying hard for the emergency personnel and whoever they're going after. Ya'll have a great week, be blessed and don't forget to thank Papa for the beautiful and varied trees He made for us. I'll try to post again before next week, but no promises. Shalom. Spitfire

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

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

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

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.)

Happy Birthday America!!!

Happy Birthday America! I realize this post is a little behind...but it's still the Fourth of July here. I'm just behind on getting this posted. (Oops.) Here's hoping as folks are watching their fireworks, eating with family and friends, and listening to patriotic music or watching great old movies about our country that we all remember that this county WAS founded as a Judeo-Christian country! I don't care what Mr. Obama tells the world about us not being a Christian country. He's wrong!!!

Our entire form of government and our laws are based on the 10 Words (Commandments) and the form of government set up by YHWH in Deuteronomy! We have a Democratic Republic form of government. One set up of the people, for the people and by the people.

I thankful to live in this country...even if I don't like the road we appear to heading down. I still believe there's enough people with backbone to turn us back toward what our founders intended. I'm also incredibly proud of our military personnel. (yes, I have two foster sons in the military and a dear friend just leaving Iraq but heading for Afghanistan, so I'm biased!) We have a volunteer military, and they do a fine job! They're underpaid, underappreciated, and dishonored on a regular basis. They do the best they can without the equipment they need and without the support of our government, President, media or large sections of our population. But those men and women risk their lives every single day to protect our freedoms! And while there's always a few screwballs in the group, for the most part, they are cream of the crop! I pray Yah blesses and protects each of them!

Now I pray each of you dear readers, have a blessed Fourth of July and remember to thank Papa for the blessings He's given us. For my friends in other countries, may you have a blessed weekend and now we'll praise your countries as I find out about your Independence Days. May Papa bless each of you and may He bless The United States of America. Shalom, Spitfire

Scotty, I think Summer's here!

Well, my goodness. Has it really been over a week since I last wrote?! Whew. The time just flew past. Of course, the temps have sky rocketed too! It's now generally in the 90s with moderate to high humidity. Yuck. I wouldn't mind the heat so much if the humidity weren't so high. But 40%-70% humidity is a real killer of motivation to do much of anything!!!!! Even my poor little plants are not having fun out in the garden.

We've been busy harvesting and preparing more zucchini than I have figured out what to do with, green beans (8 quarts in the freezer so far....one more we ate tonight for dinner....boy were they good!), and about 1/2 a bushel of onions. We've been picking peppers, tomatoes and cilantro as they ripen. Hoping they'll start ripening together so we can make some salsa for Dodi. I've also got to cut all the bok choy and do something with it......any suggestions?!?! I don't think we can eat all 8 heads at once.

I hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Shavuot (Pentecost). We went to the new synagogue in Temple and joined. (Ahava, don't have a heart attack please. )But Dodi decided he was ready to join, so we're now Messianic Jews. We have been in our hearts for several years, but had no where close enough to make it feasible to join. Now we do. (Gayle, now it's your turn to NOT have a heart attack!!!! I'll explain to you later....) Our Shavuot service was incredible!!! I even got to hold the Torah Scroll as we "danced like David danced" during the service. The Torah scroll I got to carry and dance with is one that was smuggled out of Iraq just before the War started. It's got tiny bells all over the top of the two spools (?) holding the actual Torah. I was blown away when they handed it to me. It's priceless! But I did SO enjoy dancing with Papa while holding His love letter to me!!!! It was such a blessing. We also had taken some freshly gleaned wheat with us... yes Gayle, Little Critter and I went out early and gleaned some of your corner wheat...thank you for allowing us to do that. I'm so blessed to have friends in high places! We still may come do some more gleaning if I can figure out how to grind it.....probably would help if I had a grinder. But I don't. And I don't think I want to stand at the table and use my marble slab to grind wheat......hmmmm. Will have to continue to study this one.

After the service, we had a feast!!! Boy, if you left hungry it was your own fault!!!! The congregation is small (much like All Saints, Gayle) but there was more food than our home town could have eaten!!!!! All 5,000 of them!

Then Monday, we got to go pick up our baby chicks. Six of the little darlings. They are SO cute. I'll try to get a picture of them to post soon. We're now busy building a small pen for them so the big chicks don't hurt them. Eventually, they'll all be in the same pen. But for the next several months, the babies will have their own brand new pen. We're also trying to hatch a couple of the older hens eggs. I'll letcha know how that goes. We've hatched several quail, but they never live past 3 weeks. sigh. Hopefully this will work better.

Well, I reckon I've made up for being silent so long.....will try to post more often and shorter posts. I pray Papa has blessed each of you as we start this hot season of the year. shalom, Spitfire

Thank you Dear Military

For those not in the US, this post may not mean anything. But for those of us state side....this is an important weekend. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. This is a weekend for remembering all the men and women who have fought, suffered and many died to preserve our freedoms here in the States. It's a bit doubtful our President will do anything meaningful to observe this weekend. But I felt compelled to voice my thanks. We have 2 foster sons in the military. One is a mechanic and one a medic. Both have served overseas multiple times. Both have been to Iraq more than once. And they both returned changed....not for the better. The horrors they saw and experienced, have hardened them and made them both unpredictable. Now, in all fairness, I don't believe this is the military's fault! One was a new believer in Yeshua and promptly forgot all he'd been taught most of his life. He says he's a believer, but his actions say otherwise. The other son was a strong believer and follower of Yeshua (Jesus) and yet he too lost his way while overseas. I know the fears of the families of our military....I earned some pretty impressive calluses on my knees while the boys have been overseas. I've received middle of the night phone calls because one or the other just needed to talk to "Mom" to allay fears, or loneliness, or to reassure them they're still loved even if they've done horrible things in the name of war. And my heart just bleeds for those parents, wives, husbands and children who've lost their loved ones due to war. War stinks. Pure and simple.

But for those who ARE still fighting overseas or even stateside. I thank you. I thank you for having the courage and chutzpah (I think you all know what that translates in to)to volunteer to protect, defend and fight for the land you love, the country of your families, the freedoms you've enjoyed and that you want your children to enjoy. I thank you for making unbelievable sacrifices, having to make hellish decisions on the spur of the moment, and knowing that some of these decisions will haunt you the rest of your lives. I thank you for your determination to right wrongs, protect the innocents, and guard the dignity of fellow human beings...no matter their race, religion or nationality. I thank you for keeping us safe here at home and taking the fight to the terrorists back yards. I thank you for loving this country as much as I do.

So as we spend the weekend enjoying our freedoms, watching endless sports on the tellie, eating more food than many countries eat in a month and visiting with family members, let us all say prayers to our Father for those brave, daring, and audacious men and women who fight miles from home, light years away from spouses and children, and eons from the same freedoms we're enjoying. To all our military: Thank you from the bottom of my heart and may Papa protect you, guide you and safely bring you home. Shalom, Spitfire

Hag Sameach

Happy Passover everyone! This is the first night of the feast of Passover and the beginning of a one week festival of Unleavened Bread. We attended a Passover Sedar (dinner) at one of our churches tonight. It was very nice. I think I'm spoiled because the food was not anything special, but it was good food. Dodi and I have been hosting a Passover Sedar for the last 3 years inviting 4-5 other churches to join us at the second church we attend. And I always find new and different Kosher foods to prepare. It's a blast! Little Critter and I start working on it up to a week ahead of time (chopping walnuts, washing/drying and ironing the table clothes, preparing our lists of things to get, ect.) Then a few days ahead of time, we start the cooking! Talk about real live math in action...we measure, cut, chop, stew, bake, broil...you name it we probably do it!
I do have to confess that I'm feeling a bit guilty tonight though. The Sedar tonight served real Kosher wine for the service and the meal. Well, we use Kosher wine with our Shabbat service every Friday, and allow Little Critter to have a sip of real wine when we have communion. So we saw nothing wrong with him having wine with the Passover Sedar. (Of course Mommy was filling his glass!!!) Well, halfway thru the service, after being an absolute angel, he suddenly started acting pretty squirrelly! So Mommy cut his wine down to barely a taste instead of a sip. By the time we got home afterwards, he was so loopy it was hysterical! So I've been feeling guilty for allowing my just turned 9 yr old to get sopped at the Passover meal. Then he started crying... his head was woozy, his tummy hurt, he felt badly. OK, now I'm feeling really bad...what an awful mommy I am!!! Then after almost 30 minutes, it turns out that while I was in the kitchen helping with a little quick cleanup after the meal and before the rest of the service continued, Little Critter was over snitching desserts....he ate two high chocolate, high sugar desserts while no one was watching. Ahah! Now, I understand! The little rat wasn't so much sopped as he was on a sugar high. He's been on a diabetic type diet all his life because his body doesn't process sugar correctly...kinda like his mommy....and he'd had more than double his normal intake of sugar during the evening. So after numreous prayers, lots of hugs and cuddles, he finally crashed. Now he's peacefully sleeping it off in his own little bed. He'll most likely feel pretty poopy tomorrow, but he'll also better understand why Mommy and Daddy are so strict with his sugar intake....bet he doesn't make this mistake again for a while.
Thursday night we'll host our own Messianic Passover Sedar. We concentrate on explaining on why Christians celebrate what most think of as a Jewish Feast...(it's not. It's a biblical feast), how each of the parts of the Sedar (telling) reflect Yeshua (Jesus) and having a good time while we do this. We're having roast beef, rosemary-lemon chicken, spinach matzoh pie, green Mediterreanian salad, Tsimmes (sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots, prunes in an orange juice/honey/cinnamon sauce), deep dish bubble crust (an egg pasta type dish with 4 kinds of cheese and a walnut/basil/spinach pesto...DELICIOUS!!!!!), applesauce with blueberries and cinnamon (homemade), passover fruit casserole, honey nut cake, fudge brownies and sugared fruit slices. Oh, and of course Matza ball Soup. We're expecting about 50 folks to join us, and we'll have a blast reading the Haggadah (the order of doing things), singing songs in both Hebrew and English, clearing the chametz (leaven) from the church (house), and we usually end the night with dancing to Hava Nigala. It doesn't matter how many folks show up, we always have a great time, eat great food, and have a wonderful time with good friends. What a blessing! I pray Papa attends each of the many Passover Sedars tonight and tomorrow. May He bless the intentions of each heart, forgive any botched Hebrew, and dance the nigth away with each of us as we prepare ourselves to be more and more open to His words, His ways and His purpose for each of us. So until next time, be blessed my friends. Enjoy the love letters our Papa sends us each day and know we pray for each of you daily. Shalom, Joie
PS Tax season ends next week....happy dancing all over the place!!!!! Another year almost done and life can become more relaxed again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year my friends. We're back from visiting the in laws and happily getting ready for Shabbot. We had a delightful time with Dodi's side of the family although allergies attacked Little Critter and I. It was almost funny as we'd go into stores or resturaunts and folks would give us a wide berth....thinking we were contagious. I didn't blame them, it sounded like we both had either TB or the plague!!!! But we're glad to be back home in our own little beds, surrounded by our own pollen (which we've adapted to quite nicely thank you!) and being loved by our little pets. I pray each of you had a blessed and happy holiday season also.
My love letter came from Papa came as we were at my in laws. It's a bit bittersweet. As we were up there, the differences between our way of doing things and the way the rest of the in laws do things is starting to become glaringly obvious. Little Critter has been taught to show respect for others especially his elders. He's punished when he doesn't. The children at in laws are not taught that. We dictate when, what and where we eat, what we do (taking Little Critter's opinions and preferences into mind also) and what we watch when we watch TV. There, the kids tell the adults such things. We study Torah (Bible) daily....there they depend on the church to teach the kids. It's puzzling to me. Why would people so depend on others to do their job and then lament when kids turn out rude, illiterate and slovenly? Hmm. Then Papa told me, it's because we've come so far from Torah. The Torah tells parents to teach their children morning, noon and night, when you wake, when you lay down, as you walk down the road, and as you return to your homes. We're to use everything we can to point our children to the Father. But many parents today don't do that. I'm sad for them. Yes, because we homeschool I have few breaks from being with Little Critter, and there's days I'd like to wring his little scrawny neck!!!! But in reality, when I do have a break from him, I miss him. He has a warped sense of humor (wonder where that came from?! LOL!), a delightful way of looking at things from outside the box, and a tender little heart that he tries hard to hide from others. He's at that awkward age when he's trying so hard to be a young man, but still wants to be Momma's baby boy and that in itself provides plenty of moments of hilarity. Those who leave the teaching of their kids to others miss out on so much...the fun, the laughter, the wonderful ah ha's when something difficult is understood, the closeness and the squirmy, dirty little boy hugs. Sigh. Most of all, they miss the delight of seeing the teachings of the Father take root and bloom in their children's lives. And the Bible tells us it will only become worse as we race toward the end of this age. I wish all could spend so much time with their kids and see what wonderful awesome creations they are. Well, I suppose all I can do is pray for them, ask Papa to open the eyes of their hearts. This is NOT a wish that all would homeschool. That takes a significant amount of sacrifice and more patience than I knew I had. But I know my parents sent us to public schools, but also took time to teach us of Father during our family times together. It can be done....it should be done.....it's really a delight to do. I pray each of you take the time to really get to know your kids and grandkids. Learn to delight in them and teach them of Papa. He loves them more than we do. And He desires that we teach them about Him. Their lives depend on us doing our jobs....their eternal lives depend on it. May I be more dedicated to teaching not only Little Critter, but also all the children we influence more about Papa in this new year. Be blessed, and Shabbot Shalom, Joie

Merry Christmas one and all!

Well, it's now after midnight so officially Christmas. Therefore, Merry Christmas everyone! We had our traditional celebration over at my mother's house tonight. We gathered for a light meal,thanked Papa for His blessings to us, then opened presents. Now some would think "So what's so unusual about that?!" But I should explain that my mother had hip replacement surgery about 3 1/2 months ago...and at 73 that's a big deal! Then add in that my sister and her husband lost almost everything they owned in Hurricane Ike 3-4 months ago. Plus my dear cousin that lives with us has been unemployed since about March. But each and everyone one of us had gifts to give and recieve. How awesome is that?!?! My parents gave their hospitality and love and gifts to come later. My sister gave gifts that she had made earlier this year and stored at my parent's house or in a storage unit that was not ruined in Ike. My dear cousin used the internet and his incredible knowledge of same to find gifts for all of us that were things we can really use or enjoy without sending him into the poorhouse! (I was amazed at his ability to do this! And yes, Dear Cousin, if you read this I mean every word I just typed!!!) And Dodi, Little Critter and I had made gifts for everyone to go along with things we bought during the year. All in all, it was a delightful evening. No whining about how we couldn't afford all the gifts we wanted to get ourselves or each other, no whining about how the government didn't send us enough money to buy things, no whining we didn't get what we really wanted. Everyone got gifts from the hearts of the givers. Gifts that mean something...not just the latest rage or fads. And best of all, we got the gift of Papa's love for us in His provision for each of us. Yes, it was a wonderful evening. Then after visiting for awhile, admiring each other's work on homemade gifts, and delighting in the joys of the treasures we each recieved, Little Critter, Dodi, Dear Cousin and I returned home. We did our Advent devotional, lit our candles, said our Hanukkah prayers and lit those candles, read that devotional and discussed how it could be applied to our lives today, then ended this wonderful day with bringing to rememberance two children's songs. The Hanukkah lesson dealt with the candles bringing light to their surroundings and the Bible verses were dealing with the eye being the candle of the soul. As we were discussing the commentary we'd read and what it meant, Little Critter said it was like Jesus Loves All The Children of the World [we old timer's know it as Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog....but I don't have to tell Little Critter that ;-)] and then we decided it was also like Be Careful Little Eyes What You See. (Two songs we often sing at bedtime...) And now I'm thinking back over the evening and finding my love letters. Papa provided a loving family for us that is free with their hospitality and love, He gave us many friends to share our hearts and lives with, and He provided us more things than we really deserve. And best of all, He gave us His Son to provide a way for us to remain close to Papa always. What an awesome day. Happy Birthday Jesus, we're so glad You came, and are grateful for Your love for us. Our prayer tonight is that each of you are blessed by Papa and find the love letters He's sent you most especially this special day. And may you each feel Papa's arms wrapped around you on this blessed night. Shalom and Merry Christmas...and for my Jewish/Hebrew friends, Happy Haunkkah all this week. Joie
PS We leave for my Dodi's families house in the morning and internet access is sometimes difficult. So I may not be able to post for a few days. Just know I'll be thinking of all my friends and praying for each of you. Be blessed.

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah to all my friends, and those I don't know yet. This is a wonderful holiday. I realize many of my Christian friends will be scratching their heads about now....what am I talking about?!?! Well, I just want to comment a minute on this incredible Love Letter Papa's given me. I'm not suggesting everyone has to do as we do, but I'd hate for you to miss the blessing that we get simply because I didn't tell you about it but kept it all to myself. So.....let me explain.
Hanukkah is an 8 day celebration found in the Apocryphal book of 1st Maccabees in the Bible. (Most modern Bibles have pulled the Apocrypha books out of the published Bibles. A real shame, these are some incredible books from the ancient Bible! It is also mentioned in John 10:22 as the Feast of Dedication.)1st Maccabees has to do with the Jewish people fighting against the Roman army, and against impossible odds,(Does anyone else hear a "But G-d!!!"?) winning the war! It also (even more than the 'in your face' story) has to do with how Papa interjects Himself into the lives of those who believe in Him and at least attempt to follow His ways by providing for them. The Romans had desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabean family (Judah Maccabee especially) was horrified and set about cleaning, rebuilding and rededicating the Holy Temple. They only found enough sanctified oil to light the Menorah (Lampstand) for one day. But the law of Moses said it was to burn continually. So they lit the Menorah,(here's another "But G-d!!!") sent for more oil to be prepared (a task that takes days to accomplish) and went to get the oil. The Rabbi's (priests) tended the Menorah each day and although there wasn't enough oil for more than 1 or 1 1/2 days, it remained lit for 8 days until the newly prepared oil was not only ready, but arrived at the Temple. This was the second miracle of Hanukkah. (The first being that the Maccabees beat the Roman army of several thousand and reclaimed the Temple)
But as I see it, the key word in this whole explanation was 'rededication'. As my family celebrates this wonderful festival (also called the Festival of the Lights), we are choosing to find ways to rededicate our lives to Papa. The menorah used for Hanukkah (a Hanukkiah) is lit each night of the 8 nights with the Shamesh or Servant Candle. Well, of course to us that represents Jesus! He even said He was the Light of the World! And in John 10, as he went to the Temple to celebrate Hanukkah, He preached a sermon about being the light of His Father. So as we light our candles and praise Papa for His blessings to us, we talk about ways we can better reflect His light into the world around us, ways we can rededicate ourselves to following His ways more closely and spread His good news to those who don't know it. It's a WONDERFUL family time full of sweet memories being made. We also participate in Advent, so each evening, I cook special foods (I use traditional Hanukkah meals and did I mention the chocolate gelt?!?!?), we light the Advent wreath, read a devotional, discuss it, then light the Hanukkah candles, saying the prayers as we light them, sing Hanukkah songs, read from Maccabees or Judith (another Apocryphal book), discuss how the lesson of the story can be applied to us today and then praise Papa for all His goodness to us. It usually takes an hour or so each evening, but is one of our favorite times of the year. The whole evening is focused on Him! What a great way to combat the commercialism of Christmas and the darkness of so much of the daily news stations each day. I would urge everyone to research the Biblical feasts (check out Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16), several times Papa says these feasts are to be celebrated as a permanent regulation for all generations. They are SUCH a blessing, and allow us to make so many more sweet memories for us and for Little Critter. (He loves the chocolate gelt we make, the driedl game and the songs of Hanukkah! He sings them all year round. LOL!) So as everyone is preparing for their Holiday season (whether Hanukkah, Christmas/New Years or a combination of both like us) I wish the Light of the Hanukkah candles shine in your hearts, the provision of our loving Papa fill your homes, and the incredible love of our Saviour radiate from your lives to all who see you. May you find your own love letters from Papa in the coming year. Shalom, Joie