I began to reminisce over a book my realtor gave me as a parting gift, “Eyes to See” by Joyce Cordell. Interestingly, in the partially fictional tale of Levi, a tax collector who meets the Messiah, the blind man at the temple gate has keen eyesight and can tell when Levi is downcast by his voice and the way he shuffles his feet. Sometimes we can see with our ears.
The Art of Seeing as We Wait Read Post »
Covid is not prejudice. Covid doesn’t care about our skin color, education, Biblical knowledge, or the size of our bank account. Some of the most righteous, holy people, whether in leadership or among friends and family have gotten covid, and some have died regardless of their walk–regardless of their age or health or religion. And the Creator of the heavens and the earth is not unaware.
Covid, The Vaxxed and Unvaxxed, The Guiltless and the Wicked Read Post »
This colossal epic failure of a test is what makes Peter become humble and ready to die for the sake of the gospel. And die he did, Peter was crucified upside down. We must feel what our Messiah felt. We fellowship in His sufferings. We forgive those who hurt us, and hopefully, they forgive us.
Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Court is in Session for Peter– “I do not Know the Man of Clay.” Read Post »
There are 3 basic types of people you will interact with. The first group is the confidant. You’ll have very few of them. Confidants are those people in your life that love you unconditionally. They are into you. Whether you are up or down, right or wrong, they are into you. They are in it for the long haul. You get in trouble; they’ll get in trouble with you. They’ll come see you in the jailhouse. They’ll get you out of the crack house. You can open up and share anything with them. You’ll never inherit your kingdom until you find your confidant. You can’t be David until you find your Jonathan.
Relationships Since 2020, the Real Virus Read Post »
How many traditions do we see our Messiah keeping? Plenty, but what happens when we begin to use the traditions as a tool for control or even truth. I think its good to know why we do the things we do. I never knew why I kept Easter or what tithes and offerings were or why I just went to ‘church’ every Sunday. I just did what I was raised to do. When a person starts looking into the roots of their faith or making changes due to teachings, I think its good to know when the tradition started and who came up with it.
Traditions, Prophets, and the Month of Elul Part II Read Post »
How many traditions do we see our Messiah keeping? Plenty, but what happens when we begin to use the traditions as a tool for control or even truth. I think its good to know why we do the things we do. I never knew why I kept Easter or what tithes and offerings were or why I just went to ‘church’ every Sunday. I just did what I was raised to do. When a person starts looking into the roots of their faith or making changes due to teachings, I think its good to know when the tradition started and who came up with it.
Traditions, Prophets, and the Month of Elul Part I Read Post »
I glanced at her backpack on wheels with its Jesus stickers and hearts and pondered her idiosyncrasies. She had never married or had children. One by one, I watched people scurry away from her. Suddenly, they were in need of using the restroom or began to gather into another area by the coffee machine, but Abba whispered to me at that moment—”see her.” Tekoa, do you want to be with the elite? Love my sheep with all the love and even more than you have for these you are looking up to—these who are impressed by Biblical knowledge—these who have asked you to speak on Thursday night– because Tekoa, I am not impressed.” Heart conditions.
*FREE CHAPTER* from Jumping for Joy in the Midst of Sorrow Read Post »
My last blog titled Madmen showcased the prophet Elisha, Jehu, and Hazael. This blog is a bit of a contranym concerning life and death and the most sacred place of all, the womb. We will begin with darkness and then go to the light.
In II Kings 15, we have a king who rips the unborn from the womb. Ironically, this King’s name means “consoling—comforter.”
At that time, Menahem (Comforter) sacked Tiphsah and all who were in it and its territory from Tirzah on because they did not open it to him. Therefore he sacked it, and he ripped open all the women in it who were pregnant. (II Kings 15:16).
The Womb and the Sword (Elul) Read Post »
A rugged prophet is standing before Hazael, weeping. It does not matter if the king has sent 40 camels laden with gifts. Hazael thinks he is only standing in front of this man to get one answer for King Ben-hadad. Hazael, like all of us, if we were in his position, becomes quite uncomfortable to see such a man stand and weep–a man with a hairy mantle and a voice that pierces the soul. The passage states, “Elisha stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep.” When Hazael asked, “Why is my lord weeping?” he answered him in this manner:
Because I know the evil that you will inflict on the men of Israel: their strongholds you will set on fire, their young men you will slay with the sword, their little ones you will dash into pieces, and their pregnant ones you will rip open.
–II Kings 8:12, TLV
There is a woman who lost her eye as a child. In middle school, she was called third eye. By eight, her left eye was removed. By nine, she had a prosthetic eye. At 12, her ballet coach transformed her handicap into a strength, and by 19, she was teaching cardiac surgery. Her name is Katarina Stephan. I touch on this story because I feel like many times, we have eyes to see but do not see. And what are we missing while we go about our daily lives? Driving across town to an appointment, inspecting fruit at the supermarket, doing dishes, talking on the phone, etc. What are we not seeing that is right in front of us? How many times did it take for someone to mention Sabbath or feasts days before we looked at them with one eye, our 3rd one?
“I see,” Said the Blind Man Read Post »
