Shout out to the olam. I'm at Old Paths Assembly in Lucerne Valley, California. I've been doing work around the campsite here in preparation for Sukkot. Today is Shabbat. Another week here and the boys and I will be off in the direction of Oklahoma. California is beautiful. The campsite is surrounded by Joshua trees (the desert tree made famous by U2's 1987 album), and in every direction are mountains (we are in a valley, after all). A few nights ago I went on a field trip with all the folks here to the coast to see the grunion run (what's a grunion, you may ask? a very unusual fish. look it up). I saw the redwoods and giant seqouia trees. I ate San Francisco sourdough bread in San Francisco. I spent a night in a truck next to a vineyard. On my 21st birthday I saw the Pacific ocean for the first time in my life and I went swimming in the waves.

Most special of all, Abba is connecting me with many brethren all over the continent. Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat Shalom.

Brief update. I'm at the Anderson's home in Kelowna, BC. I'm meeting so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Messiah here. The Okanagan area is incredibly beautiful. Last night I ate fresh strawberries and cherries right off the branch. Yummy!

Shalom.

I'm going on a trip with some friends. If events go as planned, we'll see BC, California, Oklahoma, and all the States and provinces in between. I might post on the road, and I may not.

I finished reading Corrie ten Boom's book 'The Hiding Place' to my brother today. It's an amazing story of the power of Christ Jesus in the lives of real people. I almost came to tears several times as I read the account of the wickedness and hate that mankind can have and the love and forgiveness of Messiah that overcomes the world.

This is an amazing story in the book.
"It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there - the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face.
He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. 'How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.' he said. 'To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!'
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of the them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.
And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself."


As I go on this journey, I'll leave you all with some words from my friend Don Esposito.
"...this is pure religion before Yahweh: helping others. So much of the religious spirit in the world today is only about getting people's money and building up the ego of men. All of us in the body of Messiah can help others without having churches and ministers control us by just going out there and doing it. Seeing a need and fulfilling it. It is so simple, but I know in this complicated world sometimes we just lose sight of how easy life could be if we just deny ourselves and put others first. Doctrine is important to Yahweh, but even more important is how we treat each other and caring for the needs of the destitute brethren."

Shalom!

I bought a digital camera (Canon A520 for anyone who cares), and now I have a Flickr account to show off all my photos.

Now the whole world can see my pictures.

I just finished reading the book of Iyov (Job) in Hebrew. What fun!

"But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?
Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?
God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.
For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding." Iyov 28

Shabbat Shalom!

The shortest book of the Torah. 

the door was reached, and opened with ease
but behind it lay another door
a million keys lay about his feet
he started trying keys at random
thisthatandanother
but night fell swiftly

and

my voice shalt thou hear in the morning
o Lord
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee
and will look up

on attempting to approach the first door, he found a pile of debris blocking his path.
he halted and began moving the collection of telephone books, rusty piano strings, and slowly-disintegrating sequoia sawdust, vowing to himself that he would reach the doorknob in due course.