Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

It is time for another Bible study. In this case I wish to provide some insights on how the Bible treats Jerusalem as God’s redemption time clock.

It was known and foretold by the prophets that the Jewish nation through its leadership would turn her back on God’s Messiah. Jesus had something to say about this;

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Calling upon Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Cf. Matt23:37-39)

There will be a moment in history when Jerusalem will call upon Jesus as her Messiah. But a problem remains. Jerusalem has had a history of killing those sent to her from God Almighty. What will bring about this momentous event of turning? We will see a bit later in this study.

For now let’s get a feel for modern Israel. There is a struggle in Israel of which many are not aware. The struggle is so intense that it is not uncommon to hear news media use the term ‘civil war.’ The struggle is between the religious Jews and secular Jews. Politicians are caught in the middle. And while the religious Jews make up only 20% of the population in Israel, they wield far greater influence than their numbers seem to allow.

The issue is over power and influence. An intense hatred exists among the orthodox Jews, especially those of the ultra-conservative sects, for anyone who is not of their sect. This hatred is especially directed to the secular Jews. Secular Jews are considered traitors. But it doesn’t stop there. These ultra-conservative groups also have war with one another - even over such things as whose rabbis are the greatest, and such like. So the hatred is deeply embedded in Israel’s religious spread.

Perhaps it should be understood that Judaism has never been a monolithic religion. It has always been a mixture of many racial groups with a diversity of religious beliefs. In fact the idea of Jewish blood is discounted by Jewish writers today. It is promoted primarily by the Orthodox Talmudic groups. 

This infighting among the Jews has coursed its way through history, with one group accusing the other of being heretics. A great many Jewish Christians were slaughtered in the Bar Kochba rebellion in 132-135 A.D., because the Christians would not recognize Bar Kochba as Messiah. This is only a sampling of blood letting among the Jews. There are many, many other instances.

Orthodox rabbis in Israel have declared Conservative and Reform rabbis to be heretics. This comes through Talmudic writings, which the Orthodox hold as the only authentic guide to knowing and serving God. As a rule the only Bible the Orthodox are permitted to study is the Bible as it is seen through the lens of the Talmudic writers.

Secular Jews on the other hand do not wish to be brought under the austere dictatorship of the ultra-orthodox rabbis. A great many Jews in Israel today will not even step inside a synagogue. The larger part of the Israeli population is non-religious. In fact Israel has one of the highest percentages of atheism among modern nations today. 

But here is the paradox. While we may think that the secular sector in Israel has little interest in Jesus Christ, this isn’t the case at all. Secular Jews are very much interested in Jesus. Their battle continues against orthodox Judaism, especially in its more radical forms. Actually the Christmas trees business in Israel is flourishing.

A little known fact is that there is a Jesus movement sweeping Israel. Not a revival in the sense that Americans understand it. It is a movement of wanting to know more about Jesus.

According to Pinchas E. Lapide, the recently deceased orthodox professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, there is a “Jesus wave” passing through Israel. The wave is not about a Catholic Jesus or a Protestant Jesus or a Charismatic Jesus. It is about the Jesus of the land, the Jesus of the gospels. The ultra-conservative orthodox groups are not very happy about this. Talmudic Judaism has attempted to erased Jesus from the history of the Jewish people, but the tables are now turning on them. The people want to know!

It is hard for Christians to understand this enmity in Israel. We have such romantic notions about Jews. The problem is that most people in the west know so little about the history of Judaism. There are three essential periods of history for Judaism. The third period is considered to have begun with the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. and up to our present time. It essentially forms itself around rabbinic Judaism. The rabbis considered themselves the final mouthpiece of God, even exceeding that of Moses and the prophets.

The first temple period concerned itself with the original temple in Jerusalem, that is, Solomon’s temple, and up to the scattered tribes in the Old Testament. Second temple Judaism began with Nehemiah and the repopulating of Israel, and runs up to the destruction of 70 A.D. Historians tell us there were twenty-four distinct Judaisms during that time. 

Then you have the issue of false Messiahs. Throughout history the Jewish people have been deceived often over supposed Messiahs. This has contributed to their distain for things religious. Jesus warned the people that this would happen, and that many would come in His name and claim to be the Messiah.

But what of the enmity against Jesus? This enmity reaches back to the times of Jesus and to the apostles, and even before. It has a spiritual base. Jesus and John the Baptist spoke of this hate element in Israel as, “a brood of vipers.”

Jesus said of them, “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.” (John 15:24) So the hate element has always been there.

Jewish orthodoxy has made little to no changes over the centuries. Their hatred for Jesus Christ and for all things Christian is often covered up, but it is always just below the surface. In fact if it came to the need for a blood transfusion, this group of Jews would prefer to die rather than accept the blood of a Christian, or of any Gentile, or even the blood of a secular Jew. They believe other bloods are defiled. They cannot take a chance on defiling their own sacred “divine” blood.

It was pretty much the same during the time of Christ. Even the apostles had to process this. When Peter was sent to the house of Cornelius, he said, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.” (Cf. Acts 10)

The Law of Moses never said any such thing about entering the house of a foreigner. This came from the traditions of the elders which in turn became the foundation for all Talmudic writings. Even back then the rabbis had a choke hold on the peoples in Israel. This helps us understand why Jesus often went outside the religious establishment to minister to those who were considered outcasts.

Jesus called the religious powers what they were. He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

If you would like to see the dressing down that Jesus gave the “hate” element in Israel, take time to read Matthew 23. It was immediately following this dressing down, that Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem … your house is being left to you desolate.”

A question remains. Since there is such a disunity among the Jews in Israel, then why are they there? They are there because God brought them there. The nation of Israel has a purpose it must fulfill in God’s program of redemption. Yes, one day this Israel nation will cry out to the Lord Jesus and say of Him, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Let me share some snippets of beliefs noted in common by the ultra-orthodox groups in Israel. 

(1) They forbid Jewish men to listen to a woman singing in a choir or solo, regardless of what she is singing. They believe the voice of a woman is adultery. (Many Talmudic teachings are against women in general. These teachings are very much in favor today.)

Compare this to Paul: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28 - Peter adds that husband and wife are fellow heirs of the grace of life.)

(2) They believe that when they come to power, all Christian churches are to be destroyed and all non-Jews to be expelled from the country, including secular Jews.

(3) Haredim rabbis often teach that the Holocaust was a well-deserved divine punishment for failure to keep Talmudic studies. (Among other things.)

(4) Their hatred for non-Jews comes from their continuous cabbalistic tradition. They are much into magic. (They try to hide this fact from westerners.)

(5) For them the gravest sin is for a Jew to deny Judaism. The Jew who denies Judaism becomes a Canaanite, and to kill such a person is an act of righteousness. (Thus we see their hatred against the secular Jew, and against Jews who turn to Jesus.)

(6) The doctor Baruch Goldstein who slaughtered 20 Muslim worshippers, including children, in Hebron in 1994, is considered a saint by this group and is seen as their intercessor in heaven.

So — What is it going to take to turn the eyes of Israel to Jesus? The answer isn’t as difficult as it may seem. It is clearly set forth in the prophets. The Lord said, “In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” (Hos5:15)

Jesus told the rejecters, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sins; where I am going, you cannot come.” (John 8:21)

The time is shortly coming when Israel is going to desperately need a Savior. When that moment comes, they will cry out to Jesus. The apostle said, “The deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” (Rom11:26-27)

We have a prophecy that sets the stage for these happenings. The Lord said, “In that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And and the nations of the earth [United Nations] will be gathered against it.”

And again,

“In that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem … I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will LOOK ON ME whom they have pierced; and they WILL MOURN OVER HIM, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Cf. Zech12)

Every statement made in Zechariah 12:10, connects to something said about Jesus Christ in the new covenant writings.

(1) “They will look on Me….”

Response: “You will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” [This is a clear statement that Jesus is Yahweh revealed fully in human form.]

(2) “…whom they have pierced.”

Response: “…this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.” (Acts 2:23 - In the Talmud the rabbis never credit Rome with the crucifixion of Jesus. They take it to themselves.)

(3) “They will mourn over Him as one mourns for an only Son.”

Response: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

(4) “They will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

Response: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom8:29)

There is much more to Jerusalem being the time clock of God. If this study has peaked your interest, then consider these additiional studies entitled ‘Struggles in Israel.’ (The study offered here comes from part #1 of a four part series.) 

http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/HF109.html

http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/HF110.html

http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/HF111.html

Blessings,

Buddy

 

 

 

Journal,

Guess it may be good to share some heart secrets again. So here goes…

What continues to amaze me is how time seems to be moving at a faster pace as it races for the finish line. A year and a half ago I passed the mantle of Senior Pastor of Christian Challenge to Nathan. Doesn’t seem possible that it has been that long. 

Is it possible that this shortening of time for all of mankind was written into God’s book of redemption? In speaking of the final closure of the gospel age, Jesus said,

“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”  - Matthew 24:22 nasb

Seems like yesterday. But it was Sunday morning, December 17, 2006, that I passed the mantle to my oldest son, Nathan. Since that moment in time the responsibility for the local ministry has pretty much rested on Nathan’s shoulders. My role continues as Founding Pastor and General Overseer of CCI. But for practical purposes it is largely supportive in nature. 

To be able to watch the onward progress of the ministry has been an enjoyable adventure. There are two things that continue to impress me. One has been to see the Lord raise up a strong leadership team around Nathan, and in all this to see Nathan fulfill his role at the helm of the ministry. God has made Nathan a capable leader in his own rights.

And speaking of Nathan at the helm, in my office at Christian Challenge, over my desk was a picture of a sailor in a storm with Jesus standing beside him. That picture is now in Nathan’s office. Will there be storms to face? Oh yes, indeed. They come with life as well as with the ministry itself. But I’ve already seen Nathan in action. All will be well. (The picture is similar to this one above.)

The other thing that has given me pause has to do with my ongoing role in the service of God’s kingdom. Without question I will always be a preacher of the gospel. Yet I’ve been making an adjustment from fulfilling a primary call as a pulpit preacher and teacher, to that of a writing, and to taking on more responsibility in a role of mentoring preachers and other disciples. The School for Christian Workers remains my heart vision.

The change has not been without its blessings. Nor would I wish to change anything with regard to what the Lord is doing at Christian Challenge and in my personal life. But the adjustment is still ongoing for me.

When you consider that for the past forty-three plus years, my life has rallied around preaching and teaching the gospel, it does require a bit of attitude adjustment on my part to take ahold of my newest summation from heaven. At present my summons from heaven includes a call to write down the things that the Lord has taught me so that others may benefit from the insights that I’ve learned from the Lord. 

It is true that as a long-time preacher the Lord has granted me insight into the gospel of Jesus Christ that could well prove to be a blessing to others. But I think my greater influence on others can be contributed to my apprehension of the Hebrew background of our Christian faith. The Hebraics of the Christian faith has long been my forte of study. Oftentime to really understand an event or a portion of Scriptures, it is needful to know the Hebrew thinking that is involved. This is where I can offer a hand.

For my readers to peruse, I have close to two hundred of my short studies available. To view them go to: http://christianchallenge.org/hebraic-foundations/index.html 

More about the call to write. This may fit others as well as it fits me. 

The tongue of a ready writer…

As an encouragement towards my writings, the Lord keeps stirring my heart with a special Messianic Psalm of Love. Psalm 45 has long been accounted a Psalm of the Messiah by both Christian and Jewish theologists. And while the Psalm concerns God’s Christ, it also captures the spiritual gift of writing. Listen to just a beginning of the Psalm:

“My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever.”
(Psa 45:1,2 nasb)

Certainly there is nothing that will ever take the place of the Bible, yet the inspired writer can make the Bible come alive through the pen. In fact spiritual writing can be compared both to preaching and even to gospel singing. Yes, the Lord has given me music. Each of my songs carries the gospel message from heaven. 

Untold numbers of peoples have come to the Lord, either by reading a tract, reading a book, listening to a testimony, or hearing the gospel through song. David knew about this. And this is why David was called, ‘The sweet psalmist of Israel.’ (2Sam23:1)

To be able to use the human heart as a canvess upon which to paint the wonders of God’s love and to paint the beauties of His Son, is an unspeakable joy to me. I love to experience the holy presence of heaven as it rests upon me when I minister, whether it is through preaching, through the pen, or in singing the gospel.

So, does God really anoint the pen of the writer? Yes indeed. While no writer can gauge himself on par with the writers of the Bible, it is true that the Lord does anoint gospel writings just as He anoints gospel preaching. In many instances a good book can be likened to a good sermon. And in some cases the book may even leave a more lasting imprint. 

Well enough on my activities of the heart. How about you?

Do you have a summons from heaven…

Maybe your calling isn’t to be a writer, but you surely have a summons from heaven.

Every one of God’s children have been called to His side. When Jesus explained His role as the good Shepherd and the doorkeeper of heaven, He said, “ When he puts forth His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know His voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:3,4)

The Lord has just said that the true shepherd calls his own sheep by name. So, our first summons from heaven is the summons of salvation. Jesus calls us to Himself, one, by one, by one.

But it doesn’t end there. Throughout our walk of life, Jesus summons us to our various roles and to our placements in His kingdom. This is why over time each of us will go through transitional moments. It is during these moments that we are to leave one thing in order to take hold of another.

Transitional times can seem a bit befuddling. This is because we are leaving behind something we are accustomed to, in order to take up another role in which we are not as familiar with. Paul addresses this in part when he says,

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Php 3:12-14)

The key to making it through a transitional period is found in the words, ‘Forgetting what lies behind.’ Until we can turn loose of the past, we are ill equipped to take on the future.

But also consider this — When the Lord calls us to a placement, it does not mean that everything in our past just disappears. Very often our summation from heaven is simply a call to take on something new by releasing something old, and it can happen right where we are. 

So, where are you in all this? Are you holding on to something that you need to turn loose of? Don’t let the past become your quagmire to what the Lord has for you in the future. 

Get ready. The Lord wants to give you some adventures of the heart.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

The Bible teaches that laughter is good for the soul. It is also healthy for your faith walk. People who never laugh live sad lives. So it seems to me.

Jesus said that His sheep could hear His voice. Has the Lord ever put laughter into your walk of faith. Boy, He surely has mine. I laugh all the time. And if I’m not laughing, I’m singing. And if I’m not singing, I’m picking on someone, trying to get them to laugh.

It bothers me to no end to be around people who have a hard time smiling.

Ok, so I am goofy at times. Jest can’t help it. 

What does the Bible say about laughter…

Did you know that the word gospel really means ‘good news’ or ‘glad tidings.’ In Luke 2:10, the angel says to the shepherds, “Do  not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Notice how the good news will bring great joy. Actually this statement can be equally translated, “I evangelize to you a great joy.” (Wycliff)

The implication is, ‘I am bringing a message from heaven that will put laughter in your soul!’

The gospel is designed to put joy and laughter into the believer’s life. It is possible to concentrated so much on the sufferings of the cross that we neglect the victory of the cross. Did not the apostle say that the kingdom of God consists of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Did you know that some people have a hard time seeing Jesus laughing. Not only did Jesus laugh, but he became so filled with joy that He literally twirled around in a Hebrew type step.

Listen:

“At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.” (Luke 10:21)

The ‘rejoiced greatly’ literally means to exult, leap for joy, to show one’s joy by leaping and skipping denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight. – The Complete Word Study Dictionary

This is what Robertsons Word Pictures says –

“This holy joy of Jesus was directly due to the Holy Spirit. It is joy in the work of his followers, their victories over Satan, and is akin to the joy felt by Jesus in John 4:32-38 when the vision of the harvest of the world stirred his heart.”

He laughs….

Did you know that the nickname of a believer could well be, ‘he laughs’? You didn’t? I am surprised.

Ok, listen to what happened to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born and Sarah was long past the age of child bearing.

What was Sarah’s response to having her baby boy? She said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” (Gen21:6)

Has God ever made laughter for you? I can’t number the times that I’m sure I heard the Holy Spirit laugh inside me. Course, it could have been me laughing in my own heart. Don’t take much.

Now about your nickname, ‘he laughs’. Not convinced yet? Lets move on.

Did you know that the name Isaac literally means ‘he laughs’, and God was the one who gave him his name. The Lord said,

“Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Gen 17:19)

Still not convinced that your nick name is ‘he laughs’?

Well, now I’m gonna have to nail it down. Listen to the great apostle Paul –

“And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.” (Gal 4:28)

Thats it. If we are like Isaac, then our nickname must be ‘he laughs.’

Is it alright to laugh and have fun… (I’m not talking about that ludicrous laughing movement.)

While you are thinking about all this, take time to listen to one of my favorite singers. If Mark Lowry can’t make you laugh, you are in real trouble. After this I’ll tell you a story of the Lord laughing at me. (At least that’s what I think happened.)

You’d had a dollar now, but as it was ….

Oh yes! God laughs. Now I don’t think God actually speaks to me in a Cajun dialect, but I do think that way some times.

Anyway, I had a friend doing a tent meeting down a ways from where I was pastoring. (Long years ago.) Now in my billfold I had me a hundred dollar bill and a one dollar bill. All day long I was thinking, ‘I’ll get down to the store and change that hundred dollar bill into twenties. That way I can give a twenty dollar offering.’

I figured that twenty dollars was a pretty good offering. (Remember this was back in 1975.) Anyway, it kept slipping my mind. So here we are at the tent and I’m squirming, jest a hoping that no offering will be taken up. Not to happen.

Here comes the offering bucket. My wife Betty knows exactly why I was squirming and she is laughing already. The bucket comes by, and I takes out a dollar bill and drops it in. End of story?

Not hardly. My conscience smote me real hard and I called to the bucket man to come back. Out came my hundred dollar bill and into the bucket it went.

On the way home I was musing to myself when this thought just droped out of no where. It set me off to my laughing moment. To this day I believe the Holy Spirit was chuckling with me.

Anyway, what I heard was, ‘I you’d a give the hundred dollar bill up front, you’d a had a dollar right now. But like it was, you had to give the hundred and the one.’

I’ve been laughing about that hundred dollar incident ever since. For some reason it was music to my soul. And I learned a great lesson about faith. You can figure that one out.

The devil hates to hear the laughter of faith…

What many don’t realize is that laughter and joy are hallmarks of a person who is truly realizing his life in the world of faith. It absolutely shows in his face. Listen to what the Psalmist said:

“How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.” (Psalm 89:15)

And again,

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.” (Psalm 34:5)

Is it alright to laugh at the devil? God does. God laughs at anyone who would make himself His enemy.

The early Christians quoted from a unique Psalm that had to do with the enemies of Christ. The enemy stood against God and His Christ, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”

What was the Lord’s response? It says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.” (Psalm 2:3,4)

Did I get the lesson across? While I do love to try and tickle folk to get them to laugh, you can be sure that I’m quite serious when it comes to the laughter of faith.

Try it. Try laughing at your struggle, at the devil, at whatever you may be going through. Ask the Lord to put laughter in your soul.

You see, joy and faith truly do belong to the same camp.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

 

 

 

Journal,

I’ve noticed that while the greater part of my readers are in the U.S., I also have a great many readers from Western Europe, and from Australia, with a number from other countries. The one thing I’ve noticed in particular is that the largest percentages of my readers are from Christian based countries. (With some from Israel.)

If you will look closely at the map below you will notice something else that may tell a story. Across northern Africa, extending through Saudi Arabia, then following north east and on into western China, it shows a tan-grey region. This tan-grey speaks to lack of greenery, of dryness and of desert areas. 

Isn’t it odd that where the dryness is situatied, it is found mainly in non-Christian based areas, that is, in those areas where Jesus is rejected as the Son of God, where the peoples are often very much against Christians.

Could there be a reason that non-Christian countries and dryness are found together? Perhaps the Psalmist provided an answer, when he said, “God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” (Psa 68:6 nasb)

 Look more closely at the map — Perhaps the Lord will share more thoughts with you.

 Ok, now for my tributes…

I am a child of the ’40s. My memories are embedded in the era of WWII and in the afterworld of that generation. To me it is no secret why that era is known as ‘the Great Generation.’ On top of things I have been an admirer of Great Britain’s doggedness and passion she exhited during the war. Guess some of this comes from my mixture of English and Scot-Irish lineage. (Among other things.) 

Here is a special song that always stirs my heart. It was very popular during WWII. ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ was written by Nat Burton in 1941. and sung by Vera Lynn.

Here goes:

Hope you enjoyed Vera. Wow, what memories. Makes me want to tear up.

Ok, now for my Aussie friends….

I also have special feelings for my Australian friends. I almost made it to your shores in 1962. Was aboard my ship the USS Calvert. We were on our way towards Australia when the Navy called us back for whatever reason. (Early era of Vietnam.)

Believe it or not, many years ago, 1974 or ‘75, I had a dream that I was ministering in Australia. Well, I have yet to make it there. But on top of everything I have genuine affections for my Australian friends. Seems their history runs right along with the good U.S. of A. Same roots.

So here is another song that I fell in love with many years ago. This song is often referred to as Australia’s second national anthem. The original lyrics were written in 1895 by the poet and nationalist Banjo Paterson. The song is filled with folklore.

Let’s give a hand for, ’Waltzing Matilda.’  …

Nor have I forgotten my many other readers…

Yep, as time goes along I’ll share more music from my other friends from around the globe.

Ok, I love all you guys and gals.

And remember,

Jesus loves you more,

Buddy

 

Journal,

This entry may be a bit lengthy for some, but I believe it will be well worth the reading.

There is a mystery that exists between Christianity and Judaism. And because of this mystery there has been a love-hate relationship between the two religions from the time of Christ Jesus.

If you were to basically categorize the two religions it would be fairly simple: Christianity rests its case upon Jesus as the long awaited Messiah of the ages and of Israel proper. Judaism does not. The picture can be much more complicated but this is the bottom line issue.

Jesus said that He came to bring a sword and that the sword would divide the Hebrew religion into two camps. He said, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (vv32,33)

The earliest Jewish Christians were called ‘the people of the great confession.’ Josephus actually referred to the Christians as a tribe.

And so, out of the cross came a sword that cleaved Judaism in two. Those who received Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah would enter His kingdom and come under His rule. Those who refused to accept Him, well, the story has been very different indeed. 

There is so much I could share to show how Moses himself spoke of this division, how the prophets spoke of it, and how the apostles of Jesus spoke of it, but I don’t want to bog this Journal entry down with an overuse of Scripture. 

Yet there is more to be told…

There is a modern day story. There are untold numbers of Jews today who are turning to Jesus as the true Messiah of Israel. In fact there is a continuous move among the Jews to reclaim Jesus to their history.

The hearts of a great many Jews are tiring of all the misinformation written about Jesus from their sages and otherwise.

For centuries the Jewish people did not even know that Jesus and all the apostles were ’sabras’. (Native born Israeli.) It had been planted in their thinking that Jesus was some sort of Roman god, or at best an apostate Jew.

But the time has come and the change is coming with it. The heart of the Jew is turning.

Paul explains it this way:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; …

” … just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’

“From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29 nasb)

Yes, even the prophets of old described how there would be a turning of the Jews and of all the peoples of the earth to the Lord Jesus in the closing hours of God’s redemption time clock.

But I shared all this because I wanted share some of the testimony of Jewish notables in how they have come to see Jesus. Please take your time to read these testimonies:

The testimony of notable Jews, concerning Jesus…

You aren’t going to agree with all that is being said, but at least it will take away some of the sting that has been placed upon Jesus by Talmudic writers through the ages.

………. Here goes ……..

Joseph Klausner, Jewish author:

“Jesus was a Jew and a Jew he remained till his last breath. His one idea was to implant within his nation the idea of the coming of the Messiah and, by repentance and good works, hasten the
‘end’…. In all this, Jesus is the most Jewish of Jews, more Jewish than Simeon ben Shetah, more Jewish even than Hillel.”

Heinrich Graetz, considered by many to be the greatest of Jewish historians:

“Like Hillel, Jesus looked on the promotion of peace and forgiveness of injuries as the highest forms of virtue. His whole being was permeated by that deeper religion which contributed to
the mildness of his face. He has made humanity honour; he has carried the highest wisdom to the homes of the lowly and the ignorant of the world. He has carried it beyond all barriers of
schools and temples, and for this, only, he had to die a death of shame.

“The redeemer of the poor, the teacher of the ignorant, the friend of all that faint with toil and are oppressed with cares must die on the cross. Over the supreme tragedy let the angel of sorrow spread his wings. Veil thy face, sun! Be darkened, sky! Let the earth tremble and men mourn in tears! The most angelic of men, the most loving of teachers, the meek and humble prophet is to die by the death of the cross.

“He felt within himself the call to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel…. He, by word and example, raised the sinner and the publican, and filled the hearts of those poor, neglected, thoughtless beings with the love of God, transforming them into dutiful children of their Heavenly Father. He animated them with his own piety and fervor, and improved their conduct by the hope he gave them of being able to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Moritz Lazarus, philosopher:

“I am of the opinion that we should endeavor with all possible zeal to obtain an exact understanding of the great personality of Jesus and to reclaim him for Judaism.”

Christ was the mouthpiece of God…

Baruch Spinoza, the great Jewish philosopher:

“Christ was not so much a prophet as the mouthpiece of God. Christ was sent to teach not only Jews, but the whole human race; and therefore it was not enough that his mind should be
accommodated to the opinions of the Jews alone, but also to the opinion and fundamental teaching common to the whole human race; in other words, to ideas universal and truth.”

Max Nordau, author and Zionist leader:

“Jesus is the soul of our soul as he is the flesh of our flesh. Who then could think of excluding him from the people of Israel? St. Peter will remain the only Jew who said of the Son of David: ‘I know not the man.’ If the Jews up to the present have not rendered homage to the sublime beauty of the figure of Jesus, it is because their tormentors have always persecuted, tortured and assassinated in his name.”

Dr. Claude Montefiore, president of the Jewish Religious Union:

“I cannot conceive that a time will come when the figure of Jesus will no longer be a star of the first magnitude in the spiritual heavens, when he will no longer be regarded as one of the greatest religious heroes and teachers the world has seen….

“The religion of the future will be, as I believe, a developed and purified Judaism, but from that developed and purified Judaism the records will tell, however imperfectly, of perhaps its greatest teacher. Certainly its most potent and influential teacher will not be excluded.

“We Jews do not mind saying that the greatest influence upon European and American history and civilization has been the Bible. But we too often forget that the Bible which has had this influence is not merely the Old Testament. It is the Old Testament and the New Testament combined.

“And of the two, it is the New Testament which has undoubtedly had the greater influence and has been of the greater importance. Jesus is the most important Jew that has ever lived, to whom the sinner and the outcast age after age have owed a great debt of gratitude.”

Hans Joachim Schoeps, Jewish theologian:

“The church of Jesus Christ has preserved no portrait of its lord and saviour. If Jesus were to come again tomorrow, no Christian would know his face. But it might well be that he who is coming at the end of days, he who is awaited by the synagogue as by the church, is one, with one and the same face.”

Let us Jews be thankful there was a Jesus…

Rabbi Emmanuel Weill:

“Let us then as Jews be thankful there was a Jesus and a Paul. I do not know the secret of God, but I believe that Jesus and Christianity were providential means, useful to the Deity in guiding all men gradually and by an effort, keeping pace with the mental state of the majority of men, from paganism up to the pure and true idea of the divinity.”

 
Rabbi J.L. Levy:

“I have little but contempt for those who cannot see in Jesus of Nazareth something to admire. I have little respect for those who cannot find in the Nazarene something good and worthy of our
deep esteem. I personally regard him as one of the greatest spiritual teachers the world has ever known. I look upon him as one of the noblest spiritual teachers the human family has ever had the privilege of observing. We have great faith in the noble character of his life, in the beauty of his teaching that may safely be attributed to him. We have great admiration for the pure life offered for the good of humanity.”

Rabbi H.G. Enelow, D.D., reform rabbi, writer and scholar:

“Among the great and the good that the human race has produced, none has ever approached Jesus in universality of appeal and sway. He has become the most fascinating figure in history. In him is combined what is best and most mysterious and most enchanting in Israel — the eternal people whose child he was. The Jew cannot help glorying in what he has meant to the world, nor can he help hoping that Jesus may yet serve as a bond of union between Jew and Christian.

“What does the modern Jew think of Jesus? A Prophet? Yes, crowning a great tradition, and who can compute all that Jesus has meant to humanity? The love he has inspired, the solace he has
given, the good he has engendered, the hope and joy he has kindled — all that is unequaled in human history.”

Rabbi David Phillipson, Ph.D., reform Jewish leader:

“There is no backwardness nor hesitancy on the part of modern Jewish thought in acknowledging the greatness of the teacher of Nazareth, the sweetness of his character, the power of his genius.”

He was a gift of love…

Rabbi Gross of Brooklyn’s Union Temple:

“I, a rabbi of Israel, think we should accept Jesus. I think we should teach Jesus to children much as we teach them about Abraham, Moses and Jeremiah, and the rest of the great teachers and prophets. Jesus, as we all know, was a Jew. He was a gift of love.”

Rabbi Rudolph Grossman, D.D.:

“We Jews honor the Nazarene as our brother in faith, sprung from our loins, nurtured at Israel’s knee, a teacher of sweet and beautiful ideals, a preacher whose influence has been and still is among the mightiest spiritualizing factors in the world.”

Rabbi Gustav Gottheil, Ph.D., one of the founders of the Federation of American Zionists:

“The keynote of prophetic religion of the Jewish prophets was holiness of life and purity of heart…. To place the Master of Nazareth by their side can surely be no dishonor to him, nor can it dim the luster of his name. If he has added to their spiritual bequests new jewels of religious truth, and spoken words which are words of life, because they touch the deepest springs of the human heart, why should we Jews not glorify in him?”

Rabbi Maurice H. Harris:

“Unlike the Messiahs before him — all mediocre men — his name (Jesus) has been treasured ever since as one of the great religious teachers of the world…. Let us not lose our Almighty Father in pantheistic vagueness, merging Him in nature; let us view Him as our Living redeemer, our Saviour, for we often need to be saved –sometimes from the world, sometimes from ourselves.”

Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Ph.D., founder of the American Jewish Congress and the Federation of American Zionists:

“Even if Jesus had not been born unto Israel, even if he had borne no relation to the people of Israel, it becomes of importance for Israel to determine for itself what shall be its relation to the man who has touched the world nearly two thousand years as has no other single figure in history….It is no mean joy and ignoble pride in us of the House of Israel to recognize, to honor and to cherish among our brothers — Jesus the Jew.”

Had it not been for Jesus, the Jews would be little known…

Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of England:

“The pupil of Moses may ask himself whether all the princes of the House of David have done so much for the Jews as that Prince who was crucified…. Had it not been for him, the Jews would have been comparatively unknown or known only as a high Oriental Caste which had lost its country. Has not he made their history the most famous history in the world?”

Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler, President of Hebrew Union College:

“No ethical system or religious catechism, however broad and pure, could equal the efficiency of this great personality, standing, unlike any other, midway between heaven and earth, equally near to God and to man….

“Jesus, the helper of the poor, the friend of the sinner, the brother of every fellow-sufferer, the comforter of every sorrow-laden, the healer of the sick, the up-lifter of the fallen, the lover of man, the redeemer of woman, won the heart of mankind by storm. Jesus, the meekest of men, the most despised of the despised race of the Jews, mounted the world’s throne to be the earth’s Great King.”

Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, reform rabbi, scholar and author:

“Scores of men have believed themselves to be the Messiah and have convinced many of their contemporaries, but those who believed Jesus to be the Messiah have built a great church upon
the rock of their belief. He is still the living comrade of countless lives. No Moslem ever sings, ‘Mohammed, lover of my soul’, nor does any Jew say of Moses, the Teacher, ‘I need thee every hour.’”

Ellis Rivkin, professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College:

“Of these Messianic claimants, only one, Jesus of Nazareth, so impressed his disciples that he became their Messiah. And he did so after the very crucifixion which should have refuted his claims decisively. But it was not Jesus’ life which proved beyond question that he was the Messiah, the Christ. It was his resurrection.”

Pinchas E. Lapide, senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University:

“I have the suspicion that Jesus was more loyal to the Torah than I am as an Orthodox Jew.”

David Flusser, professor of religious history at Hebrew University in Jerusalem:

“I do not think that many Jews would object if the Messiah — when he came — was the Jew Jesus.”

Dr. Chaim Zhitlowsky, Jewish scholar and author:

“Every Jew should be proud of the fact that Jesus is our brother, flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood. We desire to put him back where he belongs.”

Is it only the Jew who is unable to see and hear? …

Constantine Brunner, Jewish philosopher:

“What is this? Is it only the Jew who is unable to see and hear? Are the Jews stricken with blindness and deafness as regards Christ, so that to them only he has nothing to say? Is he to be of no importance to us Jews? Understand then what we shall do. We shall bring him back to us.

“Christ is not dead for us — for us he has not yet lived; and he will not slay us, he will make us live again. His profound and holy words, and all that is true and heart-appealing in the
New Testament, must from now on be heard in our synagogues and taught to our children, in order that the wrong we had committed may be made good, the curse turned into a blessing, and that he at last may find us who has always been seeking after us.”

Israel Zangwill, Jewish author:

“We shall never get the future straight until we disentangle the past. To disentangle the past means to re-examine the trial of Jesus — myths woven purposely by our leaders around the greatest and most notable personality in history, only that we may not see and recognize the real Jesus.

“To us, my brethren, in this our day, is given the privilege to reclaim the Christ we have lost for so many centuries. Has not the crucified Christ more than fulfilled the highest and noblest of our greatest prophets? Is not he the incarnation of the essence of what the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets taught?”

When Jews become Christians…

Max Brod, Jewish author:

“I am constantly amazed at the naiveté of our teachers and leaders who are surprised when I tell them that the best of our youth, our intellectuals, become Christians out of conviction…. Our ‘leaders’ do not believe it. To them, a Jew never becomes a Christian unless he wants to better his position.

“That Christianity has drawn to itself such noble souls as Pascal, Novalis, Kirkegaard, Amiel, Dostoyevsky, Claudel, etc., etc., and that it exercises a most overwhelming influence on the most earnest truth-seekers among us, of that our teachers know nothing.”

Gustav Lazlo, Jewish author:

“The movement for the recognition of Christ by the Jews is not a fantasy arising from (my) brain. In the hearts and minds of many men, ordinary men like myself, traders, men of affairs, the fact that Christ is the only leader who can take us anywhere worth going to is coming to new recognition.”

Ernest R. Trattner, Jewish author:

“No Jewish prophet before Jesus ever searched out the miserable, the sick, the weak, and the down-trodden in order to pour forth love and compassionate service. He went out of his way to redeem the lowly by a touch of human sympathy that is altogether unique in Jewish history.”

Sholem Asch, Jewish novelist:

“Jesus Christ, to me, is the outstanding personality of all time, of all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today, and that is something you can say of no other man, alive or dead….

“Every act and word of Jesus has value for all of us, wherever we are. He became the Light of the World. Why shouldn’t I, a Jew, be proud of that? No other religious leader, either, has ever become so personal a part of people as the Nazarene. When you understand Jesus, you understand that he came to save you, to come into your personality. It isn’t just a case of a misty, uncertain relationship between a worshiper and an unseen God. That is abstract; Jesus is personal.”

Jesus of Nazareth, the Jew of Jews…

Isidore Singer, Ph.D., managing editor of The Jewish Encyclopedia:

“I regard Jesus of Nazareth as a Jew of Jews, one whom all Jewish people are learning to love. His teachings have been an immense service to the world in bringing Israel’s God to the knowledge of hundreds of millions of mankind…. We are all glad to claim Jesus as one of our people.”

Harris Weinstock, labor leader:

“Without Jesus and without Paul, the God of Israel would still have been the God of a handful, the God of a petty, obscure and insignificant tribe. Let the Jew, despite the centuries of persecution and suffering,

“…be thankful that there was a Jesus and a Paul. Let him more fully appreciate that through the wonderful influence of these heroic characters the mission of the Jew is being fulfilled, and his teachings are being spread to the remotest nooks and corners of the world by Christianity.”

An interview with Albert Einstein…

Saturday Evening Post, in 1929:

“To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?”

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”

“Have you read Emil Ludwig’s book on Jesus?”

“Emil Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.”

“You accept the historical Jesus?”

“Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

……. End of quotes ……

There it is. I’ve only scratched the surface. According to one Jewish writer, more Jews have turned to Jesus in the last nineteen years than in the last nineteen hundred hears. Something to think about.

And it has just begun. Paul said that at the proper point in God’s plan of redemption all of Israel will turn to Jesus. Isn’t it interesting that the Bible is the only book on earth that tells history before it happens!

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

 

 

Journal,

Well, its time to check everything out with our new server. It appears that things are up for go. So let’s begin with a devotion.

A word from the man after God’s heart…

David said, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.”  (Psalm 28:35 nasb)

As a prophet, David weaves the story of Jesus throughout His Psalms. For instance everything David says in this verse has a Messiah inference. In this one Scripture there are three worthful insights into the safety of the cross for all who belong the Lord. They are:

1. The shield of His salvation.

For all who turn to Jesus, God takes their lives and hides them in Christ Himself. Jesus therefore is the shield of our salvation.

Paul says, “Set your mind on the things agove, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” - Col 3:3,2

2. The right hand that upholds believers.

The ‘right hand’ is a special Hebraism for power. It is Jesus who upholds and secures all believers for all eternity.

When Caiaphas demanded of Jesus if He set Himself as the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus responds, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  - Cf. Matthew 26:62-68.

This statement sets the motion for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, God’s Lamb. “Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! What further need to we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy…’”

But had He blasphemed? How blind can blind be? Every testimony from Moses, through the prophets, on to John the Baptist, and thereafter the apostolic witness, declared this Jesus to be the Lamb that was foretold from the foundation of the world.

The apostle Peter wrote, “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:20,21)

3. The gentleness of the Lord brings greatness.

Out of the cross came this gentle Jesus who becomes Savior to all who call upon Him. It is His gentleness that helps us to overcome all our struggles of life. It is His gentle love that heals us, delivers us, and cleanses us from our defilements.

It is His gentleness that can take frailed and troubled human vessels, and turn these vessels into things of worth for His kingdom. It was His gentleness and His love for humankind that brought forth this cry from the cross, “Father, forgive them. For they don’t know what they are doing!”

Is it any wonder that we remain amazed at the cross. There is one song that tells the story well enough. It is called ‘Via Dolorosa’ by Sandy Patti. Listen with your heart. Follow the scenes with your eyes. Perhaps the Lord has something to say to you.

Welcome to the world of a disciple…

I want to congratulate our eleven new graduates from the CCI School for Christian Workers. You are joining the ranks of several hundred graduates who are now investing their lives in the harvest work of the Lord. May the Lord grant you fruitful labor in your journey as a disciple. 

Always keep the cross in view, both the death side and the resurrection side. And remember that both sides belong to the life of a disciple.

Blessings,

Buddy

 

Journal,

The switch-over to our new server has been made. Its time to check things out. Thanks Jenni for jumping in to save a submerging fella. 

Let’s begin with Zaccheus the Great. He will soon be coming home with Betty. Looking at this picture makes you wonder if Zaccheus is thinking, ‘Gosh mom, do you have to show everything in my baby picture?’

Then we have the issue of grandfathers.

Here is a picture of ‘Little Man’, the grandfather of Zaccheus, with me, the grandfather of fifteen and about to be a great grandfather of one.  Oh well, we grandaddy types have to stick together.   :)

And now for the wedding moment…

Yesterday evening was wedding time at the Martin plantation. Yours truly officiated. My daughter Shana is now Mrs. John Wrubel.

From the start there was a quiet beauty. I shared with all the family that in the Bible, a wedding was offered as worship. And regardless of what the past may hold, the Lord meets us where we are. He gives his blessing to the couple that places Him in the center of their marriage.

Because of the blending of two families, this ceremony included a very unique feature. A beautiful glass vase was set on the wedding table along with glass containers of various colors of sand. The bottom of the vial had rocks to symbolize Jesus Christ as the foundation of their future lives. 

John and Shana first poured their ‘red’ and ‘white’ sand over the rocks. (Red and white are the symbols of unity.) Each child in turn, beginning with the oldest, would pour their vessel of sand into the glass vase. Each child had a different color for their sand. It was a very touching moment. 

It was also touching when John’s daughter, Meagan, hugged Betty and me, and asked if we were now her grandparents. You could tell that it was a thing of her heart. We assured her that we were indeed her grandparents, which called for another hug.

Off into the future…

John and Shana headed north. The rest of the Martin clan and their spouses headed to ‘Tunks’, where Andre was playing with ‘South Bound.’

Had a pleasant evening. In fact Andre dedicated a song to ‘daddy,’ that he called the ‘national anthem of Louisiana.’ Course it was really pretty much the theme song for South Bound.

Ever heard Matilda from the ’50s.  Well I couldn’t find it, so we will have to let it pass. 

Sure, we really are a Jesus loving family…

Yes, the entire Martin family belongs to the Lord Jesus. So I really wanted to conclude this entry with a song by one of my favorite singers, Stephen Hill. He is singing a song that I’ve loved since childhood. It is titled ‘When God Dips His Love.’

Here tis…

Much love coming your way,

Buddy
 

 

Journal,

My blog is changing servers. So as my new server says, ‘Pardon the dust.’  : )    I’ll be back on in a short bit.

All I can say is ‘Praise the Lord!’

Love,

Buddy

 

Journal,

Ok, readers. This entry takes on something very personal. It has to do with the lady of my life. But if you don’t care for the romantic side of life, just delete this entry. The rest of you 99.9999% of humanity can read on.  

Let’s see. What happened on May 27th, 1943?

Hmmmmmm… - Ok, these folk were born:

May 27, 1943 Bruce Weitz, Norwalk, Connecticut, actor, ‘Hill St. Blues’, ‘Death of a Centerfold’.
May 27, 1943 Cilla Black, Liverpool England, rock vocalist, ‘You’re My World’.
May 27, 1943 Sue Simmons, American Journalist
May 27, 1943 Archpriest Peter Bourdukofsky (Russian Orthodox Diocese of Alaska)

Well, as deserving of recognition as those folks may be, I don’t know any of them. And they don’t shine a light to the beautiful lady of my life.

Oh yeah - The most notable person ever born on this planet on May 27, 1943, was my sweet Betty…

Yep, right there in Oklahoma, there she was in all her glory, with those beautiful big blue eyes.

In fact Betty was such a pretty baby, that at three days of life, her older sister Lareta ask mom and dad to take her back. Course that weren’t gonna be. God had a special program laid out for this wee lassie. It included yours truly.   : )

But on top of things at six weeks that old sneaky devil tried to take her life with a case of whooping cough. When will he ever learn that he can’t destroy what God has created for Himself.

Why of course the Lord also had me in the picture…

Just two and three quarter years earlier a boy baby had been born in Louisiana. This boy baby was going to need a lot of help in order to fulfill the call of a preacher. He would need a very special lady in his life.

And so the story continues. I met my sweet Betty right after her twentieth birthday. Three months later we found us a hitching post. (Getting married for you who don’t understand Southern English.) 

And here’s a picture of our young preaching days.

Well, today is the day.

We’ve been married close to 45 years and today is my lady’s birthday.

So being the thoroughly romantic person that I am, I wanted to dedicate a special song that speaks of my special love for this wonderful lady of my life. And one of my favorite songs of yesteryear was the song ‘Sincerely’ sung by the McGuire Sisters.

You’ll need to transpose the words of the song as the love of a man for his sweetheart, rather than that of a lady for her man. (It is sung both ways, depending on who is singing. But no one can sing it like the McGuire Sisters.)

Here it is:

Here’s a recent picture of my beautiful lady…

Betty has a new ‘buddie’ about to arrive at our home. Her Yorkie is still a bit young. Anyway, we came across some folk selling Yorkies so I took a picture of my Betty with one of the pups. The puppy in her arms is what her Yorkie will look like when she brings him home.

Of course Betty’s new buddie was a Mother’s Day gift from myself and our kids. She is still undecided on a name. Perhaps Zaccheus the Great.’  Zack for short.  

Do you remember the story about Zaccheus in the Bible. He was a wee bit of a man. The Lord had to call Zaccheus down from a tree.

Here it is:

“Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly.” (Luke 19:3-6)

Well, someone wrote a song about Zaccheus, the wee little man. And since Betty’s new pup is really a tiny little fellow, Betty is thinking about giving him a big name. Thus, Zaccheus the Great. Course we know that ladies reserve the right to change their minds.  — Learn this and live, fellas – 

Ok, where is the Bible lesson in all this?

Glad you asked…

Did you know what the Bible says about the excellant wife…

Take time to medidate on this final Proverb::

“An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.
She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.
She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength And makes her arms strong.
She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.
She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle.
She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen.
Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
‘Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.’
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.”
Proverbs 31:10-31 nasb

Happy birthday, baby, from my heart to yours.

Love you more than all the love the world can hold.

Buddy