Category

  We often hear claims that God is not real. The positions range from those who may consider He was at some point during the days of our early ancestors but surely not today, to those who do not entertain the possibility at all. Some may feel He is around but doesn’t make... Read More →

  Tuesday morning I woke up and said to Sid, “I don’t have an encouragement for this week.” We had just arrived at midnight on Saturday night to our home in Maine after being gone from here since mid December since we left for Florida from my sister Wendy’s house in... Read More →

  I was blessed to be at the Ruach Israel Shabbaton last weekend, the climax being a very special Mother’s Day breakfast on Sunday when the men in our community treated us literally as queens for the day. I have been at many retreats over my life, and yet, this one was so... Read More →

  What a day it was!!! Our last day in Florida jam packed with plans. We had been spending the past several days getting ready to leave after being here for almost four months. It’s not just about getting everything out of the house. It’s also trying to figure out what to... Read More →

  I had another Shabbat encouragement ready to go when I learned of the terribly sad news of Quintina Martinez’s passing. No matter what age, or circumstance, or even place in one’s faith walk, losing a daughter, as was the case for our dear Gloria, is a heart breaking loss.... Read More →

  It is our last week in Florida before we work our way back home in just a few days visiting family and friends along the way. I have so enjoyed my jogs on the beach with our Abba, feeling Yeshua’s presence so palpably, hearing from Him, sharing my prayers and thoughts. So... Read More →

  What a glorious day – 80 degrees, sunny, light breeze. I can share this comfortably now since most of you also are experiencing the beauty of spring. My sister recently visited and while she was here we rediscovered the joy of crocheting together, a craft our grandmother... Read More →

  What a glorious Passover/Easter season this has been, one beautifully showing me the intertwining of our Jewish and Christian cultures, a time of healing and bridge building.   On Sunday morning as I was listening to Chagigah radio, one of the rabbi guests shared his... Read More →

  As I’ve shared with you previously, I’m a fan of the series “The Chosen”, a production of Angel Studios. I understand that some artistic liberties would need to be taken as a series about Yeshua and the apostles, and yet, the show’s ability to help us see them as real... Read More →

  Could this week’s headlines be any more disturbing? Another week of “atmospheric river” weather patterns setting records in California for devastating flooding, mudslides, snow, sweeping across the country as epic tornados destroying thousands of homes, killing so many,... Read More →

  We live in such a disposable society. That concept is great when referring to mindfully using biodegradable products and recycling. It bothers me, however, in the context of how we tend to keep buying and replacing our things rather than recognizing the beauty of reusing... Read More →

  Though I have been a Messianic Jew for over 20 years, I still remember my many decades as a mainstream Jewish woman. Feeling the wounding of millennia of anti-Semitism and marginalization is still part of my DNA, helping me to empathize with my Jewish brothers and sisters... Read More →

  All of us have suffered grief, and will continue to do so in this realm. It is the human condition. Measuring our grief against that of another always seems so pointless, for it is such a personal experience. When I think of my husband Sid’s loss of his young daughter to... Read More →

  In the last several years a thought that often crosses my mind when I’m not sure of what path to take is, “Follow the Ruach”. Needless to say, this one directive is not the only thought, for of course, much prayer, conversation with others, and other analysis enter into... Read More →

  One of the activities here in Florida that I most treasure is weekly Bible study. The group is like no other that I have been blessed to be in over the many years I’ve done so. As you know typically a Bible study group or Havurah is formed by those within faith communities... Read More →

  I’m watching a Great Blue Heron swoop across the canal behind our home and land inside a drainage pipe on the other side about 30 feet away. Such a majestic creature, a beautiful vision to the eyes. And yet it stands on the edge of the opening peering into the water,... Read More →

  How does one even begin to conceptualize almost 20,000 dead, most likely more given that the recovery work in Turkey and Syria is really just at its beginning. The photos of what transpired didn’t even seem real, almost looking like stage sets with the concrete crumbling... Read More →

  Free will? Really? Do we have it and what does it really mean?   Through our recent Daily Dvar readings and as exquisitely expanded upon by last Shabbat’s sermon, we have been hearing of Pharaoh’s choices when it came to letting our people leave Egypt. And we’ve seen... Read More →

  Recently we mused on the subject of integrity. The question we were struggling with was whether it’s okay to ever lie, even if motivated by good intent – not wanting to hurt the feelings of another, not to make another feel like he or she is imposing, not wanting another... Read More →

  I woke up this morning with memories of Janet Nichol’s shiva on my mind. It was such an amazing experience. Gathered via Zoom were 30-plus members of our greater Messianic Jewish community from all over the country. So many caring faces.   Other than Rabbi Rich’s... Read More →

  Last week I was in several conversations on the topic of integrity. It came up in the context of relationships and how we converse with each other. Especially with close family and friends, sometimes we are challenged in our ability to say how we really feel about... Read More →

But the Pentatonix are not about solos. Their true beauty is that even though each of them has a soloist’s caliber voice, when they sing together, the perfect harmonies are as a single full chord. No one person is heard above the others. Each singer’s gift amplifies... Read More →

  There is magic to the Hanukkah candle lights. The first night, the single flame standing so alone, the soft flicker, helped to bring forth its beauty by the shamash, the helper candle, suggestive to me of Yeshua. Just as with each candle, He is our helper in the deepest... Read More →

  What a busy time of year!! I don’t need to remind you of the non-seasonal stressors, let alone the additional time consuming, even if kind and worthy, tasks, activities, and expectations that are part of our lives, especially this month.   Awhile back when I was asked... Read More →

  It finally happened. My first tick! Ugh and Yuck! And a deer tick at that! It’s actually amazing that I’ve never experienced a tick before now, especially given my love of the outdoors and our living in New England. I guess all those snuggles with my adorable mixed terrier... Read More →

    My recent rewatching of “The Chosen” mini-series and first two episodes of the third season at the theater this week has further reinforced my understanding of the miraculous, not just its presence in the Bible, but its existence in the here and now in each of our... Read More →

  Hoping you all had a meaningful Thanksgiving and are still basking in His and the holiday spirit.   In that vein, below is my Shabbat encouragement from a couple years ago that is perhaps even more meaningful as we can continue to be even more thankful for what we... Read More →

  I recently rewatched the episode of “The Chosen” when Mary Magdalene, after having been redeemed and now a follower of Yeshua, falls back into her old ways. Her life is so representative of each of ours, perhaps not to the depths of her sins, but our sins are all on the... Read More →

  Last week we noodled on how everything seems to be connected, as a fine tapestry, how as we open the divine portals to Him by our choices, more connections to the divine are seen, and experienced. We begin to feel His Presence in so many ways. We experience the intimacy of... Read More →

  Sometimes we are in times of our lives that are so busy, so demanding, that we can barely think about Shabbat. Or it’s combined with that wonderful feeling, “ Finally, the weekend!” Or sometimes we feel like we’re going 24/7 even then, so Shabbat just gets swept along with... Read More →