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Life Is a Symphony – Part 3

Soundwaves to Lightwaves.

Sun over the Galilee

B’resheet bara Elohim et ha-shamayim v’et ha-eretz. In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  ~ Genesis 1:1 

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And a wind from Elohim moved upon the face of the waters. (Verse 2)

Va-yomer Elohim ye-hee-ohr vay-hee-ohr. And Elohim said, ‘Light, Be!’ And there was light. (Verse 3)

“Although the marvelous universe had been called into existence by the omnipotent Creator, it had not yet been imbued with energy and set in motion.  This must await the energizing action of the Spirit of God and the activating power of the Word of God.” ~ Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record

At the risk of losing all but the physicists among us (should there be any :-) ), I can’t help but get excited about what is happening in these verses.  There is actually so much that cannot even be touched upon because of our limited understandings, but think about the beauty of Dr. Morris’ words.  While time, space, and matter were brought into existence through Elohim’s bara creating, it was His spoken Word that “imbued [it] with energy and set [it] in motion.”

We tend to think of sound waves and light waves as being similar terms for different systems.  But, what if they are actually a continuum of the same system?  Just like we see different colors based on their wavelengths, perhaps light is the smaller wavelength of sound (yet higher in energy.)

As our words resonate in praise for the Creator, we walk in step with His light, bringing His Light to bear on our moment in time, our place within space.

Perhaps, this is a bit much for the more “concrete thinkers” out there, but sometimes we need to just savor the deep mysteries of the universe since Abba did create all of creation to sing His praise.   Are you in agreement with creation and resonating with vociferating praise to the Great I AM?  Let loose, sing aloud, dance with joy…our Redeemer sings lovingly over you.  The least we can do is receive it and reciprocate it in praise to Him!

Singing with a

Song of Joy,

And looking for the Light to shimmer and glitter and sparkle through much Hallel

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Life Is a Symphony – Part 2

Hearing the Music Within

My daughter at The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

We live in a boisterous, noisy world today.  Even those privileged to live in the country can’t escape the sounds of jets flying overhead or perhaps a train rumbling off in the distance.  We must learn to be still before our Maker in order to hear His voice, His message, and His love for us and how He wants to love others through us.  There is a time and place for withdrawal and contemplation in order to know with confidence the assignments He gives us…rather than us making ourselves busy with jobs of our own desire and making.

Can you hear the song He sings over you?

“Yehovah your Elohim is in our midst, a mighty one who saves.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be silent in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”  ~ Zephaniah 3:17


Dear One, abide in His deep and glorious love for you.  Learn to be who you were designed to be and walk in joy as He sings over you!

The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

 

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Life Is a Symphony

Making Worship a Way of Life

Musicians tend to have a unique sensitivity to the heart of יהוה (Yehovah). David, the musician/shepherd left us a multitude of Psalms describing life lived for and with the Creator. Even in the midst of lamenting, everything always turned back to what יהוה wanted for him, and David trusted and loved Him with all his heart. David’s psalms put to song the humanity of worship.  Worship came from a heart wholly dedicated to living for the Creator.  Worship was living for the Almighty.

In the next few posts I would like to look at many analogies in Elohim’s beautiful creation that teach us deeply about His heart and the symphony of praise He imbedded within His creation.  My desire is to inspire us to make our faith-walk ring with the beauty of a  symphony as our praise to Yehovah crescendos into His Presence.

Psalm 19:1-7

The heavens declare the glory of El,

and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day to day He utters speech and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

Their line goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heavens and His circuit to the ends of it, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Sunset over the Galilee

Shalom,

Song of Joy

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9/11 Tribute

Today my daughter sang an original composition in tribute to the horror our nation experienced 10 years ago today.  I will try and post her singing it when I can get it into an acceptable format, but until then, here are the words to the song

“9/11 Tribute”

9 am walkin’ in.  TV’s on, somethin’s wrong. Why’s that plane in that building?
Mom’s on the phone talkin’ soft, you could hear a pin drop when she said, “We’re under attack.”

Chorus 1:
What do you do when your world starts shaking?
What do you do when your heart starts breaking?
What do you do?  What do you do?
What do you do when your world goes round when you see those towers fall down?
What do you do?

Two months later you could see rubble still inside those streets.
Body count; lost not found.
Mothers, Fathers, Uncles and Aunts
Brothers, Sisters, Grandparents
Friends too; in Towers 1 and 2.

Chorus 2:
What do you do when your world starts shaking?
What do you do when your heart starts breaking?
What do you do?  What do you do?
What do you do when your world falls down as you see those towers on the ground?
What do you do?

Many people have forgot all the lives that were lost on that day; from those planes.
They now say all the lives that the soldiers gave were all for not in Iraq, but

Chorus 3:
What did they say when their world went shaking?
What did they say when their hearts were breaking?
What did they do?  They sung a different tune.  And
What did they say when their world fell down when those towers fell down to the ground?
What did they do?

Let us never forget all the blood that’s been shed for our lives and peace of mind.
Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.
Let’s make proud those in the grave when we say,
“United We Stand” and

Chorus 4:
What will we do when our world is shaking?
What will we do when our hearts are breaking
For those lives given for freedom tonight.
We’ll stand tall when the bugle sounds
Rise from ashes in the fire raining down.
That’s what we’ll do. Oh, that’s what we’ll do.  That’s what; oh, that’s what;
That what I pray we’ll do…

What will you do? …

 

 

Composer/Songwriter:  Miss Evelyn Rose Coffing

 

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Focus, Focus, Focus

David's Waterfall at Ein Gedi

Today on the radio a gentleman, Dave Farrow, was being interviewed about improving one’s memory.  He made an important comment to the effect of:  sometimes it is not about the memory being defective, it is that we are so distracted that we don’t remember the little things…like, “Why did I just come into this room???”  Distractibility…yep, that is my middle name!  Not focusing on the value of each moment and its assignment, but rather drifting off into the dream world of “what ifs”, “what about…”, “where in the world…”,  etc.

In processing our trip to Ireland, I have found myself in a flurry of ideas, and dreams, and discerning new assignments from Abba, and in general very distracted from the daily assignments of feeding my family and getting the house in order.  (Sad, I know…)  Preparing myself for the “next assignment” is important, but not at the expense of present assignments. 

Since last fall, I have been studying the weekly Torah portions, enjoying the ebb and flow of Yehovah’s Word to His set-apart nation.  However, I must confess that since I returned from Ireland it has been hard to focus as I am in the Book of Leviticus and while the book has so many wonderful lessons it also has some pretty hard ones to apply. 

The whole sacrificial system is pretty gruesome and hard to wade through, especially in light of the truth that Yeshua paid it all on the cross.  He completed, fulfilled, the purpose of the sacrifices.  So now, what value is it to study such things?  Well, if nothing else, it should remind us of how ugly, painful, and destructive sin is.  If we were engaged in slaying innocent life for our sins, would we be so cavalier about allowing ourselves to fall prey to sin so easily?  How many “little sins” do we ignore and even protect or justify because we joyfully have placed them “under the Blood”?  Hmm, food for thought.

So, the point of all this?  I have decided to go back to the beginning of Leviticus and read it in light of our calling as the Bride preparing for her Bridegroom to return, and understand what walking in holiness means to the Creator/Redeemer.  How does He define holy living?  To help me do that from a grace-filled perspective I am using the study guide, “Walk Leviticus! A Messianic Jewish Devotional Commentary”, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Ph.D.   Dr. Feinberg has an incredible way of writing and focusing the reader’s attention on the big picture while understanding the value of the details.

Here is what he says in introducing Leviticus.  “Walk Leviticus! spells out the implications of holiness for redeeming life.  Imagine a reality in which God actually lives in the camp of Yisrael!  Life is forever altered by this reality.  Those in covenant with the living God are now set apart from the nations, to live in a holy camp that radiates with the Presence of God.”  That is the point in seeking holiness.  Understanding that we live in the presence of a living, holy, Elohim. 

Shouldn’t our covenant relationship with Him alter the choices we make every day?  It should be a process of rejoicing in what He has for our benefit, not begrudgingly following some set of rules manipulated by man’s reasoning.  So, today, I am being re-focused on the joy of living for Him, and discovering the treasures along the path of righteousness.

Yeshua is our Righteousness, and in faith we are covered by His righteousness. The path will be decorated with pictures of the Messiah the whole way.  To see Him and all His sacrifice meant is worth it all!  Memories may falter, minds may get distracted, but keeping His Word before us brings Him back into focus…in living color! 

Rejoicing in His Holiness,

Song of Joy

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Living the Symphony

Life’s a Symphony.

Isn’t it funny how there are times in life where you receive a related message from various sources, then finally you see a lesson deeper than any one by itself? It is as though the Creator of the universe is singing a special song just to you, but He uses the voices and sounds around you to get your attention. This post will hopefully express a verse or two of that song.

I have recently been blessed by the teaching of some great godly men, Keith Johnson (http://hishallowedname.com/) and Louie Giglio (http://bestwebsermons.wordpress.com/category/louie-giglio/). Among the many profound things they shared, the analogy of a symphony came up time and again. Maybe I am just attuned to such symbolism, being a pseudo-musician myself…remember, my name means Song of Joy after all. :-) But here is the personal message I received from my Conductor…

As I said, I am merely a person with a heart for music. There is a song that runs deep in my soul, ever longing for full expression. The problem is that I am not a “gifted musician”. I read music like a First Grader – able to “sound it out” and put the symbols together, but no matter what instrument I use, I just can’t seem to get the music to flow smoothly from me. (Perhaps that is only a reflection of poor character that doesn’t work diligently at it…but that is topic for another day :-) .) So, when our family plays together I tend to bring in a little percussion here and there, but I don’t hold a vital role in the musicality.

The dynamics of a symphony come to mind. While a percussionist may not play every measure of a concerto, if they are not attentive to the conductor, and do not know their music well, then a painful and frustrating experience may await not only the whole orchestra, but the audience as well. My life is much like the percussionist.

I tend to be a floater in life. For some reason I never quite seem to “belong” in one spot for too long. There seem to be seasons that I belong, then the Conductor has me on to something else. This can be hard if one craves stability in life. Sometimes, I question if I am really fulfilling a role in the Kingdom because I do seem so inconsistent. But, perhaps I am meant to be the cymbal (not a clanging cymbal, mind you :-) ), rather than the violin, or flute, or cello. The impact I am meant to make in other people’s lives may be “a little here, a little there”, but as long as I am attentively watching the direction of the Maestro, my little can be a blessing to others, rounding out the efforts of others. Maybe I will even get to be a harp adding in a few arpeggios once in a while.

What instrument are you, dear one? As Louie Giglio exhorts, get your voice in the symphony. The Maestro is longing to hear it…

Singing His Song,
Song of Joy

A Symphony Playing at the Giant's Causeway





Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

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Mixing the Holy and the Profane

Somehow when I put up the last post on Saint Patrick on St. Patrick’s Day, it caused the posts to somehow split on the screen.  I don’t know what I did technically to cause this, and I will try and fix it, but it got me to thinking about how our culture is so prone to mixing the holy with the profane. 

I don’t know if it is our desire to minimize (thereby accepting) that which is detestable to our Holy Elohim, or if we just so enjoy the blessings of grace and mercy that we don’t consider what YHVH thinks about unholy things. 

Honestly, today, we do not see people being struck down dead for kindling a fire on the Sabbath or lying to the Holy Spirit.  So, do we forget that YHVH is the same yesterday, today, and forever?  If something is considered an abomination to Him in the past, has it suddenly become acceptable to Him after His Son suffered and died on a cross?  Hmm, something to ponder.

So, what does this have to do with Saint Patrick?  Isn’t it strange that such a holy man would have his memory often celebrated with revelry, drunkenness, and debauchery?  How is it that a man bringing holiness to a land would be remembered more with unholiness?  Perhaps it is man’s nature to mix in a little holy to feel good about the unholy and somehow make it acceptable.

I am not advocating to quit celebrating.  Life should be celebrated each and every day.  And special occasions should have special joy and excitement to them.  However, I am just reminding myself to be careful of the choices I make.  Be willing to choose against the mixture, and seek that which is pure.  Ask myself, “What does YHVH think about this?”  The more I learn of His nature, the more I see His grace extended as I see how much He tolerates.  Yet, isn’t it my desire to live in ways that He can take joy in, not just tolerate?

Perhaps, the days we live in now are not giving leniency for mixing, but a call to purify our thoughts and make right our ways.  The recent cataclysmic events in the Pacific and Middle East should awaken us to the fact that Messiah is returning…perhaps sooner than later.  Am I ready?  Are you ready?  Can Torah (the Way of Life) be seen in our walk of faith?

Seeking purity,

Song of Joy

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Passages

  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  ~Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

Driving in Ireland

It seemed that *all* the passages in Ireland were narrow…at least that is from the perspective of one tasked with driving there :-) .  However, there were some passages that were irresistible…one simply must pass through its portals.  Like this one…

At the gardens of Castlewellan

So, how does a pilgrim in a foreign land discern which paths to take and which to avoid?  The top photo is the path that leads to the ancient site of Newgrange.  That is where it is believed some 5000 years ago an ancient people built a burial place that let the sun rays in on the winter solstice.  It reminded me of the “high places” spoken of in Scripture.  Definitely a “broad path” that many have chosen over the millenia.

While the whole of Scripture will present the path, (“All Scripture is given by inspiration of [YHVH], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of [YHVH] may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~2 Timothy 3:16-17) it is not just about knowing Scripture, it is about choosing to live by its Truths.

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”  ~John 5:39-40 

More than just seeing the passageway, one must enter the Narrow way…through Yeshua…the true Door to salvation.  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep…”  Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep… I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”  (From John 10:1-9.)

Some passageways are wide open, like this one in the gardens of Castlewellan in Northern Ireland.  But the castle itself was closed.  Only those by special invitation were allowed in.

We could go no further

Castlewellan

Do you have access to the King’s castle by way of the Son?  Earthly castles may be barred to us, but the heavenly Castle is open to all who call upon the name of the King’s Son, Yeshua.  Which pathway will you choose?  While eternal salvation comes by walking through the Door once, sanctification – our walk of faith, requires daily choices to follow His ways.  Knowing Scripture is not enough.  We must learn to walk out the words of Life.  Come with me, dear one, enter His paths and enjoy sweet refreshment in His Garden.

Seeking His Ways,

Song of Joy

Gardens of Castlewellan

Castlewellan Grounds

Green even in the winter

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Living the Dash

My daughters have all had the privilege of learning from many amazing mentors. One such couple is Col. Mike and Mrs. Elaine Bell during EXCEL training, a two month study on godly womanhood. One activity they all participated in was a trip to a local cemetery in Dallas, Texas. There, among other lessons, they were encouraged to look at the dash between the two dates: the birth date – the death date. That little dash represents a whole lot of living. They were challenged with, “What will you do with the dash in your life?”

The girls and I, along with two other very godly ladies, recently returned from a trip to Ireland. That was a trip like none other – Holy Spirit provided, lived, and taught. There were many life lessons He brought to our attention throughout the trip, but one that stood out to me at the end of it was in a cemetery on the Hill of Slane.

We had been in many old cemeteries in Ireland. Beautiful testaments to lives lived and honored by loved ones. The Hill of Slane is said to be where St. Patrick lit a huge fire in opposition to the leading pagan king of the time. It was a direct challenge to demonstrate that there is an Elohim greater than the pagan gods. Today, the site has a cemetery and Abbey ruins. As you stand atop the hill and look out over the countryside you cannot help but be overcome by the grandeur and holy, overcoming power of the One True Elohim.

After 10 days of traveling about the northern parts of Ireland, learning how to live each day by the power of the Holy Spirit wind, seeing the dash on those tombstones went deep into the heart of this pilgrim. Going to Ireland has been a long time, deeply seeded dream. (Much like my call to Israel. Which I am still trying to understand why I have such a deep call to both of those places…) Yet, here I was, standing on ground claimed by a bold lover of Jesus. His boldness for truth would eventually win the hearts of an island nation. We saw remnants of such deep faith throughout our trip. Many still boldly proclaim YHVH’s truth there.

While gazing upon the stones reminding generations of the eternal souls that have touched that land, I knew it was a reminder to live well the “dash” in my own life. That trip to Ireland was a grand expression that we are living the dash. But, the dash is short. It must be lived to the fullest. What choices am I making today that will not only impact my “dash”, but the “dash” of generations to come?

What about you, dear reader? What choices are you making today? One day the dash will be closed by another date. How are you “Living the Dash”?

Living For Eternity,
Song of Joy