A Bravery Worth Remembering , a Legacy worth Keeping

 It's a special time of year for me. 

I love celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas. My approach to the season might be a little different than most. But hey, I love to see how people celebrate things and why they do it. So in the interest of sharing culture and belief, let me proceed. 

Oh, Hanukkah. The Feast of Dedication that Jesus ,himself celebrated in John chapter 10. A special day that not only celebrates the Maccabees victory over oppression, but truly a celebration of a special miracle that God gave them. 

The bravery of the faithful Jews against Antiochus Epiphenese was astounding.

It's not the sort of story that produces warm, fuzzy feelings of peace and harmony. Rather, it's an account of men that were loyal to God in spite of horrifying circumstances. It has always inspired me. 

Could I stay faithful to God if the government murdered my children simply because they're Jewish?

Could I reject the pressure to worship idols, or give into other pagan cultural practices?

Would I obey God, even if I was tortured, driven from my home and had to live in a cave to survive?

This is why, the way the Maccabees lived their life, is so inspiring. They lived in a time when God said one thing, and the world demanded the opposite of them. Instead of recanting, and giving into the pressure to conform, they fought for the right to exist. Against incredible odds, God gave them victory. And what was Judah Maccabee's first act? To rededicate the temple to Yahweh. But, they didn't have the resources to do it properly. God showed up and gave them a miracle. 

That level of loyalty, dedication, and bravery is something to be honored. Every time I watch my husband light the menorah, I'm reminded that like the Maccabees, my children face (albeit not as immediate) threat. The Enemy hates that my children are growing up in a home loyal to Yahweh. He will set every trap to get them to turn away from the truth. He will do everything he can to discourage them from obeying the Lord. And as I reflect in the candlelight , I whisper a prayer. As this world grows darker, may my children shine brighter. May they have the courage of men like Mattathias, and Judah , that will not only stand firm in the Lord, but be willing to fight for the right to obey God. 

This kind of zeal can only come from great love. That is my greatest prayer for my children. Would, that they love the Lord with such a passionate and burning fire that not even oppression could douse the flames.

In this, I recognize a heavy responsibility. I must desire the Lord, and love His ways with that same passion. Where else would my children see it lived out, if not in their mother? 

Even in the midst of candle light, and prayers. My heart breaks for Jews in other parts of the world. This year alone, Jews have faced horrific persecution during Hanukkah. But the legacy of bravery will live on. We will never stop being who we are.

 

We have a legacy worth keeping, and passing on for the next generation. 

Not just to light candles, and remember brave people from long ago.... No. But, at the heart of the legacy we pass on is to simply be brave. To dedicate ourselves, a living sacrifice. To pursue holiness because we love the Lord, deeply. That is what we pass on, if we have the courage to do it. 

Where am I?

 Lately, I've had more than my fill of time spent scrolling on social media.

Being bound 80% of the time to rest in an easy chair can become a trap where endless hours are spent doom scrolling. I've made up my mind to redirect my energy into writing, investigating my family tree, and enriching  my brain. 

As a talkative person, and someone who genuinely enjoys healthy and respectful debate, I often miss the signal that I've had "too much".

I then realize, that I've listened to far too many voices and have allowed a lot of noise and clutter into my mind. 

I don't know about you, but I'm beginning to suspect that because of this crowded brain space, I often mistrust my own intuition and instincts. 

I'm not sure if the solution to this is to fully abandon presence on the internet, but rather perhaps to regulate it to its proper boundaries.

I love boundaries. I like to know exactly where I am , physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Lately, especially with the debates of Israel and the Church a very hot button issue, the internet space feels chaotic, and full of hostile emotions.

I can understand this. It is natural to want to defend one's position with passion, and I cannot fault anyone for their passion. 

For the sake of people on the fence of this issue, let me share my position. Maybe in sharing my position, you can see passion without panic. Maybe in seeing a person that is passionate about their faith, without panicking about the outcome, you can experience God's peace.

I am a Christian. Meaning, when I was six years old, I knew there was no way I could earn a spot in heaven. When I realized that Jesus died for me, so that I could be forgiven , I accepted that forgiveness. The price Jesus paid on the cross, was applied to my soul, and I became a child of God.

There was no church membership. There was no ritualistic prayer. Yes, I prayed to God, in my own words, from my heart. I'm not a Christian because I'm an American. I'm not a Christian because it's my religion. 

I made a decision to trust God that He was enough when I could never be. That's it. 

So very simple.

I am a woman with Jewish heritage. Meaning, I have grandmothers in my direct parental family line with Jewish DNA. It's not from Judaism. It has nothing to do with religion. I didn't grow up celebrating that heritage, in fact the Ethnically Jewish people in my family tree give no indication of being religious, or celebrating a Jewish culture at all. I don't know what their reasons were for this. I'm not even positive they knew of their own origins. Both of their deaths in the 1980s and 1990s make it almost impossible for me to know how these women felt about anything regarding the Bible, or Israel. 

But, God in His mercy sent me two women, who were spiritual grandmothers to me. They taught me the treasures of being both ethnically Jewish, and belonging to Christ. It is because of the way they stepped in and were like surrogates to me , that I have such boldness in celebrating my faith and heritage.

Personally, I cannot separate my faith and my heritage. My faith is in Christ alone, but how He chose to create me was with Jewish ingredients! So my faith walk here on earth has a Jewish flavor to it. I have confidence that it pleases my Creator and my Redeemer. 

It doesn't matter to me how many people try to convince me that Ashkenazi Jews don't exist. This belief system is used to discount, and dismiss a whole ethnicity that does, in fact exist and cannot be erased. If they exist then they belong in that group of humans that John 3:16 is referring to. 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..... He loved (and still loves)  all of humanity regardless of ethnic origin.

To say that we don't exist is to discount us from the saving grace of God. Honestly, it doesn't add up to the character of the One who created us. Therefore, I can easily dismiss it. I find the audacity of any entity, be they church or self proclaimed believer, to exclude a whole group of humanity from the grace of God to be anti-biblical, and quite shocking. Is it possible that the American church has taken its focus off of the Gospel itself and is starting to invent reasons as to why some people cannot ever be "saved"?

I don't get confused on how to navigate Israel or Church traditions, because I'm a whole Bible believer. Meaning, I do not separate God into different categories based on the Testaments. I do not believe in an angry, fickle and harsh Old Testament God. Additionally, I do not believe in a soft spoken, easy-does-it law breaking Jesus, that shields me from his angry father in Heaven. 

Actually, I believe quite strongly that this narrative that I've mentioned , is the most dangerous narrative that much of the American church has accepted as truth , and quite frankly it is a rotten lie from Satan. 

I believe;

The God of Genesis, and Leviticus is the same God that wrapped himself in human flesh and died on the cross for the sins of humanity, and rose again the third day.

Let me say it in a much more pointed and explicit way. There is zero personality or character difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. 

This is why I can so easily rest in God's promises to national Israel. This is why I do not say that "Israel" is the church. This is why I can be an expressive Jewish believer. I refuse to isolate Scripture. All Scripture I study is studied with the testaments side by side. I think of it like salt and pepper. I don't eat bland food, so why would I have a bland faith walk? 

I'll tell you another secret. I pay very little allegiance to "church tradition". I don't hate the church, I love the church. But, my faith is in the Messiah. His Word is the authority in my life. I might study early church practices, and for historical purposes learn about church fathers. However, they have no authority in my life. Even the most devout, and persecuted church father can have an incredible testimony of faith ! He would still be a fallible human that at best is an inspiring example. 

So you see, these are the principles that cement me in my daily walk with God.

It gives me great peace. I might not fit in , in a lot of crowds. I might be too Jewish in flavor for the church, and I might not be Jewish enough for Judaism.

But? I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Standing on the Rock of my salvation, arms wide open, and excited to tell the story of His faithfulness to me.

Messy Faith

 What does it mean, to be a woman of messy faith?

At first I used the term to rip off a self righteous mask I wore. I wanted the world to know that I wasn't as perfect as I thought I was. 

As I grew in my faith and my knowledge of my Jewish heritage, it became a coded way of expressing my faith walk as a "Messianic Jew". But, even then it was my term all my own, I didn't belong anymore to a specific denomination of Christianity, but neither did I fully belong in the "Messianic camp". 

There is nothing orthodox, or kosher about my lifestyle. Except, I genuinely love the expressions of my Jewish heritage. 

I still go to a Sunday church. But? I cherish  and practice the biblical Sabbath.

In fact, I love and celebrate the entire biblical calendars from Feast of Trumpets to Passover, it's a blast.

I appreciate much of the works of Martin Luther, but I cringe at his antisemitism.

I love the whole Bible from beginning to end. 

I squirm in my seat when someone preaches church traditions,with the same importance as Scripture. I actively have to work hard to not be harsh when it comes to much of church history and opinion. I chose mercy because God is merciful. I will not die noble deaths on the hills of sabbath keeping, and biblical calendars trying to convince the church world that the way I walk with God is the best way.

But. I will share , and I will testify of the closeness of God. The perspective that I see Him from, and the way I walk with Him. I've reached the place in my life where I don't need anyone to follow me, but I would love to tell you about the way I follow Him. 

I would love to share with you the treasures I've found in His Word. 

I would love to be a conduit of His mercy. 

I long to be a reflection of His character.

If you haven't guessed already, I'm in a different season of life. Almost two years since my last blog post, and there have been many changes, and much has stayed the same. I'm still in my beloved Montana. I still have my beautiful family, now occasionally grown by foster children. I have a greater responsibility in the areas of ministry and teaching, and I love it dearly. I'm writing a book. I'm still contending for my health. I still struggle with "messy" moments of balancing faith , life , health , and passions. Through it all, God is sovereign, and He's my friend. 

I think this is the biggest truth I hold amidst all of the "noise" in this world. God is my friend.