A Royal Day

An article entitled "rattled," was already started for this week's edition, with a testimony that began with a rattling from my crown to my soles . . . but that is a testimony for "holy homesteading."  I had the most amazing day yesterday and I just have to share it.  The day, as usual began at evening; I was speaking with a pastor before the mid-week prayer meeting.  I love this gathering in particular.  It's an old fashioned prayer meeting with old songs and great testimonies.

I've been ministering in a church in the next state and they have an "expansion" plan.  Abba has been dealing with me regarding that situation and leading me to offer discipleship for new believers and full covenant relationship with all believers.  The Pastor lit up when I approached him on the subject.  He said he'd tried to put together a couple of discipleship teachings through the years, but things just hadn't worked out.  I was very simple, straightforward, and clear.  I said, I would use the Gospel according to John for the discipleship class, as it explained the plan of salvation, all the feasts, and the importance of obedience.  He nodded, smiled, and said, "It sure does.  Let's get this started in October."  Prayer meeting was a blessing and I headed home.

The morning began as always, prayer and contemplation just before the first hint of dawn.  I've been doing some morning stretches and it felt so good, I kept them up until the phone rang.  It was a gentleman who had called me last week, sounding absolutely broken.  His wife was in the hospital, had been for a few days, and the prognosis was quite grim.  She had some chronic health issues, then was given a medication in which there was a serious, near fatal reaction.  He said the doctors hadn't given him much hope and he wanted to know if I'd pray for her.  So, right then, on the phone, I did.  The next day, I checked with him and he said, they had a long way to go, but she'd made a turn and was heading the right direction.  Praise Abba!  I checked in again the following evening, his sons were there and although it was still serious, he was hopeful.  I continued to pray, but not wanting to intrude on family time, didn't call over the weekend . . . Tuesday morning I checked with him and he said, she was much improved, so much so, the kids had gone back home and to work.  He said they thought she'd be released in a week or so and were making arrangements for her to go to a convalescent center for a couple of weeks to regain her strength.  Every time I spoke with him, I'd mention a "thank G-d" or "HalleluYah" in the conversation.  Now, to the call this morning.  He was ecstatic, his beloved wife had come home Wednesday afternoon.  I was overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy.  In one week, that woman had gone from grave condition on a ventilator to home.  Definitely HalleluYah!!!

The next delight took my be complete surprise.  Someone very dear to me, had asked me for a recipe and as I was retrieving it from an old edition of the Goshen Gazette, I thought I'd just check on Amazon for a copy of my cook book and send a copy of "Sweet Memories and Happy Plates" to her as a gift.  Knowing the book was no longer in print, I wasn't sure if there'd be any more copies available.  Much to my surprise, no more new copies are available, but there is a used copy for a crazy price, which has apparently sold, now.

I certainly couldn't afford it . . . I loaned the computer with that book on it, to one of my daughters, who, after a week said the computer was beyond repair, so it truly is out of print.  Here I thought I'd have to be dead before any of my work was considered collectible!

Just as I was reeling from the joy of the phone call and the price of my "collectible" I had an appointment with newspaper ad department in the neighboring state.  I arrived and was met with a hug from a dear acquaintance of days gone by, then met the ad guy.  He's one of those folk whose last name is also a first name, so I awkwardly made acquaintance and we sat down to discuss the ads.  I handed him my card and the look on his face was simply priceless.  It was obvious that he did not know where to begin.  I then produced the catalogue, stating when I began the business in September 2011, it was going to be 8 kinds of soap, and that's ALL!  So we began sorting, as I wanted two separate ads, anyway.  One for the products and one to speak at youth groups, ladies groups, and churches about using our G-d given talents.  As we continued to sort and make notes, we got it all wrapped up pretty nicely, when he suggested I meet one of the reporters, as there's more to my "story" than will fit in an ad.  She was a delight and we have an appointment for Monday . . . I'll share updates as they come in.

As if this were not just an amazing day, we got home to discovering one of the bulls out and the other one sizing up the gap in the fence.  What could have been a real dilemma resulted in amazingly more than I could have asked or imagined.  Mr. B called the neighbor, and they met at the fence.   We were sure to let him know that our big guy was intact, as his herd is beef stock.    We soon discovered there were several weak spots and I was able to distract the one bull while the fence was reinforced.  I had visions of sitting in the back of a pickup with a feed bucket and a big bull following me through the pasture, but our neighbor, bless his heart, had a much better solution.  He said, "I'll just put him in my trailer and unload him at our adjoining gate.  I load and unload hundreds of cattle a day, this is no big deal."  That's precisely what he did.  The fence is now critter tight and Brisket was back home before dark.

All this took place in less than 24 hours!  I'm still in awe and oh so very thankful.
. . . feeling blessed beyond measure.

The Greatest Compliment

The compliment of all compliments came my way, about me, in front of me the other day.

It was about 3 1/2 months of knowing I needed to be ministering in Oklahoma, that I finally got in the right place.  I wasn't ignoring the call, I was just making it more difficult that it was.  I'm like that, sometimes.  I had no intentions of being disobedient at all!  Every place I went, the door was closed very quickly.  I have matured in that I don't bang on closed doors or brick walls like I used to, but my quest was not a simple one.  Here, I thought I was supposed to make a purchase toward the project, when that was simply not the case.  I have been called, however; to invest heavily in time and energy . . . and much prayer.

So here I am back in a church I'd visited several years ago.  I never joined and I didn't leave on bad terms.  It's simply a fact that Christian churches use the terms "set apart" and "come out from among them," but as a rule have tossed out the Instructions as to how that is to be done.  They felt a leading to go a direction I could not support, and with different celebrations, our paths simply crossed less.  We all stayed on friendly terms and always enjoyed seeing each other.  I've even spoken a few times through the years as a guest, but we all understand there are some significant differences.

When Abba told me to go to this pastor, I wasn't quite sure how it would go, but I showed up for Sunday morning service on Shavu'ot/Pentecost with two loaves of bread.  I told him, "I knew this was the one celebration we all shared and Deuteronomy said I was to bake two loaves of bread and go outside my gate, so here I am."  He smiled and said, "Great!  It's also Memorial Day and the service is more toward country and honoring our veteran members, then when that concludes, I'll turn the service over to you."  Well, I wasn't expecting that!  Clearly Abba had prepared his heart to receive me.

I left that Sunday afternoon, knowing I would contact him about the plan I'd been given.  Abba has led me to share natural remedies, as well as correlate the fact that sin is often the root problem in health, emotions, and finances.  I visited again in June and asked if we could meet to chat about an idea YHWH had given me.  He seemed a bit evasive, so I wasn't sure if he was truly that busy or just trying to kindly dismiss me.  As it turns out, he's truly been that busy . . .  I attended a couple more Sunday morning services, being asked to pray or speak, every time . . . So I realized my old weakness of being rejected and unwanted was unfounded.  It was time to take the bull by the horns and move forward.

I caught the pastor in his office that morning and told him, I was still wanting to talk to him and he began again with just how stretched his schedule was, when I simply said, "we're both here now and this won't take long."  I presented to him, my situation of being led to Oklahoma to share spiritually based health and I wanted to "rent" the church on Sunday afternoon between services for the same price I would have to pay to rent a conference room.  I asked him if he'd pray and think about it and he said, "No need, he had already been asking for something like this."  He did add that I did not need to pay for using the building, but in my heart it only seems right.

So, this past Sunday morning, it was announced that I would be there all afternoon.  The pastor then proceeded to share with the congregation that he wanted to tell them a couple of things about me.  He said, "When this woman prays, G-d hears, and results happen.  And another thing . . . anything you tell her stays between you, her, and G-d."

What humbling comments to hear.  I couldn't imagine a better compliment!

Hearing Our King

The last several weeks, perhaps months have been life changing for me.  I've been having the best time of communion with Abba and Messiah in the wee hours of the morning, a.k.a. the middle of the night.  This has changed my pattern of sleep as well as the course of my day.  I don't know how long He will be meeting me, in the mid-night hours, but I'm certainly blessed by this time of prayer.  I'm hearing so much and learning so much about intercession.

Bedtime is now around 9 to 10pm.    Never in my adult life, have I gone to bed anywhere near this early.  I'm wide awake and heading into prayer when the mantle clock strikes 2.  This time with our Heavenly Father and Messiah varies in length and content discussion, but it always covers prayer requests of others and so far it has also involved hearing Them speak.  It's become regular, but hardly ordinary.  One of the first things I heard when this all began around Sukkot was, "It was time to move beyond the written Word."  To be honest, that scared me.  I really questioned if I heard properly, and then even worse, if I was hearing our Creator or another spirit.  It jarred me that drastically!  But it was a "Thus saith Adonai."  It's taken some time to come into a fuller understanding of this.

Through the course of these mid-night prayer meetings, I've been given natural formulas, been given various words for those who have asked, and received a few unusual assignments as well.  I've also received more than one fore-word of a coming event or situation in which I would find myself.  It was through Hanukkah, I was reminded that everything our Creator does and everything Messiah did in just a few short years on earth, has not been recorded.  As a matter of fact, John said the world couldn't contain the books it would take!

For years, I've made the statement, "Everything recorded in Scripture took place without the participants being able to turn the page to see how it turned out!"  Since Hanukkah, Y'hshuwah has reminded me that faith is stepping out beyond what we can see.  We know Moses wasn't as old as Abraham was having children, but we also know what Moses did . . . Elijah didn't bring plagues, but supply increased, at his spoken word and he did raise the dead.  Joseph and Daniel interpreted dreams, and Daniel was kept safe in the lion's den.  Only one apostle is reported to have survived martyrdom, but their lives were spent proclaiming the Good News, healing the sick, and offering deliverance.  They all stepped out in faith, without being able to turn the page and read how it would turn out!

Y'hshuwah said, his followers would do greater things . . . The time is at hand to step out in obedient faith, truly believing.