When you are secure in your salvation and know how deeply you are loved,
then you are fearless to love others.

Have you ever wanted to learn Hebrew?  The Biblical Archeology Review is hosting a free Hebrew Language Bible Course.  The course contains 25 video lectures by Shaye Cohen, Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard University.  Because this course is independent learning based, you can start and stop videos any time.  The Hebrew Course also includes surveys the major books and ideas of the Hebrew Bible (also called the Old Testament).  Additionally, the course examines the historical context in which the Hebrew texts emerged and were redacted.

A major subtext of the Hebrew course is the distinction between how the Bible was read by ancient interpreters (whose interpretations became the basis for many iconic literary and artistic works of Western Civilization) and how it is approached by modern bible scholarship.  James Kugel, former Harvard professor and author of the course’s textbook, contends that these ways of reading the Bible are mutually exclusive.  Professor Shaye Cohen respectfully disagrees.

The course link is available here: The Hebrew Bible.
http://courses.biblicalarchaeology.org/hebrewbible/

My prayers go out to all the family and friends involved in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting today in Florida.  God knows every tear.  He is not indifferent to your pain and suffering.  May He comfort you in this dark hour.

I recently read an interesting article on BBC News about how simply being still can improve your memory function dramatically compared to continuing to work out your problems.  You can read more about it HERE.  Now, the article isn't saying be lazy and do nothing to complete the tasks you've been assigned.  Rather, it serves as a very important reminder that where you put your attention and effort effects the end result. 

If your strength lies simply in your ability to perform, you will fall short.  In fact, according to this article, you will fail quiet miserably because in trying to constantly push yourself to the next task, you will over work your brain, and it will not function at the perfect level God designed for it.  Although the article is a secular document, reading it through the eyes of faith it becomes more clear: 

If your strength rests in the Lord, you will make time to be quiet before God in the midst of your daily duties and chores.  By resting even 5 to 10 minutes before God, the end result of your work will be greater than if you worked continually to accomplish your goals alone.

God speaks a lot about resting to draw nearer to Him and the overall good that it does for us.  The concepts of "being still" or "resting" are mentioned repeatedly throughout the Bible.  Below are just a few examples:

• The LORD shall fight for you, you only need to be still.  Exodus 14:14
• Be still and know that I am God.  Psalms 46:10
• Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!  1 Samuel 12:16
• But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. Exodus 14:13
• Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: do not worry when evil people succeed in their ways or when their wicked plans come to pass.  Psalm 37:7
• Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28
• And God said, "My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14
• Hebrews Chapter 4 - Believers enter into God's rest. 

Basically, we all need to stop working constantly.  This isn't just good advice; it's advice from God!  In fact, there is an excellent reason He mandated a day off of work to rest and focus on Him for renewal and strength.  It's because you NEED it!  The Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27).

Give yourself permission to rest!

And rest peacefully knowing that while you are resting, God is still working for your good.

I'm so excited!  My second book Redemption's Secret is coming out next month, March 17th.  This book was based on some of the information contained my first book Jesus Unveiled, that needed to be addressed separately to fully understand its significance.  Nisan 17 is the most important date in human history, aside from perhaps the creation of Adam and Eve.  It's a date that God has used repeatedly throughout the Bible to build faith in His people.  The events on Nisan 17 in the Old Testament have also been used to symbolize various aspects of Messiah's ministry. I hope to express some of the wonder and details over the next month as we move closer to the book launch.

When you find yourself under spiritual attack, here's what I have learned:
Focus on the Shepherd!
We need not focus on the wolves. 
As sheep our job is to focus solely on the Shepherd. 
He will take care of His sheep and protect them from the wolves. 

When Jesus was in the wilderness under spiritual attack, He did not rail against the enemy.  He did not hold long prayer sessions to break the bonds or strongholds of the enemy.  Jesus did not loose angels to surround Him to protect Him from the enemy, nor did He focus His energy and thoughts on Satan.  Instead, Jesus focused solely on the Word of God... "It is written," He said. 

Jesus focused on God's Word only, not satan. 

We should do the same.

Last week, I had the privilege to visit my friend and sister in Christ.  She is struggling with a very rare cancer, for which there has never been a healing to date, and is in late stage 4.  As I visited with her, she began to mourn the many heartaches she felt, and I found my own heart breaking with hers. 

I think the saddest lament she had was for the lack of visitation by her church.  She said she felt abandoned and rejected by her "church family."  By this wording, she meant the "organized church" she and I had once attended together.  My family departed a year earlier due to several terrible issues, the last one irreconcilable because my faith in Christ would not compromised to accept a lie for the sake of "unity."  Although I had left that church, I still maintained many friendships I had built, like the one with this dear sister.  My friend had been diagnosed with cancer in March 2017 and hadn't been able to attend in person often as a result of surgeries and lack of energy.  While last year, a couple from leadership had visited her in the hospital and checked on her once or twice after that, my friend shared no one in leadership had been in contact with her since early spring 2017.  She'd received no encouragement, no comfort, no prayer time with those in leadership for many months now.  What could I say to the broken heart of a forgotten sheep?  All I could offer was my love, which may not be enough to replace the love she felt she lost.  So, I just stood there holding her, hugging her, and praying over her. 

My heart ached for my dying friend, and to be perfectly honest... I was also really pissed off at the church's neglect of her.  Sadly today, this is all too common among churches.  The friendliness you feel when attending on Sunday falls away quickly after you stop attending on a regular basis, even if that lack of attendance is related to an illness that makes you bedridden or other circumstances beyond your control.  A fact,  I learned caring from my mother-in-law.  I was often unable to attend church, and I cannot recall a single person in leadership ever calling my house or visiting to check up on my family.  Worse, most in leadership never even know you've stopped coming to church until several months go by, and even then there are few who will reach out.  Only those in the "Inner Circle" of the church are truly noticed.  The ones who are in the "Inner Click" matter; the rest of us are simply fringe on the edges it seems at times.   Our presence doesn't truly matter, because our absence doesn't matter.

This seems to be the way of even the most well-meaning churches.  I'm sure most don't even realize it.  Sadly, when it's brought to the leadership's attention, denial and defensiveness reign supreme and excuses abound.  Don't get me wrong, I understand everyone is busy.  Life is busy and complicated for almost everyone.  But when it comes to organized church leadership, THE Church is missing something the early Church never did.  The first Church never had the organized structure we have today; instead they realized how important each member of the Body was to the wholeness of the Body of Christ.  They took time to visit each other's homes, built personal relationships, and the strong reached out to those who were weaker. Do you remember when Tabitha died?  The disciples in the next town over sought help from Peter who was traveling nearby... and Peter came immediately because of the request.  Peter did not go because Tabitha was more special than any other Christian, though her deeds of generosity were many.   Peter went simply because she was one of the sheep, a part of Body of Christ. 

Today, our organized "church" structure is turned upside down.  We've forgotten that we are all equals before Christ, all students and all witnesses with lessons to share.   Now, the church is designed to rely on a few people to do everything, which is why there is that Inner Click at church.  It's also why that Inner Click is distanced from the fringe and doesn't truly have strong relationships with most of the people of the pews.  Many in leadership are being overworked and over relied upon.  Of course, they put themselves in those designated positions and most of the congregation are happy to keep them there.  But this was never to be the design of God's Church.

As I hugged my beautiful friend, I told her the truth... Jesus' Church had come to her and was with her even now.  Of course, it was not necessarily her "organized church" or her "church leadership," but Jesus had sent His body to her.  He had sent His finest leaders, those serving her in her hour of need.  She was not abandoned nor forgotten.  She had been in the company of many Saints who encouraged, supported, helped, and even prayed with her.  We loved on her.  THE Church had come!

The longer I am involved in "church," the more I truly believe the organized church is one of Satan's greatest lies.  It isn't structured according to truth or the Lord's will despite the twists of scripture used to justify its existence.  It has religious demands for all.  Most congregations have bought into the lie and that's why the laborers are so few.  Jesus said there would be no rulers over us but Him.  He said we would be equals, serving together (Matthew 20:25-28).  Many organized churches say they believe this philosophy, but honestly they don't live it.  When push comes to shove, you'll hear it said, "not in MY church."  Well, Thank God we do not belong to their church!

We belong to God's one, true Church: the Church of Jesus Christ which is neither divided on this side of Heaven or the other side.  It spans denominations and local church bodies.  It is universal and world-wide, yet is is united and singular in it's design and mission.  There is only 1 body, and the Lord's body is not divided.  We may not all agree all the time as we are limited by the knowledge we have gained in our walk and our faith, but we should all be moving in the same direction under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Everyone was brought into THE Church to serve others, to help bare other's burdens, to encourage and edify the whole Body of Christ.  If you aren't serving at some point each day to spiritually, physically, or emotionally edify others, than you have missed the entire point of BEING the Church.

It's not too late.  Don't be afraid to step up into the position God has called you.  Let no person limit your expression of God's love in this life.  You were never meant to sit in a pew, sing a few songs, and be lectured for an hour on Sunday and walk away believing that you went to church.

                                      Church isn't something you do! 
                                It's WHO you are and WHOSE you are!

Christians cannot wait for organized church leadership to do everything, nor should we ever give anyone that much power over our walk with Christ.  We must step up to comfort those in need.  We must start recognizing the Truth.  We are THE Church and our walk in Christ Jesus is 24/7/365.  It is our appointment as the Church to serve others, just as Jesus served us. 

                     We are literally Jesus' hands and feet on this earth,
              We represent billions of physical opportunities to show God's love. 

 We are THE Church!

There are times in life when we feel like we aren't doing enough and don't know what else to do.  We may want to minister for God or work in a way that appears to have more tangible results. The work we perform naturally in a day is unrecognized.  When you don't know what to do and feel insufficient, I've found the best advice is to do what's already in your hand.

Looking at your life and ask these questions:

• What is it that immediately needs your attention? 
• Who needs your nurturing? 
• Who could use a little help or love? 
• What will matter 1, 5, or even 20 years from now?

Maybe there's a neighbor who's been ill, or a family member you haven't spoken with for some time that needs a friend?  We often overlook the obvious in front of us.  The ministry already in our hand is extremely valuable: our home, our family, our friends, our jobs, our passions and interests.

Your labor in the areas of your "normal" life are often taken for granted.  Sometimes we feel these efforts are mundane, but they just as important to the Kingdom of God as traveling overseas for missions.  The fields are ripe right were you are.  Cleaning your home and taking care of your children and husband without bitterness lay a foundation for a godly home that will benefit future generations.  Caring for your elderly or dysfunctional family members demonstrates God's love surpasses a person's "usefulness" and exists simply to love.  

The world is watching the small things in your life.  They are evaluating your witness of faith by the "normal" things you do.  You may not be aware of how loudly the things already in your hand are speaking to those around you, but I guarantee you the random acts of kindness are speaking loudly to a great cloud of witnesses. 

Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...
Hebrews 12:1-2

Who would think to clean himself before taking a shower? What would be the purpose of the shower if you could get clean through another method first?

Similarly, don't think you must get your life together before you come to Jesus.  Don't think you need to stop sinning before you come to Him. 

Just come to God as you are!  Let Him clean you up and make you free from sin.

If you've ever struggled with addiction or know the struggles of darkness and pain, take hope in Jesus for He is able to bear the hardest of burdens and free you from every sin.  And there is more good news: the Lord promises to keep all those who come to Him.  He will never turn you away.  Nothing you've ever done or will do could keep Him from loving you and forgiving you.  You are beloved of God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14