yankeegato

Matthew 10:22

yankeegato — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:50:00 GMT

"All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to
the end will be saved."

Jesus' words are very strong! His emphasis is for a reason.
Christians need to realize that they are not going to be the
dominant culture. Discipleship can be hard and demanding; most
folks want things simple and easy. The values that disciples are
called to put into place in their lives are not going to be the
dominant cultural ones. "So be ready!" Jesus is telling us. "Be
ready to face criticism and rejection." But while we know it may be
an uphill battle to change the hearts of men and women, we can be
God's tool to bless others and to lead them closer to him! And for
us, salvation in all its glory awaits us at the end of the journey.

Obama on Christianity

yankeegato — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:24:00 GMT

(March 27, 2004)

The most detailed explication of Barack Obama's faith came in a 2004 interview he gave Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani when he was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois. The column she wrote about the interview has been quoted and misquoted many times over, but she'd never before published the full transcript in a major publication.

Because of how controversial that interview became, Falsani has graciously allowed us to print the full conversation here."

"At 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2004, when I was the religion reporter (I am now its religion columnist) at the Chicago Sun-Times, I met then-State Sen. Barack Obama at Café Baci, a small coffee joint at 330 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, to interview him exclusively about his spirituality. Our conversation took place a few days after he'd clinched the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that he eventually won. We spoke for more than an hour. He came alone. He answered everything I asked without notes or hesitation. The profile of Obama that grew from the interview at Cafe Baci became the first in a series in the Sun-Times called "The God Factor," that eventually became my first book, The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People (FSG, March 2006.) Because of the staggering interest in now President-Elect Obama's faith and spiritual predilections, I thought it might be helpful to share that interivew, uncut and in its entirety, here."
--Cathleen Falsani

FALSANI:
Do you pray often?

OBAMA:
Uh, yeah, I guess I do.

Its' not formal, me getting on my knees. I think I have an ongoing conversation with God. I think throughout the day, I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why am I doing it.

One of the interesting things about being in public life is there are constantly these pressures being placed on you from different sides. To be effective, you have to be able to listen to a variety of points of view, synthesize viewpoints. You also have to know when to be just a strong advocate, and push back against certain people or views that you think aren't right or don't serve your constituents.

And so, the biggest challenge, I think, is always maintaining your moral compass. Those are the conversations I'm having internally. I'm measuring my actions against that inner voice that for me at least is audible, is active, it tells me where I think I'm on track and where I think I'm off track.

It's interesting particularly now after this election, comes with it a lot of celebrity. And I always think of politics as having two sides. There's a vanity aspect to politics, and then there's a substantive part of politics. Now you need some sizzle with the steak to be effective, but I think it's easy to get swept up in the vanity side of it, the desire to be liked and recognized and important. It's important for me throughout the day to measure and to take stock and to say, now, am I doing this because I think it's advantageous to me politically, or because I think it's the right thing to do? Am I doing this to get my name in the papers or am I doing this because it's necessary to accomplish my motives.

FALSANI:
Checking for altruism?

OBAMA:
Yeah. I mean, something like it.

Looking for, ... It's interesting, the most powerful political moments for me come when I feel like my actions are aligned with a certain truth. I can feel it. When I'm talking to a group and I'm saying something truthful, I can feel a power that comes out of those statements that is different than when I'm just being glib or clever.

FALSANI:
What's that power? Is it the holy spirit? God?

OBAMA:
Well, I think it's the power of the recognition of God, or the recognition of a larger truth that is being shared between me and an audience…

FALSANI:
Who's Jesus to you?

(He laughs nervously)

OBAMA:
Right.

Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he's also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher.

And he's also a wonderful teacher. I think it's important for all of us, of whatever faith, to have teachers in the flesh and also teachers in history.

FALSANI:
Do you try to take some time for whatever, meditation prayer reading?

OBAMA:
I'll be honest with you, I used to all the time, in a fairly disciplined way. But during the course of this campaign, I don't. And I probably need to and would like to, but that's where that internal monologue, or dialogue I think supplants my opportunity to read and reflect in a structured way these days.

It's much more sort of as I'm going through the day trying to take stock and take a moment here and a moment there to take stock, why am I here, how does this connect with a larger sense of purpose.
FALSANI:
Jack Ryan [Obama's Republican opponent in the U.S. Senate race at the time] said talking about your faith is fraught with peril for a public figure.

OBAMA:
Which is why you generally will not see me spending a lot of time talking about it on the stump.

Alongside my own deep personal faith, I am a follower, as well, of our civic religion. I am a big believer in the separation of church and state. I am a big believer in our constitutional structure. I mean, I'm a law professor at the University of Chicago teaching constitutional law. I am a great admirer of our founding charter, and its resolve to prevent theocracies from forming, and its resolve to prevent disruptive strains of fundamentalism from taking root ion this country.

As I said before, in my own public policy, I'm very suspicious of religious certainty expressing itself in politics.

Now, that's different form a belief that values have to inform our public policy. I think it's perfectly consistent to say that I want my government to be operating for all faiths and all peoples, including atheists and agnostics, while also insisting that there are values tha tinform my politics that are appropriate to talk about.

A standard line in my stump speech during this campaign is that my politics are informed by a belief that we're all connected. That if there's a child on the South Side of Chicago that can't read, that makes a difference in my life even if it's not my own child. If there's a senior citizen in downstate Illinois that's struggling to pay for their medicine and having to chose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer even if it's not my grandparent. And if there's an Arab American family that's being rounded up by John Ashcroft without the benefit of due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

I can give religious expression to that. I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper, we are all children of God. Or I can express it in secular terms. But the basic premise remains the same. I think sometimes Democrats have made the mistake of shying away from a conversation about values for fear that they sacrifice the important value of tolerance. And I don't think those two things are mutually exclusive.

FALSANI:
Do you think it's wrong for people to want to know about a civic leader's spirituality?

OBAMA:
I don't' think it's wrong. I think that political leaders are subject to all sorts of vetting by the public, and this can be a component of that.

I think that I am disturbed by, let me put it this way: I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God's mandate.

I think there is this tendency that I don't think is healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them.

FALSANI:
The conversation stopper, when you say you're a Christian and leave it at that.

OBAMA:
Where do you move forward with that?

This is something that I'm sure I'd have serious debates with my fellow Christians about. I think that the difficult thing about any religion, including Christianity, is that at some level there is a call to evangelize and prostelytize. There's the belief, certainly in some quarters, that people haven't embraced Jesus Christ as their personal savior that they're going to hell.

FALSANI:
You don't believe that?

OBAMA:
I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell.

I can't imagine that my God would allow some little Hindu kid in India who never interacts with the Christian faith to somehow burn for all eternity.

That's just not part of my religious makeup.

Part of the reason I think it's always difficult for public figures to talk about this is that the nature of politics is that you want to have everybody like you and project the best possible traits onto you. Oftentimes that's by being as vague as possible, or appealing to the lowest commong denominators. The more specific and detailed you are on issues as personal and fundamental as your faith, the more potentially dangerous it is.

FALSANI:
Do you ever have people who know you're a Christian question a particular stance you take on an issue, how can you be a Christian and ...

OBAMA:
Like the right to choose.

I haven't been challenged in those direct ways. And to that extent, I give the public a lot of credit. I'm always stuck by how much common sense the American people have. They get confused sometimes, watch FoxNews or listen to talk radio. That's dangerous sometimes. But generally, Americans are tolerant and I think recognize that faith is a personal thing, and they may feel very strongly about an issue like abortion or gay marriage, but if they discuss it with me as an elected official they will discuss it with me in those terms and not, say, as 'you call yourself a Christian.' I cannot recall that ever happening.

[...]

FALSANI:
Do you believe in heaven?

OBAMA:
Do I believe in the harps and clouds and wings?

FALSANI:
A place spiritually you go to after you die?

OBAMA:
What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded. I don't presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die. But I feel very strongly that whether the reward is in the here and now or in the hereafter, the aligning myself to my faith and my values is a good thing.

When I tuck in my daughters at night and I feel like I've been a good father to them, and I see in them that I am transferring values that I got from my mother and that they're kind people and that they're honest people, and they're curious people, that's a little piece of heaven.

FALSANI:
Do you believe in sin?

OBAMA:
Yes.

FALSANI:
What is sin?

OBAMA:
Being out of alignment with my values.

FALSANI:
What happens if you have sin in your life?

OBAMA:
I think it's the same thing as the question about heaven. In the same way that if I'm true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I'm not true to it, it's its own punishment.

FALSANI:
Where do you find spiritual inspiration? Music, nature, literature, people, a conduit you plug into?

OBAMA:
There are so many.

I can be transported by watching a good performance of Hamlet, or reading Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, or listening to Miles Davis.

FALSANI:
Is there something that you go back to as a touchstone, a book, a particular piece of music, a place ...

OBAMA:
As I said before, in my own sort of mental library, the Civil Rights movement has a powerful hold on me. It's a point in time where I think heaven and earth meet. Because it's a moment in which a collective faith transforms everything. So when I read Gandhi or I read King or I read certain passages of Abraham Lincoln and I think about those times where people's values are tested, I think those inspire me.

FALSANI:
What are you doing when you feel the most centered, the most aligned spiritually?

OBAMA:
I think I already described it. It's when I'm being true to myself. And that can happen in me making a speech or it can happen in me playing with my kids, or it can happen in a small interaction with a security guard in a building when I'm recognizing them and exchanging a good word.

FALSANI:
... An example of a role model, who combined everything you said you want to do in your life, and your faith?

OBAMA:
I think Gandhi is a great example of a profoundly spiritual man who acted and risked everything on behalf of those values but never slipped into intolerance or dogma. He seemed to always maintain an air of doubt about him.

I think Dr. King, and Lincoln. Those three are good examples for me of people who applied their faith to a larger canvas without allowing that faith to metastasize into something that is hurtful.

Measure For Measure

yankeegato — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:07:00 GMT

"Yahveh is your shadow at your right hand." Psalms 121:5

The Rabbis taught that Yahveh acts toward us accordingly as we act toward other people. Thus, if people are willing to forgive those who have offended them, Yahveh will similarly overlook their misdeeds. If a person is very judgmental and reacts with anger to any offense, Yahveh will be equally strict. The meaning of "Yahveh is your shadow" is that a person's shadow mimics his every action.

If we wish to know how Yahveh will relate to us, the answer is simple: exactly in the same way we relate to others. If we demand perfection from others, He will demand it of us. If we can love others even though they do not measure up to our standards and expectations, then He will love us in spite of our shortcomings.

Torah Studies: http://rinahshal. tripod.com /

Lunch with Messiah

yankeegato — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:23:00 GMT

A little boy wanted to meet Yashua. He knew it was a long trip to where Yashua lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of
potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with Yashua." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied, "I ate potato chips in the park with Yashua." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Embrace them with love! Maybe you too will have lunch with Yashua some day... and don't forget to bring along some chips.

rinah shalom

The Donkey

yankeegato — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:13:00 GMT

A village potter used to make pots and planters. He would go to a near by town to sell his wares. He had a donkey on whose back he would load the pots etc.

Christmas was fast approaching, so the potter decided to make some little statues of Jesus to sell in town. He made some beautiful statues and painted them in bright colours. He then loaded them on to the back of his donkey and set off towards the city.

On the way, he crossed many people. They would invariably fold their hands and bow to the statues. By the time they reached the city, many people had bowed their heads.

They reached the exhibition ground where the artisans could exhibit their things. Soon the potter was able to sell his statues for a good sum. He was pleased indeed!

The potter took his donkey by the muzzle and set off on the road leading back to the village. Every time they would cross anyone, the donkey would stop and preen himself prettily as if he were a model. But what was the matter! No one seemed to as much as glance at him! Why were people not bowing their heads before him anymore? Desperate to catch their attention, the donkey started to bray louder & louder...

He-haw, he-haw...... He went on. The passers-by started pelting stones at him in annoyance. The potter was bewildered too.

The poor donkey had thought that everyone was bowing to him, little realizing that their reverence was directed to the idols of God tied to his back and not to him!

Many of us make this mistake. A person occupying a seat of power, often finds people saluting him. If he thinks that the salutations are in his honour, he is living in a fool's paradise, like the donkey in the story!

The respect is given to the chair and not to the person occupying it. As soon as he steps down from the position, the people around him vanish.

The potter, by the way, began spending his time teaching people not to bow before images, though many of them continued to bow before asses, even as many continue to do even today.

Long Life

yankeegato — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:39:00 GMT

Long Life

"And Yahveh said to Moses, Your days approach that you must die." Deuteronomy 31:14

Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta went to a circumcision, at which the father made an impressive feast. After serving a very old bottle of wine to the guests, the father proudly proclaimed that he would age a portion of this wine for the future joyful occasions of his son. Upon leaving the feast, the sage encountered the Angel of Death, who seemed to be in a "happy mood." He questioned the Angel as to the source of his merriment. The Angel responded that he was laughing at the foolishness of human beings. He explained that this man, who had promised to put away wine for the future, would actually be dead in less than thirty days. The sage then asked the Angel to show him his own time of death. The Angel responded, "I have no power over you or other righteous people like you. Yahveh delights in your good deeds and He, therefore, adds days to your originally predetermined life-span," as it says in Proverbs 10:27, "the fear of Yahveh adds days."

We are placed on this earth to fulfill a purpose. When that mission has been completed, we should undertake new spiritual endeavors, so that they may serve as a reason for our continued life. With this thought in mind, we might view opportunities for new spiritual tasks as a special gift from Yahveh for prolonged life.

Torah Studies: http://rinahshal. tripod.com /
Times of Refreshing I: http://rinah- -shalom.tripod. com/
Times of Refreshing II: http://rinah. shalom.tripod. com/
Moadim - Jewish Holidays: http://rinah- shalom.tripod. com/
His Word: http://rinahshalom. tripod.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

How to be counted as somebody with God

yankeegato — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:09:00 GMT

You Count

"Take the sum of the children of Israel according to their number, and every man shall give a ransom for his soul." Exodus 30:12

The primary purpose of the half-shekel contribution was to serve as a method for counting the people. In addition to this, the silver collected was used in the building of the Tabernacle. This became an annual collection during the month of Adar. The money was specifically earmarked for the provision of the sacrifices, thereby including all of Israel in this act of daily worship. In this manner, the shekel became a significant symbol of an individual's membership.

In order for us to be numbered among the community we must make a contribution to the community.

Rinah Shalom

God's Voice

yankeegato — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:26:00 GMT

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study.
The Pastor had shared about listening to Yahveh and
obeying His voice. The young man couldn't
help but wonder, "Does Yahveh still speak to people?"
After service he went out with some friends for coffee
and pie and they discussed the message. Several
different ones talked about how Yahveh had led them in
different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving
home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "Yah,
if you still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I
will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the
strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.
He shook his head and said out loud, "Yahveh is that you?"
He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again,
the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't
recognize the voice of Yahveh, and how little Samuel ran to
Eli. "Okay, Yah, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."
It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could
always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the
gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he
passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn
Down that street."

This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.
At the next intersection, he turned back and headed
down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, Yah,
I will". He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like
he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked
around. He was in semi commercial area of town. It wasn't
the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses
looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to
the people in the house across the street." The young
man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked
like the people were either gone or they were already
asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back
in the car seat.

"Yahveh, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if
I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will
look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give
the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay Yah, if this is
you, I will go to the door and I will give them the
milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person,
okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count
for something but if they don't answer right away, I
am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He
could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled
out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door
opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt.
He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange
look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to
have some stranger standing on his doorstep.
"What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I
brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed
down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman
carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was
following her holding a baby. The baby was crying.
The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just
praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran
out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I
was just praying and asking Yahveh to show me how to get
some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked him to send
an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out
all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand.
He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears
were streaming down his face.

He knew that Yahveh still answers prayers.

rinah shalom

The Messenger

yankeegato — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:35:00 GMT

It was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the North had brought winter's chill back to the Midwest. I sat, with two girl friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town square. The food and the company were both especially good that day. As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.

I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief. We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the Town Square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Holy Spirit kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square." And so, with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the corner I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the storefront church, going through his sack. I stopped and looked, feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor. "Looking for the pastor?" I asked. "Not really," he replied, " "just resting." "Have you eaten today?" "Oh, I ate something early this morning." "Would you like to have lunch with me?" "Do you have some work I could do for you?" "No work," I replied.

"I commute to the city for work, but I would like to take you to lunch." "Sure," he replied with a smile. As he began to gather his things. I asked some surface questions. "Where are you headed?" "St. Louis." "Where are you from?" "Oh, all over; mostly Florida." "How long have you been walking?" "Fourteen years," came the reply. I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Yashua is The Never Ending Story."

Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought. He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. "Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt Yashua telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now."

"Ever think of stopping?" I asked. "Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me. But YHVH has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission - a messenger set by God and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?" "What?" "To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?" "Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that YHVH was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me." My concept was changing, too.

We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in." I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said. "I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see." I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful. "Where are you headed from here?"

"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon." "Are you hoping to hire on there for a while? "No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next." He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of this messenger. I drove him back to the town square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things. "Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared Yahveh, plans to prosper you and not to harm you and plans to give you a future and a hope." "Thanks, man" he said.

"I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you." "I know," I said, "I love you, too." "Yashua is good." "Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked. "A long time," he replied. And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem." "I'll be there" was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bed roll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?" "You bet," I shouted back, "Yahveh bless you." "Yashua bless." And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them.. a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them. I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry.

"See you in the New Jerusalem" he said. "Yes, Daniel, I know I will..."

~ Author Unknown ~

Torah Studies: http://rinahshal. tripod.com /
Times of Refreshing: http://rinah- -shalom.tripod. com/
Moadim - Jewish Holidays: http://rinah- shalom.tripod. com/
His Word: http://rinahshalom. tripod.com/

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Blaming Others

yankeegato — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:28:00 GMT

And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca, the daughter of Betuel, from Padan Aram, the sister of Laban, for himself for a wife." Genesis 25:20

Rebeccah was the daughter of an evil person, the sister of an evil person, and lived in a community of evil people. Nevertheless, she did not learn from their evil behavior.

Many people try to excuse their faults by blaming others as the cause of their behavior. "It's not my fault I have this bad trait, I learned it from my parents." "I'm not to blame for this bad habit since all my brothers and sisters do it also." "Everyone in my neighborhood does this or does not do that, so how could I be any different?" They use this as an excuse for failing to make an effort to improve.

Regardless of the behavior of those around you, you have the ability to be different.

The righteous person might be considered a nonconformist and even rebellious by those in his environment whose standard of values are below his level, but we are responsible for our own actions. Pointing to others in your environment who are worse than you are is not a valid justification for poor behavior.

If you ever find yourself saying, "It's not my fault I did this. It's because of the way I was raised or because I learned it from so-and-so" - change your focus to, "I'll make a special effort to improve in this area to overcome the tendency to follow in the footsteps of others."

Blaming others for our faults and saying that we cannot do anything about them is an indication that we do not want to change. Make a list of the negative traits you picked up from your early environment and develop a plan of action to improve in those areas.

By:Rinah Shalom

A Good Name

yankeegato — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:30:00 GMT

The Emperor's Seed
(Author Unknown)

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!"

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed! Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

"A good name is to be more desired than great riches" Proverbs 22:1 (NASB)

James 2:1-9

yankeegato — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:08:00 GMT

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun
threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly
without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer
office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country
hicks had no business at Harvard & probably didn't even deserve to be
in Cambridge.

'We'd like to see the president,' the man said softly. 'He'll be busy
all day,' the secretary snapped. 'We'll wait,' the lady replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would
finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't, and the secretary
grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even
though it was a chore she always regretted.

'Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave,' she said to him!

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance
obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, and he detested
gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.

The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the
couple. The lady told him, 'We had a son who attended Harvard for one
year.

He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was
accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial
to him, somewhere on campus.'

The president wasn't touched. He was shocked. 'Madam,' he said,
gruffly, 'we can't put up a statue for every person who attended
Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.'

'Oh, no,' the lady explained quickly. 'We don't want to erect a
statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.'

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and
homespun suit, then exclaimed, 'A building! Do you have any earthly
idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million
dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard.'

For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he
could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, 'Is that all it costs
to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?'

Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and
bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away,
traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the
university that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a
son that Harvard no longer cared about.

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those
who they think can do nothing for them.

.........A TRUE STORY By Malcolm Forbes ........

No King

yankeegato — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:39:00 GMT

"In those days there was no king in Israel; each man did that which was proper in his own eyes." Judges 21:25

At first glance, this verse appears to describe a chaotic state of affairs, where in absence of a central authority everyone did as they pleased, however, this interpretation is incorrect. Everyone has common sense, which can reliably guide him to do right and avoid wrong. ("Do that which is proper and good." Deuteronomy 6:18) How do we know what is proper and good if the Torah does not specify it? It must be that we have an innate common sense.
If so, why does the world seem so unjust? One reason might be that people do not act according to their own common sense, but rather according to what they think others might think of them.

When we stop behaving according to what we wish others to think, we might give our common sense a fighting chance.

By Rinah Shalom

A picture's Worth...

yankeegato — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:54:00 GMT

From a Yahoo group post

Friendship and love defined in a single photo.......

What Can I Do For You

yankeegato — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:33:00 GMT

What are your first thoughts when you meet another person?

People who have a strong tendency to be takers, think, "What can this person do for me?" People who have a strong tendency to be critical, think, "What can I find that is negative about this person?" Some people tend to think, "Do I like or respect this person or not?" And others focus on the question, "Do I feel comfortable in the presence of this person?" And yet others think about, "What does this person think of me?"

When you meet someone, let your first thought be, "What can I do for this person?" This way you will view each encounter with a fellow human being as an opportunity to give and help.

It is relatively easy to develop the habit of asking this question. At first, you need to deliberately ask yourself this question over and over again. Asking it enough times will cause it to pop into your mind automatically. After a while, as soon as you meet someone you will hear the question, "What can I do for this person?"

Stop for a few minutes right now and repeat many times, "What can I do for this person?" Enjoy the process and feel the joy rising within you.

As you repeat the question, "What can I do for this person" think of specific people you know. Begin with people you like a lot. Then think of those towards whom you are neutral. Finally, think about those with whom you experience difficulty when you deal with them.
We all need the assistance and encouragement of others at one time or another. When you think about how you can help a person whose help you need, you needn't think of it in terms of bartering: "He is doing something for me, so I will do something for him." Rather, this can be viewed as part of your general attitude of wanting to help others even more than you want others to help you. Even if someone has more resources than you do, you still might be able to say or do something to enhance his life.

We often hear the expression, "When you look for something, you will find it." It's easy to find blemishes, mistakes, errors and limitations in others. When you look down at people they feel the negative energy emanating from you, which makes it difficult to get along with others. After you practice asking "What can I do for this person" for a couple of weeks, you will experience a major shift in the way you feel towards others. Much of the stress that you formerly felt will melt away and you will have more energy and joy than ever before.

By: Rinah Shalom