The Jewish cultural expression of most of our Tikkun America congregations is Ashkenaz in expression – that is, culture derived from Jews who lived in the region along the Rhine that is now Germany. Nevertheless, God has blessed many of our congregations with a goodly number of Hispanic members, some of whom have recently discovered…
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Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. Well, it seems that the 5th commandment “survived the cut.” The New Testament…
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God commands that everyone honor their parents. I can’t get past the word “honor” (and I won’t today). In Hebrew it is Kabed (Kaf-Bet-Dalet). More on this after I give you the Hebrew (in transliteration) and English of the fifth commandment. The entire commandment is in one verse. Exodus 20:12(11)* Kabed Et-Avicha, V’Et-Imecha – L’ma’an,…
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How often do we find ourselves at a crossroads? We have a life altering decision to make, but we are not sure what to do. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Stand against him, firm in your trust, knowing…
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I prayed long and hard about this piece today. After much prayer, (and as you can see from the above subject line) I decided to write one last piece on the Fourth Commandment, to both remember and keep the Shabbat holy. The Hebrew word Kadosh is translated as ‘holy’. But we have a hard time…
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Is it just me, or does it seem like Adam had it easy? He didn’t need to find a wife, for it was God made one specifically for him. He didn’t have to choose or woo a woman, there was only one woman in the whole world and she had only one man to choose…
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You may not be in a leadership position within your congregation or workplace. Leonard Ravenhill relates the story of a group of tourists who were visiting a picturesque village in the mountains. They strolled by an old man sitting by the gate leading into the town. One tourist stopped and curiously questioned him, “Were any…
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Justice, equal justice for all, is supposed to be one of the key characteristics of the Jewish people. Deuteronomy 16:18 You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the L-RD your G-d is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. (NJPS) Every town is to…
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— by Dr George Byron Koch, New Jerusalem House of Prayer — When I was sixteen I worked in a small clothing store. When we closed up, one of my jobs was to stretch a couple of tripwires from wall to wall about 6 inches above the floor. They were dark in color – invisible…
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A week or so ago, this piece of statistical data landed in my in-box. I have been trying to think of a way to communicate its significance ever since. See what you think. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. 18-29-year-olds who grew up in church tell Barna they have withdrawn from church involvement. And that was before…
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