In John 15:15, Yeshua calls His disciples together and makes an amazing statement. He says, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I call you friends…” Rabbi Yosef Mitzrachi says that the Hebrew word for friend (chaver) has the same root as the word “connection” (chivur). …
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Tekiah! The first blast of the Shofar sounds on the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah. What follows are 23 action-packed days, the details of which are described in the final verses of Leviticus 23. From that first Tekiah blast, we hear the call to an assembly, the reality of which we have not yet seen.…
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In my 20s, I earned my private pilot license for small, single engine airplanes. There is not much that I’ve experienced in life that compares to the freedom of lifting off from a long stretch of runway, climbing above the tree lined horizon, and into the expansive sky. The landscape shifts and perspective changes. Mountains,…
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Many years ago, the leaders of the two largest missions organizations at that time, Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, and Loren Cunningham of Youth with a Mission, met together and discussed the issues of culture. They came up with seven mountains that are the main cultural centers shaping the whole society. They envisioned…
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Come, follow me! (Matt. 4:19) These three words changed the trajectory of the religious climate of the 1st-century Messianic community. They transformed the customary approach in how leaders would forever engage people. Yeshua was a masterful leader of people, first engaging them for a life of discipleship and following, then eventually propelling them into germinating…
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In these uncertain times in which we live, it is very easy for life’s circumstances to become overwhelming and rob us of our peace. With so many things to distract us, it’s easy to lose focus of the One who brings us life and the peace we so desperately need. What and to whom do…
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Once we are saved by grace through faith (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:3), how do we cooperate by faith with God’s power in the journey of growing up into our salvation (Titus 2:11-14; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:9; 2:2) until that Day when our salvation journey will be completed at the 2nd coming…
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We are entering the month Elul, the month preceding the High Holidays of Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Festival of Booths). It is a month of preparation and introspection, and an annual opportunity to intentionally increase one’s focus to nurture intimacy with Adonai. In Jewish tradition, the letters…
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As we conclude the season of light and clean up from all of the festive community celebrations, family gatherings, and joyful songs, I consider how important it is that we continue to evaluate our effectiveness of reflecting the light of God to the world. Of course, Yeshua proclaimed, “I am the light of the world.…
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There is a saying in the world of management, that is also often heard in the worlds of government and even that of the military that “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” When investors back a company, they are ultimately backing the leader and his or her leadership team. When governments are successful, it is…
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