Shabbat Shalom

A Challenge of Faith for Myself

(YHWH Blesses)

I have seen many miracles in my life; some so outstanding all those around us couldn't help see them too. Like when our older son was born prematurely, the doctors said he wouldn't make it because he was just too small and came too early; but, people around the world prayed and I believed...I knew YHWH would keep him safe, whole and healthy and YHWH did. Our son was known throughout the hospital as "the miracle baby" and was visited often by many including the hospital director and in one month's time he was released to go home with us; tiny but healthy and whole.

Then there was the time our younger son at 17 almost died; we were told then too that he would die and yet I believed YHWH would heal him and YHWH did. YHWH healed him 100% when the doctors said at best, he would lose one kidney and probably both would have to be replaced and there was worry about his lungs as he had a history of acute chronic asthma and all that was also healed. One day a year later at the grocery store I saw one of the emergency room nurses and she waved at me and asked me how my son was. She said many of them thought of him often and how it was that he "came through it all" recovering 100% and no one argued with me when I told them that YHWH healed him. The doctors said, well it wasn't anything they did though they did everything they knew to do so it had to be our faith that got him through. But it was YHWH; my faith was just trusting in who I knew Him to be....loving, faithful and all we ever need Him to be.

Funny thing for me though is, my faith struggles at times for the smaller things and especially concerning needs personally for myself. I can muster all the faith I need and can possibly have for a loved one, a friend and even a stranger but for myself, I falter and today I am wondering why that is.

My husband was laid off near the end of Jan. and has not yet found a job. We have no insurance and not much money (really no money) but YHWH has met every need and kept us in our house and we have been able to keep one car. In April, after 30 plus years of me praying for my husband spiritually, he came to know YHWH through Yahushua and since then we have believed YHWH together for all our family needs.

A few weeks ago, my porcelain crown cracked and a week ago almost half of it broke off in a different place; it is two years old. I am allergic to metals and while we had dental insurance, we tried to slowly replace all the old metal crowns and unhealthy fillings in my mouth. I thank YHWH two were done though I must confess during this last week, I thought of how many years since my childhood the unhealthy metal crowns lasted lol.

We are believing YHWH to meet this need but today I found myself discouraged. We looked up and called the places that deal with those that either can not afford dental or need help in obtaining dental care due to lack of finances. The soonest they take new registration for the program to help is a month away and then there is no guarantee we will qualify or what help they will offer us.

When the porcelain crown was put in, they drilled away most of the tooth and what is left is pretty much exposed nerve endings so having this tooth now half exposed due to the broken, half missing crown is very painful.

So back to faith....why is it I can believe YHWH could mend kidneys and lungs one hundred percent when told such was hopeless; why could I believe YHWH could cause a premature child to be strengthened and survive and not believe He, YHWH, can and will restore my tooth?

I do not yet have this answer but know YHWH will show me the answer as I seek Him on it.

I do know He can remake a tooth; I know He can provide for the care of this tooth...to answer this need to His desire for I know He knows best for me. So I am, today, trying to visualize a mended tooth, a whole tooth in my mouth. I am visualizing YHWH meeting this need. I know He meets needs now, when needed and I thank Him for meeting this need. I thank Him for the mustard grain of faith that grows as it is used and I thank Him for His love, patience, mercy, healing, provisions and for Himself in my life every moment of every day.

I thank Him for the Shabbat that is at hand. HalleluYah.

Leaves, People and Blessings

(YHWH Blesses)

people come into one's life much like a leaf;
individual in every way
some lingering for a time
some seemingly taking root and staying indefinitely
and some blowing through with the wind
leaving a mark through the memory of others
all along the path they took.

with them come lessons
emotions
blessings
encouragement
struggles
all depending through whose eyes they are seen from
and yet every thing about every person has a purpose
that YHWH uses to the good of all.

people too, like leaves
can stand out or be unnoticed
yet their purpose remains
their imprint lasting
and most importantly
each are known intimately by YHWH
the Creator of all creation.

I ask YHWH today
that I may take notice of His creation
that I may take time to appreciate
the loveliness of all;
every leaf
every person
for everything He has created is multifaceted
and is a blessing if but received.


YHWH gave me this poem today as I thought about a dear person to me; one I have not met in person but who blesses me with writings and poems of love and encouragement of YHWH. Thank you, dear Wendy R. for being my friend....thank You, Abba YHWH for putting her in my life and across my path like a cool wind on a summer's day.

Not Seeing What You Know Is There

(YHWH Blesses)

When faith is described, often it is the verse Hebrews 11:1 given - (and I want to share different versions of it starting with KJVRN):

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

(The Scriptures 1998+) And belief is the substance of what is expected, the proof of what is not seen.

(Darby) Now faith is the substantiating of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

(cjb) Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see.

(MSG) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.

Faith is like the wind; you can not see it but you can see how things are moved by it. YHWH showed me this one day so very long ago when I was in the grass looking at a flower.

I have a computer program called Stickies; yep it is a cyber version of those little yellow note stickies one can put any and everywhere to remind, encourage and exhort oneself to do or about things. The last couple of days I have one sticky that doesn't seem to be popping up and yet, when I search the program, it tells me that sticky is on my desktop though I do not see it. This of course (as most things do lol) got me thinking and pondering. The sticky that doesn't show up says "Focus on YHWH" and like my faith, my focus is always there on something whether I realize it or not.

But what struck me or rather came to mind at first, was not faith or focus but YHWH's help, deliverance, faithfulness and promise.

Whether or not I see it (or Him), His salvation/deliverance/help is always there; HE is always there and it is with my faith that I pick it up and walk in it with my focus on HIM. HalleluYah.

I have come to understand too, or perhaps my understanding/comprehension has grown like my faith and I "see" or know more fully of that deliverance/help that is there for me always. There is, if you will, a small cost involved for it takes the leaving of my flesh/ego/carnal thinking to grow faith, to stay focused on YHWH, to take/pick up/accept His help/deliverance in any and all things. This is because the natural mind can not know faith nor does it focus on anything but itself therefore help is not seen or understood. Yet, when I set aside "my" thinking and come to YHWH, the immediate steps leading to Him (and the help I seek) are clear for me.

So now it comes to choice; will I accept all that YHWH has for me? Will I take up/accept His help/deliverance that is waiting there for me? We know nothing is too great for YHWH; nothing is too small or trivial as well. YHWH wants to be the answer for every area of our lives. He wants to be our all in truth. What's more, He has already laid it out before each of us and He awaits; He waits for us to come and take it or as my dad would say, "come and get it". YHWH gave us free will so it is always our choice; but, He prepared everything for us that we need if we so choose to accept it. It is there... all we need is there for us; to take in faith and with focus on Him.

Phi 4:4 Rejoice in יהוה always, again I say, rejoice!
Phi 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Master is near.
Phi 4:6 Do not worry at all, but in every matter, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim (YHWH).
Phi 4:7 And the peace of Elohim (YHWH), which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Messiah יהושע.
Phi 4:8 For the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is righteous, whatever is clean, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any uprightness and if there is any praise – think on these.
Phi 4:9 And what you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, practise these, and the Elohim of peace (YHWH's peace) shall be with you.

Thoughts on YHWH

(YHWH blesses)


I was pondering upon YHWH and ran across this picture again......many thoughts began to run through my mind. Fire and water do not mix, the heat of the fire can evaporate the water drop and water can drown out fire. Flesh (ego) and Spirit do not mix for one focuses and does out of one mindset and not the other.....and yet..... we are both; YHWH made us a physical body with Spirit inside (a very part of Himself). Now we choose daily, even moment by moment which we operate out of - our flesh/ego or through the Ruach (the Spirit).

The picture above also shows and reminds me of a most beautiful truth concerning YHWH. Though I am a small part of all of His creation, like the drop above, He can and will shine through me HIS light, power, love, and all that He is if I but let Him. His truth can burn through me, a warmth of righteousness to His glory in all I do if I but follow after Yahushua. How freeing a thought this truth is to me; how encouraging, uplifting and a challenge to me to become all that He created me to be as His vessel.

My body of flesh is a container for my Spirit; my Abba YHWH made the body and gave me a piece of Himself with my own individual-ness and will to choose to be His vessel or my own. How sweet it is and how pleasing to Him when I choose to be HIS vessel, that which I was created to be. HalleluYah!!

Psa 138:1 I give You thanks with all my heart; Before the mighty ones I sing praises to You.
Psa 138:2 I bow myself toward Your set-apart Hĕkal, And give thanks to Your Name For Your kindness and for Your truth; For You have made great Your Word, Your Name, above all.
Psa 138:3 On the day I called You did answer me, You made me bold with strength in my being.
Psa 138:4 Let all the sovereigns of the earth Give thanks to You, O יהוה, When they shall hear the words of Your mouth.
Psa 138:5 And let them sing of the ways of יהוה, For great is the esteem of יהוה.
Psa 138:6 Though יהוה is exalted, He looks on the humble; But the proud He perceives from a distance.
Psa 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of distress, You revive me; You stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand saves me.
Psa 138:8 יהוה does perfect for me. O יהוה, Your kindness is everlasting. Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Looking At A Bird's Life

(YHWH blesses)

One of the birds we have is Darby, a female cockatiel. Some years back, we obtained her through our daughter-in-law working in a pet store at the time, who brought her to us one day saying a family member of an old woman who died needed to quickly find a home for Darby. Darby is the smallest breed of bird we have, but she never notices it and has fit in perfectly in our lives and home.

When Darby arrived, she had been used to being the only bird in the house and she was used to always being in the cage. While we give each bird their own cage, we keep them open in the day time and they like to sit on top of their cages and play.

It didn't take Darby long to join the others in wanting to play on top of her cage. Another of our birds, Alex (a female Alexandrian Ring Neck) decided to visit (and most likely check out) Darby and they have been friends ever since. Darby also, on her own accord, began wanting to sit on our shoulders and fingers and will fly to me to sit with me whenever she is in the mood (especially when I have bread lol). And when our younger son took in an abandoned kitten, Darby visited him (much to our nervousness) and they too became friends. Darby adjusted to the "freer" life style and the taking in of the different types of family members we have (people, other birds and a cat).

This week, I noticed Darby sitting in farthest, bottom most part of her cage in the day. My husband went to talk to her to see what the matter was and Darby hissed at him which she had never done before. When I went to her, I stood back just a little from the cage and talked to her. She came to me softly chattering and then I saw two white eggs she had been sitting on.

We were both elated and sorrowful at the news. It was wonderful that Darby is so comfortable and natural with us that she would after these years produce eggs and yet, we knew too without a mate, the eggs will never come to fruition. Still, she sits on them, turns them and protects them.

I thought much on this and wondered about the many times YHWH looks upon me, seeing me do my best naturally as I think is best to do and yet knows that what I am doing will not come to fruition for whatever reason He knows of that I do not. I thought about how there are things that come into my life that I do not understand but like Darby trusts us with everything, I too trust YHWH for all in my life; even that I do not understand to the extent He does. I thought about how maybe there are times when I think He is correcting/chastising or just taking things from me when maybe, just maybe, He is leading me away from that which is not fruitful and into that which is fruitful for me in my life.

I thank YHWH for the wonderful creations He has made and I thank Him for each bird we have. They truly are special individually and I know He sees each of them and us the same way. He understands every situation in our individual lives and nothing about us is too trivial for Him to minister to us about.

YHWH bless you. YHWH bless too the time of Tabernacles for those who observe it. His Holy Days are times to come to learn and understand HIS ways and times.....times to come to know Him in a deeper more personal way individually. And His Holy Days, His Sabbaths, and each day He created as well, is an opportunity to praise Him, glorify Him and to know Him as much as we desire and seek to do so. HalleluYah for that!

Shabbat Shalom

(YHWH Blesses)

Anyone can take any day or time and turn it into something special between them and those they love in their own special way. That is what YHWH does with Sabbaths. They are days our precious Father takes and carefully crafted for His children; they are times when He calls us closer to Him in different ways (as each of His Holy Days/appointed times are individual with purpose) and they are all times we are called to set aside (no work, etc) to be able to receive and shine HIS Light. Now we can receive and shine His light each and everyday but we as people of flesh/ego are so easily distracted that such setapart times make sure (and teach us as well) that we have opportunity to come closer to our Abba; to come closer to Him is to come to begin to really truly know Him and that is the purpose of everything here on this earth I believe. We first love Him from afar because His light (for YHWH is a being of Spirit) is so bright, warm and welcoming and we find Him loving, merciful and full of peace. So often we have the tendancy to stop there at the foothills of knowing Him when He has so much more to offer and give. Selah.