Daybook: Monday, November 3, 2014

Outside my window... At 8:30 p.m., it is 73 degrees outside.  My electric bill dropped $50 from last month to this one.  I am SUPER happy.  

I am thinking... Last week I posted the wonderful video that discussed the history of women's head covering's in worship.  In a ladies' midrash this week, the subject of learning what to re-embrace and what to disregard from our past came up.  In light of the fact that hats were a part of my grandmothers' era of worship, the history buff in me found this article fascinating.  Crowns: A Brief History of Church Hats.  When you look at the rules and guidelines for wearing hats in this article, it is unimaginable to see how it went from something modest (don't allow the brim to go past your shoulders, don't allow it to be darker than your shoes, etc.) to this:  

I have (in jest) told Friend Hubby that he should be prepared for me to come to service with a Nigerian gele wrapped on my head.  He's not buying it.  ;-)

Or maybe a signature sunflower hat?  

I am thankful... This could have been a very painful week for me, but Abba was gracious and spared the life of a relative that I love so much.  Thankful just doesn't cut it.  I am also thankful for our little congregation that meets at our home on Shabbat.  Proverbs 27:17 says, "Just as iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend."  Much ministry takes place sitting around the table at lunch.  We can be real with one another and correct one another in love.  To me, that is what our spiritual family should be like.  I can even acknowledge that while I agree with their assessment of my character, I need prayer to change it.  This past Shabbat, I was telling what I believed was a funny story, but within a half an hour, my spiritual family had uncovered the anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness behind my laughter.  To truly correct someone spiritually, you really have to love them, otherwise you are just criticizing them according to your personal standard and not according to the Word.  

I am wearing... Capris and a top with itchy sequins.  Not my favorite.  

I am creating... I have not done any knitting in about a week.  I hope to get some done tonight.  Later this week, Princess Butterfly and I are going to a local knitting club.  

I am wondering... How well what I am about to say will be received.  As I stated earlier, in order to offer true correction, you need to have some love in your heart for the person.  Otherwise, you should just keep your mouth shut because you will do only harm and no good.  With that, I pray that my brothers and sisters in the faith will carefully read and understand my perspective on why believing brothers and sisters should not celebrate Halloween in any form.  I acknowledge, that my life is not perfect.  I have not arrived, but this is something that I have put thought into over several decades.  Our children never celebrated Halloween and only went to two church substitute parties growing up.  I acknowledge that once something has begun, it is difficult to t'shuva, or turn and repent from it, but I hope you will consider the following before Halloween rolls around again next year.   

First of all, Genesis 1:3-4 reads:  "And Elohim said, “Let light come to be,” and light came to be. And Elohim saw the light, that it was good. And Elohim separated the light from the darkness."  What is light?  In Hebrew, the word light is owr.  It means to become illuminated, lighted up.  The word separated or divided in Hebrew, is the word the word badal.  Synonyms are to separate, divide, difference, asunder, severed.  He shows us from the very beginning of creation that light and darkness and different, they are divided, and that they cannot mix.  Consider other verses throughout the Bible that contrast light with darkness.  

"And Moses stretcheth out his hand towards the heavens, and there is darkness--thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they have not seen one another, and none hath risen from his place three days; and to all the sons of Israel there hath been light in their dwellings.'"  Exodus 10:22-23.  There was a contrast between the darkness in Egypt and the light in Israel.  Again, He is showing us the separation between light and darkness.  

"The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.  So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night."  Exodus 14:19-20.  The same cloud that was light to one group of people was darkness to another group of people.  In other words, the two groups of people don't perceive things the same way.  

John 8:12, "Yeshua spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light which gives life.” Light and darkness cannot co-exist.  It is not possible.  You can go into the darkest room and one candle will dispel the darkness around it.  For my fellow believers, just because you smile and say thank you as you accept your Halloween candy does not mean you have shined your light and dispelled the darkness.  Just because you hand out candy with a smile does not mean you have dispelled the darkness.  

John 1:4-5, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  

John 3:19-20, “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked.  For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed."   But you might say, "I'm not doing anything evil or wicked.  We live in the age of Google.  Knowledge is abounding.  It really doesn't take much time to look up the origins of this day to know that this festival was founded on darkness and not on light.  If you don't see the darkness in it, is it because you really don't want to?  Here is just one of many pages that discusses The Roman Origins of Halloween.  THE ROMANS.  You remember them?  The people who hammered the nails in the Messiah's hands and feet.  Oh, did you think He was crucified so that you could freely participate in their festivities?  

I John 1:5-7, "And this is the message which we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him — none!  If we claim to have fellowship with him while we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and not living out the truth.  But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of his Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin."  

But we have decided to "Christianize" it:  Who can bring what is pure from something impure?
No one!" Job 14:4  People can be redeemed.  Festivals cannot.  In the church, they used to say, "What's begun in the flesh has to be maintained in the flesh.  What's begun in the Spirit must be maintained in the Spirit."  

But my pastor/Kirk Cameron/Dr. Dobson said it was okay to celebrate it:  “Her priests have done violence to My teaching  and they profane My set-apart matters. They have not distinguished between the set-apart and profane, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst."  Ezekiel 22:26  

The fact that the majority of Protestants still follow the edict of the Catholic Church to purposely change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, thus causing all believers in both Catholic and Protestant churches to break the 4th commandment (Ezekiel 20:20) is a topic for another day.  However, despite that, I know that there are still sincere, yet unlearned believers still in these churches who are beginning to awaken to the truth that the faith that we are practicing today in America is not the faith that the early believers practiced.  But if your pastor is not consistently teaching you to be doers of the Word and not hearers only (please note that when James wrote this in his epistle, the Word was Genesis through Malachi), if he is not teaching you that there is a difference between light and darkness and that the darkness in America right now is trying to snuff out the light and the differences that YHVH put into place at creation (feminine vs. masculine, seed bearing reproducing fruit and vegetables vs. Monsanto, clean vs. unclean - [Noah], Feast Days of Leviticus 23 vs. Sunday worship, Halloween, Christmas, and Easter [all pagan originated holidays]) ,then I suggest you find a new place of worship.  There has been a war going on between light and darkness since the first day of creation.  There is no gray area.  

Homeschooling today is pretty mainstream, but it took some brave people who were willing to break away from the status quo and do something different from everyone else.  Years later, the others began getting the revelation once they saw the fruit.  This is what is going on in the area of faith as well.  There are many who are willing to break with tradition, even if it means they are unpopular and thought of as weird because they want to actually live a biblically based lifestyle as opposed to a cultural Christian lifestyle.  It is not easy and sometimes it is not fun.  Yeshua said, “Elohim is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.”  Truth involves being able to look objectively at the things I've always done and ask do I really want to know the truth?  

I am reading... I finished China Dolls.  I didn't like it at all and I'm sad that I waited so long to be so disappointed.  I feel as if she is now writing to appease a more commercial audience.  It really makes me sad.  Snowflower and the Secret Fan will always be my favorite book by her, followed very closely by Dreams of Joy and her Red Princess Trilogy, but China Dolls was even more disappointing than Shanghai Girls or Peony in Love.  I am now back to reading The Impeachment of Lincoln. 

I am hoping... To get a good conversation going with some sisters over the weekly Torah portions.  Women have a different perspective on things and my mind needs more spiritual stimulation during the week.  

I am looking forward to... Getting back on schedule tomorrow.  I have overslept for the past couple of days.  

I am learning... Some techniques that I use for my IC position help me in my employed position.  I want to become a high producing medical transcriptionist.  I want to learn even more how to get more done in less time.  

One of my favorite things... Spending time with a friend, Sister Do Bee (I have internet names for my children, why not my friends) on Sunday afternoon doing "woman things" like cooking and laundry.  Nice change of pace.  

A few plans for the rest of the week:      I am already behind on Bible study this week.  I'm going to have to haul it so we don't fall behind.  

From the learning rooms... 

Junior:    

English:   SOOOOO proud of how he is doing with his English papers.  I am praying for the one he has coming up.    

Foreign language:  I am anxious to see what Yehovah is going to do with his learning the Japanese language.   

Freshman:  

Science:   We had a "come to Jesus" moment.  Things are much better now.  

  

Pondering these words...  Something Sister Do Bee said to me about this week's Torah portion, "When morning came, the angels told Lot to hurry.  “Get up,” they said, “and take your wife and your two daughters who are here; otherwise you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”  But he dallied, so the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand and the hands of his two daughters — Adonai was being merciful to him — and led them, leaving them outside the city."  Genesis 19:15-16.  What area in my life have I received instruction from Yehovah about that I am hesitating and dragging my feet about.  (ouch!)    

From the kitchen...  Blueberry Cream Muffins are sitting in a bag in my refrigerator and another dozen is in the freezer.  Sometimes you just need something that's grab and go.

Around the house...  I made some progress on my family room.  I have two 15-minute sessions to go before I move on to the next room.    

Honor where honor is due:  http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/