Prison Weekly Sept 3rd 2005

Re'eh For the week of September 3, 2005 / 29 Av 5765 Torah: Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17 Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11 - 55:5; 1 Samuel 20:18 & 42 Progress "You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you." (Devarim / Deuteronomy 12:8,9) The story of the nation of Israel in the Torah is a story of progress. Abram (later named Abraham), is called from family and the familiar to follow God to a new life. Childless, yet God promises him that he would become a great nation. Through the intervention of God, he and his wife Sarah eventually in their old age had a child, named Isaac, and later a grandson, Jacob, who himself had twelve sons - progress indeed. The nation of Israel later begins to take form under oppression and hardship as slaves in Egypt until the day God sends Moses to demand their freedom. It took the dramatic and devastating power of God to effect the release of what had become a people numbering two million. More progress. They then began a journey of return back to the land God promised their ancestor Abraham centuries before. They would learn many lessons, making further progress - albeit slowly - before they were ready to enter the Promised Land. There is a view of life shared by many that believes in what has been termed "progress." I am not myself a philosopher or a historian, but it seems to me that with the rise of the industrial revolution of the eighteenth century, the motto of Western Society has been "Newer is better." Development and discovery are almost always viewed as progress; and progress is always good. I would agree that progress itself is a good thing. But how does one determine when progress has been achieved? Breakthroughs in science and technology are automatically embraced by many as progress. Those who show concern over certain forms of experimentation are viewed as standing in the way of progress. Whether or not something is truly progress is actually dependant upon one's moral framework. For example some people have a complete aversion to weaponry. They view guns and other weapons as intrinsically evil. Would a person like that view the development of lighter, cheaper, and more effective (or destructive) forms of weapons as progress? I don't think so. Another person who regards weaponry as a necessary (though perhaps tragic) reality of life, might welcome such developments and believe that progress has been made. Progress is not simply embracing our discoveries of new things, but in knowing how to respond to those discoveries. As Israel progressed in their national and spiritual development, it meant greater responsibility. For example, before Israel entered the Promised Land, there seemed to be a certain freedom with regard to how they worshipped. But that would change once they entered the Land. Their progress meant greater restriction. But this kind of restriction was not a bad thing. Their progress was from being slaves of Pharaoh to being servants of God. They were progressing from preparation to acquisition. This was a nation embracing their true identity and inheritance, while learning to live accordingly. Their new restrictions were the result of true progress. In our day there is a tendency to equate discovery and innovation with opportunity. Our lack of spiritual and moral foundations gives us no standards or guidelines by which to respond to the things before us. And so, in the name of progress, we exploit our opportunities rather than assuming our God-given responsibilities. Our belief that newer is better is used to justify the embracing of any and all results of not only scientific and technological discoveries, but of moral experimentation as well. What we think is progress may actually be regression. In order to experience true progress, we need to allow God's truth and wisdom to speak into the so-called advancements of our day. As we re-establish godly foundations, we will discover the true path of progress. TorahBytes Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) Family Parsha Re'eh 5765 What make a person respectable? Back in biblical times there was hardly anyone with less status than an indentured servant - someone who had to work without pay as a virtual slave to pay off his debts. Yet the Torah this week teaches us that the wealthy person who had such servants was required to treat them just as well as he treated himself. He had to give them the same high-quality food, drink, accommodations etc. If he ate caviar - they ate caviar! This is a lesson for all times that every human being, regardless of his position or 'status,' deserves respect. No one should be looked down upon. In our story, a kid gets a powerful lesson in what makes someone respectable. "FOOT-IN-MOUTH SOUP" "Maybe you ought to tie this chicken down onto the plate, because it's so undercooked I'm afraid it's going to jump up and run away!" said Dana with a sneer as she took her portion from the lady on the Camp Chautagua lunch line. Dana figured her parents paid good money to send her to this camp, so why not let the 'hired help' like the cook and the janitor have a piece of her mind when she felt they were slacking off. The middle-aged woman who cooked and served the food held her tongue as the Dana stormed off. Unfortunately, she had gotten used to the girl's daily disrespectful comments. Dana had just gotten up from eating, leaving her tray for the janitor to take care of it, when she saw a friendly looking kid wearing a cool T-shirt and decided to strike up a conversation. "So what bunk are you in?" she asked. "Well," the kid, named Judy explained, "I don't actually live in any bunk. My parents are, um, part of the camp staff, so we all live in a bungalow on the camp's grounds." "Wow, that's really neat." Dana said. "So, you kind of have the best of both worlds, being at camp and being home at the same time." "Yeah, I guess so" said Judy with a smile. The two became fast friends and one day Judy got an idea. "Hey Dana, how would you like to join me and my family for dinner tonight at our bungalow?" she asked brightly. "Wow, thanks, I'd love to," Dana replied. "It'll be great to eat a normal home-cooked meal for a change instead of the garbage the camp tries to pass off for food!" Judy's face suddenly darkened. "Um, on second thought, maybe it might not be so good for you to come. I mean we eat much later than the campers do, not 'til 7:30, and I don't want you to have to..." "No way!" assured Dana. "It's worth waiting all night to eat something decent for a change. No matter how many times I tell the cook what I think of the food, she just doesn't seem to get it." Dana noticed that Judy's face looked really red; maybe she hadn't put on enough sunscreen at the pool. "Really Dana, come to think of it, maybe you won't be so ... um ... comfortable with my family..." "Don't worry," Dana waved her off. "It'll be just fine. See you tonight at 7:30. I've gotta run now to horseback riding, bye!" before Judy could answer, the girl was gone. That evening Dana put on her most 'formal' clothes and even bought a nice box of chocolates at the camp's canteen to bring along. On the way there she realized Judy had never actually told her what her parents' positions were at the camp. Perhaps they were the camp directors, or maybe even the owners. That would be neat. She found the address of bungalow Judy had told her. It was pretty small, but after all, it was only a summer place. Putting on her best smile, she rang the doorbell. Judy answered. Maybe that sunburn was worse than she thought because her friend was still beet-red. "Hey Judy! I made it. And here are some chocolates for your parents." She walked toward the couple standing back in the room. "Thank you so much. It was really so nice of you to ... uh ... uh..." Dana stopped in mid-sentence. It was the cook and the janitor! What were they doing here? Then it hit her like a ton of bricks and Dana turned red enough to make Judy look pale. They weren't just the cook and janitor, they were Judy's parents! After another awkward moment they all sat down to eat. Dana couldn't tell if the food was good or not because she was too embarrassed to taste anything except her own foot she had put in her mouth. Judy's mom and dad were actually very nice to her and Dana felt so bad about how she had treated them with so little respect. Well, after what felt like hours, the meal finally ended and Dana went back to her bunk. She and Judy were never quite as close again. Dana felt bad that her big mouth had lost her a friend, but was grateful she had learned a big lesson about how important it is to give everyone respect. Aish.com Katrina's message The Sourse is withheld by me Pastor Dan But I agree so vey much with this! I am looking for someone to speak with me about this tomorrow night on radio! 7 PM Central! Rebbe Nachman of Breslev teaches that we must constantly search for the Divine message in all the events of our lives, since Hashem also speaks to us by way of our environment. Katrina hit the coast of America just as the bulldozers were completing the destruction of Gush Katif. The Talmud teaches that Hashem administers the world according to the "ATFAT" principle, in other words, "a turn for a turn" (for an elaboration of the ATFAT principle, see Chapter Six of The Trail to Tranquility). And theirs is a link between the forced expulsion of 8500 people from their blood, sweat, and tear-soaked homes in Israeli Gaza and between the nearly 850,000 people who are forced to flee from their homes in Louisiana. (remember the 100 fold return principle in B�reishit 26). Sharon, at the prodding of the American government, has destroyed hallowed centers of prayer, Torah learning, and settlement in the Land of Israel. Hashem isn't wasting much time in showing His wrath. In fact, Katrina has chosen Ms. Rice's home state as a target; I humbly believe that the unfortunate people of Louisiana can blame Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice for their misfortune. This is a classic ATFAT situation: He who creates exiles in the Holy Land, will have a hundred-fold exiles in his own land. A bizarre turn of events - for weeks, the media was savoring over the confrontations between Jewish settlers and Jewish soldiers; now, similar pictures are pouring over the wire services from New Orleans. There is a photo, courtesy of Reuters, showing a National Guardsman holding back people seeking refuge in the Louisiana Superdome, Sunday afternoon. A coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences. Katrina, written in Hebrew, has a numerical equivalent of 374. Two relevant passages in Torah share the exact numerical equivalent of 374 also: "They have done you evil" (see Gen. 50:17), and "The sea upon land" (see Exodus 14:15). The former passage may be an indication as to the spiritual cause of Katrina, while the latter passagedescribes the physical manifestation. Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice, you must to repent, to ask Hashem's forgiveness for destroying a flourishing part of Israel, a place where 8500 people responded to the call of Hashem to "occupy the Land". Cancel all your demands for further territorial concessions in Israel. If by your initiative more Jews are rendered homeless, G-d forbid, I shudder to think of what could happen. Please take Katrina very seriously, for she is a no-nonsense messenger from The Almighty GOD. The Mission Update:Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, I was just watching the local news and my heart was mixed with saddness and joy. To see the people in Wichita come forward to help the homeless victims of the hurricane. While I listened to the news there were stories of everysort. Looting was out of control and I just heard street gangs armed with guns romaed the street to rob people of their last belongings. Not enough police or guradsmen to control this, it is total chaos. But saints their is a time coming when this picture will be most of our great nation. Unless of course we chnage the path we are on and repent. We must stop enforcing the Jews to be pulled from their land. The only thing itwill gain is another terrorist state and right inside of Israel. Wake up America this is notwhat God intened for our nation. Back to Wichita. While I watch the things go to help these homeless I just wonder what God thinks about it all. If the People of Wichita made this kind of effort for the homeless there....well you can see where i am coming from. A few months down the road Homeless from the storm will start getting out into the USA and lets see how they are treated when they show in towns like Wichita. I pray the Lord would change their hearts as I see people in pain and agony every day I'm in town. So I pray Lord for give them...... Saints we really need your help this month, right now. Rent is coming due in Wichita tomorrow and yes I will pay all but $65 of the rent out of my disability check ( social security ) But we have no other funds. the food is doing okay but I need a miracle to get the Bills paid and just to have gas. Will you please not forget this ministry and the poor we help. We must raise some funds will you please help? The LORD bless thee and keep thee;The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee shalom. (peace)Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch Deuteronomy 15:7 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: Friday Kathy made ten dozen egg-n-cheese sandwiches we served with dozens of donuts coffee, ice tea an ice water, For dinner I made home made soft tacos there were no seconds or go plates we fed 50 plates with two each. I made one man who came late two egg sandwiches and gave him one of my tacos while he waited for me to make them.The bills are still not paid and the internet has come in at 49.95. The newsletter is due to go out Friday but there is only 100 in for that, 200 more is needed. The rent is also due Thursday it is 440 so we still need 65 for rent. Gas is 2.59 a gal and with Hurricane Katrina it could go to 3.00 by Friday. We need personal hygene items, sleeping bags, blankets, mens clothing, and postage for the prison weekly. The food account is down to 300 now I have stocked the freezer with ground round and ground chuck enough for eight meals.Tomorrow I am making bean soup with roast beef and granma is making us her special cornbread.Please pray about weather your to support these works and be lead by Yahweh. Thank you all who do support these works we are so Thankful we have been choosen vessels to do them. Make sure you tune into Messiah's Branch Thursday nights on American Voice Radio. I will write more on the Mission next update have a very Blessed Week Shalom Last Weeks Answer:1 Kings 1:38-2:4 38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. 41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. 43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule: 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. 49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. 50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house. 1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. Find This Passage:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch THE Truth will set you FREE Mark 9:23,10:27

My 43rd birthday is this Sabbath,Daniel II turns 16 on the 10th and Granma turns 70 on the 15th.

 

Prison Weekly August 27, 2005

Ekev For the week of August 27, 2005 / 22 Av 5765 Torah: Devarim / Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25 Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 - 51:3 Higher Matters "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." (Devarim / Deuteronomy 8:3) As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses reviewed and reflected upon their experiences of being delivered from Egypt and their subsequent wilderness wanderings. Through those years it seems that God was at work to bring about a fundamental change in their life perspective. It seems that the people of Israel, like most of us, tended to be concerned about their survival. We view life as it relates to our own needs and wants. But that is not how God intended us to live. As his beloved creatures we were designed to depend on him - our Father in heaven - to care for us, while we were to be concerned about our God-given task of subduing the Earth. Because of our first parents' rebellion again God, we have been bent, so to speak, away from our Father and Creator, and bent toward ourselves. We have become our own caregivers. In fact we have become our own lords and masters instead of servants of the Great King. Israel's experience in the wilderness was partly the means through which God sought to restore them to our originally intended posture. Through God's ongoing miraculous provision, the people were called to understand that their life focus was not to be one of looking out for themselves. Rather, true living was to be discovered by being attentive to God's word. Yeshua the Messiah reiterated this so well, when he said, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:31- 33) This way of thinking is so radically different from what would be understood as normal. Both Moses and Yeshua are telling us that we are not alone in the universe. We have a Father who loves us and cares for our needs. In fact he cares for us in such practical ways that we don't need to be concerned about them ourselves. This doesn't mean that our physical needs are not important. It is just that we don't need to give our hearts to them. What we need to be concerned about are the higher matters of life. We should be concerned about God's kingdom: his rule in us and in the world around us; and his righteousness: the keeping of God's standards and living according to his ways. We were created by God to be his emissaries on Earth. He has put his heavenly resources at our disposal. Why then would we live solely for ourselves, our needs and desires, when God has promised to take care of us? Instead let us tune our ears to what he is saying, allowing ourselves to be drawn to higher matters, and live life accordingly. TorahBytes

Ekev (Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25) Family Parsha Ekev 5765 Despite what their kids might think, being a parent isn't easy. One of the hardest parts of the job for a parent (and certainly for the kids) is the occasional need to be strict and insisting that their children have rules and limits. This week's Torah portion compares God's disciplining the Jewish people to a loving parent disciplining his child. We can learn from here that just as God gives us limits and consequences out of love and as a way to help us grow, so too when our parents place rules and limits on our behavior, it's not because they don't love us, but rather because they do love us and want to help us become the best we can be. In our story a kid finds out that being a parent isn't quite as easy as it seems.

"NO LIMITS"Lauren Sherman glanced nervously over her shoulder at the clock on the wall as she quickly stuffed the half-rinsed dishes into the dishwasher. Her friends would come by any minute and her parents had given her permission to go with them to the water park - only after she did the dishes, that is. Lauren hated the way her parents always made rules about everything she wanted to do. She would always tell her mom, "When I'm a parent I'm only going to have one rule for my kids - and that rule is: 'NO RULES!'" Her mom would nod her head and say, "Honey, don't think it's so simple." In the end Lauren made it to the park on time and came home three hours later more water logged than the dishes she still had to put away. "Lauren, remember..." "Yeah, mom - to put the dishes away..." "Well, yes, that too," said her mother, "but what I was going to say is do you remember I had mentioned Dad and I might be going out of town for a few days?" "Yeah..." "So it looks like this is the week. We think you are old enough to stay home without a babysitter - that is if you don't mind being a substitute parent and taking care of Rich and Robby while we're away." The words 'substitute parent' had a nice ring in Laura's ears, and she quickly agreed. Finally she would have a chance to put her 'One rule - No Rules' policy into action. The next day, after wishing her parents a good trip, Lauren jumped into her new role with both feet, working hard to make them all a good nutritious lunch. "Okay guys, time to eat!" she called out. She thought the boys would come running, but when nobody showed up, she went to investigate and found them laughing in the playroom, elbow deep in cookies and tortilla chips. "Hey, what kind of lunch is that?" "A DELICIOUS one!" said Robby. "But I made you guys a whole big lunch. You know mom says you can't just eat junk, you have to..." "But you told us: NO RULES!" protested Rich, "And we want this for lunch." Lauren didn't know what to say. It was true she didn't want to make any rules, but... She walked back to the kitchen, ate by herself and put the rest away hoping they would want it for supper. But they didn't. In fact chips, cookies and soda seemed to be all they wanted for any meal. That night, Lauren tucked the boys in at their usual bedtime, and was about to settle in herself after a long day when she heard loud music coming from the den. She threw on her robe and flew downstairs. "Rob! Rich! I put you guys to bed an hour ago. What do you guys think you're doing? It's way past your bedtime!" "What bedtime?" asked Robby innocently. "You said 'no rules' and bedtime is a rule, isn't it?" True, but if you stay up so late, how will you get up for camp tomorrow?" "Tomorrow isn't for another eight hours!" Rich laughed as he turned away and made the music even louder. Lauren trudged back up to bed. At least she'd get a good night's sleep. But falling asleep with the music blaring wasn't so easy, and when she tried to get the boys to lower it, they claimed she was making a rule again. Tossing and turning, Lauren began to think. She always had looked at her parents' rules as unfair and restrictive, but this was different. If the kids didn't eat and sleep properly they would get sick, and if they never learned to be courteous of other peoples' right to sleep, they would become spoiled brats. She tossed some more and thought some more - it really was different, wasn't it? The next morning it was impossible to get either boy out of bed. When they would open their eyes for a second they would just groan about their stomach aches and roll over. Well at least they learned their lesson, thought Lauren. From now on I'm sure they'll want to eat real food and go to bed on time. No chance. When the boys finally got up at 11:00 a.m., they dove right back into the junk food, and that evening any mention of bedtime was met with hysterical laughter. As Lauren twisted and turned in her bed while being treated to a concert for a second straight night, she decided she had had enough. "Get into bed, NOW!" she shrieked as she clicked off the CD player, and pointed to the stairs. "But you said no rules, and..." "I don't care. Get into bed now, and not a peep! And you'd better be up at 7:30 sharp to eat the breakfast I make you and catch your camp bus tomorrow, or else!" The surprised kids scampered upstairs in record time. Lauren was relieved at the quiet and a little surprised by her outburst. She had been so sure she wasn't going to make any rules or limits, and now she had just given the kids orders like a Marine drill sergeant. But they obviously need limits, she thought. Could it be that I need some limits too? The next day Lauren's parents walked through the door just as she and her brothers finished the late lunch she insisted they eat after coming home from camp. The boys jumped up from the table and ran to give their parents big hugs. "Boy are we glad to see you!" said Rich. "Yeah, Lauren was okay, but she's way too strict." added Robby. "Lauren, it sounds like you got a good taste of what it's really like to be a parent," smiled Mrs. Sherman. Lauren blushed and said, "I guess even having no limits, has its limit." Aish.comMission Updates:Proverbs 30:13 ^{14There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, The bills are due I am sure mom will tell you in her weekly update. I do need donation's for gas etc. I really need some Large Print Bibles......I just ask you pray about supporting this ministry. The artcile will go out in American Voice Radio's Newsletter. Then in about 2 months we have something coming out in a prophecy newsletter. I will not say which one till I see what they do with it. Are Sabbath meetings are getting fuller all the time. But really saints they need your help! The LORD bless thee and keep thee;The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,and give thee shalom. (peace)Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch Leviticus 19:15 - Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Friday Kathy and I made seven dozen egg sandwiches and we served dozens of donuts with coffee, tea and ice water. What could go wrong did but we made it through the day. For dinner we had mac-n-cheese, beef hotdogs, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with Italian dressing (I picked from my little brothers garden) peaches and bread-n-butter. I made spaghetti an garlic toast for our Sabbath dinner and Sarina made browines. We had coffee and donuts at break and beginning this Friday we have desided to start eating with the people again so we can get service started at 7:30pm. I was able to stock the eggs and bread then I found some ground round for 1.89 a pound that I plan to go stock up on tomorrow. We recieved an on-line donation of 400 an a money order through snail mail for 300 for the food account which we really needed and made it possible for me to do this. The phone bill is now due 138 the gas came today 36.30 and the Mission electric is 118 something. The rest of the bills are paid for this month and we have recieved 100 toward the September newsletter. Please pray about supporting these works and just be lead by Yahweh to do His will. The prison weekly Torah lessons has grown to eighteen and I am in need of stamps. I mail these out every Wednesday and the prisoners look forward to reading them. I have one prisoner who sends me five or more stamps at a time so please pray about sending stamps. We love you all I will write more on the Mission next week: THE Truth will set you FREE Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch}

Last Weeks answer:Acts 23:12-24 12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. 16 And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. 19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? 20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. 21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. 22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. 23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; 24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor.

Find this Passage:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. 41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. 43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule: 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. 49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. 50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house. 1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

 THE Truth will set you FREE

    Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch   

Prison Weekly August 20th 2005

Va-ethannan For the week of August 20, 2005 / 15 Av 5765 Torah: Devarim / Deuteronomy 3:23 - 7:11 Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 Divine Encounters "You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other." (Devarim / Deuteronomy 4:35) The Bible includes many examples of God revealing himself to people. Many of these divine encounters are quite dramatic. Often these encounters result in changing the course of people's lives. Abraham leaves family and friends and is sent to an unknown land, Moses returns to the land from which he fled, Saul becomes king of Israel, Jeremiah becomes the solitary beacon of truth in a very dark time. We might have the impression that it is the encounters themselves that transform people. As a result many yearn for divine encounters. We might think that if only we had such experiences, we would never again struggle with doubts or with finding direction for our lives. We may think that a divine encounter would cause us to overcome bad habits or bad behavior. But if we look carefully at examples of divine encounters, we find no evidence of their automatically creating positive change in people. Moses' life was redirected by God at the burning bush, but the signs and wonders that God worked through him had little effect on Pharaoh's heart. Saul got off to a good start when he encountered God through the prophet Samuel, but it had no long term effect. His life ended in a state of rebellion against the God he once served. In the New Covenant writings, all sorts of people witnessed the miracles of the Messiah, but they made very little positive difference in the lives of most of them. As a nation, the people of Israel had also witnessed the power of God in many ways. Yet as we know, they struggled, they complained, they lacked faith, and rebelled against God who delivered them. Divine encounters themselves do not change people. Too many are waiting for God to do in their hearts and lives what he has decided we need to do ourselves. God doesn�t make people trust him. God doesn't force us to live spiritual and moral lives. As we encounter him, we need to respond in faith and with love. We need to come to the place of voluntary submission to his will. While through his Word and his Spirit he does give us the power to follow him, he doesn't do it for us. When Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, he was writing to people whose lives had already been substantially transformed by God through their faith in the Messiah. But understanding that we still face the challenge of resisting being conformed to the lifestyles of those among whom we live, Paul told them that they were to be transformed by the renewing of their minds (See Romans 12:2). Whatever divine encounter we have had, we need to continue to be in process. As we encounter God, we need to change our way of thinking, bringing our minds into line with God's truth. It is only as we cooperate with God in this process that we will see positive change occur in our lives. Conversely, failing to cooperate will result in a lack of godly transformation. Immersing ourselves in the Scriptures and all sorts of good spiritual activities will never by themselves effect change in our lives. It is we who need to do it. God will help us, but we are the ones who must do it. TorahBytes

V'etchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) Family Parsha V'etchanan 5765 Hardships and challenges may be a pain, but they are the necessary building blocks of growth. This week's Parsha refers to the slavery and hardships the Jewish people experienced in Egypt as an iron smelting furnace. Our sages explain that just as a smelting furnace heats up and removes the impurities from precious metals, so too the experience in Egypt purified our people for their mission of teaching Godly values to the world. The challenges we face in life are the lessons we need to make us great. In our story, a kid discovers how an uncomfortable challenge can become the springboard for success.

"THE CHALLENGER TAKES OFF"

The flashy colored poster in the school science resource room caught Andrew Jacobs' eye. Like everything, he had to read it twice before he could make out the words: JUNIOR AEROSPACE COMPETITION! First prize $500 cash and an internship with NASA! Now for a kid who was as fascinated with space travel as Andrew was, this sounded just about like the most exciting contest there could be. He was about to sign up when a pained thought crossed his mind. Who am I kidding? I have a learning disability. I can hardly read or write without the letters all jumbling around in my head. How can I possibly ever win a contest like this? Yes it was true that through lots of patient, hard work he had managed to make it in school, and even earn top grades, but school was one thing - this would mean having to go head to head with some of the smartest kids in the state. Why can't I just read quickly like everyone else? He was about to forget about the contest and walk on when he had another thought: Whenever I had to face what seemed like impossible odds, I never let that stop me. Why give up now? Feeling determined, Andrew signed up, carefully printing his name to make sure the letters came out right, and was on his way. The judges must have liked the essay he worked on so hard because he soon got a letter saying he had been selected as a finalist! They sent him a package with all sorts of chemicals and pieces, and an assignment to use them to build a working model rocket, by exactly following the instructions given. In three weeks there would be a 'fly-off' in the big park next to the State Capitol where the grand prize winner would be chosen. Day and night, every spare moment, Andrew holed himself up in his basement playroom turned rocket factory, carefully working through all the difficult mathematical formulas, and assembling the rocket according to instructions. It wasn't an easy project for anybody, but for him, who had to work so slowly to read everything right, it almost felt like torture. But Andrew persisted and was just about finished when he came to the last instruction that said, "Disassemble and recheck fuel tank to make sure you have put it together properly." That was a funny instruction. He had assembled it just like directions said. Why should he bother to take it apart and re-check it? Andrew was anxious to finish and almost decided to blow it off, when he thought, I'm used to re-checking the stuff I do anyway because of my difficulties in reading, so why be lazy and skip this step, especially since then instructions tell me to do it? It took him a while but he did it. Soon the big day of the 'fly-off' arrived. Andrew and his dad drove out to the Capitol together with his sleek 18 inch rocket which he had painted red, white, and blue, and named 'Andy's Challenger.' But when he got there and started chatting with some of the other finalists, Andrew's heart sank. It was obvious that these kids were super-geniuses. They threw around with ease technical terms that Andrew had never even heard of. What had he gotten into? "The fly-off will now commence!" came the announcement. "The contestant whose rocket flies the highest, as measured by our digital altitude scanner, will be declared the winner," the judge, a senior NASA aerospace engineer, said solemnly over the loudspeaker. Andrew, who had gone to the end of the line, watched as one by one, the kids fired their rockets. He had expected to see their rockets soar, but to his surprise, many of them didn't lift off at all, and those that did seemed to only sputter up a few yards and then fizzle down with a thud. All the kids seemed confused, but for some reason the judge didn't look surprised. Finally it was his turn. Andrew got ready. Boy, if these genius kids couldn't even do it right, what chance do I have? he thought as he held his breath, and hoped his rocket would at least get off the ground. He pushed the launch button, and WHOOSH!-Andrew's rocket went sailing hundreds of feet straight into the sky! "We have a winner!" announced the judge, smiling for the first time. He called Andrew onto the stage. As he presented him with his prize, he said into the microphone: "Congratulations, both on your ability and your integrity. We see you have done your work thoroughly, because the last step in the instructions had been a trick step. The fuel was designed by our engineers in such a way that only by building, taking apart, and building it again would the fuel properly burn." The other kids started to protest and groan. The judge continued. "We placed the trick step there, not to trip you up, but to test you. This was only a model rocket, but an aerospace engineer who may be designing real spacecraft upon which lives of astronauts and others will depend, must not only be talented, but patient and thorough and willing to put in the extra effort to go the extra mile. Our winner, Andrew Jacobs, obviously is a young man who has what it takes!" As Andrew took his prize, he thought about all those kids for whom it had been so easy that they breezed by the trick step, and how he probably would have too if his learning challenge hadn't forced him to learn how to be patient and thorough. It seemed like 'Andrew's Challenger' and his 'challenge' had both helped him to fly high. Aish.com

Mission Update: Isaiah 65:24 It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, We have a great need for large Print KJV Bibles. You see so many have poor eyes and cannot see smaller print Bibles. Besides the Bibles we get are leatherflex and last longer. They are red letter additions. They are a great Bible! Have have people waiting on these and we need more for service as we have more coming in for service and we use the Bibles during service as all things are proved by the Word. Mom's weeky update will tell you the other needs as I was real surprised that donations by mail have really not went back up yet. Of course school is about to start and that always costs. Some are still even doing vacations this month so pray about helping. Do I even need to say that we need donations for gas? Oh yes if you get duplicate emails let me know! We had some problems getting the clip from the baptisam online but it will get there. Radio has some real good programs lined up so pray about supporting radio if you are blessed by it! We are spreading truth..

The Gospel is being preached.......................................................................so may The LORD bless thee and keep thee; The LORD make His face bers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch

Deuteronomy 15:7 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: Shalom In Yeshua Our Messiah,Friday Kathy and I Made ten dozen egg-n-cheese sandwhiches served with dounts, coffee, milk, tea and ice water. We were packed once again, I made chicken rice smothered in cream of chicken gravy, greens mixed with sliced potatoes and bread-n-butterfor dinner. Sarina made Sabbath dinner to give me a break, she made roast, bake potatoes, baked sweet carrots an bread-n- butter. We had ninteen for service and Bootsie made a special cake for break in celebration of Stephiane'e eleventh birth day Sabbath. All the bills that were in have been paid I did find some chuck roast for 1.89 a pound so I bought enough to make the people bean stew with roast. There are still a few talking about how good it was last week so i figured I would make it for them a few more times. The little store in the next town have ground chuck on sale for 1.59 a pound so I plan to buy as much as i can with the funds left in the food account.I need postage for the prison weekly now up to eighteen on the list that I mail out every wednesday. Gas rose to 2.47 a gallon an higher so please pray about helping. Yahweh will lead you into what He wants you to do just pray about it is all we ask. Thanks all of you who help we are so Thankful that Yahweh has chosen us as His vessels to do His works.

last weeks answer: Mark 10:1-16 ^{1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. 2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. 13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.}

Find this Passage: 12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul. 15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him. 16 And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. 19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? 20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. 21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. 22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. 23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night; 24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor

THE Truth will set you FREE

Shalom I will write more on the Misson next update:sisterlinda Messiah's Branch

Prison Weekly August 13,2005

Devarim For the week of August 13, 2005 / 8 Av 5765 Torah: Devarim / Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22 Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27

"Biblical Contradictions "

Then all of you came to me and said, 'Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.' The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe." (Devarim / Deuteronomy 1:22,23) One of the reasons some people give for not respecting the Bible is that they think it is filled with contradictions. The existence of these contradictions, they reason, disqualifies any claim that the Scriptures could have been inspired by God. I don't find it helpful that there are those who, in their desire to defend the inspiration of the Scriptures, claim that it contains absolutely no contradictions at all. The fact is that there are many statements and descriptions throughout the Bible that seem contradictory. This week's reading contains such an example. The book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) begins with a recap of Israel's journey under Moses' leadership. When Moses refers to the incident of the spying out of the Promised Land, he says that the people suggested that he select 12 men to do so. According to Moses, he thought what they said was good, and he did what they suggested. But if we look at the account of this same incident in the book of Bemidbar (Numbers), we read nothing of the interaction between Moses and the people. In the other passage we are told that it was God who initiated this. "The LORD said to Moses, 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.' So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran." (Bemidbar / Numbers 13:1-3) It seems, therefore, that Moses was contradicting the earlier account of this story. Determining whether or not this is a contradiction, is based partly on what we understand a contradiction to be. According to the Encarta online dictionary, one of the definitions of "contradiction" is, "something that has aspects that are illogical or inconsistent with each other." According to Encarta, apparent inconsistencies constitutes a contradiction. Until these inconsistencies are worked out, the contradiction remains. In our example, there is no attempt whatsoever to clear up the contradiction. One passage asserts that God initiated the choosing of the 12 spies, while the other tells us that the people did. We don't have the time and space here to list other similar examples, but there are several. In some cases what look like contradictions are actually the giving of different details. In those cases the contradictions can be resolved by combining the accounts. Other examples like the one we are looking at here are more difficult to harmonize. It is not that an attempt to do so is not valid or helpful; it is just that we are not given sufficient information to do so confidently. This same lack of detail should also prevent us from concluding that we are really dealing with a contradiction. I prefer therefore to simply leave the different accounts as they are and not worry about the inconsistencies. For me these kinds of logical difficulties help prove the Bible's validity. Many of the Bible's critics claim that it is contrived. They assume that the consistency of its message could only be accomplished by a manipulation of the text. Yet these same critics also say that the inconsistencies are errors and thus undermine any claim of divine inspiration. So if there are any actual contradictions in all this, it is in the reasoning of the Bible's critics. The inconsistencies help prove that there was no attempt to manipulate the text. Some inconsistencies, as in our example, are very obvious. If anyone wanted to smooth out the difficulties they could have, but didn't. The respect of both the original authors and those who copied their writings was so great that even though they had every opportunity to change the text or add to it, they did everything in their power to preserve it. The inconsistencies found in the Bible reflect the inconsistencies we encounter in life. Sensitive people are often bothered by life's contradictions. How can goodness and evil coexist in the world the way it does as well as beauty and ugliness, pleasure and pain? Many philosophies have tried to work this out, but what we find in the Bible is an acceptance of the complexities of life along with an understanding of the presence of God through whom real meaning is found. We may be surprised that once we allow ourselves to truly face life's contradictions, it may be a whole lot easier to know God. TorahBytes

Torah Portion Devarim Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 5 Av, 5765 Haftorah: Isaiah 1:1-27 Most all of us have things that make us feel afraid. This week's Torah portion teaches us the secret of how to become fearless. As the Jewish People were coming to dwell in the Land of Israel they had to face some fearsome enemies along the way. It would be natural to feel afraid, yet the Torah gave them - and gives us - an amazing tool how to overcome fear: Realize that we are never alone; God is always right by our side to help and strengthen us in whatever situation we're in. When we know that God is near, our fear will disappear. In our story a couple of kids in a scary situation face the challenge of whether to fear or not to fear.

"WEATHERING THE STORM"

It was amazing how fast the sky went dark. One moment Becky and Marla were sitting and enjoying a yummy picnic lunch under blue skies at the campgrounds where they and their family were staying - and the next they were running like crazy to make it back to their cabin just seconds before the gray sky burst into a huge storm. "Wow, we just beat that storm, huh?!" said Becky with a huge smile. But Marla wasn't smiling. "I'm scared Becky. Why did Mom and Dad have to pick today of all days to leave us alone and go into town?" BOOM! Suddenly a huge crash of thunder rocked the cabin. Marla dove under her blanket as Becky went to the window to check it out. "Pretty awesome thunder, huh?" said Becky, turning back around. "Hey, where'd you go?" She discovered her sister wrapped up like a mummy and shivering on her cot. "Hey, are you okay?" Becky asked. "Okay?" stammered Marla as she peeked out from the edge of her quilt. "How can anyone be okay when the sky is exploding?" Becky was about to try and calm her sister down, when BOOOM!! - another clap of thunder cracked even louder than the first, this time causing a power blackout that left the kids totally in the dark. The only light came in from the flashes of lightning which cut like knives through the nearly black skies. Now Marla really started losing it. She was crying and holding onto her blanket like a life jacket on a sinking ship. "Come on Marla, it's okay. It's really going to be okay," Becky tried to assure her. The girl peered out at her sister between her tears. She just didn't understand how Becky was managing to stay so calm. "It's NOT going to be okay! I'm so scared!!" she sobbed. "And what's with you anyway? Why are you so brave and calm all of the sudden, when here we are stuck in this puny cabin in the middle of nowhere, in the dark and ALL ALONE?!" Becky bent down, took Marla's hand and looked her in the eye. "Because we're not all alone," she said softly. The shaking girl gave her sister a puzzled look. "Wha-what do you mean?" "Marla, I admit this is a pretty intense storm, and if we were all alone I would definitely be scared. But we have to remember, wherever we are, whatever's happening, we're not alone. God is right here with us. And not only that, He's taking good care of us." Another thunder cracked, yet between her sister's word, and gentle strokes on her hand, Marla felt a bit less terrified. "Remember when I used to be scared of my own shadow?" Becky asked. "Well once I started to remind myself that God is always with me, and to really feel that He's here, those fears just kind of began to fade away." Marla slipped the quilt down off her head and sat up on the cot. Was the storm starting to let up, or was it just her imagination? "You mean to say that even when we're alone, we're not really alone." "Exactly." "So then we really never have to be scared if we don't want to, do we?" "No, we don't." Marla took a deep breath and slowly stood up. She could hardly believe it herself, but what Becky said somehow felt right, and she really didn't feel so alone anymore, or so scared. "And since God is always here," Becky went on, "you can talk to Him and ask for help." "How?" "Easy, like this: 'God, we're a little scared here in this storm, especially in the dark. We know You're with us and protecting us, but could You also please turn the lights back on?'" "Becky, do you think that's really gonna help? I mean maybe we should light some candles or try to..." Just then the lights in the cabin flickered and went back on. The thunder was now only a dim rumble in the distance, and when the girls looked out the window they saw patches of sunlight breaking between the clouds. "Looks like God decided to turn on the lights, and also move the storm away, huh?" said Becky cheerfully without a trace of surprise. "Yeah," smiled Marla, shaking her head. "And I think from now on, thanks to what you said today, things are going to be a lot brighter for me, whatever the weather." Aish.com

Mission Update: Zephaniah 3:12 - I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD. Shalom in Yeshua our Messiah, Friday Kathy made nine dozen egg an cheese sandwiches that we served with dozens of donuts, coffee,tea and ice water. I made some awesome bean soup with roast beef and we served it for dinner with granma's special cornbread and cucumbers-n-Italian dressing. Boosties an Stephanie made a yellow cake with white frosting covered with walnuts for Dwight whose birthday is the 8th that we served on the side with dinner. For Sabbath meal I made burritos and for break we had fresh donuts and coffee. The food account is down to 150 and I haven't been able to catch any meat sells as of yet. The water bill 20.19 and the storage electric 38 something also the internet bill is in it's 49.95. I was able to mail the over seas newsletters and we paid another four weeks radio. Pray about whether your suppose to support these works and be lead by our Father. We inquired about medicine that cures cancer, for granma, whether she could take it with chemo or not and he said yes but she will need type one and two. Together both medicines is suppose to cure her bone cancer and her diabetes and the chemo will not affect the way the medicine works she just has to take both at the same time daily for eighty days. Type one is 245 and type two medicine is 375 for the eighty day supply she will need a total of 620 so please pray with us that funds will be supplied for us to get her these medicines. Thank you all who support these works I will write more on the mission next update: Have a blessed week THE Truth will set you FREE Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch

Last Weeks Answer: 2 Samuel 7:18-29 ^{18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. 21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. 22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. 27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.}

Find This Passage:1 And he arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of Judaea by the farther side of Jordan: and the people resort unto him again; and, as he was wont, he taught them again. 2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. 3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? 4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. 5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. 11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. 12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. 13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

The TRUTH will SET YOU FREE
Shalom sisterlinda, family & Messiah's Branch Mark9:23, 10:27

Prison Weekly August 6th,2005

Masei For the week of August 6, 2005 / 1 Av 5765 Torah: Bemidbar / Numbers 33:1 - 36:13; 28:9-15 Haftarah: Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:4; Isaiah 66:1,24 Judgment Is Coming "The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had brought judgment on their gods." (Bemidbar / Numbers 33:3,4) The stages of Israel's journey are retold at this point in the Torah because God commanded Moses to do so. A recurring theme throughout the Bible is remembrance. Knowing how easily we forget the past, we must continually and purposefully remember our history and the lessons learned. When we don't, we lose perspective and risk repeating past mistakes. As the people of Israel faced their challenges during the wilderness years, there were times when some wanted to return to Egypt. They had forgotten how terrible their lives had been there. In their minds their current problems (lack of food and water, the threat of attack, a general sense of not knowing what would happen to them), seemed far worse than their years of slavery under Pharaoh's harsh rule. They had forgotten how truly bad it had been. There was something even greater that they were in danger of forgetting, which is the very thing God was reminding them of at this particular time. God's rescuing of his people from Egypt was not just about his concern for them (though that played a major part), he was also executing judgment on Egypt's gods. The peoples of both Israel and Egypt witnessed the power of God as he demonstrated his assessment of Egypt's spirituality. God does not unleash his judgment on an ongoing basis. He takes no delight in punishing his precious human creatures. Because of his mercy, he is very patient with us, giving us as much time as possible to turn from our wickedness. While we cannot predict when God's patience will reach its limit, he doesn't wait for us forever. Eventually God does act in judgment, punishing individuals, communities, and nations for our stubborn insistence of neglecting him and his ways. It was essential for Israel to remember God's judgment of Egypt. They needed to understand that no matter how difficult their circumstances were or would become, there is more to life than whatever is happening at a given time. In our own day, we need to remember this as well. We live in frightening and confusing times. Terrorism, new diseases, social and genetic experiments all threaten the basic building blocks of our existence. Where will all this take us? The impression I have is that most people ignore what's going on in the world. They ignore it by drowning themselves in whatever diversion they can find, be it their work, their families, or every type of pleasure. The fact remains that God is still God. Even though it often appears that he is not involved in our affairs, he is assessing us. We and the societies in which we live, will be judged. Unless we turn to him, accepting his offer of love and salvation though the Messiah, we will be no different from the Egyptians of old. The choice is ours. TorahBytes

Masay (Numbers 33-36) Family Parsha Masay This Shabbat begins the Jewish month of Av, and a nine day period of remembering and mourning the tragic destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and all the other tragedies that have followed over the past 2000 years. In addition to being a time to mourn, these are also very special days to focus on love. Our sages teach that the spiritual root cause of all these tragedies comes from disliking and hating each other for no good reason. So it only makes sense that the way to remedy this is to go out of our way, especially during these nine days, to try to like and love each other - even for no good reason. In our story a pair of twins learn a lesson of love.

"JUST BECAUSE"

If you would have seen Gary and his twin brother Rob running up and down the hall of their day school late one Thursday afternoon, you might have thought they were maybe training for the Olympics. The two boys were just trying to give out invitations to their up and coming 'twin' Bar Mitzvah party. The problem was that nearly every time Gary would run and stick an invitation envelope into one of the student mailboxes that lined the hall, Rob would be right on his heels rushing to pull it right back out. "No way! Jack Rivers? Forget it, man! We're not inviting him!" Rob said as he deftly grabbed yet another invitation from the slot in which his brother had put it just a moment before. "But why not?" asked Gary, growing more frustrated by the minute. "Jack's a good kid. Did he pick a fight with you, or do something to hurt you one time?" Rob shook his head. "No, nothing like that ... but, I just don't like the guy. He's not my type, you know what I mean?" "No, not really." said Gary as he snatched the invitation out of his brother's hand and stuffed it back into the mailbox, only to have Rob grab it right back out. Soon the twins got into a tug-of-war over the poor envelope which ripped in half, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The guys got up, half laughing and half mad, and wiped themselves off. "How about we take a time out and work this out over a hot pizza across the street?" "Great idea," Rob replied. "Let's go." The boys sat at their table, and the waitress came by with the menus. "I'll be back soon to take your order, guys," she smiled. Gary turned to Rob, "Okay, can you please give me one good reason you refuse to invite almost every kid I want to invite?" "If I don't like someone, why should I invite him?" Rob answered simply. "But, why don't you like them? That's what I want to know." Because." "Just because?" "Yes, I don't like them just because." "But not liking people 'just because' is called baseless hatred, and is exactly the kind of thing that we learned about in Jewish history class that caused the Holy Temple to be destroyed and causes all the problems in the world." "Ready to order, boys?" The twins looked up at the waitress. "Yeah, we're going to have the usual, a large mushroom pizza and two Cokes," said Rob hungrily. But before she could write it down, Gary waved his hand. "I'm sorry. Could you please give us another couple of minutes?" "No problem," said the waitress, walking off. "Hey, what was that all about?" growled a hungry Rob. "We're not eating anything until we get to the bottom of this," Gary said, arms folded. Rob nodded. "All right, I agree. So let me ask you a question, then. Can you give me one good reason why you do want to invite all those guys? I mean it's not as if you're best friends with them. They never did anything for you." Gary paused. "First of all, liking or loving someone doesn't have anything to do with what he does for you. It's what you do for him that counts. But even besides that, I guess you could say that instead of choosing to dislike him 'just because' I choose to like him 'just because' Just like someone in court is considered innocent until proven guilty, in the 'court' of our minds, someone should be likeable until proven not likeable and not the other way around. If you don't do that, it's like you're throwing him in jail without even a trial! Rob thought about what his brother said. "I can hear what you're saying. In the end I guess it's better to like people than to dislike them for no special reason. So let's make a deal. We can invite all those kids and I'll try to learn to like them 'just because,' and we can order the pizza now, 'just because' we're hungry!" Aish.com

Mission Update: Greetings Saints in His Perfect Peace, Today it was the first of the month and we were packed. More and more are coming daily. Today I baptized 7 people in the river. They all wanted it after hearing Yeshua being preached. Pictures will be coming. I need some cash to get some of these large print KJV Bibles they are $10 a Bible. More are coming it seems everyweek for service and more every feed day! Pray about supporting this wonderful work of Messiah's. We need food account money, bill money, Bible money.....We need your prayers.......................................In The Mean time May........................................ The LORD bless thee and keep thee;The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee shalom. (peace)Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:24-26 In Yeshua's Name, Bro. Dan, Pastor of Messiah's Branch

Psalms 140:12 - I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Friday we were packed again Tonya made 10 dozen egg-n-cheese sandwiches. (Tuesday Kathy and I made eleven dozen.) We only had four dozen donuts and they went quick. I made goulash for dinner served with green beans and potatoes, bread-n-butter. After we were done and cleaning up for service we had several people still coming to eat. I fed eight adults and a family with four children beef hotdogs and BBQ chips. Then I mad two cans of beef stew for a few others who came. For Sabbath meal I made goulash, asparagus an bread-n-butter, for the children beef hot dogs an mac-n-cheese. We had ninteen adults for service and at break I served strawberry cake with coffee. The newsletter was mailed out on Friday and the July bills are paid. The only bill needing paid right now is the internet 49.95 and I still need 38 to mail out the over seas newsletters. The food accout is at 250 and I have 40 pounds of chicken in the freezer. I recieved the funds to purchase 40 stamps for the prison weekly.Our daughter and her family have moved back from Arizona we got to see our newest grandson Jerimiah for the first time Friday. He is adorable 13 pounds 5 oz's an five months old. They are needing a two bedroom in the Wichita area under 300 a month let me know if you know of anything. One of our supporters sent dad the funding to take me to dinner and I want to say thank you so much for thinking about me. I am doing better day by day and some days are better than others. I still sick every morning it is my nerves and will pass as I heal from what has happened to me. I am standing in faith that Yahweh will provide the means for me to work full time for HIM and I will never have this happen to me again. Thank you all who support these works please pray about weather your to help and be lead by Yahweh to do His will. More on the Mission next update: WE LOVE YOU ALL THE Truth will set you FREE Shalom sisterlinda Messiah's Branch

Last weeks Answer: Mark 6:14-29 ^{14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.}

Find This Passage: 18 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. 21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. 22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. 27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

The TRUTH will SET YOU FREE
Shalom sisterlinda, family & Messiah's Branch Mark9:23, 10:27