May 29, 2006
Posted on May 29, 2006 in FFOZ, Prayer, Site Changes | 0 comments
I’m currently attempting to fill in the gaps of part two of my teaching on prayer from this past Shabbath. There are several sections for which I’m struggling to clarify my thoughts, but I hope to have this ready in the next few days. I’m trying to present my thoughts on this subject into clear and understandable information, and I must say it is very difficult. How can I put this intangible sense of urgency into words? It feels like I’m trying to paint a picture of God. It’s a very difficult struggle for it to make sense. Your prayers are appreciated in this regard.
May 25, 2006
Posted on May 25, 2006 in Events, FFOZ, Prayer | 1 comment
This past weekend, our Sabbath fellowship hosted Boaz Michael of FFOZ and his family. The culmination of the weekend was the Knocking on Heaven’s Gates seminar held this past Sunday evening. While the numbers were few, the message was challenging and very timely. And while the seminar was great & the words were powerful, the words spoken at the seminar were not nearly as powerful as the ones unspoken. What do I mean by this? Let me see if I can explain.
Just as I stated, the message of the seminar was timely, applicable and powerful. Please don’t misunderstand—they were exactly what we have been needing as a body of believers. The couldn’t have come at a better time. But from my perspective, it wasn’t the message of the words that Boaz shared that were the most challenging. It was the message of that which was unspoken that I heard the loudest. The silent words of which Boaz spoke during this past weekend were deafening. They are still ringing in my ears, almost to the point of nausea. It is these words which have been the double-edged sword of both frustration and anticipation that I expressed in my recent post on Self-Discipline. It is from this soil that all the weeds and flowers in my mind have sprung in the past few days. To put it in a nutshell, the phrase “actions speak louder than words” is more true than we will ever fully realize. Just seeing how Boaz and his family live out their faith day-by-day and hour-by-hour has caused serious pause within me.
I have thought for a long time that I was living out my faith through my actions, and that I was pretty much par for the course. Now I realize that I’ve got to switch my minature-golf putter for a nine-iron, and look beyond the tee. I’ve said for a long time that I thought Boaz had a lot of wisdom, and now I truly know what I mean by that statement—Again, please don’t misunderstand. This isn’t about putting Boaz on a pedestal. It’s about waking up and smelling the coffee (did someone say ‘coffee’???). Boaz just happens to be the catalyst for the metamorphosis (L-rd willing)—Here’s what I mean by wisdom. There are a lot of people out there that have a lot of knowledge. While knowledge is great, I would rather have an ounce of wisdom than a pound of knowledge. Knowledge is impressive, but wisdom is applicable and sustaining. Anyone can amass knowledge, few, however, cling to wisdom.
But what is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? We can get into a huge discussion of the differences, going back to the original Hebrew, etc. but this is not my point. My point is practical and observable. To me, the core difference between knowledge and wisdom is application. Let me briefly elaborate. Was not Solomon the wisest man in all the earth? But was his decision to marry pagan women wise? The answer is obvious. This leads us to a profound question. Why did the wisest man on earth make such an unwise decision? Answer: Wisdom is the application of knowledge. Foolishness is the refusal to apply knowledge. And this is where the unspoken words of Boaz grew in volume. Though he had a message of a disciplined prayer life, seeing his application of his knowledge of a disciplined prayer life this weekend spoke much louder than his words.
There’s an old saying that “those who can’t do, teach.” This was not the case this weekend. This was clearly a “lead-by-example” teaching method that is a standard of FFOZ that I appreciate immensely. I’m going to do everything within my means to rise to the challenge, and become a man of prayer and lead my family by example. Thanks for the challenge, Boaz.
As far as the specifics of the seminar, I’ll be teaching on the topic of prayer this Shabbat again, implementing some things I learned from this past weekend, so I’ll post more on the topic in the near future. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this:
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7, NIV)
ps. Thanks, Boaz, for standing on your knees in the photo of us together. ;-)
May 22, 2006
Posted on May 22, 2006 in FFOZ, Miscellaneous, Prayer | 0 comments
If you see this vehicle passing through your city over the next few months, beware. It is carrying a crew of six, who should be approached with caution. They should be considered armed and dangerous. They are armed with the Word of Hashem, and should be considered extremely dangerous to anyone who is smugly confident in their relationship with Hashem. Below is a photo of these desperadoes to help with identification purposes.
Don’t be deceived by their smiling faces, and relatively innocent appearance. Look deep into their beady, criminal eyes. These are the eyes of focused, single-minded, committed members of an international conspiracy to see people return to the Torah of Adonai, and live out their faith through love and good deeds, and are claiming that you have to “Pray just to make it through the day.” Yes, I know. It sounds like a cheap slogan they ripped off a defunct popular hip-hop artist. The next thing you know they’ll turn their prayer propaganda into an unforgettable melody like “It’s A Small World” and poison the minds of prayerless saints across the globe!
Let it be known—If you don’t want to be challenged in your relationship with the Almighty, STAY AWAY from these six Workers of Lawfulness! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
May 21, 2006
Posted on May 21, 2006 in FFOZ, Miscellaneous, Personal, Prayer | 0 comments
This weekend we have been privileged to have Boaz Michael and his family be with our community. We have really enjoyed being with them, and look forward to a great day today in the culmination of the FFOZ seminar Knocking on Heaven’s Gates tonight.
Having Boaz and his family has already been a tremendous blessing. Seeing the self-discipline of his family, however, has been both a huge inspiration as well as a little bit of a discouragement. The inspiration is obvious. Boaz and his family are an incredible encouragement in all that they are doing to live out their faith, and help those who are living a Torah-pursuant life.
The discouragement aspect is not the fault of Boaz and his family at all. It’s like running a 100 mile race, and reaching the first mile marker. The thrill of the race, and the excitement of the first milestone are motivating, but realizing that you’ve got 99 more of these to go is slightly disheartening. Seeing where Boaz and his family are and then looking back at where we are as a family and a community could easily open a floodgate of tears if I dwelt on this aspect alone. However, I know that I must not focus on the distance, but on the destination, and enjoy the journey in the process. Otherwise, the journey will be unbearable, and the destination unreachable.
Jason’s post, Inspiration that Creates Action, is a good summary of what I’m feeling. I (and also “we” as an infant Torah community) are making what feels like gigantic leaps on the one hand, but on the other hand they are merely baby-steps. I have an internal struggle that wants so badly to be in close proximity to those who are further along this road than I in order to excel in my learning and my application of Torah, but I know that Hashem is growing me at this pace for a purpose. Maybe I’m not as ready for something like this as I think I am. Maybe I’m not as malleable as I think I am, and would merely snap with all of the stretching that would be required in an environment like that. Maybe I just have a different calling and purpose. Whatever the case, I must keep in mind the words of Rav Sha’ul, which states:
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Messiah Yeshua. (Philippians 3:13b,14)
May 15, 2006
Posted on May 15, 2006 in Events, FFOZ, Miscellaneous | 2 comments
I want to officially welcome Boaz Michael in a few regards. The first is to welcome him to Central Arkansas for his seminar tour Knocking on Heaven’s Gates. The second is to welcome him into cyberspace with his new blog, BoazMichael.Org. Lastly, it’s been rumored that he has officially converted. Yes, I believe he is an official Apple/Mac proselyte now. I’ll be able to confirm this once he arrives this week, and funnel the information back to my Mac blood-brother, Tim Hegg. ;-)
Well, now that I’ve had some fun, be sure to check out Boaz’s blog, especially his newest post on holiness which came with incredible timing in relationship to my last post on Parashat Emor.
