Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus:
How the words of Jesus can change your life

As a follow-up to Sitting At The Feet of Rabbi Jesus, Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus is Lois Tverberg’s newest offering in regard to understanding the life and message of Yeshua from a Hebraic perspective. The book is divided up into three sections that are all tied together by a central theme – the call to both hear and do the words of Yeshua, by example of the central creed of Judaism found within the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4ff).

Her first section is entitled “Hearing Our Rabbi’s Words with New Ears” and gives us the background behind Yeshua’s emphasis on the Shema as a teaching tool, reflecting on concepts such as turning knowledge into obedience and love into action.

Her second section is entitled, “Living Out the Words of Rabbi Jesus” and focuses on the practical applications of many of the teachings of Yeshua.

Her concluding section is entitled, “Studying the Word with Rabbi Jesus” and is sort of the springboard of encouragement for “continued education” within the realm of biblical studies.

With Walking in the Dust… Tverberg does very successfully what many people attempt, but are not able to achieve. She filters through volumes of detailed, technical information and delivers them to her readers with fluid, engrossing narrative in a language that is warm and vibrant, being able to explain difficult biblical or rabbinic concepts with ease. Her choice for this is conscious, seeing many in the Hebrew roots movement pushing people away with their exclusive vocabulary. Her desire for her writings is that she wants to be what she terms “a bridge, not an island.”

“Sometimes in their enthusiasm, they take on a whole new [Hebrew] vocabulary that creates barriers between themselves and others. My thinking is that if you’ve discovered insights that bring you closer to God, you’re obligated to share them. To do so you need to be a bridge, not an island. So I deliberately use a more widely known vocabulary” (p.83).

In regard to digging into difficult texts or what she terms as “boring background information”, she gives the following advice:

“One thing that might help is to admit that the Bible actually is a difficult, ancient text. Growing up on Sunday school cartoons and flannelgraphs, you might get the impression that the Bible is supposed to be like Chopsticks, a childhood melody that’s playable with a few minutes of practice. It’s actually more like a Rachmaninoff concerto, with crashing chords and minor themes that linger through many movements. It might take years of practice to play well, but with even a lifetime of performances, its rich strains never get old” (p.151).

By way of practical application, Tverberg shares a personal story of a time her studies led her to changing her prayer life in regard to a personal need. I won’t share her story with you, but I will use her experience to lead into a story of my own, which was a direct result from learning from this book. After sharing a personal story in her section on chutzpah (bold tenacity) in prayer, she makes the following statement:

“I’m almost embarrassed to share this story when so many desperate prayers seem to go unanswered. But it taught me that God didn’t really need me to fervently imagine a certain outcome before he’d respond. Any time God answers prayer, he does so out of sheer grace, not because our prayers ‘earned’ a response. God is good, powerful, and loving, and whatever he gave, I could still be assured of this most important fact of all” (p.126).

While many teachers and preachers tend to focus on the aspect of the chutzpah found within the parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:2-5), Tverberg takes a different approach. Though she touches on the Jewish chutzpah represented in the parable, she couples this with Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Mathew 7:9-11 in which the goodness of God, our Heavenly Father, is contrasted against the goodness of an earthly father. She deftly connects these two passages with their overlapping use of kol v’chomer (a fortiori) argumentation, with the emphasis on the goodness of God. Because, as Jesus states, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?” (Matthew 7:11) In these passages, the chutzpah is not the singular point of Jesus’ teaching. In these he reminds us to not give up because of the fact that our heavenly Father is so good and loving that He will surely hear our prayers.

When she realized this, she changed her prayers to “Lord, I know that you are good and that you have heard my prayer, and I can trust your answer to my prayer, whether or not you…” (p.126). Her example lead me to do the same, and the answer to something I had being praying about for a while came only a few hours after I had altered my heart and my thinking in relationship to the goodness of God in relationship to my prayer.

Tverberg rightly observes that, “The ultimate goal of pagan prayers was to manipulate the gods into serving one’s own personal prosperity. When you think about it, there really is not much difference between ancient pagans and teachers today who claim that you can use prayer to ‘claim your blessings’ or ‘speak prosperity into your life.’ Any time you try to coerce God into doing your bidding, so that he’ll pad your pocketbook and expand your stock assets, you’re treating God the same way that pagans treat their gods, as a tool to serve their own ends… The key seems to be that you humbly come to him as your heavenly Father, rather than ordering him around as your servant” (p.126-127).

Her insights are more than mere academic acrobatics. They are filled with practical application and ramifications. If you would like to begin understanding what it means to follow Jesus from a Hebrew perspective, Walking in the Dust is a delightful place to start this journey.

This second offering on the Jewish context of Jesus from Tverberg is sure to be a favorite in its rich, easily-accessible teachings, its deep insights and its physical beauty. Whether as part of a daily study, a small group study discussion or a gift to a friend, this book is well worth the investment and will provide much discussion on our role as disciples of Yeshua.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review from the author.Similar Posts:

• Balderdash or No?
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Here are a few activity / coloring sheets for your children this Passover. Although I have these activity sheets available to download as an 11×17 placemat size in a previous post, it was recently brought to my attention that many people may just want to be able to print these out onto standard paper size of 8.5×11. So, I’m posting them here as individual 8.5×11 pages in a single PDF (Adobe Reader) file. I hope they come in handy…

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Cup of Redemption Haggadah

I really didn’t think I was going to offer a printed version of my Haggadah, The Cup of Redemption, this year. However, over the last few weeks I’ve had several people tell me that they really enjoyed it and wanted to continue using it for their primary haggadah, but needed more copies. So… I thought I would go ahead & make it available, as well remind you of the other resources I have available for Passover.

First, The Cup of Redemption, is my own haggadah that I’ve compiled (and edited, and revised, and fixed, and edited and revised, fixed, etc.) for the last several years. One reason that I didn’t consider making it available this year was that I didn’t feel it had anything original to offer. From my perspective it is simply a condensed version of the traditional haggadah with some Messianic insertions. However, I’m finding that people have enjoyed it because it is pretty spelled out in pretty clear terms, and contains all of the basic elements of a traditional seder, along with the added allusions to the Passion of Yeshua. I hope you enjoy it as well as our family and others have. One day I hope to have it fully illustrated, but until then…

Here are some of its features:

• Full color cover and back
• Spiral coil (not comb) binding, so that it lays flat on the table when open
• 52 Pages of text on 70# paper
• English, Hebrew & Transliteration for key blessings
• Easy-to-read typesetting & layout
• Messianic Introduction / Invitation
• Bedikat Chametz ceremony (burning of the leaven)
• Messianic insights & commentary to the Passover
• Step-by-step instructions for the Passover Seder
• Song suggestions
• Visual Seder Plate explanation
• Notes section in the back

Praise for the Cup of Redemption Haggadah

…such an excellent Haggadah. It’s accessible to the first-timer, while including all the elements that people who have come to know and love the Seder expect. Easily digestible, and at the same time quite filling! Thank you for producing a resource that’s proving to be my go-to guide year after year. -RB

I’ve tried many Haggadot over the years, but I find myself coming back to Darren’s Cup of Redemption time and again.  Anyone who’s felt the frustration of holding a booklet open with one hand while scooping maror onto matzah with the other, will agree that the spiral binding alone sets this Haggadah apart from most.  Not only is the Cup of Redemption helpful to those well-versed in traditional texts, it is equally accessible to those who have never taken part in such a celebration.  A perfect Haggadah for anyone, regardless of how experienced (or inexperienced) they are with Passover festivities. -DS

How To Get It

Did I mention that you can download it for FREE? Just click on the link below for an electronic version, or order your copies with the Buy Now button below. (Note: If you have never enjoyed a Passover seder, you will need one haggadah per person attending.)

Cup of Redemption Haggadah
$12.00 ea.
FREE shipping in U.S.

Digging with Darren Passover Resources

• FREE Cup of Redemption Haggadah download
• Passover Place Mats & Coloring / Activity Sheets
• Counting the Omer calendar download (2012)

Similar Posts:

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Passover is on our heels! Therefore Shavuot is in hot pursuit! Here is a free activity download for 2012 to help your family both remember to count the omer between Passover/Pesach and Pentecost/Shavuot, as well as make it fun. I’ve created a calendar sheet and cut-n-paste “stickers” (bring your own glue stick -or- print to some crack-n-peel) to count the omer all the way to Shavuot.

Feel free to download these, print them out and use them for your family. Be sure to “Like” this post so it will link to your Facebook page and Tweet it to your friends so they will be able to enjoy it as well. Chag Sameach! Enjoy!

NOTE: This calendar has been corrected (the preview does not reflect the corrections). Thanks, Traci, for catching my mistake on the dates!

• FREE DOWNLOAD – Omer Counting Activity Sheet 5771/2011
• FREE DOWNLOAD: Passover Place Mats & Coloring Sheets
• FREE “Yeshua” iPhone Wallpaper
• Happy Passover!
• Counting the Omer

Ordering Info

They say that quite often big things come in small packages. This is definitely the case with Tsvi Sadan’s, The Concealed Light. It is the most recent publication put forth by Vine of David, a ministry arm of First Fruits of Zion that specializes in early Messianic Judaism and the development of Messianic liturgical resources. Committed to excellence in both academic integrity and aesthetic presentation, Vine of David pushes the envelope in their latest offering. First, let me introduce you to Dr. Sadan.

“Dr. Tsvi Sadan is uniquely qualified as the author of this book. Born in Israel, where he currently resides, he holds a Ph.D. in Jewish History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has researched Jewish and Christian views of the Messiah for more than twenty years. Tsvi has taken on the task of becoming familiar with traditional Jewish materials. In this book he draws on this knowledge to give a picture of the Messiah found in Jewish literature but known to few Jews and fewer Christians.” ¹ He also had an article published in the latest issue of Messiah Journal, entitled Halachic Authority in the Life of the Messianic Community.

Now, let us move into the actual book.

Acher (Different), Even (Stone), Adoni (My Lord), Or (Light), Ar’yeh (Lion)… The list goes on from Alef (א) to Tav (ת). These are the names of the Messiah of Israel according to what the sages have derived from the Holy Writ. In this beautifully crafted book, you will find one hundred and one names in all, each presented in Hebrew with their English translations, explained in laymen’s terms by native Israeli and Hebrew scholar Tsvi Sadan. In The Concealed Light, Sadan goes deep into familiar rabbinic sources, such as the Talmud, Midrash Rabbah, Sifrei, Pesikta Rabbati, Zohar, etc. to pull obscure references to Messianic titles expounded upon by the sages, and clearly explain the significance of each one. But then he takes it one step further by delving into little known sources such as Sefer Yeshu’ot Meshicho and the Perushei Siddur HaTefillah laRokeach—many of which are only available in Hebrew—to bring out even more insights into the Messianic identity as affirmed by Judaism.

Here is a sampling of the amazing research he has pulled together for this:

Orphan

“‘We have become orphans without a father (Lamentations 5:3 NAS). … God said to Israel: ‘You have said to me, “We have become orphans without a father”; therefore the redeemer I will bring from among you has no father, for it is said … “Today I have begotten You””’ (Psalm 2:7). [He] “concluded from this that their Messiah … has no human father” (Sefer Yeshu’ot Meshicho). (page 116)

Olive

“‘Oil … for the light’ (Exodus 27:20)—this is King Messiah, who is also called ‘Green Olive Tree’ (Jeremiah 11:16). [He is called] ‘pure oil’ (Exodus 27:20) because he will light up the darkness for Israel, as it says: ‘That You may say to the prisoners, Go forth’ (Isaiah 49:9), and it also says, ‘The Gentiles shall come to your light’ (Isaiah 60:3)” (Otzar Midrashim, 138). (page 75)

Gold

“On ‘one day which is known to the LORD’ (Zechariah 14:7)—that day is a day of vengeance, when the Holy One, blessed be he, intends to wreak vengeance upon other nations. When he does, then ‘I will make a man more precious than gold’—this is King Messiah, who will transcend and be more precious than all the inhabitants of the world, all of whom will worship and bow down before him, as is written: ‘Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him … The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents’ (Psalm 72:9-10)” (Zohar, Vayera, 107b). (page 186-187)

Glorious

In an outstanding Jewish commentary from the ninth century CE on Psalm 36:9, “In Your light we see light,” the author offers an imaginary conversation between God, Satan, and Messiah which reflects his own understanding of who is Messiah and what is his role. In this conversation, Satan attempts to deter God from honoring Messiah. Challenged, God asks Messiah what he intends to do in light of the suffering inflicted upon him because of those whom he came to save, and the Messiah answers:

“Master of worlds, with the joy of my soul and the pleasure of my heart, I accept upon myself that none from Israel will perish and that not only the living will be saved in my day but also those hidden in the soil…and not only those will be saved, but all hosts whom you have thought to create but have not. This is what I desire, this is what I accept upon me” (Pesikta Rabbati, 36). (page 120-121)

This is just a small sampling of what this little package has to offer. In a sense, it is somewhat akin to Raphael Patai’s The Messiah Texts, in that it culls from a large volume of sources to offer us the very best gems. Couple this along with Sadan’s fluid elucidation, and you have a very palatable work. For Christians, this is a wonderful introduction to the Jewish concepts of Messiah and will help bridge the gap between the very limited understanding of the role of Messiah within Christianity and the dynamic range of insights found within Judaism.

In addition to the quality of the text itself, Vine of David has done a brilliant job of packaging this gem to make it outwardly appealing as well. With its darkly contrasted tone-on-tone cover, deckled page edges and beautiful typesetting, The Concealed Light is not only a unique reference source, but could also double as a daily devotional or inspirational coffee table book. With its list of resources, which will inspire further research from the more scholarly, and its quick reference list of the various messianic titles in English, The Concealed Light will definitely be an attention grabber wherever it goes. I highly recommend it as an addition to your reference library, book club discussion or coffee table adornments. This book is available to purchase online from the Vine of David bookstore.

Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of this book from Vine of David.

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Just wanted to let everyone know why I’ve been silent the last few weeks.  This bundle of joy arrived Feb 26, 2012 and we are thoroughly enjoying her! She came a few weeks early, so we were not quite ready for her. However, it has been a wonderful time getting to know our new little loved one. Her older siblings have hardly allowed her feet to hit the floor since she was born. I thought I would share her a little with you, my faithful readers.

blessings,
-darrenSimilar Posts:

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Question: What do you think the main problem in the church today is? Ignorance or Apathy?

Answer: I Don’t Know… and… I Don’t Care

I had forgotten about this when I posted my article on Failed Discipleship earlier. It is a prime example of how we have succeeded at creating church members, but failed at creating disciples. Listen to this first-hand, gut-level honesty of a minister explain why they are canceling EVERYTHING at their church due to Lack of Interest:

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One day a ten year old boy came home with a note from his teacher. The note said,

“We are concerned that your child is illiterate. Can we have a parent-teacher conference?”

The next morning before school the mother stormed into the class room, slammed the note down on the teacher’s desk, looked her straight in the eye and said,

“I’ll have you know, I was married two years before little Ricky was born!”

That said, I have to call a spade a spade. The plague of biblical illiteracy is upon us. We must “take arms against a sea of troubles, and thus by opposing, end them.” But as long as we accept them, they will exist and persist.

“Americans revere the Bible – but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.” – George Gallup and Jim Castelli

How bad is it? Here is a list of results from various surveys…

1. Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels
2. Many professing Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples
3. 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments
4. 82 percent of Americans believe “God helps those who help themselves” is a Bible verse
5. 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife
6. A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife
7. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham

I’ve personally heard the following:

1. Is Galatians in the Old or New Testament?
2. Wasn’t Jacob the guy who got swallowed by the whale?
3. That’s a book of the Bible?
4. ALL of the disciples were Jewish?

And many more, that I can’t remember at the moment (and some which are too embarrassing to share).

Conclusion: #FAIL

Let’s face the facts: “Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.” (A quote by George Barna.) And people like George Barna tend to blame churches, pastors and youth pastors. But is it really their problem? Isn’t the problem the mothers and fathers of the children, who are commissioned to teach their children (read the book of Deuteronomy — Book #5 in the biblical lineup, in case you need help — it’s a constant theme)  the Bible and biblical values? We have not only failed on a personal level by not engaging the biblical record ourselves, but we have failed the generations of our children, grandchildren and all future generations.

Segue…

We have a breakdown in the process of discipleship. In order to be a true Disciple of Yeshua (Jesus), we must imitate him. But in order to imitate him, we must know his life and message. In order to know his life and message, we must understand his teachings. In order to understand his teachings, we must have a very good understanding of the Bible he used: the Tanak (a.k.a. the “The Old Testament.” And in order to properly understand the Tanak, we must first understand God’s initial self-disclosure to humanity found in the Torah (or the “Pentateuch” — Genesis through Deuteronomy).

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr (president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) sums it up quite well by saying:

We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs. The many fronts of Christian compromise in this generation can be directly traced to biblical illiteracy in the pews and the absence of biblical preaching and teaching in our homes and churches.

Again, this requires effort to correct.

“A person wants to become a scholar and a leader overnight, and to sleep that night as well.”
—Rabbi Yaizel of Navorodock

If we expect to be good disciples sheerly by osmosis, we are sorely mistaken. It requires an investment.

Start your investment today, so that you will have dividends you can enjoy tomorrow.Similar Posts:

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First, a word about parables:

‎”Christian readers sometimes misread and misunderstand the parables of the Master because they assume that they contain deeply symbolic, secret, esoteric, mysterious truths. Christian teachers enjoy extracting unanticipated and hidden meanings from the parables of the Master, but such interpretations are ordinarily farfetched and far removed from the simple intended meaning. The rabbis did not use parables as riddles. They used them as illustrations.” ¹

We have to be careful in our interpretation of parables in that we don’t want to “over read” them and “super spiritualize” them as was often the case with the church father Origen. Our job is to catch Yeshua’s intended singular portent, and then apply that principle to our lives as his disciples. With this in mind, I would like to give you a list of how Daniel Lancaster interprets the symbolism in this popular parable:

;

Where has the seed fallen in your life? What kind of crop are you producing?

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Let’s face it. There is a lot of “balderdash” or “urban legends” that circulate, particularly when it comes to religion. It seems there is hardly a week that goes by in which I do not receive some forwarded email from someone thinking they are doing me a favor by sending me an “inspiring” teaching on how the way Jesus folded the “napkin” after his resurrection alluded to his second coming, or how the blood of Jesus literally flowed down from the cross and onto the hidden Ark of the Covenant beneath the Temple Mount to make atonement for us. It’s just that way. Humans have an innate need for sensationalism to validate our paradigm. However, we need to know fact from fiction and need to always check our sources and be prepared to prove our outlandish propositions with evidence, if we make such claims.

This morning I came across a blog post from Lois Tverberg, which she recently posted as a response to another blog post from about a year ago which attempts to debunk the legitimacy of a popular rabbinic concept often used by Messianics in their teachings.

Back in April of last year, Trevin Wax (Managing Editor of The Gospel Project at LifeWay Christian Resources) created a list of “urban legends” within Christianity. While the majority of these were great and need addressing, he included one that didn’t quite fit into the “balderdash” category. The concept he challenged was that of being “covered in the dust of your rabbi”, based off of Avot 1:4, which states:

Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzeredah said: Let your house be a meetinghouse for the sages and sit amid the dust of their feet and drink in their words with thirst.

Fortunately, Lois Tverberg and one other brave soul chimed in with a very thorough (but gentle) rebuttle, but seemed to be completely lost in the 211 comments that erupted from Trevin’s post.

I’m not quite sure why Wax thought this to be an urban legend, particularly since it is based squarely on a reliable Jewish text from antiquity, unless he was merely going on the misunderstanding of other misinformed bloggers who only had one desire: to attack Rob Bell and his use of the concept in his teaching (Dust – which I highly recommend). I think the real breakdown in communication came in that of the attackers thinking the more “Hebraic” or “Messianic” interpretation of this mishnah to be literal, rather than idiomatic. They seem to attack the concept of literally caking on dust while following your rabbi, particularly the origin of the phrase, “May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi” (which is obviously a Rob Bell original).

This, however, is not the point of the mishnah. The point is that as disciples of our Master, we are to allow his teachings and his presence to “rub off” onto us so that we are better equipped to emulate him. We are to be constantly following him, constantly sitting at his feet in order learn from him, constantly looking for ways to imitate him. No, we shouldn’t grab a handful of dust and powder ourselves with it to feign our piety. We should, however, be getting a little dirty because of our concern for following our rabbi being greater than our concern for outward appearance.

Are you walking around squeaky clean, or are you beginning to collect the dust of your Rabbi?

ps. Dr. Tverberg – If you are reading this, I would be more than willing to post a review of your latest book, Walking In The Dust of Rabbi Jesus, if I could get my pauperly hands on one (hint, hint).Similar Posts:

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If you have a Kindle or any other e-Reader device of your own and would like to know how, I’m about to show you through this tutorial / howto. And although you can’t just turn on your Kindle and click a few buttons, it’s not difficult to get it set up. Not only can you get blogs, but online news sources such as Ha’artz daily, the Jerusalem Post, etc. Here are the steps:

1. First, you need to download a FREE application called Calibre. It comes in 4 flavors: Windows, OS X, Linux and “Portable.” I haven’t tried the “Portable” format, so I’m not sure if that’s cross-platform or what. Anyway, just download the application and add it to your desktop applications. You’ll want to put it somewhere that is easy to access, because you’ll be using it quite a bit.

2. Next, you’ll need to configure Calibre to work with your e-Reader device. Calibre will ask you a few questions to get you set up and then you will be presented with the main page.

Calibre Main Page

3. Now, you will create a new news stream, and start adding links to RSS feeds to it.

3.a. First, click on the “Fetch News” icon on its pull-down menu at the top. If you just click on the icon itself, you will get a window for scheduling your news downloads (we will discuss this in a moment). For now, you will want to use the pull-down menu and select “Add a custom news source.”

Calibre - Adding a Custom News Source

3.b. Now, you will name your news stream, in this case I called mine “Blogs” because it would contain all of my feeds from the various blogs to which I subscribe. You will enter this in the “Recipe title” box at the top.

3.c. Now, toward the bottom in the “Feed title” area you will enter the title of the blog, or something to let you know which blog you are seeing. To set up my blog, you would probably enter “Digging with Darren.”

3.d. Next, you will enter the url to the RSS feed. These can be tricky to find these days for some reason. However, any good blog site should have it in a fairly obvious location. You will either see a link marked “feed” or “rss” or more often, you will see an RSS feed icon (which looks something like this: ). You can either Command-Click (Mac) or right-click (PC) and copy the url / link location directly from this. My RSS feed location (I use Feedburner) is: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/DiggingWithDarren. (Make sure you don’t copy the “.” at the end if you copy it from here.) You will now paste this into the “Feed url” box.

3.e. Finally, you will click the “Add feed” button at the bottom and this will add the feed to your blog feeds.

Don’t stop here! You have two more important steps!

This is only your first blog feed. You will want to repeat steps 3.c – 3.e. with each blog to which you wish to subscribe. When you are finished, you will need to do the following:

4. Click on the flashing “Add / Update recipe” button on the left in order to save your “recipe” (your news stream). If you would like to add more blogs to your “recipe” in the future, you will need to select the recipe first, before you start adding blogs, or you will be creating an entirely new stream for each one (I did this before I understood how it worked). From there you will click the “Close” button in the lower-right. It will ask for a confirmation, which you will need to approve.

5. Lastly, you will need to schedule when you would like Calibre to pull down new files from the internet. I have scheduled this to happen daily around 6:00am. You will do this by clicking on the “Fetch News” icon at the top of your main window. It will open a new window in which you will see a list of all of the potential news streams that Calibre has pre-configured, plus your custom blog stream, which is in the “Custom” list at the top. You will click on the arrow to the left of “Custom” to reveal your blog stream. Then you will click on its title (‘Blogs”). Calibre will then show you a list of scheduling options. You will select the options you desire, and then save.

Calibre - Scheduling

Now, if Calibre is running, each time you connect your e-Reader devise to your computer it will sync with Calibre and download any new articles if they are available and have been downloaded. I would love to get some feedback and to know if any of you take advantage of this.Similar Posts:

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One of my most fond childhood memories is eating fresh pecans with my grandparents. It seems like that always had fresh pecans. It was because, until recently, they had multiple pecan trees in their small, suburban yard. I remember the excitement & anticipation as we cracked open the pecans and dug out the treasure inside and hurriedly popped the “meat” into our mouths as fast as we could. Sometimes, however, in our rush we would fail to remove all of the bitter encasing of the nut, and our faces would turn sour. If you haven’t had that experience, it is one of the most awful tastes you will experience. It’s something you will not forget quickly.

As I was reading another blog post yesterday, I had a similar sensation. The article was well-written and very informed. Yet, when I began reading the comments, I felt my mouth becoming increasingly bitter. It was like getting another bite of those pecans, which we had not taken the time to clean thoroughly.

One great philosopher & theologian once said, “Man who stick foot in mouth repeatedly get athlete’s tongue.” While I say that with humor, the essence is true. Jesus said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37). Yes, we all make an occasional mistake and speak things that we regret later. However, if we repeatedly speak in ways that are cynical, exaggerated, belittling or boastful, we will eventually become the product of our own fruit. We, ourselves, will become a cynical, arrogant fool before we realize it. Paul said, “a little leaven leavens the entire lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6). It creeps up on you before you realize it.

Open Mouth – Insert Foot: Guilty As Charged

This is especially true for those of us in the Messianic Restoration. We can’t help it. When we finally understand the implications that Jesus (nor his disciples for that matter) did not come to establish a new religion called “Christianity,” but sought to reform the biblical religion of Judaism as the long awaited Jewish Messiah and all of the implications that come along with that — when we finally “get it” — it’s like someone has finally pulled out the box top of the puzzle we have been working on for all of these many years and waived it in front of us just long enough to get a glimpse of our goal. And from there, we frantically start throwing the pieces of the puzzle together and make more progress in one hour than we have in the last five years of looking at it and scratching our heads.

It’s not like we have a perfect snapshot of the entire, finished puzzle. However, we at least know that the pieces we were using for the grass actually belong in the trees, or vice versa, and have somewhat of an idea of how this hodgepodge of pieces was intended to be arranged. It’s just natural to start telling people that their pieces don’t fit together and don’t look anything like the box lid.

But I think there is a better way. I think that we need to work on our own section of the puzzle without having to re-arrange anyone else’s pieces. And when people see the beauty of how the pieces of the puzzle are fitting together in our lives, they can’t help but to take notice and begin wondering why their section of the puzzle is disjointed and filled with mismatched pieces, and begin to ask questions that may help guide their decisions on how they connect the pieces they have been given. Jesus said it this way, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). St. Francis of Assisi paraphrased this by saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”

In regard to our saying “too much,” Hillel says, “do not make a statement that cannot be easily understood, on the ground that it will be understood eventually.” (Avot 2:5) Rabbi Abraham Twerski, in his commentary on Pirkei Avos, sums this up in effect by saying, “Don’t say anything to anyone they are not ready to hear.”

So… Through much personal failure, I have learned that silence is golden, until I know I have a receptive soul. It has kept me from “dumping” on people and pushing them away. It has actually, made people come to me asking to know more about my faith and practice.

I Can’t Hear You When You’re Shouting

Personally, I think the Messianic Restoration is a powder keg near a hot flame. I think that all the world is waiting on is for Messianic believers to really start living out our faith (i.e. majoring on the majors, and minoring on the minors), and there will be a major spiritual revolution that will sweep across our land. But the world will never see that until we prove that we are genuine disciples of the Master through our love for one another (John 13:35), rather than our castigations of one another. And if you disagree with someone and would like to persuade them toward your line of reasoning, there are better ways to do it than berating them.

The old saying that “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar” is true. I really have no idea whether it is true in the sense of literal flies, but I know it to be true in its analogy to human nature. It has proven itself time and again. Shlomo HaMelech (King Solomon) said it this way, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

If there is one lesson I have learned from people like Boaz Michael (“still learning” is actually a better description) is to be gracious with others, respect others, listen to others, and love those who don’t agree with you.

The Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, one of the gadolim (great ones) of Judaism, clung to the passage in Psalm 34 which says, “What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:12-14). It became the hallmark of his life and his life’s work, and eventually became his namesake as the Chofetz Chaim, the “Desire of Life.”

James, the brother of our Master, gives us this analogy:

“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” (James 3:2-12)

The Greatest of These

The bottom line is that “people really don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Our love and good deeds (the actual living out of the mitzvot — “commandments”) will speak more than anything we could ever say in trying to convince anyone of the how we see things. It is our fruit that people see, rather than our roots. And if our fruit is rotten, what appeal is there in that?

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”Similar Posts:

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I wake up each morning pretty much the same. My alarm goes off on my phone, I walk to the other side of the bedroom and hit the snooze button. I lay back down for another five minutes until my alarm goes off again. Annoyed by the fact that it’s only been five minutes since it went off last (intentionally), I question why I have my alarm set to this often insane time so early in the morning that I question whether the Almighty even knows about this hour of the day or not. At that point I am reminded of why I have to beat this earthen vessel into submission: to be a true disciple of my Master.

So, I say Modeh Ani (the prayer upon rising, thanking the Almighty for another day of this life), get dressed (sometimes) and make may way to my office at the other end of the house (not very far away in my 1400 sq. foot home). Often I’ll make a cup of tea (Chai, Oolong, Early Grey) or coffee (decaf), and then begin my morning study routine. I first pray the Hareini Mekasher (the prayer for binding oneself to Yeshua as my Master and the Righteous Messiah), then recite a long portion of the Sermon on the Mount (memorization exercise), then move on to study several other things — mussar, Torah, the Gospels, Paul, Torah Club, Daily Dose of Torah, chasidic commentary/insights, contemporary writings among my peers, views that are opposed to mine, blogs, etc.. I’m not saying I study every single one of these each morning. However, I will gravitate toward a particular topic or three, but maintain my “core” sources in the mix.

After that, I try to write. And although I haven’t posted daily on my site, I do try to write at least something each day. Currently, I’ve been very focused on my discipleship book. I have intentionally reserved my site for what I consider more important, complete thoughts, rather than filling it each day with my stream of consciousness that seems to be prevalent among most blogs (and arguably which is actually more of a blog anyway). My choice in this has been to spare people my ramblings, my rants and my questions and offer a few nuggets here and there which may be of value.

From there I spend time in Shacharit (morning prayer) and then begin my work day.

Anyway… a few weeks ago, the eldest daughter of one of my best friends painted a picture (above) for her family of a burning lamp with a couple of scrolls in the background. Her caption reads, “STUDY while the light still shines…” Her father made me a copy of it, and I hung it in front of my desk yesterday. It will serve as a constant reminder of why I have to beat this flesh into submission, rather than getting the extra hours extra sleep that most people would enjoy.

The sages say that one of the first questions we will be asked by the Holy One in the world to come is, “Did you set aside fixed times of study?” (b.Shabbat 31a). Whether this is true or not is not my point. We should make it, however, as important to us today as it was at the time of the disciples. Where the disciples had the Torah-made-flesh as their instructor, today we mainly have the written works of others to guide us. Some of us are fortunate to actually walk in the dust of a great teacher to whom we have been taken under their wing. Most are not that fortunate. So, until we have that opportunity, studying the writings of holy men and women who have walked this journey ahead of us is our primary means of staying the course and molding our minds into godly vehicles by which we convert information into action, thoughts into deeds. It is in these times of concealed, un-noticed self-discipline that our minds, hearts and souls are transformed. It is this preparatory work that tills the soil for hearts that are receptive to the work of the Almighty during the day. It is this preparatory work that I enjoy sharing with my close friends, knowing that they, too, are seeking the Holy One daily.

Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a boast feast. I have nothing to boast in. I struggle daily with submission. My point is this: I’ve been writing a lot about discipleship. However, it doesn’t mean beans if I’m not living it. So, I’m throwing the ball back into your court: Are you actively making effort daily to be a better disciple of Yeshua?

When Yeshua returns, I want him to be able to look at me with loving eyes and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” What about you? Does your daily routine leave room for discipleship?Similar Posts:

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I am constantly amazed at the various depictions of Jesus in popular and religious culture. It seems there is a “Jesus” for every ethnic group and every activist organization on the planet. I’ve seen depictions of Jesus that portray him in every shape, form and fashion. I’ve seen a European Jesus, an African Jesus, an Oriental Jesus, a Zoroastrian Jesus, a Catholic Jesus, a hippy Jesus and even a dinosaur-cuddling Jesus. It seems everyone has a desire to in some way identify with this man named Jesus.

The fact is, Jesus has been a focus of fascination for people across the globe since he physically walked the face of this earth two millennia ago. He is an historical figure which one cannot merely ignore. Christian artist Charlie Peacock wrote a song about the global popularity of the person of Jesus. It’s called “One Man Gets Around.” Here are the lyrics:

They know of You in Hong Kong, they know in Baton Rouge
They know in Carolina, they know in Kathmandu
They know of You in Baltimore, they know in Germany
They even know of You in Nashville, Tennessee

It’s amazing, so amazing, it’s amazing how one man gets around
It’s amazing, so amazing, it’s amazing how one man gets around

They know of You in Cape-town, they know in Amsterdam
They know of You in Mexico, they know in Vietnam
They know of You in Hollywood, though that’s up for debate
They know of You in what was Russia, pick a Baltic State

You can’t pick up a newspaper without
Reading a story of somebody somewhere
Saying they caught sight of Elvis or witnessed a tear fall
From the eye of a statuette of the Virgin Mary
(Hey now) What’s your deal you don’t seem to care how people feel
Forget about dignity, you could get a spot on MTV
If you only knew how bad people want to get a look at you
The multitudes are waiting, waiting on pins and needles
For the one more famous than the Beatles

It is true. Even the religious leaders of non-Christian religions have an affinity with Jesus. In the last few decades, there have been an increasing number of Jewish scholars and authors who have taken up with Jesus. Orthodox Jewish scholar David Flusser devoted some sixty years of his life to studying Jesus. Jewish author & Dead Sea Scrolls translator Geza Vermes has had a fixation on Jesus for nearly four decades as well, publishing more than a dozen books on him. More recently, other Jewish scholars such as Mark Nanos and Amy Jill Levine, have added to the discussion. Even more recently, television show host, author, and rabbi Shmuley Boteach has published a book entitled, Kosher Jesus, which has caused quite a stir in the Jewish community.

Leaders of other religions follow suit. Mahatma Ghandi is quoted as saying that he liked Jesus and his teachings. In fact, he frequently quoted him and referenced his parables. Ghandi was attracted to Christianity at an early age, and even considered becoming a Christian. It all fell through, however, when a representative of Jesus, a “Christian,” put a bad taste in his mouth that he would never forget.

During India’s struggle for independence from British rule, a man named Mahatma Ghandi, The Mahatma, as he was known, (Mahatma, means “great soul”) pioneered the use of active, but non-violent resistance as a means of achieving his goal of freeing India.

It was well known that in his struggle for independence, Ghandi often quoted Jesus’ sayings and parables from the Gospels, and was especially fond of the passage in Matthew’s gospel that we call “The Sermon on the Mount.” Yet, he was not a Christian and steadfastly rejected any suggestion that he become a Christian.

That fact intrigued a Methodist missionary in India named E. Stanley Jones. He met with Ghandi on one occasion and asked Him, “Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?”

Ghandi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Ghandi’s rejection of Christianity grew out of an incident that happened when he was a young man. During his years studying law in Britain, he had become attracted to the Christian faith, had studied the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, and was seriously exploring becoming a Christian.

One Sunday, in South Africa where he had gone to practice law after getting his degree, he decided to attend a church service.

As he came up the steps of the large church where he intended to go, a white South African elder of the church barred his way at the door.

“Where do you think you’re going, kaffir?” the man asked Ghandi in a belligerent tone of voice.

Ghandi replied, “I’d like to attend worship here.”

The church elder snarled at Him, “There’s no room for Kaffirs in this church. Get out of here or I’ll have my assistants throw you down the steps.”

From that moment, Ghandi said, he decided to adopt what good he found in Christianity, but would never again consider becoming a Christian if it meant being part of the church. [1. Jones, E. Stanley, (1925). The Christ of the Indian Road. Abingdon Press, 72-73.]

Ghandi appreciated and admired Christ, and even considered following him. However, a single mis-representative of Jesus destroyed his opportunity of ever becoming a believer. Ghandi had a high regard for Jesus, but like many others he was not fond of Christians. Because, according to him, Christians are not anything Jesus.

There is hardly a Sunday that goes by where a teacher or preacher doesn’t make the claim that people can’t stand for Christians to talk about Jesus. “Everything is good, until you bring up Jesus.” Is it really because of Jesus? Or is it because the only time they hear about Jesus is in the context of a high-pressure, evangelistic sales pitch from hypocritical Christians? Contrary to what we claim in our churches, the aversion people have to Christianity is not Jesus; it is Christians. So much so, that there is a documentary entitled, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, which tries to answer this specific question. I believe if we are honest with ourselves, the example of Ghandi is an an accurate reflection on our current status as disciples of Jesus. As a whole, we aren’t doing so well. It’s time we change that.Similar Posts:

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This is not at all in sequence with my previous posts. However, I had to get this out while it was fresh on my mind.

I live in the Bible Belt. As a matter of fact, I live in the Bible Belt Buckle. There’s a church on every corner, and it seems that most people profess at least a cultural connection to Christianity. They are a member of one church or another, whether or not they’ve attended in the last twenty years. They are still at least somewhat concerned with conservative Christian values. They generally place a strong value on family and have a good work ethic. Sure, we definitely have our share of agnostics and atheists (personally, I don’t believe they exist), but predominantly, most people around me are in some way connected to the church, whether they have strong convictions in any particular biblical value, or have even picked up a Bible in their lifetime. I call this Cultural Christianity.

Cultural Christians are so, because their “brand” of Christianity has been passed down to them from generations past. They may have never darkened the door of a church but to be baptized, nor opened their Bible longer than to inscribe the names of their children in the genealogical section beneath the cover. However, they call themselves a Baptist or a Methodist, and feel that they have a connection to an organism far greater than themselves. They are “Christian” more by association, than by faith or a living experience with the Living Redeemer. They are “members.”

While at first glance this seems quite innocuous, it reveals a deeper issue that lies beneath the surface. Quoting A. W. Tozer’s argument against Christians accepting Christ as Savior without accepting him as Lord, Dallas Willard makes a very interesting comment that helps to shock us into the perspective of our spiritual reality. First, he affirms Tozer’s statement that “salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.” He then goes on to say,

“This ‘heresy’ has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a ‘vampire Christian.’ One in effect says to Jesus, ‘I’d like a little of your blood, please. But I don’t care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won’t you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.’” ¹

Ouch! A vampire Christian? Yes – that hurts. But truth is often revealed in pain, because it breaks us out of our personal utopia and forces us to confront reality. I know that no one in their right mind would consciously say these words. However, Willard has uttered here the subconscious thoughts of all Cultural Christians. He has exposed the heart of those who would invoke the blood of the Messiah in order to wash away their sinful past, but continue to walk in stride with a life in which the Risen Lord has no place. Paul tells us that if we have life in the Spirit, then our daily walk (life) should also be “in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). If we are walking on our own path, rather than following in the dust of our Master, it should give us pause. Are we a “vampire Christian”? Have we insulted the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29)? Has our Cultural Christianity lulled us into a spiritual coma from which we cannot awaken? The gift of grace through the blood of the Risen Messiah is entirely free. Yet it cost Jesus his very life. Shouldn’t we at the very least give ours back to him, rather than merely feeding off of his blood?

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)

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