Spending time in prayer with her has blessed our personal relationship with The Lord, with our children and in our congregation as well. I believe when one truly pursues after God in prayer, he will learn the heart of The Lord thus increasing every other earthly relationship multi-fold.

The Shema is an ancient Jewish prayer. It is called the watchword of our faith. It is the common confession of all those who believe in the God of Israel. It is the morning and evening prayer of the observant. It is the command you must obey first to obey the commandments. It is the opening expression of the greatest commandment.

If any person says to you that they have the Holy Spirit and they deny God’s commandments, then that person is not speaking with the Holy Spirit. It is another spirit, the same deceiving spirit that can do “signs and wonders” and yet deny the Word of God.

Until we all return, the Messiah’s work is still in progress. Until we understand this and cooperate with it, we are not yet restored.

Have you ever heard the voice of God before? I’m not referring to seeking God’s will and sensing His direction, such as a call or an intuitive sense of direction. I am referring to His audible voice, out loud, to the extent that you were aware of a specific presence (direction of the voice) and tonal quality in His voice?

Defining leadership is a little like nailing jello to the wall. It is a very elusive and slippery proposition. Most people are unable to give a verbal definition. They know that leadership involves many things. It is about good judgment and decision-making. It is about inspiring others to accomplish more than they thought they could or keep them focused on a task through to completion.

Which is greater, the spiritual or the physical? The divide between these two realms takes many forms. Many decisions in life are made based on logic or emotion, with one prevailing over the other.  We have all heard the phrase “mind over matter,” which teaches us that the power of thought can overcome physical limitations.

Physical contact with anyone besides immediate family ceased. Shaking hands with someone, whether you know them or not, became a questionable practice. I believe if people continue to distance themselves from one another even after the crisis is over, we will struggle as a society to build new relationships. It is important for us to understand why we need contact with our fellow human beings. 

Hardship. Most of us have stories to tell of the hardships that we have experienced in life. Most of us can point to times in our lives where we really had to struggle in order to overcome our circumstances. Sometimes the difficulties we have overcome were forced upon us by outside forces beyond our control. Sometimes the difficulties were the result, either directly or indirectly, by our own behavior or actions. In either circumstance, as hard as those situations may have seemed, very few of us faced the same type of difficulties and hardship that a young Jewish woman named Hadassah faced.

Passover and spring are upon us. If you are like me, then you are anticipating the newness of life as the warmer weather brings a renewal of life to the trees, plants, and green grass. It is also the time of year to renewal of the story of Redemption. It is no wonder that God commanded us to keep the Passover in the spring, and that He used the Passover to give us the resurrection of the Messiah.