Learning Hebrew

I have decided to learn Hebrew. I prayed about a language to learn. My life is not so complicated right now, but I find a peace learning how to express what I feel in other languages. I think its amazing that there are so many different languages out there and so many more dialects, and it all started at Babel. I sometimes switch praying from English to Spanish to Portuguese and now Hebrew. There is a deepness I feel knowing that my Jesus understands all, and even more of a profoundness when I recite blessings in Hebrew. Saying the Lord's Prayer in Hebrew at first sounded so foreign (naah DUHH), but slowly is becoming more familiar. But I wanted to share something I learned in my studies. I am practicing how to write the alphabet and in studying the first letter "ALEPH" I learned something remarkable. You see, every letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a meaning and a purpose and a story. The first letter represent God. God being the first of everything and being Supreme above all else. And the letter itself is given a number (gematria). The number for ALEPH is 1. Again symbolizing God being the one and only ALMIGHTY. Well in the Bible we are all familiar with Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. In the Hebrew it is written more like "In the beginning created God the Heavens and the Earth. Well the word for "created" is the Hebrew word "bara". So you have: "In the beginning "bara"... ". Well the word "bara" can be broken down to " bar a". The word "bar" is the word used for "son of". So translated would be "In the beginning son of "a"". Again the letter "A" represent God, "In the beginning Son of God". JESUS. He's there in the first verse of the Bible! My Jesus, my savior. Hebrew is very difficult, but Hebrew letters are not just drawings that indicate a sound, they are individual and each have a history and a meaning, not just a sound. They also hold a numeric value that also means something in itself. I am discovering a new depth to my Lord that I never knew existed. I am so honored to be his child and be included in His inheritance.

God's Calculator

I was listening to a pastor yesterday and a phrase he used made my little mind whirl. He said, ". . .  and using God's calculator . . .". I don't remember what context he was using it in, but I do remember it grasping my attention. I thought long and hard and realized that according to our standards, God's calculator doesn't add up. Math is logic. 2 + 2 will always equal 4. No matter what mood I am in, the answer stays the same. Even if all the two's in the worlds are racist, misogynistic, bigots! 2 + 2 = 4. Even if I don't like the answer. You get the point.Although there are definitely absolutes in the Bible, there are also many "formulas" that don't add up. Here are some that I noted and had fun researching:

1 > 99
Matthew 18:12-14
Here Jesus uses normal life to describe how God is willing to sacrifice security for his sheep to rescue a pesky one. He leaves a whole herd of 99 sheep to look for a sheep that may already be dead. It doesn't make sense to endanger so many for the cost of one. But He does and it makes perfect sense to Him. Not Logical

$10.00/day is equal to $10.00/hour
Matthew 20:1-16 
Here  all workers get paid the same regardless of how much time they worked. Sounds communist to me! This goes against all that is AMERICAN! Is what I want to shout when I read this parable. That's not fair. I would be so angry if I was one of the ones hired in the morning. But the owner says, it's his money, he could do what he wants with it. True, but it's still unfair. No industry would survive if it paid out like that to workers that worked 1/8th of the allotted time and where paid 100% of an 8 hour day.No logic

First is Last and the Last is First
Matthew 19:30 
THe attractive ones, the ones always on top, the ones with all the money, the ones we want to be our friends. Those are the Last. The poor, the ugly, the humble, the starved, the ones that can't get it together. Those will be First. I want to be first in Heaven, but I dont want people not to like me. I heck as don't want to be last in Heaven, but I want to be loved by all.

A Stuttering Man Communicates God's Laws
Exodus 4
Out of all the men that God could have chosen to communicate to Pharaoh, to communicate his Law to a people, to communicate His order, He picks Moses, a man with a speech impairment. A man who KNOWS he has a speech problem. (Some people like to hear themselves speak and don't realize how annoying they are). Doesn't Make Sense, I would have chosen someone like, "Hmmm whose a good orator and full of hot air, maybe Barack Obama! ha ha ha JUUUUSSST KIDDDING! BUt Moses wouldn't have been my first choice.

In so many instances God/Jesus uses the lowliest, the ugliest, the smallest to make His point. It doesn't matter where you came from, it doesnt matter what you've done or continue to do, it doesnt matter if you're one of the pesky ones that endangers the rest. God is willing to do the illogical to show just  how much he cares for you. God's calculator doesn't add up, and thank God for us that it doesn't. Because sin + unrepentance = HELL!!!! And I fit in the first part of the formula, but not the second. Here's another formula God uses:
sin(to the nth degree) + forgiveness = REDEMPTION. It doesn't matter how big my sin is, it doesn't matter if I have hated Him all my life. If I ask for forgiveness and mean it, I am redeemed. Whether anyone else likes it or not. Whether someone screams: THAT'S NOT FAIR!
Grace doesnt make sense, that's the beauty of it. Sometimes God doesnt either, that's the beauty of Him. Like John the Baptist screamed: He can turn any of these stone to Abraham's children!But He wont because He'd rather go through the grime of sin, be nailed to a cross and enter the darkness of our heats and minds than give up on us. He is also willing to use the one who are thought useless and showing His power through them. How many broken bodies and broken hearts has our Lord used to bring healing. How much hope has our Lord brought by using those who were hopeless. How much love has our Lord brough by using those who were hated. If your life is unorganized, if it's out of control, if you can't continue another day, PRAISE ALMIGHTY JESUS - YOU are what God is looking for. In weakness on He finds Strength. In Darkness, He finds LIght. In Despair, He finds Hope. In Lost, He finds YOU.

I am thankful His calculator is "faulty". I would be in Hell and you probably would be too if it "worked".

Today's Children Devotional: Circumsicion, Homosexuality, Beatings and Polygamy

I found some interesting stuff on the Jewish Calendar. I remember receiving a post from Desirae saying taht she had spent the night outside in honor of Sukkot. Well I looked that up and felt like I should have done that with my family and really regretted not doing the same. (THanks Desirae for opening a new world to me yet again!) So I found there what is called a PARSHAH which basically is a section of scripture that is read a loud or with the family. So I decided to do that with Rami. We light a candle every night to remember that God provided a light for the Israelites at night during the wilderness, and we have added onto that remembering taht WE are to be a LIGHT to this dark world.

So last week was the week we read the Cheved which included the story of Sarai beating Hagar, Abram taking a second wife Hagar and the explanation of circumcision. Yeah Rami was wide-eyes the whole time and winced when I described what circumsicion was. He felt violated because HE was circumcized as a baby and was a bit upset with me that I had done taht to him. He also couldn't believe Abram could marry someone else AT THE SAME time as being already married. And how could SARAI beat up HAGAR when it was Sarai's idea in the first place. He also was astonished that God's people had SLAVES. HOW COULD THEY! HOW MEAN! So here I was reading the Bible. ANd Rami is just jaw-dropped. We then read about ABRAM hacking 3 animals in half as an offering to God and just killing the doves. Rami couldn't believe that people could be so cruel to animals. He's like "Its not even food for them, they just kill it.". I explained that killing an animal and spilling it's blood was necessary to cover for the sins.  I gave him an example. I said, "Well sweetie, if you lied you would have to go buy a dove and take it to the pastor(priest I know, but i tried to keep it simple for him) The pastor would then slit its throat and spill its blood on an altar. The dove had to die because of your sins." Rami was shocked. He said "Well I would sin less if that had to be done!" I couldn't help but laugh. But I then explained to him that we don't have to do that anymore. That JEsus sacrificed himself to pay for our sins once and for all. "So Jesus saved a bunch of animals also besides us then, right mom?" Rami then said. It was pretty awesome teaching him that. I also tried explaining the circumsicion of the heart, but he said it hurt to much and he didn't want to hear anymore. HE had had enought blood, guts, beatings and foreskin for a day! But Rami got it, he saw Abram in his mind, sacrificing an animal to cover his sin, and the next picture was JEsus sacrificing himself for our sins. Jesus is all over the Old Testament!

In our culture we tend to stay away from these stories in the Bible. We want to "beautify" God's word and tell of only the pretty stories. BUt there is a lot of other stuff in there that might paint a clearer picture to our children and what Jesus did for them. The BIble isn't pretty and neither is Christianity. We want to keep our children innocent. That they are too young to hear about slaves being beat and a man taking two wives. But at the same time, our society is beating stuff into them.

This week is Vayeira week. It covers the 3 visitors, Sodom and Gomorrah and Lots daughters. AHHHH. I didn't want to do this one. Because of all the homosexuality in it. Rami "knows" a couple of teens that are "gay". So in my mind I know he is going to ask about them and their sin. The whole world is telling Rami that being GAY IS OKAY! And here I am afraid of reading him a story about just how much God hates homosexuality as a sin.So much that he destroyed two cities because of it. I am afraid he might see a gay person and say "HEY! GOD says you're not supposed to be gay. Haven't you heard of Sodom and Gomorrah!!!" But God bless him if he does. I am so afraid he might offend someone or stand up in school and say ITS WRONG!" To HELL with my fear! Homosexuality is WRONG, but I wont tell anyone who is gay that because I might hurt their feelings! When did I become such a wimp? I am going to read this story to my son, because if I dont feed him God's truth, someone else will feed him the truth of this world.

I will keep you posted on how it goes!

For more info on these awesome practices go to chabad.org