As Believers in Jesus in the 21st century, how can counting up toward a wheat harvest festival hold any significance for us?

Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.

Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.

Working from home is one of the biggest changes to my life over the last few months. I’ve found that little things like stopping for my morning coffee, complaining about traffic, and listening to my favorite morning talk show bring me joy. One thing I don’t miss is picking out what I’m going to wear every day. I’m challenged when it comes to fashion ☹. Despite my struggle and even though I’m working from home; I still get dressed every day. The action helps me prepare my mind to work and I’m ready just in case something out of the ordinary happens.

Jerusalem Day commemorates the second shortest war in history, which arose between the enemies of Israel and the young Jewish country. It occurred from June 5 to June 11, 1967, and is aptly named the Six-Day War.

Ephesians chapter 3 has one of the most beautiful illustrations of the love of God in the entire Bible. First, I have to preface that statement with the fact that I’m a former supply chain manager who was tasked with scheduling truckloads of food for delivery to restaurants. Space was always at a premium and I was always finding new ways to maximize the space I was given. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives an invitation to pray for the strength to understand the size and depth of the love of Yeshua.

Join us for a special online event of encouragement, inspiration and hope! A Yom Kippur Event Wednesday, September 8th | 8 PM EST.

If you’re like me, you love reminders. I have reminders everywhere; my workspace is full of sticky notes reminding me of tasks. My phone is set to remind me of birthdays, anniversaries and when to pay bills. I even have a reminder to check my reminders. Chapter 1 of Ephesians serves as our reminder of who we are in Messiah and how Mighty our God is! The Apostle Paul reminds followers of Yeshua of two foundational truths.

Our God is the God of hope! As Paul draws his treatise to the Roman community of faith in Jesus to a close, he invokes the LORD as the God of hope. Inside of His own existence, there is hope. Though He is the God of all things, Paul is highlighting that he is the God of hope specifically. That should be an encouragement to us!

In his letter to the community of faith in Jesus in Galatia, Paul tells them that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Patience is the by-product of our character having been re-formed by the indwelling Spirit of the living God. We can lean on the Holy Spirit for patience and we can feed the activity of that Spirit in us with the Scriptures. Join us as we look to the Scriptures to build up patience.