Five Goals for the New Year

Pray More

God desires that we offer several types of prayer, including prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, and supplication (prayers for others and ourselves). A balanced prayer plan for the new year should include each area (A.C.T.S.) of prayer.

1. Adoration: Read a Psalm a day and give praise to God from the prompts found in the Psalm.

2. Thanksgiving: Make a list of ten things you are thankful for each day. These can be for answered prayer, kind acts of people toward you, or kind acts from God (sunsets, “coincidences,” discoveries, and much more). Keep these in a small journal which will be reviewed the day before Thanksgiving.

3. Confession: Each day I need to check my behavior several times. A good way to do this is each time I get in the car I can ask if I have spoken unkindly, taken advantage of things I should have shared with other people, promoted myself more than I should have, or forgotten to praise the Lord for something in front of others.

4. Supplication: I need to make lists which I will check regularly. These include a prayer list of ongoing needs, relatives, leaders (including national leaders, those who guide me at work, or those who guide the people I care for), and friends (besides actual friends who you spend time with in person or talking to on the phone, you can pray through your friends on Facebook and other social media lists), and neighbors (those who live in your neighborhood and your community). Set a day when you will pray for each group and keep lists as necessary.

Read the Bible every day

Set one or two times and places where you will read your Bible.

1. The first could be in the morning before you get out of bed as you read a Psalm in order to prompt prayers of adoration and praise.
2. The second time of scripture reading will be determined by your daily schedule. You can also jot down a reading plan which will promote balanced Bible reading. Rather than Bible snippets or tweets I will read an entire chapter or section of the Bible daily.
3. You can read other passages as they are shared with you or as they come to mind every day.

Advance your work

Many people have jobs. A job can be paid or life callings (such as parenting) which are performed without pay. A new year offers a great time to review goals and accomplishments in each job. Make a list of jobs in which you are involved. Place on this list things which need to be accomplished in 2017. What were your accomplishments and failures in 2016? Place on your list how you will build on these or fix these in 2017. Set some timetables and check-up points through the year.

Exercise

The Bible says our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to take care of ourselves. I need to enforce several areas of personal care including eating correctly and a daily exercise plan. Sometimes this means doing things I hate (like calisthenics first thing in the morning, drinking more water).

Do Good for Others

Speak kind words daily and spread good deeds weekly. At least once a week during the new year, plan how you can share good beyond words in our world. This can include visiting the elderly (especially shut-ins or nursing homes), baking and taking cookies to neighbors, serving in your church, writing notes of encouragement (and sending by old fashioned postal mail), mentoring someone (perhaps younger than you), joining a co-worker to help them in a difficult project, raking leaves for a neighbor, paying it forward for a random person, or a multitude of other “good deeds.”

Life in a Twitter World

A New Year is rushing upon us. What will it bring? Sanity, civility, and satiety in our lives or confusion, conflict and scarcity?

Will the New Year rush upon us, or will we rush upon the year? Will we find time for things of meaning? In 2016 a few things stood out to me. There are fewer book stores and they do not stock as many books. People are reading less and surfing more. In the National Gingerbread Competition the homes were noticeably less detailed, which means people who normally spend time on their hobbies did not put as much into the thing they love.

We allow our minds to twitter between topics skimming the surface and digging deeply in nothing.  We flit from topic to topic, activity to activity and thing to thing. People act on flashes of fake news tweeting threats and ramifications. The tenor of our civilization today is to tweet out mean statements, anger, ultimatums and not niceness. Our twitting has produced an uptight and defensive society.

There are more twits in our society than ever. Stop! Think! What is a twit? Merriam-Webster says, “a silly annoying person : fool.” Urban Dictionary says, “The kind of person that makes a retarded chimp look smart.” The Free Dictionary says, “A foolishly annoying person. A reproach, gibe, or taunt. To taunt, ridicule, or tease, especially for embarrassing mistakes or faults.” Oxford Dictionaries say the word in 1930 described a talebearer.

 Some have chosen to counteract taunting tweets with Bible tweets. Here are the top Bible Tweets. Here are Twitter recommended Bible Tweets. And this site gives Chapterized Tweets, now available in paperback.

But is this what God wants? Beyond the tweet “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth,” (Ps 119:13) an oft quoted passage goes on to say, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” To meditate means: “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence.” The Bible tells us to slow down.

The Bible tells us to take time to “delight” in God’s decrees (Psalm 119:16) and to “rejoice” in following the “statutes” contained in scripture “as one rejoices in great riches.” (Psalm 119:14) The Psalmist asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The Bible says by taking time to memorize God’s word and by taking time to recount all the laws that God gives us.

The book of Psalms opens by saying, “Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.”

Will the New Year bring a rush for us or will it allow time to meditate on God’s law. Will this meditation bring tweets or the actions which bring real good to others? Let us make the most of the New Year and bring glory to the Great Name of God.

Its Not Over Yet!!

Well, the title might be misleading; Christmas is over, but Chanukah is not. We are in the second of eight days of the Festival of Lights (or Feast of the Dedication). The Jewish writings say one must rejoice every day of the festival.

The Jews at one point argued over how to light the candles on the Menorah. Hillel thought we should begin with one candle on the first day, two on the second day, and so forth until there are eight candles lit (plus the servant candle) on the final day. Shammai said there should be eight (plus one) candles lit on the first day, and as the holiday wore on there should be one less candle each night. The Rabbis decided to support Hillel’s idea because the holiday should grow on us and not diminish.

Even so, this season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or both, should grow in meaning and joy day by day into the New Year. And the spirit of the holiday should continue to grow day by day throughout 2017. (Unless there is a good reason, why should we worry or be sad next year?) So the point is to take one, two or three things which come out of the Christmas season (not material, but spiritual), and live them throughout the New Year. I have more about this in my book, Advent Journeys. There are devotions for all eight days of Chanukah.

I wrote in my last blog to “let your light shine.” Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Mt 5:14-16).

In 2017 we should be a witness to others. People are drawn to joy (which is why we all like Christmas) and light (as moths are drawn to light). While many might complain about the state of our world, the economy or the government, as Christians we must realize we have and we need to be something more. The only real way to change this world is from the inside out. And that means we must share what is inside: faith.

Jesus and Chanukah

The conversation comes up way too often. Someone says, “Merry Christmas.”

I reply, “Happy Chanukah.”

They say, “I thought you were a Christian. Christians don’t celebrate Chanukah.”

I reply, “Jesus did. When I celebrate Chanukah I think of Jesus.”

They reply, “Jesus did not. It was not even around then.” [Although I think they would rather say, “Why would Jesus do that, He wasn’t even Jewish.” But most know better or have enough doubt that they don’t want my answer on that one.]

The fact is, Jesus did celebrate Chanukah. It is recorded in John 10:22: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter.”

The Festival of Dedication was a time Jewish people stopped to thank God for restoring the Temple from the desecration of Antiochus Epiphanes, which is recorded in the New Testament also. “When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel (9:27; 12:11) —let the reader understand…’” (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14) The Abomination took place on the 25th day of Kislev (Jewish month), and Judas Maccabeus restored worship on Kislev 25 three years later. (The story is in our book Advent Journeys)

The problem which allowed the desecration of the Temple was not a mighty army entering Israel, but rather a people who blended with society. At first the people sought to dress and decorate their homes like Greeks (vases and colonnades, then the little figurines or idols). Then they blended more, with music and cultural habits. This extended to the family of the High Priest. The High Priest’s brother took a Greek name and then he took his brother’s office by deceit and bribery. The cultural shift opened the door for a tyrant to enter and take over.

Matthias (father of the Maccabees) was sickened by the cultural shift. He saw the things happening in Jerusalem and moved from the city to the country. Then, when he and his village were forced to bow down to an idol, he took his stand and refused to submit himself to the humiliation, to the soldiers or to the culture. A battle erupted, which the Jews won. Then worship was restored and the Jews were able to dedicate the Temple.

To remember the dedication, the Jewish people light a candelabrum called a menorah each night for eight nights (beginning tonight … Christmas Eve coincides with the first day of Chanukah this year). Jesus would encourage us, “let your light shine!”

Seventeen Months and Counting

I, and those who choose to go with me, will embark on a fourteen day trip to Israel in less than seventeen months, 500 days, May 5-18 2018 to be exact. I am looking forward to this trip, and to taking friends with me! (I hope you can go.)

Join us on a trip to Israel May 5-18, 2018

As with all good trips, this takes planning. Much planning has already gone into this endeavor, which was but a dream six months ago. At that time Sarah, Chelsea and I were in Israel. Sarah had just completed a dig at tel Gezer. Chelsea was beginning her program at Hebrew Union with David Illan to dig at Dan (we will visit both sites on our trip), and it was said, “Wouldn’t it be great to get a group of friends to come back to Israel in two years?”

Eating dinner in Jerusalem

We went out to dinner with Shlomo, who will probably be our Israeli tour guide, and discussed this trip. We talked about places we had just seen, and places we needed to see while in Israel.

Our tour leader standing on the Precipice near Nazareth

I then began talking to people and thinking about when this trip should occur. Finally, in November, I talked to John Delancey in order set the date for our trip and put the details in place. We looked at possibilities and talked about ideas. Then we looked at dates, availability of flights, hotels, sites, and meals. This month John e-mailed me the plan for our trip, and I am pleased to announce a May 6-19 trip to Israel. We will see a lot!

2018 Israel Tour sites and regions traveled

Our 2018 trip will begin in Tel Aviv where we will experience how the modern state of Israel was born.  We will proceed south through the regions where King David fought Goliath and where Samson lived to Beer-Sheva where Abraham stayed. We will proceed east to the Dead Sea, climb Masada and see where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found before we proceed north to the Sea of Galilee. We will visit areas where Jesus walked, and sites further north. After four nights on the Sea of Galilee we will travel south to Jerusalem, where we will spend the final four days of our tour.

City of Joppa with seaport

I’ll say it again (and keep repeating), my family and I would love for you to go with us (sign up, e-mail me, let me know you’re interested)!

Beautiful Bell Caves in Israel

Good trips take planning. This week in Advent Journeys, we read about the journey of the Magi from the East to Bethlehem. Their trip was planned in detail after seeing the star which appeared to announce the birth of the King of Israel. They gathered food, clothing, transportation, maps, star charts, and gifts suitable for a king.

Riding Camels in Israel

Our trip will take planning. In this blog I want to help those who are going on the trip to get more out of the experience. I will be writing about our upcoming travel plans over the next seventeen months. I will take twelve months to write about our stops (taking one month to write several blogs about each day in Israel) and also write about what a person needs to take with them and how to prepare for the trip. I will also produce a travel guide for each member who signs up so they can carry more detailed information on their tablets or kindle to Israel with them. I want us to be prepared for the best experience possible!

A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee

If you are going on the trip (or if you are not able to join us but would just like to follow along by internet) please 1) “follow” on the KosherCopy facebook page; 2) add me to your Google+ circle of friends; and 3) e-mail me so I can notify you when a new blog is produced.  I will also send you updates at the end of each day on our trip.

Trip to Bethlehem

I am pleased to announce a much anticipated 2018 trip to Israel. This trip will be like few others, with five guides who each have unique knowledge, perspectives and interesting stories to share while we are on the ground in Israel.

Dome of the Rock from the Mount of Olives

This week’s readings in the devotional Advent Journeys framed a portion of our upcoming trip to Israel as the Magi travel past Caesarea-Philippi, down the Hula Valley, around the Sea of Galilee and beyond through the Jordan River Valley. My trips to Israel helped me to understand much more of the Bible through the context of experiencing the geography of the land of Israel.  We will travel through the places and experience some of the sights (topography and fauna) seen by the heroes of our faith.

Advent Journeys, a book worth reading!

The first idea which developed into the book Advent Journeys was to walk the route of Joseph and Mary through central Israel. The events which occurred along this road framed our Bible and demonstrate God’s love and care for us in life, no matter where life takes us. The adventures which occurred along the Patriarch’s Highway, in the Jordan River Valley and at the other sites we will visit tell of God’s love, protection and gift of salvation.

The road from Nazareth across Jezreel Valley

As I laid out our trip I made sure we included the Jordan River Valley, the Via Maris (coastal highway) and an excursion to Shiloh. This site is north of Jerusalem along a route known as the Central Ridge Road which was traveled by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons, Joshua, Samuel, King David, Ezra, and Jesus. This route forms a portion of week two in Advent Journeys which I have only explored from satellite mapping, travel journals, the Bible and modern facebook pages. Now I will be able to travel this road in the comfort of an airconditioned bus and share its stories with you.

Satellite map showing the route of Joseph & Mary

We will travel the the Central Ridge Road (also known as the Patriarch’s Highway) in order to visit Shiloh, the site of Israel’s earliest place of worship known as the Tabernacle. We will see the extensive archaeological exploration at this site and discover its importance in the Bible. We will see Bethel, Mizpah, Ramah, Anathoth and other sites along the way.

From Nazareth looking to the east

Our trip will include Tel-Aviv, Joppa, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth, Sepporis, Galilee, Katzrin, Mt. Hermon, Mt. Arbel, Magdala, Jericho, Masada, Qumran, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Gezer, the Wilderness of Zin, Arid and Beer-Sheva: in other words, all areas of Israel. You will have the option of a nine day trip or a fourteen day excursion (Take the fourteen day excursion, this truly is the trip of a lifetime and will make the Bible come alive!)

The city of Joppa as seen from the Mediterranean beaches

I will make available for those who go with me not only an agenda for this trip, but also a detailed itinerary for those who enjoy reading, and desire to know where we are going so they can spend time looking around the places they have studied. I like to study a place before I go so I can spend my time away from home looking at and experiencing the land rather than playing catch up through readings or lectures. I will send these to be placed on a tablet or kindle which can be easily carried to Israel.

Exploring the Dome of the Rock and Temple Mount

I will soon have more details on my website, including travel dates and cost of the trip. To receive updates, learn about the trip or to sign up please like and follow KosherCopy on Facebook. With this blog I am inviting you to travel with me and come to see the Bible as only those who have set foot in the land of Israel can understand.

All that Glitters at Christmas

What makes Christmas bright? For many of us, attention is drawn to all the flashy luster that is part of this special season of the year. Possibly the most shining example of shimmering sheen in the season of Christmas are the lights. Starting in November and lasting through January, Christmas lights appear all over the place. In our neighborhood there are scintillating displays that glitter like tiny beacons after the all-too-soon setting of the sun brings darkness to our community. Beyond our subdivision, many other homes portray their love for the season using twinkling displays, moving lights, or even characters that sway as they burst with bright light. A few homes entertain passers-by with glitzy themes. Other residences show their value for quantity, teetering on the edge of gaudiness (a destination at which some have fully arrived). A few humble dwellings shine out with unbelievable extravagance. The glow of lights set out with great effort brings a welcome moment of joy and celebration for all.

Beyond the lights of the facade, many homes are filled on the inside with glittering, shimmering decor. Snowmen, snowflakes, skaters and icicles announce that the time is winter.  Candy canes, M&M’s and other mouth watering displays draw out the sweet tooth in us. Evergreen trees smothered with decor and tinsel share a hope that springtime will come again to break the cold and darkness. Displays of faith announce the real or historic reason we call this season Christmas.

The season draws out an expression of hope among merchants who fill stores with wares and line shelves with glittering trinkets which they hope we will buy. It is said that one out of every five merchandise purchases is made within thirty days before Christmas and produces three trillion dollars in sales on main street, mall row, byways stores and internet surfside displays.

Where did this all get started? Tradition tells us it was three kings who traveled the silk road from the east and brought the original glittering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But many in our secular world argue it was Santa Claus who dropped the original gold trinkets down chimneys into the stockings of the poor.  You can choose, but remember: One shiny gift brings only a quick flash of glitter, but a gift given with the love of Christ displays abiding light from within.

By some readings, both the Kings and Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) gave a one-time present. But when you look at the real Kings, and the genuine heart of the real St. Nicholas, you discover they each gave their gifts out of a heart seeking to please God. This Christmas, will you give presents that carry the glitters and glimmers of this world in order to impress, or will you give the gifts prayed over and driven by the love of Christ in order to embrace our world in an unbelievable way on that first Christmas morning?

Do Angels Sing?

A consistent theme of the Christmas story is the appearance of Angels to people. The story begins with an Angel who comes to Abraham on Mount Moriah and tells him, “through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” (Ge. 22:18, repeating the promise given by God in Ge. 12:3) The Angel also visits Zechariah (Luke 1), Mary (Luke 2), Joseph (Matthew 1), and shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem (Luke 2). These Angels are a major part of the Christmas story; they bring the good news and promises of God to earth.

This week in Advent Journeys we are experiencing Christmas through the journal of a shepherd. In Saturday’s journal this shepherd wrote how “an angel of the Lord appeared … and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” The angel said to the shepherd and his co-workers, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Then the Bible tells us, “a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”

There are many who tell us that Angels do not sing, because the Greek word used for the communication of the Angels in this passage is λέγω (legō), which means “to say or to speak.” The dictionary also tells us this word covers every kind of speaking: to bid, boast, call, describe, name, tell, utter. When this word is used in scripture (and in other places) most often it describes someone speaking or talking. But in a wider sense, this word conveys communication. What many ignore is that singing is a form of communication.

The truth which many scholars (who study this passage in a very narrow way) miss is that when multitudes of angels come together in communication it is most often through the medium of singing. The pattern of speaking which we see in this passage is a basis for the way we worship. Mary led Israel to worship through singing in Exodus 15. They continued singing as they traveled in the wilderness (Numbers 21:17) and as they settled in the land of Israel (1 Chronicles 6:31). God commanded Moses (Dt. 31:19), David (1 Chronicles 15:8) and others to write music.

The Bible tells us of the true songs of pure worship which are sung in heaven. These include ‘a new song’ which is sung in Revelation 5:9-10 “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” The angels also sang the new song of Moses, ““Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4)

The song of the angels to shepherds in fields outside of Bethlehem was a vibrant means of communication. “Fear not,” should explain to us we should fear neither hearing, speaking or singing the message of God. “Behold, I bring you Good News of Great Joy,” gives an example of how we should communicate the Gospel (good news) to those who have not heard. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” gives us the example that all of our music should be pointed to God (and not to we ourselves). This song also teaches (as does the song previously mentioned from Revelation 5) that as a result of our worship (and like the shepherds who “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child”) we should “be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”

The Apostle Paul tells us to be like the angels, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15-16). Never let anyone tell you not to sing the joyous message of Christ, especially at Christmas!