There is a REASON why The Star Spangled Banner is the National Anthem of the United States, and NOT “America the Beautiful”, “The Black National Anthem” or “This Land Is Your Land”!!! There are some of us in the United States who have not forgotten our purpose for being here… the Land of the FREE, and the Home of the Brave.
Steven Millhorn, a very good friend of mine, sent this to me. Now, I proudly share the story with you.
Beyond the measure of culpability in deliberate omissions, reworks and additions resulting from anti-Jewish theological bias (for example, in Romans 10:4 the Messiah is “the goal at which the Torah aims,” not “the end of the law”) there is a lack of understanding of the ways in which the Hebrew mind views the world that, unless you come from this Jewish culture, escapes most of us.
For instance, John 20:3-9 describes Peter entering the tomb where Y’shua had been laid after His ordeal on the cross. In this passage is noted the “napkin, which was around His head, not lying with the linen clothes.” That verse, translated strictly from the Greek, is correct. What is lost in transliteration, however, is that the “napkin” described there is really a Jewish “tallit” which was why it was laying neatly folded, separate from the other clothes. Not having a Hebrew background would make it difficult understanding what was actually meant behind these Hebrew words.
When every Jewish boy turns 13 years of age, he becomes a bar mitzvah (literally - son of the commandment) and is obligated to begin to observe the commandments of Moses. At that time, he is given a tallit that he takes with him everywhere he goes for the rest of his life for use in his morning prayer. It is what is draped “around” or, more precisely, over the head during prayer and, traditionally, that same tallit is placed over the head of one who has died as they lie in their grave or tomb. That garment has fringes or strings on the corners called “lights” and, when not being used, is to be folded in a certain manner so that the lights all hang together from the same corner.
What is notable about this same event as described in Luke 24:12, has Peter “wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.” Peter was not yet fully aware of all that was happening, but since he saw the tallit was properly folded and away from the rest of the clothes, he knew for certain the Romans had not taken His Master because no Roman soldier would have known what a tallit was, let alone how to properly fold one, as Y’shua would have. When He arose from the dead, while still in the tomb, Y’shua removed the tallit from off his head, neatly folded it and laid it separately from the rest of His clothing - as He had done every day of His life from the time He was a boy, probably without thinking much about it because it had become second nature to him, a matter of habit.
What is significant about this one word, “napkin”, is how it illustrates the lack of understanding a Greek mindset possesses when looking at scripture - and when looking at who He is in Truth. Y’shua was and remains Jewish. He never distanced Himself from His People - not even in death. Think on this - there is not, nor has there ever been, another race of people on the planet upon whom God has declared, “These are My People.” Romans 11 tells us that it is WE, the Gentiles, who have been grafted INTO the Jewish root - not the other way around. It is BECAUSE of the Jewish THROUGH whom the Promise came, enabling us all to come into the Presence of the Father today.
By: haRold Smith in Jerusalem, Israel: http://hethathasanear.com
I cannot say enough good about Amy Grant. Her heart is golden. She has been so precious to Mom and Dad, and her note to me was so sweet.
As I watched the following, tears swelled in my eyes, as this song has touched the depths of my heart for so long. And, to have such a sweet person as Amy help me experience what the song is trying to portray, touched me deeply, as I know it touches Amy, as well. I hope it does the same for you.
Sandy, my Bud and Webmaster in Fort Worth, Texas, sent this to me this morning. It is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!! We checked it out on “Truth of Fiction“. Please feel free to do the same.
In this election year, it makes one shake off all the dirt, and realize what is REALLY going on, and pride in our country rises to the surface. Thank God for these boys and girls who put their lives on the line to protect us.
For those who are unaware, at a military theater, the National Anthem is played before every movie.
From a Chaplain in Iraq:
I recently attended a showing of “Superman 3,” here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through The National Anthem the music stopped.
Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments; and everyone would d sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place. Here, the 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen?
Even here I would imagine laughter, as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start. But here, you could have heard a pin drop. Every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off: “…And the rockets red glare, The bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free, And the home of the brave.”
It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq. I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here. Remember them as they fight for you! Pass this along as a reminder to others to be ever in prayer for all our soldiers serving us here at home and abroad. For many have already paid the ultimate price.
Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins
LSA Anaconda is at the Ballad Airport in Iraq, north of Baghdad
Oldest Church?
June 11, 2008 — Archaeologists in Jordan have discovered a cave underneath one of the world’s oldest churches and say it may have been an even more ancient site of Christian worship.
An outside expert expressed caution about the claim.
Archaeologist Abdel-Qader Hussein, head of the Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies, said this week that the cave was unearthed in the northern Jordanian city of Rihab after three months of excavation and shows evidence of early Christian rituals.
The cave is under St. Georgeous Church, built in A.D. 230, making it one of the oldest churches in the world, along with one unearthed in the Jordanian southern port of Aqaba in 1998 and another in Israel discovered in 2005.
Hussein said there was evidence that the underground cave was used as a church by 70 disciples of Jesus in the first century after Christ’s death, which would make it the oldest Christian site of worship in the world.
He described a circular worship area with stone seats separated from a living area that had a long tunnel leading to a source of water. He said the early Christians hid there from persecution.
A mosaic inscription on the floor of the later church of St. Georgeous above refers to “the 70 beloved by God and the divine” who founded the worship there.
Thomas Parker, a historian at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, who led the team that discovered the church in Aqaba, said that while he hadn’t seen the Rihab site, any such claim should be taken with a degree of caution.
“An extraordinary claim like this requires extraordinary evidence,” he said. “We need to see the artifacts and dating evidence to suggest such an occupation in the 1st century A.D.”
Parker asked how archeologists could be certain whether the “cave was actually a center of Christian worship.”
The archaeologist also noted that mosaics are difficult to date unless there is a precise date in the text of the mosaic inscriptions themselves and typical mosaic inscriptions with Christian themes are from the 5th to 6th century.
“It’s quite possible that there was a cave with earlier occupation which was later converted to Christian use. But to make the jump that this was actually used by Christians fleeing Jerusalem in the 1st century A.D. seems like a stretch to me,” Parker said.
Archimandrite Nektarious, Bishop Deputy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Amman hailed the discovery, calling it an “important milestone for Christians all around the world and right here at home.”
“It confirms that Christians in this region are not strangers,” he said. “They are real citizens who have always had roots in this region from those days until the present.”
Claudia and I really liked the following “Musings” on Music, written by one of our listeners, Brook, who happens to be a Yentl - a woman who loves the study of the Torah. She is a Messianic Jew, who loves her people, and loves the history and teachings.
This is REALLY quite good, as are all of her Musings, and well worth your time to read, giving you great insight into the Jewish mindset and the reasons behind some of the Biblical passages.
My love of music has led me into an informal study of music and singing in Jewish tradition. As you know, all prayers and blessings in Judaism are sung in Hebrew…they are never spoken…and the tunes are thousands of years old. Even readings from the Torah are sung…again to tunes that are ancient.
The Jews have a real love for music and find expression the best with the harp. There are 2 kinds of harps, a kinnor which has 8 strings and is commonly referred to as King David’s harp and a nevel which is a lap harp that has 22 strings and half levers to really change the tones.
The Jewish Sages tell us that when Messiah comes, he will add 2 more strings to the kinnor and change the octave to a dectave (think that is what it would be called). Right now, 10 string kinnors are being built in Jerusalem by the House of Harrari (American Jews who made aliyah to Israel…they are master harp builders and have restored the ancient kinnor and nevel) as the religious Jews believe Messiah is coming very soon.
The 22 strings on the nevel correspond to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each string is named after a letter.
Jewish tradition tells us that when G-d created everything, He did so while playing a 22 string nevel and that He sang everything into existence.
It is interesting that in the book of Revelation, John writes that G-d has given all the inhabitants of heaven a harp.
The Jewish prophets and prophetesses also sang their prophecies…they did not speak them or just write them down. Jewish tradition states that the prophet would sit quietly and strum upon a kinnor or a nevel and wait upon G-d. The prophet would then feel the presence of a hand upon his/her shoulder…would open his/her mouth…and sing the words that G-d had placed in his/her mouth.
In the days of the Second Temple, there were many visitors from other lands who came to Jerusalem to see the wonder of the Temple and to conduct trade. Some writings from these mostly Greek and Roman visitors remain which shed some light on to the everyday life of the Second Temple era Jew. They record that virtually every Jew had a small kinnor that was tied to a belt about their waist…that they sang all the time…work songs…prayers…blessings…etc. One traveler stated that when one got within a certain distance of Jerusalem (think it was several miles if I remember correctly) that you could hear the harp music coming from the city and surrounding areas.
In the Second Temple, there was a great nevel…it was placed upon a stand in one of the courtyards and the breezes would move along the strings and the nevel would play beautiful tunes. The Jews thought it was G-d playing the nevel.
When the Jews were led into Babylonian captivity at the end of the First Temple period, they hung their harps in the branches of the trees as they would no longer sing the songs of their land. Think this is referenced in either Jeremiah or Lamentations?
Personally, I think Messiah sung the Sermon on the Mount. The way that “sermon” goes is very much structured like a song. Ever see the movie The Robe? There is a scene in it where Marcellus, the Roman Centurion who crucified Jesus, is having a discussion with a woman in Cana who is crippled. But she plays a kinnor and sings for the people in the town. I thought it interesting that she sang the words of Jesus while strumming the kinnor.
Bill Gaither introduces Buddy Green at the harmonica…
Our good friend in Miami, Jim, sent this to Claudia and me. As I watched, tears came to my eyes. I saw the tender mercies of our Father, and what will be in our Heavenly Home.
Jim writes, “There is a sermon of truth in this short clip! When the Lion Returns it will be with great love and affection!”
There’s no sound.
These 2 guys reared this lion from a baby in England but the authorities would not allow them to keep it once it reached maturity so they were forced to give it up. They took it back to Africa and placed it in a wildlife sanctuary. A year later they went to see it and were told it would not remember them. Watch the expressions on the lion’s face.
Before posting this I checked to see if it was correct. This version accurately quoted Rush Limbaugh (some that are circulating are not accurate). Unfortunately, the figures are correct. When are we going to do something about this?!!!
A BIG “Thank You” to Bob Fraga of Pacheco, California for sending this along to us.
Subject: The Truth Is
Rush Limbaugh transcript from March 11, 2002I think the vast differences in compensation between the victims of the September 11th casualty and those who die serving the country in uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either because you just don’t criticize anything having to do with September 11th. Well, I just can’t let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.
If you lost a family member in the September 11th attack, you’re going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million. If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000, direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there’s a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.
Keep in mind that some of the people that are getting an average of $1.185, million up to $4.7 million, are complaining that it’s not enough.
We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11th families are getting.
In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well. You see where this is going, don’t you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It’s just really sad.
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