Chanukkah Giveaway! {CLOSED}

The winner is..... Moriah M. congrats! 

I am so excited to be getting to offer you all a giveaway from the lovely Peaches and Cream Studio!

I met the owner, Victoria, this year during Pesach and got to spend time fellowshipping with her lovely family. So when she told me about this giveaway offer, I was thrilled! She has graciously offered to send one of you a set of 8 Chanukkah art prints! 

I wanted you to get to know Victoria a little so I asked her to share about her shop, and how she got started.

"For years my family and friends have told me that I needed to start an Etsy shop, and in 2013 it finally became a reality! Growing up, I was constantly drawing- whether it was at an easel next to my artist sister or doodling in my textbooks (oops!). My grandmother taught me how to use her sewing machine when I was 8, and whenever I wasn't drawing I would be sewing any textiles I could get my hands on! 

As a seamstress and artist, my designs for my Etsy shop are always derived from faith and family, but they are also influenced by my experience in Israel in 2014. Although I am not Jewish, I fell in love with the culture + traditions, as well as the rich and vibrant diversity. 

The story of my art prints came about one day as I was browsing Etsy for Messianic/Jewish artwork. I was disappointed by what I found- much of what I saw was rather chaotic, with unappealing color palates and steep price tags. I was looking for something clean but bold, chic but still in touch with tradition. I wanted something to hang on my walls that put a sparkle into an age-old way of life, something that would bring a new dimension to timeless heritage. 

I didn't find what I was looking for, so I decided that I would just have to create my own! I'm excited to share my work with the Etsy community, and I hope it fills a need that I saw was lacking. I keep my prices affordable for everyone, because I'm a bargain-hunter at heart myself. All my prints are printed on sturdy cardstock and ready to be put into frames as soon as they arrive in your mailbox!"

 These are the prints being offered, aren't they great!?

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High Holy Days 5775

The High Holidays are upon us. Can you feel it?

I personally am really excited for a new year. A fresh start. I'm excited about taking on a few more mitzvot and tending to the mitzvot I already observe with extra attention. Some of my goals for 5775 are:

1.)  Better organize my days by using a checklist
2.)  Find a weekly learning program for learning Torah and Hebrew
3.)  Read my Bible and daven daily
4.)  Work on my "domestic arts" by creating a cleaning schedule and meal planning
5.)  Eat regularly (I tend to skip meals) and work out
6.)  Learn zemirot!
7.)  Reach out more to the community around me
8.)  Work on the mitzvot I already observe and slowly take on more as I learn with my rabbi or mentor
9.)  Read books more often
10.) Work on my photography for at least an hour a week

I feel like addressing these things will help me to be who Hashem created me to be and will help me to feel better all around.

So what about you? Do you have a plan for 5775?

L'shanah tovah tikatevu!

My how time flies...

Wow time as really zoomed by! Chag haMatzot (feast of unleavened bread) is over, and we're already on day 5 of counting the omer. These last few weeks have been pretty exciting. Our family has been enjoying fellowship with some new friends that have become very dear to us, and just getting to experience all that YHVH has in store for us. The next feast is Shavuot/Pentecost which will be at the end of the Omer count. But until then it's back to business as usual.

This last year has been a bit odd since my hubby has been home with us. But he has started back working again! HalleluYah!!! We are very excited and I'm getting readjusted to being home alone with the girls. The first day was a bit crazy but we're getting used to it slowly but surely.

Lately I have been in serious prayer about being a mom. This job is SO important and I really don't want to mess it up. So I've been spending lot's of time on my knees. With that YHVH has been showing me some things that have been a HUGE help.

One of the things that I'm working on is secular TV. We don't have cable but we use services like Netflix, and Hulu, so the girls have been able to watch different children's shows. But I've seen weeds that are sprouting up in them from these things so we are totally removing it with the exception of Shalom Sesame which we have on DVD so we get to avoid commercials. This isn't the first time we've done something like this but I think this is the most drastic change we've undergone.

Initially I tried to just keep the tv off but I noticed that it was a real struggle for us all. So now the plan is to just replace the "bad" with "good". We watch documentaries about families, or nature, as well as shows like 19 Kids and Counting. That's pretty much it, unless hubby decides to get a movie or something. It's been working for right now, and the ultimate goal is to cut down to practically no tv at all.

The other area that I'm working on is homeschooling. I am so guilty of expecting too much and then getting discouraged when it doesn't happen. If you remember at the start of the "school year" I had a great plan of action, but then when reading wasn't working out I got frustrated and then started trying other curricula. I didn't stick to my convictions and the plans that I had laid out.

That's not a cycle I'd like to continue, so I've been asking Elohim to show me the best way to teach the girls, so that my expectations don't hinder them. He has been leading me towards the Charlotte Masson approach, which is summed up in this quote: “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.”

With using this approach there is A LOT of reading. Instead of texts books and worksheets, we read and learn through "living books" which are books that are usually a first hand account of some thing. Also we will be working on character traits (called habits by CM). I posted once before about our training Bible, and that will be our main text for all character lessons, copy work, and reading lessons. In addition we will be reading other books that reinforce what we are attempting to learn. Math skills will be taught using manipulatives.

I'm really excited about trying this new approach and I'm seeing that it really is very compatible with Deuteronomy 6:7 which is our personal education approach.

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. -Deut 6:7

Appointed Times

image via google

My husband and I have been studying about the Biblical calculation of time. We've found some very interesting things, that have changed our convictions. In the past I had heard that people used the moon to determine when the moedim {appointed times} were. But I didn't fully understand it, and truthfully didn't have the desire to figure it out. But after some reading and studying I see that it's actually very important. Especially now that were are gearing up for the spring feasts. 

Let's start from the beginning. In Leviticus 23 YHVH establishes His set-apart moedim "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts." -Lev 23:2 

As we read on we learn exactly what these feasts are, and when they are to be kept. We read about: 

• Shabbat {the sabbath}
• Pesach {passover}
• HaMatzot {unleavened bread}
• HaBikkurim {first fruits}
• Counting the OmerShavuot {pentecost}
• Yom Teruah {day of trumpets}
• Yom Kippur {day of atonement}
• Sukkot {tabernacles}

All of these feasts are important and we are commanded to keep them at the time set by YHVH. This is why figuring out when to keep them is so important. In psalm 104:19 we see that "He {YHVH} appointed the moon for seasons." The Hebrew word translated as seasons is moed which is the singular of moedim, meaning appointed time(s). 

So now that we have that figured out the next thing is determining when does a month begin? A month starts at the first sighting of the new {or renewed} moon. Now this isn't the non-existent moon but rather the very first sliver of a crescent moon. At the first sighting of it, in Israel, we know all over the world that it is time for a new month!

Now I know your probably thinking why do I have to do all of that when I have a calendar? Our modern calendars are Gregorian and therefore they are not accurately lined up with scripture. So when we see in scripture that something is to be in the first month on the fifth day, that is not saying January 5th. The Gregorian calendar is based on the sun, and the Biblical calendar is based on the moon.

Back to Leviticus 23. In verse 5 we read "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover." The word translated month is chodesh which means new moon.  Now we know that every month starts with a new moon. This means that the most efficient way to tell time and to make sure that you are meeting with YHVH is to go by the moon. There are many sites that provide information on moon sightings and on the search for aviv/abib barely, which is part of determining a new year, if you'd like to read more about it in detail. 

In Exodus 34:18 we learn when Passover is supposed to happen. " The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt." The significance of this isn't so much a month being called aviv/abib but rather the condition of the barely. Aviv/abib is simply when the barely is ripe, but not fully matured. So this in conjunction with the new moon is how the first of the year is determined. 

Having to do research, versus just looking at a calendar, takes some getting used to but it's awesome to know that you are in line with the Creator! Today is the first day of the potentially last month of the year. If the aviv barley is spotted then we know that next month Passover will be 14 days after the new moon! I'm very excited because this will be the first year we have other families to fellowship with. I believe this year will be a great year for my family!  

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. -Psalm 1:1-3

Creating Traditions

The time leading up to Yom Teruah {or Rosh Hashanah} is a time of reflection. We want to make sure that our children are sensing the importance of this time and that we are constantly pointing them back to our Heavenly Father. So this year we've decided to take on the Jewish tradition of Tashlich {or casting off}.

This is done by casting small pieces of bread, representing our sins,  into a body of water. We also incorporated a teaching about sin and repentance. My husband read verses about sin and how we all sin, then verses about not covering up our sins. 

Our girls are so young there's no telling if it will have made any impact, but as they grow up we'd like to continue to do this and really take some time to pray with them about different sins they may be struggling with. 

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. -Micah 7:18-20

A Call To Righteousness {part 2}

As we saw in part 1, Elul is the month that we prepare ourselves. While of course we can get closer to God at anytime there is always room for improvement and we can all stand to get closer to our Abba. So why not do it now?

In the first 7 chapters of Nehemiah the people began rebuilding a wall to protect themselves from the heathens around them. Let's now examine the next 6 chapters to see how they got right with God after the wall was complete. 

First, the people learned God's commands. Nehemiah 8:1-8 talks about how Ezra read the book of the law {Leviticus} and how the levites {in v. 7} "caused the people to understand the law". We can apply that to our own lives by taking the time time to read God's law. People are often quick to say that they are not under the law because of salvation is Yeshua {Jesus} and while yes we are free from the punishment of not keeping the law, that doesn't mean the law is not still pleasing to YHVH. 

See the law has never been what gave salvation. Salvation has ALWAYS BEEN by grace through faith. Those saints that made it to Heaven from before Jesus came, got there because of their trust, and faith, in God {see Hebrews 11}. It was not through the perfect keeping of the law. They couldn't even keep the law perfectly, that's why they had to do sacrifices. So the law was never for salvation but always to create a holy people. God has always said "Be ye holy, for I am holy" {1 Peter 1:16} that has always been His desire. To have a people that are holy, or set apart, for Himself. So that still applies to us, He still wants us to be holy! Would you commit to read through the Scriptures and ask the LORD to show you what He desires from you? I'm not suggesting that you make a list of rules and begin trying to keep them all in your own flesh. YOU CAN'T! But what you can do is seek out His will on this matter for your life. 

Secondly, the people began keeping His feats. You can't come before our Holy God, looking for His presence, and not be moved to do something. You just can't. He is holy and we are not, therefore we will want to change after having a real encounter with Him. So after they understood the law, they began keeping His set apart Holy Days {8:9-18}. They started with what they could. 

Thirdly, the people confessed their sins {9:1-4}. This step is one that will need to be repeated over and over again. Once you know God's laws you should be convicted of your sin. See the law should not puff us up and make us think "oh yea I got this". It should bring you to your knees, with a humble heart! All those laws that you haven't kept, all the sins that you have committed, Jesus took that on. He took on the sins of the ENTIRE WORLD to be separated for the very first time EVER from YHVH. He did that FOR YOU! If that doesn't move you to repentance, then I don't know what to tell you. 

Fourthly, the people committed to be set-apart followers of YHVH {10:28-39}. Making such a  commitment doesn't mean you'll be perfect. It just means you are asking for the Ruach HaKodesh {Holy Spirit} to guide you and help you to honor God in all things. 

Fifthly, the people cleansed themselves from the world {13:1-9}. Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. {v.3} As followers of God we are called to be separate from the world. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.-2 Corinthians 6:17 

That means that we are not to look and act like the world, but rather act like children of El Elyon {the Most High God}. We shouldn't be so wrapped up in the things of this world that we neglect the things of God!

Lastly, the people committed not to inner-marry {13:23-30}. If you've ever heard the term "unequally yolked" you know exactly what I'm talking about; children of God marrying unbelievers. If you've ever been a believer, while your spouse was an unbeliever, then you know the pain of being unequally yolked. Our Abba in His infinite wisdom commanded us not to intermarry so that we can avoid the many hardship that come with it.  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? - 2 Corinthians6:14

These six steps are an excellent starting place to seeking the Lord on the issue of personal righteousness. Especially now that we are getting very close to the fall chagim {holidays}. Don't wait, seek the Lord and see what He has in store for you. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. -Matthew 5:6

A Call To Righteousness {part 1}

Lately in my quiet time with the Lord I've been seeing how we are called to have personal righteousness. I know that if you're saved you know about imputed righteousness. Because that's what happens when we accept Jesus as our Savior. His righteousness get's imputed on to us. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about our own personal pursuit of righteousness. 

The Lord has really been pressing this topic into my heart. It seems everyday He makes a verse about righteousness shine as I'm spending time with Him in His Word. For me this is increasingly significant as this is the hebrew month of Elul. This month is an important one as it is the month where much time is spent gearing up for the High Holidays of Yom Teruah (commonly called Rosh Hashanna) and Yom Kippur. {See lev 23:24-32 for more details}

The month of Elul is a time where we are reminded of what is important and we begin making teshuvah (turning back to God; repentance). Which leads us towards seeking to live a life that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. We can see a picture of this in the book of Nehemiah. Let me give a very quick overview of the first few chapters in the book of Nehemiah:

Hanani came to Nehemiah with some other men of Judah, and Nehemiah asked them about the Jews that had escaped captivity. Their report was not good. So Nehemiah wept and prayed to God for the children of Israel, confessing his sins and their sins. Then, skipping ahead some, Nehemiah received a blessing from the king to go unto Judah and rebuild the wall of the city. Everyone pitched in and rebuilt the wall of the city. Then in chapter 6 verse 15 it says: So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

As you see the wall was completed near the end of Elul. So while they didn't start during Elul they did spend most of the month preparing. After the wall was finished God put it on Nehemiah's heart to get everyone gathered by their families. Once everyone was gathered Ezra the priest came and read the book of the law to everyone on the first day of the seventh month {Neh 8:2}, which is Yom Teruah! That was the beginning of Judah turning back to the ways of the Lord after their captivity. 

What an awesome picture of how we can turn back to YHVH after our captivity in sin! The rest of Nehemiah covers just how the people turned their hearts back to God and how they got their hearts right with the Father. There is so much to be learned about personal righteousness in this short book of only 13 chapters! I'm late with writing about Elul since it's almost over but it's not too late for teshuva. 

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14

Happy Passover!

Chag Sameach Pesach!

Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. -John 13:1

Teshuva

What matters in life? Is it time spent with loved ones, the things we acquire, the status we reach?  Or is it the time we spend with Hashem?  While I've been away from blogging I've been learning a lot about my self and what really matters to me. To be really honest, I've been lonely. I felt like I didn't have a friend in the world. But as I've learned that isn't true. I have an amazing Abba that loves me and never leaves me lonely. When I feel alone its because I have left Him. Its easy to turn to the things we've always known and that are tangible for comfort. Its easy to find peace in what we see, and not in the things we don't. But it's those times when we must solely rely on our faith, that's when we find true comfort. It is in our weakness that we are made strong and it is by faith that we are able to carry on.

I think for me it's easy to get lost in the shuffle because I didn't grow up with strong faith. We had a lot of traditions but for me personally they weren't spiritually fulfilling. Now that I know what routines and traditions keep my "spiritual tank" full I still seem to drop the ball! I guess its just human nature to get lazy but I'm working on it. I discovered that when I blog I keep my self spiritually grounded and looking heavenward. Hashem made me a writer and an artist for a reason. I need to use the things He gave me to communicate with Him.

I was reading back over some of the different things I've written and I kind of inspired myself! I realized that He knows what He's doing! So I need to just chill out sometimes. I get too wrapped up in the out come of things and I miss right now. I think I've mentioned this before. But at least you know I struggle too, and sometimes with the same things repeatedly! So now here I am for the millionth time at the point of teshuva {repentance}. I'm turning back to Hashem and getting my priorities in order.


I pray that your Fall Chagim {holidays} have been blessed and that you feel refreshed and more connected to Hashem then before. 


Love and Blessings,