We’re fast approaching the closing of “Sukkoth,” the Feast of Tabernacles which comes to us at the end of each year in the Jewish calendar. And I hope we’ve had a Feast in Tabernacles not just a Feast of Tabernacles. If not, it’s never too late to begin.
The central theme of this Feast isn’t so much the hut or booth as much as the family and members of God’s congregation coming together. What good is a hut (or booth) if our visit and discussion is all wrong and irrelevant?
To me, Sukkoth is about families coming together to enjoy God’s presence, His provision and protection. Please notice I said, “Families” because it’s a time when children bring their children and their children’s children to assemble in an outside booth to celebrate God’s faithful goodness throughout the entire year.
I am one hundred percent convinced that the only method we’re going to survive the onslaughts that lie ahead and are already among is by celebrating perpetual Sukkoths by families joining together to pray, to learn and to share each others goods. Today we call this community—the assembling of saints (Jew or Gentile Christians).
During my adolescence, we had no space in the church building for our growing Sunday School class so we often met under a Mesquite tree outside, or in the shade provided by the side of the church building. Some of my best prayer and bible studies with men have been under a huge oak tree with low reaching branches. These trees remind me of our family trees—families connected like branches to the trunk and the trunk to its roots.
During my elementary years we’d spread open some harsh and thorny bushes in order to make our own little succa or hut in the middle of it. This little thorny hut served as protection from our imaginary enemies. We even had secret entrances into it.
The only way we’re going to survive the grave challenges coming at us today—such as the biggest tax hikes in America’s history coming up in 1/11—will be by our tabernacle lifestyle. This is how God’s family will overcome through its hardy sense of devotion to God, to family and to community. There’s no other way to endure what’s ahead without God in the middle of our community life where we all pull together.
Don’t you think it’s time to get real about the fact that God is preparing us on how to return to a lifestyle of modesty, simplicity and integrity of heart?
In closing, let me say that when David sang the 27th Psalm, the 4th verse gives us the heart of a Tabernacle lifestyle. But in verse 5, he reminds us that God will keep us safe in the “shelter of his Tabernacle.” Then in verse 6, David declares that he’s not going to moan and groan while he presents his sacrifices but shout with joy and with music to the Lord.
May we learn to live in the daily Sukkoths of our life in God!
Hag Sameah – Happy New Year!
Dell
PS, My new book, “Out from Hiding” will be coming off the press shortly. It highlights the fundamental evidences that corroborate the assumption that many Latinos have Sephardic Jewish roots. Some of these evidences include DNA, Onomastics (the origen of Sephardic surnames), material evidences such as artifacts and epigraphy, the historical record, oral histories and personal prognostications...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Goodbye Tabernacles?
We’re fast approaching the closing of “Sukkoth,” the Feast of Tabernacles which comes to us at the end of each year in the Jewish calendar. And I hope we’ve had a Feast in Tabernacles not just a Feast of Tabernacles. If not, it’s never too late to begin.
The central theme of this Feast isn’t so much the hut or booth as much as the family and members of God’s congregation coming together. What good is a hut (or booth) if our visit and discussion is all wrong and irrelevant?
To me, Sukkoth is about families coming together to enjoy God’s presence, His provision and protection. Please notice I said, “Families” because it’s a time when children bring their children and their children’s children to assemble in an outside booth to celebrate God’s faithful goodness throughout the entire year.
I am one hundred percent convinced that the only method we’re going to survive the onslaughts that lie ahead and are already among is by celebrating perpetual Sukkoths by families joining together to pray, to learn and to share each others goods. Today we call this community—the assembling of saints (Jew or Gentile Christians).
During my adolescence, we had no space in the church building for our growing Sunday School class so we often met under a Mesquite tree outside, or in the shade provided by the side of the church building. Some of my best prayer and bible studies with men have been under a huge oak tree with low reaching branches. These trees remind me of our family trees—families connected like branches to the trunk and the trunk to its roots.
During my elementary years we’d spread open some harsh and thorny bushes in order to make our own little succa or hut in the middle of it. This little thorny hut served as protection from our imaginary enemies. We even had secret entrances into it.
The only way we’re going to survive the grave challenges coming at us today—such as the biggest tax hikes in America’s history coming up in 1/11—will be by our tabernacle lifestyle. This is how God’s family will overcome through its hardy sense of devotion to God, to family and to community. There’s no other way to endure what’s ahead without God in the middle of our community life where we all pull together.
Don’t you think it’s time to get real about the fact that God is preparing us on how to return to a lifestyle of modesty, simplicity and integrity of heart?
In closing, let me say that when David sang the 27th Psalm, the 4th verse gives us the heart of a Tabernacle lifestyle. But in verse 5, he reminds us that God will keep us safe in the “shelter of his Tabernacle.” Then in verse 6, David declares that he’s not going to moan and groan while he presents his sacrifices but shout with joy and with music to the Lord.
May we learn to live in the daily Sukkoths of our life in God!
Hag Sameah – Happy New Year!
Dell
PS, My new book,“Out from Hiding” will be coming off the press shortly—I’ll keep you posted. If you're interested in obtaining a copy as soon as it's off the press, send me an email at negevdell@hotmail.com.
The central theme of this Feast isn’t so much the hut or booth as much as the family and members of God’s congregation coming together. What good is a hut (or booth) if our visit and discussion is all wrong and irrelevant?
To me, Sukkoth is about families coming together to enjoy God’s presence, His provision and protection. Please notice I said, “Families” because it’s a time when children bring their children and their children’s children to assemble in an outside booth to celebrate God’s faithful goodness throughout the entire year.
I am one hundred percent convinced that the only method we’re going to survive the onslaughts that lie ahead and are already among is by celebrating perpetual Sukkoths by families joining together to pray, to learn and to share each others goods. Today we call this community—the assembling of saints (Jew or Gentile Christians).
During my adolescence, we had no space in the church building for our growing Sunday School class so we often met under a Mesquite tree outside, or in the shade provided by the side of the church building. Some of my best prayer and bible studies with men have been under a huge oak tree with low reaching branches. These trees remind me of our family trees—families connected like branches to the trunk and the trunk to its roots.
During my elementary years we’d spread open some harsh and thorny bushes in order to make our own little succa or hut in the middle of it. This little thorny hut served as protection from our imaginary enemies. We even had secret entrances into it.
The only way we’re going to survive the grave challenges coming at us today—such as the biggest tax hikes in America’s history coming up in 1/11—will be by our tabernacle lifestyle. This is how God’s family will overcome through its hardy sense of devotion to God, to family and to community. There’s no other way to endure what’s ahead without God in the middle of our community life where we all pull together.
Don’t you think it’s time to get real about the fact that God is preparing us on how to return to a lifestyle of modesty, simplicity and integrity of heart?
In closing, let me say that when David sang the 27th Psalm, the 4th verse gives us the heart of a Tabernacle lifestyle. But in verse 5, he reminds us that God will keep us safe in the “shelter of his Tabernacle.” Then in verse 6, David declares that he’s not going to moan and groan while he presents his sacrifices but shout with joy and with music to the Lord.
May we learn to live in the daily Sukkoths of our life in God!
Hag Sameah – Happy New Year!
Dell
PS, My new book,“Out from Hiding” will be coming off the press shortly—I’ll keep you posted. If you're interested in obtaining a copy as soon as it's off the press, send me an email at negevdell@hotmail.com.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
ANOTHER 911!
NOTE: Today is 9-11 (Sept. 11th, 2010). A few days I posted this message in my monthly newsletter. If you’re interested in subscribing to it, send me an email to negevdell@hotmail.com.
Two days before the infamous 9-11, I spoke on the title: How to dial God’s 911. (It was based on Psalm 91.1) This came after an incredible vision God gave me while in the Rockies during the preceding summer. It was an amazing experience which I’ll never forget.
Here we are at the eve of another 9-11 (September 11th). No, I’m not saying this day is marked for another terror attack here in our nation–not that I know of.
This year, 9-11 falls just one day after the Feast of Trumpets also known as Rosh Hashanah, which is also the Jewish New Year. In fact, it’ll fall exactly one week before the holiest day in the Jewish calendar known as Yom Kippur–the Day of Atonement. Just a few days later, we’ll be celebrating Succoth also known as the Feast of Tabernacles which begins the eve of September 23rd.
Although I’ve stated that I do not know, by fact or revelation, of any terror attacks planned against our nation on that day, I do know such attacks are being planned against Israel at this very time.
In fact, Debkafile reports that the U.S. has warned Syrian president Bashar Assad regarding plans to attack Israel. Debka says that “The Obama administration has sent… Bashar Assad a stern warning that he will be held personally accountable and face consequences if Israel and the Palestinian Authority are subjected to a terror campaign—whether by Hizballah or the Palestinian extremist groups based in Damascus.”
In the past, I have heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliver some pretty hefty speeches but none like the one he delivered before the U.N. Assembly in New York a few weeks ago on June 13th. When I heard and read his statement all I could say was, “Wow and AMEN.” Here’s what he had to say:
"I promise to all Muslims around the world - if your plan will be carried out, to destroy the State of Israel, God forbid, I assure you that we have submarines with nuclear warheads missiles and we have nuclear warheads missiles outside the borders of Israel, these missiles will destroy major European capitals, along with Mecca and Medina and all the Arab oil fields."
In my newsletter last month, I delivered a “Word of Caution” regarding the time period between October and the ending of January 2011 (i.e., 10/10 – 1/11). I asked you to be very prayerful about incidents that could take place during this time and to keep a particular eye open for 10/10/10. At this time I have nothing more to add to this word of caution other than to say, it looks more serious than we think. You see, what shakes Israel also shakes America; and what shakes America shakes Israel. Let’s be more prayerful than ever as we stand watch and in the gap for Zion and also our homeland.
On a totally separate note, I want to advice my faithful readers to keep me in our warmest prayers as I’m putting final closure to my new book that’ll come out in a month or two. The title is, “OUT FROM HIDING.” It’s a book that’ll provide evidences which point to the reality of Sephardic Jewish roots among many of my Latino brethren. These evidences point to the historical record, material evidences (such as artifacts), onomastics which deals with the origins of Spanish/Sephardic surnames and DNA which presents us an irrefutable source of scientific knowledge on this subject. I earnestly believe it’ll be the best book I’ve yet to publish. I’ll be taking orders later on.
Shalom…
L’Shana tova,
Dell
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