The Day the Trees Talked

Judah had a king in the lineage of Jesus named Jotham. He was the 11th king of the nation of Judah, the grandfather of King Hezekiah. Jotham was considered a good king. Indeed, the meaning of the name Jotham is “YHWH is perfect” or “YHWH is complete.” Perfect and complete are synonyms.

Please read Judges 9:7-15 and Matthew 25:31-34

Just like with people named Mary and Joseph, there is more than one person named Jotham in the Bible. The other Jotham lived 300 years before King Jotham. We know that YHWH doesn’t change His mind, but Judges clearly states the Nation of Israel would have been better off to stay under the guidance of the judges rather than the more authoritarian. . .  well. . . authority of kings. And even though some of the human kings seemed perfect, even kings like King Jotham and King Josiah could not have been perfect. Only King Jesus is perfect and His is the only perfect Kingdom. While spiritually those who follow Him already live in His kingdom, one day everyone will reside in every way in this perfect kingdom under the rule of King Jesus.

Throughout the time of the judges, just like with the time of the kings, the nation of Israel did not serve YHWH faithfully. This is why He placed judges over them.

The period of the Judges was marked by a cycle of sin, oppression, repentance, and deliverance for the Israelites. After the death of Judge Deborah, the Israelites again turned away from God, leading to their subjugation by the Midianites. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, would invade Israel, destroying crops and livestock, leaving the Israelites impoverished and desperate.

Under the leadership of Judge Gideon, the Midianites were defeated. In the aftermath of their victory, the Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but in Judges chapter 8, verse 23, he replied “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”

Despite these faithful-sounding words, Gideon requested the spoils of war be made into an ephod. Gideon’s downfall is intricately linked to the creation of the ephod and the subsequent idolatry it incited. An ephod, intended perhaps as a memorial or a symbol of victory, became a focal point of false worship. This incident underscores the danger of allowing even well-intentioned symbols to replace genuine worship of God.

Although Gideon had been a faithful servant of God, his actions after the victory over Midian revealed a lapse in judgment. In addition, we know he had 70 children (Judges 8:30), a detail which indicates he had more than one wife. In fact, he had many wives and concubines. There’s another strike against him.

Gideon also had a problem with doubting the Word of the Lord. He is the one who “laid his fleece before the Lord” as described in Judges 6:37-40; this was after had had already tested YHWH as described in verses 17-32.

Jotham lived around 1000 before Jesus arrived as the final and eternal King of Israel. I was unable to find a simple chart indicating which judges were “good” and which were “bad.” Here is a chart listing the judges:

Feel free to use this as a study guide the next time your reading takes you to this part of the Bible.  

Jotham, himself, was not a judge; his brother Abimelech inherited this duty. Abimelech is another common name in the Bible, probably because it is a cognomen, or a formal nickname bestowed upon people of influence.

Abimelech was the son of one of Gideon’s concubines, and he did not worship YHWH; rather, he worshiped the god Berith. He took it upon himself to declare himself king. Abimelech, in fact, rather than Saul, was the first king of Israel. The other followers of Berith supported his declaration, made him their king, and paid him 70 pieces of silver from the treasuries of Baalberith. Abimelech used that money to hire assassins to kill 68 of his brothers. Only Jotham was able to escape this fate.

Jotham’s ministry was to speak the story of the 4 talking trees to the men of Shechem, the followers and enablers of King Abimelech. This is the only act Jotham is recorded as doing in the Bible, and it is an important one.

The first talking tree was an olive tree. The use of olive oil in the Bible spans from the Old Testament to the New Testament, serving various religious, cultural, and practical purposes. It is often associated with anointing, healing, consecration, and as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The second was a fig tree. Fig trees also figure prominently in the Word of God. Their first use was to provide covering for the newly aware-of-good-and-evil Adam and Eve. Later they were used by Jesus in the last week of his earthly ministry to work a miracle. In the Old Testament, the fig tree often symbolizes prosperity and peace. In 1 Kings 4:25, during Solomon’s reign, “Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his own vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” This imagery conveys a time of security and abundance.

The third tree was the grapevine. The grapevine is frequently used as a metaphor in both the Old and New Testaments. In John 15:5, Jesus states, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in them bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” Here, the grapevine illustrates the essential relationship between Christ and His followers. Just as branches need the vine to thrive, believers need to remain connected to Christ to bear spiritual fruit. If olive oil represented the Holy Spirit, how much more clearly does the grapevine represent Christ.

Lastly, we have the thornbush, in some translations called the bramble. If you’ve ever been out west, you may have seen something called a tumbleweed. That’s how I picture this tree.

What is its Biblical significance?

Brambles lack the nutrients and sustenance that a fruitful vine provides, leading to a decline in physical and spiritual nourishment.

Brambles hinder personal growth and development, preventing one from reaching their full potential.

The thorns of the bramble cause pain and suffering, symbolizing the hardships and difficulties that arise from choosing the wrong path.

Choosing the bramble over a fruitful vine means missing out on the abundance and blessings that come from aligning oneself with the divine purpose.

By choosing the bramble, one distances themself from the divine Presence and the guidance it offers, leading to a sense of disconnection and spiritual emptiness.

Abimelech was the only one of the judges to elevate himself to the status of king. Clearly, he was the thornbush, bramble, or tumbleweed who spoke in Jotham’s parable.

The thornbush gave this warning to the other trees (the citizens of Shechem) in verse 15, “If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.“

Maybe you’ve never been out west. But you’ve probably seen a tumbleweed in an old western on TV. How much shade do they provide?

Although it didn’t happen right away, after Abimelech reigned three years, in verse 23 of chapter 9, we find that “God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully.” War ensued.

Ultimately, the leaders of Shechem sought shelter from Abimelech in the inner chamber of the temple of El-Berith. Abimelech and those who were still loyal to him gathered branches, set them afire, and killed the thousand people who were inside the temple. Not long after, Abimelech was killed by a woman in a neighboring city.

Why did YHWH choose to record the words of the talking trees in the Book He knew would be used for instruction for thousands of years?

Do you align yourself with the grapevine representing Jesus, the olive tree representing the Holy Spirit, and the fig tree which, providing clothing and food for His people, might represent YHWH?

Of, do you seek to rule your own life?

By the way, as we saw in the story of Abimelech, it really is not possible to rule your own life. In truth, it is ruled either by YHWH or satan.

My eldest granddaughter was baptized last summer after attending a conference with her youth group. Yet, at 12 years old, she more often than not chooses to follow her own desires within the parameters set by her parents. Like all humans in our frailty, her first choice is to make herself king of her life. She stayed all night on Friday, and just before she left Saturday morning, I very seriously reminded her of her commitment to Christ, the fact that I probably wouldn’t be around for her entire life, and that I wanted to see her in Heaven someday. To my knowledge, YHWH has not given me any parables of warning, so this is the best I can do.

What about you? Are you looking forward to seeing those who have gone before you in Heaven? Are you living your life here like the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grapevine?

How Do You Pray?

How Do You Pray?

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

James 4:1-6 1What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you? 2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? 6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Last week our pastor spoke about prayer, the Lord’s prayer, in particular, illustrating this as a great template for how to format our prayers and reminding us with his sermon title (To Whom Do You Pray?) the identity of the One to Whom we pray.

We all have need of our daily bread being given, our trespasses being forgiven, and freedom from temptation and evil. But what about those other needs? Things like healing, financial assistance, family problems, and a myriad of other things seemingly not addressed in the Lord’s prayer.

The Bible gives many examples of people praying for things they needed and or/wanted. Today’s scripture references show us why we should pray.

Wouldn’t you like to see great and unsearchable things you don’t already know, as Jeremiah promises?

I doubt anyone reading this is a killer, but certainly we have all coveted from time to time. And, we have all quarreled or fought with someone in our lifetime. Those are things that our human selves cause us to do when the things we want or think we need are not readily available.

The next verse tells us we don’t have because we don’t ask AND our motives are wrong, we want to “squander” our answered prayers on earthly things.

What follows is an example of what I believe was a wrong prayer prayed by a “good person” that, to which for some reason, YHWH said yes.

I’ll preface this by reminding you that the northern kingdom of Israel had no “good” kings, and the southern kingdom of Judah had only 8 of its 20 kings who were considered good.

One of those was Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says that Hezekiah was “good and upright and true before the Lord his God. 21He was diligent in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law and the commandments, in order to seek his God. And so he prospered.”

Later historically in a parallel history of the nation of Judah located in 1 and 2 Kings, in 2 Kings chapter 20 we find that In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah, the same one who wrote the book of Isaiah “son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” It sounds as though his death was imminent.

2 Kings goes on: 2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3“Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the Lord. 6I will add fifteen years to your life.

Did YHWH “change his mind”?

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

Yet, there are many instances where it “seems” like YHWH has changed his mind, including the one just described about Hezekiah.

In fact, this “changing” of YHWH’s mind resulted in the birth of one of the most evil kings in Judah’s lineup of kings. In addition, due to pride in self and the blessings which YHWH had bestowed upon him, just a few verses later in the same chapter verses 12-13 “At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness. And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.” Note, it was the king of Babylon to whom Hezekiah showed “his” treasures. The same Babylon who a few years later took the nation of Israel into captivity.

Trustworthy prophet of YHWH, Isaiah, was still in King Hezekiah’s corner, and he rebuked him, with the remainder of the verses of this chapter reading as follows: Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?”

“They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”

“What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked.

“They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?”

So Hezekiah repented, but no other great kingly acts are recorded about him as chapter 20 concludes with these final 2 verses:

As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.

And there it, the 4th word from the end “Manasseh.”

His evil acts are described in the next chapter of 2 Kings beginning with verse 2 “he did evil in the sight of the Lord by following the abominations of the nations that the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”

Continuing with verse 3 “he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.”

And in verse 6 “He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger.” In my humble opinion, the act of “sacrificing a child to the fire” for personal gain and/or comfort is not any different than the act of abortion.

For these reasons and others, Manasseh earned the title of “the most evil king in Judah’s history”.

However. . . and this is a big however. . . in the parallel version found in 2 Chronicles 33, Manasseh was captured and tortured by a foreign entity.

While in captivity, in what was probably the lowest point of his life in verse 12 “in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the Lord his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.”

And verse 13 “the Lord received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.”

Manasseh’s life as relayed by 2 Chronicles concludes with verses 18-20 “As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers. And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon reigned in his place.”

Because of YHWH’s grace, and Manasseh’s humility before Him, Manasseh concluded his life as a “good” king, and I fully expect to meet him in Heaven one day.

Romans 8:28 “we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”

Because of Manasseh’s repentance and YHWH’s grace and mercy, his son Amon was born who was an evil king, but Amon’s son, Josiah was the most godly king Judah had in the entirety of its history. Josiah’s story can be found in 2 Kings 22 through 2 Kings 23:30 and 2 Chronicles 34 and 35.

All of them, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah are in the Lord Jesus’ lineage!

So, while Hezekiah’s prayer may have produced some bad things, in the end it all worked according to YHWH’s purposes and for the good of those who love Him.

So. . . returning to our original scripture in James, look at that last verse, verse 6 “He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Hezekiah’s pride hurt him and, indeed, his people. . . but when he humbled himself even though his motives may not have been 100% pure, he received grace. Manasseh also received grace.

WE RECEIVE GRACE.

Prayer is simply us maintaining our relationship with the One Who loves us the most. It doesn’t have to and, in fact, shouldn’t be filled with lofty words we don’t even fully understand. It doesn’t have to be lengthy. Listen to these words from Matthew 6 in the passage just before the Lord’s Prayer “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.

But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.“

That is not to say you should not ever pray in public. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.” It is also suggested you look up the verse immediately preceding that one. Undoubtedly, some of the times you are praying, you will be in a public setting. But remember, although prayer in its most basic form is carrying on a conversation with YHWH, it should always be done in humility and worship of YHWH remembering His kingdom, His power, and His glory which will last throughout eternity.

Hiding God’s Word in Your Heart

How proficient are you at doing this?

I must confess, I wish I were better at memorization. I have the 23rd Psalm, The Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (but I just looked that one up to make sure I had the right verses), and Romans 12:2 memorized. That is a very short list considering I’ve been walking with Yeshua 48 years now. . . and. . . I’ve heard of those who have entire books of the Bible memorized!

Is memorization the definition of hiding the Word of God in your heart?

It’s certainly one of the ways.

There are other Bible passages I can generally find easily including Psalm 139, Genesis 6, Romans 8, Psalm 91, Psalm 116. There are still others that my mind is learning to know the location of such as Luke 12:51-53.

Internet search engines have made it possible for me to look up any thought that pops into my head, particularly when preparing something to share here or in a sermon, or in any other writing, before presenting it to anyone else, and it is easy to confirm the thought’s veracity with the Word of God.

I do not know that memorization is necessary on this day, February 8, 2026, in the United States; but considering the season in history in which we live and the fact many of us—and if not us, certainly our descendants—may see a time when Bibles are not permissible, it would be a sign of wisdom to use memorization to hide the Word in one’s heart.

Shalom shalom.

Fiercely Loved in Euroclydon

Fiercely Loved in Euroclydon has been released to KDP for publication as a paperback and an Ebook.

It contains much of the text of my 2014 book Fearless in Euroclydon, which was only available (even to me) for about a year before the publisher went out of business.

I just finished the editing and cover creations for Fiercely Loved today and believe the paperback will be available on February 7, the 10-year-anniverary of the death of my husband, with the Ebook being available very soon (but not yet because I just checked).

Like the original, it details a variety of storms (Euroclydons) I’ve encountered as and adult with an added chapter formatted as a letter to my late husband describing hardships and blessings that have occurred in the past 10 years. One of the hardships (though I grow less inclined to call it that with the passage of time) is receiving a diagnosis of level-1 autism along with several other mental health diagnoses stemming from that. One of the blessings is how YHWH has used me in these later middle years of my life despite the weird wiring.

If you choose to purchase the book in either format, please let me know what you think.

Thanks, and shalom shalom.

In Memorium Charlie Kirk October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025

Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at 12:23 pm Mountain Time a 31-year-old man, a husband and father of two young children, went to be with Jesus. It was 1:23 here, I’d just got home from work, and I began to follow the news reports, although from what I could see of that first post, his body would not be able to sustain life after such an injury.

His death was not pronounced until after 2 pm, but most believe the death occurred at 12:23 instantaneously and that, thankfully, he was unable to process what was happening or experience any pain from it. So, in effect, he went from witnessing about Jesus to being in His Presence in the blink of an eye. 2 Corinthians 5:8

Immediately, condolences started flooding Facebook from those most impacted by his death, his close friends and associates, the President and Vice President, and me though I had never met him.

At the same time, celebratory comments began to trickle in which were absolutely appalling! Due to the age in which we live, those comments were shared, and some of the recipients with whom they were shared have been instrumental in seeing those individuals removed from positions of power and influence, especially power and influence over our children.

The posts, good and bad, continue today and have caused me to come to the decision that I need a break from FB. Further blog posts will not be mentioned on FB unless someone else wants to talk about them there.

Many posts stated that Charlie Kirk was assassinated for political reasons. His alleged killer was raised in a conservative household with conservative values but was “radicalized” probably at least in part by his college.

But there is something more significant going on here. Clearly there is a spiritual aspect to this that cannot be ignored. Charlie was the first well-known and influential American to be killed for his faith on American soil.

Consider other Christian martyrs in the halls of HIStory. I did a quick Google search and found a lengthy list. Aside from Jesus’ disciples, all but two of whom were martyred, the following individuals whose names I recognize were included:

Paul (Greek name Saul of Tarsus, writer of a large portion of the New Testament)

Mark (writer of the Gospel of Mark)

Luke (writer of the Gospel of Luke and the book of the Acts of the Apostles)

Timothy

Philemon

Polycarp of Smyrna

Justin Martyr

Joan of Arc

William Tyndale

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Jim Elliott

Charlie Kirk was not on the list. Of course, this list was generated by Wikipedia which stated in the opening paragraph that it “is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness.”

My guess is that Charlie’s name will soon appear on that list.

In just 4 days, I’ve read several stories of young people (and older ones) who repented and gave their hearts to Jesus because of Charlie’s ministry, a ministry which continues even though he is with our Lord. Who knows how many there actually are and will be in the days, weeks, months, and years to come should Jesus tarry? 2 Peter 3:8-9

Oh, to have a witness that continues after I am gone!

I am not an influencer in any way, shape, or form. I am an elderly woman with professionally diagnosed level I autism (FKA Asperger’s). It is at least partially because of this that I am disengaging from FB, at least for a time until YHWH heals my heart. My only close friends are my children and sisters; aside from that all my “conversation” comes from what I read. What I’ve read recently has hurt me, and I must not look at FB right now.

Despite my “weird wiring”, YHWH has honored me by placing me somewhere I can minister to others, a handful of small rural churches in central Illinois. I’ve been doing this for several years now. Until today, I followed the advice of my mentors within that denomination to “avoid those verses that might get me in trouble” because there are plenty of other verses from which to choose.

Because I was not convinced that the wonderful people in those churches were all believers in the full Truth of Jesus Christ . . . or . . . had more progress to make in their sanctification journeys (the latter group includes me and everyone else still residing here in the land of the living Psalm 27:13), I believe YHWH wanted and wants me to remain right where I am, so, I pretty much followed that advice. The only time I veered resulted in a finger in my chest and a “what news channel to do you listen to?” from a congregant in one of the churches.

A finger in the chest is hardly the same thing as a bullet to the neck!

Today I was bold. This is because of the example of boldness displayed for me by this new martyr!

Although I spoke my original sermon from Acts 28:30-31 and my sermon was written out in its entirety (a practice I follow fairly strictly to avoid saying something I don’t intend to and which I can do fairly well since I can read as though I am speaking), I started the preaching time by reading Luke 12:49-59 and then correlating that to what I’ve been seeing on FB. What I shared was not written out beforehand, and I was afraid I would misspeak.

How many times does YHWH tell us in His Word not to be afraid?

I knew what I shared would not be well received by everyone there, and it was not. After church I was approached by one of the women whom I suspected might be offended and was able to counsel her about the Biblical basis for believing the way I do. I believe the words I spoke during the message and those I shared with her afterward will accomplish their intended purpose.

As I was reading the passage from Luke 12 out loud, some words. . . one word. . . struck me. Luke 12:55 reads “And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.”

I wonder. . . is this true south of the equator?

When I received the paper describing my autism diagnosis, the psychologist was able to come up with three strengths: “intelligent, open to feedback, and curious.” Because I’m open to feedback, both positive and negative, and curious enough to do more research on dissenting opinions, please feel free to share your thoughts with me at my email address jacquelinemcdougall@ymail.com. Also, I pray and lovingly ask that you share this post with others. The name of my blog is JLM in Euroclydon.

Romans 8:28

Charlie Kirk is with Jesus.

That is not the only good thing to come from the bad thing of his assassination. One of those good things I shared in a previous paragraph.

Earlier today, I read something on FB speculating his beautiful widow, Erika, might make a good President. Maybe Vice President J D Vance read that post, too, and is considering her for a running mate.

On the other hand, her soul is the most important thing, and it would be so hard to maintain her relationship with YHWH in that position.

On the 3rd hand, one must remember Esther, though, and her being used by YHWH for “such as time as this.” Esther 4:14

Another good thing that is probably applicable to me only is that one of the devout men I follow on FB is probably not the greatest for me to follow as he is not a believer in Jesus. It is obvious from his recent FB posts that he is taking the death of Charlie very badly—sincere grief is written all over his countenance—and that may be affecting what he shares in his posts, but what he is saying makes it clear that followers of Jesus, including me, need to be more careful in whose teachings we follow, no matter how closely their moral compasses and/or political beliefs align with our own.

I have shared several Bible references in this post. Following one of them I shared the verse as well. However, I’m going to try to get away from that except when necessary for context, because. . .

. . .  I want you to look them up in your Bible. My prayer is that this post and other posts and writings of mine which you might stumble across out there will lead you closer to YHWH as you listen to Him for yourself when you look at what He has to say in your Bible.

God bless you. Shalom shalom.

Tree Tells a Story

When I was growing up Mom planted a sapling to the west of the house visible through the living and dining room windows. The tree grew and developed a beautiful shape, and each fall, it had the most glorious leaves. It was a sugar maple tree.

My first attempt at growing one came in approximately 1996 when I lived with my first husband on Lincoln Street in the town where our children were small.

The tree did well that first year, but sometime in the winter something broke the top half of it off. Since it had been a small tree, that reduced its height by about three feet. I wondered if it would live.

Often when I mowed the yard, YHWH would talk to me. That year as leaves popped out on the broken tree, it was as if He told me “That tree is you. It appeared to be destroyed by something. It appeared to be dead. But look! Life remains, and it will still be a beautiful thing to behold.”

My thinking, as it nearly always is, was about the past, that He was telling me something about how the dregs of my past would still result in great beauty. He was, but it was a bit more complicated than what had already passed. I’d had a difficult childhood due to severe bullying and my marriage was in its death throes. I thought this was His way of telling me the good times were about to begin.

Between 2 and 4 years later, on October 3, 1999, my marriage imploded. I don’t even know if that sugar maple tree remains, but I doubt it.

The kids and I left that home on Lincoln Street and embarked on a new life far (relatively) away.

In the spring of 2022, I restarted the sugar maple dream, and it became once again a (not the but a) route through which YHWH spoke to me.

When I planted it, it was about five feet tall. That fall, it didn’t put on much of a show with its leaves.

In 2023, to my surprise, a very tall branch sprang from the middle up toward the sky. For some reason, I’d thought new branches would appear all around the tree and be equally tall.

I continued to tend the tree carefully making sure to give it water in dry seasons. In the fall, the leaves of the lower branches did transform into things of beautiful colors, but not those on the tall branch in the middle.

This year, the same thing happened. The tall branch appeared in the middle and began to leaf out. A few weeks ago, the branches on the lowest part of the tree turned orange and yellow. Now, the branches in the middle part are turning. The leaves at the very top are still green. It may be memory is not working and the very top did change last year albeit very late. We’ll see what happens this year.

YHWH spoke to me again.

The growth I’m experiencing right now (yes, growth is possible even at the age of 63 or even 103) is happening but is not yet glorious. I need to wait on my Lord and His timing and keep renewing my mind (Romans 12:2) to make my thoughts more like His and hopefully be able to hear Him more readily when He speaks to me.

Shalom shalom, my friends.

Guest Post “Grace for Thomas. . . And Us” by Brittney Taylor

John 20:24-29
Up to this point Jesus had appeared to many of the disciples but Thomas had not yet seen the resurrected Christ. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Thomas was one of the twelve disciples, a man who walked side by side with Jesus daily for years, a man who broke bread with the Son of God, a man who saw many miracles and wonders before his eyes. This is the man doubting Christ’s return.

Did Jesus rebuke Thomas for his doubt? Did He burn with anger at the unbelief and take away his salvation? No, far from it! Jesus offered himself to Thomas saying “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” How comforting it is to see Christ showing such mercy and grace to Thomas for his doubts!

Christ said “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” How blessed are we as those who have not seen yet have believed; and how much more comforting to know that during times of doubt Chris does not turn His head and fold His arms at us, but instead lovingly offers himself to us just as He did Thomas.
We all will face times of doubt. We all will have trials to come that will make it easy to forget the miracles we have seen God work in front of our eyes; that will make it easy to forget the One who has been beside us each and every day. May we turn towards Christ during these times, digging deeper into His word and into prayer.

Father, thank you for this sweet story tucked into scripture. Thank you for showing us such a beautiful example of Your mercy and grace and love for us. When doubt creeps in, may You hold onto us even stronger, reminding us of Your presence and the grace we have through Christ Jesus. Lord we believe, help us in our times of unbelief. Amen.

The Wonder of Chesed

I gave serious consideration to titling this “IS LOVE LOVE?” which is a rearrangement of words of a phrase currently in common use. The thing about love is. . . it comes from many different words, some Greek, one Latin. Here are 9 of them.

  • Agápe brotherly love, charity; the love of God for person and of person for God. Agape is used in ancient texts to denote feelings for one’s children and the feelings for a spouse, and it was also used to refer to a love feast. In a couple months, I will be participating in a love feast when I take another Walk to Emmaus, this time working in the room that is called the Agape Chapel. It is a room where every one of the 50+ participants in a Walk to Emmaus retreat goes to be prayed over at one or more points during the weekend. There are usually 3-4 workers there who spend the entire 3 days praying, sometimes even staying overnight in the chapel praying when no one else is around. Sunday afternoon, following the closing ceremony every follower of Jesus leaves will a full serving of agape on board.
  • Éros love is romantic passion or love of the human body. This is the love that will be celebrated on Wednesday. It is also the cause of much sin.
  • Philia means affectionate regard, friendship, usually “between equals”. Philadelphia is called the city of brotherly love.
  • Storge means “love, affection especially of parents and children”. It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring. I believe it is also a supernaturally augmented by God, and I certainly experienced it myself upon the birth of each of my children.
  • Philautia means “self-love”. To love oneself has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness. We are instructed in the Bible to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mt 22:37-39). If we do not have love for ourself as a masterpiece of our great creator (Ps 139:14), what sort of love would we be giving our neighbor?
  • Xenia  describes the concept of hospitality, “guest-friendship”, or “ritualized friendship”.

Dictionary.com adds in

  • Mania is an obsessive love such as the type of love a stalker feels toward his/her victim.

And

  • Pragma is love based on duty, obligation, or logic

Those are all Greek words. In addition, there is the Latin word

  • Ludus means playful love. This could be likened to children at play. I think it is also the type of love being felt when one expresses a profound appreciation of something; i.e., I love chesed.

Truly love is not love. There’s more to it than that.

Agape love is, of course, the love most closely resembling that of YHWH toward us. But if you think about some of the original words for love, storge and even mania could be aspects of His feeling toward us. Mania? Really. Look at Psalm 23:6, Ezekiel 34:11 and Rev 3:20.

I don’t quote all the scriptures here; please look them up. Maybe one of them will become so relevant to you at your current stage in life that you will return to it again and again inadvertently memorizing it without even realizing you are doing so.

There have been several verses over the course of my life of serving YHWH that have been life changing. They don’t even necessarily include passages such as the 23rd Psalm, the Lord’s Prayer, or even John 3:16 although that one is our faith-defining verse. Here are some verses that have been life altering for me during different seasons of my life.

2 Timothy 1:7

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Jonah 2:8

Zephaniah 3:17

The one I’m using a lot right now is Romans 12:2

Each of these reads a bit differently in the translations I most enjoy. For example, the NASB translation of Jonah 2:8: “Those who are followers of worthless idols abandon their faithfulness.” I mean, that’s good, right? But it wouldn’t have necessarily leapt off the page at me in that translation. Now the OJB version: “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own chesed.”

Wow!

The word chesed is a Hebrew word which could also mean love, but really means so much more than that.

When I first read that verse, this is the picture my mind created.

That is, of course, not the type of vanity YHWH was speaking of when he gave Jonah these words. But I think it fits. The reflection you see looking in the mirror is the same image the world sees. It is chesed, though, that tells the truth, not vanity, not this vanity and not the vanities Jonah speaks of which translate into worthless idols. It is not even love or at least some of its forms.

For a more complete picture of the original meaning of Jonah 2:8, please visit https://claudemariottini.com/2010/03/16/forsaking-their-%E2%80%9Chesed%E2%80%9D/ written by Claude Mariottini. It provides one of the best explanations of chesed (sometimes spelled with an “h” instead of a “ch”) I’ve read AND will explain why I think chesed is a superior word to love.

When you are comparing Bible translations, you should always do so under guidance of Holy Spirit. Here’s one good reason.

Recently I came across the following on FB posted by a renowned worship leader I follow. “With my whole heart, with my whole life, and with my innermost being, I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God! YAHWEH, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy. You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!”

Surely she was citing the words to one of the worship songs she wrote. Then I discovered that was not the case. She was quoting Psalm 103:1-5. I LOVED (ludus, anyone?) it, but having read the Psalms many times, I didn’t recall ever reading those words there. Then I saw the translation she was using. The Passion Translation.

This has been in past years one of my favorites, and I used it frequently in sermons.

However, in 2022 Bible Gateway, which I also use a lot, made the decision to remove The Passion Translation from its list of 90 English translations/paraphrases. The Living Bible and The Message, both of which are considered paraphrases rather than translations, are still present on Bible Gateway. When I was a teenager I received something called “The Way” as a gift from my parents. It’s the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs in the Living Bible which was at the time considered a translation. Not relevant, but don’t the 2 guys on the bottom look like Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth from Emergency?

The difference between a translation and a paraphrase?

I couldn’t really find a reasonable explanation on a google search, but this is what I believe which may or not be correct. A translation takes the original text and translates it into the English language (or the language of the reader) using the same words. A paraphrase takes the original text and rewrites it to convey the presumed meaning of the original text. This makes the rendering of the paraphrase open to the interpretation of the one who compiles it. . . and. . . it may not completely reflect YHWH’s thoughts. Bible Gateway deems that both the Living Bible and The Message are acceptable but not The Passion Translation. Why?

The gist of the reasoning behind this seems to be that

  1. The Passion Translation’s creator maintains it is a translation rather than a paraphrase.
  2. He states his intention in its creation was to quote “expand the essential meaning of the original language by highlighting the essence of God’s original message” endquote.

Do not those 2 things contradict one another?

So, in recent years I’ve been using TPT as a devotional rather than the Word of God. Devotionals are helpful in gaining a better understanding of God and His Word. Devotionals are not the Word of God.

Here is another example of TPT text.

“Pray like this: ‘Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn. Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven. We acknowledge you as our Provider of all we need each day. Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us. Rescue us every time we face tribulation and set us free from evil. For you are the King who rules with power and glory forever. Amen.’”

Did you recognize those words?


They are the Passion Translation version of the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13. One phrase does not appear in any form in the version of The Lord’s Prayer we use which comes from the Book of Common Prayer and most closely resembles the words found in the New Matthew Bible (that’s a new one for me that I need to check out) translation. Nor does this phrase appear in any other Bible translation.

“Rescue us from every tribulation.”

This illustrates a possible explanation for why Bible Gateway no longer provides TPT in any of its 90 Bible translations/paraphrases. One only has to look at the situations faced by Christians in other countries, particularly 3rd world countries, to see that God does not always “rescue us from tribulation”.

Clearly, there are a lot of Bibles out there, especially in America. If you are a Christian, Holy Spirit lives within you; but is He leading you? He will not steer you wrong regarding the Word of God. I don’t believe He has steered me wrong in choosing chesed over love.

These 3 human beings, all Valentine’s babies, showed me chesed to the best of their abilities:

On the left is my father-in-law by my first marriage, in the middle is my wonderful Rod, and on the right is my Grandma Stauffer who died when I was 7 years old. Now they are members of the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1-2) cheering me on.

On Wednesday, when you think about the day that we celebrate, remember the word chesed and that it not only means the versions of love that we could attribute to YHWH but it includes mercy, grace, faithfulness, true loyalty, commitment, covenant, and even the Creator, YHWH Himself. There is capital T Truth to the statement God is chesed and, therefore, chesed is chesed; and it is truly wonderful.

Shalom.

4 Dimensional YHWH

Yesterday, during my coaching call with my Revelation Within coach, we discussed YHWH’s 4 dimensionality

I had heard this discussed recently by, I believed at the time, one of my favorite podcasters (my favorite outside Heidi and Christina) that God is 4 dimensional, but we humans live in a 3-dimensional world; that’s a big part of the dichotomy we experience. Thinking about it, though, I believe instead of Brant Hanson it might have been my current favorite preacher from whom I heard this tidbit of wisdom. He may have shared the verse, but I didn’t write it down and didn’t remember it.

Yesterday, Christina and I visited Romans 8:38-39 which is similar but not exactly the same.

This morning, when I opened my HIStory Bible, my reading was in Ephesians 4. This is what I read: verse 16 really jumped out at me “that He would GRANT YOU, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY, TO BE STRENGTHENED WITH POWER THROUGH HIS SPIRIT IN THE INNER SELF, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and that you , being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is THE WIDTH AND HEIGHT AND LENGTH AND DEPTH , and to know the love of Christ which SURPASES KNOWLEDGE that you may be filled to all the goodness of God.” Every word is great, but I’ve capped the ones that are especially relevant to me.

I love how YHWH knows my thoughts, those I speak and those I don’t. He is such a personal, intimate, knowing bridegroom (knowing surpasses knowledge). And I’m so glad the Bible doesn’t call Him a husband, rather a bridegroom, the one who stands at the front of the church as you enter and His eyes nearly pop out of His head and a big grin appears on His face when he first sees you in all your bridal attire. Not the one with whom you have “words” over the children, the bills, the house, etc.

So, I Did a Thing. . .

“It is what it is”

“Strode”

“Slather”

“So, I did a thing”

These are just a few words/phrases that, for no obvious reason, rub me the wrong way when I see them in print. This is by no means all of them. They are not things I’ve ever said. I don’t know if this is an oddity of being on the spectrum or if it’s just an oddity of being me. I asked my son recently why people preface FB pictures of tattoos and new hairdos with “So, I did a thing” I didn’t 100% agree with his explanation, but it certainly fits the gist of this blog, so I’m going to use it.

I’d been following the revival taking place at Asbury University in Lexington, Kentucky, since its start weeks ago on a Wednesday following morning chapel. It was interesting, and I was curious about how long it might continue. Clearly, it was instigated by God, so maybe it would go on until He sent Jesus back to earth.

Alas, human logistics stepped in, and it concluded last week.

Eight days ago, I was in my office finishing up the bulletins and power point slide shows for Sunday’s service.

“I should go”

The thought wouldn’t leave. I prayed, sought Godly counsel, yet it remained.

So the next day, I did a thing.

Raspberry Shortcake and I started what I thought would be a 6-hour (but turned out to be a 7-hour) trip across a large portion of Illinois and Indiana and a smaller part of Kentucky until we reached my lodgings for the night, a place called Shaker Village.

Travel: 1. Listened to Shane Idleman podcasts the whole way. Excellent way to get myself in the right frame of mind. 2. No car trouble. 3. Didn’t get “lost” until I left I64 to Harrodsburg. This was near Shaker Village, but it was dark & I couldn’t see my instructions. In Harrodsburg, there was a sign for the road to Shaker Village which God allowed me with my nightblindness to see.

Shaker Village reception had an escort who led in his truck down a winding road to the West House, a distance of about 2 miles. He went with me to my room to make sure I got in. The building had dual staircases, just like the old Chestnut Grade School (didn’t realize it had been designed by a Shaker). My room was beautiful. Hard-wood floors, old-style furnishings & NO TV—thus, no distractions. I fell asleep listening to a Westside Christian Fellowship Service from that morning.

The next morning I drove straight to Asbury. The 10-mile road between Shaker Village and Asbury was twisty, hilly, and it was never possible to achieve the posted speed limit of 55 on the straightaways because there really weren’t any. 20 minutes were required to travel the 10 miles. I made a mental note to leave the revival before dark.

After leaving the twisty-turny road, the university was easy to find. What was not was a parking space. I drove around several times before finally remembering to ask for help. No, I didn’t go to a gas station.

15 seconds after asking God, there was a spot. The parking lot said “Residents Only,” but I took my chances.

It was a 2-block walk to what looked like the beginning of the line. The weather was great on February 23 in Kentucky, a little overcast but not cold enough to require a winter coat.

I don’t think there were 10s of thousands of people but there were certainly thousands in the line I entered at about 10 am. Oldsters were to be permitted into Hughes Auditorium at 2 pm. Only 4 hours to go. Okay. Father, help me.

It may seem like a crazy thing to some that a 61-year-old widowed grandma would make such a pilgrimage in her car and then on her feet.

Thank God He did not think so. This was confirmed by the personality of the 1st person I spoke to in the line. It was obvious after about 5 seconds of conversation that the 12-year-old boy was on the high functioning end of the spectrum. He and I spent the next hour to hour and a half talking about his interests which included facts about the revival, engineering, and chess. His mom and some other people from his church were with him, and I introduced myself. That group eventually left the line and I did not see any of them again. This happened several times throughout the day, and I felt blessed to have met them for however long a duration.

Fairly early in the day, an older gentleman began playing a shofar and explaining what each of the melodies represented. That afternoon, another older gentleman in the line who was probably a pastor prayed for him because he was experiencing severe hip pain. The hip pain vanished and he was left only with some tiredness. But maybe we were all feeling that.

There were prayer circles, prayer duos, worship leaders, throughout the line. The Salvation Army was handing out bottled water and snacks. Several times, I thought about how many times I’ve stood in a line (granted, a shorter line) at places like Six Flags for a ride that amounts to less than 5 minutes. The anticipated “ride” at the end of this line was far superior.

The line continually advanced, but there didn’t appear to be anyone going into the auditorium which was now visible to the naked eye.

2 pm came and went, and I was still in line. No one around me was commenting on this, though, and everyone was still in great spirits. Those who grew too tired or worried about their children or their own health, went to some chapels which were simulcasting the Hughes revival. I was starting to feel pretty bad with arthritis being felt in the knees, hips, back, and hands; but I never felt clear direction from God to go to one of the alternate chapels.

Shofar man and his wife, Lisa, and another woman with them were now in front of me in the line. It looked like we would be going in about 4 pm. That would give us 1 hour in The Presence.

We submitted to a cursory search for weapons and then were on the dozen or so steps leading to the auditorium. As they went in, I became separated from shofar man and his group and was again alone. There was a young man who had been slightly ahead of me in line who was also alone. The person tending the door asked everyone how many were in our group. He and I both said “one”. The attendant began calling groups in and said he would get to us. Apparently, the young man noticed this too because he asked me if I’d like to be part of a group of two, and of course I said yes. We got in right after that.

We were shown to seats on the main floor about halfway to the front and sat together. We exchanged names, and unfortunately I don’t remember his, but it was something like Reynaldo.

There were a guitarist, a vocalist, a pianist, and a drum of the sort that is held between the knees and beat on with the hands. Those were the only instruments. The guitarist, pianist, and obviously the vocalist led us in worship choruses, some familiar, some not. They taught us a new chorus based on the portion of the Sermon on the Mount that has to do with Blessed are the peacemakers.

No one ever told us to stand up, raise our hands, shout, or even sing. They let God instruct us. There was great liberty. Which was really great for me because I could no longer stand.

At 5, the guitarist told the Gen Zers, as they were called, to find a place to have supper so the oldsters, some of whom were still standing in line outside and had been for some time, could share in the experience. All the youngsters gathered their things and left. More oldsters came in, and seats were exchanged to make room for them. Reynaldo and I prayed for one another while this was going on. But the music never stopped. The worship never stopped. Everything ran very smoothly.

Recovered, I was able to stand, and had no difficulty doing so for the last hour. I made the most of the liberty, listening for what I thought my Father wanted me to experience. I was not disappointed. The long drive, the 6-hour stand with a few steps interspersed, the fact that I would be traversing that twisty, bendy road after dark, were worth it.

A few weeks ago, Pastor Larry Moreau preached about the Mount of Transfiguration stating it was his belief that there were times when the veil between heaven and earth was thinner than usual; the experience shared by Peter, James, and John was one such time. I believe revivals are such a time.

Did I have an experience like that shared by Peter, James, and John? Or even the woman who posted on FB that she was overcome with tears on simply approaching the auditorium?

No. I didn’t cry at all.

But my soul was revived.

Sometimes I think YHWH just wants to see if we’ll listen to Him and do His will. So, although there were no supernatural manifestations for this attendee, unless you count the fact that I was able to walk and stand for 6 hours on knees that need replaced, it was a blessing and continues to be so now nearly a week after my return home.

The Asbury revival has ended, but many others continue throughout our great land. If you feel God directing you to go. . . Go.

Acts 2:17