Candlelighters
an online community providing connections & resources for Messianic young women around the globeSpiritualizing the Superbowl
Today, February 7, is Superbowl Sunday. I’m not very familiar with this sport or the teams playing, but at my house we posed an interesting question of which team to support (Colts or Saints), from a purely Scriptural perspective. The Colts’ colors are blue and white – the colors of Israel! But the term “saints” normally refers to those who have put their trust in Messiah, ‘believers,’ so… what do you think?
=)
“I’m a Complete FAILURE!”
Had you been there on Tuesday night, you would’ve echoed this sentiment along with the rest of us failures! But in a strange way, it was a good feeling.
Serving Like A Son
Statement: The crucifixion itself is the best, as well as the worst of all historical events, but the role of Judas remains simply evil.
Example: Suppose there is a “merciful man“. This man looks to do his neighbor good. By this, he is doing G-d’s will. Consciously cooperating with the simple good. Then suppose there is a “cruel man“. This man oppresses his neighbor, and so doing, he does simple evil, but in doing such evil, he is used by G-d without his own knowledge or consent to produce the complex good. So the first man serves G-d as a son, and the second as a tool.
Summary: You will carry out G-d’s purpose however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas, or like John.
source: c.s. lewis
For this is the love of G-d…
It’s nearly impossible to “observe” if you don’t know when to do it… preparation is an absolutely essential part of the faith we practice. For example, one could say the most important part of Shabbat is the steps we take to make sure complete rest is possible, like preparing meals ahead of time on Friday. You get out of it what you put into it, in my opinion. As we see in the Torah, Shabbat is the foundation of all the moedim. There’s no point in observing a “shabbat” on holy days like Rosh HaShanah if you don’t have this weekly cornerstone in place. I believe the more you want to keep Shabbat, the more difficult it will be. We’ve seen this with a family who is just becoming Torah submissive – the moment they purpose to become shomer shabbos (Sabbath-observant), they’re flooded with invitations, obligations, and “one-time” commitments on Saturdays. It will never be easy. It is not enough to keep Torah only when convenient to do so. A wise friend of mine once said:
A Call for Wogians
Courtship has five definitions on dictionary.com, from the Random House Dictionary. My view of courtship is a mélange of them all: “a man soliciting a woman’s favor, also known as ‘wooing,’ before marriage through gallant, courtly behavior.” Interestingly, courting and courtship are terms used in zoology for “specialized behavior that leads to or initiates mating.” The ethological context makes it clear that courtship goes hand in hand with marriage, demonstrating G-d’s original design for “romantic” relationships. It’s ironic that animals have an elaborate process of selecting a mate, while we humans, the highly evolved species, have casual sex, one-night stands, and a sky high divorce rate.
The Holocaust: A Comprehensive Reading Guide
We just passed International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2010. Those who knew about it and cared about what happened so many years ago to so many people, stopped to remember it. Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah: Day of the Whirlwind – Holocaust Day) falls on Nissan 27, commemorated on April 12 this year.
So here is my plan: between the two dates, I am going to focus my reading on Holocaust themed literature, especially true stories. I want to bring the Holocaust home to my heart and mind, so that I can truly remember when Yom HaShoah arrives. I can’t pretend I’ll know what it was like to be a Jewish prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, but at least I will have caught a brief glimpse. Just as we speak of the bondage in and exodus from Egypt as if we ourselves were there, I want to build a bridge in my mind to the Holocaust and it’s horrors.
Setting the bar higher
It is a natural human instinct to resist standards. Pushing the limits, ’sticking a toe over the line’… these are natural responses. We fight being fenced in by rules… we long for independence and the freedom to do whatever we want.
How does this fit in with a Torah lifestyle?
Holocaust Discussion
Last night, the girls were reminiscing on the tragic hardships the Jews had to endure during the Holocaust; considering it is Holocaust Remembrance day today. Books shown last night, like The Hiding Place and The Sunflower, looked very intriguing and were filled with pages of what the Jews were up against. The Sunflower really touched me personally because if I were in the situation that man Simon was, I would have been so shocked to hear a Nazi soldier apologize to me for the sickening things he did to my people. I would have probably told him to ask G-d for forgiveness instead of just a person from the street. Although forgiving him, in my own power, would be the right thing to do in my opinion. Listening to all the stories the girls were sharing made me feel very heartbroken because I can’t even fathom how torn, angry, and depressed these people had to suddenly feel. There is so much evidence of the Holocaust – people who deny it happening are so ignorant and their heart is obviously in the wrong place. I thank G-d that it is only a memory and the Jewish people won’t have to go through that again.
Category Mistake
In last week’s portion, Bo (Come), the Torah tells us about the last few plagues G-d brought upon the land of Egypt. In reading it this year, I found myself intrigued by the plague of darkness:
“Then the L-rd said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings.” – Exodus 10:21-23
Even a darkness which may be felt? What does that mean?
Finding a Suitable Mate
One of the blessings we looked at on Shabbat is found in the Artscroll Women’s Siddur, entitled “Prayer for a Suitable Mate.” This prayer has a special memory for me from when Christine and I prayed it together at the Kotel (the Western Wall in Jerusalem). It’s a beautiful petition, notable for including more than purely spiritual characteristics:
torahgirl
Eshet Kayil
adriahbartos
sweet~pea
cndllighter
