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From Seed to Glory: The Journey of Maturing Fruitfulness
? “But the one who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” — Matthew 13:23 This is part 2 of the Hebrew Month of Cheshvan Reflections In the fields of Galilee, a thirty-fold return was considered good — a harvest worth rejoicing over. Sixty-fold was exceptional, and one hundred-fold was a wonder, a miracle of abundance. Yet in the parable of the sower, Yeshua makes no distinction of worth between these yields. Each is a testimony of good soil — of hearts that have received the…
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Cheshvan: The Quiet Rain of the Spirit
This is part 1 of the Hebrew Month of Cheshvan Reflections The fall feasts cycle has focused on a fresh start, atonement, and renewed covenant relationship – Chesvan gives us the opportunity to reflect on how will we live that out in the year ahead. Cheshvan arrives — soft and unhurried, like rain upon tilled soil (Chesvan is the beginning of the rainy season in Israel). It is the only month without a festival, and yet it is full — pregnant with the quiet work of God. The harvest has been gathered, the fruit weighed, and now the soul exhales. The fields rest beneath the first rains, drinking deeply, and in…
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Heaven’s Flame – Dwelling Within
During a recent time of prayer with a writer’s group I’m in, close to the Day of Atonement, I saw tongues of fire dropping from heaven and resting on each of the ones I was praying for, and going to others not in actual physical attendance. I began to hear the Holy Spirit speak about renewing His covenant, as Yom Kippur is truly a renewal of the covenant made at Sinai during Pentecost, which was broken when the Israelites in the Golden Calf incident. When Moses came back down Mt. Sinai on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the covenant was reaffirmed, but with different sacrifices. This flash of an…
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When the Waters Rise: Walking Through Loss and Grief
1Now this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior Loss changes everything. Not just the earth-shattering kind that comes through death or disaster, but also the quiet, private losses—the ones people don’t always see or recognize. The loss of a job. The…
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When the Righteous Grieve: Tracing the Six Stages of Grief through the Life of Job
Grief has no map. It does not follow straight lines or gentle roads. It lurches, circles back, quiets, and storms again. We often expect ourselves—or others—to “get over it,” but grief is not something to master; it is something we live through. The book of Job is one of Scripture’s most honest companions in sorrow. His story strips away tidy answers and allows us to see what it looks like when a faithful, righteous man loses everything. In Job’s cries, silences, questions, and eventual surrender, we find our own journeys mirrored. Through him, we discover that God does not turn away from grief but enters it with us. Six Gentle…
