Category Archives: My Heart

Changes in Appearance, but not the Message.

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As I’ve faced challenges over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time seeking the answer for the challenges in prayer.

As I look through pictures of my time in Israel, I remember when I took my pictures of the pool of Bethesda.

Jesus healed a man here according to John 5:15. A man who learned Jesus could heal him rather than wait for a man to help him get into the pool when it was stirred by an angel.

It still portrays a message to hope. It reminds me God is ready to show me the answer through the work of His Son.

I try to imagine what this looked like in the time of Jesus. I’m sure it was much different than today. Standing at the railing which prevents anyone from climbing down to the pool, I was reminded once more that what this looks like is not as important as the saving message of Jesus.

The pool of Bethesda doesn’t look much like a pool to me. It’s hard to imagine a multitude of people here. I’m rethinking the different definitions of “multitude.”
The water looks brown in this picture and very small. Scripture tells us there were five porches filled with people around the pool. Scientists tell us ground level is higher today than it was in Jesus’ time. But I still think it is a long way down there.

My Broken Heart

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In my post on November 12th, I showed you the Yad Vashem pin I purchased and I promised to write more about the holocaust this month. January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day has several names, all meaning the same thing. Yad Vashem is the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, Israel.

The Children’s Memorial is a small building on the Yad Vashem Campus.

Cut into the outside wall is a sculpture of an adult surrounded by several children. This man was a Christian teacher of several Jewish children. When the soldiers came to take the children he refused to let them go. He was told if he didn’t let them go, he would die. He went with the children and died with them in a concentration camp.

As I entered the building there were signs saying to keep hold of the railing, keep walking, and do not stop.

A few steps later I was in a dark room. There are no pictures in the room as shown in this picture,

There was a single candle in the middle of the room and, I think, hundreds of small mirrors. The mirrors reflected the one candle and they reflect the lights of other mirrors.

The reflected lights symbolize all the future generations who never lived due to the death of one child.

As I walked along the path through the memorial (about 60 feet), I hear the name, age, and hometown of one child killed in the Holocaust. There is an estimated 1.5 million children who died during WWII.

One of the people in my group did some calculations. It would take over seven years before the names would start being repeated.

Many, many of the people coming out of the memorial, including myself, are wiping tears from their eyes. I have tears now as I remember that memorial.

This is not one of my pictures. It is from the Yad Vashem museum. I chose this picture because it better shows the deep meanings of the Children’s memorial. Visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the memorial and most of my own from outside the memorial did not come out well because I had trouble focusing my camera.

Thanksgiving

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Thank you in Hebrew is toda raba (toe-DAH ruh-BAH).

Most of our trips to Israel were with the Israeli Celebration Dancers. At that time, our daughter was a member of this group from northern Colorado. On one trip, they went to a store in an ultra-orthodox area of Jerusalem called Mea Shearim.


One of the problems with my going on a trip with dancers is my own physical condition. Being overweight and not in good shape sometimes made it difficult for me to keep up while walking.

This day was hot, and the walk was long. It was challenging for me to keep up. The group would get ahead of Roy and me and then wait for us to catch up to ensure we didn’t get lost. Despite their kindness of waiting, the problem worsened because they would get rest, but I would not.


When we arrived at Mea Shearim, I was exhausted, and judging from people’s reactions, I must have looked pretty bad. I’ve been told I was pale, fighting to breathe, and shaking.

However, an old woman, a beggar, saw me as we approached the place she was standing. She stepped inside the store in front of which she stood, brought out a chair, and insisted I sit down and rest. It was a difficult conversation since neither of us spoke the other’s language.


We were later told begging is considered a profession, and beggars are licensed to work in specific areas. However, I have not been able to confirm that information.


After I rested for a little while and could breathe better, I wanted to give her a donation in thanks for her kindness. She would not accept any donations from me or anyone in our group. She even went as far as to go inside one of the stores to avoid us.


The dancers purchased their music, and Roy and I bought a cd we still enjoy.


Thanksgiving reminds me of this time when a beggar gave up a portion of her livelihood to show me such great kindness without expecting or wanting anything in return. She is a shining reminder of the type of love and kindness Jesus calls us to offer one another.

This CD is one of my favorites. One of the original songs is “I am the Flower.” One verse is “I who am nothing, Cry out this blessing, Blessed art thou high above, You are our father, Shower your children with love.” Another favorite is “Somewhere Moshiach” which is about the longing for the coming of the Messiah.
While there are some beautiful original songs, there are also fun ones including “Seven Shabbos Candles” set to the tune of “Seven Spanish Angels;” “The Little Old Lady Named Pessy Deena” to the tune of “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena;” “Shabbos Goy,” to the tune of “Soldier Boy;” and “I’m Proud to be a Part of Am Yisroel” to the tune of “Okie from Muskogee.”

Impressions of Israel – God is Great

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One of my favorite things about travel in Israel is how it increases my understanding of the Bible, God’s Word.

While in Caesarea, our guide taught us about the custom of cutting the hands and heads off statues belonging to a conquered people to symbolize “our god is bigger and stronger than your god.”

Statues in Caesarea

That evening, I read 1 Samuel 5 about what happened when the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and put it in the temple of their god, Dagon. When the people entered the temple the following day, the statue of Dagon was lying face down in front of the ark. The people picked up their god and stood him back in his proper place of honor.

When the Philistines arrived at the temple the following morning, Dagon lay on the floor, before the ark, with his hands and head were broken off.

The ultimate “our God is bigger and stronger than your god.”

When I’m struggling and fearful, this memory reminds me there is no reason to fear because my God is greater and stronger than any other god.

Happy Fourth of July from my heart to yours

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Fourth of JulyJuly 4, 2019
Celebrating the Birth of our Nation

As I prepare for the day with friends and family, I’m thinking and praying seriously about our country. Over the past few weeks I’ve been listening to a series of CDs from speakers at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Their words have brought focus to much I see as I look at all the news and rhetoric I hear. To quickly answer the first question the people I’ve talked about this ask, these presentations are not in support of any political agenda. They do not support either democrats or republicans.

The crisis in America is a spiritual battle, not a physical one. It is a battle taking place in the hearts of each person in this country. The level of anger, hate, selfishness and intolerance is tearing this country apart. One of the speakers, Michael Gantt, spoke of how this country is not being divided, it is disintegrating. Bruce Porter reminds us evil can only succeed when good men are silent (generally attributed to Edmund Burke).

One of the concepts most touching my heart was the battle for America will not be fought or won with physical weapons. It will be fought and won, or lost, in each individual heart. The first thing necessary is for those of us who want God’s love, grace, and wisdom to once more rule America to get more active. To do this we must spend time in the study of His holy word and to pray. Then we need to rise out of our prayer chambers and get to work—let our voices be heard. We must be prepared for the long and hard-fought battle.

One of our first battlefields must be taking back the education of our children. A serious look at what is being taught in the classrooms of today does not reveal either the democratic republic designed by our founders or the wisdom taught by our Lord. It is easy to look at this and say there is nothing we can do. But we can do a lot by getting involved. Many have chosen the route of getting their children out of the public school system. That doesn’t mean you can’t still try to change things for all the other children in this country. Go to school board meetings. Be vocal about what is important. Find a way to get on the curriculum committee.

We must also fight for the teaching of both adults and children in the church. It is estimated one third of the churches in America have chosen to turn away from the teaching of God’s Holy Word and teaching to “tickle the ears” of the congregation. Listen to the preacher/pastor/priest. Is he/she preaching in agreement with the Bible? Does he/she even teach from the Bible? If the answer if no, confront the leader of your church with God’s word. What is being taught in your church’s children’s program? Look at the curriculum. Is it based on God’s word? If not, is it what you want your child to learn? Take action. If you can’t convince your church to teach God’s word to both adults and children, find one that does.

Most of all, please, please pray and get involved in bringing the United States back to the Godly country it was created to be.