LeFors Tribe

Hi! I would like to talk about The Word. It has power. You know, when I think I have known enough about the Bible, I, then, realize there is a LOT more to learn. It’s like opening a can of worms, and oftentime people want to close it. This one, you don’t wanna close it! It’s also like onions- you peel, then find out you gotta peel some more, and you peel and peel. Exactly why the Bible says,

“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;”-Proverbs 3:13

We are made of flesh and bones. We also got a mind; a soul. We have a spirit and that is another being inside us. Flesh and bones. Soul. Spirit. That’s us as an individual. God’s like that. God is a Spirit. Yahushua (Jesus) was God in flesh and bones. Holy Spirit is the Word. They all three work together. God used the Word to create the universe.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”-Genesis 1:3

Here, we will see the works of the Spirit. We have The Word in us and we have power within our tongues. When God spoke, light acutally appeared. God made us in the same image as Him.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” -Genesis 1:6

You know, this verse says  ”US” and “OUR”. Not “I” and “MY”. This means more than one person involved. Plural. Certainly God was not talking to Himself, He was talking to someone else. Yup, Yahushua (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit were there as the universe was being made.

Look at yourself. You’re made in the like image of God. You got a skinsuit, a soul (mind/tongue), and a spirit.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”-John 1:1

The Word was the beginning. The Holy Spirit talks to us and convincts us. The Holy Spirit is God. The Word is God. Adam and Eve would have been immortal had they not eaten the forbidden fruit. They WALKED with God. We have the same opportunity to do so after believing in the Messiah.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold back there…The Bible says “No man has seen God.”

“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”-John 1:18

Oh, does this mean Adam and Eve did not walk with God? Oh yeah, they did. Take a closer look at the verse.

“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day”- Genesis 3:8

Hmm, check out the underlined of the verse. Voices don’t walk. But that’s Word. God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a being. It is Word. Adam and Eve walked with the Word. Amazing. And just at the instance of saying out loud you believe in God and the Messiah, you’re saved. The power of Word.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Messiah and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”-Romans 10:9

No rituals. No deeds. Just believe in it and say it. The power of Word and you’re saved. Yahushua (Jesus) has forgiven you of your sins. You are now a new creature in Messiah and will walk the Walk.That’s why faith is so important to God. Nothing can please God unless a person walks in faith and lives righteously by diligently seeking Him.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”-Hebrews 11:6

I have to remind myself that it is i.m.p.o.s.s.i.b.l.e to please God without faith. It does not matter if I have done thousands of good things and without faith, it is NOT going to please God anyway. It requires faith. I gotta have faith.  No wonder Isaiah shared this:

“If you will not believe, Surely you shall not be established (stand).”-Isaiah 7:9

It’s really important to believe- say The Word. Yahushua says in the Bible that you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. However, you have to know first what the Truth is by reading the Bible before the The Word can start to work to set you free. I realize that there are zillions of different books and it can get confusing on what is true. Just give yourself the opportunity to read the Bible and seek God for the Truth. The Word will actually work in you and show you the Truth and it will set you free. Do not look onto other people–even Christians–They are not always a reflection of who God is. Do not always assume at whatever a Christian is doing or has done is the work of God.  There are many different factors. Are you able to see the person’s faith? Can you measure it? Do you know the relationship the person has with God? Is it deep and real? Does the person 100% actually believe and confess The Word? We doon;t know much, we can only tell from the outside–the fruits of the person. We also can see the Truth from the Scriptures. The Word will tell us what is true. If the person’s walk matches the Scriptures, then Praise God. If it doesn’t, stand on the Word, not on the person. The Word is what God says. I will trust in Him, not in people.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”-Hebrews 11:1 

I tend to use my pregnancy as an example of faith. I have been pregnant more times than the average American woman. When I find out that I am 6 weeks pregnant, I believe at the moment that I have a human child in my womb even though I do not feel the baby kicking nor do I see the baby in my arms. When I tell other people that I am pregnant, they tell me, “Congratulations!” even though they do not see a baby in my arms nor do they see my stomach as big as a basketball. Faith is the same way. I know that there is God and that I believe I will go to Heaven even though I’m not in Heaven at this point. I just believe, walking in faith. Also, if I am sick, I see that the Word says I am healed. Sickness has no right in my body. I need to walk in faith saying that I am healed knowing that I WILL be healed.  In fact, The Word says…

“..let the weak say, I am strong.”-Joel 3:10

That’s faith. Though I may be weak, I must say the power of The Word: “I am strong.” My inner spirit being gets connected with God and it lines up with The Word as I believe in it. That’s the power of The Word.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” -Proverbs 18:21

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Hello!

At our church we have a daily Bible reading planner and the goal of this planner is to read the whole bible in one year. Here is my checklist *shows list*. It is a blessing to me to have this daily Bible planner checklist. The checklist keeps us on our toes. I have to keep up with my reading everyday because it is very easy to get behind or even so when we do not have anything else to measure to show us how behind, on time, or ahead are we. It’s a good measurement tool.

Anyway, today I was reading Acts 14 and I thought it was very powerful and I would like to share it with you all.

You know, the gun itself can be very explosive. It is very powerful. It has the ability to kill. It has the ability to maim body parts. It can do so many things, but the gun itself as an object is harmless. You have to pull the trigger to make the gun harmful. If you do not pull the trigger, the gun will do nothing.

This concept is the same with God’s principalities. God is so powerful and has great abilities. He has countless of things that are available for us BUT if you do not trigger God, He becomes nothing to you.

Now, what can trigger God’s available power for us to activate?

Our faith.

You might ask me, “Our faith?”. Yes, our faith. We can see that in chapter 14 of Acts. This chapter talks about Paul’s missionary trips with Barnabas to different countries throughout Europe and Greece.

“And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” -Acts 14:8-10

Starting on verse 9, oh, I mean verse 8, we see that a man was born cripped. He was not born with normal feet and he could not walk. The crippled man was sitting in the audience listening to Paul preach. As he was listening to Paul and watching him preach, their eyes made contact. Paul, a Holy Spirit filled man, was touched and knew that the crippled man had faith. Paul could sense the faith in the crippled man- it just needed to be activated. So to activate the crippled man’s faith, Paul said to him, “Get up and walk now.” The crippled man decided to get up and walk and as a result, the crippled man actually could walk. The crippled man was born a cripple. He was born unable to walk because of the abnormal feet he had. The crippled man did not have an injury that caused him to be crippled. No! He was BORN a crippled person and was able to walk because of his faith. His faith TRIGGERED God’s power to work in him. That chapter touched me! And because of what happened to the crippled man, the crowd rejoiced. They were very glad. Now, the trigger touch is very important. If not for that trigger touch, the power God had for that man would have not happened. Wow. This is a good Word of God.

At the same time, as I think of a gun, the gun, if the safety button is on and we attempt to pull the trigger, it won’t work. The safety button has to be turned off in order for it to work. This has the same concept in our lives. We cannot just do things we want just for ourselves, live however we want, or have a wild, rivilous, and self-boasting life and when things turn for worse, we attempt to try to use faith. It’s not going to work. This is because God has clearly said in Galatians 6:7:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

So, in summary, I feel this 14th chapter of Acts was a good chapter as it explains to us what we are capable of doing when we have complete faith in God’s power in us.

Be blessed today.

http://www.leforstribe.com/

I recieved an email and as I read it, I thought it was a good ’food for thoughts’ and I am going to share it.  I don’t know if the story is an actual case or not.

There was a group of atheists who created a case against the Easter & Passover holy days. They hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews & the observances of their holy days. The argument was, it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized day(s). The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, ‘Case dismissed.’

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, ‘Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter & others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur & Hanukkah. Yet my client & all other atheists have no such holidays.’

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, ‘But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.’

The lawyer said, ‘Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.’

The judge said, ‘The calendar says April 1st is ‘April Fools Day.’ Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.

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I enjoy reading the Book of Acts (in the Bible). I like that book because it tells me how a church should be like. In the Book of Acts, Believers were making a difference, impacting so many people’s lives, healing a lot of sickness and dieases, growing together, teaching about salvation, sharing pure joy, unity, and peace. Unfortunately, we don’t see that too often nowdays- sure, there ARE churches like that, but not too common. Many people consider themselves to be a Christians but statistics show that only 17% of Christian Americans go to church regularly, and only 9% go to a BIBLE evangelism based church.  The numbers are just drastically low compared to the number of “Christians” we have in America.

Anyway, there was a verse in the Book of Acts that made me go, ‘wow’. But first, let me share the background of that verse.

“And when we (Saul and two of his friends) all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”-Acts 26:14

There was a Jew pharisee named Saul who did not like Christians. A Pharisee is a rabbi who is very familiar with the Torah and other laws. Saul didn’t believe in Yahushua (Jesus) as the Messiah or Him being the Son of God. Saul was alive when Jesus had already died and He had risen. There was another man named Peter who was telling thousands of people about the power of Jesus’s resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result, thousands of Jewish people believed the Messiah. Many of them were Jewish people who believed that the Messiah had arrived– they were not “CONVERTS” but a Jewish person who believed that the Messiah had arrived. 

Saul, on the other hand disagreed with that belief and He was more than glad to send Christians to prision, to kill them, to bring more suffering to them because he hated the teaching of Christanity. It was like *roll eye* to him. One day on Saul’s way to a town named Damascus to persecute more Christians, Jesus appeared to Saul. After seeing Jesus, Saul converted and became a Christian and was one of the most powerful apostles. He also changed his name from Saul to Paul.

“And when we (Saul and two of his friends) all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”-Acts 26:14

I’m gonna paraphrase Jesus a bit here.

“Why are you persecuting Me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting Me.”

This made me think deeper as I read. We live in a hurting world. People are hurting because the majority are fighting against Him. Jesus is saying that when you insult or hate God, you are only hurting yourself. It’s not hurting Him though it grieves Him. Again, any individual who fights against God are only hurting themselves. God is not hurting anyone. He’s always more than willing to help an individual receive joy, peace, love, and stability.

Deep deep deep down, are you hurting?

Perhaps this is why….

You are only hurting yourself.

http://www.leforstribe.com/

A Gentile Christian: An Oxymoron. It is a contradiction word. What does oxymoron mean? An oxymoron is when two words with different meanings are put together in a sentence. For example: PRETTY and UGLY: “The meeting was pretty ugly.” FOUND and MISSING: “The little girl was found missing.” GENTILE and CHRISTIAN: “I am a Gentile Christian.”

The word GENTILE means: a heathen, wicked, or a pagan. The word CHRISTIAN means: a follower of Christ, believes in Christ, belongs to Christ. “I am a Gentile Christian” That’s an oxymoron. Another way to put it: “I am a heathen, wicked pagan believer who follows and belong to Christ.”

Over time we have been told that we are Gentiles. We have adopted that idenity for ourselves. It also means that we do not belong to a Jewish nation. The dictionary also says that a Gentile means, “not from a Jewish nation”, but that is NOT at all how God sees the word “Gentile”. God has one meaning for the word “Gentile” and that is, “heathen”, ”wicked”, “a pagan”–separated from God. Remember, there is no culture with God. It is either, “come home with Me” or “You chose not to come home to Me.”

Yahushua (Jesus) shared a parable: “The Prodigal Son”. Luke 15:1-30. This simply explains us. The father has two sons. One of his son left home and did all he wanted to do, spent all of his money, partied hard and when he hit rock bottom, he became poor, hungry, and filthy. He missed home and wanted to go back. When he came back home, the father saw him and gladly recieved him. The other son who never left home did not like the idea that his father had a party in honor for the lost brother that came home.

The father is God. He has two sons. “Judah and Israel.” In the beginning Israel was one country.

“Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.” -Deuteronomy 6:3

But due to pagan worshipping, the country split into two.

“When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin–a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men–to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.” -1 Kings 12:21

Judah and Israel. Judah has two tribes: Judah and Benjamin and the house of Israel has 10 tribes.

“Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes.” -1 Kings 11:31

As time went on, other countries invaded Israel and the 10 tribes fled, moved elsewhere, got married, and so on.

“Then Micah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”- 1 Kings 22:17

The 10 tribes became the LOST tribes.

“But He (Yahushua) answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”-Matthew 15:24

The house of Judah remained for the sake of bringing the Messiah into the world.

“So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ “-Matthew 2:5-6

Those who know their bloodline are called Jews, but even so there are people who are Jews and have no bloodline to the Jews. It is because they have converted. They meet with the rabbi and complete certain guidelines and become a Jew. There are black Jews. Asian Jews. Hispanic Jews. It is only because of conversion.

God does not see it that way. He wrote in the Law that if any foreigners want to become an Israeli citizen, they only have to circumcise and partake the passover.

“And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.” -Exodus 12:48

Those who have no knowledge of their bloodline are told that they are gentiles. While that is true, we don’t know our bloodline. The 10 tribes are lost tribes.  But when we recognize the Messiah and accept Him as our Savior, Yahushua (Jesus) says we are back home.

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” -Galatians 3:29

Unfortunately, there is an issue of “superior” and “inferior. One Jew says to a person who calls himself a Jew, “He’s not really a Jew. He isn’t related to a Jewish person.” They feel superior because they are the chosen one- they have a bloodline. We also even have Gentiles who say to a person who calls himself a Jew, “Je’s not really a Jew. He isn’t related to a Jewish person”. They feel inferior– that a Gentile has become “the chosen” and the gentile wants the person to “step down”. But this is not how God sees this. He sees everyone as brothers and sisters. Israel: “That’s my son, my firstborn. Come home.”

“They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.” -Jeremiah 31:9

Paul shared another parable called “The Olive Tree”. This can be read in Romans 11.  

“But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God’s rich nourishment of his special olive tree. But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember, you are just a branch, not the root. ”Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember – those branches, the Jews, were broken off because they didn’t believe God, and you are there because you do believe. Don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the branches he put there in the first place, he won’t spare you either.” -Romans 11:17-21

This passage tells me that God sees that anyone who accepts Him must see each other as “brothers and sisters”. We are children of God. God does not want religions. He’s not fond of them. He wants relationship. He’s the Father and I’m the “lost son”. I’m coming back home and God has recieved me with open arms. His servant is preparing a party.  

I used to identify myself as a Messanic Jewish but after I learned the real meaning of the name “Jewish” I changed the identity to “Israelite”. Abraham was not called a Jew. He was a Hebrew and so were the 12 tribes. They were all called Hebrews. Their language was Hebrew. When the country split into two, Judah began to call themselves Jewish. Their religion was Judiasm.  The Israelites became scattered–long gone– and many of them left their tribes and married pagan worshippers. They left God–moved away. They are called Gentiles. God preserved the bloodline of Judah, which King David belonged to. This was because of the Messiah to come. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, therefore he was called a Jew. Paul, who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, came from the tribe of Benjamin therefore he was called a Jew. The remaining 10 tribes were lost– a “bye bye” They left God and left His Commandments. God saw that they were wicked, a heathen. Gentiles. SEPARATED from God. Now for me, I do recognize God, I do recognize His Son, the Messiah. How do I know what tribe I come from? I won’t know. I really won’t know unless I spend hundreds of dollars to figure out my family tree. I am not going to do that I will walk in faith. I’m back home. Back to Daddy. We can read in Ephesians 2:11-22, but take close look at verse 19.

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.” -Ephesians 2:19

And the Scriptures tell us not to copy the ways of the Gentiles:

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” -Matthew 6:7-8

Also in 1 Peter, God tells us how to live among the Gentiles:

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” -1 Peter 2:12

 There is also a quote; ” O house of Israel and house of Judah…The Father has called your name. He will bring you back, each one of you to your own inheritance and each one to your own land. Yes, that’s His promise to you.” -Jeremiah 11:10, 16-17; 12:15;

“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the HOUSE OF ISRAEL and with the HOUSE OF JUDAH.” -Hebrews 8:8 

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Shalom! Happy Hanukkah! I made a vlog last year about Hanukkah but I wanted to elaborate some more this time. I personally think every Believer should observe Hanukkah. If you want to see the other vlogs I did on Hanukkah, you can check out under November or December 2007 link and find “Happy Hanukkah”. Last year, the commenters had a big discussion and I created, “Bits of Christmas”. You can check that out if you want.

 Hanukkah is also known as “Feast of Dedication” and “Festival of Lights” It is mentioned in the Bible. John 10:22.

“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was walking in the area of Solomon’s Porch.” -John 10:22-23.

Let us go back in time and imagine Jesus walking in Solomon’s porch. It was winter time. The temple is very beautiful and it has a lot of details and it was destroyed when the Babylions took over. The book of Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, and Nehemiah talks about the destruction of the Temple.

The Macabee’s were a group of soliders who wanted to take back the temple and they fought against the Syrian-Greeks. This was before Jesus was born. This is just a historical event, proven to be true by other documents. The concept of this war reminds me of Boston Tea Party. A small group of people stirred up a war against a large group of soliders. Daniel 8 is a prophecy of this event, the Macabee’s war against the Syrian-Greek. In that chapter, there are a lot of symbols. Goats and rams, small and big horns, the small horns represent the Macabees and the large horn represents the Syrian-Greek armies. An interesting fact here: Kislev 25 is the beginning day of Hanukkah according to the Jewish calendar. This is the same date as the foundation of God’s temple that was laid by Solomon.

“From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the fuondation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought…: -Haggai 2:18 (Kislev is the ninth month.)

WHen the temple was won, it was very messy, destroyed, and out of order. only one jar of oil was found. This oil is to light the temple’s menorah. The jar they found was only good for one day but because of a miracle, the oil stayed lit for 8 days so that more oil could be prepared and that the temple could be rededicated.

Now, let’s go back to Jesus’ time, John 10:22. It was the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) and it was winter. Jesus was walking in Solomon’s porch. The Jews asked Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense?” (John 10:22-30) This is the very time, day, and moment that the Jews wanted to know if Jesus is really the Messiah. It was also the very time that Jesus annoucned to the world that he is, indeed, the Messiah. Jesus uses the miracle of the holiday to His life. “Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me.” -John 10:25

The Jews believed God had given them a miracle and that is allowing the oil to stay lit for 8 days so that they could rededicate the Temple and worship God. Jesus tells them that the miracles He does in the Father’s name speak outloud that He is THE Messiah. He is also THE light of the world. The Festival of Lights.

“Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”-John 8:12

We can live in victory and be glad– the Messiah has arrived. Let’s celebrate the Festival of Lights! When we believe that Yahushua is the Messiah, we rededicate our lives to God. It is a joyful time–this is a Feast of Dedication. It’s a good time to rededicate your mind, body and soul to God.

There are 8 nights and this is how I do it with my family. I do not think there is a right or wrong on how Hanukkah is celebrated but I like enriching my children with history, bible stories, truth, and applying to their lives.

The first and second night, we talk about the history of the Macabees. Pure History. We read from children books and we cover the miracle of the oil being lit for 8 days. HANUKKAH.

On the third, fourth, and fifth night we talk about the oil being a miracle and the greatest miracle EVER–the birth of Yahushua– the Messiah. We talk about how the Messiah is the light of the world and we also cover the story about John the Baptist and how he paved the way for people to reconnect to God. Jesus has completed the task and made way for us to reconnect and have a relationship with God. We read from Luke chapter 1 and 2. We also use children books that talk about the birth of the Messiah.  THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

On the sixth, seventh, and eighth night we talk about our relationship with God and how our bodies are the Temple of God and how we can keep it holy. You can read that in 1 Corinthains 3:16-17 and Ephesians 2:21. FEAST OF DEDICATION

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” -1 Corinthians 3:16-17

We also decorate our house with lights of different colors and we place icicle lights on the rooftop–for wintertime. White lights for purity, blue lights for the color of Israel and also we decorate with the Star of David and many menorahs. The tallest on the menorah represents the Messiah, the LIGHT of the world and it lights the others.  hanukkah parties to share the stories we learn and we cook different food and desserts that are commonly used during this season. Every night our children get one gift. They start off small and get bigger and bigger as the nights go. Let’s say, for example, one child will be getting an IPOD. The first night they get the headphones. The second night, they get the cover for the ipod. The third night they get the actual IPOD. For other children, they can get a neat and cool pen the first night, then the second night a headband, and so on.

Hanukkah is a beautiful holiday when we see how the Messiah is parelleled in it. I enjoy this holiday a lot.

Have a blessed Hanukkah!

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 Hello. Simplicity 101. There are times when we face a situation, a problem, or an issue, or like for me, technology problems. When I have a problem on my computer, I struggle by searcing around the computer to get to the problem. My mind begins to work very hard trying to get the problem to be solved. I look hard into the computer system searching around to find out what the problem could be. And at some points I do ask myself if I should call a computer tech and have him/her help me fix the computer. When I get to that point of wanting to call a computer tech, I am on the brink of solving the problem. When I finally solve the problem, the problem is usually very simple. Ugh, that sucks when I have put so much time and effort only to find that the solution was very simple.

This concept can be parellelled with God. Sometimes God likes to keep things very simple. There is a passage in the 1 Corinthians that I really like. It says that God has used a simple and foolish things in this world to shame those who claim they are wise. Also God has used the weakest thing in the world to shame the things that claim it is the strongest. Also God has said, “Have I not made the foolish of wise in this world?”

“God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the thing which are strong.” -1 Corinthians 1:27

“Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world?” -1 Corinthians 1:20

Oftentimes when we see something different, we say that it does not make sense or we say that it is “too simple” and that is because we like grand and magnificent ways. Sophistication. Fancy. Big. For the simple ways, we say, “nah, that’s impossible.”

There are examples like this in the Scriptures that we can find. In 2 Kings, chapter 5, there was a man named Naaman. He was a commander of the army of the King Aman. He was a great man and well respected. He was liked very much by the King. He was a valiant solider but he had leprosy. Leprosy is a bacterial disease on the skin and cannot be cured. Naaman did not know what to do and he was very distraught. One of his maids who served his wife said that there was a prophet of God in another country that can heal leprosy. The maid encouraged Naaman to see the prophet of God. Naaman thought what he heard was good and said that he would like to see the prophet of God in Israel. He had a group of people go with him in chariots and he brought with him a lot of money, gold, and clothes.

They arrived to the prophet’s house and the prophet’s name is Elisha. Elisha knew that Naaman would be coming so he sent his messenger to give a message to Naaman. Elisha did not go himself, he sent a messenger. The messenger met with Naaman and said that if he wanted to be healed, all he had to do was go to the Jordan River and wash himself in the river 7 times. Naaman’s leprosy would be cured if he did that.

Naaman, a well respected commander of the country did not like that suggestion. He became very angry and said that the suggestion was nothing. Naaman was expecting the prophet to call on the name of the Lord and wave his hand on the spot and cure him of his leprosy. He was expecting a big miracle. He thought bathing himself in the Jordan River was no good and it didn’t help that the river was Jordan. It was the filthiest river there. He said that the rivers in his country was a lot cleaner and he could have taken a bath there in his country instead of travelling to Israel to take a bath in a filthy river like Jordan River. Naaman was very angry and left without washing himself.

One of Naaman’s servants went up to him and said to him that if the prophet had told him to do a great thing, would he do it, now how simple is to just wash yourself and be healed? Naaman took that in and decided he would wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River. After the 7th time, Naaman had been cured of leprosy. His skin was new and so soft.

Naaman, a noble commander had to swallow his pride and do something so simple, like take a dip in a very dirty river. Really, all he had to do was obey, do it, and get what he wanted–cure of leprosy.

There are other issues of this world that can be viewed with simplicity but the noble and wise feel it cannot be that way. People often like to see what scientists and scholars have to say about certain issues. They have spent time, mind, and energy discussing certain issues. Like for example, how the world came to its existence. How did life begin on earth? With all the discussions, ideas, and such, we now have Big Bang Theory. Evolution.

The reality is really simple.

God spoke the Word and there came light. The sun came to existence. God spoke the Word and the animals were created. God spoke. God spoke. God spoke. Simple.

“Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. ” -Genesis 1:3 repeated in verses 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26.

Another wisdom of this world says that in order for us to become intelligent, we must study, study, and study. Get a Master’s and Ph D., study and discuss with scholars reading their books.  But God says in order to get wisdom, it is simple. All you have to do is ask Him. We can obtain wisdom if we ask God and form a relationship with Him. That’s awesome. Simple.

“But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously, and it will be given to him.” -James 1:5

Another wisdom of this world says that in order for us to get rich, we have to invest wisely into stocks, creating a portfolio ensuring that there is a diversity in investment and also to have insurance on it. Yadda and yadda. But God says in order to money, it is simple. You have to give it. Give money, you’ll get money. Give and get. Give and get. The principality is like farming. If I want to grow crops, I have to start with a seed. If I want corns, I have to plant a seed of corn. I cannot plant a seed of squash and expect to get corns. I have to plant a seed of the same thing. Plant a seed of corn and you get corns. There’s more than one when you plant. I plant one seed of corn– one, un, uno–and when that one seed of corn grows,  I don’t get one ear of corn. I get many ears of corn. This is God’s principality. God tells us, you give money, you will receive money. The world sees it differently. They say to keep the money, cherish it, and be wise how you invest it for yourself. Keep for me. Keep for me. Me. Me. Me.

“Give, and it will be given to you.” -Luke 6:38

“Whoever sows a few will also reap a few, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously and with blessings.” -2 Corinthians 9:6

Another wisdom of the world says in order to get to heaven, you have to be a good person. You have to respect others, be nice. Don’t steal, kill or lie. Be kind.  But God says in order to get to heaven all we have to do is confess that Jesus (Yahushua) is our Lord and have Him in our lives. That’s the way to heaven.

“Everyone who confesses Me (Jesus) before men, I (Jesus) will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”- Matt 10:32

“if you confess with your words Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…”-Romans 10:9

In Acts chapter 2, Peter gave a good sermon about the salvation of God through the Messiah to many people and as the people listened, they were deeply touched. They all agreed and said to Peter, “Yes! What must we do?” It is most likely, a possibility, that these people thought they had to do a ritual or something great in order to become saved. They were deeply touched. Peter simply answered, “Repent. Change your ways and be baptized in the name of Jesus (Yahushua), the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins and you will recieve the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and ye shall receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” -Acts 2:38

If you have not done this or if you want to check into this wanting to know what’s God’s way of having us enter His home, and how we can have a good life here on earth, feel free to contact us for help, guidance, or whatever. I will be glad to help and give all I know with you.

I encourage you to remember that sometimes solutions in this life are really simple, such as asking God for help, or asking brothers and sisters in Christ what we can do.

You will be surprised that sometimes the solution is really simple.

http://www.leforstribe.com/

We know Thanksgiving is very near and this is the time that many people get together with family and friends and think about what they are thankful for. I have a tendency of forgetting little things because I become overwhelmed with other things. I often forget things like saying, “Thank you.” When someone else does something for me, my mind gets occupied with different things, I forget to say, “Thank you” and when I remember about it, I get dissapointed at myself for forgetting to say “Thank you.” When someone sends us something, and then time runs on, I forget to send an email to say, “Thanks!” When I remember, it is a little “too long” but nevertheless, I still send an email to say, “Thanks!” We have a tendency to forget. It’s a human trait.  Also when we pray, it is often that we think about me, myself, and I on my needs and we forget to say “Thank you” to God for the things He has done for us. It’s like the famous prayer of one man: “God, Bless me and my wife, my son and his wife. Us four and nothing more. Amen.” That’s it. The prayer is quite self-centered. We need to remember to thank God that we have this and that and also thank God for other people as well.

God recognizes that we forget easily, too. After all he made us. He put the rainbow up to remind us that He will never again flood the whole earth. When I see the rainbow, I actually am reminded that God has promised He will never flood the whole earth again.

God has given us celebrations and feasts for His children to celebrate so they can remember Him and His promises. For example, When it was Passover, Yahshua (Jesus) went to the Temple to remember God and what happened in Egypt and how the Hebrew slaves were set free and eventually brought into the promised land.

God is a Father that supplies all of our needs according to His riches and glory. How rich is God? Is he “well-to-do”? “Average? For your information, He is extremely rich. His streets are made out of gold and sapphires. His home is not angels sitting on a cloud playing harps fiddling about. It is a red-carpet life with manisons and wines. We can experience God’s richness here on earth. Yes, there will be tribulations and trials her but we are not limited to those. We can have whatever God has for us here on Earth. We just have to remember to be THANKFUL for it.

Some people remember the gift of salvation and are thankful for it but forget the power of God’s healing and fail to get it. Some people can remember God’s power of healing and be thankful for it but forget about prosperity and forget to get it. Some people can remember prosperity and be thankful for it but forget about long life and fail to get it. Some people remember long life and be thankful for it but forget the cup of abundance and fail to get it. Some people can remember salvation and be thankful for it but forget about wisdom and fail to achieve it. Different things for different people.

“And my God shall supply ALL of your needs according to His riches in glory by the Messiah.” -Philippians 4:19

How many does the scripture say? It says ALL. God will supply ALL of our needs. Also, there is a poem in the famous Pslms 23 chapter. There is a part I like.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You annoit my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” -Psalms 23:5-6.

These two verses is something I like. Notice the first sentence of the above scripture says: “You prepare a table before me int he presence of my enemies.” The enemies are satan and his demons. This can also be for people around you who attemps to cause havoc or trouble in your paths. God has prepared on the table for you, the gift of salvation, the power of healing, the bowl of prosperity and riches, the place of long life, the cup of abundance, the ladle of wisdom, and so many more. They are all on your table. They’re for you. God is PREPARING a table IN FRONT of your enemies to show them that He is certainly not afraid that he CAN and WILL bless you (annoit your head and make your cup run over) of abundance. We need to remember to give thanks for them. Many of us can forget God and not be thankful for Him. As we walk in unthankfulness, our table becomes emptier and emptier. If we can forget to thank our brothers and sisters that we can which we can see, then how easy is it to forget to thank God which we cannot see, but only can feel in our hearts.

Moses warned the people of Israel to remember God and that warning still is for us today. It is like Moses saying, “I’m telling you man, keep your head little and be thankful!”

“Beware that you do not forget the Lord, your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgements, and His statues which I commanded you today, lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, when your heart is lifted up and you forget the Lord your God, then you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth”, then it shall beif you by any means forget the Lord, your God and follow other gods and worship then. I tesify against you this day that you shall surely perish.” -Deuteronomy 8:11-19.

You know the famous quote, “Pride before the fall.” That’s what Moses was telling the people. 

We can forget God easily. Really, God has already prepared a table with everything on it for your needs. We just have to sit at the table, get them, and remember to thank Him. 

David was a king who was after God’s heart. He reminded himself not to forget God and His goodness or His Word.

“I will delight myself in Your statues. I will not forget Your word.” -Psalms119:16

This is a good time to remember what God’s word says:

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thakful to Him, and bless His name.”-Psalms 100:4

Have you thanked God today? Give thanks for every meal you eat, your family and friends. The little and big things you have, thank God. Remember him, and also, thank God on behalf of others who did not thank God.

“Giving thanks always  for all the things to God, the Father, in the name of our Messiah.”-Ephesians 5:25

Forget-Me-Not!

Don’t forget to THANK God!

Happy Thanksgiving!

www.LeForsTribe.com

Which God do we serve? Yahweh or Money (and other stuff)? Are we a begging group?

A little background on the name Yahweh. It is God’s TRUE name. God’s name spelled in Hebrew is YHWH and can be spelled Yahweh. The name “God” is a generic name. The Catholic Church a few hundred years after Yahushua *Jesus* died did not want to be “like the Jews” so they changed many things. Calling God by his true name, Yahweh, was forbidden. I will sign God because many people recognize that sign name, but keep in mind that the name “God” is just a generic name. Just FYI.

Are we a begging nation?

There is a story in the Scriptures about a lame man who always sat at the gate called Beautiful. He had been lame since birth and many people knew him as the lame guy who sat at the gate to beg. Peter and John were on their way to the temple for prayer and the begger hollered and wanted money from them. Peter and John saw him and told him, Silver and gold , I do not have, but I have something, in the name of Jesus stand up and walk.” Peter pulled him up and when the man realized he was healed, he leapt with joy and ran into the temple to praise and worship. Everyone who knew him marveled. A miracle had happened. People wanted to know more about what had caused the lame man to be healed.

Acts 3:1-11

Have we shifted the course on who we serve? The Scriptures say we cannot serve two masters, we will love one hate the other one. You cannot serve money (and other things) and love God at the same time.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” -Luke 16:13

I want to point out several things about the lame fellow. Peter and John were men who walked with Jesus. They saw many miracles Jesus did. Jesus had already died and resurrected. The Holy Spirit had come upon over 3,000 and counting people. The chatter in Jerusalem was about who the Messiah is, and the new covenant. The beggar, most likely had already seen Jesus walk to and fro the Temple, he probably had already heard about Him. This is the same as the world today. People have heard chatters about God and Jesus and they wonder about the miracles that are not being seen nowdays. The beggar had been sitting at the gate all these time Jesus was around but the problem most likely was that he never went up to Jesus to ask for healing. He only wanted money. Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray. They did not plan on healing the lame guy. When the lame guy saw Peter and John, he was expecting money. That was all he wanted. Peter and John knew what the homeless man wanted but they had something better to give. They gave the lame man something that the name of Yahushua *Jesus can give him, and that was a healing miracle.

A chineese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I often wonder why homeless shelters are not passing out fishing rods. Anyway,  the beggar is like the world. He begs for money because he knows money will help him get food, get a place to sleep, get clothes and etc. This will make him happy for the day, fulfill the needs he has. We get up early in the morning and we go to work, we are willing to do that because the motivation is likely money. Ah, money talks. Oh, Don’t get me wrong, we should work. The Scripture says that if a man does not work, he ought not to eat.

God said “Ask and it will be given so that your joy may be full.”

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” -John 16:23-24

Are we sitting with the world and begging? Are we telling others we need money, need help from the government, need this give me, give me, free free free? Did we first ask God for what we need? When the economy crashes, it should not affect us. We, as Believers should not have to beg at all. All we have to do is ask our Father for what we want and need. I don’t need to worry about what happens in this world because God gives us peace, love, joy, fullness, abundance, prosperity, salvation and much more. I have an inheritance and I’m set for life.  It is our job to give to the beggar what we have.

When the world begs, don’t just give them temporary things, oh, yes help them out, but don’t just limit it becasuse that will only fill him up for a day. Give them something that will make them never go hungry again. Give them God’s power, healing, salvation, prosperity and many other things in the name of Yahushua *Jesus, so that our joy may be full.  The world is hungry, make no mistake about that. The field is ripe and ready for harvest but the laborers are few. We are closer to the “Last days” than ever before. Jesus is filling the goblets with water, preparing the banquet. Horses are galloping towards us and are being held back at the command of God.  God’s waiting to give every one a chance to change his position, from the beggar to the child of God. And if you have been sitting with the beggar, stand up and start walking. People are saying, “What good is your Yahweh (God)? You and I are the same, we’re sitting and asking for money, happiness, joy, peace, and love. 

We are a nation, God’s chosen nation. Let our abundance fall upon other people and help them never go hungry because that’s how good my Yahweh is.

Hello,

I have been receiving e-mails concerning my discussion with Aidan Mack in the past two months. Some people wanted to know the whole story and some people were wondering how I became involved.

At first, I thought it was best to explain on a personal basis but because of the constant e-mailings and “rumors” afloating around, I decided to do this publically. Feel free to forward this to share with others that may have some questions.

Aidan Mack and I are not accquaintaces, however we have seen each other at Gallaudet University when we were students there. It is possibe that we have briefly spoken to each other once or twice, but I cannot remember if we really did.

When I did my vlog, “My Abusive Father”, this vlog had nothing to do with Aidan Mack. I just randomly wanted to talk about God and sickness. 6 days later, Aidan Mack created a vlog in response to the gay community. In her vlog, she mentioned my name for the first time and commented negatively on the vlog I created. This was the first time our paths crossed. I want to share with you that she has never contacted me in private or in public asking for clarification regarding my vlog.

Aidan Mack’s vlog: “In response to ASL Gay and Lesbian Community”

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/24814/

Four days later, I created another vlog “How Unconsitutional Are We?”. This vlog has nothing to do with Aidan Mack, it was randomly created because of the election being around the corner. 6 days later, Aidan Mack created a vlog directing it to my vlog and made negative comments on it. I would like to share again that she has never contacted privately or in public asking for clarification regarding my vlog.

Aidan Mack’s vlogs: “Is US Consitution based on the Christanity”

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/25684/

“Is America based on Christanity Nation: Part 2

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/25701/

6 days later, I created a vlog, “I Am Crying Because I Am A Woman”. This vlog did not mention Aidan Mack’s name at all. I did not mention her name out of respect. However, this vlog was created to clarify how God viewed women. I want to share once again that she has never contacted me in private or in public asking for clarification regarding my vlogs.

Aidan created two vlogs afterwards which has been removed. In her vlogs, she heavily, negatively commented about the vlog I created. In that vlog of hers, I noticed an error and presented her mistake in identifying pronouns. In those vlogs, she and I entered a heated debate. I emphsicaily said she was not able to understand the pronouns used in the Bible and asked why she kept attacking me. Her comments did not resolve anything. It became messy with other people being involved. Because the mistake was openely exposed, she removed her two of her vlogs and created another one.

Aidan Mack’s v-log: “In Response To My Own Video Comment”

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/26898/

At that point, I felt it was best that I create another vlog sharing how God views women. Again, I did not mention Aidan Mack in this vlog out of respect. I felt there was absolutely no need to drag anyone’s name or even to attempt to destroy anyone. I created a vlog, “Some Leaders Are Born Women”.  Again, Aidan Mack has never contacted me in private or public.

Aidan created another vlog indirectly attacking me for the sign I used in my vlog.

Aidan’s vlog, “Signs & Gesture: Woman Power and Man Power”

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/27156/

After that vlog, I felt it was best to walk away. I did not know what Aidan Mack’s motive was in attacking me 7 times. I decided it was best that I stay low to let “life move on” and Eric decided he would create a vlog about the election.

His vlog is titled, “Choices! Choices! Election 2008″. This vlog has nothing to do with Aidan Mack at all. Eric had planned for a long time to create a vlog about the election.

The next day, Aidan Mack created another vlog, “Deaf People are FOOL if they vote for McCain/Palin”.

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/27575/

Eric and I did not bother to comment. After the Election, she created another one, “Obama to be next president”, mocking deaf people who voted for McCain:

http://www.deafvideo.tv/video/watch/28697/

So, this is the story. I will not comment on any of Aidan Mack’s vlogs in the future because there is a pattern of attacks. Eric and I have no desire to spark anger and cause divisions. We welcome discussions but they must be diplomatic, peaceful, and well-mannered. I hope this will answer many of your questions and help others understand this issue.

Thank you very much for your time wanting to hear both sides of the story.

Be blessed!

June Ann