Simple Challah

Simple Challah Ingredients

8 cups of Flour + extra during kneading
1 package of Yeast
2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt
1/4 cup of Honey
3 Eggs
2 1/2 cups of Flour
1/2 cup of Oil (I like olive, some people use vegetable)

Mix water, yeast, salt and all wet ingredients. Slowly add flour 1 cup at a time. Mix until stiff and then knead for about 5 minutes. Let dough rise 1 1/2 hours. After dough has risen knead dough for another 5 minutes. Cut dough in half and then cut halves into three "snakes". Braid into two loaves, place on a greased baking sheet and then loaves rise another hour. After rising, brush with egg and top with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!!

PRAY for the peace of Jerusalem

Hinei ma Tov

Kumi Ori

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shone upon you.
See darkness covers the earth
and thick fog is over the people,
but the Lord will shine upon you
and His glory will appear over you.

Oh Yonah....(Jonah)

I have read the story of Jonah many times to my children over the years. All the children's stories paint Jonah as this reluctant and rather judgemental prophet not wanting to see the citizens of Nineveh spared Yahweh's wrath because of the gross sinfulness of the people. While I am glad he obeyed in the end and delivered the message he was commanded to, and the people were spared, I understand how difficult it is to convey a message that in one's perception might be received poorly and possibly even violently. Sometimes you just want to run away!

It is difficult to approach people with the message of the besorah (good report, good news, the gospel). It first identifies them as sinners in need of a savior without the possibility of redeeming themselves with any works of their own. THEN it requires them to turn from their sin, repent, and receive Yahshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ) as Lord and Savior and allow His shed blood to cover their sin AND begin to seek to walk in obedience to what He has commanded. A pretty tall order from some folks, coming out of the world, and not always a very welcome message!

There is always the possibility of making the message more palatable and diplomatic if you will. It would certainly go easier for the messenger, but is it the right thing to do? If one waters down the good news in order to make it more palatable, one must ask themselves, is it the same message? When my children were little I would add water to their apple juice in order for them to not digest too much sugar. My question is this, is that juice still in it's original form or has it changed by my adding something to it? Obviously, it is different. Water is a chemical component and while apple juice contains some water obviously adding more water to the original juice changes the very form of the juice and it's chemical make up by diluting it. It is no longer in it's original form. It doesn't taste like real apple juice. It doesn't look like apple juice. It doesn't even smell completely like real apple juice! It contains apple juice, but it is no longer apple juice in it's pure form. When my kids finally had a taste of the real thing they weren't even sure they liked it or what it even was! The real thing, well, it was pretty hard to swallow at first. Eventually they loved it!

I don't know what the people were like exactly that Jonah spoke to. I do know they were sinners. I do know they received what he said and were spared, halleluYAH! Yahweh has given us all a message to give and there is no guarantee how it will be received. Will we be rejected? Will we be hated? Will we be labelled or scorned? Will we lose our friends and our family? I am sorry to say that is hard to tell and all those things are a real possibility. The Word is very clear that there will be division. That is the bad news. The good news is that He will be with us and enable us to do what He asks us to and that our treasure is in heaven and not on this earth of which we are not citizens. The temptation will always be there to run away, hide or simply water down our message to make it more palatable.....or dare I say "politically correct?"

There is another "Jesus" being preached and taught all over this great land or ours. He is a Jesus that requires nothing of you and will give you anything you ask for like a genie in a bottle. He is a Jesus that does not honor His Father or anything His Father has spoken before His coming. He is a Jesus that just wants you to "feel" good, agree with the status quo, and never challenges one to self examination, repentance of sin or any personal responsibility. I don't know about you, but the more I read the Word the more I discover those characteristics do not describe Him. He was ALWAYS in the will of His Father. He brought conviction when one was in sin and did not beat around the bush about it. He caused people to look at themselves in the mirror and evaluate the state of their spiritual poverty. He asked individuals to repent of their sin and take responsibility for their actions. Sometimes I read and see things on the "airwaves" that don't reflect the Savior of the Bible, but someone I do not recognise. You could say that there is another "Jesus" being preached or perhaps another gospel all together? What do you think?

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so you mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preachth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or it ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might bear well with him.

Lets seek Yahshua's (Jesus's) strength to do the right thing in boldness when we are led of the Ruach Ha'Kodesh (The Holy Spirit). Let us then go forth in His love and convey the message of the genuinely wonderful good news of our Lord and Savior and what He has done for all of us!!