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!!

קדוש Qodesh

**Always weigh my words in light of the Word of God.


The last couple of years I have begun to understand in a deeper way how very holy Yahweh is. I understand that am only scratching the surface on this, but I believe there is much that is not understood about his holiness. When I think about how long I took that fact for granted and how much I treated Him like a genie in a bottle or a casual friend I am ashamed and rightly so.

He is our friend, but often times we forget that He is also a Holy Elohim. We can cheapen and misuse His loving grace and make it a reason to walk in a way that is irreverent. In that irreverence it can become very simple to justify actions and choices that do not please or honor Him. We can sin and somehow believe that He doesn’t mind. In doing that we sometimes attempt to speak for Him or assume we know how He would feel in a given situation because we see Him as we see ourselves, that is a “being” with a fallen nature. It is kind of an “arrogant philosophical leap” that I am personally no longer willing to make.


Yahshua, Jesus Christ, never sinned. There isn’t a man alive now or ever that can say that. He was Elohim, He is Elohim and He will always be Elohim. He is Elohim having come in the physical form of a man. He never changes and He is not a man that He should lie. The Elohim of the Torah, the Writings and the Prophets (i.e. The Old Testament or Tanakh/Tanach) is the same God of the Brit Chadashah (i.e. The Renewed Covenant or New Testament)

2Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Malachi 3:6
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.



One hears the word “holy” and can think a lot of different things. Perhaps you think “special” or “important” and while that is true of Him there is more to it. The word Holy in Hebrew, is Kodesh or Qodesh. The word Qodesh means Set Apart. To be set apart means to not be part of that which is of the world or that which is common or imperfect.

Honestly, our fallen sinful state earns only one thing, death. We must not forget that! If you understand the sacrificial system, prior to the crucifixion of Yahshua, you probably will understand this concept. A sacrifice brought to the altar of Elohim had to be different. It had to be without blemish, spot or defect. It had to be absolutely perfect in order to be suitable to be offered before Adonai. Why, because He is Qodesh! Anything or anyone that came into His presence had to be Set Apart, Holy as He Holy. Qodesh!

Since we are fallen beings, how in the world can we come into His presence in our sinful, fallen state? In our current fleshly state we are not perfect, without spot or blemish. This is a very good question and there is only only one answer. His shed blood that covers our sin is the only way. It was a very costly Set Apart sacrifice. He was the perfect Lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. He was the only sacrifice suitable to take away the sins of the whole world and make it possible for man to be in His presence. He willingly chose to allow Himself to be put on a tree and allowed the shedding of His own blood for our sins. When he looks upon us, having received Him and His work on the tree, how does He see us? He sees us in the perfection of the Set Apart blood shed for us! When you read the account of the blood being placed on the doorposts so that death would pass over the Israelites in the book of Exodus before leaving Egypt, you are seeing a for-telling of what He did on the tree, for all of us! The Set Apart blood prevents death from having its victory. Through the blood of Yahshua death is conquered! We who are covered with that blood become Set Apart.

When we ask Him to be Adonai (Lord) and Savior of our lives should we continue to sin or live anyway we choose? Do our actions and motivations have any importance or are we afforded a certain kind of grace that contains no boundaries? Looking around today many people seem to be living as if that was true. The book of James is one scripture of many that speaks to this, as well as 1 Peter and Leviticus 19.

James 1:
22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

And

1 Peter 1:
15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Leviticus 19
2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.



His Word says to be Holy, Qodesh as He is Holy. Therefore we should not live in a way think is irreverent of His costly sacrifice but in a way that seeks to please Him.

As we get closer to His return there will be much in well meaning books and on the airways that teach conversely to his Word. If we are not diligent to know His word we can easily be deceived. We must hold fast to the Word and not to the teachings (commentaries) and traditions of man, lest we be deceived. We must not be led of our own emotions, opinions and leanings but seek nourishment and His truth from the only set apart food that satisfies.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Lets seek to be Qodesh as He is Qodesh! Blessings to you my Mishpacha in Yahshua.

More than a Conqueror

The Lost Tribes of Israel

The Plight of Lebanese Believers

If you have never heard Brigette Gabriel's story it is really worth listening to. A note of warning, some of what she speaks about is a little graphic. You may not want to have children present when you watch it. It is a story that is very likely a common one as far as Lebanese believers are concerned, but not one that we in the west get to hear very often.

Law and Grace: A Love Story - The Messianic Israel Alliance

Law and Grace: A Love Story - The Messianic Israel Alliance