The Song of Moses

 

                           

Dear Gail-Friends:

 Here is a song for your enjoyment.  The song is called "The Song of Moses" It is based on this week's parashas - Hazeinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-52.)

 

Hazeinu is Hebrew for "Listen!".  Moses is preparing to die and he is giving his last message to the people.  This passage is known as the song of Moses and is a perfect meditation for Shabbat and as preparation for Yom Kippur.

Have you prepared for the Most Holy Day?  It begins Sunday at sundown.  I pray for your heart to be soft and open.  You do this by asking Hashem to search your heart for any unconfessed sin.  If sin is found, repent and ask forgiveness.  And if there are hard feelings, go to that person as quickly as possible and make peace.  Your heart will be lifted and you will know the joy of worshiping Adonai in the beauty of holiness.  

 

Yom Kippur is a time of quietness and reverence - realizing anew the struggle of our flesh as we walk in this world.  But it is also a time of rejoicing for the love and mercy of Hashem in sending His Son, Yeshua to shed his blood for our sin.  We praise Him for forgiveness and also for His power to overcome sin as we journey. Haleluyah to The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and writes our names in the Book of Life for the year ahead !  May we bring Him glory and honor in all we do and say in the year ahead.

 I pray your Shabbat will be worship-full with moments of stillness, tranquility, and peace. May this day be filled with joy from spending time with Hashem, your family and loved ones, and may the atmosphere in your home be filled with coziness and harmony. I pray for Him to bring peace and kindness into your hearts.  I pray that as you light the candles to welcome the Shabbat, that their light will illuminate your path towards prosperity and happiness.*

 

* prayer based on a prayer by Mark Levin

**  photos are by MiYah on Facebook, used by permission.

The Ten Days of Awe

 

We celebrated Rosh Hashanah at the synagogue on Friday evening with greetings of "Shanah Tovah", lots of apples and honey, and shofar blowing! Thus, we began the new year 5784 and the Days of Awe (or Ten Days of Repentance) in preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).  We enjoyed a meal together and then held our traditional service.    

 

A round, sweet challah is a tradition on Rosh Hashanah

!

 

The blowing of the shofar is an urgent call to awaken from spiritual slumber .  It's a special time for self-examination, repentance, and asking for forgiveness from God and others.  It's a time to prepare for 5784 - the new year ahead.  The shofar has a beautiful sound.  I want you to hear it, so here is a link for you to hear and understand the blowing of the shofar: 

https://youtu.be/grZDPCKORGg?si=W6y1BnQ4DW8hcCLg

“Blow the shofar in Tziyon!
Sound an alarm on my holy mountain!”
Let all living in the land tremble,
for the Day of Adonai is coming! It’s upon us! 

Joel 2:1 CJB 

 

 

 Entering into the Hebrew year 5784, we pray for God to reveal any sins we have allowed to creep in to our lives.  We also examine ourselves to see if we have any resentments against others or if we have hurt anyone.  If so, we do our best to make peace with them. This is not always easy to do.  If we are afraid to approach someone, we ask Him to make us willing to take the action needed to make peace.  If unable to meet in person, a phone call or a letter can be used.  It's a humbling experience to admit wrong, but it's also healing.  The important thing is to JUST DO IT ! 

 

These ten days are an opportunity be still, to truly seek God, and to allow Him to move in us so we will be blessed and useful for His kingdom in the year ahead.  

 

Seek Adonai while he is available,
call on him while he is still nearby.

Isaiah 55:6 CJB

 

Shavuah Tov, Gail-Friends!  

 May your 5784 be as sweet as apples and honey.

How Can I Help???

 

 My Dear Gail-Friends,  I pray you will read this post and take action immediately.

Perhaps you, like me, have watched the news unfold about President Donald J Trump's indictment in Georgia and felt your stomach turn over with grief.  These indictments are so wrong and purely evil.  He has done nothing illegal.  This is all part of the witch hunt that began even before he was elected.  The 2020 election of Joe Biden was illegal and there is plenty of proof.

We watched the election returns on Nov 3, 2020 and saw the tremendous lead Trump had.  Then we watched in disbelief as the numbers began to go down.  It was crazy and in all our years we'd never seen anything like it.  Within the next week, we saw the evidence of fraud come pouring in from all over the country.  We saw videos of people taking ballots out from under tables.  We saw people casting illegal votes in drop-boxes.  And more . . .

If you haven't seen the movie 2000 Mules, please watch it to see more evidence of fraud.

If you haven't seen the Mike Lindell event about the election fraud, please watch it.  https://frankspeech.comhttps//frankspeech.com/Video/mike-lindells-historical-speech-to-the-nation-how-we-got-here

Pleaase go to this Lindell website for more actions you can take to secure our future elections. https://electioncrimebureau.com/    It has a place to select your state.  This is what we need to do:

Eliminate Voting Machines

Pass Legislative Reforms

Decentralize Voter Rolls

Trump WON!  

He is being railroaded and cheated and yet he has stood firm on his statement that the election was stolen.

But wait!! There's more!

Pray.  Pray for God to stop the evil people who are trying to destroy our country.

Put feet to your prayers by doing these things, too: 

Last week on Truth Social, President Trump re-truthed the following information about contacting the Supreme Court.  This is the website that will explain everything you need to know in order to take action.

https://loybrunson.com/

After you read the info, you can contact the Court with a form letter on the site (for $2.00) or . . .

You Can Send Your Own Letter:

As mentioned in the video on the site, you’ll need two pieces of paper, two envelopes and two stamps.

On each piece of paper express your support of the Brunson case. Both sheets are exactly the same. You can copy and paste our sample letter, or you can print them out from this PDF Link.

1. Download and print 2 copies of the PDF.

2. Sign your name and date both letters. 

3. One copy goes to the Supreme Court, the other copy goes to the Loy Brunson.

If you like, as a way of saying Thank You to the Loy, add a dollar or whatever you want to the envelope you send to Loy.

Loy Brunson has been working on this project for over two years. He has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars working on this for We The People.

Supreme Court Address:

Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20543

Loy Brunson Address:

Loy Brunson
55 North Merchant Street #1631
American Fork, Utah 84003

 

 

The Barbie Movie and Smashing Babies

 

**

I never had a Barbie doll growing up.  But I do remember not wanting one.  I couldn't understand my friends who wanted one.  I loved "baby" dolls.  I wanted a real baby, too.

As an adult,  I saw or read opinions that Barbie was sending the wrong message:  girls must be thin, with long legs, and big breasts.  I got the idea, and yet, I bought Barbie dolls for my two girls.  I just never thought much about it. 

 When the Barbie movie came out, I had no desire to see it.  But, I did see a  Facebook review of it by a woman who saw it with her young daughter  She said, 

"How bad can it be?" I thought. "Ignore the agenda. I'm sure it will be cute."

 

The opening scene literally was of little girls bashing baby dolls' heads against rocks in celebration of never having to be a mom. It was so disturbing. Lizzy and I just looked at each other. Mom's around us were laughing. I felt sick to my stomach.

 

The movie never got better. We both thought it would end with an understanding between Ken and Barbie that there's value in male and female both, and we can coexist. Nope. Women rule. Ken was a sobbing mess.

 

I really thought people had exaggerated how bad it must be. They didn't. It was worse."

I felt sick myself after reading her review, but THEN . . . I ran across Rabbi Cahn's YouTube video about Barbie and the messages it portrays.  Here is his introduction:

"Barbie, Ishtar, & the Smashed Babies – Could a doll from the 1950s and a Hollywood movie be connected to an ancient Mesopotamian goddess – and to the end times? Could there actually be a dark mystery behind Barbie?       Click here to watch - https://youtu.be/cKp-A6BBg-E

 

 Let me know what you think.  

 

**

photo courtesy of Pixabay

 

Memorizing Psalm 91

 

Psalm 91 is what I call my hurricane psalm because I read it over and over while going through a major hurricane.  What a comfort it is.**  I've written about this psalm six times here on my blog.

Over the past several months, I've been trying to commit Psalm 91 to memory. Believe me, Gail-Friends, it is so hard!!  I'm so grateful for the Bible verses I learned as a child because as I/we grow older, memorization becomes more difficult. 

Recently I discovered this musical version of Psalm 91 by Aaron Shust.  It's a catchy tune and I really like it.  I hope you will listen, song along, and be blessed.  It's a great song for the Sabbath.  

Shabbat shalom. 

**Since I've lived in Florida all of my life, I've gone through many hurricanes (three of them in 2004).  Here's a post about going through hurricanes.

Sound of Freedom Movie

 The photo above is of a sculpture I saw during a visit to the Polasek Museum in Winter Park, Florida. The image is titled "Mother Crying Over The World" by Albin Polasek. **

 I was so struck by this image.  It depicts my grieving heart  in a tactical form when I think of children being abused.

 For that reason, I didn't want to see the movie, Sound of Freedom.  I stayed away because I know I could not bear to see a child abused on the big screen.  But many of my friends encouraged me to go, and told me I wouldn't see anything like that. We went to see the movie  - and stayed to see the special message at the end. I still had to close my eyes sometimes, and at times I didn't read what was said in Spanish. I'm just like that - but when we got in the car, I broke down crying. I knew about child and adult trafficking, but this movie vividly portrayed it.

I agree with Yeshua - these evil people are beyond rehabilitation - and they deserve death. These three disciples remember and recorded the message He spoke:  

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." ~ Matthew 18:6 (NKJV)

 

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea." ~ Mark 9:42 (NKJV)

 

"It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."~ Luke 17:2 (NKJV)

 

I can hear someone out there saying, "Where's the love?"  Why would Yeshua say something so harsh?  

 

I've pondered this and prayed about this question.  I believe it's because people can become so depraved that they are beyond hope.  They have no conscience.  No mercy.  No empathy for others.  Some even enjoy hurting others.  

 

I've known some personally.  I tried to love them and show them God's ways.  They refused over and over again -- and became even more depraved.  I've seen them die in that sin.  I've watched them pass away without ever even feeling sorry...without ever asking forgiveness of the ones they abused.  Without ever even wanting to make amends.  Why? Because they were depraved.   This passage is very clear about how they become that way:  Romas 1:18 - 32 Please read this out loud very slowly

¹⁸ What is revealed is God’s anger from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth; ¹⁹ because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities — both his eternal power and his divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; ²¹ because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! ²³ In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles!

²⁴ This is why God has given them up to the vileness of their hearts’ lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other’s bodies. ²⁵ They have exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, by worshipping and serving created things, rather than the Creator — praised be he for ever. Amen. 

  ²⁶ This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; ²⁷ and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion. ²⁸ In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things. ²⁹ They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarrelling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. ³² They know well enough God’s righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die; yet not only do they keep doing them, but they applaud others who do the same."

Yeshua knew that some will reject Him and continue to live in their sin and continue to hurt others, so that's why He said they should just commit suicide in order to avoid hurting more people.  Remember Judas?

 

In the days after I watched Sound of Freedom,  I thought about what we can do (in addition to what he said at the end). 

(1)Support any local group that works to end trafficking and/or helps those rescued from it. 

(2) Keep our eyes open for indications of trafficking around us and report them to the police. 

(3) Push for laws that give human traffickers the death penalty. 

(4) Teach children how to deal with strangers. 

(5) Hold your little ones by the hand when out shopping.

 (6) Vote for Trump because I believe he will work to take down the criminals in our country that are involved. 

(7) Pray (probably should have put that one first).  I have a dear friend who always says, "Pray...and put feet to your prayers!"

If you have more ideas. Please tell me. And I do encourage everyone to see this movie before it leaves your area.

** Here's the post I made about my trip to the Polasek Museum.

 

 

Psalms for Shabbat

 

Greetings dear Gail-Friends!

This past week has gone by so fast, and it's been a busy one for us.  

Are you ready for Shabbat?  I usually do batch cooking on Friday so that I don't have to cook Friday night or Saturday night.  Today, I've been cooking dishes with zucchini.  I made a zucchini lasagna and I'm working on a zucchini pizza crust now.  Both of those are low-carb recipes.  I'll let you know how they turn out.  

Our music guy at the synagogue introduced us to music by Sons of Korah.  I really love them because they are based on the Psalms.  Here's one for you Shabbat enjoyment.  

Psalm 147b

Have a wonder-full and worship-full Shabbat.

 

A New Song for Shabbat

 

Have you had a good week? We've had a very, very busy one.  We saw the movie Sound of Freedom, but I'll talk about that in my next post.  In the meantime, go see it for sure.

I have a new favorite song for Shabbat and am excited to share it with you.  It's by Joshua Aaron and you can watch it at this YouTube link. It has the lyrics so you can sing along, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.   Shabbat Shalom by Joshua Aaron

Have a blessed and worship-full Sabbath, friends.

Faith, Family & Freedom

 

Greetings Gail-Friends:

I'm BAAACK!  In my last post (February 8, 2023), I said this:  " Within the next week, I'll write a post about what G-d has been laying on my heart about this subject."  Well, a lot has happened  since then.

I thought I'd do a little catch-up post about life at Golden Cottage.

 

 

 

 

Sadly, we lost our little dog, Zoe, in January.  She was over twelve years old and developed liver problems.   We found this sweet, little blind doggie at the local pound and rescued her. Even though she was blind, you'd never know it.  She could run like Rin Tin Tin,  and jump like a kangaroo, and was fiercely protective of us and our grandson.  Her favorite thing to do was ride in my bicycle basket. We loved her so much, and miss her every day.

 When she passed away, we prayed for another dog -- the one that needed us, and the one that we needed.   God led us to this little girl at our local Humane Society, and they had named her Lucy.  

We kept that name because she sure does make us laugh.  Jem wanted an "active" dog.  Well, God sure answered that prayer.  She runs like the wind - and will make up to fourteen laps from one end of the house to the other.  Of course, she had to learn to live with our cat, Toonie Woo, Esq.  

He's a very laid-back cat, so they are still working that out.  Sometimes, they run together in those laps and it's a hoot to watch the race.

 On February 20, I had total knee replacement surgery.  I had some complications and had to stay in the hospital longer than expected.  A couple of weeks later, I developed a painful rash around the incision which necessitated more doctor visits with a dermatologist - this in addition to regular visits to the ortho doctor and several days a week for rehab therapy.  So, it's been a long, painful road to recovery. 

I'm back now, and beginning to feel like my old self.  It feels so good to feel good and be able to do things I want / need to do.  I give praises to Hashem for His healing power, and for the amazing medical treatments we are blessed to have in this time in history.  Without the surgery, I'd be crippled.  I'm also so thankful for my dear, sweet, kind husband for his patient nursing care through it all.  And for the wonderful ladies at the synagogue who provided meals, encouragement, and prayers over these past five months.  I'm so blessed.

In May, we celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary. 

 

 It's hard to believe it's been that long.  The days, and weeks, and months seem to fly by.   I can honestly say my husband has made me a very happy wife.  I tell everybody that he is the best husband in the world, and he tells them I'm the best wife in the world.  God has blessed us abundantly...more than I could ever ask or think.

We also celebrated our youngest grandson's birthday with a pizza party.  He's two years old now and he's a DYNAMO!!  Getting him to sit still for a photo was a trick!  We had a good time together with our co-grandparents,  Betty and Ray.  Such a blessed, fun day. 

 Speaking of time passing so fast, it's hard to believe that our first grandson is now almost fourteen years old.  Wow!

 

He's home schooled, but also attends a music school.  We really enjoyed the concert put on by the students at the end of the semester.  He is in the band as well as the chorus and is very talented - plays the xylophone and is first chair of the percussion section.  Also, he 's a member of a STEM program at the museum where Jem works.  It's so interesting to me that he's musical like his mom, and loves computers and engineering like his dad.  And, oh, what a sweet boy he is!

Also in May, we celebrated Shavuot at the synagogue.  Sadly, I only got one photo.  This is a beautiful charcuterie board made by one of our sweet ladies.  She's amazingly talented with fruits and veggies!

 Here at Golden Cottage, Jem always puts out 50+ flags on patriotic holidays.  We want all of our neighbors to know that we love America!

On this past Shabbat, a few days before Independence Day, we sang several patriotic songs during our praise and worship time.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the congregation.  We were all overwhelmed with the love and blessings of being Americans.

I think I'm most thankful for the freedom to worship and for God's Holy Word that He has preserved over thousands of years.  We are the most blessed generation in that regard.  We can have the Bible readily accessible on our smart phones.  Amazing!  Think of the people in the past who didn't even have Bibles to read and study.  We are blessed, but we are also accountable.  We have the truth in our hands...something to ponder, Gail-Friends.

Jem and I were blessed to hear President Trump speak at the Faith & Freedom Conference on 6/24/2023.  I have to share it with y'all because it really touched us.  I hope you will listen.  I set the video to play at the beginning of his speech.  https://www.youtube.com/live/mF2QUfMdhNk?feature=share&t=9068

I would like to recommend a group to you, dear Gail-Friends.  It's called Moms For Liberty.  They are "dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government." If you love your country  and are concerned about the direction America is headed (especially in public education),  you need to join this organization.  https://www.momsforliberty.org/

The group held a conference,  Joyful Warriors National Summit,  where I watched President Trump speak at their conference, too, along with other dynamic speakers.  You can see the conference speakers on YouTube at this link: 

 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9muQQiOA9CjBVwrSZ00wCcpxOEtLHydl

 They also have a podcast.

And while I'm at it, check out Tucker Carlson's recent videos on Twitter, Truth Social, or Rumble.  He's speaking the TRUTH!

Well, that's all the news from Golden Cottage.  I hope all is well with y'all. Let us know what's happening in your world.  I'll be posting on a more regular basis, Lord willing, so come back by, grab a cup of tea, and sit a spell as we say in the South. :)

So Much Has Changed

 

I am so burdened by what I see happening in society today.  The following article by Nancy Campbell touched me deeply.  The piece is used with her permission, and I highly recommend her blog as well as  her books.

Please read this piece and take the time to ponder her words.  I hope you'll also share it with others.  

Within the next week, I'll write a post about what G-d has been laying on my heart about this subject.

Blessings to you, dear Gail-Friends.

ARE WE DEGENERATING?

 

“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see,

and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,

and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls”

(Jeremiah 6:15).

What I share with you now may seem archaic, even unbelievable in this society in which we live. However, it reveals how the bar of God's standard continues to lower in every generation.

I grew up as a child never entering a movie theater. It was considered evil. My mother, who has since passed away, never went into a movie theater in her life. Nor did my husband's mother! When I was older and began to go to a "good" movie, I remember saying to my mother, "Mother, you could come and see this movie. It is totally wholesome." But she replied, "Oh no, the Lord might come while I am there!" And she wouldn't want to be found in a movie theater if the Lord came for her!

But of course, when television came in, all standards went out the door. Now, many Christians receive into their homes all the filth and rubbish of the world. They watch adultery and fornication—and worse, without batting an eye! Many Christians go off to every new movie that comes without any discretion! No wonder we don't see the power of God moving in our midst today. We are a lukewarm people—overcome with mediocrity, complacency, ordinariness, passivity, and middle-of-the-road blindness!

What about church? When I was a young girl, we worshipped together as a family in the morning. We would never think of missing church—rain, hail or snow! Never any excuses! We were committed to the faithful g Hebrews 10:24). We came home for lunch and then we children walked back for Sunday School in the afternoon (a couple of miles). Then we attended the Sunday evening service.

Next generation . . . instead of three times a day, we got down to two services—morning and evening church. Now, we are down to one service in the morning, and that's it! Help, with so many Christian families no longer committed the gathering of God’s people every week, will we even have one service in the next generation?

 

What about family life? We have so many wonderful godly families in the nation who are raising godly children. And yet sadly, across Christendom, many families have the mindset of the world. They have limited their families to two children. They are so excited when they have their son and daughter, and think, that’s it! The current average number of children per family in USA is 1.9 per family and that’s among Christians as well as the secular world.

 

I remember talking to an elderly gentleman on one of my flights. He told me that his father came from a family of ten children, and he came from a family of six. “How many children did you have?” I asked. “Two,” he replied. Very typical. Ten, six, two! Every generation has less children. Degeneration. Falling away from God’s original plan and purpose for mankind. We have become victims of a humanistic society. The blind leading the blind into the ditch!

 

It used to be normal to sit together as a family to eat meals. To communicate with one another. In our busy lifestyles today many families don’t even sit around the table to eat together! If they do, they bring their iPhones to the table! They don’t even communicate face to face. Now that really is degeneration!

Perhaps the statement is true: “Each generation is one generation away from degeneration.” In the midst of lethargy, tolerance of sin, and deception, let's keep seeking after God and His truth with all our hearts.

 

Dear mother, you are the transmitter of God’s truth and His ways to the next generation. If the next generation forget God’s ways, it is the mothers who are to blame! Wow. That’s a load. But it’s true. God has given us the powerful responsibility to communicate His ways to our children, our grandchildren, and the next generation.

 

I am always challenged by Isaiah 59:21 (HCSB): “As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says the LORD: ‘My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have it in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children’s children, from now on and forever,’ says the LORD.’”

 

We must do more than getting into their hearts. We must get it into their mouths so that keeps coming forth out of their mouths to each succeeding generation.

 

NANCY CAMPBELL

www.aboverubies.org

 

PRAYER

“Dear Father, save me from dropping the baton. Help me to be faithful to pass on your truth and Your ways to my children and succeeding generations. Amen.”

 

AFFIRMATION:

I am diligently implanting God’s truth and His ways into the MINDS, the HEARTS, and the MOUTHS of my children and future generations.