Rosh Hashana 2008... am I listening? are we, as a nation, "listening"? Now what? Day of Atonement

**normally, these words are mostly my own... today, as the High Holy Days of Jewish holiday begin at dusk, I must defer to 2 articles written this week for the aish.com site.... these are only snipets of the articles, but they speak to my heart.... Oh LORD, Jesus, please give what I can handle of Your sight. Please show me what I can bear and let me act on what You allow. Bless those who read and share my heart, who share in Your Body, and who are connected inextricably to me by YOU. You alone are GOD!**

"If only we could have had a window into the future we would have been spared the incredible turnabouts of the stock market. Even the most wizened professionals say they have never seen anything like it. In January of this year Barron's magazine advised its readers to concentrate purchases from its list of most secure and risk-free companies. At the very top of their suggestions for best performers for the coming year were Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and AIG. But of course neither Barron's nor Fortune nor Forbes had any idea that these pillars of capitalism, these bastions of financial strength, would soon collapse into bankruptcy or federal takeover. So today many of last year's billionaires have to sadly confront the fact that they are now only millionaires -- and the rest of us have to deal with the reality of rapidly sinking retirement funds, plunging real estate values and panicking margin calls."...

"Let's take a cue from a remarkable observation by James Dale Davidson and Sir William Rees-Mogg, financial advisers and authors of Blood in the Streets, who were intrigued by an aspect of timing apparent in economic cycles:
"Even more mysterious is the strange tendency for major crashes to occur in the autumn, especially in October. For example, September 18, 1873; October 29, 1929; October 6, 1932; October 18, 1937; October 19, 1987; and October 13, 1989. Each of these dramatic results, among the largest drops ever recorded, occurred in the fall. The old view would be to argue that this is only coincidence, which of course is possible. Most likely some factor we do not now understand increases the vulnerability to selloffs in the fall."
To which of course we might add the events of this September which are so reminiscent of another doomsday scenario.
Dare I perhaps suggest that this mysterious phenomenon is due in no small measure to the fact that this time period invariably coincides with the days when mankind is weighed on the scale of Heavenly Judgment? It is not coincidence that rules our fate but divine fiat, the result of a process finalized not "in the fall" but more accurately in the awesome days leading up to Rosh Hashana and the Day of Atonement."...

"Without these corrections we would never be forced to recognize the realities of our lives. Greed would transform us from servants of God to slaves of our possessions. We would perhaps never re-orient ourselves to the proper balance between the spiritual and the material in the conduct of our lives."

*then from a second AISH article about what a man learned from and

old friend dealing with Alzheimer's *

"The rabbis say that a person can be recognized by his "wallet, anger, and alcoholic beverage." These are the times the individual's true priorities are apparent. What does he spend his money on? What makes him angry? How does he behave when under the influence of alcohol? Stripped to the core, it's the practical actions that define the person.
Alzheimer's also robs the intellect, leaving the base soul intact. I learned from Sholom that our true identity is only what we have truly incorporated into ourselves.
Soon it will be Rosh Hashana. God peers into our heart, and assesses our inner drives and motives. Are we where we want to be? Are we really even what we think we are? Are we attempting to bridge the gap, to reconcile our ambitions and reality?
As we stand stripped of our exterior veneer before our omniscient God, the question of who are you really is answered in the Heavenly court. Let's hope we will not be embarrassed. It's still not too late to consider the question and work on making necessary changes. "

" finally let us find comfort in knowing that God will surely heap His abundant blessings upon us if we only learn to use them with dignity, with morality and with spiritual sensitivity.
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008" http://www.aish.com/

Unattended Bride and Esperanza

I saw 2 physical vision ;O) sights yesterday that struck me.... the first was that of a bride...

I'd driven into Buffalo Gap earlier that day and had seen the preparations for a big wedding.

The cars of the people making ready for the ceremony were in various places around the church buildings. There were the groomsmen sans the black tux jackets out talking on cell phones or gathering in groups to talk about the events to come.

There were people scurrying from the fellowship hall after bringing in the large wedding cake.

All of them, getting ready for an apparently large wedding.

**fast forward 4 hours**

Later that evening, my girls had asked me to go to dinner with them, and since I was recuperating from a bout with the flu bug, I took my own car.

I again came upon the place of the wedding,

this time, it was finished, and there were a minimal number of cars left from the event.

No groomsmen were present, and no people were anywhere to be seen....

then,

I saw a sight that completely struck me...

How unusual...

walking across the green lawn, under the shade trees of the dusky evening was the bride.

She was alone...

her train was carried across her arm, and the veil that had covered her face was still attached to her lovely blond hair.

All I saw was her back as she walked slowly away from the church.

She was UNATTENDED!

there was absolutely NO ONE in sight, and the wedding was finished.

I saw all this in a brief instant as I drove by, but the vision was HUGE in my thoughts...

something is not right with this picture..

The BRIDE was UNATTENDED.... perfectly lovely, yet perfectly ALONE.

The next thing that happened was only minutes from that scene.

I had purchased the most amazing gerber daisies earlier in the day, and I'd decided in the 10 minutes before I was to meet my family, I was going to get my daughters each a tray of the gorgeous plants before they were all gone.

I ran into Lowes and purchased exactly that for which I'd come, and rushed out to get to the dinner spot.

Traffic was horrible trying to get out of the parking lot and onto the road, and in front of me was a truck loaded with about 3 oak trees, and 3 of one of my favorite Texas plants, Esperanzas. (great for xeric landscaping and absolutely stunning in plant design)

The guy knew he had to get out pretty quick onto the road, so he made the exit smoothly in front of the oncoming traffic. The lane into which he was going was clear, so he did great,

EXCEPT... one of the yellow blossomed plants rolled from his truck onto the road!

THIS would be a real loss for the guy... I saw him slow, but he couldn't stop.

I assume he was going to turn around as he could to return for his Esperanza.

(this time putting the tailgate up to protect his purchases)

Someone else had seen the plant leave his truck. A lady was coming a little behind him, and pulled into the entrance drive beside the dropped plant.

I saw her and thought...

Wow, I love Texans... I even rolled down my window so that when I got to pull out of my parking lot, I could tell her

"thanks for picking that up, and keeping it in tact, for the guy to come back to get it."

As I pulled out I saw the lady indeed go over to retrieve the plant,

but,

she didn't put it onto the curb for it's owners return...

she picked it up and as I passed, I caught her eye...

she was putting it into her own car... and her look to me said...

"he didn't take care of it, his loss is my gain!"

She knew I'd seen her... there was NO REGRET!

I was sad...

I rolled up my car window and drove a little stunned to the place were I was to meet my family.

I asked the LORD...

"what does this mean Father? What do these two seemingly unrelated events mean?"

I am still asking this this morning, Sunday... and I think I have some answers.

I will write more a bit later as I continue thinking....

(but I will say this... "esperanza" is the Spanish word for "HOPE")

Today, there are systems that are shaking in our government to the point of crumbling~

Today, congress is supposed to announce some sort of "package" that will prevent our financial system from collapsing into depression.

Today, there will be more of Obama/McCain rhetoric about "he said, he said~" and no one knowing what is true and what is smoke and mirror.

Today... Troy is in Houston going to a Hispanic church with folks that we housed during Rita a year or so ago... then meeting with a friend whose father has been diagnosed with aggressive cancer already in the lymph nodes.

This week... Monday at dusk begin the High Holy Days of RaShoshana and Yom Kippur... cleansing, repenting, putting into order and beginning anew...

(significant I think... even our Lord Jesus probably understood and celebrated these days in accordance to Jewish tradition as He walked on this earth robed in flesh)

Today... I sit here thinking.... "what next LORD?" what next?!

Hebrews 12 says.... everything that can be shaken will be shaken....

BUT.... I inherit a kingdom that cannot be shaken~

Almost a year ago right now... we, in my family began a prayer... "LORD, expose all that is hidden... and as it is exposed, show us how to deal with what we find"... (that is whether it is good or bad or whether we understand or not).... EXPOSE THE HIDDEN... bring it to LIGHT~

God answers prayers! Lord let us SEE!!!! FATHER LET ME SEE! and then let me know Your heart about what I see.

question of WEALTH

2 questions vex my thoughts today as I sit here waiting for tomorrow :)

1)What is the difference in the terms...

transfer of wealth

and

redistribution of wealth?

2) What is wealth?

I've heard from many places in the secular and the non-secular world.... 2008 will see the "greatest transfer of wealth in the history of our nation"

It was recently, even on a television ad.

I hear these two political candidates and their parties rant about wealth and who "deserves" what part of that proverbial pie... socialism, democracy, the American dream... all are terms flying through the airwaves!

I heard the story of the college student who was so much on the side of the underprivileged saying "how can we let these people go without"... until her father asked her about giving one of her hard earned GPA points to her "less deserving" roommate.

I've heard people say... "I can afford that payment"... what about "affording the debt"... assuming the American dream SHOULD belong to everyone in America.

What exactly is "the American Dream"... and should or do all Americans expect or deserve it?

I know that for kingdom minded people the thinking is that God's people are about to be put in charge of mountains of finances so that the kingdom of God will be able to do it's work in a more proficient way. Hence... a great "transfer of wealth" into their "tested" handling.

I know there are and have been those of the "name it and claim it" theology that believe that simply because we are believers, "wealth" will just drop into our lives.

I'm thinking... why? for what purpose?

Somehow, I am having a bit of convoluted thinking right now with all the things going on in politics and in our financial state of bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and now Lehman Brothers... and who knows what/who else.

I am NOT a financial minded person, but all this sets me to wondering....

"what exactly is 'wealth'"?

and

what is the LORD up to with America?

Someone whose wisdom I respect once said.... you know, when you plant a seed in the ground, often what comes from that seed looks entirely different from that which you planted. Granted, at some future time, there may come something that looks the same, but there are seasons between that "sowing" time and that of "reaping" time.

And for that matter........"time" really doesn't even have definition in Heaven....does it?

I think that there may be that belief out there that says if I put $10 in, that the LORD will multiply that money and give me back $20... or something like that....... I may be strange in my thoughts, and way off base, but that just doesn't sound right to me........

God doesn't think like I, who dwell in skin, think.....His thoughts and ways are so far beyond my comprehension that multiplication in heavenly terms must be something much different from my simplistic way of thought.

so again I am seriously asking..... what is "wealth"?

and

is there a difference in its "transfer" or its "redistribution"?

as I think on this..... you who know me know that what my bottom line will be is....

so this is what is going on in our physical world....

what is it saying about Spiritual places/circumstances/seasons/ things????

What is my stand in this turbulent ocean?

I'll tell you one thing that I know that I know that I know....

I'm sure of the One Who has the answers.... and He loves me as His child.... so... I suppose I really have no reason to ask these questions other than

I'm a curious "child" of an indulgent Father!