Born in America, in the 1950’s, in Southern Indiana, which is a far cry from Jerusalem, Israel.
That is where this story starts, near the Ohio River, in a burgh of a town, reputedly to be the only town in the North captured and held by the South during that war. There stood the Baptist church where, I spent my first Sunday on this earth. The church where my Grandfather had a long term relationship, as a member, deacon and teacher of adult bible study.
The fact that this in America, after World War II, at a time when you are free to make of yourself, whatever you have in you to do. But, you are also responsible for those results either good or bad.
It is this responsibility of choice and those results, that I was made painfully aware of when getting it wrong. That has been one of the drivers in my life since then.
From that Sunday and until I was 14, I was in church for one reason or another, four or five times a week. I think that many people have had similar experiences.
W moved, as a family(Dad, Mom and three boys) to a state across the Northern Rocky Mountains, when I was not yet four years of age. [We were camping on my fourth birthday, when I caught my first fish in the Snake River, I remember.]
This move, was a problem for me, as I truly loved my grandfather. He and I set up a process where I would write a letter to him and when he received it, he would reply quickly. It did not long time for me to discovered that it took three days for my letter to get to him. A day or two for him to reply and then in three days I could have another letter from my grandfather. That was something I could look forward to except, it was Mom did the reading of the letters and writing of my reply. Soon, with three boys and a new baby girl, Mom said I would have to learn to do this reading and writing for myself. So she taught me, and I had great motivation.
There is a point to this boring start and like most things of significance, the beginning holds the keys to the outcome. Please continue reading.
In a little church, which I saw again only after fifty years. It is still across the street from where I lived my fifth year of life. That church received a donation of New Testaments and a box containing verses from the King James Bible. How could someone(Like me) get one of these New Testaments? A contest was created by the members, whereby a child would draw a verse on Sunday. If by the next Sunday, they came back with the verse memorized, then they would have a book, but only first grade and above. Because of course you should be able to read to get one. As I was not in school yet, I had to prove I could read, before I was allowed a participate. I read the verse I was given aloud and then I was allowed to participate in the contest. At the next Wednesday meeting, I got my book.
Maybe you have seen movies with a preacher, who throws our a chapter and verse, to make whatever point he is trying to make. So it was in this church, and while I could read and desperately wanted to keep up, being five, I would only get to one reference. So I would read the verse, and then what came before and after the verse, because I could not keep up with the speaker.
When I was six years old, in that same church but, this time they got King James Bibles with concordance. Three verse were required this time. I got my full bible easily. Then the internal trouble started for me. While I was better able to locate verses and keep up, my reading of verses before and after a reference did not seem to yield the same meaning that was being preached. I was only six or seven years of age and probably getting this wrong, yet I kept trying.
By the time later in my seven year, the family is back near my grandfather. Once in a while I attempt to find a elder person to show where I was misunderstanding those verses spoken of in the text. I had become very good a using the concordance to look up words I did not understand, to see how they were used in other places. I was still, just too young and did not understand enough yet to really discuss the bible.
I have long since learned that politics and money and power are generated by the misuse of the verses. It has been many decades since getting the New Testament at that church, but I have not stopped striving to understand what the GOD of Abraham, GOD of Isaac, GOD of Jacob wants from me and us.
I am devoted to the Living GOD OF ISRAEL, the GOD of the Old Testament(Tanakh). Most things really have not changed, save for there being more bad(evil) actions in the world. That is, if you don’t look or know what the prophecies that are.
We are coming to the end of all things, the LAST DAY will very soon be here. Looking in my writings, I give all the references for the Prophets of the ALMIGHTY. I tell everyone this, so that they might, seek the truth before there is no time to change. Or, more hopefully, that those that look will, maybe, turn to the ALMIGHTY and be righteous, so HE may bless them accordingly.
This is only for you. If you can hear it. I know the ONE GOD, The HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, HE has guided my learning all of my life. There is ONLY ONE GOD, and HE gave only one set of Laws, delivered by the Hand of Moses, so that each of us could choose HIM or not.
Remember, my being born in America. A place that was founded on minimal government and maximum personal responsibility, for both good or bad results. So it is easy for me to understand that the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, CREATOR of the Heavens and the Earth, gave us a reduced set of laws, from which we are to follow when making choices in our life. Our outcome, for good or bad each of us earns the reward. Although, you can change bad to good, and good to bad while there is time and life in your body. The choices and the actions are yours, and yours alone, according to HIS WORD. It Is Your Choice and Your Reward, for good or bad.
One last thing you should know and understand. From the very beginning, the ALMIGHTY, when speaking of death, is referring to the DEATH OF YOUR SOUL, not the death of your body. You may ask what? My soul? Why ‘SOUL’?
In case you do not have a Tanakh or a Torah, try this one? Tanakh
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame to do otherwise.
I still do not have an answer to “Why Me?”, but HE has HIS reasons, and there are no accidents.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!
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Shalom,
Yaakov