Israel | Israel
May.20.2013
Prodigal means given to reckless extravagance, characterized by wasteful expenditure, lavish, squandering. The story in the bible about the prodigal son was one of welcome. The father welcomed his son home, even though he had squandered his wealth. The father saw the son as being alive again. This...
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Apr.25.2013
I recently asked that question at a family dinner and my granddaughter replied "God is on the side of good." Out of the mouth of children, as the scriptures say. What a perfect answer. In fact, God does not take sides. God is not on the side of Israel, nor on the side of the Palestinians. God is...
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Apr.21.2013
Thirty some years ago when the US was still across the ocean, I left my parents in Israel and travelled with my husband to the US to attend graduate school. Living abroad at that time meant being disconnected from everything that was going on in Israel.
Every week...
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Apr.13.2013
I just heard Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks talks on the radio (BBC 4) about the passing of Robert Edwards, one of the creators of in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques. Sacks argued that for the Jews, IVF is regarded as a great help in God’s work.
I appreciate the significance...
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Mar.27.2013
One of the happiest winters we had was in the late eighties when we spent a sabbatical semester in Tucson Arizona. We drove from snowy Iowa City, where we lived, to Arizona at Christmas time. What I noticed first were the different colors of Santa Catalina Mountains and the smell of citrus bloom in...
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Feb.22.2013
The word gospel derives from the Anglo-Saxon words, God, Good, Spell. When someone preaches the gospel it refers to the teachings of Jesus, especially the four books of the New Testament in the bible, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Suellen Ocean is the author of Secret Genealogy - A How...
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Feb.18.2013
Barak means "lightning". The biblical, historical Barak was from Kedesh, a town in Southern Judah. The Canaanites were oppressing Israel and through advice given Barak by the female prophetess Deborah, Barak enlisted 10,000 men and "broke the yoke" of the enemy. Suellen Ocean is the author of...
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Feb.13.2013
It's difficult when an area is known by many names. The Holy Land, Palestine, Canaan, Israel, Phoenicia, Judah ... someone would have to spend a lot of time studying religious history and biblical geography to understand it completely. It's a lot like Russia, USSR, Ukraine, Soviet Union, etc. Wars...
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Feb.11.2013
There are quite a few Michaels mentioned in the bible but one of the most important was Michael the special guardian of the Hebrews. He was considered an Archangel, which means he was an angel of high rank. Michael argued with Satan over Moses' body and Michael also fought a dragon in heaven. The...
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Feb.07.2013
Many people believe that Isaiah was the greatest prophet of biblical history. Also seen as Esaias, the name means "salvation of the Lord". Isaiah's prophecies will be forever tied to Jerusalem. He foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah but believed that a righteous remnant would persevere....
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