COME AS A CHILD LESSON 134 A TIME OF THIRST, TESTING AND QUARRELS

A TIME OF THIRST, TESTING AND QUARRELS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Exodus Chapter 17 only contains sixteen verses; but those few verses say so much!  

The first thought is the fact that the people of Israel had been traveling through the Wilderness of Sin and keeping the LORD’s commandments as they had promised.  All was well for a little while, then they came to Rephidim.  Once again they found themselves in a place with no water.  How quickly we forget our high and lofty spiritual thoughts and ambitions when our flesh suffers. 

As they became more and more thirsty, they forgot the ways of God and they forgot about all that had happened to them in Marah.  They had no drinkable water there either; but God had provided.  They did not chose to remember this and hold on to the hope of God providing again. 

The only thing the people remembered was how to complain to Moses!  They griped and complained on and on to Moses; saying that he had brought them out to the wilderness in order that they might die.  Moses reminded them that it was God that had brought them there, and asked why they were not calling out to God instead of complaining against him.  The people did not seem to be listening though, and Moses all alone once again had to be the one to cry out to God. 

Poor Moses.  As I read about this I wanted to play him that song called “Alone Again Naturally!”  I’m thinking of the lyrics that Gilbert O’Sullivan wrote and sang back in 1972.  They so fit the mood that Moses could have taken!  The lyrics of the first verse started out like this:

"In a little while from now if I’m not feeling any less sour, I promise myself to treat myself and visit a nearby tower, and climbing to the top will throw myself off in an effort to make it clear to whoever wants to know what it’s like when you’re shattered." (Gilbert O'Sullivan - 1972)

In the case of the song lyrics, a bride had left a groom at the altar.  That is sort of the same as here in our story.  The Bride of God (Israel) had totally forgotten the might and power of her groom.  She had turned her back to Him.  In her thirst and discomfort she forgot all about the wedding day she had dreamed of and delighted in at Elim.  

It happens all the time, not just in the days of Moses.  People in The Church of God today (those who have been saved and have God's spirit dwelling in them) often forget how to call on the Name of The LORD, especially if they are feeling discomfort or displeasure at the moment.  So they do not receive the blessings that God has in store for them.  They do not get the water from the rock!   Instead, they act like the Israelites who criticized Moses and they grumble and complain against their leaders.  Not every leader will be as humble as Moses in this story.

Why do the people always depend on their leaders to be the one to cry out to God?  We all have the power of God living within us.  We can cry out to God ourselves!  He is always listening to His people.  He is waiting right now; have you cried out?  The leaders of America have failed us completely; but that is no excuse for the people not to be crying out to God every day!  

Have you been crying out?  

Are you waiting on some magical moment when everything is perfect?  I hate to tell you; but you will never see that moment this side of heaven.  Our only hope is to look to God for our provision and live in expectation that He will save us; even if our leaders completely fail.

But that is how the story usually goes; the people forget to call upon God for help, and it was not any different in the day of Moses.  Moses, being the humble leader that he was, cried out to God and stated that the people were so put out with him that they wanted to stone him!  It was as if Moses were saying “Okay God, whether or not the people realize the facts, this whole thing was your idea; so please come on and help me out here!”

God heard Moses and told him exactly what to do.  He suggested that Moses gather up some elders from the people and grab the staff that he used to get them out of Egypt; that same staff that he used to part the Red Sea.  God instructed Moses to go stand before the people with the elders and the staff.  Then God said:  “Behold I shall stand there before you on the rock in Horeb and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.”

So this is what Moses did before the eyes of Israel and all of the elders.  He took the staff and struck the rock and water flowed from the rock.  The thirsty people drank until they were satisfied.  The grumbling and complaining stopped for a moment as the people began to feel refreshed and Moses felt briefly relieved of the anxiety that comes from caring for thousands and thousands of people constantly.

As they were there drinking the pure healing waters from the rock; Moses named the place two names;  Massah (which means “testing”) and Meribah (which means “quarreling”) because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and because of their testing the LORD in that place.  Moses had stood right there and asked them the most relevant question of the day: “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”

The people had failed miserably by putting all their trust and faith in a man named Moses instead of God; but Moses had passed the test for good leadership; he humbly realized he had no power on his own and he called on the name of the God who had all power.  Many men would have let such false power and trust go to their heads and they would have relied on their own judgments and actions.  This time Moses passed the test.  He stayed humble.  He realized his own limitations.  Could he continue to do this as he kept leading these fickle people through the wilderness?

This incident is very similar to another incident that we will study later.  This was the FIRST time that God commanded Moses to bring water to the people from a rock.  The lack of water always seemed to be a test of faith.  It happened several times in the beginning of the time of the exodus.  Later in the study of the book of Numbers, reading about the times after the people of Israel have been wondering in the wilderness for a much longer time; we will hear of the SECOND time water came from a rock.  

The people of Israel were in two different places at two different times in history when the water came from the rock in the wilderness.  

It is important though to notice how Moses handled this FIRST time that the miracle happened.  This is so that when you get to the study of the SECOND time you will see the difference in Moses’ actions and attitude.  The first time Moses called on God, trusted in Him completely and humbly, listened and carefully followed God's instructions.  He pointed out to the people that all power and might and provision came from God alone.  This first time God was pleased with the actions of Moses.

The rock clearly represents Christ each time.  Jesus told us during the time He walked this earth that whoever is thirsty should come to Him!  John 7:38 - 39 speaks of Jesus as he talks on the last day of Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles), instructing the people; "On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  To the one who believes in Me, it is just as the Scripture has said:  'Streams of living water' will flow from within him.  He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were later to receive.  For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.  

Do you think the people listened to Jesus as He called out to them that day? Did Jesus experience the same frustration with the fickleness of the crowd as Moses?   Do you think that people are listening now?  How long and how much will it take?  Listening to God is very important.  He doesn't waste words.  Details matter.  

This FIRST time Moses was listening carefully to God and following his exact directions.  He did exactly what God said and his actions were humble and cautious.  He clearly realized all power comes from God.  When Moses struck the rock (as instructed by God the FIRST time this happened) provision for life was given to the people.  It was a great miracle!   There was a greater miracle though; the one this action shadows; that of God giving His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins.  This latter miracle is the greatest miracle of all.  

In both incidences; very undeserving people received refreshment and life in abundance.  At both times death was overcome by the power of God, and in this time we speak of today; Moses passed the test and the people failed the test, yet they were given mercy.  They had plentiful water from the rock.

What stands out to me is the fact that God was testing everyone; both the people and the leaders.  They had to endure thirst for a long time.  They needed to turn to God and ask Him for provision.  God was testing them to see if they knew from whence their life came.  God wanted them to always recognize Who He was among them.  He was the source of their strength and their provision, and they needed to learn to call upon Him when times of troubles came.  They needed to turn to Him in ALL times, both good and bad, and be grateful for His awesome provision and presence in their lives.  It is the same for all of us living in this modern world.

At some point, we all come to Meribah.  We all have those long, dry spells when it may feel like God has left us for awhile.  We forget to listen carefully.  We forget how He has already instructed us.  We have to become thirsty for Him and we have to call upon Him and ask Him to provide the nourishment that our souls desire.  In these times we cannot depend on our leaders; leaders often fail; they are all human, just as we are.  We must humble ourselves before God and call upon His name in such times.  He will lead us to that Rock that is faithful and true.  Jesus Christ will take our petitions before God, if we just trust Him with the task.  We must go to The Rock of Our Salvation.  He will heal those long, dry times of our spirits.   He will give us living water to drink!

We can see this in another story about a Samaritan woman who came to the well of Jacob seeking water.  Jesus spoke to her about many things, but one statement found is John 4:13 says:  "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  

The Samaritan Woman was living in a whole different type of wilderness.  Jesus relieved her thirst by giving her living water!  

If the wilderness of life begins to overtake you; stay calm and call upon the LORD.  He is that pillar of cloud and that pillar of fire that hovers over us; just waiting on us to call out to Him.  He will not lead us in the wrong direction.  

Put your trust in the Rock of Christ and life, even in the wilderness, will always be abundant and blessed.

Come drink from the fountain that never runs dry; receive the living waters from the Everlasting Rock; Jesus Christ, and be satisfied and live forever.

SEASONS ELUL AND THE FALL FEAST DAYS OF 2016

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

We are now living in the time period of the Hebrew month of Elul.  It is the last month of the sacred year, just before the first month of Tishri when we celebrate The Fall Holy Days of God.  I am a Christian that wasn't born Jewish, yet I chose to  celebrate these Holy Days because I noticed in my bible that God called them HIS Holy Days.  He is my God.  I try my best to live like Him though I fail miserably; so I set aside and celebrate His days with Him.

Notice He doesn't say "the Holy Days of the Israelites" even though He was speaking to the Israelites when He first commanded that these days be kept.  He chose the Israelites to be the first people who laid out the patterns of days that He created for feast and festivals.  Through them, the rest of us may come to know the fullness of truth. 

The first people of God (the Israelites) were great at preserving history, and preserving

His-story.     Anyone following God earnestly may study these observances and keep this beautiful intricate pattern of times He has so precisely sketched out in the scriptures.  Read about the end times and you will come to agree that these days do not belong to a certain people or group; they simply belong to the God of the Israelites.  This is the same God that I worship as a Christian.  He loves everyone.  He is not stingy.  God loves everyone and provides a way for everyone who desires to come into His Kingdom.  Don't get this backwards.  It is about you coming to Him and His ways, not Him changing to fit into your little world.  I am speaking of His Holy Days, not MY days or the Christian's days, or the Jewish days, or the Israelites's days; but God's days.

God did chose the Jewish people as the people who would live out the original pattern and keep and tell His story to the world.  He honored them by letting His Son who chose to be born of flesh to save the world share in their heritage.  What an honor they have been given!   What a loving task they have undertaken to preserve the days.  I have so much respect for how faithful they have been through every generation to honor God with the knowledge they have been given.  Also, what a blessing for Christians to be able to look upon the lessons of these days kept through generations and generations and see the story of Jesus Christ in each season and day.    

When you read about these days you eventually begin to understand that the Hebraic people use many different types of calendars for many different reasons for dates in each passing year.  One calendar is for recording sacred times, another is for recording civil dates.  The number and name of the month you are in  depends on which calendar you are reading.  For instance, the seventh month and the first month are the same period of time on two different calendars when you refer to the scripture passages; one month named is simply the calendar for measuring civil days and one month named is simply the calendar for measuring sacred time.  Both speak of the same time and days in different numerical sequences that start and end at different places.  

Leviticus 23:2 says: Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.


God goes on in this passage to name seven feast and/or festival days that He desires to be kept.  Four of these special times are in the spring and summer, those four are Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost.  The other three days come in the Fall. 

Here are some of the scriptures that proclaim how we should keep these Fall Feast Days of God:  The times are calculated by the phases of the moon unlike the commonly used calendar which calculates time by the phases of the sun.

FOR ROSH HASHANAH/FEAST OF TRUMPETS: In 2016 - From sunset Sunday, October 2nd through sunset Tuesday, October 4th:


Leviticus 23:24:  "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month (the first month if you are reading the sacred calendar) you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.

FOR YOM KIPPER/DAY OF ATONEMENT: 2016 from sunset Tuesday, October 11 through sunset Wednesday, October 12th.

Leviticus 23:26-28:  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month (it is the seventh month of the Hebraic civil calendar and the first month of the Hebraic sacred calendar) is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.  Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.

FOR SUKKOT/FEAST OF TABERNACLES: 2016 from sunset Sunday, October 16th through sunset Sunday, October 23rd, with the Great Last Day ( the eighth day) being on Monday, October 24th.  

Leviticus 23:33-37:  Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month (the seventh civil month and the first sacred month) is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD.  On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind.  For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.  For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

The official names for these days are not mentioned in the passage above, but they have come to be called Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kipper (The Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles.) 

With Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe (the ten days leading up to Yom Kippur), we enter the new Hebrew month of Tishri, and we also enter a new year on the Hebraic sacred calendar.  Right now though, in Elul we are leading up to these very holy days.  It is a time of getting ready, a time to prepare, a time to think and meditate about the things in your life over the last year.  It is a time to be making amends with your fellow man and a time to be making repentance before God. It is a time for planning for both serious days and festive days to be spent with God.

You can't end a year properly in just one day.  Cleaning up the trail of sins of over a year takes a lot of time, meditation, thought, prayer, and asking forgiveness.  You've had a whole year to make mistakes, to sin, to offend your brothers and sisters.  It will take awhile to remember it all and confess it all. Yes, Jesus Christ has forgiven us for our sins, past, present and future, but He wants us to wash our feet from the journey.  He wants to hear the condition of our hearts as we go from one year of our lives unto the next.  He wants to atone our sins on The Day of Atonement and help us to stand before God lifting holy hands at The Feast of Tabernacles.  He has presented pattern of holy worship to be followed by showing us the feast days.

Of course you can go ahead and take care of this in YOUR OWN WAY and YOUR OWN

TIME every day of your life and keep short accounts with God.   That would be great, if we all were perfect, but honestly, have you done this?  I don't think many would be able to answer yes to that question.  You might have done SOME of it SOME of the time, but have you done a thorough job of it?  If you have, good, your a great exception to the rest of us sinners, but you MIGHT need to look into the subject of self-righteousness a bit.....  Even if you have done a perfect job of it, you still need to take time to stop and examine things GOD'S WAY in GOD'S TIME.  

During Elul we should all set the time aside to ponder and talk with God about where our lives are going and what God has in store for us in the future.  We should all learn to consider how we are living into that picture.  

Be especially sure to take this precious time to listen to God and consider what needs to change in your days.  If you simply take the time out to listen and pray you might be amazed at what you will hear God speaking to your heart.  Hebraic legend has it that God is walking the earth, searching out the hearts of those that He loves, watching, waiting on them to turn and return to Him and His ways. The scriptures speak of how He looks at each of us with loving eyes, because we are all beloved of Him.  He wants us to speak to Him.  He wants us to repent, to change, to turn, to see what is right and learn to follow those ways.  

Maybe you didn't intend to commit a certain sin, and maybe it is all a misunderstanding or a mistake, but you now have this whole month to consider the matter.  You can think it through.  You have time to reconsider what you COULD have done right and to examine the ways to do this right the next time in the year that is to come.  God is not looking to see that you are a perfectly oiled machine performing without missing a beat; No!  He is looking at your heart to see if it is willing to change for the good, to show love and compassion, to be willing to adjust for the good of the Kingdom.    Isn't that great?  

We have all of the month of Elul to get our thoughts straight and clean out the cobwebs

forming around our hearts from sins of the year gone by.   We can take this time to go to our fellow man and make amends, however that needs to be done.  Ask God, He will tell you.    We can go to God to ask forgiveness afterwards.  If we have approached your brothers with the right attitude and true apologies, we can be sure God will blot our sins out of His book and remember them no more.

Yom Kipper is coming.  By Yom Kippur we need to have confessed all of our sins and have spent time with God in communion listening for His sure instructions for our lives and getting ourselves back on track if we have taken a wrong turn or gone a wrong way.  By Yom Kippur, God will seal the state of our hearts for the year we have just past.  He will decide whether to let us go on, or whether we have reached the end of our heart's capacity for growth and maturity.  All Christians should be constantly renewing their spirits before God and participating in the process of rebirth and new life.  

Why is Yom Kippur so holy and why do you need to be so ready?  Because the most precious blood ever was sacrificed to save us all, and this is the day that the atonement of that blood is made in the tabernacle of heaven for the sins of the year.  We have been SAVED by grace and we are ATONED every year, like washing your feet when you have been on a long dusty journey.  We must clean the parts of us that we have soiled on the journey.  It is the most important day in the Christian calendar.  It is when atonement is applied to our sins.  The perfect sacrifice of Jesus has been made once for all.  No more sacrifice is necessary.  You simply need to ask God to apply atonement for your sins this year before Yom Kipper.  God will apply the atonement for you if you have confessed your sins and taken all the steps possible to rectify your sins.  When Jesus saved you, He sent The Holy Spirit into your heart and the Holy Spirit will put this longing inside of you, to always be pure before God.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus and the working of God's Holy Spirit within you, God will continue to give you the gift of being clean before Him as you begin the next sacred year.

The perfect blood of Jesus will blot your sins out of the book of remembrance and they will

be remembered no more.  If you haven't accumulated sins on your account since last Yom Kippur, I would venture to say; you are not human.  God knows how we are; He made us.  He gives us a way to atone.  He gave us the greatest gift of all, His very own Son, Jesus Christ.   All you have to do is ask God with a true and sincere heart and believe in the miracle of the sacrifice of Jesus that has been offered freely for your atonement.  You can start the year out and stand clean before your maker on Yom Kipper. 

In the days before Jesus a new sacrifice had to be offered in an earthly temple every year for the sins of the people.  A High Priest, totally prepared in advance for the special day.  He would stand in the Holy of Holies, himself being totally clean, wearing clean and appropriate clothes and make atonement for himself and the people through the lighting of the menorah, the burning of the incense and finally the offering of 15 different sacrifices. He would sprinkle the blood of a red heifer on the altar.  If the sins of the people were forgiven the white cloth that was tied to the priest would turn red.  This is what Jesus does for us now, He intercedes with God for atonement.  This is the whole meaning behind Yom Kippur.  One day our Jewish friends who haven't discovered that Jesus is Messiah will believe and come to accept this.  Christians must accept it NOW.  This is the day that God has proclaimed that you come before Him with holy hands and thankful and humble hearts.  

Growing up Baptist, it took me years to get this.  I could read the scriptures and see the

words, but other words were screaming back to me and confusing my thoughts about them.  The words were not really confusing though, it was the author of confusion, that old devil that is always working against the kingdom of God that was causing the confusion.  He was using confused people to create chaos in the simple order that God laid out so long ago, preserved through the Israelites, and had faithful scribes record in the holy scriptures.  Today I find that many of the Baptist denomination have come to understand the significance of these days too!  As for me; I simply had to let God re-teach me.  I simply started keeping the fall holy days and honoring the once for all of Christ on The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur.)  Each year, layer upon layer, God taught me more and more of the concept straight from the holy scriptures until I came to the point of the journey I'm on today, where I set aside time to think, meditate, pray, confess and repent both to God and to my fellowman during the month of Elul. I am always confident of my salvation (salvation is not the issue at Yom Kippur; but confession of sins is a way to honor God and show that we hold the precious blood of Jesus as sacred and powerful to wash away our sins forever), at Yom Kippur I am simply washing my feet for the year, removing the sins of the dusty journey of 365 more days on the earth.  On the sacred day, I want to wear white robes that are not sin stained as I stand in holy worship.  Jesus did this for me.  I honor and respect this.  I do not take it for granted.  I want to have clean feet, this is accomplished with the washing of the days of Awe and Elul.   It is comparable to Jesus washing the feet of the disciples before the Passover meal.  I've found observing Yom Kippur in its fullness is refreshing and good for my soul.  I have more of an awareness of God's Kingdom constantly growing and working in the world.  Now, I see why God so wisely laid out these days for us to follow forever.       

So I observe Elul, The Feast of Trumpets, The Days of Awe, The Day of Atonement and finally The joyful days of The Feast of Tabernacles each year during the fall feast days of God.  I did not go into The Feast of Tabernacles here, but will save it for another blog.  It is the last and most joyful Fall Holy Day period.    It is an awesome way to end the sacred year, and keeping these other days first prepares my heart to receive all the joy it holds.

AN APPLE A DAY - DO YOU KNOW THE BEST FRUIT ON EARTH?

DAY 112 OF 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

LOVING THE BEST FRUIT ON THE EARTH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

So now that we know a lot more about the top three vegetables to eat for nutrition (watercress, bok choy and chard) and even another good vegetable on the side (broccoli).  I thought it might be beneficial to leave our vegetables for a bit and look into some fruits.   After all, the Mediterranean diet we have discussed using for good nutritious health is mostly made up of fruits and vegetables.  

I’ll give you three guesses as to the most nutritious fruit on earth…..

No, no, no…….it probably isn’t what you might think! 

The most nutritious fruit on the earth is the tiny little blackberry that I used to pick with my grandmother every time she wanted to make a pie.  Yes, the number one nutritious fruit on earth is the blackberry!  I’ll bet you are as surprised as I was to find this out.  

I was also surprised to find out that in a group of over 30 fruits rated nutritiously good for you; most of 

the fruits I eat almost every day were not at the top of the list!  Surprise, surprise.  I MUST begin to eat more blackberries!

The ratings for choosing these most nutritious fruits were based on analysis of calories, sugar content, fiber, omega-3 content, antioxidant content, glycemic load and vitamins the fruit contained.  The little blackberry won out over all the larger fruits! 

Fortunately, the blackberry grows abundantly on southern hillsides.  You can find them everywhere in Alabama, especially this time of the year.  It is getting a little late into the season though, so hurry up and go blackberry picking before they are gone!  Go out and get some sunshine while you pick you a bucket full of the delicious berries.  Google "blackberry farms" and you will find they DO exist.  Go find them! 

Bring some luscious berries home and wash them well.  Put the clean berries into a zip lock bag and store them for up to six months in your freezer; that way you can enjoy blackberries all year long.  Blackberry jam is awesome.  You might want to try canning some.  Of course, they taste best just fresh off the vine before any processing at all, and this is where you get the most nutritious value. 

Blackberries are delicious in salads.  They make great flavors for a smoothie.  They are tasty mixed in with yogurt.  Blackberry jam is delicious on your pita bread sandwiches, and you can mix it with peanut butter for making gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.   I love blackberries on pancakes and waffles.  I love to sprinkle them in cereal or oatmeal.  We all need a little blackberry cobbler from time to time.  Just go easy on the ice cream topping and be sure you are on a feast day!

That little blackberry contains loads of vitamins C, A, B, E and K.  It is full of antioxidants that are good for fighting ageing, inflammation, cancer and several chronic diseases.   The blackberry is loaded down with nutritious minerals. 

There is one factor in the blackberry that makes it stand above all the other fruits for fighting cancer.  It has the ability to act as a natural chemotherapy drug to prevent the formation of certain cancer cells. 

Blackberries are good for keeping your brain healthy and preventing memory loss.  Science Daily has reported that berry fruits change the way neurons in the brain communicate. These changes in signaling can prevent inflammation in the brain that contribute to neuronal damage and improves both motor control and cognition. 

You may not be aware of the fact that the leaves of the blackberry bush may also be consumed.  People have used these leaves to treat inflammation of the gums and to soothe sore throats.    You can also use the blackberry leaves for a refreshing cup of tea.  It taste at bit bitter, but it will be better if you add honey to make it sweet. 

Blackberry juice is effective in helping blood to clot.  It is often used to aid in child labor, to stop the pain.  It is a muscle relaxer, and is a good natural remedy for women who suffer from severe menstrual cramps. 

A cup of blackberries will provide you with more fiber than a cup of bran flakes.  Eating blackberries should also help to increase your energy level.  Several recent studies indicate that blackberries are great for increasing the strength of your cardiovascular system and eliminating heart problems. 

The astringent tannins found in the blackberry is effective for oral hygiene and can be used to make a gargle or mouthwash.  Eating blackberries may help kill oral bacteria which can cause illness.  According to Oregon State University, blackberries contain gallic acid, rutin and ellagic acid, compounds that may have antiviral properties.  Researchers from the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina found the blackberry extract’s antibacterial properties are beneficial.  They tested this on ten different kinds of bacteria and concluded that blackberry extract’s ability to kill pathogens, along with its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties make it a promising ingredient in products designed to prevent or treat periodontal infections.

It may disturb a few people to learn that drinking blackberry wine in moderation has good health benefits.  Please note the word “moderation,” as you pour a delicious and luxurious glass of blackberry wine.  As you sip, sit quietly and take in a sunset.  It is good for the soul!  A study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that people who imbibe wine from dark berries are 45 percent less likely to develop colon cancer.

How is all of this possible from just one little berry?   Amazing!  All I can tell you is that you should eat your blackberries and become more fruitful!  I hope to post some good recipes for blackberries eventually. 

We will be talking much more about other fruits in the future.  Fruit is very good for you; both physically and spiritually. 

So now we know that the blackberry is the best fruit on earth, and you would do well to eat blackberries often!  That is true in a physical sense only, but if you are looking to find the best spiritual fruit the answer can be found in the following verse taken from Galatians 5:22-23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

What better combination could you ever find on this earth?  Serve up those blackberries with love!  They were meant to be shared.  Just blackberries and love will drastically improve your lifestyle and add flavor and fun into your days at the same time!

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 133 RECEIVING THE MANNA FROM HEAVEN

RECEIVING THE MANNA FROM HEAVEN

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

So the time came to leave Elim, which I’m sure wasn’t something the Israelites wanted to do.  You know how it is when you are in a perfect moment and you just want to linger there and not move on?  That was probably how they felt, and maybe that contributed to the beginning of a change of mood among the people. 

The whole community left Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.  The Desert of Sin was a whole new ball game.  So different from Elim!  It was hot and dry and food and water was not readily available. 

It was a hard and rugged journey for SO MANY people to make.  They all began to grumble and complain.  They said; “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt!  There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!”  These ungrateful people were very fickle!  They even sort of accused God of planning their death in Egypt, so very opposite of what had really happened!  Their complaints were so overly dramatic!  Complainers are usually always dramatic and overstating with their complaints. 

There just seemed to be much disrespect for what had actually taken place.   They went from dancing and rejoicing to grumbling and complaining in no time!  The victory songs had turned to a grumble march and the thankfulness for the miracles was discarded for a spoiled, selfish complaining nature.  Moses and Aaron must have been so frustrated!  If they were frustrated; you can just imagine how God felt!  What a slap in the face.  He had given them freedom and luxury and rest in the middle of the desert.  When they had moved on; they were complaining and wishing for slave food again.   Where was their faith? 

This was no way to be going toward their wedding day to God!  They had promised after Morah to obey God and follow His commandments!  They had seen how he could use an old tree (symbolic of Torah) to change everything and to provide for their every need, but how quickly they forgot!  They were not calling on God at all; instead they were throwing verbal stones at Moses and Aaron. 

So God, in spite of their attitudes, brought a surprise solution to their problems.  He told Moses He would rain down bread from heaven for them!  God told the people to go out each day and gather enough food for that day.  God was testing them to see if they would REALLY follow His instructions as they had previously promised.  God told them exactly how much to gather each day and he also told them to gather twice as much as they usually gathered on the sixth day. 

So Moses and Aaron gathered the grumblers together and told them God’s instructions:  “In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because He has heard your grumbling against Him.  Who are we, that you should grumble against us?  You will know that it is the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because He has heard you’re grumbling against Him.  Who are we?  You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”  

Moses understood how serious this was. He probably hated that the people were acting like a spoiled brat child with their constant whinning and complaining!   So Moses told Aaron to gather the entire community and tell them to come before the LORD because he had heard their grumbling.  While Aaron was speaking to the people they looked toward the desert and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.  I’m sure it was a fearsome sight!  Had they grumbled so much that the cloud had removed itself temporarily?  

God said to Moses:  “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.  Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread.  Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.”

The people had already received a glimpse of the Torah at Morah; now God was going to give them some more information to add to that glimpse.  He was going to tell them how He kept time and He was going to let them in on the use of His holy calendar.  He would teach them in the way that men usually understand; through the filling of their bellies.

The meat was to appear at twilight.  Twilight, also called sunset, is the beginning of God’s clock for a new day.  His days go from sunset till sunset.  The days of God change each time the moon reappears in the sky.  The moon is God’s official clock.  

God was showing this to the people in a way that they would understand by feeding them according to His heavenly clock.  God had put men inside of time at the creation.  Time was created for men; it was the window of life from which they lived.  God lived outside of time; but He cared for mankind living inside of time.  

Over and over in Genesis when we hear of the creation week those words were repeated; evening and morning and the first day, evening and morning and the second day, evening and morning and the third day, evening and morning and the fourth day, evening and morning and the fifth day, evening and morning and the sixth day; and it was VERY good.  Then came the end of the sixth day and the beginning of the seventh day.  Evening and morning, and God said at the end of the sixth day just before the seventh day: “It is VERY good.” 

The seventh day was sacred and special; set apart from the other days as a day for men to rest.   And God began to teach mankind all of this way of living before Him all over again.  Their ancestors knew these things; but while they were slaves in Egypt they had forgotten about God’s clock.  Instead they had been on Egyptian time.  It revolved around the sun and the pagan gods that came with the worship of the sun and the planets. The People of Israel had to re-learn everything that God had originally commanded, and keeping the Sabbath was given top priority in these lessons that God was slowly progressing through with them.  If they were to be God’s special Bride; they needed to keep God’s special ways.  They had to leave the ways of Egypt behind.

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.  When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.  When the Israelites saw this they looked at each other and asked, “What is it?”  They did not know what it was!  So Moses explained to them that this was the bread that God had given them to eat!  That is why to this very day when we speak of this story, we call the bread Manna, Hebrew for “what is it?”

Moses explained further:  “This is what the LORD has commanded!  Everyone is to gather as much as they need.  Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.”  So this is how the people started measuring with the omer again.  They had used it in ancient times to measure grain, now they would use it to measure out their daily manna.  The omer would hold about three pounds of the heavenly bread.  An omer was one tenth of an ephah.  Thus they began to learn how to set aside one tenth each day of all of their provisions from God.  Abraham had always set aside a tenth; and now God was showing Abrahm's ancestors how to do this.  This is where we get the tenth requirement for tithing.  Each day the people set aside one tenth.  They went out and gathered the bread.  They gathered an omer for each person in their household daily.  Some families gathered a little, some families gathered a lot.  When they measured what they gathered by the omer those who gathered much did not have too much, and the people who gathered a little did not have too little.  Everyone always had just what they needed. 

When they had gathered Moses told them; “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 

Some of the people, however, paid no attention to Moses’ instructions.  They kept some until morning, but when the morning came it was full of maggots and began to smell.  Moses finding this out, was angry with them.  They quickly learned how much to gather for each day, only one tenth!  Every morning they gathered what they needed and put it inside their tent to use for that day. When the sun grew hot what was left on the ground simply melted away. 

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much; two omers for each person, or approximately six pounds of bread for each person.  Moses told them this was the LORD’s command.  He explained that the next day (the seventh day) was to be a Sabbath rest.  It was to be a holy Sabbath to the LORD.  Moses told them to bake what they wanted to bake and boil what they wanted to boil on the sixth day and save whatever is left and keep it until morning.  They would eat what they had gathered on the sixth day on the seventh day too.

Of course, the people thought it would contain maggots and stink, but they did what Moses instructed.  From the sixth day till the seventh day ended, it did not stink or get maggots in it!  Moses told them to eat what was left over because that day was the Sabbath to the LORD.  On the seventh day there was no bread on the ground.  There would be no gathering of food.  They would eat what had already been provided.  For six days they gathered and on the seventh day they kept Sabbath and did not gather.  This was how Moses heard God command the people to act.  This is what Moses told them to do. 

Of course people have to learn the hard way!  They seldom listen to instructions; even from the mouth of God!  On the seventh day some of the people still went out to gather.  They found nothing!  The LORD said to Moses:  “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?  Bear in mind; the LORD had given the Sabbath; it was a perfect gift to mankind.  That is why on the sixth day He gave enough bread for two days.  Everyone was to stay where they were on the seventh day; no one is to go out to gather food.”

So this is how it was that the people learned to rest on the seventh day as they wandered through the Wilderness of Sin.  This same pattern still applies to us today; though mankind has tried to change it a million times over.  God never changes.  He is the same today as He was yesterday.  His ways never change.  He instituted the seventh day Sabbath; and this is still a holy and sacred day for God to spend in uninterrupted time with His people; a time of rest.  The Torah and the laws of God did not change with the cross.  It was not changed but fulfilled.  What changed was our redemption from breaking the law.  The laws are still in effect; only now we have the mercy of God because of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross.  Do not make the mistake of thinking that grace is being able to live in sin and break the law.  Grace was simply God’s Son paying the penalty for all the laws we have broken.  He bore our sins and shame so that we could live forever.  It still matters that you know and live Torah if you are a child of God.  God doesn’t change and His laws are forever. 

Can you imagine living like this and learning life the way the Israelites did?  Every morning your bread would rain down from Heaven; a daily gift from God the Father!  No toil, no strife, no cooking, no going to the grocery store, no saving up coupons and budgeting to be able to afford groceries!  Automatically with each new day came instant food from Heaven, once a day for every day of the week, and life-giving peaceful rest with God at the end of the week.  How good is that?  Life was easy, simple and delicious every day.  Each morning brought totally healthy food straight from the sky to your table.  All you had to do was pick it up six days a week.  Who could ever complain again?

The people called the bread manna.  It looked like white coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 

Then Moses proclaimed yet another thing that God had commanded; he said; “Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so that they can see the bread God gave you to eat in the wilderness when He brought you out of Egypt.”  Do you get the feeling that God was saying:  “Remember this forever!”?  That is how it strikes me.  The omer of manna in the jar was a constant reminder of who provided for them in all circumstances. 

So Moses and Aaron, carefully following God’s instructions, took a jar and put an omer of manna in it.  They placed it before the LORD to be kept for the generations to come.  The LORD commanded Moses and Aaron to put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law so that it might be preserved.    This was the beginning of God teaching His people His best ways to live; His law.  In this wilderness journey they were re-learning to obey God’s commandments.  God would soon give them the law written down on tablets and they were to put the preserved jar of manna with them and set them aside as sacred and holy.  It would always be a reminder through all time of God’s provision for them in the wilderness. 

This was the beginning of the Israelites coming back under God’s holy clock of six days for work and one day for rest, and they ate manna (the bread from heaven) for forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; when they reached the border of Canaan.   While they wondered through the wilderness God would teach them the answer to this question they asked as the Manna fell from Heaven.  They had said “What is it?”  They would soon discover the deeper meaning of the Bread of Heaven provided from God.  One day they would all come to know that Jesus Christ is the Bread of Heaven.  They would pass the truth of that discovery down through the generations, until the present day called “today” because God always keeps His promises and God never changes.  From the Bread of Heaven we now know as Jesus, all may come to know the glory of God.  The pattern was formed right there as the Israelites wandered through the Wilderness of Sin.

AN APPLE A DAY - THE WINNING QUALITIES OF BROCCOLI

DAY 111 OF 365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Watching the Olympics and seeing the athletes from around the world that are praising God and giving God glory with their bodies has been so very refreshing!  

Sometimes we get bogged down here in America with the bad news of how the culture is caving and doing so much to dishonor God; yet in the Olympics this year I have been surprised to see this is NOT trending in so many other places that are represented; and I’ve also been very grateful for those American Olympiads who have taken a firm stand against the culture and proclaimed their faith out loud in front of the whole world and given glory to God.  

These brave individuals are living examples of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:  “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of The Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own, you were bought at a price, therefore; honor God with your bodies.”

I can almost guarantee you that these faithful Olympians know the value of the food they are putting into their bodies every day!

So are you using the three most nutritious vegetables (watercress, bok choy and chard) a lot more often?  I hope so.  They are loaded with nutritious value! 

You probably think you are going to hear about the fourth most nutritious vegetable in today’s blog; but I’ve decided to be random today!  I have no idea where broccoli fits on the most nutritious vegetable list; but I’m pretty sure it has to be close to the top.  I’ve discovered something I want to share here, about broccoli, and about pretty much any other nutritious vegetable for that matter; they all taste better when they are roasted or grilled!

 

I have eaten broccoli most of my adult life.  I hated it when I was a child, simply because I never gave it a chance and never tried eating it.  Finally, it was broccoli salad that first grabbed my tastebuds.  I found that I liked broccoli prepared that way and eventually I found I liked it steamed and mixed with other vegetables.  That is the same old boring way I’ve eaten broccoli since I grew up and started eating like an adult. 

A few weeks ago I was reading through some food blogs and discovered the REAL way to fix broccoli!  You roast it! 

Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Clean, dry and chop your broccoli into flat slices and sprinkle sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder all over them.  Toss the broccoli in extra virgin olive oil and arrange in a casserole dish.  Sometimes I add finely chopped onions or mushrooms to the mix.  Roast in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes.  In the meantime, mix 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil with 1/3 cup lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons soy sauce in a small bowl.  When roasting is done, remove the broccoli from oven and toss in this mix.  Delicious!   

So there is another interesting and tasty vegetable to add to your fast days (when you are only eating vegetables and fruits and nothing else)! 

Are you still alternating fast days and moderate days with one feast day a week?  I’m sticking to this plan and it seems to be working well.   I’m down twelve pounds in spite of the fact that I’ve celebrated this week with birthday food, and will be eating the festive foods from two baby showers this week (I may have to confess more next week).  You don’t have to be legalistic about this diet; it works so well when you follow the weekly patterns of fast/moderate day/feast.  You will have room to stray a little here and there for special occasions as long as you don’t go wild and remember to keep up your exercise routines going.  

I exercise by walking laps around my office building (it is a large building in an office complex.)  The six laps I divide up into twos three times a day probably equal to a mile each day of the work week.  Find something that works for you and fit it into your schedule daily (if you make it like brushing your teeth – you won’t feel the same if you forget it!)  

My daughters go to their gym on a regular basis.  I have a friend who enjoys working with horses and she gets her exercise by riding and training horses.  I have another friend who hikes every weekend.  I know several people who are “mall walkers.”  They are out there every morning, walking the halls of the mall as soon as it opens, getting their exercise and a little window shopping done at the same time.  I've heard a lot of people say they love pilates. Cycling is also a great way to get exercise, either outdoors or inside your own home on a stationary bike.  Just get an exercise routine and follow it faithfully!  Try to make it “doable.”  Something that fits into your day easy and natural, that way you will be sure to keep it up. 

The same "doable" factor should apply to your daily meals.  Try not to prepare recipes that are too complicated or take too much time and effort.  The simpler; the better, that way preparing meals at home do not become a dreaded chore.  The broccoli is easy and “doable” and should be a simple compliment to any of your nutritious meal plans.  

Broccoli is known for its cholesterol lowering abilities.  Broccoli also helps the body with detoxification.  It lowers your retention of unwanted contaminants.    In case you haven’t noticed, America is under a Vitamin D deficiency epidemic.  Almost everyone is deficient in this one vitamin.  Broccoli is full of vitamin D, and it can help to overcome this problem.  Every home in America should be preparing broccoli often!   

Broccoli contains ample supplies of vitamin A and vitamin K which we need to work with the vitamin D in our metabolisms.  This combination of vitamins is a winner every time.   If you are using vitamin D supplements, eating broccoli could only help them to work better. 

Broccoli is rich in kaempferol, which helps stop inflammation as well as wards off skin allergies.  A lot of us are allergic to the unnatural things we are absorbing in pre-packaged foods.  Broccoli can help your body to fight these things. 

So many people today seem to be suffering with problems of the stomach and the lining of the stomach.  Sometimes this happens because of the overgrowth of a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori.  This bacterium forms excessive attachments to the inner stomach lining.  Raw broccoli sprouts appear to provide special stomach support with respect to these unwanted overgrowth and over-attachement circumstances.  Researchers have studied the provision of HG broccoli (high glucosinolate broccoli) in the genetic activities of the stomach lining cells.  The glucosinolates in broccoli are clearly a key part of broccoli’s ability to support stomach health, and they seem to alter gene expression in cells that provide the stomach with its inner lining.  So, if you are experiencing stomach problems, get some ordinary broccoli and eat it without cooking (in salads and with dips) to help provide plenty of those glucosinolate phytonutrients that your stomach may be lacking. 

As well as everything mentioned above, broccoli has good qualities for fighting cancer.  

If all of this information isn’t enough for you; consider that broccoli also provides chromium, folate, dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1 and vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium, copper, vitamin B1, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, zinc, calcium, iron, niacin and selenium!  That should convince anyone that broccoli is a perfect addition to your menu at any time or place.

Exodus 15:26 proclaims how God has put healing factors in our foods (such as these nutrients found in broccoli):  He said; “If you listen carefully to The LORD your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all of his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am The LORD who heals you.”

Keep speaking to THE ONE WHO HEALS YOU.  God is always listening and always ready and willing to help us understand these things better.  Who better to consult about your body than the One who created it?

So keep eating that broccoli; because God has given it healing qualities that your body needs!  Keep the Olympic spirit going of those who are faithful and give glory to God for the victories and medals they achieve.  He is our provider and the One who causes us to be champions!