Thanksgiving Cran-Pistachio Couscous

What more can I say about couscous other than it is delicious and hearty. It is available in both large and small grains; even though both are available here in Israel, in the US “Israeli Couscous” refers to dishes using the large variety.  This starchy dish is so versatile it’s a good idea to always have a pack or two stored away in the cabinet.  I like the small grains as a side under vegetables but prefer the larger kind as there’s more potential to spice it up and add really whatever you like to it.

Usually my Thanksgiving has a pretty Israeli flair to it even when I’m at home. This year I was able to throw together a last minute dinner for my favorite holiday of the year and took the opportunity to run with the Israeli theme. So one of my side dishes was this cranberry pistachio couscous and added subtle autumn harvesty spicing.

for the recipe….

Cranberry Pistachio Couscous

olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 package large grain couscous

2.5 cups water*

1/2 cup dried

cranberries

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3 pinches pepper

cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin

lemon

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

a few sprigs of mint

Preheat a heavy medium pot over medium-low heat. Once the pot has heated add the olive oil and the minced garlic cloves. Once cooked, raise the heat to medium and add the couscous and cranberries to the oil and garlic and stir. Continue to stir for about 4-5 minutes as the grains toast. Once it’s toasted it should appear brown and have a little nutty aroma. Add the water, cumin, salt, and pepper, and the cinnamon stick. Raise the heat and bring to boil. Once boiling lower the heat and cover for about 10 minutes. Most of the liquid should have been absorbed at this point. Add the pistachios, about 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, the juice from half a lemon. Stir and cover for about 5 more minutes as the rest of the water absorbs. Remove from heat, take out the cinnamon sticks, fluff the couscous with a fork and serve.

* The amount of water really depends on how much couscous you put in. Read the package and follow the amount of water to add and continue with the directions as normal. If you’re unsure I usually go by a 1:1.5 ratio of couscous:water. So if you’re adding 2 cups couscous I’d add 3 cups water.

my mum went on a trip to Israel recently, a place I’ve always wanted to visit for many reasons. All conflict aside I, it is a very beautiful place, from what I’ve seen and heard. Here are some photographs she sent me while on her trip taken with a regular point and shoot camera. There are quite a lot of photos I’ll just be shortlisting them to just the worthy ;D

More to follow

www.idanraichelproject.com

Lyrics:

Shanim kulam borchim,
shanim kulam chozrim,
Rodfim achrei hashemesh,
Shvuim betoch ma’agalim,
kulam mesubachim,
Az mah at od cholemet,
Shanim hem mastirim,
shanim kulam yodim,
Even mitapechet,
Baleilot uvayamim kulam kvar medabrim,
Lama at od nisheret…

Adif larutz laeish,
lidrosh lo livakesh,
Mimah at mifachedet?
Ein ma lachsov shehu omer,
ein zman yafeh yoter,
Hevi et hayom…

Shanim hem shoalim,
shanim lo makshivim,
Somrim hakol babeten,
Ze mitztaver v’ze gover
v’ze basof gomer,
Al mah at medaberet,

Adif larutz laeish…

Yotzei sheat tamid shoteket
Aval bifnim ze bo’er v’nisraf hakol,
Kol hamilim she ne’almo
Timtze’i otan bachalomot shel acherim…

Shanim hem niftachim v’nisarim sgurim,
neachazim baruach,
Kol ason rodef acher,
ze ba ze medaber,
Chozrim l’petza hapatuach…

Adif larutz laeish…

Yotzei sheat tamid shoteket…

Shanim kulam borchim,
shanim kulam chozrim,
Rodfim achrei hashemesh.

Translation:

OTHER PEOPLE’S DREAMS

For years everyone flees,
for years everyone returns,
Chasing after the sun,
Prisoners inside cycles,
everyone is involved,
So what are you still dreaming of,
For years they all hide it,
for years they all know,
A stone is turned over,
In the nights and the days everyone is already talking,
Why do you still remain…

Better to run to the fire,
to demand rather than to beg,
From what are you scared?
There’s nothing to think about that he says,
there’s no time more beautiful,
Bring the day…

For years they ask,
for years they don’t listen,
Keeping everything in the stomach,
It piles up and it gets stronger
and in the end it finishes,
What are you talking about,

Better to run to the fire…

On the outside you are always quiet,
But inside it burns and consumes everything,
All the words that disappear
You will find them in the dreams of others…

For years they are opened yet remain closed up,
held by the wind,
Every tragedy chases differently,
it comes it speaks,
They return to the open wound…

Better to run to the fire…

On the outside you are always quiet…

For years everyone flees,
for years everyone returns,
Chasing after the sun.

Translation by Mark Hafter of Wilmette, Illinois, USA. www.hebrewsongs.com

Hello again, brothers and sisters!!!

Before we get into today’s discussion, I just want to briefly say “thank you” to those of you who have been regularly taking part in these discussions, as well as those of you who visit whenever you are able.  I would also like to thank all of our first-time visitors.  It is a blessing and a genuine pleasure to have you all here:-)

For today’s discussion, we will review the parables of the treasure and the goodly pearl.  While these two parables were a couple of the shorter parables that Jesus shared, they are certainly just as important as all of the other parables.  Jesus was speaking with His disciples when He shared these parables.  The parables are as follows:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;  the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV)

Both of these parables are making the same point, right?  Let’s break them down, shall we?

The man seeking treasure, and the merchant-man seeking goodly pearls, are played in real life by sinners seeking the truth, redemption, and salvation.  The treasure hiding in the field and the goodly pearl, represent the kingdom of God found through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is also the Living Word of God.  So with that being the case, why would we have to sell all that we have in order to buy our way into the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ?  Doesn’t that run contrary to salvation being a gift given freely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  It sure does.  however, the point of these parables is not that we are “buying” our way into the kingdom of God. 

The point is that once we have discovered the kingdom of heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should value nothing else as much as this “treasure/goodly pearl”.  Beloved, when we find the kingdom of heaven through Jesus Christ and His word, we should value the Lord, His word, and His kingdom above anything else in our lives.  As obedient and faithful servants, there should be no price we are unwilling to pay in order to serve Him completely.  If we live in complete submission to the Lord’s will, then there is no room for competing interests.  Just as with the Apostle Paul, all former things we held dear we must be willing to count as lost once we are saved.  Why?  Well, once we are saved, serving the Lord is to be the focal point of our lives, and our vision is to be focused like a laser on doing so.

Interestingly, in these two parables that Jesus Christ shared with us we can also Him as the man/merchant-man seeking the treasure/goodly pearls.  Think about it.  Jesus gave up all that He had and suffered death on the cross in order to pay our sin debt.  In so doing, beloved, we were saved and purchased by His blood.  The treasure being “hid” in the field refers to those who live in Christ being granted access to the kingdom of heaven, which is a place that someone who serves sin cannot find or gain access to.  Once we belong to Christ, He protects us from the enemy.  We are effectively “hidden” in His protection, as once we belong to Christ Jesus, we cannot be snatched away from Him.  As Jesus said:

“I told you, and ye believed not:  the works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.  But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:  And I give unto them eternal life;  and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all;  and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.” – John 10:25-30 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let us rejoice that the Lord considers us His “treasure/goodly pearl” and was willing to pay everything in order to save us!!!  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Furthermore, let’s praise the Lord God Almighty for His lovingkindness and longsuffering, and let’s show Him that He is the only real treasure that matters to us, as well!!!  Beloved, do you know what the word of God, the truth, salvation, entrance to the kingdom of heaven, light, love, peace, life, faith, wisdom, and understanding all have in common?  I’ll tell you what.  We find and receive all these things when we find Christ and turn our lives over to Him.  Jesus is the Truth.  Jesus is the Living Word of God.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus is the Author and Finisher/Perfector of our faith.  He is the Way to the Father and the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus Christ is the Life.  The Lord is the Light of the world.  You get the point, yes?

Beloved, besides the praise we offer to the Lord in the form of prayer, song, and worship, we need to commit ourselves to praise Him through our lives and actions.  That we belong to Christ Jesus should be obvious to all not just by the words we speak, but also by the things we do.  It should not appear to others that we live for money, or for the approval of man;  rather it should be clear to all that we live to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Just as Jesus paid for us by giving up all that He had for our sakes, we ought to esteem our treasure, found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, above any passing “treasure” that this world has to offer.  Remember, beloved, the treasure of this world lasts for a limited amount of time and diminishes.  The treasure of the Lord is forever.  Suffer any necessary hardships, persecutions, or trials in this world in order to serve the Lord obediently and faithfully.  By so doing, your treasure in heaven will be waiting for you, and increasing, and will be with you forever:-)

Beloved, the Lord will always provide for, and take care of, those entrusted to Him.  It is, however, up to each one of us to make the decision to seek the Lord and His kingdom.  If we are willing to walk through the thorns, rats, mice, and bugs, and other treacheries of the field in order to find Him, then we will find that our “treasure” is more than worth the jouney.  Remember, beloved, hidden treasure only has value to us once we find it.  In order to find it, we must seek it.  As Jesus said:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

Precious one, we cannot claim hidden treasure that is never discovered, because we have no idea where it is.  Once we seek and find our treasure in Christ Jesus, however, we have the greatest treasure of all.  This is real treasure.  Everything other treasure pursued yields only fools gold.  So often we allow the cares of this world to distract us from searching for our hidden treasure.  Jesus was telling us not to get consumed/wrapped up in the concerns of this world.  He was telling us that we should put our whole focus on seeking the Lord and His will.  We can do so while not being overwhelmed with thoughts of what we will eat, where we will live, or what we will clothe ourselves with, because God will see to our needs just as He does with the birds of the air and the grass of the field.

Please pray for all those who have no idea of the hidden treasure available to them.  Let’s pray that they go searching for it, willing to brave the trials of the journey, in order to find the only treasure that really counts.  Furthermore, let’s pray that once they find that treasure, they see Him for who He really is and turn their lives over to Him as their Lord and Savior.  Jesus Christ is our treasure.

If you are ready to discover your hidden treasure, and claim your eternal inheritance from the Lord God Almighty, you can do so by accepting Him as your Lord and Savior today.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, and be saved, please pray the following prayer with me:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you just found your hidden treasure.  I would encourage you to find out what’s all in the treasure chest by exploring it through God’s word, through prayer with supplication and thanksgiving to the Lord, and by asking Him to reveal the fullness of the treasure to you.  The treasure you have, precious one, is priceless.  God set aside this treasure just for you through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  Welcome to the family:-)  The angels in heaven are rejoicing this very moment at your decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Find out about this and much more by exploring God’s word that He had written just for you:-)  This relationship with Christ is the most precious and important relationship you will ever have.  Invest yourself in growing the relationship as much as possible.  Seek the Lord’s will in all things, and let your will be completely surrendered to Him.

Thank you for joining our discussion today.   I hope you are able to join us on Friday to pray over this week’s prayer requests. 

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!!!  Walk in faith, knowing that you are loved by the Creator of the heavens, earth, and all life, and knowing that the treasure that you now carry in your heart and soul is priceless:-)

Have a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!  Give a special thanks to the Lord for all that He has done for you and your loved ones.  Without Him, we’d be in a very bad place:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Thanksgiving is a holiday that all Americans, regardless of culture, ethnicity, religion and politics seem to rally behind. I decided to put this notion to a test.

A couple of years ago, I decided to run a small social experiment during the Thanksgiving season. At the time I was CEO of UPOC. I invited members from several diverse groups into a special “What are you thankful for…?” – mobile chat group. The idea was to have everyone give a “shout out” of thanks. The experimental part of this mobile chat group was the source of the member groups that were invited.

These groups included: Christian Fundamentalists, Atheists, Communists, Hassidic Jews, Muslims, Anarchists, Right to Lifers, Republicans, Druids, Democrats, Red Sox Fans, Yankee Fans, Reform Jews, Blacks, Asians, Gays, Lesbians, Hispanics, Satanists, Israeli and Palestinian, Young and Old.

Yes! I even invited Red Sox fans!

I tried to get the most diverse group of individuals I could possibly imagine that had open chat profiles. In the end I invited about 5000 people and got about 500 to join.

In the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, I was careful to hide the sources of the groups of the members.

Different Cultures, Religions, Ethnicity, Sexual Preferences, and Sports Affiliations. None of the differences were obvious, just the similarity of giving thanks.

Leading up to the holiday, the expressions of thanks were heart warming. Many gave thanks for Family, Friends and God. Some expressions of thanks were deeply personal including being thankful for a second chance with a loved one, being paroled from jail, having recovered from an illness, having the opportunity to see a loved one for the holiday, etc. The expressions of introspective appreciations knew no boundaries of culture. If you hid the chat handles from the messages you would have had a very difficult time identifying the group that a specific message had originated. It seems that people are really just people.

Everyone has their share of joy and “meshugas”

The second unexpected part of this experiment happened after the long Thanksgiving weekend. The expressions of thankfulness stopped and biases and bigotry emerged.

By the end of the week the word had gotten out to the participants who some of the other members of this group really were. That’s another side of social networking, its tough to keep secrets.

Right and Left Wingers began to spar, Fundamentalists started to try to save the Satanists, Hassidic Jews were condescending of Reform Jews- And the Red Sox and Yankees fans – it was just too ugly to repeat…

Stripped of their diverse background identifiers, people of vastly different cultures have very similar things to be thankful about.

Once the identity veil was lifted I was thankful that everyone in the group was in cyberspace and not really in the same physical room. I removed the group a week after Thanksgiving to avoid potential bloodshed.

Maybe there is something we all can learn from this social experiment in this season of Thanksgiving.

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!! 

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the ten virgins and the bridegroom.  Jesus was talking to His disciples about be ready for the last day when He shared the following parable:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh;  go ye out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.”

“And the foolish said unto the wise, ‘Give us of your oil;  for our lamps are gone out.’  But the wise answered, saying, ‘Not so;  lest there be not enough for us and you:  but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;  and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:  and the door was shut.”

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’  But he answered and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.” – Matthew 25:1-12 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, the message of this parable is very sobering.  Let’s break this parable down and discuss the thrust of the message.

First of all, cast in the role of the bridegroom is the one and only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  The ten virgins represent us, believers and non-believers.

Okay, so now that we know the cast, what is the tie-in to the oil and the lamps?  That’s simple, actually.  Why do we need lamps?  Lamps help us to see where we are going, right?  We are blinded when we are surrounded by darkness.

The lamps, beloved, represent our spirits/souls.  Why do I say this?  Consider the following scripture:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” – Proverbs 20:27 (KJV)

So if the lamp represents our soul/spirit, what does the oil represent?  The oil represents the Holy Spirit, which is attained through Christ Jesus.  Remember, beloved, that though Jesus is not present with us physically on earth anymore, He lives here in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  This is the same Holy Spirit that God the Father filled Jesus, His only begotten Son, with after He was baptized by John the Baptist.  Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is also known as the Light of the World.  Having His light in us, we can rejoice in knowing that our lamps will be lit and shining brightly at the moment that Jesus comes for us.

You see, beloved, the Holy Spirit is the oil that shines brightly enough that all can see our light, which is the presence of the Lord in our hearts.  How can people see that light?  Well, let’s look at the type of light that the Holy Spirit emanates, as described by the Apostle Paul:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:  against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, when we live in Christ, we are to be faithful and obedient servants of that which He blesses and graces us with.  Frankly, the manner in which we live should be a strong witness for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Remember, brothers and sisters, as His servants, our lives should be lived in such a manner as to reflect to others our service to our Lord and Savior.  That means we are to let the Lord’s light shine through us for all to see.  Jesus said the following about this:

“Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick;  and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)

Beloved, the 5 virgins that heed the Lord’s word, and live by it, are those that He will find doing His work when He returns for His bride, which is the church.  The church is comprised of all those who have accepted salvation given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Only those that have Christ in them will be called home to be with the Lord.  Those that do not have Christ in them have souls/spirits filled with darkness instead of light.  Since there will be no light found in such people, they will be passed over when the believers are called home.  Consider the parable of the ten virgins, and listen to what Jesus said would happen when He calls His servants home:

“Then shall two be in the field;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill;  the one shall be taken, and the other left.  Watch therefore;  for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready:  for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My lord delayeth his coming’;  and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 24:40-51 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, no one knows when Jesus will return.  Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows the appointed hour.  The point is that we are supposed to constantly live our lives doing the work of our Lord and Savior so that in that “twinkling of an eye” when Jesus does return, we are found as faithful and obedient servants, diligently doing His work and will.

Unfortunately, beloved, there are many that live without Christ in their hearts.  They do not have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning brightly within them and emanating His light in their lives.  This, brothers and sisters, is all the more reason for us to constantly have our lamps lit with the oil of the Holy Spirit.  By sharing, embracing, and living the Lord’s word and love, we will be more effective in shining His light through the darkness in order to reach those that are presently lost.  Just as we were once lost before being found, we are incredibly blessed with the opportunity to help gather many of our Shepherd’s lost “sheep” by lighting up the path that will lead them home to Him.  This is our mission, beloved, and the time is now to carry it out.

No one should take for granted that the Lord will not come back for “x” amount more time.  We simply do not know the Lord’s return date and time, as only the Father knows.  Jesus could return in 5,000 years, 5 months, 5 weeks, 5 days, or in the next 5 seconds.  Regardless of how long it is until Jesus returns, we need to commit ourselves to doing His work every single day of our lives.  When He returns for us, let’s bless and glorify Him by meeting Him with as many well-oiled lamps as possible!!!

I would like to ask each and every person taking part in today’s discussion a few questions.  If the Lord Jesus Christ were to return in the next few seconds, would you be ready?  Would the Lord find your lamp lit brightly by the oil of the Holy Spirit?  Just as importantly, are you confident and assured that all of your family, friends, and loved ones would be found ready if Jesus were to return in the next few seconds?  Are you confident that hte majority of people in this world are ready to meet the Lord?

Let’s be honest, beloved.  There are a great many people that are not yet ready to meet Jesus Christ.  If Jesus were calling His faithful servants home today, an incredibly large number of people would be among those left behind.  Evidence of this can be found all throughout the world today.  Just turn on the 6 o’clock news, or go for a drive through the city, and you will see that much of humanity is spiritually lost and adrift at sea, without boat or life jacket.  This, brothers and sisters, is the urgency of our mission.  Just as with the 5 foolish virgins, those who are not ready to meet the Lord when He calls His faithful home will find out the harsh reality that the time for making the decision to commit their lives to Him has passed.

Beloved, ask the Lord for the endurance, strength, perseverance, and courage to work tirelessly to share His love and His word with as many people as possible.  The Lord will give you the words and the guidance you need through the Holy Spirit.  The time is now, beloved, for us to increase our staffing levels of faithful and obedient servants to take part in the Lord’s harvest.  Let’s get to work!!!

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer then you can rejoice in knowing that you now have the presence of the Lord in your heart.  While you will still face trials and tribulation in this world, you will never again face it alone.  Nurture your new relationship with the Lord and grow that relationship by getting to know Him better.  You can do this by studying His word (the bible), while also making talking to Him continually through prayer made with thanksgiving and supplication.  All you have to do to find out what the Lord had in mind for your life when He made you is to ask Him to shape your life in manner in which serves His will and then embrace the changes that He makes in you and your life.  Welcome to the family, beloved!!!  You are precious in your Heavenly Father’s eyes, and the angels in heaven are rejoicing in your decision to accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior:-)  We are happy to have you!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next discussion.  Now, go enjoy this day that the Lord has made, and make the most of it.  Be glad, and rejoice in it!!!  Share the Lord, His love, and His word with as many people as possible, doing so just as freely as the Father shared His only begotten Son with us:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

Today we are going to discuss the parable of the wedding banquet.  This is a parable that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees of the temple.  The parable is as follows:

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, whcih made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding:  and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, ‘Tell them which are bidden, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner:  my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready:  come unto the marriage.”  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:  And the remnant took his servants, and intreated them spitefully, and slew them.”

“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:  and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then saith he to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.’  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:  and the wedding was furnished with guests.”

“And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which had not on a wedding garment:  And he saith unto him, ‘Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?’  And he was speechless.  Then said the king to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.” – Mattew 22:2-14 (KJV)

Brothers and sisters, let’s break down the parable, staring with the cast.

The king of the parable represents God the Father.  The son that the king has arranged a marriage for is Jesus Christ.  The bride to be is the church of Christ, which is all who live in the Lord.  The servants that were sent out to invite the guests represent the prophets.  The first group of guests that was repeatedly invited was the Israelites, God’s chosen people.  Remember, that though many prophets were respected and revered for a time, they usually ended up being persecuted/killed by the very people they were trying to reach with God’s message.

The second group of guests are the Gentiles, or the non-Jews.  When the Jewish people repeatedly rejected the Father, His word, and ultimately Jesus Christ and the Gospel He shared, the Gentiles were blessed with the opportunity to receive the Gospel and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior while also receiving the gift of salvation that is found only in the only begotten Son of God.

Why was the one guest in the parable cast into outer darkness for not having on a wedding garment?  The answer is simple.  Do you know what the wedding garment is that the guests were to be clothed with?  Consider the following scripture:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;  for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” – Isaiah 61:10 (KJV)

You see, beloved, in order to attend the marriage of the Lamb of God, we must be attired appropriately.  We know that the only person we can get the appropriate attire from is Jesus Christ.  Why?  Through Jesus our sins are washed away, our hearts are purified, and we are clothed with the robe of righteousness.  The person in the parable without the robe of righteousness was a person that had not given their life to Jesus Christ, and was subsequently not wearing the necessary robe of righteousness.  Therefore, the inappropriately attired guest offended the king (God the Father). 

Brothers and sisters, there are people in this world who call themselves Christians, yet Christ is not found anywhere in them.  Such people often assume that going to church, periodically praying, and sometimes reading the bible and quoting chapter and verse is sufficient.  These are usually people that rejoice in sin Monday through Saturday, while attempting to live a Christian life on Sunday.  These are referred to as Sunday Christians, or Convenient Christians, and they do not have a place at the Lord’s table.  Why?  Beloved, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior 365 days/year and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Likewise, we are to be His servants at all times as well, living obediently and faithfully in serving Him.  Unfortunately, some are not sincere in their service to the Lord.  Jesus spoke of such people when He said the following about the day of judgment:

“Not everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;  but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?  and in thy name have cast out devils?  and in thy name done many wonderful works?’  And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you:  depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

You see, beloved, while we can fool our fellow man into believing that we are someone we are not, God always knows who we are.  God knows our hearts and knows all there is to possibly know about us.  A few acts, or a few words, do not make a faithful and obedient servant in Christ.  A faithful and obedient servant of the Lord lives in service to Him at all times, while also having the Lord in his/her heart at all times.  We love His word, regularly study it, and He writes it into our hearts.  We take every opportunity to share the Lord’s love and word with anyone we can reach.  We are never ashamed to confess to others that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and Jesus is not ashamed of presenting us to the Father and speaking on our behalf.  Beloved, let’s live Christ in our lives all day, every single day.  Let’s study His word regularly as diligent students, and let’s do His work always as faithful and obedient servants are to do.  The Lord has already given us everything by blessing us with the gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Let’s show Him how much we appreciate His sacrifice, His love, and His forgiveness by doing His work and will unceasingly and with a glad heart.

Beloved, if you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would sincerely like to, then please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

I you just prayed that prayer, honestly seeking the Lord, then you are now saved.  The robe of righteousness is now available unto you, and though you will still face adversity in this world, you now have the Lord with you to face and overcome anything that comes your way.  Nurture your relationship with the Lord by talking to Him often through prayer with thanks and supplication, while also studying His word.  Ask the Lord to guide your every path, and follow the path that He sets before you.  You no longer serve the sins and lusts of this world.  Your chains that tied you to the things of this world have now been broken.  Serve the Lord with all your heart, and always seek His will in all things.  Welcome to the family:-)  Know that the angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to give your life to the Lord!!!

I want to thank you all for joining in on today’s discussion.  I hope you will be able to join us for tomorrow’s next message.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day.  Remember, you are loved by the very Creator of earth, the heavens, and all life with a love that is perfect, complete, and powerful beyond our present ability to fully comprehend.  Precious one, He made you in your mother’s womb, and you are very special to Him:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

From: Ynet

A prisoner exchange deal securing the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit will be executed this Friday, Saudi network al-Arabiya reported Sunday, quoting sources in the Hamas organization.According to the report, 450 Palestinian prisoners will be released to the Gaza Strip and West Bank in exchange for Shalit’s transfer to Egypt. Shalit was kidnapped into Gaza 1,246 days ago.

The al-Arabiya report added that the Hamas leadership from Damascus would meet with the Hamas leadership from Gaza in Cairo on Monday, to discuss the latest offer submitted by Israel.

Sources in Gaza told Ynet that significant progress had been made over the past few days in the talks for the prisoner exchange deal, and that the last obstacles – related to a number of prisoners from the leadership of Hamas’ military wing – could be removed by Friday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Busy busy busy…
Things have been a little busy…
We just made Mushroom Risotto and Lasagna with Bolognese sauce. I have to say it was pretty good! That was the most recent cooking labs. For dessert I made chocolate Mousse and biscotti.
Now we have 3 projects to finish- 2 on Japan and one on Israeli couscous… Due in one week…
But school is good!!
Thought I would let my readers (if I have any:P) know what’s going on
I can’t wait for strawberry shortcake!!!!!!! But I still hate baking
Well, hope u can’t wait for my next post!!

Would you care for a snack?

Remember that show, the one about nothing? Well it was very flattered in Israel by a knock-off version whose name I cannot recall and is presently eluding my web searches. In it the Kramer character goes to a new bourekas bakery in his neighborhood (it all takes place in Tel Aviv) and is shocked to discover that the baker has disrupted the unwritten rule of fillings and shapes. For instance a potato boureka is always a rectangle, a triangle is always cheese, a pizza filling is a cylinder, while spinach filled resembles a pastry knot. One can picture the physical reaction of this character as he bites into a triangle shaped boureka and discovers that it is filled with spinach!

I was equally shocked to discover this past week that there are several different doughs that can be used to make this tasty little treats since all of the Israeli versions are made with the same flaky pastry dough. Much like the knish, there are regional variants in dough and filling across the Jewish communities of the near east and south eastern Europe. From Marrakesh to Salonika these small filled pies were popular additions to party menus. The word itself comes from the Turkish word for pie.

I decided to try a traditional Turkish recipe that Claudia Roden offers and filled them with a salmon, onion and cheese filling.

Recipe after the break

Salmon Cheese Bourekas

(makes 20+)

For the dough:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

2.5 cups of all purpose flour

Combine all ingredients in a mixer or bowl, knead until soft shiny and elastic. It can be used immediately and should used at room temperature.

For the filling:

1 cup shredded cooked salmon (mine was leftover from Shabbat dinner and season with sumac, salt and pepper)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (not the stuff in the green can!)

1 small onion diced

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the filling ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Roll out dough on a board. Use no flour. This dough is very oily and will naturally lubricated the rolling pin and board. Once the dough is about 1/4 inch thick use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds. Place about 1 tb spoon of filling in each one. Press the sides together until they stick. Place on a baking sheet. Knead dough scraps into a ball, roll out and repeat until all the dough is used.

When they are all filled arrange on a baking sheet. Brush with an egg wash or butter and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Allow to cool slightly and enjoy.

www.idanraichelproject.com

Lyrics:

Mime’amakim kar’ati elaich boi elai
beshuvech yach’zor shuv ha’or be’einai
lo gamur,
lo ozev t’aamaga beyadaich
sheyavo veya’ir lemish’ma
kol tz’chokech.

Mime’amakim kar’ati elaich boi elai
mul yare’ach me’ir et darkech shuv elai
nifrasu venamsu mul
maga shel yadaich
be’oznaich lochesh sho’el:
Mi zeh kore lach halailah – hakshivi
mi shar bakol elaich – el chalonech
mi sam nafsho shetehi me’usheret
mi yasim yad veyivneh et beitech.
Mi yiten chayav, yasimam mitachtaich
mi ka’afar leraglaich yichyeh
mi yohavech od mikol ohavaich
mi mikol ru’ach ra’ah yatzilech
mime’amakim.

Mime’amakim kar’ati elaich boi elai
mul yare’ach me’ir et darkech shuv elai
nifrasu venam’su mul
maga shel yadaich
be’oznaich lochesh sho’el:
Mi zeh kore lach halailah …

Translation:

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
with your return the light in my eyes will come back
it’s not finished,
I am not leaving the touch of your hands
that it may come and light up/wake upon
hearing the sound of your laugh.

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
the moonlight I will again light your way to me
they’re spread out and melted again
the touch of your hands
I whisper, ask in your ears:
Who is it that calls to you tonight – listen
who sings loudly to you – to your window
who put his soul so you’d be happy
who will put his hand and build you your home
who will give his life, put it underneath you
who will be like dust living at your feet
who will love you of all your lovers
who will save you from all evil spirits
from the deep depths.

From deep depths I called to you to come to me
the moonlight I will again light your way to me
they’re spread out and melted again
the touch of your hands
I whisper, ask in your ears:
Who is it that calls to you tonight

Translation by Kol Echad.

Several Palestinians are injured after Israeli aircraft carry out air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, officials say…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: airline travel. The blog is also related to: tours airport.

South Africans are amongst a group of mercenaries working for Guinea’s military junta, according to security sources and copies of emails seen by Reuters on Friday.

A spokesman for Camara on Friday denied the junta had hired South Africans to train a militia but said Israeli nationals were training recruits for undefined tasks.

S.Africans are among Guinea mercenaries: sources | Top News | Reuters
“DAKAR (Reuters) – South Africans are amongst a group of mercenaries working for Guinea’s military junta, according to security sources and copies of emails seen by Reuters on Friday.

The bulk of them have been sent to the West African nation by Dubai-based businessmen, the sources said. As well as military training, their job is to ensure the arrival of arms acquired by the junta from Ukraine in defiance of an arms embargo.

Guinea’s military regime is facing international sanctions and demands that it hand over power to civilian rule after a September 28 crackdown on opposition protesters in which witnesses said more than 150 people were killed and women were raped.

South Africa announced this week it was checking reports that its nationals have been hired to train a force for Guinea’s junta, and there have been separate reports that Israelis and Ukrainians are involved in helping the government.

“They couldn’t get enough people to do the job, so that is why there is a mix of people doing the job,” said Henri Boshoff, a military analyst who served in the South African army, citing information in intelligence circles.

“(The South Africans) were very desperate. They are not being very well paid.”

Two security sources also said that South Africans were currently in Guinea.

“There are definitely South Africans and they don’t seem too shy,” said one source with contacts in Guinea’s private security sector, adding they had been hired to train a militia loyal to junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara at a former U.N. refugee camp in Guinea’s east.

A spokesman for Camara on Friday denied the junta had hired South Africans to train a militia but said Israeli nationals were training recruits for undefined tasks.

A copy of one email seen by Reuters and purporting to come from a Dubai-based company called Omega Strategic Services on October 9 finalised arrangements for their arrival in Guinea on a flight from Johannesburg.

“When you arrive in Guinea … our director of operations, will either meet you at the airport or arrange for you to be picked up and brought to the client site,” said the e-mail copy.

When contacted by Reuters, Omega declined to comment.

A second security source with knowledge of the arrangement said the South Africans had also been tasked with ensuring $45 million of light arms recently bought by the junta in Ukraine arrived safely.”

Quien salva a una persona, salva al mundo entero.  —  Proverbio israelí.

Israel’s air force launches an attack on what officials say are weapons factory and smuggling tunnels in Gaza…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: cheap trip. For a different topic see peach recipe. The blog is also related to: travel discounts.

i really don’t get it!..
i live in Israel and every day i open
the news i see someone else hates us.
isnt it enough we have suffered 5000+
missiles in 7 years while asking the world
to intervene and guess what

no one did any thing!

yesterday i open the news only to see (Again) that people
actually think we killed children in  gaza.

unbelievable…
fucking terrorist shooting at us from people houses and still
we are the bad guys when we finally after years decide to defend
our self’s..

i guess when European hear Israel they think we are a big
country some big bad wolf. But no! Check a map for god sake.
we are stuck among all the Arab countries of the world and while
they own mass of land we are a small point on the map!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the hypocrisy..
all the Arab countries shouting help Palestinians.
don’t want to give them any land but us squatting 2ghter on
a small piece of land should share our home or get shoot.

even worse the stupid coward obama thinks we should give half
of our capitol.. how rood – what a moron.. why don’t you share
Washington ?.. that city is bigger them the whole of Israel so it
would easier then cutting Jerusalem into two
(which would never happen!)

you better wake up!

i am an Israeli -
i was born here and this is my home!

signed – “the pissed off Israeli”

Welcome back, friends!!!

Today we are going to break down the parable of the talents. At talent, as used in the parable, was a variable unit of weight and money used in ancient Greece, the Middle East, and Rome. Jesus shared the parable of the talents with His disciples. The parable is as follows:

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.”

“Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them another five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”

“After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“He also that had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.’ His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’”

“Then he which had received one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.’ His lord answered and said unto him, ‘Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” – Matthew 25:14-30 (KJV)

 So what does this parable mean? Very often you will find people willing to tell you that this parable is all about money. This is not so. While the parable uses talents (money) given to the servants, the example of the money that was given is symbolic of something far greater. Let’s break this down and see what this is all about.

First of all, the lord of the servants symbolizes our Lord, Jesus Christ. The servants are those who claim to serve the Lord, such as Jesus’ apostles at the time, as well as Christians yet to come.

Okay, so now that we know whom the players are, what exactly is the point? The “talents” of the parable symbolize the gifts that the Lord bestows upon us. This includes blessings of ability, knowledge, wealth, hope, faith, etc. Most importantly, this includes the word of God. Why did the lord of the parable commend and reward the first two servants? He rewarded them, because they had been faithful and obedient in their service to Him. Rather than being selfish or lazy, both of the first two servants actively worked to make the most of what their lord had given them. Subsequently, when their lord returned, they were able to return more back to the lord. Beloved, I’m sure you see the parallel here. Just as the lord of the parable returned after having been away for quite some time, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will also return after having been in heaven for quite some time. When the Lord returns, all will have to give account of themselves. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” – Romans 14:12 (KJV)

As we saw in the parable, the third servant did absolutely nothing productive with what his lord had given him. Instead, he just buried it in the ground. Beloved, there are unfortunately many people in this world that do the same with what the Lord has entrusted to them and blessed them with. Rather than use the gifts they have been given to do the Lord’s work, they bury their “treasure”. In so doing, they are unfaithful and disobedient to the Lord. For those that are unfaithful and disobedient to God, there will be severe consequences, including being cast into “outer darkness”. Beloved, are not called to kick back. We are called to serve. If we do not serve the Lord, then we have not really accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.

Brothers and sisters, when we face the Lord don’t we all want to see a pleased look on His face? There are no sweeter words you could imagine Him saying than, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” There’s only one way to do that, beloved. We must use what the Lord has blessed us with in order to prove ourselves as obedient and faithful servants of the Lord and good stewards of His gifts. This includes using any abilities that we have been blessed with to their utmost, and using all of our available resources to constantly spread the Lord’s love and word throughout the world. This is the Lord’s work, and we are all called to do it. While many of us will have different roles to carry out, different blessings/abilities, and different burdens, the things that unite all servants of the Lord are our faithfulness, obedience, and willingness to put serving Him above serving ourselves.

Beloved, Jesus Christ is truly Lord of all. However, each one of us has to decide what type of servant we want to be. I pray that each and every person taking part in this discussion will commit themselves to being a faithful and obedient servant that puts all that God has blessed them with to the utmost use in order to serve and glorify God and His blessed name. This includes using our tangible and intangible assets/blessings. Most importantly, it means sharing His Gospel with others. The Lord will reward us based on our faith and obedience to Him. Don’t look for those rewards in earthly treasures that will fade away with time. Rejoice in knowing that the Lord rewards with heavenly treasures:-) 

Beloved, don’t be timid in sharing the word of God. Just as the Lord’s love and word saved you, sharing the same with someone else may help them to turn their lives over to Christ. The best return we can provide to our Lord Jesus Christ is to show our faithfulness and obedience as we work to bring more laborers (believers) into the harvest. That only happens by making the most of what God gives us and sharing His love and word with all people that we can reach.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you would like to do so, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you are now a citizen of Christ’s eternal kingdom. You are saved, precious one!!! A new creation has been born in you, as Jesus Christ has now taken root in your heart. You will still face problems in this world, but you will never again face those problems alone. Get to know your Savior by studying His perfect word, and share His love freely with all you encounter just as He has unconditionally bless you with His powerful and perfect love. Welcome to the family:-)

If ever I can support you in prayer over any area of your life, please send me your prayer request(s) either through the “Comments” box at the end of this message, or by emailing me directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces). It is always a blessing to join you in prayer.  It is truly a wonderful and blessed thing when we come together to unleash God’s power through prayer.  He is truly greater than anything this world, or the enemy, can throw at us:-)  Praise God!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!

Remember, if you would like to order the new book “Strapping On the Whole Armor of God – Suiting Up For Spiritual Warfare), please visit my website at http://www.yourbrotherinchrist.com .  If you prefer to order by mail, you will also find the mailing address on that website.  This book is very valuable in helping people understand how to go about securely and effectively putting on the whole armor of God that the apostle Paul refers to in Chapter 6 of Ephesians.  We are praying that many people will receive this book and be blessed in their walk with the Lord by reading it.

Thank you for joining in today’s discussion.  I hope you will join us for tomorrow’s day of prayer for this week’s prayer requests, as well.  Have a wonderful and bless remainder of the day.  Remember, this is the day that the Lord has made.  Let’s rejoice, and be glad in it:-)

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Sono immensamente felice per l’uscita di un CD che personalmente aspettavo da molto tempo.

Copertina del Cd "Erga" della Israeli Ethnic Ensemble

Si tratta del CD Erga della “Israeli Ethnic Ensemble”. Cantante del gruppo Talya G.A Solan voce stupenda, ottima persona con cui ho avuto l’onore di suonare nel 2006 in occasione delle registrazioni del progetto “The Right Compilation” e del progetto “Daybox” sulle “parti del giorno”. Insieme con Talya venne in Italia l’attuale bassista della band Gilad Ephrat, altro grande musicista e persona speciale.

The Israeli Ethnic Ensemble

Il successo delle persone a cui si vuol bene gratifica! Vi consiglio di ascoltare questa band e di farvi portare nel mondo ricco di magia che la loro musica disegna.

Alcune foto delle sessioni di registrazione del 21/12/2006

Da sx: Sergio Di Nicola, Johnny Sessa, Talya, Gilad, Max

Con Talya allo Studio Lag

Welcome back, brothers and sisters!!!

I thought that for the next few days we might take a look at some of the parables from the New Testament.  When Jesus would share a parable He would instruct those with ears to hear to listen to the parable being told and understand it.  I will admit that when I was lost in sin, I often read parables in the bible and was very confused.  I wondered why I apparently didn’t have ears to hear, even though every hearing test I ever had was perfect.  Since I turned my life over to Christ Jesus and have studied His word, I now take great joy in the parables that Jesus tells.  What once confused me is now abundantly clear when I read these parables.  This is just further proof that until we seek out and embrace the Truth, we are blind to the most obvious things.  Praise God for opening our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts to understand and receive His word!!!

The parable we will look at today is the parable of the vineyard.  Jesus was talking with the chief priest and elders of the temple, and they were once again trying to outwit Him.  After successfully showing that their attempt to outwit Him was about as effective as taking your best knife to a gunfight, Jesus went on to share this parable with them:

“There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.  Again, he sent other servants more than the first:  and they did unto them likewise.  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir;  come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.’  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?” – Matthew 21:33-40 (KJV)

You know how the chief priests and elders of the temple replied?  They responded by saying:

“They say unto Him, ‘He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.” – Matthew 21:41 (KJV)

Beloved, many of you can read this parable and know exactly what Jesus is talking about.  Some who are reading this message today may not yet fully understand what this parable is referring to.  With that in mind, let’s break it down.

Our cast begins with God the Father playing the role of the householder. 

The vineyard He built and let out to the husbandmen represents the kingdom of heaven and His word.  Remember that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people.

The husbandmen roles are unfortunately ably filled by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and those that sought their own glory and whose hearts did not really belong to the Lord God Almighty.

When the first fruits are ready for harvest, the householder (God the Father) sends out some of his servants (prophets) to retrieve his part of the first fruits (those who lived righteously and followed the Lord’s word).  When the servants (prophets) were beaten and killed, the householder (God the Father) sent an even greater number of servants unto the husbandmen to collect that which belonged to him.  Unfortunately, the husbandmen (those living in sin, rather than abiding in and by God’s word), abused the second set of servants (prophets) in the same manner that they had treated the first group that had been sent their way.

Finally, beloved, when it is obvious to the householder (God) that the husbandmen (those living in sin) will not respond appropriately to the servants (prophets), the householder (God the Father) decides to send his son.  For those who may not yet know where this is going, the son is more than capably played by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father.  Unfortunately, rather than revering the son (Jesus) when they see him, the husbandmen (sinners) plot to kill him, figuring that this will give them control of the vineyard that the son (Jesus) was rightful heir to.

When Jesus talks about how they slew the son (Himself), He is prophesying about His own death on the cross that at that time was still yet to come. 

Beloved, Jesus went on to say to the same chief priests and elders that since they had rejected Him, the inheritance that God had set aside for Israel only would now be shared with the Gentiles, as well.  This made God’s word, and the gift of salvation provided by Jesus Christ, available to all non-Jewish people, as well.  Honestly, don’t you love how the Lord can always turn something that man intends for evil into something incredibly good?  Praise the Lord!!!  We are washed clean of our sin and clothed with the Lord’s robe of righteousness when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Jesus’ sacrifice and love are for every single one of us:-)  Isn’t that awesome?

If you are ready to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely then you are now a born-again Christian.  Welcome to the family!!!  You will still face troubles and trials in this world.  However, with Jesus on your side, there is nothing that you cannot overcome.  Trust the Lord, and seek His will always.  We were created to glorify Him and His blessed name.  Get to know the Lord better by spending a few minutes each day studying His word (the bible), communicate with Him frequently through prayer (speaking & listening), and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Doing these things will enable you to grow in your new Christian walk, and you will also become much more familiar with you Lord & Savior and His will:-)  Live to give Him glory, and know that you are loved by the Creator of all life!!!

Thank you for joining us for today’s discussion.  Tomorrow, we will discuss an often-misinterpreted parable when we discuss the parable of the talents (coins).  I hope you will be able to join us.  Have a wonderful rest of the day!!!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters.

I wanted to take today to discuss the topic of religion vs. Christianity. I think this is a worthwhile discussion, as it can profoundly impact our relationship with God.

Many people who reject God will cite the hypocrisy, and/or other various shortcomings, of religion(s) as being the reason(s) that they have turned away from the Lord. Many people that feel that their religion has betrayed them, or that their religion was just built on empty lies, often turn to alternatives such as atheism, or some other set of beliefs (Mormonism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, Humanists, Buddhists, etc.). Some of these people will oftentimes speak ill of God and profane or belittle the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as they felt that the beliefs of their religion let them down.

I will tell you right now that people who reason this way are both completely correct and totally wrong. While it is true that their religion may have let them down, it is idiocy to blame God. What? How can I say that? Well, let’s start off by establishing the truth. The truth is that God did not author religion. Religions are man-made. Simply stated, religion is man’s self-made attempt to reach God. As with anything man-made, religion is flawed in many different ways. Why should this surprise us when we know that we ourselves are far from perfect? If we imperfect people create a religion, then how reasonably can we expect that the religion we have created will not be flawed as well? Of course it will be flawed!!! It was made by man. Beloved, if we were able to create a religion that was sufficient for establishing a strong relationship with God then Christ would have never had to suffer the cross for us. It is exactly because of man’s inadequacy to reach and serve God faithfully on his own that the Father had to send the Son to suffer the cross for us in the first place!!!

Doctrines of the various religions represent man’s way of trying to reach God through his or her idea of faithful service. Since the human race has an extensive track record about being wrong about so many things, it would be silly to think that the doctrines created by man would be without blemish. Do you remember what Jesus told the Pharisees that questioned him about the doctrinal laws that they adhered to regarding marriage that Moses had given them? The Pharisees just asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason. Jesus responded by saying:

“Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they twain shall be one flesh?’ Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Matthew 19:4-6 (KJV)

When Jesus responded this way, the Pharisees thought they could now prove him wrong. Showing that their faith was in the doctrine of their religion (Judaism) and in the author of that doctrine (Moses), the Pharisees then asked Jesus why their Moses told them that they could divorce for any cause. In Jesus’ response, we see Him clearly point out the flaw with this man-made doctrine. Jesus said:

“Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and who so marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” – Matthew 19:8-9 (KJV)

You see, beloved, the problem with the flawed doctrine of the Pharisees in this case is quite clear. Their religion was supposed to serve God. However, this doctrine was allowed to be incorporated into their religion not because it served God; rather it was allowed to be incorporated so that it could serve man’s wishes. Do you see the issue with that? Can we all see how religions that are supposed to serve and worship God become flawed when they incorporate doctrines that are meant to pacify the people that follow them?

Beloved, read the Scriptures, and you will see a great many more examples of how man’s religions fail to serve or glorify God. Beloved, every single thing of man will be flawed!!! Why? Because man has been severely flawed from the time that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The only thing that man has built that has lasted over the 6,000+ year history of humanity is a consistent record of inadequacy. For crying out loud, brothers and sisters, there have been (and still are in some circles) people whose religious beliefs lead them to worship golden calves and other graven images!!! Remember the tower of Babel? That was the idea of Nimrod, the ruler of the area at the time, to build a tower that would reach to heaven. The idea would have worked, except for that it incredibly stupid, doomed to fail, and a sin against God. The root problem with the idea is that it was meant to serve man and lift him up, rather than serving God. I believe we now understand why oftentimes people who tend to slip on the banana peel of stupidity are referred to as a “nimrod”.

Beloved, while religion represents man’s flawed attempt to reach God, Christ Jesus represents God’s perfect attempt to reach us. This is the primary difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is made by man, but Christ is given by God. Brothers and sisters, which do you think is more reliable? I will choose Christ Jesus, as He and the Father are perfect in all things. Furthermore, religion’s source of strength is in the men and women that serve it. Beloved, that strength wanes over time. However, trusting the Lord God Almighty means a decision to trust the only One that does not waver, wane, or change over the course of time. You see, beloved, when we trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then our trust and belief will never be misplaced. The words Jesus spoke during His time on the earth, and the promises He uttered, are as valid today as they were then. If the world is still here in 5,000, His words will be just as valid then. You see, beloved, Jesus Christ is forever, as are His words and promises. As the apostle Paul wrote:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

Beloved, never let the inadequacies of man drive you away from the Lord. Why would you turn away the Lord’s love and the gift of eternal salvation that He offers you, just because of flawed doctrines of men? When we witness hypocrisy and other flaws in our religions and religious doctrines, we need to open our eyes and our hearts to understand that the inadequacies and injustices that we see are a reflection of man and not a reflection of God.

If you feel compelled to leave the religion that you have been following due to the shortcomings of the religion, or its adherents, then do so. However, when you do so, understand that though you may be walking away from that religion, you need not turn away from the Lord.

You see, beloved, you can receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and serve Him faithfully, without accepting a religion. Religion is not the path to salvation; only Jesus is. As Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” – John 14:6 (KJV)

In short, brothers and sisters, you must have Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior in order to receive forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, and a future home in heaven. While religion is not necessary to reach God, you simply cannot be reconciled to God without Christ Jesus.

Can religion be helpful? Sure it can as long as it recognizes Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of the Father and as our Lord and Savior. Religion can be a great way to congregate with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Religion can also be a great way to encourage spiritual growth, providing that the teaching and practicing that is taking place truly glorifies God. Unfortunately, we have also seen countless occasions of religion being twisted to commit all manners of atrocities and sinful acts. This causes many people to turn away.

If you are someone who has turned away from the Lord because of the evil deeds of men/women, or because of flawed church doctrine, I would ask today that you please reconsider your decision. I’m not encouraging you to return to your former religion. I am, however, pleading with you to return to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He already paid the price for all of man’s sins once for all times by suffering the cross for all of us. Don’t try to put Him on the cross again to pay for someone else’s wrongs a second time. It’s not going to happen. The only thing you achieve by blaming the Lord for man’s shortcomings is to distance yourself from God and move much closer to an eternity separated from the Lord with eternal torment in the lake of fire.

No matter how much you feel betrayed by other people, your religion, or your religion’s doctrines, what sense does it make to let go of the most important relationship you will ever have? Man acting of his own free will betrays you. The Lord will never forsake nor abandon you. You may ask how God could allow something to happen. The answer can be summed up in two words: free will. God gives us free will. Unfortunately, man has shown an incredible propensity for abusing that free will and making incredibly poor decision after incredibly poor decision. God promises that all who trust in Him, however, will be ultimately delivered. You see, beloved, if receive the Lord into your heart as your Lord and Savior, He will protect and nourish your soul. No matter what trials we go through in this life, we can have assurance and peace in knowing that we will be delivered to everlasting life by Jesus Christ.

Remember, brothers and sisters, it is okay to belong to a religion that recognizes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and as the only begotten Son of God the Father. Any religion that does not accept Jesus as Christ also does not accept the Father that sent Him. I don’t say this to pass judgement on anyone, as I have no right to do so. I say this only, because I care about you. I want you to enjoy everlasting life, and that can only be found in Jesus. Jesus is all sufficient, beloved. It is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior that we are saved.

In summary, beloved, you need not be Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian in order to be saved. Belonging to any of these religions does not save you. Only Christ saves you. Any other path leads to destruction and an unhappy ending.

In closing, beloved, remember that you were not made to serve religion. You were made to serve and glorify God. He will always stand by you and give you what you need when you need it. He is faithful, just, and willing and able to save everyone that calls on His name sincerely. He loves us unconditionally, and He wants to bless us with the fruits of His love. He will not force us to come to Him, however. It is up to each one of us to exercise our own free will. Choose wisely, brothers and sisters, as the ramifications of this choice are eternal.

I hope you choose the blameless Lord Jesus Christ who has given all in order to provide you with the gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life. Furthermore, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive all those who have offended you. Don’t say that they don’t deserve to be forgiven. Beloved, none of us deserves forgiveness, yet that did not stop Christ from paying a great price to forgive us of our sins. Carrying on resentment, hurt, and grudges only takes up space, and that space is found right between God and us. Let go of it, beloved, so that there is nothing between our Creator and us. In order to receive Christ’s gift of forgiveness, we must not be hypocrites. This means that we also must forgive. As Christ Jesus tells us:

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” – Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)

Beloved, whether you claim a religion/denomination or not, your faith and trust will only be justified if they are in Christ Jesus. Choosing Christ is truly the best decision you can ever make, and it’s the most important.  If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, please pray the following prayer:

“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost.  I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself.  Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me.  I know that you paid for my salvation with your own life and blood on the cross.  I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, you conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You.  Right now, I lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You.  Lord Jesus, I now completely trust my life to You.  I open my heart to You, Lord.  Please come into my heart.  Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child.  From this point on, I commit my life to You.  Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You.  In Your precious and matchless name I pray.  Amen.”

Precious one, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely, then you can rejoice in knowing that you are now a born-again servant of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:-)  The blood of Christ has washed away the stains of your past sins, and you now have a clean spiritual slate to begin your new life with!!!  Praise God!!!  Get to know the Lord better, and commit yourself to growing in your relationship with Him.  Spend a few minutes every day studying His word (the bible), communicating with Him in prayer (speaking & listening), and seek fellowship with other Christians.  Doing these things will help you grow in your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ and will strengthen your faith.  Welcome to the family!!!  We are very happy to have you:-)  Let us know whenever we can support you in any way by emailing us directly at jasonthurwanger @ dellmail.com (no spaces).  You will find that you now have many brothers & sisters ready to support you through prayer & encouragement!!!  You will still have problems and troubles in this world, but with Jesus Christ in your heart, you will be able to overcome them all:-) 

I want to thank you for joining our discussion today. I hope you will be able to join us again tomorrow.

Have a wonderful and blessed rest of the day!

May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always.

Your brother in Christ,

Rev Jason Thurwanger

Obama green-lights Arab land grab
But Israel threatens retaliation if U.N. approves Palestinian state

Article: World Net Daily

A top Palestinian Authority official told WND that the PA reached an understanding with the Obama administration regarding a Palestinian threat to unilaterally ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state outside of negotiations with Israel.

Ahmed Qurei, former PA prime minister and member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization executive committee, said in an interview that the PA “reached an understanding with important elements within the administration” to possibly bring to the U.N. Security Council a resolution to unilaterally create a Palestinian state.

Asked to which “elements” he was referring, Qurei would only say they were from the Obama administration.

A top PA negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity, named the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, and National Security Council member Samantha Power as among the Obama administration officials who were involved with the Palestinians’ U.N. threat.

Despite widespread assumptions the U.S. would veto any such U.N. Security Council resolution, the PA negotiator said that in initial discussions, the Obama administration did not threaten to veto their conceptual unilateral resolution.

“The U.S. told us that they prefer a negotiated settlement with Israel, but if we (Palestinians) insist on a resolution, the Americans will not necessarily reject it,“ the PA negotiator said.

WRONG. We AMERICANS absolutely reject it. BHussein and his cronies do; and they do NOT count as Americans. They stand for NOTHING that America represents. They stand for hate, fraud, deceit, lies, and destroying the fundamental elements of our country.

“The U.S. has a history of never before vetoing any U.N. move to create a new state,” the negotiator pointed out.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said yesterday the Palestinians had decided to turn to the U.N. Security Council to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

YOU can’t expect ANYONE in the world to expect the Israelis to give JERUSALEM over to the fucking shitstain Palestinians. Jerusalem was given to Israel by GOD. Nobody has the power to force Israel to give up Jerusalem – LET ALONE any other bit of their land. FUCK that noise.

Separately, the negotiator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the Obama administration is “totally on board” with a plan by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to create a state on the pre-1967 borders within two years.

WND first reported in September that according to a top PA official, the Obama administration has largely adopted the positions of the Palestinian West Bank leadership to create a Palestinian state within two years based on the pre-1967 borders, meaning Israel would retreat from most of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

The PA negotiator WND spoke with yesterday said that his authority’s primary goal now is to secure a letter of support from the Obama administration affirming the U.S. commitment to a pre-1967 Palestinian state within two years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday hit back at the PA plan to unilaterally declare a state, warning such a move will be met by “one-sided Israeli measures.” He did not elaborate.

That’s RIGHT. Because Netanyahu is a MAN. A true man. A great leader who cares about the people he serves. I wish WE had a Netanyahu. But no, we have a shitball.

“There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral attempts outside that framework will unravel the existing agreements between us and could entail unilateral steps by Israel,” Netanyahu told a high-level gathering of Israeli and American policy makers at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu stressed that in order to achieve peace, “negotiations must resume immediately.” He affirmed Israel was prepared to begin talks “with a generous spirit.”

“I want to stress that we are willing to take steps that will help in advancing the peace process, but it must begin, there is no reason to waste time,” said the Israeli leader.

While negotiations were not easy, Netanyahu said, “there is no other way to bring about change.”

In September, a senior PA official told WND that aside from supporting a Palestinian state in the pre-1967 borders, the Obama administration also had accepted the PA position that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations begin where they left off under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who went further than previous Israeli leaders in his concessions to the Palestinians.

Olmert reportedly offered the PA not only 95 percent of the West Bank and peripheral eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods but also other territories never before offered by any Israeli leader, including parts of the Israeli Negev desert bordering Gaza as well as sections of the Jordan Valley.

“We understand from the U.S. that the Netanyahu government is not in a position to go against creating a state within two years,” the PA official said.

The official claimed the Obama administration was ready to ultimately consider “sanctions” against Israel if the Netanyahu government rejected negotiations leading to a Palestinian state. The official refused to clarify which sanctions he was referring to or whether he was specifically told by the U.S. government it would consider sanctions.

The PA official claimed Obama can make a “headache” for Netanyahu if the Israeli leader does not conduct negotiations leading within two years to a Palestinian state.

FUCK you, Barack Hussein Obama. I don’t care WHERE you stand, but I stand behind Israel. Sure, I’m just one small person. Just little ol’ me… but I understand the importance and significance of our relationship with Israel. They are not only our allies POLITICALLY – but they are also our brothers. Our brothers in Christ.