Month February 2021

Amen Worthy

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Amen…

Sunday at the community of faith we have been attending a song began with Amen over and over.

Amen… What does it mean?

Simple definition is that it is an “utterance at the end of a prayer meaning ‘so be it.’”

dictionary.com gives explanation that Amen is “derived from the Hebrew ‘amen’ which means ‘certainty,’ truth’ and ‘verily.’’

What I find interesting is, all “main” religions (Christianity, Judasim, Islam) use this word. There are different pronunciations based on the region one lives in.

I was drawn to the word because I realized that I didn’t want to speak it or say it unless I was in agreement with what I was singing. I also have realized that I want to be careful saying amen to something I am uncertain of.

We often just “go with the flow” when the pastor, or worship leader, or anyone speaking for that matter, asks us to say, “amen.” We get caught up in the moment and without thinking we say, “Amen.”

Friends, we must be careful.

In today’s world it is very easy to get into agreement with wrong teachings. It is easy to get caught just saying, “amen” to anything because those around us do. Even at the end of prayers we end with a simple, “amen.”

The word, “amen” could place us in agreement with something we don’t want to be in agreement with. This means we should be listening closely to what is being said. It means we need to be in active participation with what is happening around us. There is no room for agreeing with something we should not be in agreement with. We need to take our “amens” seriously.

Here are some verses to end with that we CAN and SHOULD say AMEN to! A positive way to begin and end our days, our prayers, our songs…

The last verse in Psalm 89: Blessed be Adonai forever. Amen. Amen.

The end of Psalm 41 is similar: Blessed be Adonai the God of Isra’el from eternity past to eternity future. Amen. Amen.

Psalm 72:19 Blessed be his glorious name forever, and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.

These are AMEN worthy.

I believe these statements are definitely something we should come into agreement with. Giving HIM praise and adoration. Giving HIM blessing!

Today, take time to LISTEN to what is happening around you and be in agreement with ONLY the things from Him. Then, say Amen.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rose Horton

Photo by Conor Samuel on Unsplash

The Ties That Bind

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We cruised along at a steady clip. The late 70’s model F150 was equipped with the finest camper shell of it’s time. Outfitted with 2 roll out windows on each side, like those you might find in a mobile home of the same decade. If you were lucky enough, you got a seat by a window. There was no breeze to really speak of by the window. It all seemed to be down draft as the window itself; but in the hot July sun, the mirage of a breeze upon your face was enough to manipulate the minds of the passengers, that this seat was cooler. The air was sticky sweet with sweat and the smell of pine.

Laid upon sleeping bags, tents, and boxes of groceries, 5 strangers in the enclosed haven of the camper shell, were labored with the task of endless hours of travel. All day long our bodies twitched and ached to expel the energy of our youth. Motionless games of the mind were lost and won. Stories and jokes were shared. Towards the end of a day’s journey, patience was depleted, and tempers would flare soon if the glorious reprieve of a bathroom break and stop for the night were not to be had within the hour.

Growing up, our family would move on to take a vacation to the Frio River every year. It all began with this 2-week journey to Colorado in the camper shell. Although the phrase had not yet been coined, we were a newly “blended” family. Our destination was, Colorado.

That summer we truly got to know each other on a very real and personal level. We rode in close quarters together, forced to interact with each other for 8 to 10 hours a day. When we stopped for the night, we did not rent a hotel room, we camped. We camped primitively. Every night we pitched tents. Not those tents from today that have 2 fiberglass rods that cross each other, and you’re done. No, these tents were made in hell. The hell of fifty thousand poles and knots to be tied that must be precise. If your knots and stakes were not tied properly, you could be in for a rough night. These tents took several people to set up correctly. We were forced to work together as a team. Firewood had to be gathered, dinner cooked, and dishes done, all without light more than a Coleman lantern could provide and usually without running water. The first 4 days were torture. We struggled to communicate and fought about who knew how to do it and who should be in charge.

The love of nature grasp me here, at this point. It was real, honest, could not lie or deceive. It was absolute with clear rules and majesty not to be questioned, only challenged.

On we traveled, detouring to sights and wonders never seen or even imagined. Glorious things we saw that impacted me personally to later drive me to live beyond the coast of my hometown.

Once we hit Colorado, we were a well-oiled machine of survivors. Ranks had been earned, talents had been noticed, and eventually the fragmented children we were, fell into a rhythm. Our learned knowledge of tying knots proved true in the mountains of Breckenridge where winds whipped in the night and snow still lay upon the ground in mid-July. We quickly realized knowing how to properly secure our tents with the correct knot-to-stake ratio, was key!

That summer brought 5 strangers together that learned how to lean on each other and work together to accomplish any goal and overcome every challenge, together.

The ties that bind.

The ties that bind us, are proven. They have been tried and tested. They have proven themselves to hold secure. They do not disappoint or fail. When we earn the knowledge and practiced the experience, we are sure in our knots and ties.

This recollection of my childhood came to me recently when I was confronted with a simple question regarding my faith and God’s calling upon my life, “How can you be so sure?”

I am sure because I have a tried-and-true relationship with Him. I have been tested and I have thrown out my fleece. Although I have failed at times, HE has held secure. Always. He has never failed or disappointed me, if only I could say I have reciprocated the same in our relationship. There have been times when it was truly rough and terrible; like traveling and being tested for days on end with people you don’t know. People who don’t understand you.

When I look back and remember that summer, although I have focused on them now to make a point, I don’t reminisce about the hardships. I don’t dwell on the heat of the camper shell or the difficulty of the transition. I remember washing laundry upstream in a river on rocks, and how fun it was to watch them “rinse” as they flowed downstream to my new siblings to catch and wring dry. I remember waterfalls discovered at Big Bend and tin cups of hot coffee over a campfire in 10-degree weather on a cold, Colorado morning. Nothing levels the playing field like mutual need. It created a bond. A tie.

No matter what challenge we face today, there are those times we have had with our Heavenly Father, where we can look back and see how He has grown us and brought us closer to Him. Periods of the valley low as well as victory upon the mountain top.

In the hardships we face every day, in every trial and area of growth we are challenged with, let us not forget what truly holds us to hope. What holds us to Him.

God has proven to be my knot that is sure.

He is the tie that binds my heart.

— Sandra K. Andrews

Embrace The Unknown

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Everything is falling into place

The veil has been lifted

You can see clearly

The journey you have travelled

Now has a destination

The dark clouds have lifted

No need to wonder 

Or endless questions

The puzzle shows a picture you 

will understand

The processes were relentless 

So were the battles

You will now thank jezebel, 

witchcraft, religion and tradition 

For they have trained you well

The head and no longer the tail

You have paid a costly price

You have laid down your life

For the sake of the Kingdom

Said goodbye to this world

Enemies sent to harm you

I used to shape you

To shift you

To transform you 

My presence your addiction

My voice your compass

Time for Kingdom daughters 

to take their place

Widen your tent pegs

Embrace the unknown

You can do anything

Do not limit yourself 

Expand your horizons

Expect the unexpected

Think out of the box

The old won’t do it anymore

New discovered passions 

A glimpse of your future 

Seated in heavenly places

You have the mind of Christ 

You were born, trained and prepared 

for such a time as this!

— Ebigale Wilson

Embrace The Unknown

The Journey

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