grafted in and on the journey

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is June 27 in my corner of blog land. Over the weekend, I was reminded of the Hebrew word, "aliyah." Per recently adopted custom, in Google I type "hebrew definition aliyah, or whatever Hebrew word meaning is being sought. The results are quite telling and enriching. Traditionally, it referred to Hebrews who would go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual feasts, appointed times. See Leviticus chapter 23 for those feasts. During their time of going, they would travel in groups and sing praises to YHVH, God. Several of these are in Psalms 122 through 134 called, The Psalms of Ascent. Today, aliyah according to the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, refers to the dispersed Jewish people returning to Israel. The site - chabad.org, also mentions a metaphysical definition for aliyah. I was reminded by a Replacement theology Spokesperson that Yeshua went up to Jerusalem where he ultimately offered Himself for the sin of human...

Hello Grafted In Readers, I am pasting a recently drafted story of mine. Its title, "Up In The Air." I welcome comments and observations you may have about the story itself. It ends happily ever after for the couple, but with plenty of work to do within the family. ** Up In The Air David Russell 3735 Words I drove Scott to the airport to go see his parents. I met them last Thanksgiving when going home with him. There were some tense moments during that Thanksgiving weekend. I have fallen in love with him, and would consider marriage if he pops the question. It's early March and winter is finally releasing its grip. Meantime, Scott's desire is to thaw the freeze that they exhibit toward ReyAnn and himself. Though now known, only two weeks previous, the marriage conversation with ReyAnn's Mom included her blessing and welcome to the family. Scott called me Saturday evening. He sounded sad as he recalled the conversation with his parents. "Mom, D...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Thursday June 15 in my corner of blog-land. Earlier, I was listening to some Hebraic Messianic music from an online station called Chavah Messianic Radio. When they play songs sung by Paul Wilbur, Zemer Levav, Sons of Korah, and now - the Roeh Israel Worship Team, my being benefits and so may yours! The song I heard by the worship team reflects on the time when God gave the ten words at Mt. Sinai to the Exodus, (children of Israel), and, time in life when G-d makes himself known to us, and we say yes to the relationship, taking on His name. When you and I assume someone's name either through marriage or a working relationship, i.e., let's say employee, you agree that your behavior will demonstrate something good and positive and noteworthy about that name. We are not alone, an island, left to our own devices though sometimes life may feel fragmented. I want to close this post with an excerpt from a daily reflection I read titled "T...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Info for this post comes from the health site, medscape.com. Topic is insect repellents. Now you got the reason behind the post title! Personal notes about life follow post: ** With summer upon us now and the Zika virus spreading via mosquitos, which insect repellents work best and which are appropriate for pregnant women and children? Response from Philip J. Gregory, PharmD Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice, Center for Drug Information & Evidence-Based Practice, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska The Zika virus was detected in Brazil in May 2015, and by February 2016, Zika infection was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization. The Zika virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes species mosquitoes. For most people, symptoms of infection are mild and include rash, fever, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. Symptoms typically last for up to a week. Zika virus infection during pr...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Monday, June 13, in my corner of blog-land. From Sunset June 11, to sunset, June 12, the festival of Pentecost, also called Shavuot was observed in Israel and throughout the world by those who observe the festival calendar established in Leviticus chapter 23. Shavuot celebrates the harvest in Israel, and also celebrates the giving of G-d's instruction to the Exodus at Mount Sinai. Then, the collective committed in Word and intent to hear and do God's Word.. In about 33 to 36 CE, God in his kindness, began to "pour out of His Spirit on all flesh" giving the comforter to humanity known as the Ruach HaKodesh, Holy Spirit. Many came to, and still come to faith that day as well. In the world today, masses of humanity reject the God of the Bible and choose to make themselves and humanity at large the end-point. The buck starts and stops with us. The problem becomes, Who will be in charge? How do we just come together and live in a...

Hello Grafted In Readers, I am very pleased to let you know Ester T has provided us another informative guest post. We will learn about rice bran oil and its benefits to overall health. Thank you for viewing her previous post, June 2nd. I hope we will be seeing her often at our blog in blog-land. Note: For those interested in my previous post concerning a church denomination providing transgender clergy benefits for sex-change operation, see previous post dated June 7th. Now, some welcomed words from Ester. ***** The health benefits of rice bran oil include its ability to lower cholesterol, boost the immune system, help prevent cancer, improve skin health, help in weight loss, relieve menopausal symptoms, protect your heart, increase cognitive strength, and lower allergic reactions. Rice bran oil is extracted from the germ and the husk of rice kernels. It has a very high smoke point, which is why it is commonly used in high-temperature cooking methods, such as stir frying and...

Hello Grafted In Readers, It is nearly Wednesday, June 8, 2016 in my corner of blog-land. When I started this blog in 2009, the primary goal was to encourage believers in Messiah Yeshua to learn about the Jewish heritage of their faith. An excerpted blog post below from a website titled Exposing the ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, demonstrates what eventually happens when belief in a Jewish Messiah is twisted, ignored or minimized. Unfortunately, subtlety is a damning wolf in sheep's clothing. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org.  You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.) The managing editor of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a partnered lesbian. The ELCA's magazine (formerly "The Lutheran") has been promoting homosexuality for a long time now, but below is a recent article highlighting the work of a transgender Lutheran pastor (...

Hello Grafted In Readers, Today is Monday, June 6, 2016. In addition to it being like summer in my world corner, according to "The Writer's Almonac" today is the seventy-third anniversary of the movie drive-in theater. It had its birth and creation in Camden, New Jersey. Entry was said to be 25-cents per car, and each person attending was charged 25-cents. Today, the drive-in theater is alive but not as popular as it once was. I want to thank those of you who looked at the post by our guest blogger, Aster T, which appeared on June 2nd. I want to briefly visit a health topic that is of concern to many adults, that being excess intra-abdominal fat or belly fat. One respected voice from Integrated Medicine in the USA is that of Dr. Andrew Weil. Here is his bottom line on belly fat treatment. I recommend a program for everyone that includes both aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, biking or swimming) for 30 minutes a day, five times a week - as well as strength training...

Hello Grafted in Readers, Today is Thursday, June 2, 2016, in my corner of blog-land. Most of us are more willing to make life changes if they are simple, don't radically change our day to day routines, and can become routine over time. Our guest poster, Aster T, offers some suggestions for improving personal health by improving nutrition through the following means. I am excited to have her share her expertise with us! Please leave a comment and help her feel welcomed! Here's Aster T all the way from the UK. ***** Shalom all, happy to be here; a short intro of myself-  I have been interested in Health issues as far back as I can remember for the reason that I love good food and enjoy cooking since young. To start, we need to build on a sound foundation. spiritual as well as natural. To cook a tasty meal, we must have the right seasonings.... Never use refined table salt. Go for Himalayan Pink Salt, available at Health shops, and online trustworthy sites. Himalayan P...