spirituality

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Super Heroes: It’s not about special powers

What is it that makes for super-heroes? What attributes do they need? What special skills like x-ray vision or special human strength do they need?

Perhaps the truth is that they need none of these; that is a more about their character and their sense of their place in the scheme of things?

Consider Moses.

What a super-hero he was! Yet, he had no super-powers, he couldn’t even speak well! He had just spent 40 years farming in the desert before he began his great mission.

But think back to the event that changed his life. He was a prince; he lived in the most absolute luxury of his day as a Prince in the household of the Pharaoh. But he saw an injustice and decided it was his responsibility to intervene!

Moses took responsibility; Moses became, in a sense, in that instance, a leader, one of the greatest leaders of all time! Taking responsibility is the Jewish definition of leadership.

Taking responsibility is seeing that the world  was in some sense made just for you – for you to have an impact to change it for the better – when you recognize this and repent of your failure to actualize your responsibility, then you too are on the path to becoming a great leader and super-hero!

Every Yom Kippur (through the great 10 Days of Awe) you again have a chance to reflect and to turn back to HaShem and to take responsibility for YOUR world, to repair or improve it – this is Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.

Become a super-hero today; take hold of the awesome and unique responsibility that the Almighty has given you to change the world, your world, for the better.

It is a sin to fail to use your God-given gifts for the betterment of your world. You are ‘missing the mark’ when you are NOT being the super-hero you were designed to be!

I hope you can come back early next week and catch our upcoming Podcast on Yom Kippur and being a super-hero; a man or woman with a future in the world to come!

Our podcasts are at aubreyandpaul.podomatic.com

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From Awe to Atonement

From Unity (through Yom Teruah) comes strength of mind;

from Strength, peace of mind;

from Peace, deep introspection,

from Introspection comes recognition of wrongs committed;

from  Recognition comes repentance (turning back to HaShem).

Repentance seeks forgiveness and,

Forgiveness brings Atonement and,

stays Judgement (Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement)!

You have 10 Days – choose Life!

“We shall ascribe holiness to this day. For it is awesome and terrible.

Your kingship is exalted upon it. Your throne is established in mercy.

You are enthroned upon it in truth. In truth You are the judge,

The exhorter, the all‑knowing, the witness, He who inscribes and seals,

Remembering all that is forgotten. You open the book of remembrance

Which proclaims itself, And the seal of each person is there.

The great shofar is sounded, A still small voice is heard.

The angels are dismayed, They are seized by fear and trembling

As they proclaim: Behold the Day of Judgment!

For all the hosts of heaven are brought for judgment.

They shall not be guiltless in Your eyes

And all creatures shall parade before You as a troop.

As a shepherd herds his flock, Causing his sheep to pass beneath his staff,

So do You cause to pass, count, and record, Visiting the souls of all living,

Decreeing the length of their days, Inscribing their judgment…”

  • From the great  Unetanah Tokef prayer

King David wrote:

1. O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than God
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,

7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,

8  the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9  O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)

In these Days of Awe, we should reflect not only on the awesome majesty of the Creator and King of the Universe, but also on the amazing role that he gave to us, to human beings made in His image. He is a personal God; He is always in our Presence; He is always communicating with us!

In fact, as we learn from Ps 19, He is speaking to us through His Creation every day and night!

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,  and night to night reveals knowledge.

Ps 19 also tells us that:

8  The Torah of Adonai is perfect, 
restoring the inner person.
The instruction of Adonai is sure,
making wise the thoughtless.

9  The precepts of Adonai are right, 
rejoicing the heart.
The mitzvah of Adonai is pure,
enlightening the eyes.

10 The fear of Adonai is clean,
enduring forever.
The rulings of Adonai are true,
they are righteous altogether,

11  more desirable than gold,
than much fine gold,
also sweeter than honey
or drippings from the honeycomb. …

15  May the words of my mouth 
and the thoughts of my heart
be acceptable in your presence,
Adonai, my Rock and Redeemer!

Let us seek the Almighty in these days leading to the great Day of Judgment and Atonement. May we fully turn back to our King and may we be given life so that we can also enter in the Appointed Time of Sukkot, the Marriage Supper of Heaven!

Aubrey and I will be speaking on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) in our next Podcast. If you haven’t listened to Parts 1 and 2 on Yom Teruah (the Day of Trumpets), you can hear it here.

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ONE DAY – a song for Rosh HaShanah/The Day of Shouting

A great song from Latma TV that is also a great prayer for peace, love unity and Truth. A call to the One God who instituted the Festival of Yom Teruah, the Day of Shouting. (See lyrics below)

Lyrics:

One Day, One day …

Perhaps is a year we’ll learn to smile quietly,

And not to surrender to every enemy and madman,

To see clear headedly

Who’re our foe and who’s our brother

Just have a little patience

The truth – that’s all – is stronger than everything

My whole life, I’m always learning

How not to be afraid

And keep on SHOUTING

That we need to learn at last

That its no shame to be right

One day, one day, Le- chayim

One day, one day,  I pray

That it’s a year without strife

Sanctions or boycotts,

On a city or town, oil or wine,

Parking or nothing, the UN rantings

Without uprooting or destroying like fools.

Because not every wish will be granted

No … no …
Not to get in the dumps

Even if the whole world is angry.

When the darkness covers all,

That’s the time to recall, soon comes the dawn

My whole life I’m always learning

How not to be afraid,

And say again and again, even if it all looks awful, a dead end,

There’s One who guards us!

One day, one day, Le-chayim

One day, one day,  I pray

It’ll happen one day, just hold on the whole world will change,

Won’t fear what’s right. Without hate and division, only harmony and love.

So from Latma to you – Have a Happy New Year.

Check out our 2 Part Podcast series on Yom Teruah at aubreyandpaul.podomatic.com

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Yom Teruah – The Day of Trumpets – Part 2 of 2

In this second Podcast on Yom Teruah, Pastor Aubrey Burt and Paul Herring answer the second five questions about this special Festival of God.

We further discuss it’s biblical mandate; its place in Jewish life today and it’s relevance to followers of Yeshua.

Most of the Scriptures used are either read out or clearly referenced – you can pause the Podcast and rewind if you miss one.

Along with the follow-up articles  ‘Our Passover Lamb’; Colossians 2:16 and the Sabbath’ and ‘Yom Teruah’, from Podcast Part 1, the article ‘Siblings of the King: Living in the Will of the Father’ also discusses the challenge of Matt 5:17 – these are all available from www.circumcisedheart.info

The Podcast ‘The Times of Yeshua’ that is also mentioned can be downloaded here – http://pfherring.podomatic.com/entry/2011-12-30T04_18_57-08_00

Click here for Podcast Part 2

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Yom Teruah – the Day of Trumpets – Part 1 of 2

In these two Podcasts Pastor Aubrey Burt and Paul Herring answer 10 questions about this special Festival of God.

We discuss it’s biblical mandate; its place in Jewish life today and it’s relevance to followers of Yeshua. Most of the Scriptures used are either read out or clearly referenced – you can pause the Podcast and rewind if you miss one.

Reference was also made to some great information and understanding from Moshe Avraham Kempinski, but not acknowledged at the time as I had forgotten where I got it from – thanks Moshe for the info on ‘this day‘. Moshe is an author of some great books; he has a FaceBook page where he gives a weekly Torah Portion Podcast and he also writes for the ArutzSheva newspaper (israelnationalnews.com)

Some follow-up articles are mentioned such as Colossians 2:16 and the Sabbath’ and ‘Yom Teruah’ – these are all available from www.circumcisedheart.info

May you be blessed by these Podcasts! Click Here or download here

http://aubreyandpaul.podomatic.com/entry/2012-09-15T19_08_01-07_00

Here’s a great songs/video for Rosh Hashanah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BtgeiIdl7U&feature=g-all-u

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Unity

In trying to reveal truth and uncover treasure, we also hope to bring unity amongst those who seek to be obedient to the Almighty.

Unity does not mean having to agree on everything; true unity is not found by rejecting all who may not agree so that only those left agree! True unity means being humble and respectful of others who are also made in the image of the Almighty.

I mentioned in our introduction a talk I gave at a Sukkot Celebration in 2010. I started with Psalm 69: 5 -9

“5 You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.”

This great prayer and supplication of King David is a cry not to be an impediment to others seeking the Almighty; not to, by my/our actions or approach, bring dishonour to the Almighty and so in some way act as a barrier to others finding God.

If our behaviour, in not reflecting the righteousness of Yeshua, led to seekers rejecting God and then ultimately bringing shame on themselves; then our foolishness or failure to be faithful and fully obedient was partly responsible for their choosing the wrong path. Our zeal for the Almighty has then been ineffective and in fact, detrimental to the cause.

We pray that we may not in any way be an impediment to your search for the Creator and King of the Universe and The Way (Ps 119).
I share how this Psalm impacted me in this video: ( The visual quality is quite poor, but the message may still come across if you are interested):