popemoses

[popemoses]

Hanukkah

This is just a reference to help celebrate the holiday. (John 10) (Day 1) – 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. (Review the story of Hanukkah here) (Day 2) – 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us…

[popemoses]

The Twelve Days of Christmas

24 Christmas Eve 25 (Day 1) Christmas 26 (Day 2) Feast of Stephen (Boxing Day) – We see Christ at the right hand of God – see Good King Wenceslas (St. Wenceslas Day is September 28) 27 (Day 3) Feast of St. John (The Evangelist) (Feast of St. Stephen (Orthodox)) 28 (Day 4) Feast of the Holy Innocents (Childermas) 29 (Day 5) St. Thomas Becket 30 (Day 6) St. Felix I, Pope 31 (Day 7) New…

[popemoses]

Luke's Timeline

This is a tool where I started with Luke’s timeline and then added John’s information. Then I added any timeline information from Matthew and Mark. Holidays are Orange; Sabbaths are Blue; John the Baptist is Purple. Places are BOLD. This is because, in my opinion, those events/people define the timeline. (It’s highly likely I will edit this document as things become more clear. Thank you for your…

[popemoses]

Omer Counting With Psalms

Instructions: Each evening, meditate on the concept for the day. The next morning, start with a psalm in the morning; followed by a psalm at midday; then a psalm in the evening; then, begin again. You’ll end up on Pentecost/Shavuot finishing Psalm 150. The concepts from Isaiah 11 can combine with the topic for the day. See if any insight comes through combining the aspects of the Spirit of God…

[popemoses]

Advice For Young People

All from Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and [s]tell himself that his labor is good. 3:22 I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. 9:2 It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a…

[popemoses]

Re-Dedication

Hanukkah Hanukkah commemorates the Maccabean victory over the Greeks (specifically, Antiochus IV) and also the cleansing and rededication of the temple. Just for fun, notice what themes surround the context of the story of the Feast of Dedication presented in John 9, 10 and 11. (I like to picture them corresponding to 8 Branches of the Hanukkiah or the 8 days of Hanukkah.) The Messiah interacted…

[popemoses]

The Physical Body and Mind

Let’s not forget that we are a whole being, and yet can be separated into parts to help us understand what’s what, but it truly is an enigma. The Scriptures reflect this, sometimes. Have a look for yourself. These are from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The Mind 3 My son, do not forget my [a]teaching,But let your heart keep my commandments;2 For length of days and years of lifeAnd peace they will…

[popemoses]

The Paradox of Strength

We spoke in a recent post what strength looks like. Now let’s look at the reality of where strength comes from. Paul Well-acquainted with losing everything: identity, possessions, physical safety – Paul knows the key to gaining strength: 2 Cor 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast [c]about…

[popemoses]

Samson and David

God’s idea of strength is pictured in three individuals very clearly: Samson, David and Jesus. Samson Usually we think of Samson – we compare him to Hercules and we think of his relationship with Delilah, right? Let’s take a closer look. Samson had faithful lifelong commitment to a promise to God: not to drink strong drink, eat unclean food, or use a razor on his hair. This suggests that there…

[popemoses]

how Should We Use Our power?

God will give us all of the power we need, when we need it. What we need is psychological energy to do the things we ought to do and not to leave undone the things we ought to have done. Strength For Others We have the opportunity to use power in daily things. In a very old story, we have the example of someone who lived righteously in the person of Job. Look at how he used his power and…

[popemoses]

Being Empowered

“It’s one thing to be taught and another to be empowered”, I stated in an earlier post. We don’t have the psychological energy to keep our own laws, so what does it mean to be empowered? And what does it suggest about how powerful sin and addiction are? Turns out that we get power from quieter things, like resting and listening. Rest We should enter into God’s Sabbath rest. As it says in…

[popemoses]

The Words and The Teacher

We’ve recently touched on God’s anger and what He views as an abomination. Reflecting on that, wondering about what His character is, let’s now focus on how He has interacted with us throughout the generations. He should be wrathful, right? Turns out it’s not that simple. In Psalm (25) it says: 25:8 Good and upright is the Lord;Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He’s good. He’s…

[popemoses]

God's Anger

So what is God’s character really like? It says in Psalms that 7:11 God is a righteous judge,And a God who has indignation every day. Nahum 1:2 A jealous and avenging God is the Lord;The Lord is avenging and [b]wrathful.The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries,And He reserves wrath for His enemies.3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,And the Lord will by no means leave the…

[popemoses]

Abomination according to Solomon

I’ve watched throughout my life while going here and there: on trips to New Orleans; on the subway in Atlanta; at Stone Mountain Park – Christians with signs of judgment about other people’s lives and behavior. It’s become a buzz word – “abomination” triggers thoughts about an angry God who is hyper-focused on our specific sins and our undoing. Proverbs What does Solomon say about that? Let’s…

[popemoses]

Shavuot/Pentecost

The holiday of Pentecost is the greek name for the Jewish biblical holiday called the “Feast of Weeks” or “Shavuot”. This year it falls on May 25, 2020. It’s a reminder of a few things: The end of the Counting of the Omer The time of the wheat harvest The giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai The reading of the book of Ruth The outpouring of the Holy Spirit The reconciliation of the Tower of…

[popemoses]

Omer Day 42 – I Will Not Leave You As Orphans

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer. Today is forty two days, which is six weeks of the Omer. Jews have counted the Omer (un-threshed sheaves of grain) for thousands of years. It is a 49 day period that commemorates the first fruits of harvest and leads up to receiving the Torah at…

[popemoses]

40 Days of Plagues

No one really knows how long it took for all of the plagues to happen, but to commemorate coming out from a land of idols is really important! This is a 40 day guide to help your spiritual life. There is possibly a 90 to 180-day window for the events (could have been a year), who knows. If we started at Rosh Hashanah, it would obscure other things during the fall/winter that are important, so we…