In Ancient Footsteps - Elul 2009 #3

Empowering the Believer with Biblical Answers
for the Spirit, Soul & Body

New Moon sighted over Jerusalem 8-22-09

This is the time when the "King is in the field" ... let us go out to meet Him and reason together. 

This was a wonderful day in serving Abba. My grandchildren spent the night with us and not only did we get to blow the shofar last night, we blew it again this morning!! And the smaller they are, the easier time they have of making the 'awakening blast'! 

It has been a very busy day today, what with trying to get the details ironed out and people coordinated for our upcoming Feast of Tabernacles celebration - but it has also been a very peaceful and productive day as well! Not only are we planning our Feast of Tabernacles celebration, we are also planning to attend the MIA conference in Orlando, Florida representing Passion for Truth Ministries. Many of you already know that my support and fellowship lies with this ministry, but if you were not aware of that - you are now. My son, Jim Staley is the director for Passion for Truth Ministries and has some wonderful audio teachings available on his website - please go on over to his site and check it out - the audio teachings are online and are freely available for download. He has some wonderful articles listed as well.

These messages will come to you each day during this month of Elul, but afterwards, they will only be once or twice a month - so please don't think I will overwhelm you with lots of emails! I hope you are enjoying our 'conversations' and would appreciate any feedback you would like to send me. Do you have any questions that you think might be answered in one of these emails? Please feel free to contact me.

So let's get back to the message ...  

So we have covered the land, and how although we try to hold on and preserve our piece of the land, we have to realize that the Father has only entrusted that tiny piece of land to us and eventually it will return to Him.

Then we touched on the home. That was a bit more difficult as we have to examine ourselves and our private rooms where we don't allow anyone to go. Maybe you could even compare your 'rooms' with the many faces that we wear ... you know, a face for company, a face for family, a face for friends....those faces. Those are the 'room's we need to examine and clean out the clutter and garbage. Those are the rooms that need to be aired out and readied for the groom.

Now, let's move on to our 'birthplace'. This too is a deep and complex topic and in many ways overlaps the subject of 'home'. Our subject 'birthplace' is basically the idea of what makes us...well, us. All of our experiences, good, bad and ugly, have contributed to who we are and what we believe and the actions we take. Each and every one of us bring baggage to the party and it is during this month of Elul (return), the sixth month of the Jewish calendar, when we can walk in the field with the King and come to terms with some of the baggage we have carried forward.

The rabbis say that we stand on the shoulders of our forefathers....what a beautiful sentiment. With that, however, comes the perturbing thought of whose shoulders those are! Some of our forefathers might not have been the best examples, some may have been exemplary, some mediocre - but the majority probably were just hard working, common sense type people. Well, take heart, most of the twelve tribes of Israel were hard working, common sense type people!

As you set aside some private time tonight, by yourself or with your family, consider the shoulders of those who brought you to this place. Examine some of the circumstances that your parents and grandparents and even your great grandparents may have had to endure to make a living, provide for their family and place their mark in society. Times have changed, but we are all basically the same at the root. Circumstances, however, can sometimes make or break an individual.

Check your list that you have made and try to come to an understanding of what you have 'borrowed' or brought forth from your forefathers that you know you need to be free from. Are you critical, sharp tongued, easy to get along with, or perhaps a people pleaser? Do you see that trait in any of your forefathers? If you do, and this is a trait - no matter what it is - you wish to be free of, then this is the time of the year to lay it before the feet of the King - the King of Kings - repent of your own sin and the sins of your forefathers and let it go. During this 40 day period of repentance and return, up until the day of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), we have a unique opportunity. Even though the gates of heaven are open to us 24/7, the Feast Days of the Lord are a special time set aside by the Creator Himself ... let's not disappoint Him!  After, all, they ARE HIS APPOINTED TIMES!

And Yehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Lev 23:2   Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Yehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts. Lev. 23:1-2

To be continued tomorrow....

Interesting Facts

Homer called it "liquid gold." In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed it all over their body. Its mystical glow illuminated history. Drops of it seeped into the bones of dead saints and martyrs through holes in their tombs. Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean: it has been medicinal, magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power. The olive tree, symbol of abundance, glory and peace, gave its leafy branches to crown the victorious in friendly games and bloody war, and the oil of its fruit has anointed the noblest of heads throughout history. Olive crowns and olive branches, emblems of benediction and purification, were ritually offered to deities and powerful figures: some were even found in Tutankhamen's tomb.

One quart (0.95 L) of extra virgin olive oil, the highest level of quality, requires 2,000 olives. The only added ingredient in extra virgin olive oil is the warm water used to flush away the bitterness of the olives, caused by the presence of oleuropein. Extra virgin olive oil contains not more than 1% oleic acid. Pure olive oil, that which results from the second pressing, is often mixed with extra virgin olive oil. The commercial, or non-edible, grades are put through a refining process that may leave traces of soda solutions and bleaching carbons.

"Extra Virgin"—obtained from the fruit of the olive tree by mechanical and physical methods under controlled temperature conditions. It offers the widest range of perfect flavors and aromas with no more than 1% (1 gram per 100 grams) free oleic acid.

"Virgin"—obtained the same way as Extra Virgin. Good flavor with an acidity level, in terms of free oleic acid, above 1 gram and less than 3 grams per 100 grams of oil. (Not widely available in U.S.)

"Olive Oil"—the common name for a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil, formerly known as pure olive oil. Its acidity, in terms of free oleic acid, is below 1.5 gams per 100 grams of oil.

"Olive Pomace Oil"—Pomace is the portion of the olive that remains after mechanical and physical operations remove the oil and water. Additional oil can be extracted from the olive pomace with the use of heat and solvents. This oil is then blended with virgin olive oil. Recent studies indicate that monounsaturated fats such as olive oil have been found not to raise the damaging HDL-cholesterol, and to leave the beneficial HDL-cholesterol untouched or even at a higher level thus having a preventative effect on cardiovascular diseases.

Olive oil has 115 calories per tablespoon—no more than any other common cooking or salad oil. But it will probably save you calories, because its greater flavor and aroma means you can use less of it in cooking than other oils. Olive oil is cholesterol free.