Your Life Tapestry

"...In all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works..." (Titus 2:7)

Patterns have consistency. Like a striped shirt or like a floral pattern on a rug, there is a shape or object which is repetitive, however in light of the entire tapestry a beautiful design. Our lives should be marked by consistency, being a tapestry of good works. A pattern of beauty made up of actions which ultimately reflect the beauty and love of the Almighty God! O great and mighty God, who revealed yourself through your Son, who had a pattern of good works, a tapestry that was so great not even all the books of the world could even portray it, grant to your bride the anointing to be the tapestry of your love to a lost and dying world. Amen.

Pray for Our Trip Home!

Preparing to Depart

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

As I sit to write this I realize it will most likely be our last blog update before departing for LAX tomorrow. It seems like so long ago that we began this journey, yet it went by so quick. Our final day in Tel Aviv was a great last day. We helped transport equipment and supplies to and from the Hotel where the Church is currently meeting until they find a more permanent location. The students were once again able to leads worship, and I believe the theme song for this trip has been "How Great is Our God! We are currently concluding our trip in Jerusalem where the students are getting to have a first hand experience at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Jerusalem campus. It had been awesome to fellowship with the students here, and I already suspect that a couple of the students on our team are entertaining the thought of studying abroad, perhaps at this campus... we shall see! The one thing I have been in awe of most on this trip is God's grace and blessing has been so evident every day we have been here. We are so thankful for all you prayers, we really sense them! The work God begins, God completes. We have had a very busy trip, much work has been accomplished, but above all God has been faithful to His promises. Thanks again for your love, prayers and support, we look forward to being united with you again to share all the wonderful things the Lord has indeed done!

Working to God's Glory

"Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Today we went to the men's home that Calvary Tel Aviv rents for men who are homeless who actively participate in weekly studies. The focus of our work to day was to reorganize. Due to the fact that the church is in the process of securing a new location, much of the equipment had to be stored at the apartment. As a result, our friend Solomon had very limited space to move around which made his already difficult health problems that much more difficult. Once we completed the task, Solomon stated, "My own people! Israel, will not help me, will not do what you have done for me. You followers of Jesus do what Jesus did, you help." Solomon was so grateful for our work, and though he does not profess to be a believer in Yeshua (Jesus), he was so thankful to God and welcomed our prayers for him.

We finished our day with a walk to Joffa (Joppa in the Bible), and visited the site of Simon the Tanner which is where Peter received his vision from the Lord to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and the nearby port where lumber for Solomon's Temple was delivered and where Jonah departed when he fled for Tarshish in his attempt to avoid God's calling to Nineveh. Thanks for your prayers, we will finish our time in Tel Aviv after serving at tomorrow's Shabbat service before departing for Jerusalem. This trip has gone by so quickly!

Pre-Shabbat Shuke Shindig!

Esteem and Pray for Our Brothers

"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

We made it to Tel Aviv and spent our Thanksgiving organizing and packing hygiene kits, clothing, preparing food and taking it down to the local park for the weekly homeless feeding Calvary Tel Aviv organizes. It has been a blessing to come under the leadership of the missionaries serving here in Tel Aviv.

We were surprised to see how many Sudanese refugees live homeless in Israel. My eyes were opened even more to the difficulties these refugees face trying to make their way to safety. A local pastor shared with us that only 1 out of 3 refugees who try to make it to Israel actually make it. Apart from the difficult journey, they run the risk of death. One threat they face is kidnappers who take them solely for the purpose of selling their organs on the black market. They also face the threat of death from being shot crossing the Egyptian/ Israeli border where Egyptian solders shoot to kill. Many refugees make it to the border with bullet wounds. One man that we talked to asked us to pray for him to see his family again, it was heart breaking to see his pain as he left quickly wiping tears from his face.

These are the people our missionaries serve on a weekly basis. This morning God reminded me to respect and esteem those we have come to serve because of their work. Please pray for the Apples and missionaries that serve alongside them. Please pray for the refugees, that they would discover the love God has for them and come to place all their hope in Jesus. One sudanese brother in the Lord by the name of Immanuel, had a heart for God, and wanted a Bible. He said of all their group only 5 of them are believers. We gave him a Bible and prayed with him encouraging him to teach the refugees the gospel and the word of God. Please pray for Immanuel! We hope to see him at church service at Shabbat.

We thank you for your prayers and pray that your thanksgiving is blessed, above all full of gratitude to God for the abundance of grace He has bestowed.

Our Thanksgiving in the Park!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Where's Erick?

A Simple Prayer

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." (John 17:20-21)

Well here we are and we are already done with the work the Lord had for us in Golan. It has been such a great time bonding as a team. There has been so much unity, times of fellowship have been sweet both with one another and also with Pastor Steve.

Today we completed the task of finishing the kitchen. We were able to patch, paint and add light fixtures. The team has been working so well that all the tasks are accomplished timely, effectively and above all, beyond expectation. As we hit the middle point in the trip ,I would ask that you pray for the team to continue in the unity that we have had up to this point. I know that unity is a powerful witness to God, and our next location is going to be much more intense as we venture into the inner city of Tel Aviv. As the Apples have mentioned, we will be going into the highways and byways, to the forsaken of Israel. I believe this is the root of spiritual warfare we are sensing. I believe the enemy wants nothing more than to weaken our bond of love and ultimately cost us our witness. So my prayer request for you all reading is this: Just as Jesus Christ prayed for His body to be one as He and the Father were one, I ask th at you would please take a moment now, ago before the Living God and ask on behalf of our team, that we truly would remain one together in Him! Thank you so much!

"First Supper"

Team viewing Lebanon from the Israeli border at Tel Dan

Every Member & Effective Work!

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:15-16)

All I can say is the team is a machine! I have been so blessed by the unity of the team, the love of the team and the productivity of the team. We were given many assignments, the team split in teams to accomplish them, and when every thing was done from cleaning the bomb shelter and organizing a shed, to patching walls and priming for paint, I was a blessing to know that Pastor Steve was impressed and blessed! That is the point of this trip, to bless our missionaries and bless the people of Israel.

Afterward we had time to view the head of the Jordan River at Tel Dan,then made our way back by Mt. Bental where God gave us an amazing divine appointment with a Jewish man working at the cafe. After sharing the reality that death is the ultimate consequence for sin, and the fact that a Yom Kippur sacrifice is non existent, we shared Isaiah 53 and showed why we believe Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for sin. The man said he was a moved by our genuine love. He said others have shared, but he was moved by our love. As an act of gratitude he then served us all a hot cup of apple cider on the house! It was such a blessing and such a warm treat for such a cold foggy night! We really sensed God's blessing. Please pray for Kaiphar! It truly was an amazing appointment!

First Sabbath

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)

We arrived on Sabbath and due to the fact that there were no stores or restaurants open, we made it to our destination, then gathered whatever snacks we had packed for our "first supper." I am not sure it met the standards of "Kosher" since it was everything from Beef Jerky and Hot Tamale candies to Granola Bars to Chocolate covered espresso beans. But it was more than enough to feed our appetites!

We were up early the next day to have a devotional together and then began to work. Basically doing everything we can to prep for patching and painting. We concluded our work early in order to clean up for home church. That gave us a quick hour to drive down to the Sea of Galilee where we went to view the Mt of Beatitudes. It has been pouring rain the last couple days, so it poured all the way down to the sea, then the clouds parted and we had the most beautiful view I have ever seen of the location. We parked the cars, went to view the sea, read the entire Sermon on the Mount, took pictures, got back into the cars, and then it started to pour rain again! This time we saw a double rainbow over the mount of beatitudes!!! What does it mean?!!!

We ended the night with fellowship with the local church. Our students led worship and the last song was "How great is our God" where the whole room erupted in worship and praise signing the chorus together in English, Hebrew, and Russian! The students were blessed beyond words as we reflected the simple point, that was a taste of heaven! When one day, we from every nation, tribe and tongue will gather together to honor and extol, the King of kings and Lord of lords!

True Direction Revealed

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God." (1 Corinthians 4:5)

Paul was called to be a servant and steward of the "mysteries of God," that is the wisdom of God which are known only by the Spirit of God, who dwells inside every believer.   In fact Paul declared simply that in Christ, we have the "mind of Christ" which is the Spirit of God! (1 Corinthians 2:16)  The main point here is that every person will have to stand before God, and He will expose the heart of everything that we have done, do or will do.  God will expose the true counsel of the heart.  As I read this verse, a question came to my mind, that is, "Who counsels your heart?"  Do you counsel your own heart? Do you let others counsel your heart? Or do you let the Holy Spirit counsel your heart through the Living Word of God?  The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God, and the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world, but in the end, which one is truly worth living for?  We are so inundated with information in this world, but all this information is futile in light of eternity!  So what is my point? Good question.  My point is simple.  Get direction from God every day.  Get counsel, get instruction, get advice, get direction from the Holy Spirit through reading the Word.  For there is coming a day when the Lord comes, and He will reveal the counsels of our hearts.

Faith and Fulfillment

"Now may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)

The good news here is that God is a God of Hope which means He is a God of earnest expectation.  It is His expectation of good things to come that fills us with joy, a sense of deep happiness that flows like a well deep from within, a hope which hinges not on any external factors.  Not only does the God of Hope fill with hope, but also peace.  A rest of calmness and confidence rooted deep within unhinged on any outside factors or circumstances.  All of this comes simply in believing in the God of ALL hope!  Believe in the Lord, trust in Him, whatever circumstance you find yourself in, have faith in Him and you too can experience hope and peace that surpasses all understanding, a supernatural hope and peace which is ultimately fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit!