SHABBAT SHALOM

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."-Exodus 20:8-11

Of all of the ten commandments, the passage on the sabbath is by far the longest and most detailed in explanation. So why is it the one that we revere the least?

Culturally, because of the way we structure our "work week", we casually recognize Monday as the first day of the week. Because we live in a capitalistic society, everything we do is centered around capital and earnings, as with how we structure our week. And even before the United States of America existed as the nation it is today, there was a historical shift which caused Saturday to become socially replaced as the sabbath. Around 200 A.D., Roman Catholics suggested that Sunday be kept to honor the resurrection. So until about 300 A.D., believers kept both Saturday sabbath and Sunday simultaneously. Because Sunday was also a day of sun worship among the pagan Romans (hence the name Sun Day), and was highly regarded throughout the city, Roman Christians began to favor the united front of worship on Sunday. By the 4th century, Sunday was the standard day for worship among Western believers, which eventually permeated the rituals of the traditional Eastern worshippers .

This information isn't hidden, it's quite obvious and readily available actually. Check your local library, or a variety or credible internet sources. Neither is it foreign to us that Sunday is the first day of the week. Look at any calendar and you'll notice that Sunday is the first day of the week listed. When we, as children (and even our children today) learned the days of the week in kindergarten it was even taught in song and rhyme with Sunday always as the first day. Here's a popular example:



Because our rest and worship is embedded in a state of sin in that we are being disobedient to the specific commands of YHWH, we are not benefitting from the power of the holy day. I'm not saying that the Most High does not show up in the midst of Sunday worship, for we know that the Word says, "where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:22)", but in gathering on the chosen holy day, we activate power and blessings that can be released only on that day. I know I want the full promise, don't you?

Many try to justify by saying that as long as they keep "a" sabbath, they believe that YHWH is pleased, so they keep a Sunday sabbath because that's what everyone else does, or they keep an "off-day" sabbath, meaning they consider the day they are off from work as their sabbath. But the YHWH wants me to remind you that your obedience is more valued than your sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Others say that because it was under the old testament law, then it is dead since Jesus came to fulfill the law. It's important to note that there was not just a single old testament law, rather three different types of laws: moral, ceremonial, and civil.

Yashua (Jesus) came to remove the ceremonial and sacrificial laws that brought about curses (often death) upon those who didn't honor them. He is the lamb sacrifice who shed blood that we might no longer perform those types of rituals. However, because he came to redeem us from the "curse of the law", does not excuse us from the moral portion of the law (Galatians 3:13). The Mosiac law given to show us a moral standard applies today, just as much as it did then, only we tend to negate the laws that have been culturally omitted. Because we are no longer under a particular law, does not mean we are without law. But above all, as believers have been sternly warned against allowing the world to dictate our behavior. Can you imagine how choosing to be obedient to this the same way we we are to killing, stealing and tithing might change the face of our nation and ultimately the Christian face of the world?

The LORD wants you to know the value in the sabbath for your own benefit. We treat it as a handicap and even sometimes a curse, but it's a gift to us so that we not only have a day where we share in focused relationship with the Creator, but a day for us to focus on our own health and wellness so that we don't become stressed, overwhelmed, and run-down with life. This does not mean that we cannot worship or rest on other days, but it must be in addition to what we were commanded. I rest and worship on Saturday, but also worship on Sunday. Sunday is my own personal sacrificial way of giving back to YHWH my first-fruits, since it is the first day of the week. But I had to come out from under the spell of the Sunday worship cultural standard and become obedient to the sabbath commandment before I could add that additionally.

We say we follow (Yahshua) Jesus, and there are numerous scriptures that identify him as having kept the sabbath holy. Yes, he was questioned by the Pharisees about his lack of strict regiment in that he did service work on the sabbath, but he kept it nonetheless. When we serve on the sabbath as opposed to working, we are within the boundaries that the Messiah set for us. It's only if we are not keeping the sabbath at all that we are being disobedient to both what the Lord modeled, as well as what YHWH commanded.

I don't want to come across preachy, because I am not a preacher, but the Most High ordered me to deliver this teaching word to you today, so out of obedience, I must oblige. Don't get mad; and if you don't agree, exercise the freewill to do what you believe is right for you. Above all, pray about the matter so that you may hear from YHWH directly.

I hate to fuss, so this doesn't make me happy to step on the toes of so many people that I truly love and respect. Fact is though, because I love you, I must tell you not what you want to hear, rather what you need to hear. Trust, this is a word for me just as much as for you.

*FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH AFRICAN-RELATED STUDY ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, RESEARCH THE 42 PRINCIPLES OF MA'AT

DAYLITE

FREE DOWNLOAD Daylite by orianalee

MORE & MOOR POETRY

For Mother's Day, I was granted the opportunity to do one of the only things I love almost as much as parenting, and that's being artistic. I was asked to perform, "A Negro Mother" by Langston Hughes and jumped at the chance. Even though I prefer to perform my own material, I can see where I am being humbled by reciting others' work, taking the emphasis off of me & teaching me to focus more on The Most High & how I'm being used for divine purpose. I am walking in my season & accepting all that comes my way, continuing to sharpen my tools for even greater works. For those of you who have asked for the lyrics to the poem, here goes:


The Negro Mother
by Langston Hughes


Children, I come back today
To tell you a story of the long dark way
That I had to climb, that I had to know
In order that the race might live and grow.
Look at my face - dark as the night -
Yet shining like the sun with love's true light.
I am the dark girl who crossed the red sea
Carrying in my body the seed of the free.
I am the woman who worked in the field
Bringing the cotton and the corn to yield.
I am the one who labored as a slave,
Beaten and mistreated for the work that I gave -
Children sold away from me, I'm husband sold, too.
No safety , no love, no respect was I due.

Three hundred years in the deepest South:
But God put a song and a prayer in my mouth .
God put a dream like steel in my soul.
Now, through my children, I'm reaching the goal.

Now, through my children, young and free,
I realized the blessing deed to me.
I couldn't read then. I couldn't write.
I had nothing, back there in the night.
Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears,
But I kept trudging on through the lonely years.
Sometimes, the road was hot with the sun,
But I had to keep on till my work was done:
I had to keep on! No stopping for me -
I was the seed of the coming Free.
I nourished the dream that nothing could smother
Deep in my breast - the Negro mother.
I had only hope then , but now through you,
Dark ones of today, my dreams must come true:
All you dark children in the world out there,
Remember my sweat, my pain, my despair.
Remember my years, heavy with sorrow -
And make of those years a torch for tomorrow.
Make of my pass a road to the light
Out of the darkness, the ignorance, the night.
Lift high my banner out of the dust.
Stand like free men supporting my trust.
Believe in the right, let none push you back.
Remember the whip and the slaver's track.
Remember how the strong in struggle and strife
Still bar you the way, and deny you life -
But march ever forward, breaking down bars.
Look ever upward at the sun and the stars.
Oh, my dark children, may my dreams and my prayers
Impel you forever up the great stairs -
For I will be with you till no white brother
Dares keep down the children of the Negro Mother.

Here's a summary as taken from enotes.com:
“The Negro Mother” is the title poem in the collection of poetry that Hughes wrote to reach the masses of black people. The twenty-page book and the poem were such an instant success that Hughes told his friend Carl Van Vechten that in Birmingham, Alabama, the book “sold like reefers on 131st Street.”

The voice in the poem is that of the black mothers through the ages. In the opening line, the narrator addresses her children. In the narrative that follows, “the Negro mother” depicts the capture and hardship of black slaves and speaks of the will to endure that kept them going. The voice of the Negro mother urges the children to transform the future so that they may live in dignity and freedom from white oppression.

The poem, often referred to as a heritage poem, is highly lyrical, employing both a regular rhyme scheme (couplets) and meter. It was Hughes's intention, he said, that the poems be pleasant to recite and easy to remember. “The Negro Mother” and the success of the volume show how keenly in tune Hughes was with his audience."

DEAR GRACE, LETTERS TO A SINGLE PARENT-WRITTEN REVIEW

As a single-parent, I have to admit that I'm kind of biased to literature that reflects my own life story. Even still, certain material can be inspiring whether reflective or one's lifestyle or not. A couple weekends ago, I sat down with a book that a friend insisted I read, and in less than 2 hours, I had practically inhaled it. Was I ever glad that she shared it with me...talk about inspiring...

Dear Grace, Letters to a Single Parent by Temiika D. Gipson, tells the story of a single mother's journey to Christ, written through a series of letters addressed to a woman named Grace. It is a quick read, not only because it's a mild 70 pages, but because the story is so engaging that it's a one-sitter. The author's testimony regarding the challenges she has faced as a wife, woman, daughter, and single-mother universally crosses color, class, and faith boundaries.

While written from a Christian perspective and heavily cloaked in religious verbage and theology, most single-mothers from any walk of life will be able to see themselves in this story from one perspective or another. The material shared in the 7 letters depicts a real, raw, and relevant account of the author's circumstances of the 10 year span covered. Just enough details about varying events are offered to paint a clear picture of each particular situation, while not so much as to distract you from the author's overarching theme of God having the power to bring us through any situation, and ultimately for our good.

Each chapter begins with a poem, and concludes with a set of questions designed to prompt more thought about one's own beliefs and values. As a book including poetry, autobiographical accounts and single-mother self-help book all in one, the author has marked little traveled territory genre-wise and sets new and unique standards in the world of self-publishing. In my opinion, that's exactly what self-publishing is all about.

The poem, chapter, and questions could have flowed together more smoothly in the layout, but the overall attempt at this content design style is one to be applauded. As for the testimony itself - empowering, inspirational and motivating! A few more details about specific situations would have painted a more concrete picture in a few of the letters, but that the book is written as letters and not a straight-ahead autobiography, makes this point moot.

For the single-parent looking for light at the end of the tunnel, this is a work that will serve as a reminder that everything happens for a reason and that "trouble don't last always". From a religious standpoint, it stands as a reminder that God will never leave or forsake you. Any way you slice it, the work stands to enhance your perspective on life as a single-parent. Kudos to the author for this valiant effort and courageous offering. Finding this book won't be a problem either, as it is widely available on

amazon (paperback & Kindle), as well as from other major book retailers.

Learn more about the author and her endeavors

DEAR GRACE, LETTERS TO A SINGLE PARENT VLOG

MORE & MORE LOVE...

Welcome from Gary from Dr. Gary Chapman on Vimeo.

For more on The 5 Love Languages check out THE WEBSITE...very comprehensive & tricked out with free downlaoadable resources for professionals, such a counselors, pastors, and marriage educators. As a Marriage and Family Therapy graduate student, I was tickled to find free goodies that I can incorporate into my actual counseling, like:

-an informative Podcast

- Assessments for the various love languages and appropriate relationships that allow you to learn your own love language

Now, don't just take my word for it...check out the DVD Promotional Video that allows you to hear about the gist of the book straight from the horses mouth

The 5 Love Languages™ DVD Promo (DPTV) from Dr. Gary Chapman on Vimeo.

ARE YOU SPEAKING THE RIGHT LOVE LANGUAGE?

Written by renowned marriage and family therapy counselor, Dr. Gary Chapman, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts offers an ideology that teaches 5 fundamental ways to express love in marriage and other significant relationships. The ideology stresses that people express their love for one another in various ways and that to identify them is to open the door to healthy communication. Taught from a Christian perspective and written primarily to help couples improve their marriages, the focus of the book is on loving more effectively, which can apply to any relationship. Chapman has discovered that we each have a primary love language, and often communicate our love to others from the perspective of how we prefer to be shown love. Loving from our own perspective contributes to dysfunction in the relationship because we are ignoring the love language of the spouse, or loved one, which is most likely different from our own. As a result of not loving one another according to the primary love language of each individual, our “love tank” runs empty, and this is what contributes to the discourse in our marriages and other close relationships.

Using a communication model, Chapman has termed the 5 love languages: words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service, quality time, and physical touch. Words of affirmation concentrates on using words to affirm the other person, which will in turn increase their self- image and confidence. Receiving gifts is a universal act across all cultures that expresses to a person that they are valued and being thought about. Acts of service requires doing something considerate for a spouse or loved one that requires an investment of time and thought that will lead to that person feeling special. Quality time involves giving one’s spouse or loved one their undivided attention in order to show them how important they are to be with. Physical touch means giving physical attention, such as hugs and kisses, back rubs, massages, outside of sexual activity in order to awaken the love within one’s spouse or loved one. Often, an individual communicates using more than one of these love languages, however, Chapman resolves that there is always one dominate to the others.

According to Chapman, just as with spoken languages, each love language has a variety of dialects, meaning there are specific things that one can do that may speak to a spouse or family member more than another. Chapman believes that learning our spouses or family members love language will change the climate in the house and promote a more loving environment all around. Citing the divorce rates as 40% of first marriages ending in divorce; 65% of second; and 70% of third, Chapman makes a great case for why loving better might save more marriages.

Chapman’s ideology works from the assumption that all marital problems stem from a lack of speaking the effective love language, when in many cases there are more severe problems contributing to the marital breakdown. The model does not consider deeper issues like drug and/or alcohol problems or personality conditions that might prevent the spouse from being consistent with the love language behavior. That one’s love tank needs constant filling by our spouse reflects a more serious problem and Chapman’s ideology negates this core issue. There is a root “why” question that needs to be understood before one can effectively address the “how” question that will move a relationship in the area to be permanently healed in that area. A love deficit is typically indictive of a basic need not being met early in life. In order to change this within an individual needs more cognitive restructuring as to the individual core beliefs need to be addressed or the spouse is likely to run the risk of falling back on their old behavior.

Considering this is written from a Christian angle, my thinking is that Chapman would point out that only a relationship with Christ can truly fill our love tanks. While unconditional love from our spouse communicated in our primary love language will make our marriages more healthy, no one person can make us happier people - only we can accomplish that through our own submission to the joy from a life in Christ. Chapman points out that we spend a lot of time loving for ourselves when we should be loving for others, yet encourages a self-centered approach to giving love in order to get the love that we need.

From a self-help perspective, I think that Chapman does a great job showing the importance of recognizing that we do not all communicate the same in love and that we should be both conscious and considerate of that in our relationships. On the other hand, because family is the the core relationship in our world, I believe that in order to reverse the divorce rate, we need to investigate the deeper human issues that are affecting us individually before we can expect a simple model to revolutionize the way we love and communicate. All in all, it is a great read and a basic step that could help any couple or individual toward developing a healthier relationship.