Ministry Adventures with Cathy

PASSOVER REMEMBRANCES Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place (Ex. 13:3). “Freedom!”  That is what a Jewish woman, a non-believer, shouted during a Passover Seder two years ago when I asked for one word that sums up Passover.  Why am I sharing Passover with you now?  This first feast on the Jewish religious calendar (Lev. 23:5; Ex. 12) will not commence until sundown on Friday, 3/30.  The way time zooms, it’s nearly upon us! AND, I want to invite you to our annual Messianic Passover Seder at Scottsdale Bible Church on March 29th.  (Details at the end of this blog)  So, on to past Passovers to whet your appetite regarding attending our Seder.  Each feast affords a front row seat to witness how God has connected the dots between a specific Jewish holiday and its fulfillment in Jesus.  The feast of Passover was fulfilled at Jesus’ crucifi...

JANUARY 2018 It’s Wednesday.  Wasn’t it just Sunday?  And this Sunday is soon to arrive.  And then it will be Wednesday again!  How does that work?  AND, I’m still dining on Thanksgiving fare – gluten free paleo pumpkin blondies.  They are more delicious with age.  (I checked for mildew…none as yet). AND, our decorated Christmas tree with lights ablazing remains in the living room.  Our son, Jarrod, told us last week that he’s thankful that we haven’t packed Christmas into boxes as yet.  Of course, the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation is never “packed away”!  I told the ladies at the Tues. a.m. Book of Revelation study last week that Christmas is always pertinent.  Christmas is part of the “one long sentence that is the Bible”!  Ponder that! The Chanukah/Christmas season was such a blessing…such a mixture of everything all wrapped up in God’s grace!  The days were truly a moment-by-moment adventure.  Sever...

We’re dining – still – on Thanksgiving leftovers as I’m decorating for Christmas.  I placed a berry wreath on the baker’s rack and a favorite primitive doll ornament in an old decorative bowl on the kitchen counter.  Piecemeal adornment!  Thanksgiving blends into Christmas, doesn’t it?  And, along with the merging of holidays, a myriad of memories flood into our minds and impact our hearts. During our Thanksgiving feast this year, there was no turkey to be found…in our oven or on our table.  We opted for a roast chicken seasoned with a Himalayan salt cone on which it was cooked.  Never tried it?  It’s delicious!  This was the second no-turkey Thanksgiving at the Wilsons.  Our first no-turkey day of thanks occurred when Jarrod was five years old.  We had prepared to make our annual trek to Winslow, AZ to celebrate with our missionary friends.  Snow fell and we could not leave the Valley.  Guess we weren’t very adven...

The colors of the fall leaves back East were not intense; they were muted.  So said the Weather Channel and I agreed.  We’ve lived in the Phoenix metropolitan area for 40 years.  I love my home and what God has called me to do in the Southwest.  I’m from the Bronx.  I have fond memories of growing up in the Bronx.  In Phoenix we don’t exactly have seasons.  I sorely miss one season – autumn!  Yes, we can travel north to Flagstaff and gaze at the Aspen trees in September and October.  But where are the red leaves and varied golden leaves…and the mountains bursting with colors like Trix cereal?  Flagstaff in the fall has always left me wanting! Autumn means a decline.  I wrote about autumn in my August blog.  Decline or not, I love autumn.  I dream about autumn.  The last time we experienced autumn back East was in 2005.  Bobby and I were in a park in Verona, NJ.  It was raining (I don’t particu...

At sundown on Sept. 20 th the shofar was sounded at synagogues worldwide to call Jewish people to gather, to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), and to make amends with their fellow man.  Jewish tradition teaches that three books are opened in heaven at the outset of Rosh Hashanah.  If their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, they may be inscribed in the book of life – for one year.  Ten days following Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people then seek to make amends with God.  They plead with God at Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, for forgiveness.  The books are then sealed – and so is ones fate…for one year. God requires a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin (Leviticus 17:11).  The sacrificial system ceased with the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.   The ultimate sacrifice had already been made – Jesus.  How are sins forgiven today at Yom Kippur?  During our weekly Bible study at a Scottsdale retirement community, ...

I love autumn!  I mentioned my passion concerning this season last month.  Autumn, in my mind, encompasses the end of July through November.  I wait upon this time of the year with much anticipation.  But, what does autumn mean?  It’s “a period of maturity verging on…DECLINE”!   That’s cheery!?  I guess this is why we have labeled autumn “fall”.  Color has drained from the leaves, they’ve dried out, and fall from their host in a wistful dance to the earth.  The beauty of autumn ends in death throes.  Oh my! As I’m writing, I’m thinking that “fall” is not such a grand name for a season!  It’s precarious!  “Autumn” can be looked upon rapturously because its meaning remains hidden, for the most part, in the splendor of such seasonal drama.  Don’t you think?  But, “fall”?  Who thought to label this crossroad in time “fall”?  You need to know that I’m prone to FALLING. . . When I was five yea...

Conversations along the way…. As I sat down at the conference table in the library of a retirement community in north Phoenix, the left side of my head began to pound.  Praise God, HE carried me through the afternoon Bible study.  Amidst Lenny’s constant k'vetching (Yiddish for complaining ), God remained in control!  Of course, that’s Who God is!  He is sovereign!  Lenny is Jewish and has had issues with me since first I taught at this facility.   The expressing of his issues, however, always presents more opportunities to share the Gospel.   I told the group that gathered that we were going to talk about "The People, The Book, and the Land" and focus on Abraham and Moses.  Lenny loudly announced, as he’s known to do during every study, “She’s not Jewish!”  This time he added, “And you need to know that there are many interpretations of the Bible.”  I asked him, "What is your authority? ...