Cutting of the trees

Tu’BAv – The Last Day of the cutting of trees!

What day is it? AV 15 2015 – July 31, 2015

It’s Tu B’av. Tu in Hebrew is fifteen. So, it is the fifteenth of the month of Av or Ab (father.)

On the eve of Tu-B’Av I learned of a pastor who lives in Arkansas but pastors a huge number of mini churches in Hait; he is just had by-pass heart surgery. He is Luke’s father. My husband and I had organized taking wedding dresses to Haiti in 2003 and fifteen couples were married in one ceremony. It was incredible. Our visit to Haiti with this pastor was before their earthquake that took 330,000 lives. My best girlfriend, Sue and her daughter Anne went as well. Luke worked in Haiti and knows the language. Next week I will go to Anne and Luke’s newly acquired home and help them paint cabinets. Luke and Anne were seriously dating when in Haiti and now have three children. Luke’s father just had the surgery.

Luke and Anne were pregnant with 20-week old Hannah and lost her on Tuesday last week. It is a terrible thing to see the edema that she experienced in the womb, and God chose to take her early to be with Him. Luke is a pastor now with his own congregation in Missouri. He has a masters in counseling and digs into the word of God as he leads others. They lost their baby on 5 Av, July 21, 2015. Luke’s father had his by-pass surgery 14 Av, July 30. I will drive 2 hours to their new home on the 18^th of Av, August 3, 2015.

I tell you these sads things as my other girlfriend through Facebook just went into the hospital with deliberating headaches coming from an infection. Then, my incredibly fabulous Hebrew teacher sent a text this morning that he was at the end of his ropes. I’ve never heard words from him like this. I know he is in a large rental home and the air conditioning is still not working after three weeks. It is hard in Missouri humidity especially when the air conditioning unit needs replaced. He is a man who is so intense with God that the milk of God’s word has become thick steak to him. He chews it every day devouring all he can as he equips himself for these horrendous last days. God has filled him up more than any pastor I’ve met.

What day is it? It is the last day of the cutting of the annual wood needed for the temple. There are four starts for something new on the Hebrew calendar. Four new years as we have dates for schools to begin or fiscal years to begin.

Tishrei 1 is the start of the new Civil year which is in the Fall, Sept/October. Next, Tu B’Shevat is the celebration of thanking God for new beginnings of the trees. Contributions are collected from around the world for trees to be planted in IsraEL. Tu’B’Shevat is in Jan/February. Next, Nissan 1 is the start of the Ecclesiastical year around April. It is the time of Passover and without Yeshua’s death and resurrection there could be no king coming. TODAY: Tu’BAv is the last day of the cutting of trees/wood for the temple.

We see man being thankful for the trees and we see the end of the cutting of them for the temple. There is always a beginning and an end so the beginning can occur again. You plant first to be able to harvest.

When I saw my teacher’s text, I responded with, “When you think you are at the end, you are at the beginning.” I wonder if this month of Av is to show us how to come through the Dire Straits. Av is known to have many trials.

We’ve had two large monster trees fall in our woods. The one was quickly worked on by our son and the fire wood will be nice for him for the winter. The next one went down from winds and waters that soaked it’s soil. This tree removal will take special skill as it has two other large trees still supporting it as it crosses a stream and path. We have lessons about trees right now and we have a month that has always been hard in our world. If things are going to fall this 2015 Shemittah year, then they need to finish falling. That is what the Shemittah year is about. We need to learn to rest in knowing that God has it under His control and we are protected by Him for eternal purposes when we follow His instructions. I will now remember this second tree that fell as a reminder of Tu-BAv. The first tree gave it’s wood and the second will be the beginning of wood but not now. This tree will be there for fire wood one day. The wood cutting is done for now.

Nissan is the month that begins the passion of our Savior on the stake. It is the beginning of what seems to be the end. His life had to end so he could come as King at Tishrei which is the next start when we see the Coronation of kings occur.

This king first came in Tishri as a servant destined to die from the foundation of the world. We are not to blame a sect of religion for his death, but our own sins were laid out in the Fathers plan. We had better say, Yes, do it because of ME. Jews will say, “Yes I ask him to go.” We also must admit we sent Him there and in fact, we must personally request it of Him to do it. We know He has died once and for all, but we must know that we had the ‘guts’ to admit He did it just for ME…yes…YOU! Quit blaming a sect or government organization…it was ME that did it…it was YOU!

When men are stilling blaming the Jews for Jesus’ death then we are no further ahead in the ‘meat’ of God’s word than the men between Jesus’ time and Constantine. Anti-Semitism is even more abound today as we have patterned our ways after those beginning fathers. I reject them and only accept the ways of Yeshua’s founding lineage that came through father’s Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (IsraEL).

We have not listened to why Jesus came. Men only think He came to die for our sins. They have not listened to what Jesus/Yeshua was saying when He was here. He came to sort through the dirty dishes.

We can look at the news around us and have panic attacks. It is normal for the man to want to protect their families, and yet it is overwhelming as to what is being allowed on American soil and what others desire to be done on American soil.

I say to you today, that in my heart as one who desires to search the heart of God daily, that there is but one answer to our problems. It has to do with what Jesus said when he was here. There are six steps a person must commit to in order to be the least which will be the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

I suggest you go to First Fruits of Zion, ffoz.com, and request, elementary principles by D. Thomas Lancaster.

An e-book version is available FREE through July. So…hurry today for that opportunity. The book title includes, Six foundational principles of ancient Jewish Christianity.

To any who are in the Dire Straits, we must turn ourselves over to these six principles. We are given responsibility when in charge of God’s children. When God’s principles for walking our life out with Him are applied, we will not see the noose at the end of the rope, but a new beginning as the frayed ends entwine themselves together through time. The work of bringing in the wood for the sacrifices is done. These people may now rest in serving God with their resting in Him. We offer ourselves daily to God as we give honor to His ways and not our ways.

May you all be blessed as you RETURN…which means you were there once.