Why I choose not to celebrate Holidays part 1

     There comes a time in your life that you question things around you. For me it started when the Pastor started teaching on the Sabbath. Hmm wasn't that Sunday? Aren't we keeping it by going to Church and worshiping God? As it turns out NO! It's actually Saturday - the day the world considers "Me day". When everyone goes and does what they want.

     You see the Roman Catholic Church divorced themselves from everything Jewish/Hebrew. They created their own religion that Christianity today would branch off from. They wanted to convert pagans so they changed the 7th day Sabbath to Sunday the 1st day of the week.

How did the change take place, substituting Sunday for Saturday as the day of worship? This is possibly one of the most disturbing religious questions among thinking Christians today. Unfortunately, the issue is not examined publicly very often for reasons that we’ll consider today. But multitudes have wondered when, how and why the change came about. We have established in previous broadcasts that the Bible itself speaks with absolute consistency on this subject.

No Change Documented in the Bible
In both Old and New Testament there is not a shadow of variation in the doctrine of the Sabbath. The seventh day, Saturday, is the only day ever designated by the term Sabbath in the entire Bible. Not only was Jesus a perfect example in observing the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, but all His disciples followed the same pattern after Jesus had gone back to heaven. Yet no intimation of any change of the day is made. The apostle Paul, who wrote pages of counsel about lesser issues of Jewish and Gentile conflicts, had not one word to say about any controversy over the day of worship. Circumcision, foods offered to idols, and other Jewish customs were readily challenged by early Gentile Christians in the church, but the weightier matter of weekly worship never was an issue. Why? For the simple reason that no change was made from the historic seventh day of Old Testament times, and from creation itself. Had there been a switch from the Sabbath to the first day of the week, you can be sure the controversy would have been more explosive than any other to those Jewish Christians.

History Gives Some Clues
If the change did not take place in the Scriptures or through the influence of the apostles, when and how did it happen? In order to understand this, we must understand what happened in that early church soon after the apostles passed off the stage of action. Paul had prophesied that apostasy would take place soon after his departure. He said there would be a falling away from the truth. One doesn’t have to read very far in early church history to see just how that prophecy was fulfilled. Gnosticism began to rise up under the influence of philosophers who sought to reconcile Christianity with Paganism. At the same time, a strong anti-Jewish sentiment became more widespread. Very speculative interpretations began to appear regarding some of the great doctrines of Christ and the apostles.

The Conversion of Constantine
By the time Constantine was established as the emperor of Rome in the early fourth century, there was a decided division in the church as a result of all these factors. I think most of you know that Constantine was the first so-called Christian emperor of the Roman Empire. The story of his conversion has become very well known to students of ancient history. He was marching forth to fight the battle of Milvian Bridge when he had some kind of vision, and saw a flaming cross in the sky. Underneath the cross were the Latin words meaning “In this sign conquer.” Constantine took this as an omen that he should be a Christian, and his army as well. He declared all his pagan soldiers to be Christians, and became very zealous to build up the power and prestige of the church. Through his influence great blocks of pagans were taken into the Christian ranks. But, friends, they were still pagan at heart, and they brought in much of the paraphernalia of sun-worship to which they continued to be devoted. We mentioned in a previous broadcast about the adoption of Christmas and Easter into the church. At the same time, many other customs were Christianized and appropriated into the practice of the church as well.

Sun Worship
You see, at that time the cult of Mithraism or sun-worship was the official religion of the Roman Empire. It stood as the greatest competitor to the new Christian religion. It had its own organization, temples, priesthood, robes—everything. It also had an official worship day on which special homage was given to the sun. That day was called “The Venerable Day of the Sun.” It was the first day of the week, and from it we get our name Sunday. When Constantine pressed his pagan hordes into the church they were observing the day of the sun for their adoration of the sun god. It was their special holy day. In order to make it more convenient for them to make the change to the new religion, Constantine accepted their day of worship, Sunday, instead of the Christian Sabbath which had been observed by Jesus and His disciples. Remember that the way had been prepared for this already by the increasing anti-Jewish feelings against those who were accused of putting Jesus to death. Those feelings would naturally condition many Christians to swing away from something which was held religiously by the Jews. It is therefore easier to understand how the change was imposed on Christianity through a strong civil law issued by Constantine as the Emperor of Rome. The very wording of that law, by the way, can be found in any reliable encyclopedia. Those early Christians, feeling that the Jews should not be followed any more than necessary, were ready to swing away from the Sabbath which was kept by the Jews.

Catholicism Takes Credit for the Change
Now a quote from the Catholic Press newspaper in Sidney, Australia. “Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles. From the beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.”
(article was taken from the website http://www.sabbathtruth.com/sabbath-history/how-the-sabbath-was-changed)

     So after find out this information and scripture on "Holidays" (I'll elaborate on each holiday in another post) "When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations". - Deuteronomy 18:9. See Yah hates mixture "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth". Revelation 3:15-16. 

     Yah has set aside 7 feast days that we are to celebrate. 4 Spring feasts, Pesach (Passover), Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavuot (Pentecost). 3 Fall feasts, Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippurim (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). Yah says that if you love Me keep My commandments (John 14:15). To love Yah is an action. We are to walk as Yeshua walked and do as Yeshua did. It's not hard, He showed us how to do it by example. 

     I'm not saying saying its a easy road to take emotionally. I have 30 years of traditions attached from my past. Many wonderful memories. My emotions were tied into the holidays, but knowing the truth makes it easier to break off the traditions of man. It is my responsibility to either take this knowledge and apply it to my walk and life including how I raise my children or disregard the Word and keep the traditions that don't please Yah. I can't try to "justify" my actions in order to keep them. I can't use the excuse "Yah knows my heart"  "And so the Lord says, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote" Isaiah 29:13

     The question we need to ask not what our carnal minds think or what we "think" Yah feels or thinks, but go to His Word and see what IT says. 

     So I hope that whoever reads this searches out scripture and truth and see what Yah says. It many not be the easiest path, but its the most rewarding.

October 17th 2016

October 17th 2016 at 8:45 pm. Marked a very special day!!!

    
     It was a Monday night, the sun had set which started the 2nd day of Sukkot.The stars and moon were shinning bright against the black sky. The main tent where our worship service was being held was lit up with beautiful white lights. The decorations of gold silk and banners lined the front where the pastor was giving his message. The Torah Scroll was placed on its stand to signify the start of the meeting. This was our 2nd Sukkot to attend, but our 1st to actually go out and camp in a tent for a week. At this point we have been keeping the Feasts for little over a year and broke off a lot of mans traditions (ones that didn't line up with scripture). 

     Our pastor was giving a wonderful message and the Set-Apart Spirit filled the tent. You could feel His presence. At the end of the message, the piano player started playing " I decided to follow Yeshua". Our pastor gave an invitation of making a declaration. Jasun and I decided to make the public declaration that we were going to follow Yeshua in all of His ways, no turning back, no turning back. Many familiar faces from our church family and others that attended Sukkot came forward and made the same declaration. It was a wonderful sight to see, and a conformation that we were on the right path.

     We are no longer gentiles of the nations, but we are Children of YHWH that have been grafted into the believing Olive Tree of Israel. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree; don't boast against the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. - Romans 11:17,18

I have decided to follow Yeshua;   
I have decided to follow Yeshua; 
I have decided to follow Yeshua; 
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back. 

My Kids Mother

Its been a few months since I posted. ***Update*** December 24, 2014 I gave birth to a 8lb 11oz baby boy named Noah. He is my 4th boy, the little blessing we didn't plan for. Recovery has been a little more rough this time around. I'm recovering from my 4th c-section and I now have a newborn and 3 other children who demand my attention. This is my life. My story. My journey.

"I doubt the Good Lord made a mistake giving your kiddos the mommy he did". - Bones (aka Trace Atkins) - Mom's Night Out

I love this quote. I watched Mom's Night Out and I must say, I LOVE this movie. A BIG plus for me it that it is a Christian based. This movie made me take a step back and take a look at my life. Yes I am not perfect.. My house is not spotless, I have a mountain of laundry that needs to be folded and put away. I have a sink full of dirty dishes, a dishwasher that is full of clean dishes that hasn't been emptied. There is a trail of toys from one of my house to the other. I have clutter in random places and a floor that needs to be vacuumed, but you know what? I have 4 wonderful boys who are fed, and happy and they love me for who I am... Their MOM!! I know the feeling of just wanting a few minutes to myself and feeling like the job I am doing isn't enough. This movie spoke to me in many ways and gave me a message I really needed to hear, that God didn't make a mistake when He gave me my kids and that what I do is important. 

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. - Romans 8:30 NKJV

I was put here for a purpose. To be my children's mom. To raise these boys into mighty men of God. To teach them manners, respect, and how to treat a lady. As women, wives, and moms we spend so much time beating ourselves up that we become exhausted. We get caught up in how much we weigh, how clean the house is, and trying to be perfect, that we forget what our main purpose is. Despite feeling like we are failing, we need to know we are exactly where God wants us to be and doing what God wants us to do. Even though the job is never ending and even though we sacrifice a lot of our freedom, body, clothes, and career (sometimes), what we do matters. We all know that, sure. But sometimes, we need to see it. We need to see other women who are having the same feelings. We also need to see that sometimes, the scale upon which we weigh our value and success, is a scale we ourselves create and make it impossible to measure up to. Over all we need to know we have a purpose, we have been called to be our children's

mother. The best JOB anybody can ask for.

My Praise Report (Testimony)

 

 

    

    For years now I have been wanting to get a mini-van. I always wanted a Toyota Sienna. Well when it came time to get a van, I settled on a Ford Windstar. Big mistake. That van lasted me not even a year. It blew a rod on Christmas Day 2012. I was pregnant with my youngest son Zane. So in the following weeks we were able to find me another van right before the second semester of school started praise God. 

    I settled on a 2001 Chevy Venture. We had got it through some friends of ours, it was in our budget so we thought we were getting a good deal. NOT. Two months later we started having transmission problems. I took it to the shop (where we were buying it from) and well they didn't want to help us out. I kept driving it the way it was - slipping out of gear and the speedometer fluctuating where I had no idea how fast I was going. Finally when I was not able to hardly drive it anywhere, I took it to another mechanic and they told me I needed to replace the whole transmission. UGH ! Great now I am stuck paying for a van that needs a new transmission. So we bought a transmission and had another mechanic put it in for us. Everything seemed to work great... that day. 

    So after buying and replacing the transmission it was doing the same thing. Aggravated at the whole situation and not being able to do anything about it, I paid it off and continued to drive it in the condition it was in. Fast forward a year and a half - I am still driving it slipping in and out of gears, speedometer fluctuation, and having to put the heater on in the Texas summer in order to keep it from over heating. Yes I am driving around in 100° summer with my heater on. This whole time I am praying for a new van. 

    On Friday  September 19, 2014 while at Bible Study, I asked for prayer on a new van. Guess what! I was prophesied to: I was told I was going to get a new van soon before this baby would be born and it would be in my budget. That was great to hear, but there was one problem. Budget.. My husband did not want to buy me another van.. We already been through two of them in the past 3 years. I did not know how that was going to come about. The next day (Saturday) we were heading to our friends quinceanera, I was backing out of my driveway when we hear this loud crunch and boom. I backed into a truck that was parked on the side of the street. Oh my we cant afford this and what are we going to do. 

    We looked at the damage. The truck I hit only had a cracked tail light and a couple of scratches no bigger than an inch long. My van well the back window blew out and the whole back door was dented in. It looked like I got rear-ended by somebody. Monday morning I was looking on Craigslist and found a really good deal on a van (the one I got). My mom told me she would help me out if I found one I liked. After God (and me) convincing my husband that I need a new van, and that one I had was not worth "fixing up" he agreed to buy me a new van. We spent most of that night looking and trying to find a better deal than the one I had found, but with no such luck.  On Tuesday September 23,2014 I called the guy up who was selling the van, got the loan from my mom, and met the gentleman. After test driving and looking it over, I paid the gentleman and I drove off with a 2004 Toyota Sienna. This van is awesome. The prophesy came true! I got me a new van in my budget.
     Keep believing in God and when he says hes going to do something. He will now matter if you believe it or not. God can do anything. He convinced my husband into buy a new van for me. It took me wrecking it (unintentionally) in order to get the van we prayed for. 

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

What kind of Legacy are you leaving behind?

What harvest, what legacy will your children enjoy from your coaching, counseling, mentoring, sowing and friendship? Work to be the parent of whom your children might say: “Her children rise up and call her blessed” (Prov. 31:28) and “His children are blessed after him” (Prov. 20:7)


My husband and I had a discussion the other day. He asked me why I am wanting to volunteer at the church. He said we are always busy and I wont have time. He stated that not only am I pregnant with baby boy #4, but our two oldest boys are taking Taekwondo. Not only does it help with getting all their energy out, it teaches them Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control, and Indomitable Spirit…What mother doesn't what that for her boys?

My oldest son is starting his second year of Cub Scouts (he bridged into wolf). Cub Scouts is great because it teaches him many things that he will carry into adulthood. My husband said that its too much on me. I don't need to be running around all the time, and being gone all the time. My answer to this statement was: We are going to have 4 boys, who are going to be doing extra curricular activities. If that means I have to be gone everyday of the week than I their mother will do just that. I am not going to tell them NO because I want to stay home and watch TV. My boys are NOT going to do more than they can handle, but I am NOT going to deny them from doing extra curricular activities. 

On volunteering at the Church: I feel it is something that the Lord is calling me into. By me helping the Church not only am I growing closer to the Lord, it is helping me grow into a better wife and mother in what I say and how I teach them right from wrong. In the process I am showing my children that doing the Lords work is equally important. When they are all grown up and out of the house than I will have all the time in the world to sit down relax and watch TV. It is my responsibility as their mother to make sure they grow up knowing they are loved and that they were blessed, but also how to be Men of God.

Leave a legacy for your children. God’s goodness in us prompts us to leave an inheritance for our children (Prov. 13:22). Just as God gives us good gifts, so we desire to give good gifts to our children. Therefore, we must plan the inheritance and legacy we’ll leave. That plan embraces good financial management as well as an intentional teaching of God’s truths to our children.

Our legacy goes far beyond worldly possessions or good memories. It’s rooted in the eternal truths of God that passes on through the generations to our successors. Children benefit financially from an inheritance, but they will more greatly benefit from relational and spiritual blessings. Our responsibility as parents mandates that we sow love, joy, peace, kindness, mercy, patience and self control into our families and the families that come after us.

Baby Boy #4

Even though I am dealing with all these emotions and left wondering Gods plan, I don't understand why I have to go through this pain again. I was fine with having 3 boys and knowing my dream of having a daughter was not going to happen and I was ok with that. Than SURPRISE here is a baby that I had not planned on having.. I was DONE.. We were not wanting 4 kids and here I am with a 1 year old and a baby on the way what am I going to do, abortion was not an option I was going to have 4 kids oh my. I had not planned on that. I was trying not to get my hopes up this time, but I thought maybe this is the girl I wanted, maybe this is the sister my oldest prayed for. Everyone kept telling me its a girl they just know it, and well I got my hopes up.. When the blue balloons and the blue cake revealed that it was a boy I cried. My dreams were shattered once again. I know this baby is going to be love heck he is loved, so I just have to heal my broken heart and understand that Gods plan is better than the one I had for myself. Yes I am human and question they whys and what ifs, but I also understand that God has it all under control. I know there are women out there who can't have children and would love to have any child of any gender. I know there are women who are in the same position as me wanting a child of a certain sex and can't get their desire. I know its a miracle and children are a blessing. Yes hes healthy and that much is wonderful. So give me a few, and I will get over the hurt and deal with my emotions and than it wont matter. I know when I see his face and hear him cry that I wouldn't trade him for a girl for nothing..

CleanStart

Day 2 of taking this 14 day cleanse by Nature's Sunshine. Its called CleanStart, its supposed to help me get rid of unwanted waste and cleanse me. Since finding out a major factor of what was causing my pain and other problems I was having I decided to order this and get started. I got my package in yesterday and immediately took the 1st drink dose (since I got it in a little late.. around lunch time) and when I ate my lunch I took the pill dose. The drink form was not pleasant but it was bearable.

I proceeded with my day and around dinner I went ahead and took my 2nd drink dose 30 minutes before dinner, and when I ate dinner I took my pills. For lunch my Aunt treated me to Sonic and I had the Asiago Caesar Grilled Chicken sandwich -  see grilled a better choice. Yes I did have tater tots and a large soda (that lasted me for the majority of the day). For dinner I made home made grilled chicken quesadillas.  I got today and 12 more days of doing this same routine. I already eat kind of healthy and yes I eat fast food and junk sometimes, but hey I'm human and I love food.... what can I say.

Like I said in my last post I am keeping a food diary of what I am eating and drinking. I am also going to be tracking my results with this cleanse. This process is going to take 14 days and I hope I feel better and see some improvements. I am going to be going back to Dr. Kimberly Vasquez after the 2 weeks to see if there has been any changes.

I will try to update in a few days, but when you have 3 boys the days go by fast and all I want to do by the end of the day is sit down with a glass of wine and relax in front of the t.v.