Deeper Thankfulness

This past weekend, I had the privilege of worshipping at the congregation of Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah.  It is that time of year again - Thanksgiving - and like many pastors throughout the world, Jonathan gave a message on being thankful.

I have heard many messages about thankfulness through the years, but this year's message really dug down deep.  I probably won't do his message justice, but let me summarize.

Let's go right to the name of Judah (or Yehuda).  The word itself means praise and also thanksgiving.  This is the word from which came the words Jews and Judaism.  This is also the tribe from which came our Redeemer Yeshua.  We will come back to more root meanings at the end of this post.

The Word often tells us to be thankful.  You might be familiar with 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoice all the time!  Pray all the time!  Be thankful all the time!  This is God's will for you!

Romans 1:21 tells us that among other things, people were not thankful,  They walked a path of darkness.  Giving thanks in all things helps to avoid this darkness.  Thankfulness is crucial to an abundant life of peace.


The opposite of thankfulness is complaining.  Complaining takes away the blessings that thankfulness brings.  A heart of complaining makes us miserable. We are confessing that we are not blessed.

Thankfulness opens the doors to more blessing.   The Greek word Eucharistia means thanksgiving over the bread.  In Hebrew it is the hamotzi.  We westerners make the mistake of blessing our food.  It's not the bread that we should bless, but the Creator Who provided it. The hamotzi is clear and to the point:  Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

In Judaism, there are brachot (blessings) for everything.  This is why, in Fiddler on the Roof, the Rabbi is able to come up with a blessing for the Czar and also for a sewing machine.  Every one of the Jewish brachot is directed to God in thankfulness.

And it's not about how much you have, but how much you are thankful for what you do have.  Yeshua gave thanks on the hillside over five loaves and two fish.  Thankfulness causes multiplication.

Complaining, on the other hand, causes a reverse miracle.  Keep complaining and you'll lose what you do have.

Jonathan shared a story of when he was serving with a team in Haiti.  They arrived back in the US and were eating at a restaurant.  One of the team members complained because his chicken club sandwich had cheese on it and he hadn't ordered it that way.  Jonathan pointed out to him that if he had wanted a chicken club sandwich in Haiti, he would have been handed a club and a live chicken and told to procure his own sandwich.

We must decide to be thankful in all things, even when faced with difficulty.  Even the bad stuff.  In Acts 5:41, for example, the disciples were thankful that they were worthy of persecution.  In Matthew 5, Yeshua tells us to REJOICE when we are persecuted.

Philippians 4 is a good place to park if you need peace of mind and heart.  Verses 6 and 7 tell us,  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Do not forget thankfulness when praying through problems.  Problems help to sharpen our faith.

Now back to the name Yehuda.  The root to this word is yod.  A yod in Hebrew is a letter that sounds like our letter Y.  But the deeper meaning is a hand.  An open hand. The Hebrew word for hand is yad.   In scripture, open hands were lifted in praise and also when thanking God.  An open hand is a symbol of giving.  The one who gives love, forgiveness, blessings, love, and so forth are open to receive those things abundantly in return.

A closed hand, however, such as a fist raised to God in complaining, is a picture of being closed off to receiving blessings, love, forgiveness, and so forth.

Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness is an exercise.  It gets easier as you practice it.  Start writing down a thankful list.  And be thankful for difficult people - they help you build character.

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS.  Did you know that Thanksgiving is based of the biblical feast of Sukkot?  The early pilgrims were Puritans who observed the Biblical feasts.  The first American Thanksgiving took place in early October of 1621 and evidence shows that it was a Sukkot celebration.

Faith and Spikenard

What is faith?

My scripture reading for today was Hebrews 11... the great Biblical Hall of Fame of Faith.  And this past weekend, I heard a fantastic message on faith.

The message began with a discussion of spikenard, and the account of Mary lavishing Yeshua with the fragrant and expensive substance.  This anointing can be found in Mark and John 12.

So what is spikenard? Spikenard is the head of a fragrant east Indian plant which yields a thick, oily juice called nardos.  Historically, the ancients used it as a precious  ointment - a healing juice used for many ailments, such as skin infections, constipation, insomnia, stress, anxiety, fevers, and so on. Nardos would aid in cell regeneration, blood circulation, and was also used as a perfume and deodorant.  A cure-all substance, so to speak.

The Song of Solomon refers to "Nard" three times,  and each time the context suggests something precious and wonderful.

Mary of Bethany possessed something expensive, precious, and wonderful - an alabaster flask of this very costly oil.  Scripture records the value of her possession... 300 denarii - a year's wages.  If she had fallen on hard times, this oil could have been sold to provide for her.  This oil could very likely have been her dowry for marriage.

Mary of Bethany was willing to give up this precious possession for something much more precious... Yeshua.  A transfer took place when she poured it all out.  She took something that she had placed her trust in, and gave it all up for Yeshua, thereby putting all her trust in HIM!

Trading in temporary healing juice for a Permanant Healer.

The Greek word pistis is a noun that means faith.  The Greek word pisteuo is a verb that is translated believe... an action word.

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for spikenard in the gospels is pistikos nardos, or in other words, the object of one's faith.

Faith truly is an action word.  It is not simply a way of thinking; it is a way of living.  Look at this passage from James 2: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

It is said that Martin Luther wanted to remove the book of James from the scriptures. He struggled with the idea that faith had to be accompanied by any kind of works.  Today, it is often still preached that all you need to do is simply believe, and that's it.  You're in, and you don't have to do anything further about it.

But friends, justification by the blood of Yeshua is just the beginning of our lives of faith.  What follows is sanctification... working OUT (not FOR) our salvation with fear and trembling, according to Philippians 2:12.

Following Yeshua means living out our faith through obedience to Him. He asks us to be holy, set apart for Him.  Each of us is unique, and each of us has a calling within the Body of Messiah.

When you get a chance, peruse through Hebrews 11.  Every single member listed there in the Biblical Faith Hall of Fame demonstrated their faith through action.

What is your pistikos nardos?

The Hitchhiker

I recently returned from a journey to Israel, during which I was blessed to observe the three Fall Feasts - a dream come true!  Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashanah), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.  My heart is still bursting from all I saw and learned.

A soldier adds palms to the roof of his sukkah

Just before I returned home, I went out beyond the green line to a small village in the land of Benjamin in Samaria, to visit a sweet family that I know.  I had asked them if I could come and see their sukkah (a temporary booth, built every year in honor of the seventh Biblical Feast, Sukkot - a memorial of God's presence and provision during the forty years in the wilderness).

We had a wonderful visit that morning and ate lunch together.  After lunch, I needed to return to Jerusalem for the final Sabbath of my visit - the first day of Sukkot.  (During my 21 days in Israel, seven of them were Sabbaths because of the Feasts.  As a Gentile, I confess that I am not used to resting that much!)

As I was about to exit the community for the hour-long trek back to Jerusalem, I came upon an Orthodox Jewish man who was awaiting a ride to the bus stop from anyone who was willing to pick him up.  Since my friend in the village had already explained to me the procedure (and safety) of Israeli hitchhiking, I felt no qualms in offering this man a ride.

For twenty minutes, we had a lively and engaging conversation.  Even though he was born and raised in a rural area of Israel, he was fluent in English, telling me it was due to computer games, computer programming, and Hollywood.

I let him know right away that I had been visiting a family for Sukkot.  A few minutes later in our conversation, I let him know that I was a gentile... a Christian.  His surprise was palpable.  I could pretty much read his thoughts... "We don't get many of your kind way out here.  And Sukkot?  You even know what that is??"

Driving down the mountain, we spoke of Yeshua.  He had questions on how we could possibly worship three Gods.  I told him that I don't believe Christianity has done a great job at explaining who God is and what we believe about His nature.  Yeshua Himself said that He and His Father were one.  I affirmed that it is blasphemy for a man to claim to be God.

But then I posed the question from the other direction:  "But what is to stop GOD from becoming a MAN?"

Yeshua claimed that He was God.  But then He backed up His claim through His miracles, including the three miracles that ancient sages expected the Messiah to perform:  1)  Healing a leper, 2) Casting out a demon from a mute person, and 3) Healing a man who was blind from birth.

Not only did He do these three miracles, but many, many more.  Feeding thousands.  Walking on water.  He even raised his friend Eleazar (Lazarus) from the dead.  And finally the ultimate miracle:  His Own Resurrection. He had kept every single point of the Moses covenant perfectly, and as such, death had no hold over Him.  He was our Perfect Passover Lamb.  Only God could do that!  (Remember Abraham's words in Genesis?  God will provide Himself the Lamb).

Yeshua did not just back up his claim of being God through miracles.  He is the fulfillment of everything written about Him in the Tanakh.  The entire book Hebrew scriptures points to Him.  He fulfilled every single prophecy that was written about Him.  There are hundreds.

The seven Feasts, as outlined in Leviticus 23, are also a foreshadowing of Him.  He fulfilled the four Spring Feasts perfectly at His first coming, when He became the ultimate Sacrifice for all mankind. He was Messiah, son of Joseph, the Suffering Servant.  The Lamb.

He will fulfill the Fall Feasts when He returns, as the Messiah, Son of David, the Conquering King, when He returns to set up His kingdom on Earth.  In Jerusalem.  The Lion.

My new hitchhiking friend did not agree with me, and that is okay.  History is full of forced conversions that were ugly and cruel.   In fact, I apologized for that cruel history; for the way that my people treated his people.

I made another friend in a shop on Ben Yehuda Street, another Orthodox Jewish man.   I kept going back because we had such great conversations.  People have tried over and over to tell him about Yeshua.  But he looked me in the eye and said, "I am not going to believe it unless God Himself reveals it to me."  I wonder if he realizes that he was paraphrasing the truth found in John 6:44 - No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 11 tells us that Israel will be blinded in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  Isaiah 8:17 confirms this:  And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

So I continue to love my Jewish friends, tell them about Yeshua when the door is opened, and love them unconditionally, whether they choose to follow Yeshua as Messiah or not.  I trust God for the outcome that He has already foretold.

As for me, I believe that Yeshua IS the Messiah that was prophetically foretold in the Hebrew scriptures, otherwise I wouldn't follow Him.  And if He IS the prophesied Messiah, then trusting in Him is the most Jewish thing that a Jewish person can do!  No need to "convert" to a Gentile faith, only a need for teshuvah (repentance, or turning) from sin to the One who paid the price in full.

To the Ends of the Earth

The other day, I visited Casaerea with my daughter. It was a seaport built by Herod the Great.

Why did Herod build it? Israel already had an important port, the ancient city of Joppa (Yafo) to the south. (This was the same Joppa from which Jonah fled, hoping to avoid his prophetic assignment to the Gentiles at Nineveh.)

Well, Herod wanted a piece of the monetary action (not to mention renown), so he built a new port 60 kilometers to the north. To attract the sailors to his port, Herod built all sorts of amusements for them, such as a horse racing track (hippodrome), amphitheater, and more. Many sailors were happy to spend their winters in Caesaerea, when the Mediterranean was too blustery to navigate safely.

Herod named the port after Caesar. It was a thoroughly Roman city.

Enter Acts 10...

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

“Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

As the account continues, we see Peter having a vision while in Joppa, of a proverbial ham sandwich in a bed sheet. The Lord was demonstrating to him that the gospel would also be preached to the Gentiles.

The men sent by Cornelius arrived immediately following Peter's vision.  Peter went with them to Cesaerea, and Cornelius and his household then became the first Gentile believers.

Scripture gives us yet another glimpse of God's ordained order, "To the Jew first."

How appropriate it was that Peter had his vision in a very ancient Jewish port, but was called to a very Roman port to give the gospel to the gentiles. What a picture of the Word going forth to the rest of the world, from a symbolic Roman port!

Back to Jonah... how symbolic is it that Jonah, wanting to avoid his assignment to preach to Gentiles, fled from the Jewish port of Joppa?

(PS. I had planned to share photos on this post, but the app won't let me do it)

BDS - What Are They Really After?

This post may seem like it is political in nature, but bear with me. I will connect the dots biblically, I promise.

Perhaps you are already familiar with the BDS Movement against Israel.  Or perhaps you have no idea what I am talking about. If not, it is time to unpack this movement so you can understand what is going on today.

BDS stands for Boycott, Divest, and Sanction.  It is merely a continuation of 4000 years of hatred that is inspired by satan himself, who knows his time window for mischief is short.  This time, it is wrapped in "justice for Palestine" packaging, but when it is seen for what it is, you can see that there is nothing new under the sun.

The early boycott movement began before Israel was a nation, when the Arab League voted on December 2, 1945, to boycott Zionist goods in the British Mandate of Palestine.  When Israel became a legal nation in 1948, the Arab League broadened the boycott to include all companies throughout the world that do business with Israel, as well as their business partners. 

The objective was to isolate the Jewish state from the international community, as well as to inflict economic harm.

Drats.  It didn't work, as Israel became one of the most successful and prosperous nations in the world, despite being the size of a postage stamp and being surrounded by hostile enemies.  

In 2001, a new approach was begun by those who wished to destroy Israel as a nation.  Trying to legitimize their boycott, they adopted human rights language and falsely accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" and "apartheid."  

Let's just stop right there and look at several facts.

• Arabs living in Israel with full citizenship:  about 1,500,000.  
• Jews living with full citizenship (or no citizenship) in Jordan (formerly 77% of Palestine): 0. 
• Jews living in Saudi Arabia:  0.  (They are not even allowed in)
• Jews living in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, etc:  Maybe a handful.

After Israel became a nation, Jews that were living in these various Middle Eastern countries had to flee due to persecution, many with just the clothes on their backs.  The postage-stamp-sized country of Israel took them in and gave them citizenship.

Who cleansed who?  Who really practices apartheid?   SMH.   (That means Shakes My Head, in case you are like me and didn't know what it meant until I asked my children).

The BDS movement picked up steam in 2005 when a group of Arab Palestinian organizations formed a coalition (ironically, the same year that Israel vacated Gaza, which did NOT lead to peace but to the launching of many rockets into Israel and two wars).

Here are the stated goals and objectives of the BDS movement against Israel:

1. Ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall
2. Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality
3. Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Well, number 2 has already happened.  See above... remember the 1,500,000?  Some of them are members of the Knesset and one is even a judge on Israel's Supreme Court.

Numbers 1 and 3 have nothing to do with land or justice and everything to do with wiping out the Nation of Israel.  

Regarding number 1:  God gave Israel this land as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:7).  It is only right that Israel should "occupy" their God-given land.  The wall was erected as a protective measure, after the second Arab Intifada (uprising) in the early 2000s.  It cut down on the suicide bombers by at least 90 percent.  I travel frequently through Tijuana and see a similar wall to the one I saw in Bethlehem.  Nobody accuses Mexico or the United States as being "apartheid."  Also, that little blurb in number 1 about "All Arab lands"?  They don't just mean "the West Bank and Gaza." When you hear them at the rallies chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" they are referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean sea.  They mean all of Israel.

Regarding number 3:  The Arabs would have you believe that Resolution 194 is simply a call for the return to Israel by the Palestinian Arab people who fled when the surrounding Arab leadership initiated the war against Israel.  It's not.  Out of the 15 paragraphs of Resolution 194, only one paragraph dealt with the return of refugees.  One of the stipulations of that paragraph stated that the returning refugees be willing to live in peace with their neighbors.  There are numerous things that are very interesting to note about Number 3:

• Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen all voted against Resolution 194. 
• Israel is not mentioned at all by name in resolution 194.
• There is no call for justice for the many Jewish refugees that were forced to flee Middle Eastern countries after 1948. 
• No Arab country will offer citizenship to the Palestinian Arabs that were displaced by the war.
• 50,000 displaced Palestinian Arabs HAVE returned to Israel and gained citizenship.
• When they mean "refugee right of return" they do not mean the original 500,000-700,000 people who fled during the War of Independence.  They mean the 5 million descendants of them as well.  Goodbye Jewish demographic.

Moving on... Do you know about the BDS-sponsored Israeli Apartheid Week in colleges and universities?  In its own words, "Israeli Apartheid Week  (IAW) is an international series of events that seeks to raise awareness about Israel's apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign."

So there you have it.  This campaign takes place annually in Feb/March at colleges and universities across the US, Canada, Britain, South Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.  They bring in speakers and have all sorts of events and rallies that try to delegitimize the nation of Israel.

One of the saddest things about this insidious BDS malarkey is that CHURCHES have believed this nonsense and jumped on board.  Some of the churches that have voted to boycott Israel are Presbyterian USA, Church of Scotland, the worldwide United Methodist Churches, and most recently, the United Church of Christ.  In addition, many para-church organizations have jumped on board as well.

Do they not understand Genesis 12:3?  Isaiah 40:1?  The heart of our Lord in Matthew 23:39 as He WEPT over Jerusalem and His brethren?

So how does this connect to the Bible?  I alluded to it earlier when I said that satan knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12).  He has been trying to destroy the Jewish people since they became a nation thousands of years ago in Egypt. 

Revelation 12:17 gives us a little insight as to satan's order of attack (which incidentally parallels God's order of things... to the Jew first):  

And the dragon was enraged with the woman (Israel), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.  (That's us).  

Satan hates it that he just can't seem to win against Israel. 

In Revelation 3, the church at Philadelphia, the sixth of the seven churches, was commended for its faithfulness and was promised protection within the sphere of danger.  Maybe this is a stretch, but could that prophetic church example be connected to the sheep in Matthew 25, who blessed "the least of these my brethren?"  Brethren in Greek is adelphos, and literally means close kinsmen.  Philadelphia means loving the brethren.  Could this be why very few churches are actively blessing Israel and most are turning away from them... because it was prophesied in Revelation? One church in seven loving the brethren??

Psalm 83 gives us further insight into the motives of Israel's enemies.  It really isn't about land, or justice, or "apartheid."  It's about hatred.

You can read the Psalm on your own and see for yourselves the long list of Israel's surrounding enemies, but let me highlight two verses. 

Verse 4:  They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,

That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

Verse 12 (in referring to punishment for Israel's enemies)  Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”

Do you wish to stand firmly with Israel?  We need a BDS alternative!

How about this:  Bless, Defend, and Support!

Don't Be Ruthless

One of my very favorite Bible stories is the account of Ruth.  What a beautiful picture of how we Gentiles are to esteem Israel.  If you are part of the community of faith in the Messiah, I hope you will read on and take this to heart.  It matters, big time.

Ruth was a Moabite.  She belonged to a nation that was a bitter enemy of Israel.  But wait… let’s back up.

Naomi was an Israelite.  Or in a metaphorical sense, Naomi is Israel.   She left her homeland behind and encountered much bitterness in her journey.  It doesn’t require a degree in rocket science to make a connection between Naomi's life and the history of Israel's people since 70 AD.  In fact, while in exile, Naomi proclaimed that her name was to be Mara – meaning bitterness.

While away from her homeland, her life became entwined with two Gentile Moabite women.  Ruth and Orpah each married one of Naomi’s sons.  These women’s lives were changed because of Israel.  These women are a picture of the church.

While in exile, Naomi’s husband died, and Naomi’s sons died – the source of her bitterness.  However, in her bitterness, she was drawn back to her homeland.  Her daughters-in-law ventured out with her.  She urged them to return to their own people.  Strongly urged them.

So strongly that Orpah agreed and back she went to her people and her pagan ways. 

Ruth, however, vehemently declared that she would never leave Naomi.  In one of the most beautiful passages of scripture, often read at weddings, she declared that where Naomi went, she would go.  Naomi’s people would become her people.  She would die for and with Naomi.  She attached herself so firmly to Naomi – Israel – that there was no talking her out of it.

We know the rest of the story.  As Ruth lived out her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, God showed His faithfulness to Ruth.  She married Boaz – a kinsman redeemer and a picture of our Messiah.  They produced a child, Obed, who was placed on the knees of Naomi to redeem her from her former bitterness.  With great joy, Ruth and Naomi raised this child together – this child who would one day become the grandfather of King David, who of course is the forerunner of the Messiah Himself.

What about Orpah?  Scripture reveals nothing further about her after she turns away from Naomi.  But it is interesting to note that the Babylonian Talmud records her as being an ancestor of Goliath!

Whoa.  Think that one through.  David and Goliath.  We know who won that battle.

Ruth means friend.  Her friendship to Israel was obvious, and the Lord richly blessed her for it.

The meaning of Orpah is more obscure.  It can mean neck, or back of the neck, or stiff-necked. 

After David felled Goliath with the stone, how did he finish him off?  With a swift blow to the neck.

Christian friends, you want to get this one right.  The Bible has much to say about standing with Israel.  The separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 is written entirely within an end-times context.  When Yeshua spoke of “the least of these my brethren,” the word for brethren literally means His close kinsmen. 

You cannot love the Jewish Messiah and ignore His brethren.  The Bible leaves no room for neutrality.  It requires action – you cannot remain passive.

Comfort, yes, comfort My people, says your God.  Isaiah 40:1.

In Genesis 12:3, God said to Abraham (and later to Isaac and to Jacob, aka Israel), I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you I will curse.

The Hebrew uses one word for bless but two words for curse.  The literal meaning of the “curse” words is “I will curse him who does not esteem you.”  In other words - he who ignores, or treats as unimportant, or turns his back on - the nation of Israel. 

Ruth or Orpah.  Whom will you emulate?

God Answers!

I serve a faithful God.

I have been feeling a little dry spiritually, so yesterday, I took a prayer walk.  During my time with the Almighty, I asked Him to give my kids a kingdom spark.  A faith boost.  More motivation to seek Him and less motivation to pursue the world's distractions.

A few hours later, I noticed that my daughter had made a comment on social media about the goodness of God.  This was followed by an excited comment by my son, agreeing with her wholeheartedly.

Here is what happened.

My daughter was on her break at work.  She happened to strike up a conversation with an Asian woman who turned out to be a missionary from the Philippines.  My daughter was very blessed and encouraged by the conversation, and proceeded to give a $20 donation to the missionary.  The lady accepted the donation gratefully and offered my daughter a handmade bracelet.

After work, my daughter went over to my son's place of work and told him what happened.  His eyes got as big as saucers, and he proceeded to tell her what happened to him that day.

A missionary from Thailand had stopped by his work and had a conversation with him.  He told her he was blessed by the conversation, and offered her a donation of $20.  She accepted the donation gratefully, and proceeded to offer him a handmade necklace.

Sometimes God answers prayers immediately.  Other times, He asks us to wait.  This was an example of an immediate answer.

A reminder of God's faithfulness

At the end of the day, both kids came home with more than a spark for the Kingdom.  My daughter is even more excited about her upcoming mission trip and prayer internship, and my son is now making active plans to pursue missionary training.

Coincidence?  I think not.