Blossoming

As the old adage goes....."Bloom where you're planted!"

I remember the fleeting look she wore on her face, the day I brought the birthday bouquet.  I sensed her mind was running, wondering.  I even thought I glimpsed her mouth open and shut quickly again, as if just on the verge, but not quite ready to voice her thoughts.  I guessed she had something in mind.....for her wedding.

My best guess was that maybe she was going to ask me to make boutonnieres or wrist corsages, something I had learned to do for my sons and their dates for formals.  Right off, I knew I would decline.  I was just too slow to make multiples.  I considered that I was over-thinking, and totally misreading what I had observed, but the following week, came the e-mail.....

Alethia's bridal bouquet

"Question!".....read the subject.  Amidst a sweet message came the most dear and humble request .....would I be willing to fix her bridal bouquet for her wedding?  What!  This is what she had been wondering when she saw the birthday bouquet I had arranged for Cindy?  This was something I had never done,  never expected, and had never even imagined doing.....ever.  There was no pressure at all in her message, just an invitation to dream.....to grow.....to blossom! 

To be invited to use the flowers from my own garden for Alethia's bridal bouquet.....to be given her trust for something so important .....and to hear her say in her message that she would be honored by this?  Why, I was the one who was honored!  To give of what I had, to know it could bless this remarkable, godly couple who were walking a narrow road in uncommon purity!.....I was humbled.

I had many questions.  Did I have the right color flowers for her palette?  What if the right blooms were not blooming when I needed them?  I had questions about timing and delivery and style.....but these concerns I set aside and answered in faith, "Yes, it would be an honor!"  I knew there would be many unknowns, but I trusted that the Creator, would be my guide.  I would trust his infinite wisdom.  I would serve with his help and inspiration.

Made with love to bless an extraordinary bride

The wedding-morning promised an uncommonly hot day ahead, but under a gorgeous blue sky with snowy-white thunderheads in the distance, I went out on my flower-finding expedition.  Blooms and buds and greens found their way into my buckets of waiting water.  I gathered from my yard, from my mom's flower garden across the street and from a neighbor who had given permission for me to use her peach-colored roses.  My kitchen became my floral station.

I set to work with rosemary and roses, heliotrope and hydrangeas, purple status and the gone-to-seed, fuzzy spheres and sunny blooms of gaillardia.  I added the variegated leaves of nandina and dwarf Japanese maple. On a whim I picked a couple of dainty purple blooms from the neighbors' that I thought looked so pretty, but at the reception, when I was finally able to take a few photos, I disappointingly realized they didn't hold up well.....oh well.  Next time....wait.....what am I saying? 

Paper roses - from worship music

Along with these, I added the bride's special request.....paper roses which I had made with great love and attention to detail.....to coordinate with the boutonnieres and the mother's wrist corsages. These too, have a message to tell.....but that's a story for another day.....Paper Petal Praise and Worship.

When the paper roses, the greens, and the peach, lavender and rosy palette had come together, the stems were wrapped in burlap, lace and twine.  I set the finished bouquet in a Kerr glass canning jar and delivered it to the happy bride.  The process had taken much longer than I had anticipated, and the experience had stretched me, but I did it!  I was done, and I was pleased.

homesweethome. Oh this little space we get to call ours.

Later that afternoon, under the canopies of the chuppah, the old, oak trees, and the blue skies above, a radiant young bride and her adoring groom, made covenant to one another before many witnesses under the canopy of their Father's love.  Holy and symbolic, the ceremony painted a picture of our Messiah's return.  The bridal bouquet suited the romantic, natural style of the setting.....it was but one of many blessings that had been showered upon this inspiring couple, who had saved their first kiss for their wedding day. 

Days after the wedding, I viewed a photo the new bride had posted.  There, displayed on her cheery, little, kitchen corner was the bridal bouquet!  As I read her sweet little hashtag and caption, I felt the blessings come back my way once again.  Back and forth, the blessings flowed, and I praised the LORD for the joy he had given.                      .

I am so grateful to the LORD for the time and resources and gifts he has given to me.  I thank him that he continues to nurture me so that I can grow and bud and blossom. I thank the LORD for my supportive husband who has given me such freedom for creativity.  I know I am blessed.....to be a blessing.....to take what the LORD has given to me and pour it out again.  

"May you bloom and grow
bloom and grow forever!"

Rogers & Hammerstein - Edelweiss

You can check out my young bride-friend's beautiful, inspirational blog at:  

http://alethialov.tumblr.com 
See her 'Forever' page for wedding and flower pics!

Foolish, Weak and Lowly

For Kris & Alethia - whose consecrated love inspired me 

An accomplished artist once laughed at me when I told him I wanted to paint hearts.  Then he hung his head, put his face in his hands and just shook his head from side-to-side.  It was obvious that he thought my idea was ridiculous.....not worthy to be called art.  

Then I shared one of my ideas with him.....not a cutesy idea.....but a symbolically spiritual and biblical one.  I remember the look he wore on his face after hearing me out.  I sensed he was taken aback.  Then in all seriousness and with new resolve, he looked me in the eyes and stated, "Okay, if you're going to paint hearts .....then paint hearts and hearts and hearts!"  He proceeded to share a few ideas.....which I took to heart.

 

Ephesians 5 - Wives & Husbands

Someone very intelligent once told me that artists don't write about their own work.  Very knowingly, she persuaded me to buy a mini tape-recorder, so I could speak my thoughts about my work rather than write them down. That way, someone skillful could script my thoughts into written words for me.  

Although deep down I believed I could write for myself, because I had often penned beautiful blessings to people I wanted to encourage, I heeded the counsel of this advice-giving woman and bought the little tape recorder just as she had suggested.  But.....when I turned it on to speak.....I couldn't say a thing!  Not a thing!  So.....I began writing and writing and writing.....about my own art.

"Love is Meant to Grow" - Set 3***

 In both of these situations I found myself stifled, I found myself misdirected and I found myself looked down upon as foolish, weak, and lowly.  Initially I agreed that I was not enough, but then I found myself.....in HIM.....putty in the Potter's hands!

1 Corinthians 13 - "The Love Chapter"

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him."

1 Corinthians 1:27-29

  It's easy to doubt our self-worth when we compare ourselves to someone who seems smarter, stronger, or superior.  Sometimes, I look at my hearts and think that maybe they're just cutesy and cliche.....and not really art.  But then I ask, "Does it really matter?"  Whatever label my creativity is given, if God can use it for His glory, then a label doesn't matter.  What does matter is why I do what I do and Who I am doing it for.  The important thing really is.....a matter of the heart!  

".....the greatest of these is love."

A cartoon character from a children's book once inspired me.....to overcome the fear of failure.....to take a pass on perfectionism.....and to just give what I've got.  In a short but sweet and simple picture book, entitled The Dot, Peter Reynolds tells the tale of a little girl who assumed she had no artistic abilities whatsoever.  The only mark she dared to put on her piece of paper was a dot!  Trusting then, that she could do better, she began painting and painting and painting.....a whole series of dots!  In the process, her enthusiasm grew, as did her joy and confidence!  By the end of this tale, the little artist was encouraging another beginner, one who was afraid to make his mark!  The Dot encouraged me to give what I've got, do what I can do, and enjoy the success of little things....not just in art.....but in life.

I have learned that I don't need to be better than someone else.  I don't need fame or fortune.  I don't need to be afraid of failure, and I don't need to be perfect.  In fact, even if I am looked upon as foolish, weak and lowly.....it's OK.....because in the hands of my Maker, my little is much! 

"The Dot" - See it, hear it, watch it, in this short and sweet, animated video!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5mGeR4AQdM

Set 1

"Love is Meant to Grow" has become my version of "The Dot."  I didn't set out to create a series, it just evolved as I experimented with variations.....like the little girl in "The Dot".....and I suspect there may be more to come.  

Love is Meant to Grow - Set 2**

Following "Love is Meant to Grow"  - Set 1*, I painted a very colorful version, Set 2**, planning to give it to a special young couple who exemplified the heart of the message I purposed to convey in this series. However, when I was done, I sensed that the bright colors weren't really wasn't suited to their taste, so I started over again with something much more fitting. 

"Love is Meant to Grow" - Set 3*** is my third take on this series. So far, it is my favorite and most meaningful, because this time around I chose Bible passages, that focus on love, as the background for the hearts. Set 3*** is the set I gave my young friends as a wedding gift.

To read the message behind "Love is Meant to Grow" go to:  http://kimsheartstrings.blogspot.com/2014/09/love-is-meant-to-grow.html

You can check out my young bride-friend's beautiful and inspirational blog at:  
http://alethialov.tumblr.com/tagged/personal

Who's Knocking?

".....knock and the door will be opened to you."  Luke 11:10

I remember with fondness, sitting in those pint-sized children's chairs on Sunday mornings.  I remember my loving teachers, the Bible stories, and the fascinating figures on the flannel graph.  I remember the offering time, and the "birthday pennies" that children would drop one-by-one into the little, white, church bank while we would count aloud, and.....I remember the songs.....on big, colorful visuals that we took turns holding.  I loved Sunday School. 

I loved Sunday School songs.  I took them to heart, and they are imbedded in my memory to this day. The chorus of one song, in particular, brought a life-changing picture to my mind, "Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock."  When we sang about Jesus knocking on the doors of our hearts, all the children would knock on our chairs in time with the music.  I didn't just sing the song or picture it in my mind.....I believed it!  I wanted Jesus to live in my heart, and I wanted to follow him! 

From my youth, I can remember nothing other than having a faith in Jesus as my Savior.  I praise God for His goodness to me in raising me in a Christian home, in a Christian church and in a Christian school.  I've been loved and guided and influenced by extended family, books and radio ministries and many, many people who have poured into my life.  I've participated in youth groups, Bible studies, mission trips, and many other wonderful, faith-enriching activities.  I never doubted my beliefs, or questioned the doctrines I had grown up with.....until.....

It was in my forties that I started to question a point of doctrine that I had always believed in.....the doctrine of infant baptism.  As an artist, being very aware of symbolism, I had noticed that the symbolic image of water being sprinkled on a baby pictured cleansing from sin, yet what I really saw taking place was a child being dedicated to the LORD.  My questioning took me on a journey from doctrine, to Scripture, to history.....looking, searching, seeking.  "If scripturally baptism signifies repentance,cleansing from sin, and spiritual rebirth," I wondered, "who started the practice of baptizing incognizant infants?  Why, when, and by whom did this ritual begin of replacing circumcision with baptism?  Was this really taught by Jesus and His disciples?"  I had an inquiring mind and I wanted to know!

One question led to another and I started to wonder about other things too, like Sunday-sabbath and traditional Christian holidays.  I wondered why the Christianity of today resembles the Roman Catholic Church in its traditions so much more than it mirrors that of the early church.  Was Jesus Catholic?  So, why don't we follow the practices of Jesus and his disciples?  Why are we are called Christians, meaning followers of Christ, if we not following Jesus by imitating him?  Isn't that what defines a disciple?  If we are grafted into Israel, why then have I grown up so disconnected to Israel and the biblical traditions?  

 

In my studies, I began to see that the Jesus I had invited into my heart, the Jesus that I had been following all my life looked very much like me.....a Christian.  But why, I wondered, did I not look very much like him?  Why didn't I even know his real name?.....his prophetic, God-given, birth name....."Yeshua".....meaning "Savior!"  Very truly I have grown up, barely cognizant of Jesus being Jewish.....when in fact, Rabbi Yeshua obeyed faultlessly all the laws and customs that God had given by everlasting covenant to his people through Moses.  Why have I not worshiped on the Lord's appointed day or honored the Lord's appointed festival days as Yeshua did and taught?  Why do these days of prophecy, fulfillment and things to come go largely unnoticed in the church?

These questions and more, I've been asking, researching, seeking and finding answers to.  I've been growing in my understanding and appreciation of biblical holy days as I've begun to celebrate them.  While I don't believe everything I've grown up with is wrong, I don't think it's all right either.  I'm willing to admit that the slithery Serpent has found footholds, even in the church.  He has caused us to call into question the infallible, enduring Word of God in much the same manner he provoked Eve in Paradise with, "Did God really say.....?"  I am willing to admit that paganism has been very influential in shaping our Christian traditions.  I am willing to admit that some traditional teachings have been based on biases against the Jewish people.  

Bean-bags were tossed while singing the Wordless Book Song

Although the journey is not an easy one, as for me, in the same manner that the church would expect a convert to Christianity to surrender from his old way of thinking and living, and live a new life, I am willing to surrender from traditions and teachings which I find untrustworthy.  My foundation remains the solid rock of Scripture, the same Scripture that I have always trusted, the same Scripture  Rabbi Yeshua and his followers followed and based their teachings on, the same Scriptures which Rabbi Shaul (Paul) endorsed when he said, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." -  2 Timothy 3:16

If you've heard him knocking, 
if you've opened the door of your heart.....

.....then you, too, have a Torah-observant, Jewish guy dwelling within you!

   

*The 4'x16" collage/painting was a piece I worked on at a community children's outreach event a number of  years ago.  It features the Wordless Book Song, a favorite of mine from my Sunday School days.  Of course, I fashioned it into my heart theme, as well!

Love is Meant to Grow

A few years ago I sat before three small, blank, black, canvases, my mind empty of inspiration.  My friend and I had gathered with supplies at my kitchen table, both prepared to do a little painting.  She had come to my house for inspiration, but I, myself, had no idea of what I wanted to paint.

As we prepared for the process, we shared what was on our hearts, and then we decided to spend a little time in prayer to set before the Father the things that concerned us.  It was something my friend said in prayer that suddenly gave me the idea I needed to get started.  It was a small phrase that brought a picture to my mind.....simple, yet at the same time, deep and profound.

The words that captured my imagination were, "Love is meant to grow."  With these words I saw in my mind three hearts that got progressively bigger, with the word "LOVE" on each, increasing in size.  

 What I understood by this phrase is that God's love is un-ending, and that our relationship with Him is meant to become deeper and greater as we learn to trust and obey Him more fully.  It's a continual process.  The more we trust and obey.....the more trusting and more obedient we become.....as by faith we witness firsthand God's goodness and faithfulness.  

I saw another concept in my mind through this visual image.  I saw the ideal way a human relationship is supposed to grow in love.  Particularly, I recognized the way love should grow between a man and a woman.  As the bride of Messiah is called to keep herself pure for her coming Bridegroom, so too should a couple remain pure and spotless for one another until the day they make a covenant before God through marriage.  Growing love is meant to last a lifetime.

I painted this second series to honor of a young couple who has conducted their relationship in the most godly way I have ever witnessed.....they exemplify the concepts that I saw in this design.  In a few days, they will seal their marriage covenant .....with their first kiss....a symbol of their reverent purity before our holy God. Their relationship is a beautiful testimony of God's goodness.

So, what should a growing love look like in our lives?

And how should our love be demonstrated?

 In Matthew 22:35-40 the teachers of the law asked our Teacher and Savior essentially these same questions.  Rabbi Yeshua answered them by referring to the commandments of Torah.  Quoting from the Word of God, he answered, 

"Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind, 
this is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it:  
"Love your neighbor as yourself."

John sums it up by saying, 
"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands."

May we learn to trust and obey more fully,
and may the LOVE we have for God 
and one another.....

grow

and grow

and grow!!!

Dedicated to Kris and Alethia 

You can check out Alethia's beautiful and inspirational blog at:  

http://alethialov.tumblr.com/tagged/personal

Walkin' the Walk

Walking.....it's what I do every day.  For me it's therapeutic, healing, and refreshing for my mind, body, soul and spirit.  I walk every day, because I feel I need it every day, and here in  Southern California, there's not much in the line of weather to prevent this healthy habit.  Most days my mom is my walking buddy.  We're a team.....so much so that if the neighbors see me without my mom, they'll often comment, "Hey, where's your mom?"

1995 - In their jammies on a summer evening walk.

Walking is a habit that I picked up from my mom and my mom from her mom.  It started for me way back in high school, when I chose to walk to and from school, rather than taking the bus.  Since that time, walking has been my most tried and true form of exercise.  

When I was newly married, I worked out in a gym, but after baby number one, going off to the gym didn't work so well, and plus, I liked getting out with my boys.  I started going for walks with the baby in the stroller, and later it was a stroller and a Big Wheel.  I've walked with two in a single stroller, with my kids on their little bikes, with a dog, with boys on scooters, and at times, I've even strapped on roller blades to keep up while pushing a stroller.  It's been a long time since I've walked a dog or pushed a stroller around the neighborhood, but I have to say it's pretty nice to be able to swing my arms and walk freely. 

2001 - My third little walking buddy.

Every afternoon I prepare to match the weather, whether it's warm, cold or in-between.  In the winter I may even be seen wearing gloves and a scarf or a hat to keep warm.  (Whenever I do I think how some, in cold and snowy places, would think I'm pretty funny.....but it feels good to this California girl!)  I love looking at the sky, admiring the sunsets, noticing the flowers and greeting the neighbors.  Of course talking and walking go well together, so my mom and I share about life as we walk.  When I'm alone on my walks, I like to spend time "talking" with my Heavenly Father. 

Sometimes on our walks, my mom and I stop to chat a bit with the neighbors.  Of course stopping breaks the momentum, but we try to balance the benefit of walking with the value of making time for people.  Over the years, we have formed a good many relationships in the neighborhood because of the fact that we walk so regularly.  It's been funny when people, who we rarely see, comment that they see us walking all the time.  They may sometimes see us even when we can't see them.  

Walking.....we do it every day.....literally but symbolically too.  In the way we live, we walk out our beliefs, our values, and our faith.  Sometimes we feel alone, sometimes we walk in fellowship.  Sometimes we are faithful to obey our Heavenly Father, other times not so much.  Just as walking for exercise is a discipline, faith-walking requires habitual sacrifice and endurance.  One step at a time, one obedient decision after another.....this is the exercise that builds our faith.   

May we learn to walk as little children, truly trusting in our Father's love for us.  

Help us LORD to be ever faithful.....to trust and obey!

 

The tried-and-true message of this old tune takes me on a trip down memory lane.  In my mind's eye I see seasoned saints who walked the walk of faith and who in doing so modeled for me what trust and obedience look like. I see my grandparents, parents, extended family and church family, and my Christian school teachers.....a community of faith.  

For such a plethora of people who have led and guided me, I thank the LORD.  

May I too be a faithful witness.....for His kingdom and for His glory!

Heaven's Time

The heavens declare the glory of God,

the dome of the sky speaks the work of His hands.

Every day it utters speech,

every night it reveals knowledge. 

Psalm 19:1,2

In recent years, I've become somewhat of a moon-watcher.  I've begun taking notice of the cycles of the moon, the waxing and the waning, and the new moons and the full moons, all the while acknowledging that God uses His creation to teach us spiritual truths.  So, when the news of a tetrad of blood moons occurring on God's holy days reached my ears, I was most fascinated, because I'd already been learning in my observations and studies that the moon speaks volumes.....as God's heavenly timepiece! 

Out for my moon watch.

I've come to realize that the moon carries far more significance than what I have previously understood.  I now comprehend that God made the sun and the moon as signs.....for marking time.....so that we can commemorate His special dates.  Leviticus 23 teaches us that Sabbath, which was established from creation to be celebrated on the seventh day of each week, is one of God's special appointed days, and additionally there are seven other divine appointments that are meant to be times of joy and reflection, intimacy and revelation, prophecy and fulfillment of things to come.

The cycles of the moon are heavenly indicators..... calling out the times of the appointed festivals of the LORD.  Although many claim that these days are "Jewish holidays," the Scripture designates them as belonging to the LORD.  The LORD's divine appointments, marked by the lunar calendar, are cyclical times of looking backward and forward, in observance of what the LORD has done and of what He yet will do.  These experiential "dates with God" were created to prepare our hearts and to sanctify our lives in preparation for the coming of our Heavenly Bridegroom.  The divine appointments were instructed by God to be  "a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live."  Doesn't this testify as to how very important these dates are to Him?

God's timepiece for marking sacred times, dates and years.

Our Jewish Messiah and his disciples observed the Father's divine appointments, and so did the early believers in Jesus (Yeshua).  They were members of synagogs and observed the feasts of the LORD right along with the rest of the Jews.  The early "church" (actually a sect of Judaism) included many Gentile believers who knew that they had been grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel.  So here's the big question for us today:  Why are the "Jewish" dates and festivals so foreign to the Christian church and why doesn't the church observe the Biblical holidays?

From the earliest beginnings, the followers of Yeshua the Messiah were faced with many adversities.  Under Roman rule, antisemitism, persecution, martyrdom, imprisonment, torture, harsh laws against Judaism, against Torah and "Jewish holy days", divisions within Judaism leading to expulsion from the synagogs, all led to believers being pushed out to start new congregations.  Believing Gentiles, new to the faith and the Torah instructions, made up many of the new congregations as the gospel message was spread to the nations.  With the passage of time, and distance from the land, language, and culture of Israel, the divisions between Judaism and the new sect called "Christianity" became greater, and misunderstandings have grown over time. 

The great rift in "time-keeping" that we live by today became cemented when the Roman emperor, Constantine, created laws "Christianizing" pagan days of worship.  Along with a tactical purpose of uniting his expansive kingdom under the religion of the Roman Catholic Church, he wanted nothing to do with anything even remotely Jewish.  Ever since, the church has followed in the wake of this divisive decision.  Although it's hard to imagine that the church could find itself so far removed from its roots, we must remember that there is an enemy who is at war with God, the Jewish people and the church, an enemy who seeks to change God's times and laws.  As history has proved, our enemy is a devilish master at diversion and deception.

As I look into the heavens, and see a tetrad of blood moons, and solar eclipses scheduled to occur on God's divine calendar in 2014 - 2015, I see God speaking.....boldly yet silently.....magnificently yet gently.....in an unspoken, universal language.  It's as if God is highlighting in the heavens for all nations to see the glory and divinity of His appointed days. From my vantage point, the evidence is pretty undeniable, the Father still waits, patiently and graciously for his children to meet with Him on His terms.....to experience the beauty and the depths of His divine appointments.  

We as individuals and as a church, have gone our own way.  We have followed the traditions of man for many generations.  Change is not easy.....but we can turn around.  One Reformation was not enough.  We can't turn back the hands of time, but we can return.....to the roots of our faith, to the roots of Christianity, to the Father's calendar.....to meet with the LORD for His divine appointments.

 

"The Significance of the Blood Moons"   

Sunday, May 26, 2013:  Pastor Mark Biltz

 







The series of photos of the moon "turning to blood" are the photos I took on Passover 2014.  The blood moon overhead fascinated me, as I remembered that first Passover night.....when the blood of the innocent lambs on the doorposts protected the firstborns when the Angel of Death PASSed OVER their homes.  Today, we put our trust in the blood of Yeshua, our Passover Lamb, as it is applied to the doorposts of our hearts.











Special thanks to Brendan Algra for your great photo of the partial moon - with craters included (it was the inspiration for me to buy a camera just like his) and to Alethia Lovato for making my pictures move!  I found the u-tube video, "The Significance of the Blood Moons" by Pastor Mark Biltz, very helpful in understanding God's way of marking time.

A Taste of Heaven

Ten eager women gathered around the table.  A giant bag of flour served as the centerpiece, along with bags of sugar and yeast, various sets of measuring cups and spoons, and large mixing bowls.   With sleeves pushed up, we had come to learn about the ancient tradition of bread-making.....but this was not just any bread were about to make.....this was a challah bread-baking lesson!  Many spiritual lessons are woven into the tradition of baking challah bread.

Separating the dough.

After the kneading process came a small, but greatly significant step.....the act of separating a small portion of dough from the lump.  Separating the dough is called "hafrashat challah" in Hebrew, and herein lies the source from which challah bread gets its name.  A small portion of dough is to be set aside, 'wasted' and burned up unto the LORD according to his commanded instructions.  This reminder portion signifies our desire to give what we have to the LORD.  Like a tithe given in obedience and trust, this offering is dedicated to the LORD in acknowledgement that all we have is a gift from him.

The reminder portion.

The Jewish tradition of baking challah bread dates back 3,500 years when the LORD spoke to Moses saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land to which I bring you, and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD.....Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.'"  Numbers 15:18,19,21

We divided the lump into six portions.

We formed six strands.

Next, we divided the remainder of our dough into six equal parts.  Each of these parts we rolled out into long coils.  We were taught that these six strands symbolized, among other things, the six days of creation, from which man was separated and set apart.....like the challah.  As we wove the individual strands together into one, with the guidance of our leader, we were able to achieve beautifully braided loaves which are representative of the unity that exists within creation and within the body of believers.

Beginning a six-stranded braid.

Braiding lessons.

I was thrilled with my beautiful braid!

With the aroma of fresh bread filling the air, the table was set for a meal together.  We were about to experience a taste of Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner, which begins at sundown  on Friday evening.  Ideally as Shabbat begins, work has halted, the table is set, the food is ready, and candles are lit to welcome the most sacred day of the week.  The keeping of this day is a perpetual covenant.  It's a weekly reminder that God ceased from the work of creation on the seventh day.  It's a time to assemble together for worship and rejoicing, and it's a time to prepare our hearts for the coming kingdom of heaven when all our striving will cease.

The two loaves, which traditionally grace the table at a Shabbat dinner, bring to mind the LORD's heavenly provision of a double-portion of manna for the Israelites on the day before the Sabbath.  This double-portion of bread from heaven granted God's people a day of rest on the seventh day.  The twelve strands are also representative of God's chosen people - the twelve tribes of Israel.  In connection with this, the twelve strands recall the twelve loaves that were replaced on the Table of Showbread in the tabernacle and in the Temple each Sabbath.

Delicious challah - infused with tradition and symbolism.

Prophetically, challah bread points to the Messiah who came as Bread from Heaven.  Born in Bethlehem (literally - House of Bread), he is our Bread of Life, our true and lasting sustenance.  Like the little piece of dough that is wasted, burned up, and given to the LORD, the Savior gave his life as an offering.  He took our punishment for sin and tasted death so that we could taste Life.

Like challah, believers are called to be separate and dedicated unto the LORD.  Like Yeshua (Jesus), we are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God .  When challah is served, each person pulls apart a portion for himself.  This is a reminder that we as believers are bonded together in love.  We are the body of Messiah. 

Jesus answered, “I am the bread which is life! Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever trusts in me will never be thirsty.      John 6:35

Yeshua the Messiah - He is our taste of heaven!

 

*Challah bread recipes vary and can be braided into many different shapes and forms to celebrate special days and feast times.