Showing posts with label Mary Smith. Show all posts

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Resurrection Celebration - A Testimony Shared

LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE NOTE: I received this in my email on April 20, 2017, from a Charleston, SC resident (my sister!). I thought you'd enjoy reading it too.

Steve Martin

President

Love For His People

I wanted to encourage you with my story...

The week of the Resurrection was a normal one at work...lots of complaining and fussing with the coworkers. On Tuesday I felt the Lord "whisper in my ear", to buy everyone a Resurrection card and invite them to church. Now at Christmas time we all exchange gifts and the 'Christmas Spirit" for the most part is pretty strong in the office with everyone smiling and being more pleasant.

Well this time of year is pretty busy and most of the employees are not so very happy under the strain and stress. So when the Lord told me to do this, I was at first excited ( I was still at home), then when I got to work I thought, no, I don't want to do that, nobody is interested nor care.

Then the next day, Wednesday, I heard Him tell me to do it again. So out of obedience and the challenge you had given us at church, I took my break and went to the Dollar Tree to pick out my cards and to buy everyone a full size candy bar to tape to the envelope. Well I needed 15 cards and there was the PERFECT card ( AND exactly 15 of them!) that said on the front "You are a special gift made from God above".

I was so excited! I picked out about 20 different candy bars and went to my car. I addressed each envelope and wrote inside each in my car. When I went inside my office, I started to work on typing up an invitation to say if they did not have a church to celebrate Christ Resurrection I would love to have them come visit mine and I gave the name, address and time of our service. I copied to about 4 on a page and printed it out on purple paper.

Now the miraculous of all this time is NOBODY came in to interrupt me and the phone did not ring! Now that doesn't happen! I was able to tape the candy to each card after cutting and inserting the invite without any asking what was I doing.

What happened next was spectacular!

I walked around and handed each their card, calling it an Easter Basket, when I got looks of surprise. Well, what happened was it CHANGED the atmosphere in there! It was awesome! People said thank you and gave me hugs and 3 said I gave them the perfect candy of their choice (Holy Spirit led, right!?). I was so blessed...and all because I was obedient! One even said they would like sometime to join me at church.

And then the topping on the cake was serving communion at church. What an honor we have to serve His body and blood to the family of God! That the Lord wanted to share of Himself so intimately.

Thank you Jon for all you do and sacrifice for His body!

Have a wonderful day!

Have a blessed day,

Mary

Friday, April 11, 2014

Congratulations from Sweden & Others - on the Celebration of our 4th Year Anniversary of Love for His People

Shalom Steve and Laurie!

I want to congratulate you, your wife and also other people involved in the ministry "Love For His People"! Thank you so much to you and your wife for starting this ministry and that you are moving forward with Yeshua in strong passion for Him!

Thank you for blessing many people and that you bless Israel and the Jewish people strong in a time of increasing anti-semitism!

Thank you for following Yeshua in working in this ministry. Thank you to your wife and you for being so mature leaders in a time when several are not and for your love to Yeshua! God will give you back for what you have sown into the Kingdom of God and your reward is big in heaven!

Maybe I have a word for you. Please check all words! I think it is a new time for you! God will show you new things! Isaiah 43:18-19. I am thinking about that God is rejoicing so much over you! I also think Yeshua is celebrating today!

I send many blessings to you, your wife, family and to people involved in this ministry! Thank you so much, Steve and this greeting to your wife, too, for starting this ministry!

Shalom!

Eva Haglund

Sweden

MANY CONGRATULATIONS AND

BLESSINGS FROM SWEDEN!

From Others Who Sent In Blessings

Curtis Loftin, Beit Yeshua
Lincolnton, NC

Steve,

Congratulations! In some ways it's hard to believe it's been four years - my how time flies! Your accomplishments in four years have been astounding and very impressive. Way to Go! We're so pleased to call you "friend". Adonai's continued blessings upon all that you do. B'Shem Yeshua.
Shalom,
Curtis

Cathy Hargett, Highway To Zion, Charlotte, NC

Bless you, Brother! I will be reading all of this in detail later but wanted to immediately say Mazel Tov and to tell you and Laurie how blessed I am to have you in my life and to be on this journey together. You have persevered and He has given you much fruit for your labors. Bless you all day long! Love you! Cathy.

PS Which of your books is the one that has the large amount of photos? (Book - "Now Think On This - The Inspiration Continues" has over 165 photos.)

Peter Wyns, Christians For Messiah Ministries, Antioch Intl. Church - Fort Mill, SC

Well Done Steve,

Keep up the good work for Israel.

Thank you for your support for Antioch’s first Sunday.

Many Blessings,

Peter

Mary L. Smith, Charleston, SC
VERY NICE Steve!! Great work!! Love you!!
Have a blessed day,
Mary

Karla Shrake, Mantles of Glory Ministries, Fort Worth, TX

Hello Steve,

Congrats on the four-year mark, that is awesome. It is amazing all the publishing and all the media sites and development you are doing ....and doing so well...glory to God!

Your four books being published and all the other made me remember how God spoke of you as Jacob/Israel while he had to serve Laban...and then was tricked into serving Laban again. But how God gave him that supernatural strategy of putting the rods in front of the sheep, etc. so they would reproduce, etc to Jacob's benefit. When you first sent me the finishing of the fourth book, the photo of all four together, that’s what instantly came back to my spirit /mind...about how the flocks and herds had supernaturally reproduced and increased, I do think that was definitely a Holy Ghost thought.

And the awesome tours to Israel, and your ministry "Love for His People". Good-good-good! Rejoicing with you and believing for more and more doors of teaching, mentoring, touring and traveling to open for you and Laurie.

Blessings to you and Laurie --

Karla

Moses Jilius, Shalom today Worldwide Ministries, Pakistan (Lehore)

Dear Brother Steve!

Well done, Brother and your coworker! I can't express how much I appreciate your efforts. It's great to have someone as special as you to work for His People. I am proud to be a part of your organization.

Yes the same thing was happened to me since 2011 when God spoke to me to Work for His people here in Pakistan.

Congratulation with depth of my heart,

Love and Blessing Emoji

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Family. Heritage. Legacy.

Family is good.

Heritage is great.

Legacy lives on.

Steve Martin

Love For His People

The Martins early start...

Dad, Mom, Sue, Steve and Mary

1956

Sue, Steve, Mary, Tom, Colleen, Janet

...as the family grows.

1964

The Subra family - Mom's side

at Minnesota Annual Reunion

2013

Dad's side (Dad is front right with Mom behind him.)

- two older sisters, older brother and spouses

1995

Mary, Steve and Sue

- the oldest of the 8 Martin kids

Aug. 2013 Charlotte, NC

Thanks Mom for sending the black and whites! Love you, Steve

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sukkot - Succot - Feast of Tabernacles - Feast of Booths (all the same!) - Begins 09.18.13

Happy Sukkot

from Love For His People!

A Succot Celebration in 2009

with Barry & Batya Segal in Jerusalem

Photo by Steve Martin)

Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem

(Steve Martin and sister Mary Smith)

Jerusalem March during Feast of Tabernacles

(Photo by Steve Martin, 2009 in Jerusalem)

Sukkot

Jewish Holidays: Table of Contents | Upcoming Dates | Festivals in Israel

The Festival of Sukkot begins on the 15th day of Tishri and is the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is a drastic transition from one of the most solemn holidays in the Jewish calendar to one of the most joyous.

Introduction

Sukkot is a seven day holiday and the two days following the festival - Shemini Atzeret and Simkhat Torah - are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot but are actually separate holidays. Sukkot is sometimes referred to as Zeman Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing.

The word "Sukkot" means "booths," and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday. The name of the holiday is frequently translated "The Feast of Tabernacles," which, like many translations of technical Jewish terms, isn't terribly useful unless you already know what the term is referring to. The Hebrew pronunciation of Sukkot is "Sue COAT," but is often pronounced as in Yiddish, to rhyme with "BOOK us."

Like Passover and Shavu'ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a harvest festival, and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering.

The festival of Sukkot is instituted in Leviticus 23:33 et seq. No work is permitted on the first and second days of the holiday. Work is permitted on the remaining days. These intermediate days on which work is permitted are referred to as Chol Ha-Mo'ed, as are the intermediate days of Passover.

The Sukkah

In honor of the holiday's historical significance, we are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as our ancestors did in the wilderness. The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permit, one should live in the sukkah as much as possible, including sleeping in it.

A sukkah must have at least three walls covered with a material that will not blow away in the wind. Canvas covering tied or nailed down is acceptable and quite common in the United States. A sukkah may be any size, so long as it is large enough for you to fulfill the commandment of dwelling in it. The roof of the sukkah must be made of material referred to as sekhakh (literally, covering). To fulfill the commandment, sekhakh must be something that grew from the ground and was cut off, such as tree branches, corn stalks, bamboo reeds, sticks, or two-by-fours. Sekhakh must be left loose, not tied together or tied down. Sekhakh must be placed sparsely enough that rain can get in, and preferably sparsely enough that the stars can be seen, but not so sparsely that more than ten inches is open at any point or that there is more light than shade. The sekhakh must be put on last.

It is common practice, and highly commendable, to decorate the sukkah. In the northeastern United States, Jews commonly hang dried squash and corn in the sukkah to decorate it, because these vegetables are readily available at that time for the American holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Building and decorating a sukkah is a fun, family project, much like decorating the Christmas tree is for Christians. It is a sad commentary on modern American Judaismthat most of the highly assimilated Jews who complain about being deprived of the fun of having and decorating a Christmas tree have never even heard of Sukkot.

The following blessing is recited when eating a meal in the sukkah:

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher
kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu leisheiv basukkah.

Many Americans, upon seeing a decorated sukkah for the first time, remark on how much the sukkah (and the holiday generally) reminds them of Thanksgiving. This is not entirely coincidental. Our American pilgrims, who originated the Thanksgiving holiday, were deeply religious people. When they were trying to find a way to express their thanks for their survival and for the harvest, they looked to the Bible for an appropriate way of celebrating and based their holiday in part on Sukkot.

The Four Species

Another observance related to Sukkot involves what are known as The Four Species (arba minim in Hebrew) or the lulav and etrog. We are commanded to take these four plants and use them to "rejoice before the L-rd." The four species in question are an etrog (a citrus fruit native to Israel), a palm branch (in Hebrew, lulav), a myrtle branch (hadas) and a willow branch (arava).

The etrog (Photo by Steve Martin, 2009)

Every morning of Sukkot, except on Shabbat, it is the custom to hold the lulav in the right hand and the etrog in the left. Bringing them together (with the pitam, the stem of the etrog pointing downward), the following blessing is recited:

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher
kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al n'tilat lulav.

The four species are also held during the Hallel prayer in religious services, and are held during processions around thebimah (the pedestal where the Torah is read) each day during the holiday. These processions commemorate similar processions around the alter of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. The processions are known as Hoshanahs, because while the procession is made, we recite a prayer with the refrain, "Hosha na!" (please save us!). On the seventh day of Sukkot, seven circuits are made. For this reason, the seventh day of Sukkot is known as Hoshanah Rabbah (the great Hoshanah).

Sources: Judaism 101 and Cardin, Rabbi Nina Beth. The Tapestry of Jewish Time. NJ: Behrman House, 2000.

Inside a succa in Mevaserrat Zion, near Jerusalem

The following are photos of the Jerusalem March, held every year during the Feast of Tabernacles through the streets of Jerusalem. (Photos by Steve Martin, 2009)