Messianic Student Fellowship in Israel

The Messianic Student Fellowship in Israel

Israel Today

Monday, June 03, 2013 |  David Lazarus  

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Higher education has always played a pivotal role in the economic and social development of Israel. Decades before the state came into being, major institutions like the Technion in Haifa and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem were established to train up a new generation of Jewish professionals.

When Israel attained independence in 1948, these were the only two universities, educating a total of 1,600 students. Today there are more than 300,000 students enrolled at the country's 67 institutions of higher learning—and one Messianic Student Fellowship.

Until recently there were only a handful of Messianic Jews on campuses around Israel. Few in number and largely ostracized by their own people, the early Jewish followers of Jesus in Israel were perhaps just too busy trying to survive to think about going to college.Whatever the reasons, Lisa Loden, Chairperson of the Messianic Student Fellowship in Israel, says Messianic Jews in Israel did not give a high priority to higher education.

The full article appears in the current issue of Israel Today Magazine.

His Commitment Has Become Mine.

Commitment to His purposes for Israel and the Jewish people.

Jerusalem Western Wall (The Kotel) painting/poster

This poster measures 36" x 24" and hangs above my home office desk for Love For His People, Inc. 

I bought it around 1995 at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (John & Carol Arnott), when on a ministry trip with Mahesh Chavda (All Nations Church/Mahesh Chavda Ministries.)

The other photos that I have placed around the border are as follows:

1. Peter & Joy Wyns - top left hand corner, pastors of Antioch International Church in Fort Mill, SC where Laurie and I are members, and Beit Tikvah pastors

2. Merkebu Yeman and I (bottom right hand corner) near Jerusalem. Merku administrated the Medical Department at the Joseph Storehouse (Vision for Israel) near Jerusalem, founded by Barry & Batya Segal.

3. The photo of the Jewish family in the bottom middle was taken by me in 2009 when I was participating in the Jerusalem March (October Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot), with our Vision for Israel tour group. I love the little girl's expression - if you can see it. So sweet.)

4. The one picture to the right of the Jewish family photo was taken by me at the Western Wall, with an IDF soldier going to pray at the Kotel (Wall).One of my favorite places in the Jewish capital city of Jerusalem.

5. The postcard of the Jerusalem Old City Golden (Eastern) Gate, where Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) will return through in triumph (His 2nd coming), was bought by me on one of my 10 trips to Israel. I probably mailed it from Israel to my Charlotte home, so I would have the stamped postmark!

6. The photo of the wall mural on the left side (middle) was painted on the All Nations Church location, which we called "The Barn" in Charlotte, NC by Jerome Lucas, in 1995. 

It reads "By Thy favor, O Lord, build the walls of Jerusalem." 

The land on which The Barn was built on was sold in 1995, and the structure was torn down after only one year. I am glad I have this photo left (among others.) We held many all night prayer and praise "Watch of The Lord" Friday night meetings there (from 10 pm to 6 pm)!

7. The bottom left hand corner postcard is of the Israel national flag and the shofar.

I bought this watch online in 2004. I didn't want to wear it all the "time" (pun intended), but have decided to now. (When it "runs out of time", I will get a new one!)

This great piece of artwork, stitched embroidery on cloth, was given to me by a true friend in 1997, when I was the Administrator at All Nations Church in Charlotte, NC. It also hangs above my home office desk of Love For His People, Inc. (This desk IS the office desk of the ministry. I work at home for the ministry, in addition to my full time accounting job in uptown Charlotte.)

And finally, I want to share with you the story of my Star of David ring.

In 2004, while on a tour with Christian Friends of Israel (US), as a board member for the past 14 years at that time, I again visited the shop of my good friend Avraham Saidan, whom I had met a few years earlier. His son David ran the Judaica gift shop on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem. 

As I was looking at gifts to buy for family and friends, I noticed all the neat rings on one wall's shelf. I thought that would be a nice addition to my home collection of Israeli Jewish memorabilia. So I found this one, which fit on my finger.

When I got home, a few weeks later, I was looking at it, where I had placed it on my bedroom dresser. The Lord said to put it on. 

I said, "What?" 

He said, "Put it on." 

I responded, "That would be like marrying Israel. I am already married, and really don't need a second wife." In the good sense of the word. I knew about Abraham and others in the Bible.)

He responded, "From now on you ARE married to Israel and the Jewish people."

And I said, "Yes Lord."

And so I have worn my Star of David ring ever since. I am committed to Yeshua's purposes for Israel and His people. His commitment is also mine. 

Ahava to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

Note: In April of 2010 we started Love For His People, Inc. You can read more about that on this Blog, which was started in October, 2010.

Paul Wilbur - Shalom Jerusalem (full CD) - Messianic (Hosanna! Music)

Paul Wilbur - Messianic praise and worship music (Full CD)

Paul Wilbur - Holy Fire (full CD) - Hosanna! Music

Paul Wilbur - Messianic Praise & Worship Music

01 Holy Fire
02 Jesus Christ Is Lord
03 The Walls Will Come Down
04 The Heavens Must Roll Back
05 The Walls Will Come Down (reprise)
06 Say To The Mountain
07 Now Is The Time
08 Arise O Lord
09 He Shall Reign
10 Let Your Fire Fall
11 Draw Me Lord
12 He Binds The Broken Hearted
13 In Your Presence
14 He Binds The Broken Hearted (reprise)
15 The Fire Of Your Love
16 Burn In Me

Apostate Jewish man tries to sell his 'place in Heaven'

Friday, May 31, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Ari Mendel, a young Jewish man from the US who decided to turn his back on Judaism, tried to make a little money in the process by selling his "place in Heaven."

Mendel turned to the online marketplace eBay to offer his place in Heaven, including all the benefits Mendel believed himself to have acquired due to good deeds.

Mendel wrote in the details of the eBay sale that over the course of many years at yeshiva (Jewish seminary), he had done many "good deeds" before falling away from the "right path."

Mendel claimed he was conducting the sale to help others who might not have lived such a good life. Despite his claimed falling away from faith, Mendel asserted that "surely my place in Heaven is worth something."

In a statement that appeared to cross several socially-acceptable lines, Mendel invoked an anti-Semitic stereotype by demanding potential buyers not be "stingy Jews," and bid a reasonable price for what he insisted was so costly a reward.

By the time eBay put an end to the madness, bids for Mendel's "place in Heaven" had reached in excess of $100,000 USD. eBay officials halted the sale, stating that "the afterlife is not a tangible thing, and therefore cannot be sold."

John Denver: Timeless Songs (Includes My Sweet Lady and Poems, Prayers & Promises)

I just had to include this on my Blog, so I could listen to it without
leaving the site!

I don't fully agree with all of John Denver's lyrics and philosophy, but back in the '70s it was good music for one in high school and my brief college time.

I hope you ultimately met Jesus too as your Lord and Savior, John. If so, we can sing a few together when I get there.

Steve Martin
A singer, and one who loves the Lord's creation,
especially the mountains and forests in the fall.


A full set of John Denver's songs from the 1970s.

Includes my favorites:

Rocky Mountain High,
Poems, Prayers & Promises
My Sweet Lady
Welcome To My Morning

Published on Nov 24, 2012

This is the first Part of John Denver's Timeless Songs. Enjoy.

(00:00:00) 01. Leaving, On A Jet Plane
(00:03:35) 02. Take Me Home, Country Roads
(00:06:45) 03. Rocky Mountain High
(00:11:26) 04. Poems, Prayers And Promises
(00:15:29) 05. Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning)
(00:19:32) 06. Goodbye Again
(00:23:09) 07. Sunshine on my Shoulders
(00:28:23) 08. Back Home Again
(00:33:07) 09. Annie's Song
(00:36:06) 10. Sweet Surrender
(00:41:32) 11. Looking For Space
(00:45:33) 12. I'm Sorry
(00:49:04) 13. Fly Away
(00:53:13) 14. How Can I Leave You Again
(00:56:22) 15. Shanghai Breezes
(00:59:31) 16. Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)
(01:03:23) 17. Love Again
(01:06:17) 18. My Sweet Lady (Lyrics)

Lady, are you crying, do the tears belong to me
Did You think our time together was all gone
Lady, you've been dreaming, I'm as close as I can be
I swear to You our time has just begun.

Close your eyes, rest your weary mind
I promise, I will stay right here beside You
Today our Lives were joined, became entwined
I wish you could know how much I love You.

Lady, are You happy, do You feel the way I do
Are there meanings that you've never seen before
Lady, my Sweet Lady, I just can't believe it's true
And it's like I've never ever loved before.

Close your eyes and rest your weary mind
I promise, I will stay right here beside You
Today our Lives were joined, became entwined
I wish that You could know how much I love You.

Lady, are you crying, do the tears belong to me
Did You think our time together was all gone
Lady, my Sweet Lady, I'm as close as I can be
I swear to You our time has just begun.

Hannah Martin's Wedding - Oct. 12, 2013 (Krystal Keith - Daddy Dance With Me)

Maybe Hannah and  I will dance to this song. That would be very special.

I will probably cry some big tears. :)

Love you Hannah!

Dad


(Photos below - our daughter Hannah Martin , Jonathan & Payton Avalos. Soon to be a great family!)

Late Bloomers

"If you are in the shadows, your time will come. Continue growing during that time set aside for you. For when your time does come, you will bloom big!" Steve Martin

These pink azaleas are in our back yard, next to the porch steps. They get little direct sunshine, and thus bloom very late in the season for azaleas. 

This photo I took on May 31, 2013, in Charlotte, NC. 

Steve Martin

Ahava Love Letter (#56) - "Your Name"

                              

                           “Your Name”


“Therefore Adonai Himself will give you people a sign: the young

woman will become pregnant, bear a son and name Him

‘Immanu El [God is with us].” (Isa 7:14 Complete Jewish Bible)

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua,

[which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because He will save His people

from their sins.” (Matt 1:21 Complete Jewish Bible.)

Dear family of friends,

The visit to the maternity ward last night caught me by surprise. The young couple, family friends of ours for over 24 years, hadn’t named their one day old son yet! I couldn’t believe it. (But, I found out this morning that his name is...ABRAHAM! I got to hold Abraham!)

As I held “To Be Named Later” in my arms, I was asking the Lord to myself, “Is this “Isaac”? Could he be “Joel” (after his uncle), “Barney” (not the TV character); Jimmie #48…? Maybe "Little Eddie” or "Joe"?"

Hey, maybe another Steven! (OK, so there are only 70 other Steve Martins in NC alone. Probably just in the greater Charlotte area itself.)

"Whom is this baby boy you have blessed us with, Adonai? What is his given name?" I pondered later.

Do you know your name is probably your most precious possession that you have been given?

Think about it. You can have a special hairdo, and change it every week. You can put all kinds of ink on your body to make you stand out, but will be gone when your grave is all we see. You can even put on the latest fad, to “keep up with the Jones’, or Robertsons’ now a days, to have that edge I guess, and make your name popular. If that is what you consider important.

But your name. That is special, and I believe the Lord Himself gave it to you.

When our four kids (now full grown adults with kids of their own) were about to be birthed, both Laurie and I were involved in choosing their special names. In our attempt to get it right, we used the “Name Your Baby” book, checked relatives names, and even noted what was “popular” at the time. But in the end, I believe we were led by the Lord in naming each of them, for He already knew them.

Josh would be a leader. Firstborn. To be like Joshua, helping Moses (Moshe).

Ben would be the “Son - of the right hand”, as it means in Hebrew, “Ben-jamin”. I know he is.

Hannah would be one who loved children. Both Hannahs in the Old and New Testaments. And she surely does!

Christen almost was named “Kristen”, but the Lord told us her name was to be spelled “Christen” – even as “Christ”, our Messiah and Lord.

If you think you were named by accident, or maybe don’t even like your name, trust that something as important as who you are, especially in the Lord’s eyes and heart, was not a mistake. 

The Lord knows you by name. When all is said and done, He calls you by your name, for He was certainly involved when you were in His heart, from the beginning of eternity.

Just let Him know, even now, how grateful you are that He knows you. That He knows your name. You are special to Him. He loves you so much.

Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

P.S. Our Lord has many names, as written in our Bible, the Scriptures, both in the Old Testament (Tanakh in Hebrew) and in the New Testament (B’rit Hadashah).

The one I like most is “Yeshua – “Adonai saves”. At the end of this letter I have included a few pieces of artwork, for you to print out along with this letter.

Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. You can send checks to the address below. 

Special note: My HP laptop is over 5 years old. That's ancient in tech years (as opposed to dog years.) I have asked the Lord for a new one, to handle current software. 

If you have been encouraged by my Ahava Love Letters, please consider a gift to this ministry, to keep these cards and letters coming! A check made out to Love For His People, Inc. (tax receipt always given) or a new piece of equipment will work! 

Our mailing address is below. 

Todah rabah! (Hebrew - Thank you very much.)

©2013 Steve Martin      Love For His People, Inc.  12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134      

E-mail: loveforhispeople@gmail.com martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin  and  Love For His People       

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople and ahavaloveletter 

Blog: http://loveforhispeople.blogspot.com         Full website: www.loveforhispeople.org

YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.  Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.

Ahava Love Letter #56   “Your Name” Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (05/31/13 Friday, 5:00 am. Charlotte, NC)

Israeli start-up to turn down $1 billion acquisition by Facebook

Report: Israeli start-up to turn down $1 billion acquisition by Facebook

Thursday, May 30, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Israel

Israeli start-up Waze, which provides a real-time navigation and traffic report app for smartphones, is reportedly set to turn down a $1 billion dollar acquisition bid by Facebook in order to keep its team in Israel.

With the improved GPS capabilities of newer smartphones like the iPhone and various Android handsets, Waze has seen a huge increase in usage in recent years, and today has an estimated user base of 48 million worldwide.

Waze competes directly with the "Maps" applications provided by Google and Apple, at least when it comes to traffic and road navigation. Most users say that in these situations, Waze manages to far outdo both of the technology giants.

That's what makes Waze a natural acquisition for Facebook, which competes with both Google and Apple on many fronts, but has yet to jump into the GPS-based navigation game.

But, according to American technology website "AllThingsD," talks between the two companies are breaking down. Despite a massive potential payday for the Israeli start-up, the Waze team has reportedly made keeping the bulk of their operations in Israel a red line, while Facebook is presumably insisting that Waze move to its headquarters in California.

Accurate or not, this news is being met with a fair amount of national pride in Israel, where innovative start-ups spring up all the time, but almost always accept a foreign buy-out when it is offered.