"WE SPEAK TO NATIONS"

YouTube:

We Speak To Nations - Lakewood Church, featuring Israel Houghton

When my wife Laurie and I went to China in 2002, representing the USA staff of Derek Prince Ministries, and part of a small group smuggling Chinese Bibles and Derek's Mandarin Chinese translated teaching books, I had the latest Integrity Music's CD of the Month with me.

It had come in the mail just a few days before we left on this adventorous journey, so I was as excited as ever to hear it. (It had become the newest edition of my 14 year long subscription collection of Integrity's Hosanna! Music. Thank you Michael Coleman for your leadership at Integrity!)

That specific praise and worship CD, rotating in my portable player, was Lakewood's "We Speak To Nations". (IPods had just come out the year before. Steve Jobs' of Apple latest big tech craving was a bit above my budget.) The title song was also "We Speak To Nations."

Israel Houghton at Lakewood Church 

- Houston, TX (Joel Olsteen)

As I sat on the 22 hour train ride from Guangzhou to Beijing, I played this song over and over again. The Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) made sure it sank deep into my spirit. I am grateful He did.

During those long hours on the tracks (both train and CD - pun intended) I literally had tears running down my face, while I sat listening with ear buds on, as others slept. The sound of the nations was calling to my heart.


We can speak to nations in many ways. These days it is primarily through social media.



But even still, a main format can still be by singing, in person.

As worship leaders who love Jesus (Yeshua), and thus the nations, my wife and I will continue to sing in and to the nations, especially Israel, which we especially love.

And...Lord willing too, we plan on taking the Ahava Love Band with us to Jerusalem in 2014 to do just that!

Laurie and I as the lead vocals with the band.

Maybe there will be other nations the Lord will send us to after that.

Ahava (love in Hebrew),

Steve Martin

It's time to go...

Derek Prince Ministries staff (2002-2004) - bottom of photo

Vision for Israel staff (2006) - top portion of photo

Israel celebrates reunification of Jerusalem

Wednesday, May 08, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Israelis on Wednesday marked Jerusalem Day, the 46th anniversary of the reunification of the city during the Six Day War.

Israel never intended to reunite Jerusalem when it launched a preemptive strike on the gathering armies of Egypt and Syria in 1967. But when Jordan's King Hussein succumbed to Egyptian pressure and opened a third front against the Jewish state, the opportunity to fulfill the hopes of generations presented itself.

Ever since the final Roman conquest nearly 2,000 years earlier, the Jewish people had hoped, prayed and dreamed about returning to and exercising sovereignty over their ancient, biblical capital.

Today, Jerusalem Day is marked with large parades through the cities streets and concerts at various public parks.

Jerusalem has always been the heart and soul of the Jewish nation, and it shows in the joyous way most Israelis engage in Jerusalem Day festivities.

Jerusalem Day - with Yehuda Hochman!

 David Rubinger - "Israel Through My Lens"

On June 6, 1967, Israel paratroopers and the IDF recaptured the eastern side of Jerusalem, from the Jordanians. It was a tremendous, Lord directed accomplishment.

One of the most famous photos of that historic, never-turning back time, was that of the four paratroopers pictured above on Rubinger's book "Israel Through My Lens".

Poster from Jerusalem

This poster was bought in Jerusalem in 2010 when my son Ben and I made the first annual "Ahava Adventures" service trip to Israel. We found it in the Israeli poster shop off King George in Jerusalem.

Three of the paratroopers reunited 30 years later from that June 1967 day!

You don't hear much of the fourth paratrooper in the original photo, but he is still alive and well in Jerusalem. His name is Yehuda Hochman, serving now as a tourist guide. (He speaks seven languages!)

It wasn't until the very last hour of the 2008 CFI-USA (Christian Friends of Israel) "Meet & Greet" tour, led by Hannele Pardain, the Director, that many of us realized who Yehuda was! When several at the last dinner, held at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv, started asking him for his autograph in this book pictured above, or on another picture of the famous event, I realized that this one, who loved saying "Coffee in. Coffee out." at each bus stop, was the fourth man!

Yehuda Hochman 

- tour guide in 2008 

for our CFI (Christian Friends of Israel) tour!!!

(Photo by Steve Martin - Yehuda Hochman with Hannele Pardain - CFI-USA Director - in front of the Western Wall)

Jerusalem - Eye of the Universe (Revised 2013) video

YouTube: 
Jerusalem - Eye of the Universe (Revised 2013)

Child kissing the Western Wall

Musicians recording the video track.

Sunset on Jerusalem.

All photos above from the video on YouTube.

1967: Reunification of Jerusalem

1967: Reunification of Jerusalem

Despite Israel’s appeal to Jordan to stay out of the war, Jordanian forces fired artillery barrages from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although Israeli forces did not respond initially, not wanting to open up a Jordanian front in the war, Jordan continued to attack and occupied UN headquarters in Jerusalem.   Israeli forces fought back and within two days managed to repulse the Jordanian forces and retake eastern Jerusalem. (For more details, see War: Jordanian Front)   Israeli paratroopers at the Western Wall On June 7, 1967, IDF paratroopers advanced through the Old City toward the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, bringing Jerusalem’s holiest site under Jewish control for the first time in 2000 years.   There are sound recordings of the scene, as the commander of the brigade,Lt. General Mordechai (Motta) Gur, approaches the Old City and announces to his company commanders, “We’re sitting right now on the ridge and we’re seeing the Old City. Shortly we’re going to go in to the Old City of Jerusalem, that all generations have dreamed about. We will be the first to enter the Old City...” and shortly afterwards, “The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!”   General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, chief chaplain of the IDF, sounded the Shofar at the Western Wall to signify its liberation. To Israelis and Jews all over the world, this was a joyous and momentous occasion. Many considered it a gift from God.     Israeli Reaction to the Recapture of the Western Wall and the Old City of Jerusalem “For some two thousand years the Temple Mount was forbidden to the Jews. Until you came — you, the paratroopers — and returned it to the bosom of the nation. The Western Wall, for which every heart beats, is ours once again. Many Jews have taken their lives into their hands throughout our long history, in order to reach Jerusalem and live here. Endless words of longing have expressed the deep yearning for Jerusalem that beats within the Jewish heart..You have been given the great privilege of completing the circle, of returning to the nation its capital and its holy center...Jerusalem is yours forever.” –Commander Motta Gur to his brigade upon their recapture of Jerusalem’s Old City and holy sites “We have returned to all that is holy in our land. We have returned never to be parted from it again.” –Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, upon reaching the Western Wall “The Wall was before us. I trembled. There it was as I had known it—immense, mighty, in all its splendor...overcome, I bowed my head in silence.” –General Uzi Narkiss, Head of Central Command during the Six Day War “I felt truly shaken and stood there murmuring a prayer for peace. Motta Gur’s paratroopers were struggling to reach the Wall and toudh it. We stood among a tangle of rugged, battle-weary men who were unable to believe their eyes or restrain their emotions. Their eyes were moist with tears, their speech incoherent. The overwhelming desire was to cling to the Wall, to hold on to that great moment as long as possible.” –Chief of Staff Yitzchak Rabin “I am speaking to you from the plaza of the Western Wall, the remnant of our Holy Temple. ‘Comfort my people, comfort them, says the Lord your God.’ This is the day we have hoped for, let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. The vision of all generations is being realized before our eyes: The city of God, the site of the Temple, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the symbol of the nation’s redemption, have been redeemed today by you, heroes of the Israel Defense Forces. By doing so you have fulfilled the oath of generations, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its cunning.’ Indeed, we have not forgotten you, Jerusalem, our holy city, our glory. In the name of the entire Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora, I hereby recite with supreme joy, Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us in life, who has preserved us, and enabled us to reach this day. This year in Jerusalem – rebuilt! “ –General Shlomo Goren, Chaplain of the Israeli Defense Forces, at the Western Wall       In a statement at the Western Wall, Minister of Defense Moshe Dayan indicated Israel’s peaceful intent and pledged to preserve religious freedom for all faiths in Jerusalem: To our Arab neighbors we extend, especially at this hour, the hand of peace. To members of the other religions, Christians and Muslims, I hereby promise faithfully that their full freedom and all their religious rights will be preserved. We did not come to Jerusalem to conquer the Holy Places of others. Before visiting the Western Wall, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol met with the spiritual leaders of different faiths in his office and issued a declaration of peace, assuring that all holy sites would be protected and that all faiths would be free to worship at their holy sites in Jerusalem.   He declared his intention to give the spiritual leaders of the various religions internal management of their own Holy Sites. Defense Minister Dayan immediately ceded internal administrative control of the Temple Mount compound to the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) while overall security control of the area was maintained by Israel. Dayan announced that Jews would be allowed to visit the Temple Mount, but not to hold religious services there.   Dayan also gave immediate orders to demolish the anti-sniping walls, clear the minefields and removed the barbed-wire barriers which marked the partition of Jerusalem. Within weeks, free movement through Jerusalem became possible and hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews flocked to the Old City to glimpse the Western Wall and touch its stones.   Israeli Muslims were permitted to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock for the first time since 1948. And Israeli Christians came to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.   On June 27, 1967, the Israeli Knesset extended Israel’s legal and administrative jurisdiction to all of Jerusalem, and expanded the city’s municipal borders. Eshkol again assured the spiritual leaders of all faiths that Israel was determined to protect the Holy Places.   The Knesset passed the Protection of Holy Places Law granting special legal status to the Holy Sites and making it a criminal offence to desecrate or violate them, or to impede freedom of access to them. Jerusalem became a reunified city that ensured freedom of religion and access to holy sites for all.   The religious freedoms enjoyed by Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the reunified Jerusalem had been un heard of during Jordanian occupation of the city, prompting even a former Jordanian ambassador to the United Nations, Adnan Abu Odeh, to acknowledge that "the situation in Jerusalem prior to 1967 [under Jordanian rule] was one of ... religious exclusion" whereas post-1967, Israel seeks "to reach a point of religious inclusion ..." (The Catholic University of America Law Review, Spring 1996).   http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp

Lion of the Tribe of Judah

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah 

upholds His eternal Word.

Yeshua HaMashiach

(Jesus)

Photo by Steve Martin. Pictured are treasured Bibles in our home. 

The largest Bible on one of our bookcases, on the left, was Laurie's father Otto Unzicker's - 
one of the most godly men I have ever known. A good man who loved the Lord, his family, people, painting, gardening, and the Lord's Word above all. He made it to Jerusalem - one of his dreams.

The Bible on the far right has an olive wood cover. It is from Jerusalem. The two Bibles just to the left of the olive wood-covered Bible are both over a 100 years old. Their covers are made of leather.

The Lion of Judah (Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach) upholds His Word always. His promises, contained in His Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) Written Word, are trustworthy and everlasting. No other one can claim that!

We treasure the Lord's Word.

Painting by Alex Levin - Israeli from Tel Aviv.

What's on your desktop?

What's on your desktop? 

This one is mine. 

Steve Martin

(Painting is by Israeli Tel Aviv artist Alex Levin.)

Netanyahu Arrives in China

CBNNews.com

Monday, May 6, 2013

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began an official visit to China Monday despite tensions back home following the alleged Israeli airstrikes on Syrian weapons storage facilities.

Israeli commentators said it was important for Netanyahu to maintain his plans to signal that Israel is continuing its business as usual.

Netanyahu did delay his departure slightly Sunday afternoon to attend a security cabinet meeting on the latest developments.

Syrian government officials told the New York Times dozens of elite troops were killed in the airstrikes. Opposition forces confirmed "the strikes hit bases of the Republican Guard and storehouses of long-range missiles in addition to a military research center that American officials have called the country's main chemical weapons factory."

Despite the tenuous situation on the northern border, Netanyahu did not cancel the trip to China, where he hopes to advance economic cooperation between the two countries and present Israel's perspective on Iran.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon will serve as acting prime minister during his absence.

After landing in Shanghai Monday morning, Netanyahu, his wife, Sarah, and sons Yair and Avner headed for a hi-tech park on the first leg of the five-day visit.

At the park, Netanyahu and his family saw some of the latest innovations in alternative energy, urban development, the environment, aviation and space exploration, computer networking, and medicine by international companies doing business in China.

"We see here the logos of many of the world's leading companies," Netanyahu said as he viewed the list of companies in the park. "I hope that we will soon see on this wall the logos of many Israeli companies. This is the goal -- to expand bilateral economic cooperation and significantly increase Israeli exports to China."

"China and Israel have much to gain from enhanced cooperation and that's our goal," Mark Regev, the prime minister's spokesman, told AFPearlier.

In Shanghai, Netanyahu will meet with business leaders and sign several international trade agreements before departing for Beijing later in the week, where he'll meet with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and other senior government officials.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be in China during part of Netanyahu's visit, where he reportedly plans to present his perspective on the stalemated peace talks.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2013/May/Netanyahu-Arrives-in-China/

Israel upset by Google's recognition of Palestine

Israel upset by Google's recognition of Palestine

Monday, May 06, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

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Topics:

Peace Process

Israel on Sunday expressed its displeasure at Google's decision last week to officially recognize "Palestine" as an independent state.

Up until last week, anyone visiting the localized version of google.ps would see the label "Palestinian Territories." Now, that same page simply labels the localized version of Google as belonging to "Palestine."

Google officials said the move was in line with the United Nation's recent upgrading of "Palestine" to non-member state status, a de factorecognition of Palestine's independence, as well as UNESCO's open acceptance of a sovereign Palestinian state.

But Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin stated in a letter to Google CEO Larry Page that the Internet giant's new policy will actually complicate reaching a peace agreement that results in the creation of a real Palestinian state.

"This is intervention by an international company in local politics, [and] does not serve the interests of either party in the long-term," wrote Elkin.

While many in Israel's government agree that the peace process will lead to the creation of a Palestinian state, they argue that permitting the Palestinian Authority to achieve this goal in a unilateral way will only perpetuate the conflict.

The Israeli minister called on Google to rethink its "erroneous decision."

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23829/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Ahava Love Band - a Messianic worship team

Ahava Love Band

The Ahava Love Band, a Messianic worship team, leads people into times of praise and admiration of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah). 

Ahava Love Band members include Steve & Laurie Martin (lead vocals), Gid Anthony (electric and acoustic guitars), Wane Daroux (bass guitar), Ron Bowen (drums) and the special Patty Paquette (keyboard and background vocal.)

We have great joy sharing the music of Paul Wilbur, Ted Pearce, Don Moen, John G. Elliott, Rob Critchley, Hillsongs and more. 

We'd love to come and minister at your church, synagogue, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, wedding party, near or far...

You can see a bit of Wane and Gid on the Love For His People (Steve Martin) YouTube channel, via the links under their photos below.

YouTube: Gid Anthony

YouTube: Wane Daroux

Gid Anthony - lead guitar and acoustic

Wane Daroux - bass 

Patty Paquette - keyboard and vocal

Gid Anthony

Ron Bowen - our drummer man!

Steve & Laurie Martin
Lead vocals


Click here for 

Ahava Love Band: Some YouTube footage...

Ahava Love Band (some more...Part 2 of 3)


Wane Daroux also a new ministry called 
Remembering Zion Ministries. 

Next year...in 2014 the Ahava Love Band is planning a trip to Israel to be with our friends!