Keith Green - Your Love Broke Through

Last Days Ministries > Keith Green > Bio

About Keith Green “I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music, and more importantly --  my life -- has not provoked you into godly jealousy, or to sell out more completely to Jesus!”   Keith Green  Keith was born in New York near Brooklyn. His mom had been a singer with the Big Bands, his dad a schoolteacher.  Before he was two his mom said Keith had perfect pitch as he sang his baby songs.  A year later his family moved to CA and settled into the newly developed orchards of the San Fernando Valley, just a short drive to Hollywood, which would play a significant role in Keith's future. Keith’s parents made sure he learned how to play guitar and piano at a young age. He liked piano best, but got bored playing the long classical pieces.  So instead of learning to read sheet music, he’d memorize each piece, then pretend to be site reading when his teacher was there. But his grandfather, who started Jaguar Records, the first rock and roll label, taught Keith how to play chords on the piano… and was he end of classical music for him. From that moment on Keith began writing and singing his own songs. He was only 6 years old at the time. When he was 11 Keith signed a recording contract with Decca Records, singing his own songs.  Although his pictures were in the Teen Magazines and his single had some minor success, the industry didn’t know how market with such a young artist. Keith was very disappointed and at 14, felt like a total failure, a 'has been' which was very difficult for someone who had  been groomed all his life to be a pop star. Keith was 15 the first time he ran away from home. He started a journal that very day and for years as he looked for musical adventure and spiritual truth, the wrote his journey down. Keith had a Jewish background, but he grew up reading the New Testament. He called it "a confusing combination" that left  him deeply unsatisfied. His journey led him to drugs, eastern mysticism, and free love. When Keith was 19 he met a fellow seeker/musician named Melody. They were inseparable and got married a year later -- now he had a partner as his spiritual quest continued.  Then when he had nearly given up hope, Keith found the truth he had been looking for.  He now was 21 and never looked back. Keith had grown up reading about Jesus in the bible, but was confused when he figured out he was Jewish, a fact his family had hidden from him. But now what once confused him made sense as Keith proudly told the world, “I'm a Jewish Christian." As soon as Keith opened his heart to Jesus, he and Melody opened their home. Anyone with a need, or who wanted to kick drugs, or get off the street, was welcome.  Of course, they always heard plenty about Jesus at what fondly became known as "The Greenhouse." Not only did Keith's life take a radical turn, but by then he was a highly skilled  musician and songwriter,  and so all of his songs changed too. His quest for stardom had ended.  And now his songs reflected the absolute thrill of finding Jesus and seeing his own life radically changed. Keith's spiritual intensity not only took him beyond most people's comfort zones, but it constantly drove him even beyond his own places of content. Somewhat reluctantly, Keith was thrust into a "John the Baptist" type ministry -- calling believers to wake up, repent, and live a life that looked like what they said they believed. Keith felt he would have met Jesus sooner if not for Christians who led double lives. He made audiences squirm by saying, “If you praise and worship Jesus with your mouth, and your life does not praise and worship him, there's something wrong!" Check out the DVD Documentary in our Store The radical commitment Keith preached was also the kind of faith he wanted  his own life to display. About Jesus Keith said, “Loving Him is to be our cause. He can take care of a lot of other causes without us, but He can’t make us love Him with all our heart. That’s the work we must do.  Anything else is an imitation.” Keith's songs were often birthed during his own spiritual struggles. When he pointed his finger at hypocrisy, he knew he had four fingers pointing back at himself.  He penned honest and vulnerable lyrics—but left room for God to convict the rest of us too. He knew the journey to heaven often twists through rocky valleys, and saw no value in portraying his journey as otherwise. With Keith's honesty, he would have chafed against a glossed-over reading of his own life. After all, Keith was in the spotlight as he grew in Jesus. So when he made mistakes, he would talk about them to portray his life honestly.  He believed we miss something essential when we overlook the frailty and humanity of others as well as ourselves. He knew he was far from perfect, but he passionately hungered and thirsted after righteousness. Keith was constantly praying, asking the Holy Spirit to,  "Please change my heart, and convict me of my sin." And when he was convicted, he took action.  If he needed to repent, he repented.  If he needed to phone someone to ask forgiveness, he made the call. Keith’s views on many subjects were often controversial -– especially when it came to charging for his ministry. With his albums at the top of industry charts.  Keith decided to give his albums away for whatever people could afford, even for free. Keith’s heart was to make sure those who could not afford to buy his music could get it.  Since Keith and Melody felt their songs were musical ministry messages and they did not want anyone left out due to lack of funds.  At last count at least 15 years ago over 200,000 albums were sent into prisions and to the poor, without charge. The same issue arose with Keith’s concerts, which he felt were nights of ministry. After a few years of trying different ways of funding his concerts there was just one idea that gave him peace. He decided his concerts would be free so anyone who wanted could come.  The ministry would rent a hall or stadium and Keith took one offering for LDM to help cover the expenses.  He and Melody did not receive any of the offerings because they were able to support themselves with their music royalties. Doing free concerts along with Keith’s new album policy were moves that sent shockwaves through the Christian music industry, causing, some record labels, bookstores, or other artists to question his motives. Some thought he wanted to undercut the system and make others look bad. But that wasn’t his heart at all and in the end it was understood he was just following his convictions. The Lord had taken Keith from concerts of 20 or less -- to stadiums of 12,000 people.  At his concerts Keith always gave an altar call and led thousands upon thousands to the Lord, and just as many firmly recommitted their lives fully to serve the Lord. Keith began to appear on many television and radio programs. He talked about his walk with God and played a song or two. But his heart was to please the Lord.  His childhood dream of becoming a super star had been cleansed from his heart years before with something better – being a servant of God. Keith said, ”I only want to build God’s Kingdom and see it increase, not my own. If someone writes a great poem no one praises the pencil they used, they praise the one who created the poem.  Well, I’m just a pencil in the hands of the Lord.  Don’t praise me, praise Him!” For Keith, meeting Jesus was one thing. Becoming more like Him was another. He struggled with the same things we all do – developing self discipline, deadlines, bad attitudes, selfishness, and ministry issues screaming for attention. He was also trying to disciple the 70 new believers who had come to be part of LDM, which by now had moved to East Texas. Besides all this, Keith still had music to write, articles to finish, and a growing family and wife to take care of. After striving for years to measure up to God's holiness, at times even questioning his own salvation, Keith came into a deeper understanding of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross -- both to forgive his sins, and to clothe him in His righteousness.  It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. It wasn't that Keith became less concerned with purity and holiness. But now he was more motivated by love and less by fear in His pursuit of Jesus. He learned so much more about God’s grace and the importance of pausing simply to behold His glory and enjoy His presence. That is perhaps, what Keith loved most. In 1982 Keith and Melody took a trip to Europe, including Greece and the UK, and their hearts were stirred.. especially when they visited the ministry in the Red Light district of Amsterdam, the open drug use, and the lack of thriving churches where ever they went.  Kith asked every leader what we could do, they all said, “Please tell people we need them to come help us.” So Keith decided that at his 1982 Fall Tour he would challenge the Christians in America to get out of their comfort zones, and into the the world to reach the hurting.. So in the last few months of his life, with his heart turned back to winning souls, LDM booked large arenas for the Fall Tour, Melody wrote some missions songs, and YWAM founder Loren Cunningham was going to come to talk about the needs in the world, and give an missions altar call. Keith's heart had fully turned back to those who probably wouldn’t show up at a concert or a church. Keith wanted to go back out into the streets and into the prisons the way he and Melody did as new believers. He wanted to go to the mission fields of the nations, and into secular clubs to reach people with his music. However, it was not to be. On July 28, 1982, there was a small plane crash and Keith went home to be with Jesus. The crash also took the life of his three-year-old son Josiah, and his two year old daughter, Bethany. Melody was home with their one year old, Rebekah, and was also six weeks pregnant with their fourth child, Rachel. Keith was only 28 years old. Although Keith is now with Jesus, his life and ministry is still making a huge impact around the world. His songs and passionate delivery are still changing lives. His writings are translated into many languages. Keith once said, "When I die I just want to be remembered as a Christian." It's safe to say he reached his goal, and perhaps, a bit more. Keith Green was simply a man of conviction. When his convictions led him to an eternally worthy object in the person of Jesus he sold all that he had—ambitions, possessions, and dreams—to possess His love. In so doing he became a man of devotion. He also became a man remembered, and still missed, by millions around the world.  “The only music minister to whom the Lord will say, 'Well done, thy good and faithful servant,' is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying...  And to whom music is the least important part of their life.  Glorifying the only Worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal!”                                                                                              Keith Green Read "No Compromise. The Life Story of Keith Green" for more details about Keith's amazing spiritual journey with Melody.  Click here to order

The Keith Green Story (FULL)

Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982)

Keith Green was an intense and radical man of God. He was taken from this Earth at a relatively young age. His legacy lives on through his music and his sermons. This video is about his life.

He had Jewish heritage in his family.

Last Days Ministries > Keith Green > Bio

About Keith Green “I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music, and more importantly --  my life -- has not provoked you into godly jealousy, or to sell out more completely to Jesus!”   Keith Green Keith was born in New York near Brooklyn. His mom had been a singer with the Big Bands, his dad a schoolteacher.  Before he was two his mom said Keith had perfect pitch as he sang his baby songs.  A year later his family moved to CA and settled into the newly developed orchards of the San Fernando Valley, just a short drive to Hollywood, which would play a significant role in Keith's future. Keith’s parents made sure he learned how to play guitar and piano at a young age. He liked piano best, but got bored playing the long classical pieces.  So instead of learning to read sheet music, he’d memorize each piece, then pretend to be site reading when his teacher was there. But his grandfather, who started Jaguar Records, the first rock and roll label, taught Keith how to play chords on the piano… and was he end of classical music for him. From that moment on Keith began writing and singing his own songs. He was only 6 years old at the time. When he was 11 Keith signed a recording contract with Decca Records, singing his own songs.  Although his pictures were in the Teen Magazines and his single had some minor success, the industry didn’t know how market with such a young artist. Keith was very disappointed and at 14, felt like a total failure, a 'has been' which was very difficult for someone who had  been groomed all his life to be a pop star. Keith was 15 the first time he ran away from home. He started a journal that very day and for years as he looked for musical adventure and spiritual truth, the wrote his journey down. Keith had a Jewish background, but he grew up reading the New Testament. He called it "a confusing combination" that left  him deeply unsatisfied. His journey led him to drugs, eastern mysticism, and free love. When Keith was 19 he met a fellow seeker/musician named Melody. They were inseparable and got married a year later -- now he had a partner as his spiritual quest continued.  Then when he had nearly given up hope, Keith found the truth he had been looking for.  He now was 21 and never looked back. Keith had grown up reading about Jesus in the bible, but was confused when he figured out he was Jewish, a fact his family had hidden from him. But now what once confused him made sense as Keith proudly told the world, “I'm a Jewish Christian." As soon as Keith opened his heart to Jesus, he and Melody opened their home. Anyone with a need, or who wanted to kick drugs, or get off the street, was welcome.  Of course, they always heard plenty about Jesus at what fondly became known as "The Greenhouse." Not only did Keith's life take a radical turn, but by then he was a highly skilled  musician and songwriter,  and so all of his songs changed too. His quest for stardom had ended.  And now his songs reflected the absolute thrill of finding Jesus and seeing his own life radically changed. Keith's spiritual intensity not only took him beyond most people's comfort zones, but it constantly drove him even beyond his own places of content.  Somewhat reluctantly, Keith was thrust into a "John the Baptist" type ministry -- calling believers to wake up, repent, and live a life that looked like what they said they believed. Keith felt he would have met Jesus sooner if not for Christians who led double lives. He made audiences squirm by saying, “If you praise and worship Jesus with your mouth, and your life does not praise and worship him, there's something wrong!" Check out the DVD Documentary in our Store The radical commitment Keith preached was also the kind of faith he wanted  his own life to display. About Jesus Keith said, “Loving Him is to be our cause. He can take care of a lot of other causes without us, but He can’t make us love Him with all our heart. That’s the work we must do.  Anything else is an imitation.” Keith's songs were often birthed during his own spiritual struggles. When he pointed his finger at hypocrisy, he knew he had four fingers pointing back at himself.  He penned honest and vulnerable lyrics—but left room for God to convict the rest of us too. He knew the journey to heaven often twists through rocky valleys, and saw no value in portraying his journey as otherwise. With Keith's honesty, he would have chafed against a glossed-over reading of his own life. After all, Keith was in the spotlight as he grew in Jesus. So when he made mistakes, he would talk about them to portray his life honestly.  He believed we miss something essential when we overlook the frailty and humanity of others as well as ourselves. He knew he was far from perfect, but he passionately hungered and thirsted after righteousness. Keith was constantly praying, asking the Holy Spirit to,  "Please change my heart, and convict me of my sin." And when he was convicted, he took action.  If he needed to repent, he repented.  If he needed to phone someone to ask forgiveness, he made the call. Keith’s views on many subjects were often controversial -– especially when it came to charging for his ministry. With his albums at the top of industry charts.  Keith decided to give his albums away for whatever people could afford, even for free. Keith’s heart was to make sure those who could not afford to buy his music could get it.  Since Keith and Melody felt their songs were musical ministry messages and they did not want anyone left out due to lack of funds.  At last count at least 15 years ago over 200,000 albums were sent into prisions and to the poor, without charge. The same issue arose with Keith’s concerts, which he felt were nights of ministry. After a few years of trying different ways of funding his concerts there was just one idea that gave him peace. He decided his concerts would be free so anyone who wanted could come.  The ministry would rent a hall or stadium and Keith took one offering for LDM to help cover the expenses.  He and Melody did not receive any of the offerings because they were able to support themselves with their music royalties. Doing free concerts along with Keith’s new album policy were moves that sent shockwaves through the Christian music industry, causing, some record labels, bookstores, or other artists to question his motives. Some thought he wanted to undercut the system and make others look bad. But that wasn’t his heart at all and in the end it was understood he was just following his convictions. The Lord had taken Keith from concerts of 20 or less -- to stadiums of 12,000 people.  At his concerts Keith always gave an altar call and led thousands upon thousands to the Lord, and just as many firmly recommitted their lives fully to serve the Lord. Keith began to appear on many television and radio programs. He talked about his walk with God and played a song or two. But his heart was to please the Lord.  His childhood dream of becoming a super star had been cleansed from his heart years before with something better – being a servant of God.  Keith said, ”I only want to build God’s Kingdom and see it increase, not my own. If someone writes a great poem no one praises the pencil they used, they praise the one who created the poem.  Well, I’m just a pencil in the hands of the Lord.  Don’t praise me, praise Him!” For Keith, meeting Jesus was one thing. Becoming more like Him was another. He struggled with the same things we all do – developing self discipline, deadlines, bad attitudes, selfishness, and ministry issues screaming for attention. He was also trying to disciple the 70 new believers who had come to be part of LDM, which by now had moved to East Texas. Besides all this, Keith still had music to write, articles to finish, and a growing family and wife to take care of. After striving for years to measure up to God's holiness, at times even questioning his own salvation, Keith came into a deeper understanding of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross -- both to forgive his sins, and to clothe him in His righteousness.  It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest. It wasn't that Keith became less concerned with purity and holiness. But now he was more motivated by love and less by fear in His pursuit of Jesus. He learned so much more about God’s grace and the importance of pausing simply to behold His glory and enjoy His presence. That is perhaps, what Keith loved most. In 1982 Keith and Melody took a trip to Europe, including Greece and the UK, and their hearts were stirred.. especially when they visited the ministry in the Red Light district of Amsterdam, the open drug use, and the lack of thriving churches where ever they went.  Kith asked every leader what we could do, they all said, “Please tell people we need them to come help us.” So Keith decided that at his 1982 Fall Tour he would challenge the Christians in America to get out of their comfort zones, and into the the world to reach the hurting.. So in the last few months of his life, with his heart turned back to winning souls, LDM booked large arenas for the Fall Tour, Melody wrote some missions songs, and YWAM founder Loren Cunningham was going to come to talk about the needs in the world, and give an missions altar call. Keith's heart had fully turned back to those who probably wouldn’t show up at a concert or a church. Keith wanted to go back out into the streets and into the prisons the way he and Melody did as new believers. He wanted to go to the mission fields of the nations, and into secular clubs to reach people with his music. However, it was not to be. On July 28, 1982, there was a small plane crash and Keith went home to be with Jesus. The crash also took the life of his three-year-old son Josiah, and his two year old daughter, Bethany. Melody was home with their one year old, Rebekah, and was also six weeks pregnant with their fourth child, Rachel. Keith was only 28 years old. Although Keith is now with Jesus, his life and ministry is still making a huge impact around the world. His songs and passionate delivery are still changing lives. His writings are translated into many languages. Keith once said, "When I die I just want to be remembered as a Christian." It's safe to say he reached his goal, and perhaps, a bit more. Keith Green was simply a man of conviction. When his convictions led him to an eternally worthy object in the person of Jesus he sold all that he had—ambitions, possessions, and dreams—to possess His love. In so doing he became a man of devotion. He also became a man remembered, and still missed, by millions around the world.  “The only music minister to whom the Lord will say, 'Well done, thy good and faithful servant,' is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying...  And to whom music is the least important part of their life.  Glorifying the only Worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal!”                                                                                              Keith Green Read "No Compromise. The Life Story of Keith Green" for more details about Keith's amazing spiritual journey with Melody.  Click here to order

Phil Keaggy - True Believers

His Creation Flourishes Daily

They are new every morning. 

Great is Thy faithfulness 

O Lord Yeshua 

(Jesus)!

Day lilies. Marvelous Lord Yeshua!

Purple pansies

Day lilies of multiple colors

"Rabbit ears"

Hydrangeas

Day lilies

Bee among the "rabbit ears"

I love taking photos of the Lord's (Adonai) daily creations, His flowering gardens. They are new every morning! Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Thank you very much ("Todah Rabah" in Hebrew).

Steve Martin

Photographer

Photos taken in Matthews (Charlotte), NC

June 8, 2013

Did David, Solomon Exist? Dig Refutes Naysayers

CBNNEWS.com, Friday, June 07, 2013

Did David, Solomon Exist? Dig Refutes Naysayers

By Erin Zimmerman

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Did characters like David and Solomon really exists? Many historians today are divided over this question. But CBN News met with two archaeologists who are digging up parts of David's life, and what they've found supports the biblical accounts down to the smallest details.

David is the most famous king in Israel's history, but some say he wasn't the great ruler described in the Bible. One Israeli archaelogists said, "David and Solomon did not rule over a big territory. It was a small chiefdom, very poor."

"This is a great chief. If you want to call King David a chief or King Solomon a chief, and this is a huge tribe," archeologist Eilat Mazar said.

Others say David never existed at all. Even a professor of biblical studies insisted that he is not the only scholar "who suspects that the figure of Kind David is about as historical as King Arthur."

What Does the Bible Say?

But archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel believes otherwise and has set out to prove the validity of the biblical accounts and its most famous historical figures.

"These guys said, 'We didn't have any archaeological memories, so David and Solomon are mythological figures," Garfinkel said. Yet one by one, those "archaeological memories" are being uncovered and all over Israel excavators are confirming the biblical story of Israel's greatest king.

The Bible records David's story in great detail from his days as a shepherd boy to his death in the royal palace in Jerusalem. Today, you can walk in the same places where David walked and they still have the same names as they did 3,000 years ago.

There's Bethlehem, the place where he was born and where he was anointed the king of Israel at just 15 years old. Then there is Ein Gedi, the desert oasis where David hid from King Saul in caves. And Hebron is where he spent seven years as the King of Judah.

For centuries the Bible was the only written evidence that David even existed. There was no archaeological record of his reign until about 150 years ago.

New Evidence Unearthed

In 1868, a stone tablet was discovered in Jordan. It was written by a Moabite king named Mesha, an enemy of Israel.

The stone dates to around 840 BC, less than 200 years after David and it provides the first known reference to the "House of David" outside the Bible.

"And 'House of David,' it means 'dynasty of David.' So we know that there was a guy called David, and he had a dynasty," Garfinkel said. "Okay, so now this is absolutely clear that David is not a mythological figure. So the mythological paradigm collapsed in one moment."

More than a hundred years later the same phrase, "House of David," turned up on another stone, this time in northern Israel.

It was written about 200 years after David's rule -- again, by one of Israel's enemies, Hazel, the king of Damascus. "He said, I killed 70 kings. I killed a king from Israel and a king from the House of David," Garfinkel explained.

One of David's greatest victories took place in the valley of Elah. This is where the young shepherd boy killed the giant Goliath, and it's one of the few places where you can still catch a glimpse of the Israel that David knew.

Nearby are the ruins of the Philistine city of Gath, the hometown of Goliath and the remains of the brook where David found the stone that killed him.

And high above the valley is a fortress that's thousands of years old to the local Bedouin. This place is still known as "Khirbet Daoud" or "David's Ruin." It's the only iron age city in Israel that's perfectly preserved and almost frozen in time.

"For us as archaeologists, this is one of the richest sites in Israel. This is like a biblical Pompeii," Garfinkel said.

The Hebrew name is "Khirbet Qeiyafa" or "Fortress of Elah." Garfinkel first uncovered the city in 2007. He recovered some burnt olive pits from the site and sent them to Oxford University for carbon-dating. The results surprised even Garfinkel himself. "It turns out that this beautiful city and all the finds is from about 1020 to 980 BC, and this is exactly the time of King David," he said.

In David's day, the Valley of Elah served as a neutral zone between the Israelites and the Philistines. In Qeiyafa, which was right on the frontlines, excavators discovered a large cache of weapons.

"We are shedding some light on the story of David and Goliath. We are in the same location, in the same time the city is heavily fortified. We have all these weapons, so I'm telling you that this indeed was an area of conflict between two political units," Garfinkel said.

In the Bible, this fortress is mentioned with a diferent name, Sha'Araym, "The city of two gates." In 1 Samuel 17, Sha'Araym is the place where the Philistines fled after David killed Goliath.

"Sha'Arayim means in Hebrew "two gates." In KQ, we have two gates. So if you take the biblical tradition, the location, the chronology, the meaning of the name -- all these aspects fit Qeiyafa perfectly," Garfinkel said.

A Philistine or Jewish City?

Just 10 days after Qeiyafa was discovered, critics argued it was a Philistine city, not a Jewish one, so Garfinkel went to work proving them wrong.

"What is the ethnic component of the city? I think that the city is Judean based on four arguments," Garfinkel said.

His first argument is the city's design.

"It has a big casement city wall and houses abutting the city wall," he said. "This is known from four other sites, so now we have five sites. All these five cities are in Judah. None of them is in Philistia. This is really typical Judean urban planning."

His second argument is the animal bones found in the city, all of them strictly kosher.

"We have sheep, goat, cattle, but we have no pigs and no dogs. On the Philistine side, they consume pigs and also dogs. Up to 20 percent of the animal bones at Philistine sites are pigs. But here nothing," Garfinkel said.

And he argues that the pottery shard, also known as a ostracon, is the earliest example of Hebrew writing ever unearthed. On it are written commandments to worship the Lord and to help widows, orphans, and slaves.

"It started with the word al-ta'as, which means "Don't do." And "ta'as," to do, is only in Hebrew. It's not Canaanite and not Philistine," Garfinkel explained.

Garfinkel also argues that the absence of idols, which would have been in abundance, points to a Jewish city. "If you go to Canaanite temples of the Late Bronze, you will find a lot of human and animal figures, but not in KQ. So the people here really obeyed the biblical taboo on graven images," he said.

The esteemed archeaologist points out that in the absence of idols there were religious shrines. And the models predate Solomon's temple by about 40 years. Yet they match the Bible's description of the temple down to the triple framed doors. They're the first phyisical evidence of Jewish worship in the time of King David.
.
Garfinkel humbly admits that "it was not [his] mission to prove the historical authenticity of the biblical tradition." He claims he "had no idea" of what he would find. It is proof beyond his imagination that the Bible is more accurate than many critics would like to admit.

Yet, as he pointed to his collection of evidence he told CBN News, "These are the animal bones, these are the radiocarbon dating, this is the inscription, these are the fortifications, and then you have the biblical tradition. And what do you know -- they just happen to fit nicely with each other."

Somebody's Prayin' - Sung by Ricky Skaggs (written by John G Elliott)

John G Elliott wrote "Somebody's Prayin". Ricky Skaggs sings this version.

Tu Amas A Israel - Te Amo Y Te llevo En Mi Corazon Israel

Roots & Reflections - The Heart of Zion - City of David (Episode 8)

Barry Segal in the City of David (Jerusalem)

Harp makers in Jerusalem

Jewelry - Making in the Holy Land

Jewelry-Making in the Holy Land: A Wise Profession for a Peripatetic People Posted: 07 Jun 2013 08:37 AM PDT Assembling rings (circa 1925, Cigarbox collection) Jewels were always the currency of travelers.  Gemstones were more reliable than currency and lighter than gold bullion. Even today, some investors are smitten with a "refugee mentality," financial experts recently told The Wall Street Journal. "If the world gets a computer virus," one explained, "and suddenly you need to move $10 million in 48 hours, gold will set off metal detectors and too much cash gets cumbersome, but you slip on a $5 million ring and a $5 million necklace and you've got no problems." Tragically, that scenario repeated itself  throughout Jewish history.  According to some accounts, prior to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 a rumor spread that many Jews swallowed diamonds and gold in order to take their wealth with them. Thieves killed many and sliced open their stomachs in their search for treasure.  The Holocaust is fraught with tales of Jews attempting to use gems to buy their escape.  Diamond polishing (1930, Library  of Congress) Diamond cutting on lathes (1939, Library of Congress) Inspecting diamonds (1939, Library of Congress) Since the 15th century, diamond cutting was a traditional Jewish craft,Wikipedia reports. That's when a Jewish diamond cutter in Belgium invented the scaif, an essential tool for polishing.  The first diamond polishing plant was opened in a Jewish town in Eretz Yisrael by Dutch refugee experts. By 1944 the industry employed 3,300 workers in 33 factories in Palestine. Today, Israel is one of the world centers for preparation and sale of diamonds. Today's posting is dedicated to Stella and Jordan -- Happy Anniversary and many, many more  and to Keren B, the jewelry maker and designer Israel Daily Picture website

Roses - His Beauty Shared

Photo taken by Steve Martin in May 2013. A reflection of the Lord's love and beauty.