Dear Mishpochah,

THANKFUL... FOR GOD, FAMILY and FRIENDS

Although according to the Biblical tradition, God's "thanksgiving feast" occurred last month during Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles, we like to focus on the biblical theme of giving thanks during the month of November, since many hearts are drawn to this scriptural truth at this season.

First of all, we want to thank our gracious Heavenly Father, our Abba, for the unspeakable gift of His Son, the Messiah. In Him, we have daily cause for thanksgiving! Next, we thank our God for our little family of four, especially designed for His purposes. God has placed four "leaders" under one roof and challenged us all to become His "followers." Thank you for praying for Neil, Jamie, Jonathan (age 15) and Jesse (age 11) that we might walk worthy of God's calling on our lives.

Next, and of great importance, we thank the Lord for all of you, our spiritual mishpochah (family). Your love and prayers have reached over the miles to touch and bless us, especially in the past month. We have received hundreds of letters, e-mail and phone calls since sharing with you the news about the prostate cancer found in Neil's body. Please know that we deeply appreciate your concern, your suggestions, your helpful advice and most of all your prayers of faith. Forgive us if we are unable to respond to all of you individually. The phone calls to our home alone would keep us up until after midnight each day if we tried to deal with all of them. (We can't do this because we need to get rest!)

The conclusion of a "multitude of counselors" (Prov. 11:14) concerning the "sling and the stone" and its spiritual meaning is that the sling is our mouth (our words, our confession) and the stone is the Word of God (with Yeshua being the Living Word). In light of this interpretation, we confess before our God and our family that the cancer (Goliath) in Neil's body has been defeated by Yeshua on the tree. The cancer inside the prostate gland is contained and starved to death, and no cancer has invaded Neil's lymph system or other part of his body. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the One who is healing Neil of cancer. Diet, nutritional supplements, or medical procedures can not take credit for healing Neil. Only Yeshua.

Thankful... For the Hand of God

We have been waiting upon the Lord since August 22, 2000 for a "word" from Him, giving us specific direction concerning Neil's treatment. Many words have come from many directions, bringing with them considerable confusion. This is especially true in the area of alternative medicine (which we happen to believe in). Drink lots of freshly squeezed carrot juices. Don't drink carrot juice. It has too much sugar in it. Juice. Don't juice, you must use a vita-mix to get the fiber as well. Eat lots of soy. No, a study just showed that soy should not be eaten if you have prostate or breast cancer. Eat plums. No, not plums if you have prostate cancer. No meat, chicken or fish. Yes, fish, cold-water fish if you have prostate cancer.
Remove all silver fillings from your teeth. The amalgum poisons you. No, it's more dangerous to take all those fillings out! Green tea is great. You can buy it in the supermarket. The green tea in the supermarket is of no value. The imported loose kind is the real thing. Essiac tea is the answer." We could go on and on. We relate to Solomon's advice in Ecc. 12:12: "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is not end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh."

While we don't believe that God has given us a "word," we do believe that he has shown His "hand." Neil relates to the following words of Moses as recorded in Deut. 3:24: "O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?"

How did God show His hand?" In two unusual ways. First, He has sent one white dove to our bird feeder each day for the past month. We have never had a white dove come to our feeder before. The dove flutters outside Jamie's office window. It is awesome. The Ruach Ha Kodesh is hovering over us. God has let us know that He is very near. The dove is particularly meaningful to Jamie.

The Lord's other way of showing His hand is special to Neil and involves a dear friend and retired ENT physician, Barry Kronman. Barry and his wife Nancy have toured Israel with us so some of you have met them. When Barry heard of Neil's situation, he immediately began to do research for Neil on prostate cancer. Two weeks into the research, Barry had a general checkup of his own and to the great surprise of his doctor, turned up with the same diagnosis as Neil. They are about the same age and share many things in common. Barry is a Jewish believer too, studying for full-time ministry. Barry firmly believes that the Lord allowed his cancer to be discovered now so that he can help Neil. Barry and Neil feel the Lord has them in this together. Please pray for Dr. Barry when you pray for Neil. They both acknowledge that the only "cure" for cancer is the power of God.

THANKFULNESS... A CALLING — A COMMAND

Thankfulness is a part of our calling as a New Covenant priesthood. We were chosen in Messiah to proclaim the praises of the Lord (see I Peter 2:9). Like the Levites of Bible Times, our calling includes giving thanks to the God of Israel: "And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel." (I Chronicles 16:4)

We truly sensed our levitical, priestly calling this year on Yom Kippur as we ministered to Irma, a precious Holocaust survivor at Temple Aron Ha Kodesh (Temple of the Holy Ark) following the Yom Kippur Memorial (Yiskor) service. We testified of our thankfulness for atonement through Yeshua and had the privilege of praying that Irma might find this same forgiveness also. The anointing of the Ruach Ha Kodesh was very strong that day. When Irma lovingly said to Jamie, "You seem to be some kind of high priestess," we thanked our gracious Father for using us to touch His beloved people!

We have so much to be thankful for.Thankfulness is not an option for believers. We are commanded to give thanks (for God is worthy to be thanked and praised!) We are told throughout the Psalms to "offer to God thanksgiving" (Ps. 50:14) and to "give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name." (Ps. 97:12) A beautiful exhortation to believers is found in Colossians 3:15: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." Believers are instructed to give thanks in everything (I Thess. 5:18) because God is always working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Romans 8:28
GIVE THANKS... FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!

Psalms 136, also called the "Great Hallel" (the Great Praise) tells us over and over again to give thanks to God. The underlying reason for giving thanks is His mercy which endures forever. It is because of God's mercy that we are spared the penalty that our sins deserve. It is His mercy that allows us to be called children of God. His mercy is responsible for every blessing that we have... food, homes, cars, clothing, health. It is the mercy of God that continually delivers us from the evils of this present world. How we need to thank our Father for His abundant mercy!

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOUR TESTIMONIES
"Each week I am amazed and blessed by the truths God is revealing to me through your ministry. I know you have been called to reach "the lost sheep of the House of Israel but you are also being used to teach this "wandering Gentile" things about God and Yeshua that I never learned in all my 50 years as a believer. The past seven years of watching your ministry and reading literature that God has led me to have so "expanded my spiritual horizon" that I am in awe of it all and eternally thankful for His blessing of truth. I pray God's continual blessings on your ministry." Cyndee - PA

"I stayed home from church this morning because of health problems... I turned on the TV and watched your program... I have never been more blessed, nor touched so deep, EVER before watching a Christian program until now." Susan - AZ

"You have a wonderful and instructive show! Keep up the good work!!! Yes, there is an awakening among the "chosen frozen" protestant denominations to our jewish roots - albeit a little slow - but shows like yours are of immeasurable help!... your show is the highlight of the evening! Last week, I so enjoyed your feature on "anointing" I asked for time in our bible study on Sunday to go over all the neat things I had learned on your show!! A grateful gentile, now grafted into the family." Lee

"Your program has broadened my understanding of Israel... It has truly inspired me to pray & love His land & His people." Marian - TX
"I found your show several years ago and have been blessed so much by it. (My husband and I were raised Baptist and have no experience in Jewish traditions.)... Your show is the highlight of my week. I can't wait till 7pm Friday night. I hate it when I have to work. The only thing, it is too short!... Please keep teaching and sharing the Love of Yeshua because it is making a difference in the lives of others." Janice & Mike - LA
"...I am an inmate at Mt. Olive Corr. Complex,... I enjoy your program very much - it is informative, and I always feel renewed by your honesty, openness, and by the excitement with which you deliver the word, and for the happiness and joy I see in you. May God bless your work. Your show is on at 11:30 pm, pretty late by anyone's standards, but it is a high point of my week. Thank you for your ministry, your faithfulness in God's work..." Kim -WV

"I recently found Jewish Jewels on Sky Angel Network. It is an answer to a long awaited prayer. You see I have never met a Jewish person in my 51 years on earth, but immediately felt that I had met a friend when I found you on TV. The first time I heard you say the Name of Jesus in Hebrew, Yeshua, I cried; no I literally sobbed. This was the most beautiful word I had ever heard in my life. I went immediately and wrote it down in my bible so I would never forget... I don't know if you can understand what this means to me and for me. I have so many questions to ask about the Jewish faith... I thank God that He led me to you on the TV." Lynda - MS