More Lessons from Weeds

Pulling Weeds

September 23, 2009
Today was another lesson from pulling weeds. We were sent out into an olive orchard to pull weeds out from under the trees before they were harvested so that the canvas they spread to catch the olives will lie flat and there won't be any olives roll off and be wasted. It seems like such a simple thing, and the drudgery of pullling the weeds so disinteresting, especially when there are grapes to be picked already. But today, we have been given the assignment of pulling the weeds and that is what we will do--happily; with a smile on our face.

Area Near Shiloh

The first lesson to be observed out of these circumstances is the lesson of following the Master's orders; regardless of what we would rather be doing. As bondslaves of Yeshua, our only concern is, what is the task the Master has set us about to accomplish. It really doesn't matter what we may want to do. What we set our hand to accomplish is what He has given us to do. That's it, period. We must trust that He knows what is needed more than we can know. He has a larger perspective and more information than we do, so even if we don't understand why we are doing what we have been commanded to do, we can go ahead and do it, trusting that He knows why, and that's good enough for us. Just obey, don't worry about the results. Don't get caught up in the solutions, just set about doing the task at hand.

One of Many Olive Orchards in the Land

Another lesson is the lesson of fellowship. As we worked under the olive trees, on our knees, dirt under our fingernails, we visited. We told each other our stories and histories and shared our testimonies. Time passed pleasantly and lunch came around quickly. I was reminded of the passage in Revelation that says that the saints overcame by the word of their testimony and the blood of the Lamb and did not lover their lives even unto death. The power of the "Word of their testimony" took on a new dimention as we shared our testimonies under the olive trees. I could see how we were strengthened as we shared. We gained new spiritual insite and knowledge through each other's experience. We became more unified and formidable in spiritual warfare as we prayed together.

A Local Observes our Work Quality

The other lesson I would like to share is the understanding of how destructive weeds can be. They sometimes intertwine their roots among the olive trees so tightly that it is vertually impossible to get them separated. Others of them snap off at ground level as you are trying to pull them and it is certain that they will return in full force in the spring. These roots that remain, will continue to propgate and pull food and water from the soil, depleting what is available for the desired tree and crop. Some of the weeds are vicious thorns that scratch our arms frequently and sometimes penetrate our gloves, leaving thorns in our fingers and hands that have to be extracted before comfort can return. My left arm that pulls the weeds back so I can get at the roots is a mass of scratches after having pulled weeds for several days now. Sin causes pain and injury. The enemy seeks to rob, kill and destroy.
Tomorrow, we go back to harvest grapes again. This time we go to Shiloh, to a vineyard that we will pick for the first time. They are excited we are coming and amazed that we would come so far, and then cross into the West Bank to help them. We are truely being a blessing to our brothers and sisters of Yahudah and they are visibly moved. It is worth it all!

Yom Terruah--Rosh HaShana--Shabbat

Sound the Shofar --- September 19, 2009
Today is the sounding of the shofar to announce the beginning of the new year. It is also thebeginning of the 10 days of awe leading up to Yom Kippur--The Day of Judgement. Then, 5 days later, we begin Succot.

Our Erev Shabbat Table

This is the time of year of celebration as well as repentence and personal and national reflection. We have welcomed the weekly Shabbat as well and are grateful for this time of rest. We have been very busy this week between work in the fields and tours to historic and holy sites; going to bed late and getting up early. It has been a rich time and we have all been changed in many ways. Our eyes have been opened to new perspectives, our ears have heard new sounds, and our minds have gathered new thoughts. We will not leave here the same as we have come. And now we have this time of Shabbat to reflect and rest. Praise Him!
There is an excitement that is palpable in the air throughout the Land of Israel. The market place is bustling and everyone is out in the streets. There are greetings and salutations permeating the air and smiles on most faces. We took our musical instruments and voices down to the "mercatz" (market place) and began to sing and dance. Shortly, we attracted quite a crowd. One religious Jew was angry with us yelling that we were trying to hide Christian theology under Jewish songs and dance, but he was an abbarency and soon gone, leaving the vast majority of the crowd to enjoy the music and fellowship. Many asked when we were coming back. A local news cameraman was filming us and interviewing us and gave an invitation to come to the studio to do a segment for broadcasting.

David and Ami Ortiz


There was also a Korean camera crew that was filming what we were doing to take back to their church in Korea. They had come to do a documentary film on the bombing of the Ortiz's home 18 months ago when Ami was almost killed. They had received an e-mail to pray for Ami, and Koreans know how to pray! Now, they had come to follow up on the story and bring it back to their church by film. Some of our group got to be actors in the movie. We have also been asked to do some more music and be filmed by them when we go up to Jerusalem. They are also very interested in learning about how to get involved in helping to work in the harvest. The Wallers are going international! Tommy was talking with a group from South Africa this week about the same thing, so much is happening for the Kingdom as we speak.
The Grapes are Ready!

We will be harvesting starting 6:00am on Tuesday morning. The sugar has finally come up to good levels in the grapes and we have done the necessary preparation work so the harvest can clip along at good speed. We have also done the spiritual work of preparation.

Worship Team for Yom Terruah



Yom Terruah Celebration--Food!


Last evening, Shabbat here, Zach lead us all in a time of searching our hearts for those things that still keep us from living to our full redemptive purpose. There was much teshuva/repentence and cleansing as we bared our souls before YHWH. As we came out of the meeting, it was raining great huge soaking drops--showers of blessings! Rimona Frank was there with us and has spent her whole life in Israel. She said she had never seen it rain on Rosh HaShana before and saw it as a great sign of YHWH's favor and blessings.
Continue to pray for us here as we pray for you. YHWH is bringing His plans into reality, and the lessons of the harvest we have been learning and living here are reminding us of where we stand in the time stream of history. Be watchful and pray!

Palestinian Territory--September 17, 2009

Into Palestinian Territory--September 17, 2009
Today was an opportunity that could really be called a once in a life time. We were given the opportunity to go into the heart of the West Bank which is under the administration of the PA. The city of Nablus (known as Shechem in the Scriptures) is home to almost 500,000 Palestinians and as we drove through, we could see the bustling marketplace alive with the celebration of Ramadan, and had a unique experience of being in a traffic jam, surrounded by taxis--you would have thought we were in New York City. On the east side of town we stopped and visited a Greek Orthodox Church that claims to have Jacob's well in its basement. It was beautiful and sadly very lightly attended. We had a group of 61 people and we spontaneously broke out in singing and the acoustics were astonishing--what an experience. The curator was visibly moved. Right in the heart of Muslim territory, we were praising our King with abandon. Wow!
Before Nablus, we visited the town of Sabastia (which is Shamron or Samaria in the Scriptures) where King Ahab and his wife Jezabel reined. There were many Roman ruins there and quite a bit of the ruins of the palace of Ahab. We had opportunity to pray in the ruins of a Bizantine era church and we used the prayer of Daniel 9 as the basis for what we felt was a necessary time of repentance and teshuva for Israel's sins of the past. We are Israel after all, aren't we? Read Daniel 9 and see if like him, we need to own the sins of our fathers. Here too we had opportunity to lift our voices in praise to our King. We had opportunity to bless our Palestinian guide and bus driver, and they were visibly touched. We found out later that there is an underground church, which is very small--less than 20 members. Two of them were executed recently when they were found out. We in America don't even have a clue what it means to suffer for the sake of Yeshua!
Once again the scriptures took on new meaning as we walked on the very places that scripture describes in 1st Kings in its accounting of the reign of King Ahab. Samaria was built on the top of a hill so it has incredible views of the surrounding countryside in all 360 degrees. Any advancing enemy could be spotted by the watchman at the gates well in advance and the elevation gave them a tremendous tactical advantage. Unfortunately, there was no water well within the city and they had to depend on cisterns, so they could be easily seiged and overcome by the effects of not getting any food or water into the city. Good news and bad news you might say. The story of Jehu coming against Samaria really popped out in understanding as you stood on the lookout site and looked out, imagining seeing a cloud of dust in the distance being kicked up by a chariot. The field of Naboth that Jezabel killed Naboth for so that she could give to Ahab made so much more sense because you could see that the lower fields were fertile and there was water available there. So much to see and understand.
I believe much was accomplished in YHWH's plan for His kingdom. We go out into the day, obeying what He commands us and taking the opportunities He sets up for us, walking it out. We were told later that the people who served us lunch (what a sumptuous Mediteranean Style feast it was) were very taken with the way we treated them and the openness we showed towards them. They were also very greatful that we would cross over into their territory and bring good business to them. They have been very isolated from the rest of the world since the intafada of 2002. Any business that comes to them is few and far between.

Weeds and Harvest

September 15, 2009

The official Waller work experience in Israel began Sunday. We are divided into three teams with Zac, Josh and Caleb as team leaders. Steve and I are a part of Team 2 and Josh is our team leader. So far we have pruned 350 olive trees on Mount Gerizim, pulled weeds in the grape vineyards of Shiloh and toured the area of Shechem and Elon Moreh. This is our day job, for our second job we are house parents to 18 women ages 16 to 60. Steve also is one of the designated drivers who periodically is called upon to get up in the wee hours of the a.m. and pick up some excited but weary soul at the Tel Aviv airport. We were told that this would be a working vacation! (They weren't kidding!!!)

Today we were in the vineyards of Shiloh and David Ruben, the former governor of the Shiloh district came and interviewed us. He had a videographer with him and they are making a promotional video for "Christians", mainly in the US, to get involved with the Shiloh community. Steve and I were interviewed as well as others so maybe one day we'll get to see if we made the cut. The rest of the day we spent pulling weeds in row after row of grapes. They are harvesting the fruit, but we are the delegated weed pullers. There are some pretty brutal thistles that have to be removed and something like crab grass and some really stickery grasses that cling to everything and when you do get the grasses removed millions of tiny thorns stay stuck in your clothes and when you walk they scratch your skin. There are lessons here, how about this one; the first shall be last and the last first and maybe this one, he who would save his life shall lose it and he who would lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. Maybe even Y'Shua's story about the bondslave found in Luk 17:7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Luk 17:8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Luk 17:9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
Luk 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
Or this one:
Luk 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luk 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Luk 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

So with a happy and joy-filled heart we serve as we are called and rejoice that our Heavenly Father may call us faithful in that which is least.

Mt. Gerizi--September 14, 2009

Mt. Gerizim--September 14, 2009
We have begun working. Yesterday, we spent the day pruning the olive orchard that Nir owns. We also spent quite a bit of time getting the irrigation system back in working order. It felt really good to get out and get our hands right into the mix and make an impact. Nir was quite surprised at the progress we made and with the level of productivity we displayed, he began to invision new projects for us to work on during our stay here. It looks like we might be pouring cement in his winery by the end of the week.
Today, we did more history touring. We started on Mt. Gerizim at a point that looked over Jacob's field, a place that scripture records Jacob paid Shechem 100 pieces of silver for. Yet this very land is under dispute and scheduled to be given to the Palistinians if the "Arab Peace Plan" is initiated. We read from Deuteronomy and Joshua about the ceremony that Israel held as they came into the land--reading the blessings from Mt. Gerizim and the curses from Mt. Ebal. It was quite a revelation to note that this very area scheduled to go under PA control was the first area where Israel ratified their covenant with YHWH. The Israelies that live in the area call this the "Heartland" of Israel. Nir even labels his wine with the Heartland label. The Septuigent translated this area as the "navel of the world"--the place most closely connected to Heaven. And now it is considered as a "settlement" that would have forced evacuation (Gush Katif style) if our sitting president has his way. Most of the world doesn't even know what they are talking about and certainly have not been here to see what is really here!
Our other stop in the afternoon was at Elon Mare, which is understood to be the place where Abraham had his conversation with YHWH about counting the stars and his decendents being as numerous as the stars and the promise of the land that was an integral part of the covenant that YHWH made with Abraham. The covenant with Abraham and his seed, is not complete without the prescribed land that was included in that covenant. That land prescribed was much more than is present Israel, and yet the world is pressuring Israel to give up more. And YHWH through His prophets promises the judgments He will bring on those nations that try to force Israel to divide. As we stood on top of the mountain and gazed over the landscape, peering over into Jordan, up to Lebanon, over to the Mediteranean Sea, and down towards the Negev, we could begin to see the enormity of the promise that YHWH made to Abraham and His seed. As we looked to the wide expanse of the sky over that high peak and imagined the number of stars that would be visible that night, we began to understand just a little of the incredible promise that YHWH made with Abraham---and us, who are now heirs, according to the promise. Heady stuff for grape pickers!
We are living in fantastic times. The prophecies and the headlines are matching up. And we here on Mt. Gerizim, picking grapes and pruning olives are beginning to understand that we are here for a purpose--perhaps the begining of that fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, "and foreigners shall come and dress your vines". What a privelege!

Harvest-- September 12, 2009

Harvest September 12, 2009
We have come here for the harvest of grapes on Mt. Gerizim (the Mount of Blessings) in Samaria, Israel. This is disputed territory within the West Bank that is being held by a small community of both Samaritans and Jews. They believe that this is a land YHWH has given them and they will not leave it willingly if the rest of the world tells them it is to belong to someone else.
A funny thing about grapes is that they are not ready to be harvested until there is enough sugar developed within the grapes (called the brix) to produce the right mix for crushing into wine. If you pick too soon, the wine will be inferior or wasted. So we must wait until the brix is sufficient for a good vintage of wine. This is totally up to the grapes and the sun exposure, soil conditions and water availability. We can not hurry it along. It will happen when it happens and not a moment sooner.
It seems that we have come too early, but this is the way it should be. When the harvest is ready, we will be ready--until then--we watch and wait and do other things that need to be done. We occupy ourselves on a day to day basis, ready to drop everything and begin the harvest at a moments notice. The owner of the vineyard will give us the word.
There is much to learn here about how we are to be in readiness for the "The Harvest" of YHWH. He tells us that there is a "fulness of the gentiles" that will be completed and then the signal will be given for the harvest to begin. YHWH is waiting, and so are we, for a "Brix" number so that He can begin to harvest His vineyard and start the "crush" for the new vintage of wine. We as His bondslaves must be working at our assigned tasks, ready to drop everything at a moments notice, and begin the harvest. That is why we must be diligent to shed the entanglements of Babylon now so that we are free to be in the watching and waiting mode--able to drop everything when the harvest command goes forth.
For now, we watch and wait. Waiting in readiness--Watching the events that unfold in the world around us, and watching in readiness for the signal to begin "The harvest". Even so, come Yashua. For today, our task is to rest, for it is Shabbat. Even in the work around the harvest, there is rest. Praise YHWH!

Ariel, Israel-- September 11, 2009

September 11, 2009

Ariel Israel--"The Settlements" as far as the rest fo the world thinks. We slept last night, and will for the next 3 weeks, in a home where a young man was severely injured from a bomb explosion. At one time it was not even known if he would live. There are still evidences of the blast present today, "momentos" of the battle that continues between different world views. Everything becomes REAL in this environment, raw and palpable. I sit here this morning, reading the Torah Parasha for this week in Devarim//Deuteronomy 30 and YHWH promises a full restoration of "All Israel" to the "Full Land" that He promised to Avraham, Issac and Yaakov. This includes even more than prescribed by Israel's present borders--Much More! This pressure from the nations of the world to diminish the borders of "The Land" is met with YHWH's promise to expand the borders--to restore all things-- to bring back "All Israel" (those who chose to follow His Torah as their halacha/pathway--who chose to make teshuva/repent from the world and its systems and turn back to YHWH). This is what YHWH promises and prophecies to do for those who choose life and blessing instead of death and cursing. These choices are very real here. If you choose to follow YHWH's Torah, which He promises Life and blessing for, you could actually be killed for that choice by someone with an alternate world view. They may even think that they are doing YHWH a favor. Yashua tells us this would happen.

So by choosing life you might actually die. What a paradox. How can this make any sense? Yashua further tells us if we are willing to loose our lives, we will save them. Now we begin to see that our focus must be turned away from this confused system of Babylon--the world, and we must refocus on the eternal of what YHWH has promised. Even here in Israel, we see a lot of Babylon. The way people dress, the hectic scurrying around, the honking of horns to get moving, the desperate commercialism of the marketplace; all these and more are evident here in Israel as signs of the Babylonian (confusion) system. In order to leave Babylon, you don't go to a geographic place, you must cut it away from your heart. You must recognize the things that take your focus away from His kingdom and cause you to look at what man does and away from what YHVH does. This is Babylon and it is different for every person.

The people we continue to pick up at the airport are dear folk. We have met many of them at the Family Week the Waller family conducted this spring in Kentucky. Many of them have returned to the land, having harvested before, but others are here for the first time, eyes wide open with wonder as they walk this ancient land. There is a common bond--servanthood. We have all come to serve our brother/sister Yahudah/Jews. We believe it is more important to live a sermon to them than to preach one with words. They must see our love for them more than hear us speak words that can be easily misunderstood. We must make them ask "why are you doing this?" We must not expect anything from them in return. We have come to LOVE Yahudah, and that is all.