Shalom Mishpocha!

Shalom Mishpocha! Mishpocha is a Hebrew word that means "family." We are the 'family' of God, made up of Jew and Gentile without the barrier wall of separation.

This is the phrase (or close to it) that Sid Roth uses at the beginning of his radio show. I was introduced to him not too long ago (a year or two perhaps) but it wasn't until recently that I started listening to his radio show and iTunes podcasts.

Why am I talking about Sith Roth?

Well... because he has done a wonderful job hunting down people who have had 'supernatural' encounters with God or heavenly beings, hence the name for his show - "It's Supernatural."

There have been a few episodes of individuals who have not necessarily have personal encounters with God, but they have received revelations or inside information about certain topics that are relevant to our generation, our times, our society.

I recently attended a conference given by a gentleman who appeared in a recent episode of It's Supernatural, where I met a really nice family. They asked me how I learned about this particular speaker, so I told them I saw him on Sid Roth. I was a little surprised that none of them had ever heard about Sid Roth, so that is why I am writing about him.

If you've never watched his show, or listen to his radio program, let me tell you that you are seriously missing out!

Of course, there is always that one who will disagree with anything that is broadcasted on the show, or who will be very leery, but for those who enjoy fresh, divine revelations from Heaven, it is a must watch!

I have also ordered a few of the materials that elaborate on each guests appearances on the show, so I will be doing a 'review' of them in the near future, so stay tuned!

New Direction

Courtesy of Google Images

Whew!! It's been such a long time since I've posted an entry on my blog. I had given up blogging because of the lack of time, but I've come to realize that there is never enough time in one's day, so I've taken on a challenge to try to update regularly, as much as possible.

There are so many things that I want to write about, yet not everything is worthy of publishing, nevertheless, I will attempt to keep this blog informative/useful for those who care to follow it.

I've also felt compelled to take on a different direction as to the meaning of this blog, because in the grand scheme of things, politics is only a small part of our daily lives, but our walk with Yahweh [God] is (or should be) the main part of our lives, the very reason of our existence.

I don't claim to have it all figured out, but I make an effort to try to draw closer to Yahweh, and as I draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to me - that is the reason for this blog, so is the name.

In lieu of a 'real' blog entry, I will embed the song that inspired my new blog's name, a song that certainly inspires me daily to let myself be lead "to the cross."

Did the Resurrection actually happen?

I thought this was pretty good. From Dinesh D'Souza's blog ...

The historicity of Christ, including his death by crucifixion, is a fact that about as well attested as any in the ancient world. The evidence for Christ's existence is much stronger than that for Socrates, Alexander the Great, and numerous figures of ancient times whose historicity no one doubts. Historians are unanimous that Christ was born, that he developed a following, that he antagonized the Jewish and Roman authorities, and that he was put to death. But what about the resurrection?
"If Christ had not been raised," Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17, "our preaching is useless and so is your faith." The resurrection is the most important event in Christianity. (For this reason, Easter is actually a more important holiday for Christians than Christmas.) Other religions such as Judaism and Islam may feature miracles but miracles are not central to their theology. Christianity, by contrast, is based on the miracle of the resurrection.
Since the nineteenth century, some biblical scholars have refused to accept the biblical account of the Resurrection because it was produced by people obviously biased in Christ's favor. Interestingly Christ's followers, by their own admission, did not expect the resurrection. Arriving three days after his death, the women brought spices to his tomb to anoint and preserve his body. Only then did they observe that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
The fact of the empty tomb was admitted by the Roman guards and also by the Jewish magistrates, who told the Roman authorities that Christ's followers must have stolen the body. In Jewish polemic against Christianity, this has been the standard explanation for the empty tomb. Yet it is prima facie implausible, since how could a handful of female disciples have subdued Roman guards and moved the stone blocking access to the tomb?
The apostles were deeply skeptical about reports of a resurrection, and Christ had to appear to them several times before these doubts were dispelled. Paul writes that Christ "appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, although some have passed away." Paul here appeals to direct empirical evidence: the testimony of multiple witnesses who actually saw Jesus alive after his execution. Of this group, Paul says that many are still alive, which means they are in a position to refute him if what he is claiming is wrong. In the history of hallucinations, is there a single instance in which five hundred people all saw the same person--a figure known to them--and were all equally mistaken?
But is the testimony of the early Christians reliable? Well, let us see. The disciples became so convinced of what they had seen that their dirges of lamentation were replaced with cries of joy. Proclaiming Christ crucified and Christ risen, they launched the greatest wave of religious conversion in history. Historians tell us that the number of Christians increased from around 100 at the time of Christ's death to around 30 million by the early fourth century, when the Roman emperor himself converted to Christianity.
These conversions occurred in the teeth of fierce political opposition and the persecution of the greatest empire in the ancient world, the empire of Rome. The early Christians did not hesitate to identify themselves with a man who had been branded a traitor and a criminal. They endured imprisonment, torture, exile, and death rather than renounce their commitment to a resurrected Christ.
Imagine a disputed event in court where numerous eyewitnesses gave evidence of the same fact and stood by their testimony so firmly that they would be willing to endure life imprisonment or even the death penalty rather than say the contrary. Would any jury doubt that such people, who would have little to gain and everything to lose, were telling the truth?
"Yes," an atheist friend of mine conceded. "But aren't the radical Muslims also willing to die in order to get the virgins in heaven?" Perhaps so, but the two cases are not comparable. The radical Muslims are taking on faith that their actions will take them to an Elysian place where the virgins will be waiting. By contrast, the Christians who went to their deaths at the hands of the Romans did so because they refused to renounce an event in their own experience. Why would someone be willing to die for something that he knew to be a lie?
Even from a secular point of view, the evidence for Christ's resurrection is surprisingly strong. It might even be sufficient to convince an impartial jury in a court of law. The big question surrounding Good Friday and Easter is not: did all this happen? It did. The big question is whether we will let Christ into our hearts, so that he can raise us up on the day of judgment.