Friends

Since leaving Facebook, I feel like we really don't have any friends to speak of. Sure, there are a few random texts from people I haven't heard from in a while, and it's always great to hear from them, but aside from my husband, my mom and one friend who I've known since before FB, I don't hear from people very often.

I know they are busy, but I also know that when you are on Facebook and plan your events, advertise your work and keep in touch with *most* friends through it, then there really isn't life outside of Facebook! Which is one of the main reasons I left. It sucked up my whole life, and I was determined to rebuild my life apart from social media. (There are a few other reasons I left too, though.)

But we long for fellowship with other like-minded believers. No one remembers to invite us to events anymore since we're no longer on FB.

I'm so glad Passover is here (we are observing tomorrow night). We have just been practicing Passover together as a family for the last few years, so it won't be a social event for us, but I LOVE YHWH's feast days! We learn something new every year, and as our children are mostly still young, there is so much to teach them.

We are planning to stay home for Sukkot this year, which I have mixed feelings about, but after last year, I am looking forward to it. Not sure who we'll invite yet, but probably at least one other family, maybe 3 or 4.

We are also looking forward to a short vacation coming up soon where we will get to see a few of our friends and family in Texas! We were without a family vehicle for a year and a half, and we now have an awesome Suburban that we are going to put to good use.....to visit our friends in real life, face to face! We may even be visiting a friend we met through Facebook that we have not yet met in person (been there, done that, and they are the BEST!).

So, I guess what I'm trying to get at is....this is a new phase in life for us. We feel isolated against our will, but I know it's only temporary, and it has been good in some ways. Right now we're trying to figure out how to reach out to others while also making decisions for our future. Big decisions. We live very simple lives, but we do have big dreams! Last year was SUPER HARD for us, but this year has already been better and is looking up! Praise Abba for His many blessings, and that we can still see His hand in the bad times. El Shaddai reigns! \o/

Passover and Unleavened Bread

Now, I know there are all different opinions on who, what, when, where, why and HOW. What's that saying? If you have 10 people, you'll have 11 different opinions, or something like that (I totally don't remember at all, but you get the idea). Well, this is MY blog, so I am going to share MY opinion. :)

A 24-hour day is rendered from sunup to sunup, not from sundown to sundown (more on this later). Today is the 14th day of the first biblical month, and after sunset tonight it will still be the 14th, so tonight is Passover (ALL of the Scriptures fit this way). Pesach is not an entire day, but an evening meal.

Ex. 12:15 - We are to eat unleavened bread with the meal, and the *following* 7 days are the days of unleavened bread, when we do not eat it or have any leaven in our homes. We are to remove any leaven from our homes on the first day. (Personally, we remove all leavening agents, but some just remove yeast, as that is the only thing they had when the command was given.)
Ex. 12:8 - The Passover meal itself only needs to have 3 foods: lamb, unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs (maror).

Ex. 12:11 - We also should eat it in a way that we are prepared to run out the door, so to speak, not reclining on a pillow just chilling out.
Ex. 12:3,6 - We should slaughter a lamb on the 14th day at evening that we have kept since the 10th day.

You are welcome to have a different view, and who knows, maybe I will look back on this post one day and smile, seeing how much MORE I have learned and grown. Or maybe you will. Or maybe we BOTH will! :) The point is, right now we are all going to have different understandings, and I respect that. Won't it be nice when Yeshua comes back and sets us all straight?! :)

There is so much more to this, so many more things yet to learn, but I just wanted to share these thoughts for now. I will share more later on when the 24-hour period of times begins.

So whatever you believe about the who, what, when, where, why and how......enjoy YHWH's Passover. It is a memorial, a reflection of what Yeshua has done for us, and a reminder of how much He sacrificed for us. This day is NOT about us or what we believe, it is YHWH's Pesach, not ours. So let's do this for Him, because we love Him. ((((HUGS)))) Shalom.