This is a song that has been among my favorites for over 15 years now. For years this song has brought me to tears as I sing along, it truly does reflect my heart.
My Testimony, in short
Hello, I'm Lisa W
After growing up in a Christian home and having committed my life to Jesus Christ when I was 18, it wasn’t until about 2001 that I found my true foundation. I didn’t doubt that I was “saved” but it just felt like the Christian life was lacking something significant. I worked in the church helping teach classes, lead study groups and as a pastoral assistant, I volunteered to assist the elderly and needy in our community at every opportunity, I tried very hard to get to know my Father and my Savior by studying the Bible and praying. Still, it felt like something significant was missing. I often thought, and sometimes said aloud, “This can’t be it, can it? There’s got to be something more than just this.” Something significant was missing and I couldn’t identify it. So I continued to struggle, ask and seek.
I have always had an interest in history, particularly ancient history and trying to reconcile the events in history with the events in Scripture. It didn’t always make sense. I really needed to know why a particular thing was recorded in Scripture, what significance it had that it found it’s way there. I’m the kind of person who needs things to make sense. I needed to put the pieces into the puzzle in order to better understand the overall picture. Often times significant pieces seemed to be out of place, or in the wrong puzzle. I knew that the Word wasn’t like that, and I had an intense need to be able to understand.
Slowly Abba began to reveal His heart to me through His Torah. Ever since I began to follow Him through His Torah, I have been utterly amazed and thrilled. He showed me that the foundation I had built my faith on was full of holes. That doesn’t mean that Jesus wasn’t really the Savior or that the Bible was wrong. What that means is that there was indeed so much more and I had misunderstood some very important things. Here all along I thought that I was feasting on steak when in reality I was still drinking milk and nowhere near ready for solid foods. I was not as mature as I thought I was. He began to show me Who He really is through His Word. And not only that, He began to show me what He wanted and expected from me if I was going to wear His Name and live a life that brings Him joy. Through various experiences and relationships He confirmed in my life that He was indeed bringing me into something more, oh so much more! Some of the questions I remember puzzling over, even as a child, were beginning to find their answers. As things began to fall into place the peace and excitement, the burning passion and the joy were almost uncontainable! So often I was sure I was going to explode!
As is common I began this journey before my dear husband did. My being home and teaching the kids afforded me a lot more time to read and search out what I was being shown. He, however, still had to work all the time. A little bit into my journey he decided that we’d read through the Scriptures in a chronological order together as a family every night after dinner. It was through this time that HaShem began to show him the very same things He had been showing me, and new things that my dear husband could teach me. Since this time our marriage has grown by leaps and bounds as have all the relationships within our home. We are truly blessed!!
Our G-d is THE Great G-d, and the Great King above all gods. With Him there is abundant joy and peace. The task He has given us is great, the urgency is growing and the journey is INCOMPARABLE!
This page has the following sub pages.
It seems like you have had a challenging and rewarding journey so far and I want to thank you for sharing it with us. I know I can really learn a lot and I hope to go through your archives. I really need some inspirational writing to help me along this path now and I am glad to have found your site!
Shalom!
May you be blessed ~
Lisa
Hi there,
Just found your site this morning while looking up Feast of Trumpets for my kids. We are here in Washington as well. Very nice to find this site, it caught my eye because of the mention of the ‘ancient paths’. I will continue to visit your site. Keep growing in Him!
Courage
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Courage,
Thank you for your nice comment. I did visit your site as well. May you continue to grow in Him as well!
Blessings ~
Lisa
Shabbat shalom Lisa your Shabbat is coming up mine is nearly over… also Shavua Tov!
Keep up the great writing… it’s nice to know that there are other people out there who share the same thoughts.
Shalom!
——-
Breyton,
And a belated Shabbat Shalom to you as well. Thank you for your nice comment. You’re right, it is nice to know that we’re not alone. I know that there are many others “out there”, I am more visible only because of my blog. One day we’ll all be joined together and what a blessing that will be!
Blessings to you ~
Lisa
Hi!
Found your blog site while doing ‘research’ on the Fall Feasts. God has been leading us on quite a path these last few years and the Feasts have been a reacurring question for us. This summer we did away with what we used to do and made the final, no turning back decision to follow God’s Holy Days.
Anyway, I am enjoying reading your blog, it’s been so confirming in many ways. We also live here in WA and are teaching at home (as of this year).
Blessing to you and your family!
Courage
——-
Shalom Courage ~
I’m glad that you are enjoying the blog. Ours, yours and mine, is an exciting adventure isn’t it?! It is comforting to us as well to know that there are others in our general area who are doing like we are. Thank you for sharing that. Sometimes it’s easy to feel so all alone and isolated.
May you be blessed ~
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Yes, it is nice to come across another on the journey we are on and realize we are not alone all over again. The path truely is narrow, but, God is faithful to keep us on it and makes it straight for us. So much has been stolen from us and it is awesome to have it revealed and returned! No more compromise!
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high {and defend you}; send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion; remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. Psalm 20.1-4
~Courage
You have a wonderful site. Thanks so much for sharing it. My wife and I are celebrating our first Shabbat service at home tonight. Next week will be our first to invite guests. I wandered over to get ideas, and really appreciate you putting them up. We got back to Israel in a week and a half! I’ve been blogging about our pretty amazing last trip here, if you are interested. Thanks again. Shabbat Shalom! wes
Wes,
I hope your first Shabbat at home was full of peace and joy! May your guests feel the presence of HaShem as they spend Shabbat with you this coming week, as well. Let us know how it went and how it goes. We can live vicariously through you in this way.
I hope to be able to read through some of your entries. We have not yet been able to go to Israel. We do want to go, but there are several things that we will require in order to go and the Father hasn’t yet put those things in place for us just yet. In His time we will go if it is His will, it will be perfect. We’re actually hoping to get to go this fall and to work with the ministry HaYovel.
May your Sabbaths be full of peace, joy and blessing. May you continue to seek the Father as you follow His Son, for He will be found.
I found your website during lunch while looking up information on Shavurot, I loved the article.
I was raised as an Israelite (Tamar Israel is my given name) and raised to be kosher and keep Shabbat and the feast days. I found Christianity at age 22 (my ex-husband’s faith) and continued on my merry way, thinking that I had it all figured out, but I could never quite silence the niggling little voice in my head about how something God said should be kept forever (the Sabbath) could be changed in the New Testament without a similarly clear statement. The church I attended began going in a direction that I could not agree with and then one day I decided to type in Messianc Judiasm into my search engine and found a congregation here in my town. It was comforting to be in an assembly much like the early church was, mostly Jews and a few Gentiles. A few months later I found a congregation whose (third generation) Pastor has received the revelation about Shabbat and the Torah teachings in 2006 and lost all but 16 of his members. I now study with his group as well. Every day I find out about more believers who have had the scales taken from their eyes to see what was there all along. One couple has been having a Torah study each Shabbat in their home for 20 years and never knew that there were other fellowships right here in town! Hashem is truly calling his people from the four corners of the earth.
I am so excited and every timeI find someone else on this journey their story is very much the same as mine.
I will continue to read your blog. Your insights are amazing.
Shalom Tamar ~
Your story is incredible! You mean that there is a Messianic Jewish congregation in your area!?! And a pastor who is leading his congregation into Torah? AND a couple who has held studies in their home for 20 years? And you are able to study with these groups? WOW! Baruch HaShem! You are truly blessed!! In our area, we’re not so blessed.
But we’re still blessed.
I’ll enjoy hearing more from you, your thoughts and insights.
May you have a blessed Shavuot!!
Shalom ~
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I found your page while searching for info on the Feast of Trumpets.
Sounds like your experience is much like mine currently is. My difference is that I am one of three pastors in our church, and I am aware that my leaning towards hebrew Roots is foreign to the Christian environment within which I work.
I too am learning to be patient and gentle, and constantly seeking those appropriate moments to introduce the wonderful people we have to the beauty of Torah. It is, however, often lonely, and frequently difficult.
I found you writing evry ineresting and most encouraging.
Shalom,
Erwin
South Africa
Hello Erwin ~
It’s nice to hear from you. I’m excited and encouraged that you are in a position of leadership and gently leading others. It can be frustrating when we want to rush things, but His time is always perfect. If you haven’t already, please consider getting in touch with First Fruits of Zion (ffoz.org). They are able to provide you with support and encouragement in the position you are in.
May you be blessed ~
Lisa
Lisa,
Thank you for the information on your blogsite. I love how God is drawing more and more Gentile believers to the truth in His Word. I’m humbled and blest to be one on them. We’ll be moving to another state next month and we’ll be starting a home Bible study group using the FFOZ HaYesod and Torah Club lessons. I’ve never had a blog site, but will start one when we move. When I do, may I use the write up you have on your site for the HaYesod study you are starting again? No sense in reinventing the wheel! You did such a fine job.
Charlotte
Charlotte ~
Of course, you may want to make a few changes. I’m honored you think it’s good enough to share.
Absolutely you can use what I wrote about HaYesod for yourself.
May your move be easy and may you find blessed fellowship in your new community quickly. Let me know when you get a blog up, I’d be interested in hearing how your HaYesod and Torah Club studies go.
Shalom ~
Lisa
Hi Lisa
I held a Bar Barakah service for my 3 sons as they each came of age and a friend of mine is wanting to do a Bat Barakah service for his daughter. I tried to access the documents you had available for the service you did for Miriam but they are no longer accessible from the web. Any chance you can let me have a copy of your service and the information you offered?
Thank you for your blog and for all that you are sharing.
Shalom
Carol ~
I tried to e-mail the PDF files to you but the e-mail bounced back to me. I didn’t realize that the links didn’t work and I’ll try to get them fixed quickly. Until then, you can send me an e-mail through the “Contact Me” tab above and I’ll e-mail them to you.
Shalom ~
Lisa
hi happy get your blog
How does one who is not Jewish (and has never participated in Biblical Feasts) go about celebrating Rosh Hashanna this year? I know it’s a bit late to be asking, since it begins tonight.
But I was just wondering!
Hello Kirei03 ~
You caught me just as I was about to log off the internet.
This entry has some information on the festival and links to various sites with further suggestions for how to celebrate. I hope these will begin to answer your question. And may your celebration be sweet!!
~ Lisa
Hello, Lisa and family!
I found your site while skimming through some other sites and yours piqued my interest. I too started similarly about 10+ years ago on this amazing journey to find out what the historical Mashiakh (“messiah”) taught. I continue to be amazed at the turning interest toward the Torah.
Torah is life to those who keep it, this is abundantly clear. Yet, the conundrum I came across was my assumption that the NT was somehow equal to the Torah. Through research in the etymology (origin of words) of Tan”kh and discovering and examining the research of other scholars, i.e. Ben Gurion’s professor, Elisha Qimron, in his remarkable research of the Dead Sea Scrolls) I found my beliefs were inconsistent with the Torah. I found a very insightful website and want to share this with you; http://netzarim.co.il/ This website has helped me establish the need to rigorously keep a distinction in understanding between what I thought and what Torah says and not confuse them together. We know one cannot have two truths. I am so thankful in discovering the many differences and think you will too.
What is not readily clear is how do we, the goyim (peoples), keep Torah since, as a christian, we were taught the Torah was not given to us? Then there is the other difficulty of even knowing how to read the message, it‘s in hebrew! Most christians assume their interpretations and doctrines reflect the truth of Torah and the accurate teachings of Ribi Yehoshua of Natzrat. I found they are worlds apart.
Torah provides the many answers to these and other questions. I would encourage you to carefully consider that our Creator has not changed, Malaki (Malachi) 3:6, then or now. He gave Israel His instructions (Torah) and he desires all mankind to keep it too.
Gary Metilly
garymetilly@myfairpoint.net
I thought that I was the only one! Now I know I have other brothers and sisters that have found the same way that Yeshua is making me walk! I’m from El Salvador. Yeshua is making us one with Him! I haven’t met yet any other born again here in El Salvador who is following these things, so I know as you say that “The task He has given us is great, the urgency is growing and the journey is INCOMPARABLE!”
All that I know, I haven’t received from men, but from His Word and Spirit all alone.
Thanks for sharing!
Hello Alfredo ~
May He bring you to others you can fellowship with soon. But until that time, know that this time when it’s just you and Him is a true blessing. He will walk with you and show you some amazing things, your understanding can grow very deep and solid in this time. When the time is right, you will be properly prepared to walk with the people He will put into your life. It is amazing, absolutely amazing.
I found your blog on the Messianic Keepers at Home site.
Came to look for encouragement. I am new to the Messianic beliefs, and am enjoying reading other women’s testimonies when I find them on-line. I read through your About Me, and could relate to everything you said. Your story is so similiar to mine! Except, unfortunately, my husband left me three years ago to marry another women, whom he had been in adultery with. So, my marriage story is not as happy as yours. YOu are blessed that your husband came to the same understanding of TRUTH so you could share it together.
I left the Christian Church 3 weeks ago, and have been keeping a Biblical Sabbath, and learning as much as I can about Torah, and New Testament with open eyes, eyes that are no longer blinded by my past traditions and false ideas. I am so thrilled to be learning things at a deeper level, and realize for years I was feeding on milk alone, being so hungry for the meat but not knowing where to find it. I always had that same sense that there has to be more, that I needed to obedient, and that I was missing something, that it just did not all make sense how it was being taught. Too many contradictions, but I knew the Truth would not contradict itself. Now I am seeing things so clear! I am so thankful and filled with joy. But leaving the church has been a tough transition for my family. And we I have faced a lot of confrontation and false accusations from my family, my friends at church and the Pastor. I feel very alone, as I live in a rural area and only know one other family that believes this way.
I was encouraged by your story.
Andrea
Hello Andrea ~
I’m sorry to hear about the decisions your husband made. It is amazing to hear your own story, or very similar ones, isn’t it?
It’s exciting!
I want to encourage you not to drop out of the church completely. I understand the frustration that comes at times when it feels like there are a lot of difficult contradictions. Continue learning and growing and teaching your children, but don’t cut yourself off from the body if at all possible. As you learn and grow, others will be watching and the transformation in your lives will be evidence of the work that G-d is doing in you. Besides, they still have a lot they can teach you too. Don’t be afraid to let others in and let them see, they may not understand and they may be afraid of the things your learning (and sometimes that comes out as anger or judgement or whatever). As you wrestle with your faith and develop a stronger faith, allow them to wrestle too. It’s important to have a “wrestling partner” when it comes to the Scriptures and your faith. Maybe you’ve got a girlfriend that is willing and able to hear you as you process your thoughts and interject with her own constructive thoughts? You’ll both benefit tremendously!!
I’d encourage you to connect with solid resources (like First Fruits of Zion) that can help you dig deep and stay away from many of the silly controversies that are out there. There is a lot of nice sounding and emotionally charged teachings out there that don’t have solid a Biblical foundation.
I hope you do find encouragement here. When we started on this road about 10 years ago, we were mostly alone for the first 4 or 5 years. It was good, but it was lonely at times. Oh how I would have loved to have found little bits of encouragement along the way earlier on.
Shalom! this is very nice website to know more about the faith in Yeshua.
thank you if you have any printed free material for distribute to believers to grow in truth and spirit please send me.
Todah.
Bro:Chandra Sekhar.CH
2-7,MALIKIPURAM(PO &VIL)
M.D.O.off RD
E.G.Dt. A.P.
INDIA- 533 253.
SHALOM MY DEAR SISTER LISA!
Please pray for my congregation Yeshua Ha Mashiach in India,
we have a small assembly here to gather for Sabbaths, Rosh Kodesh, all feasts in Lev 23.
we have no own place for worship and pray hall.
kindly pray for us.
Todah.
B’ahavah V’Yeshua.
chandra.
from Inida
Hi Lisa,
I enjoyed your article on tzit-tzit history as well as your “about me” info.
Please feel free to take a look at our website (www.torahfamily.blogspot.com).
Sincerely,
Jeff and Sarah