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Shalom, Beloved!

Happy Passover!! The Pesach (Passover) special presentation is now up for free download.

Blessings and Shalom
AJ

Shalom All!

Yes, I know it’s been a while. And I’m sorry. Recently everyone around here where I live is excited as we will be enjoying and participating in our community’s second annual ShalomFest! This is a great opportunity as a Jewish believer to go and fellowship with my non-believing Jewish friends.

My son-in-law Daniel e-mailed a member of a local Messianic congregation to see when they would be showing up at the “Fest.” The woman e-mailed Daniel back and told him that they were not sure if they could go because their rabbi Todd had not yet been invited! You see, Todd Lesser, who now allows himself to be called rabbi, required members to sign a loyalty oath to him in order to become a member or to continue to be a member of Adon Olam congregation after he took part in the ouster of our actual rabbi Paul Cohen. (KOOL AID ANYONE?) ShalomFest is a public event to share in our Jewish heritage.

Now, if you are not Jewish, maybe it’s understandable. But when a guy who allows himself to be called rabbi and claims to be a Jewish believer forbids anyone in his congregation to attend a Jewish-themed festival because he did not get an invitation strikes me as just weird, controlling, or both!

I hear that many Messianic congregations are mostly comprised of gentile believers in Yeshua anyway. Are not we as Jewish believers supposed to go and witness to our non-believing brethren? Doesn’t the book of Romans in the New Covenant (B’rit Hadashah) tell us to go and witness to the Jew first and then to the Gentile (Greek) for the purpose of redemption? Now then, if you ask me (and someone did), I say that if one is going to try and witness to a Jew about Yeshua, shouldn’t one try to learn a little about who we Jewish people are first?!

Come to ShalomFest, and enjoy your time there!

Shalom and Blessings!

AJ

This Monday is the official day of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. Did you know he was a Republican and he supported Israel? Here is a document that he is said to have written:

“. . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely ‘anti-Zionist.’ And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of G-d’s green earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews–this is G-d’s own truth.

“Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: anti-Zionist is inherently antisemitic, and ever will be so.

“Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The Jewish people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing Commonwealth in the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered Our L-rd. Driven from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced to wander the globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the lash of whichever tyrant happened to rule over them.

“The Negro people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment of tyranny under rulers not of our choosing. Our brothers in Africa have begged, pleaded, requested–DEMANDED the recognition and realization of our inborn right to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our own country.

“How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult in the fulfillment of G-d’s promise, that his People should return in joy to rebuild their plundered land.

“This is Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.

“And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is antisemitism.

“The antisemite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice. The times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a hatred of the Jews. This being the case, the antisemite must constantly seek new forms and forums for his poison. How he must revel in the new masquerade! He does not hate the Jews, he is just ‘anti-Zionist’!

“My friend, I do not accuse you of deliberate antisemitism. I know you feel, as I do, a deep love of truth and justice and a revulsion for racism, prejudice, and discrimination. But I know you have been misled–as others have been–into thinking you can be ‘anti-Zionist’ and yet remain true to these heartfelt principles that you and I share.

“Let my words echo in the depths of your soul: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews–make no mistake about it.”

Disclaimer: The first known appearance of the quoted words above is in a 1999 book “Shared Dreams” by Rabbi Marc Shneier, containing a preface by Martin Luther King, III. The words are purported to originate from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend,” which allegedly appeared in the Aug. 1967 Edition XLVII of the Saturday Review. However, no such edition exists. While the source of the “Letter” remains unknown, scholars maintain that the “Letter” does reflect MLK, Jr.’s expressed views on the subject and that he had in fact stated in plain terms that anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism. For more information, read about the investigation by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA).

JEREMIAH – Chapter 29v11

 “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the L-RD, “plans for your welfare and not for calamity, but to give you a future and a hope.”

Shalom All!

I am so glad to see you survived the holidays. You know, every year I hear the same thing: “I resolve to do this,” “I resolve to do that.” Yes, beloved, I’m talking about the oh-so-insincere new year’s resolution. Mark Twain, the famous writer once said, “If you want to be a successful writer, always write about what you know,” so here goes.

Yes, I too have made new year’s resolutions only to immediately, if not sooner, break them and leave them in the forgotten dusts of time. I (in the past) have resolved to do everything from not worrying too much to being a better man to losing a little weight or being better about answering back phone messages. But my biggest thing has been worrying about the future and what it holds for my wife, my children, and me! Yes, I worry sometimes waaay too much! The scripture tells me that I cannot worry any extra hair on my head nor any extra years to my life! I know this!!! Yet I still catch myself worrying sometimes. I give others such sage advice as, “If you sweat the small stuff you will never be able to handle the big stuff when it happens.” I finally realized (and just recently I might add) that the first thing that I needed to do and understand was that I had to forgive myself for being human! Once I did that I could quit making myself lofty promises that I could not keep!

We all as believers want to please G-D, but we should also learn to trust HIM! Once we learn to trust G-D, pleasing HIM becomes easier. You see, HE knows your strengths and weaknesses (HE made you), and when you realize this, that false need to try and razzle dazzle HIM (and yourself) with big promises goes away, and WOW is that ever liberating!! All Abba G-D wants from you is your best honest effort. Yes, beloved, your Heavenly Father knows who you are, where you are, and YES! HE LOVES YOU! So, don’t worry so much about what the future holds anymore. Just remember who HE is that holds your future in HIS HANDS with LOVE and CARE.

Blessings and Shalom!

AJ

Yep, it’s me again! “Oy vey!” you say!?! Welllll, hang on to your yarmulkes and listen. When Ira and I walked into the studio for the first time and started doing the Down Home Shalom radio outreach show, we agreed that we would never, ever, ever debate a “Gentile” holiday (like Christmas or Easter) on that given holiday. We think it is disrespectful and rude! We work hard to thaw cold hearts and give our listeners uplifting things to ponder. We call it like we see it! We call good, good! and we call evil what it is–evil! We have always tried to be a good tool for G-D’s greater glory. Now, having said all of this, permit me to share with you all.

A few Decembers ago, my wife Shela was shopping at Wal-Mart. She accidentally bumped a display of bagged walnuts while rounding a corner, and the whole thing came tumbling down! She said she was terribly embarrassed. She looked up and another shopper came over to her and started helping Shela pick up the bags and replace them on the display. While they stacked, the other lady told Shela that she saw it happen and laughed to herself saying “I’m glad that wasn’t me!” Just then, the lady said she felt a sense of guilt and compassion and felt compelled to come and help Shela straighten up the mess. After they finished, the lady asked my wife to forgive her for that selfish thought, and then she smiled and turned to her own shopping cart and walked away.

I remember as a kid growing up in Chicago how the Salvation Army fed the hungry and had parades at Christmas! I remember how people seemed, more than at any other time of year, to want to help one another. It made me happy and even more curious about Yeshua (Jesus).

One of mine and Shela’s favorite friends is Ethel Chadwick. Ethel is the host of a Messianic outreach radio show called Bagels and Blessings, which broadcasts out of Rochester, New York. Ethel once said that as a young girl she used to sing Handel’s “Messiah” in a children’s youth group, never realizing that she was singing about Yeshua (Jesus)! Ethel is a good Jewish girl with a beautiful singing voice and loves to sing! I was mortified when I discovered that, out of all my friends, I embarrassed the two that I and Shela love most of all, Ira and Kathy Goldberg! I, quite by accident, found that Ira and Kathy love to go to the mountains during Christmas and look at the beautiful holiday lights. Ira is a solid and good Jewish man! I noticed that TV stations ask for donations for different local charities to help feed and clothe the homeless over the Christmas holiday. Most everyone, including lots of us Jews (believing and non-believing), tend to want to be extra generous at this time of year!

I then started thinking about all this. “UH OH!” you say. “Is AJ going G-O-Y!?! NOOO!” Now look, don’t you all get your tzi-tzit un-knotted! I’m just saying!! Now keep reading and don’t get lost.

When my dad was born, his birth was not properly recorded. My dad never knew when he was really born, as he was orphaned at a young age. Now let’s fast forward to when he was middle-aged. My little sister Nora was born on Independence Day–yeah, the 4th of July. My dad was so grateful and felt so blessed by her birth (after five boys, this was his first daughter) that he decided that from that day on he would celebrate his birthday with Nora. He did not know when he was born, so he picked this day, her day, to share and celebrate. Dad did this until the day he died.

Now I love Chanukkah. To me, it is a wonderful and magical time of year! It’s the Festival of Lights, man!! My kids go wild! We have eight nights of gift giving, scripture reading and great food!! (my favorite). We put out the different color Chanukkah candles and we hang different color lights outside to decorate our house! But again, I started thinking and I was left to look at myself and ask myself, “Hey, have you been a little too rigid here, Sizemore?” That’s when it occurred to me! If my Jewish Savior, yes my Jewish Messiah, has in the past and still inspires the world to stop even just for one day (even though we Jews know it’s not His real birthday) and have goodwill towards men and show compassion for each other in HIS NAME, a JEWISH SAVIOR’S NAME!! then thank G-D!! We as a people have been blessed by G-D to be (sort of) contributors to this holiday, and it is celebrated in the name of a JEWISH MESSIAH! Again, I’m not going to put up a Christmas tree or hunt Easter eggs! No, but I take comfort knowing that all things will eventually work for the glory of my G-D and my Jewish Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ)! And to all my friends, please forgive me if I was too rigid when you just wanted to be happy and rejoice in the L-RD.

Blessings and Shalom!

AJ

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

CHAPTER 17:v3-4  Be on guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.

Yep, I’m back again! I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but when I speak to new believers on air or in person I always encourage him/her to find a good and Bible-believing congregation where he/she can learn, worship, and fellowship with other believers. This provides safety for the new believer as they learn to walk in the spirit and faith.

This does not go well with some Messianics as some of them think that worship must contain all things Jewish for it to be true worship! My personal encounter with this came to pass when our Rabbi married and was asked to leave our Temple by our chief elder. I share this with you according to Luke 17:v3-4, I pray that G-D blesses you richly according to His will. I was ordered to submit myself to a new (self-appointed) congregational leader (our former chief elder) who did not like our radio show! I was told that if I did not, that I would be BLACK BALLED from all Messianic congregations in the world!! He did not want to support the show in any way but still wanted to control what was said on air! When I called the leader of our congregational association, he promised to help me with this and assured me that my membership would not be affected. Well, a short time afterward, I got a phone call from the new (self-appointed) congregational leader, and he told me that I was no longer a member of my congregation and told me that he was recording our phone conversation! Afterward, I called our association leader for help and he told me that it was out of his hands! You see, I thought that there was no way that my Jewish brethren would ever betray me! I had heard stories of some Gentile Churches doing this but we’re Jews!!, it just isn’t done amongst our ranks (I thought)!

November 2009 marks the first anniversary of my being told that I could no longer be a member of my congregation. I share this with you not for revenge (as that is the purview of ADONAI). I share this with you as a kind of brotherly advice. You see, when you become a believer you must find a good congregation in which to worship and as long as the gospel is being taught, preached and lived you will grow and enjoy a strong and fulfilling walk with G-D!

If you are a Jewish believer, you do not necessarily have to find a Messianic congregation according to Acts 2:v42, 1 Cor 1:v9, and 2 Cor 6:v14! Adonai may lead you to a wonderful gentile congregation that truly loves G-D and the Jewish people! Now, Jewish believer, please understand me. I am not saying that we Jewish believers should put up a Christmas tree and start hiding Easter eggs! What I am saying is that as a Jewish person, you already have a knowledge of the Tanach that can be helpful when you share it with your new Gentile friends if this is where Adonai leads you! (remember Rav Shaul) And finally, together, see the way that it supports and is supported by the Brit Hadasha (New Covenant), and be blessed by it! There are many Jewish believers that worship in church congregations! And Adonai may present you with the opportunity to share a Jewish perspective on the scriptures! In other words, when you as a Jewish believer are learning to walk in faith with the help of Christian believers, you will also be able to help them get a fuller and richer understanding of the scriptures! Yes, you will enrich one another’s faith and walk with Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).

As to my former congregation, I say, “May Adonai bless and keep you,” and I love you all very much. As to the congregational leader there, I forgive you and the association leader as well. I have prayed for both of you in earnest! I do not want what you both did to me and my wife and children to stand between you and your salvation. Please believe me! Unforgiveness hinders us all! Let this be my written witness as I do forgive you both according to Psalms 32:v1, Matt 26:v28, Luke 17:v3-4 and Luke 24:v47.

We as the body of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) must practice forgiveness if we ourselves are to grow in our faith and be forgiven of our Father in Heaven, as proved in Matt 6:v12, 14-15. Look it up and be blessed!

Shalom and Blessings!

AJ

Shalom everyone! We at Down Home Shalom always try and find interesting ways to let you know how much G-D loves you! And we also try to connect scripture with current events so you can know where we (as a people) are prophetically in time. We use humor, news stories, music, personal interest segments, and even just plain old talk to help you with your walk in faith as a believer. We will never intentionally use the blessing of our broadcast to hurt the innocent, but for the sake of ZION we will tell the truth!

Recently, Ira wrote a blog on why he would not visit Israel any time soon. He wrote this because of some in the Israeli government who persecute Jewish believers (like you and me!) by making it difficult for us to make aliyah (emigrate back) to Israel. I am hard-pressed to remember a better friend than Ira and I am blessed by his friendship. I also know that he loves Israel! You see, since Benjamin Netanyahu lost Tzipi Livni as part of his coalition in government, he had to use the Orthodox leadership to keep his majority. The Orthodoxy in Israel are the ones who are the most responsible for the difficulty that Jewish believers encounter when we try to use our Right of Return to Israel! The Haredi (a name for Orthodox Jews), don’t even believe that Israel (as you and I know it) has the right to exist yet! Did you notice that I said “yet”? You see, the Haredi are Jewish non-believers! They say that according scripture and Talmud that the only true Israel will exist after Messiah returns and establishes it himself! You see, they are still waiting for a Messiah who has already been here! Interestingly, although they say they do not recognize the present statehood of Israel, they still live almost totally on the welfare rolls of the Israeli government!! (do you see the immediate hypocrisy?) They will not hold jobs (for the most part), they will not serve in the Israeli military (IDF), and they have large numbers of children which they teach to do the same. Now, we will give to and try to promote giving to various charities in Israel, but this is why Ira and I are hesitant about spending vacation money in Israel-because unless you or I (as Jewish believers) are just visiting on vacation, we don’t seem to be welcome! So, until all Jewish believers are welcome to come home to Israel and be free citizens of the only true democracy in the Middle East then we will anxiously wait until the good people in Israel stand and and say enough is enough and bid us (Jewish believers) come home! Until then, we here will continue to end every Pesach with the old words “next year in Jerusalem!” Mr. Sherbow, I hope this helps.

Shalom and Blessings!

AJ

Shalom All! Please tune in today to Down Home Shalom for an exciting and thought-provoking show! Ira and I will share interesting information concerning the distinct possibility of Christopher Columbus actually but secretly being Jewish! Remember Down Home Shalom is on every Sunday afternoon on 96.3 FM from 1:30-2:30. See you on the radio!

Shalom and Blessings!
AJ

Yep, I’m back! If you keep up with the show, you know that we are pro-BIBLE, pro-AMERICA, pro-ISRAEL and pro-LIFE! This makes us diametrically opposed to the Obama Administration. Yes, Obama is President and yes, the scripture tells us to respect proper authority. But, we can speak up, stand up and speak out when our elected officials overstep their bounds and attempt to usurp our G-D-given liberties! I recently heard a man say that although G-D created good, HE also created evil! How idiotic to make such an open-ended statement! (especially when it was a congregational leader who said it!) Of course Genesis 2:v 8-9 tells us that Adonai planted the garden and caused the trees therein to grow (including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). However, the original sin was disobedience! You see beloved, it is easy for us to blame G-D when we hear on the news where a terrorist murders a crowd of people or a loved one falls on hard times, I hear people often times say “if G-D is so good then why does he allow bad things to happen to people?” The fact is HE DOESN’T! HE gave us dominion over the earth, we are the caretakers, we make the choices! He gave us the rule book! It’s called the BIBLE!! We are the ones that allow bad things to happen because we stay in denial concerning our own responsibility! We continue to disobey G-D and therefore keep ourselves out of HIS protection! Remember, Adonai will have no part in evil or confusion.

There is a BIBLE story that describes the Devil as a roaring lion searching the earth for whom he may devour. This scripture used to confuse me as a hunter and an old Marine. I thought, “How can a roaring lion ever catch anything?” Then some years later, I met a family who were missionaries to Africa. After a while, I brought that little BIBLE story up and got my eyes opened real quick. They told me that on the African savanna (plains) it is pitch black at night and that the lions are night hunters! The herdsmen build fence pens for the cattle and put a light post in the center of each pen to keep the herds calm and safe at night. The lions have figured a way around this! After dark, the lions will circle the pens in the darkness and roar in an attempt to scare the cattle and ever so often a goat or a sheep will get frightened and jump the fence to run away-actually running into the darkness and into the teeth of the lions! Had the animals stayed calm and had faith in their shepherd and his pen (hedge of protection), they would have stayed alive! We as a people cannot continue to attempt to soil G-D’S HANDS (with the evil that we as a people allow in our society!) by making an open-ended statement that G-D created evil, somehow insinuating that it’s all HIS fault?!! The BIBLE warns us that those will be cursed that claim good is evil and evil is good! Doesn’t anyone realize that Adam and Eve were allowed to eat forever of the fruits of the garden including the tree of life!! That is of course until disobedience (the original evil!), caused Adam and Eve to be separated from G-D!, cast out of the garden and eventually to die!  Disobedience to G-D is the original evil! It started when Eve and then Adam ate of a tree that they were told by Adonai not to even touch!

Did anyone notice that I did not say that Adam and Eve were “condemned” to die? You see G-D LOVES US!! Let me explain. If Adam and Eve, after disobeying G-D had been allowed to stay in the garden to live and continue to eat of the fruit trees (i.e., tree of life), they would have been separated from G-D forever by sin and the fact is that “they would have been condemned to live forever separated from G-D! Adonai had to make a way for Adam and Eve to have the chance for redemption through Yeshua the same as you and I do! If they could die, then they could one day be redeemed as the scripture describes. You see beloved 1 Peter 3:18-19 says that although for a few days Yeshua’s body lay in the grave, he was preaching salvation at the gates of Hell so all those imprisoned there that believed might know salvation through HIM! Revelation 1:v18 tells us that Yeshua (THE FIRST AND LAST-THE LIVING ONE) has the keys of death and Hell!, and Mathew 27:v 51-53 tells us that many of the saints arose from the grave with Yeshua when he was resurrected and went into the city where they were seen by many (Firstfruits!). Because of HIS SHED BLOOD you can be redeemed! The Devil can’t stop you from accepting your Messiah and Savior! The Devil has NO POWER over YESHUA HAMASHIACH your SAVIOR AND MESSIAH! It’s your choice.

The real fact is that G-D will soon come back and judge the whole earth! Are you ready? The book of Malachi tells us in chapter 4:v1 “For behold, the day is coming burning like a furnace: and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” say the L-RD of hosts “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” Beloved, don’t think to wait until that last minute to accept Yeshua (Jesus) as your savior, because frankly speaking, do you know when YOUR last minute is?

I will continue in hopefulness and prayer that more and more of you accept Yeshua HaMashiach as your savior before it’s too late.

Blessings and Shalom

AJ

On this eighth anniversary of 9/11, please pause to remember. We must never forget, and never surrender.

Then President Bush reminded us why they hate us.

Have you forgotten?

G-d bless America! G-d bless Israel!