The Hebron Herald

There's little areas around the house that I just love walking through and this little path to the caper patch is one of them.  Tracks, gates and little hideaways - love 'em!  Don't you find the scriptures are like that too?  There will be little treasures hidden that pop out and surprise you, inviting you to pause and meditate on YHVH. It's always such a delight and surprise to see new growth, even when I'm expecting it!  The capers are doing extremely well and most of the bigger plants are bursting with caper buds and flowers.  We've decided to let this crop grow through to the berries and I'd better get my skates on to find out how to pickle them properly.  I anticipate that next year we will be in proper caper picking mode.  What a resilient and worthy little plant this is :) We like to have a little joke that those with a caper-like nature will do well here at Hebron, but in reality these qualities of resilience and hope are truly one...

Last weekend we gathered together at Hebron for worship, fellowship and discussion.  We were blessed with perfect weather, which made accomplishing the chores on Sunday that much easier. Over the last few weeks John has been sharing on the importance of relying on scripture rather than commentaries and systematic theology to dictate doctrine and belief.  Unfortunately labouring under the misapprehensions handed down from generations past can often lead one away from the simplicity and purity of Torah and the Good News.  The admonition of Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:18-23 is as relevant today as it was in his day. 18  Let no one fool himself. If someone among you thinks he is wise (by this world’s standards), let him become “foolish,” so that he may become really wise. 19  For the wisdom of this world is nonsense, as far as God is concerned; inasmuch as the Tanakh says, “He traps the wise in their own cleverness,” [ a ] 20  and again, “ Adonai knows...

communion [kəˈmjuːnjən] n 1. an exchange of thoughts, emotions, etc. 2. possession or sharing in common; participation 3. (foll by with) strong emotional or spiritual feelings (for) communion with nature Since the wind farm proposal has been made public unsavoury aspects of human nature have been evident in the local community, belying the very word 'community'.  Thinly veiled animosity has now given way to emotionally charged name-calling and pettiness as those for and against the proposal clash.  Of course as is usual, it's the minority that create the din of discord. This has made me appreciate the true community and union to be found in the kingdom of our Messiah all the more.  Of course we are not immune to pettiness, grandstanding or selfishness, however, we have the Ruach HaKodesh to chasten, guide, mature and knit us together.  Pomegranate flowers and buds I love the pomegranate not only for the gorgeous flowers and fruit, but for the sym...

Last week we had to bring the flock in and there was a bit of a drama as we had to take them through the cow paddock, which naturally the cows nor the alpacas nor the sheep appreciated.  This event tied together in my mind with a poignant comment that Justin made at our sabbath gathering about how there was a time that the Ruach HaKodesh revealed to him that an issue that was evident in the family originated from his own behaviour and the remedy was his own repentance and behavioural change.  This is certainly not a situation unique to his family, as we all have similar instances I'm sure and Hebron is no different. Some of the frustrations or difficulties that we have experienced here at Hebron have been a result of either our inexperience, procrastination or faulty actions.  I was discussing the sheep handling with Brendan this week and thought I'd send around an email with some YouTube clips and observations that may help our future planning.  However, I beli...

Dignity is a quality that evidently has been severely overrated of late and therefore some of us took drastic steps to address this problem.  Gulliver and Don Pedro submitted themselves to the rack for their annual haircut and pedicure, however Gulliver decided to humiliate himself even further by crying like a big girl's blouse and wetting himself.  Jolyon and Kerry Porter from http://www.yackaridge.com/alpacashome.html did the shearing expertly and kindly, qualities that we very much appreciated.  Scenes reminiscent of Braveheart....'Freedom!' Stripped of their winter coats our alpaca boys are resplendent in all their .....geekiness! Of course not to let our brave guardians of the flock take the lead in their overt display of humility, Trevor took it to a whole other level....here he is modelling Christina's prototype.  There was much explanation that this contraption was to aid the viewing of the remote camera's images of the blocked bore well b...

Closing the door on the week that has been Entering into Shabbat's shalom Opening my heart to the rest that You bring Your yoke is easy, your burden is light This week was rather momentous as I discovered the pine nut trees I planted 7 years ago have produced their first baby pine cones.  Within a couple of years we'll be producing our own supply of pine nuts. Over the last few weeks Neal, Trevor, Brendan and Chris have all put in some extra time to get on top of the chores and the place is looking terrific for it.  The orchard is now fully irrigated and ready for summer and another load has gone to the tip.  As Brendan said the other day, "it's great to be doing pre-emptive chores rather than crises management".  I for one am looking forward to spending this summer doing things other than fixing water leaks! Today I fertilised and weeded the capers, which gave me an opportunity to check out how they're going.  Most of the...

 Psalm 138  I give you thanks with all my heart. Not to idols, but to you I sing praise. 2  I bow down toward your kadosh temple and give thanks to your name for your grace and truth;      for you have made your word [even] greater      than the whole of your reputation. 3  When I called, you answered me, you made me bold and strong. 4  All the kings of the earth will thank you, YHVH , when they hear the words you have spoken. 5  They will sing about YHVH ’s ways, “Great is the kavod of YHVH !” 6  For though YHVH is high, he cares for the lowly; while the proud he perceives from afar. 7  You keep me alive when surrounded by danger; you put out your hand when my enemies rage; with your right hand you save me. 8 YHVH will fulfill his purpose for me. Your mercy, YHVH , continues forever. Don’t abandon the work of your hands! This week of spring we have enjoyed sunny days and sur...

 This passing week of Sukkot has been a wonderful time of fellowship with those who could stay the entire time, as well as many others popping in for a visit or a few days here and there. How blessed are we to be able to come together with a few like-minded disciples of Yeshua and celebrate the ways and instructions of YHVH. I've thrown together a few photos from Christine's camera to give you a brief overview of our activities: We were blessed to have 13 lambs born over the past few weeks so they required tagging and vaccinating. Now when you leave grown men together in a room with nurf guns it's bound to get a little ugly. A highlight of our time together is always the "Hebron Follies", where young and old alike are given the opportunity to delight this captive audience.  Our MC for this year was Christine and she is a natural so will probably retain this role for many years to come!  Unfortunately she was also the chief phot...

  Hebron has proven her worth this week by providing a perfect venue for celebrating Sukkot.  We have so much room in the house and on the property for everyone to fellowship and have time to themselves, as well as  space for children to explore the property and play around the house. Observing the moed of YHVH declares our love for Him and His ways; testifying of the greatness and wisdom of the Maker of the heavens and the earth.  These are a sign and a witness, not only for Israel but to the world around, of the redemptive love of Adoni and the coming again of Messiah. I've thrown up some photos of the activities this week: Scripture and prayer under the sukkot Children making use of the kiddy play area Wonder if we can fill the dam back up again with clay and stones? Under the guidance of Nathan of Zarephath the orchard irrigation has been replumbed Balmy nights under the verandah The steer arrived, albeit a bit battered and brui...

What a magnificent start to the Sukkot festival this year.   I will adding a few photos and updates throughout the week, although this first batch is a bit lean on photos because I've had some issues with cables. About 20 of us gathered in the Hebron lounge on the 1st Day to celebrate the anticipated coming of Messiah Yeshua and give praise and honour to Him who is worthy. The children, aided by John on the tractor, were eager contributors to the decoration of our sukkot.  We have been blessed with a few days perfect weather so we've been able to spend time outside enjoying the beauty of Hebron. I asked Yakira to write a summary of what the kids had been up to this week: Playing Wii and playing outside and inside (all); decorating sukkot (all), riding bikes up and down hill.  Playing and practising duet on piano (mostly Rebekkah and Yakira); playing cars (Joshua and Yohannan). During the week we had the opportunity to purchase two Dext...