According to the Pattern ....

 Exodus 25:2, 9

Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise my contribution.

...According to all that I am going to show you, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

To be set apart is a privilege, not a constraint or a burden.  To experience the pleasure of YHVH, the shalom and life that comes from abiding in Him and living according to His instructions and statutes, is our manna, the daily sustenance and reward.  Each day as we consciously and actively focus on the goal that is in Yeshua the Messiah we are preparing for the millennial age of peace that He will usher in.  I, for one, at times are distracted by the cares and responsibilities of life, or the desire for the fleeting pleasures or goals of this world, but YHVH is so compassionate and understanding that He reminds and draws me back to the things that are of eternal significance.

One thing that I am constantly aware of is that "it's not by might, it's not by power but by my Spirit".  Therefore it's not up to me employing knowledge, skills or talents to further the purposes of YHVH or 'advancing the kingdom'.  This attitude is a carry over from my christian background and with it an unrighteous dependence upon my ability to adhere, rather than hear and obey.  This might be interpreted as semantics but I know the difference within myself and that's when I lose joy and peace and spend less time just being with Him.  Waiting on Him and giving time to this highest relationship restores my focus, vision and joy.  I can read, I can study, I can work, but unless I also do as Issac did and walk the paddocks meditating, or communicating in prayer and song with the Creator of all, then I won't be ready and able to continue the journey.

How grateful I am for a community of like-minded believers whose hearts have been moved by YHVH to come together, contribute and offer support and encouragement.  Even though only a few were able to come together at Hebron this weekend we prayed, we talked, the Word was shared, YHVH's name was exalted and the property benefited.  I've blabbed on so far but I was greatly encouraged and re-envisioned so just had to share :)

The first chore on Sunday was to bring in the flock and tag, vaccinate and castrate the lambs.  We were blessed with 5 males and 5 ewes this month, which is a perfect combination.  The flock, as well as Gulliver and Don Pedro, were very well behaved and even ran through the race like professionals.

Don Pedro and Gulliver looking fine in their winter coats

We also started the big job of laying weed mat and gravel on the capers.  This will vastly reduce the ongoing and tedious task of weeding all the plants, which does get very ordinary very fast.  I do have one confession to make though.  As I was weeding one particularly overgrown plant I unfortunately yanked the whole thing out and broke the tap root.  However, always looking on the bright side, (just call me Pollyanna) it gave me a chance to see what's actually going on under the surface of those plants that are doing reasonably well and I'm glad to report the root system was reasonably thick and deep.

The guys cleared the unholy mess next to the little shed and when the last drum was taken away you could hear great peals of heavenly chorus echoing through the hills!  Also, the strange green sticky up metal things were also tucked away behind the shipping container so it's not the first view that greets you down the driveway.

All in all we had a lovely weekend and enjoyed unseasonally warm, albeit windy, weather.  Little by little, step by step Hebron is maintained and developed for everyone's enjoyment.

Looking forward to the next time we're all together up here.

Shalom