The Hebron Herald

38 degrees is not enough to keep this intrepid band from enjoying all that Hebron has to offer.  Of course the air conditioned oasis indoors is essential!  We enjoyed a lovely time of fellowship and prayer on shabbat.  It's always so enjoyable to sit around chatting, reading scripture and offering up our prayers together here at Hebron.  It has a different feel, a prophetic emphasis, a purpose bigger than ourselves.  This week we read and discussed the story of Esther and how it was a prophetic picture of the days ahead.  We don't observe the traditional times of Purim or Hannakah but nevertheless, it was a handy segue to study and discuss the prophetic nature of the story. Today we enjoyed a lovely visit from Nathan and Joy Chattaway and their gorgeous children Elijah, Gabriel, Michael, Esther and Gracie.  It was great to swap stories over lunch and hear how they're travelling at Zarephath.  We pray our Father's blessing on them and Zarephath...

The practical outworkings of our worship and obedience may look different from one individual to another, one family to another or one fellowship to another.  Here at Hebron it's a matter of looking after the land, stock, home and infrastructure to ensure that things are ticking along as they should in a timely manner; creating a refuge and oasis, now and for the future.  This week the flock were treated to some mineral blocks, which will provide necessary salts and minerals that they need to remain in tip top shape while they're lambing in the summer months.  The smaller top dam is well and truly dry but this would be the perfect time to get the tractor in there and dig it deeper, which would also have the bonus of providing good dirt for the vegie patch.  This dam is not spring fed so having it deeper would provide more water for next summer, provided it fills during the winter months. The vegie patch, or as I prefer to call it at times, the battlefie...

As I was watering the house plants this morning I thought I'd pop up a photo of the old hand plough and tell the story of why this is so meaningful.  This was part of a trailer load of stuff we inherited from Flea and I've always loved seeing it in the yard.  This hand plough is a constant reminder of Jeremiah 4:1-4 " For thus says YHVH to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to YHVH and remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. " Interestingly the road just up from Hebron is called Humbles Road and sometimes as I drive past it on the way home I quote Isaiah 57:15 to myself  " For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Kadosh (set apart), "I dwell on a high and set apart place, And also with the ...

We are now entering our eighth year as stewards of this little patch of earth we call Hebron.  We have experienced highs, lows, a drought, abundant rains and through it all we have been guided and provided for by Yehovah.  At the outset the primary purpose of Hebron was community - a self-sustaining, torah abiding fellowship who were passionate about the ways of Yehovah and being prepared for the days that lie ahead.  Developing inter-dependence has been, and will continue to be, a journey of reliance on Yehovah and His scriptures, as well as each other.  This path of living according to torah and His ways is not intended to be journeyed alone, so how blessed are we to have the fellowship of like-minded people. Here at Hebron we experience the seasons of nature as well as being able to identify with the agricultural cycles of the Yehovah's festivals.  As Passover is approaching we are able take our selected sheep to slaughter for our meal together, confident...

This weekend we enjoyed perfect weather, fabulous fellowship, an excellent wrap up to our Revelations study (this series has been recorded so be sure to download it) and the satisfaction of ticking off a few item on the chore list. We had the privilege of a visit from Amir, who is on a temporary working visa from Israel, and Becky, who is a friend of Bonnie's and passing through Adelaide on her way home to England.  It was lovely to a few  younger people around! Amir brushing up on his IDF markmanship We try to make sure that our time up here at Hebron is not all hard work and people are free to join in the activities as well as make the most of the opportunity to enjoy the peace and beauty of nature. Wendy enjoying some R&R I've really enjoyed Becky's company this weekend. The new mower was tested out and it was a unanimous vote that this little machine is going to make the tedious work of keeping the grass respectable a lot easier and even enjoyable....

As the country experiences an extended hot, dry period, I'm grateful for water, verandahs and air-conditioning.  Not so long ago our forebears were living in tents as they cleared land and constructed crude homes while maintaining a subsistence existence and battling the elements.  Here in the Adelaide Hills we are blessed in that a lot of those earlier foundations were based on scriptural and spiritual tenets.  How far has our society come in such a short time in terms of infrastructure and trade, yet how far have we moved away from that spiritual heritage. Old split red gum at sunset (past the bottom dam) What a privilege and blessing it is to be called to return to the ancient paths that were set down by Yehovah.  Our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were obedient to the voice of Yehovah and set the example of what it is to be set apart, having their eyes fixed upon a time when their small family would become a mighty nation.  I wonder how many times t...

We have had a productive and enjoyable couple of days, firstly at Zarepath assisting Nathan and Joy in erecting goat fencing, and then at Hebron ticking off a number of chores.  The blessing and encouragement given and received at times like these is incalculable and I'm sure gives Yehovah just has much pleasure to see His children supporting common visions. Zarepath - Nathan on his trusty steed in the background. Yakira was a big help passing tools and writing down all the sheep numbers It was time for the annual drenching and vaccination for the flock so this was a big task, mainly because we need proper sheep yards and a race, so that has moved up the priority list. Nathan giving Brendan a hand  We also rounded up Gulliver, our alpaca, who was extremely obliging today, and the boys to give them their annual constitutional. Gulliver willingly came through the race, knelt down and took his medicine like a man :) The boys were surprisingly easy to handle t...