The Hebron Herald

Well there may be no red roses but it surely is a beautiful world here at Hebron. (A Beautiful World by Lois Armstrong) After the bit of rain we had last week the paddocks are starting to green up, which will provide much needed extra nutrition for the flock.   This weekend has been a blend of fellowship, worship, introduction to Hebrew and working bee.  The main purpose of this property is for fellowship, so our shabbat gatherings and meal times are especially enjoyable.  This shabbat Justin presented an introduction to the Hebrew language and walked us through the first five verses of the torah.  Stretching the old grey cells! Today we bowled over a number of jobs on the to-do list, although naturally there's always plenty of tasks on page 2.  The first task was to bring the flock in and give them a good look over and separate the ram and wethers.  The flock and Gulliver are now used to their home and moved to the yards nice and easy, which ...

The rains came today, much to the relief of all South Australians.  Praise Yehovah!  Here at Hebron we have recorded 11mm and although this may not sound a lot it's a good start to the season.  I've even lit the fire for the first time and am enjoying watching the flames as I write this. Christina and the children spent a couple days up here this week and their visit was very timely.  The rebel dozen of the flock had decided to push through the fence again so I needed help to put up ring lock down the fence line to the water trough.  Yohanan was the chief fence holder and Yakira was the dispenser of cut lengths of wire for us to twitch the ring lock to the fence line - we made a great team :)  Unfortunately I woke up to find a lamb carcass had been dragged into the shed paddock.  When I buried it I discovered it wasn't one of ours but a merino lamb, so obviously it had been dragged in from a neighbour's property.  Having said that, we may ha...

Just when I think things are ticking along nicely on this small patch of dirt we call Hebron, my nemesis insidiously takes advantage of my false assurance.  Yes, that's right, those pesky rabbits were just waiting in the wings to slip under my radar. (how's that for a mixed metaphor?)  A few weeks ago we had a big wind go through and it blew off a lot of the bags protecting the capers.  Because I had been baiting the rabbits and had not seen any evidence of feeding rabbits for a few weeks I didn't rebag the plants.  Unfortunately this decision (probably in some part dictated by my lazy gene) allowed the remaining rabbits to partake of the smorgasbord.  Some plants were eaten right down, while others were just nibbled on.  So I rebagged all the plants and set about laying bait again.  If those cute little bunnies want a free feed then I'm more than happy to oblige! Thankfully there are plenty more redeeming moments to restore the spirits, such as waki...

The primary purpose and ethos of Hebron is to be a provision and expression for this small community that Yehovah is developing.  These opportunities to come together to enjoy one another's company and benefit from the synergy that comes from each individual's participation in the spiritual and physical activities are invaluable for our growth and development, personally and communally.  The relationships that are developed during these times are certainly precious.  We came together this weekend for the sabbath, followed by a working bee on Sunday. We then gathered together at Shekem in Littlehampton for a convocation for the 7th day of Unleavened Bread.  It has been a wonderful week of reflection and re-commitment.  What an immense privilege it is to be set apart from Egypt and the ways of this world and be grafted into Israel and the redemptive promise. This weekend's working bee was centred on the wellbeing of our flock.  One of the more unpleasan...

What a blessing it was to eat the Passover meal of remembrance with brothers and sisters in Yeshua at Hebron, bonded together with His love and Spirit.  It was a special and meaningful time as we shared our hearts and gave thanks for the priceless gift of redemption.  What an immense privilege it is to be grafted into Israel and receive the blessings of the promise. Justin and Neal blowing the shofars It's times like these that I am humbled by the blessings of fellowship and the knowledge that the compassionate and powerful leading of Yehovah draws like-minded believers together to encourage one another as the day draws near.  During the Passover meal we shared from John 12-17 and the themes that came out of these last words of Yeshua before the giving of His life as atonement for us.  Our Passover meal consisted of the elements spoken of in Exodus 12; lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread; and the grape juice representing Yeshua's blood.  The lamb tha...

 Psalm 81  Sing for joy to God our strength;          Shout joyfully to the Elohim of Jacob. Raise a song, strike the timbrel,          The sweet sounding lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon,          At the full moon, on our feast day. For it is a statute for Israel,          An ordinance of the Elohim of Jacob. Last night shofars were blown and praises were lifted as a sacrifice; giving thanks for Yeshua our Messiah who came and will come again.  These convocations are significant and meaningful, giving us an opportunity to become realigned and increasingly grounded in His Ways. This begins the first month of the year by Yehovah's calendar and it is the month that starts the cycle of festivals and set apart days.  Passover and the moed of Unleavened ...

Being a small community of like-minded believers we're perfectly situated to see and appreciate the growth in our relationships, understanding and application of the scriptures as well as the physical improvements here at Hebron.  These incremental changes can sometimes be overlooked or under-appreciated but as we pause to reflect on the journey and allow our gratefulness to ascend as a prayer our eyes are opened and our hearts expanded.  As the cycle of feasts begin with Passover in a few weeks we are once again reminded of the redemptive and meaningful nature of these moed.  We don't observe them as a matter of ritual, but as a powerful way of life.  How tempting it is to cloak the set apart times with tradition and ritual and miss the opportunity for the Ruach HaKodesh to wrought a good work in our lives.  Passover is a time of celebration that the Messiah, Yeshua, has come and will come again; the following feast of unleavened bread, when we are mindful an...