Stephanie Pavlantos's Blog, page 11

Did Jesus Start Christianity?

Diane and I tackled a whole lot of subjects on this episode of Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity. Messianic Judaism, Messianic Gentiles, and Jewish names for the Old and New Testaments.

Diane is a graduate of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute’s graduate certificate program and will be entering the Master of Jewish Studies program in Fall 2022, as well as regularly attending classes at the New School for Jewish Study and MJTI’s Panim el Panim Programs. Rav Carl Kinbar describes her as a lifelong learner (or a “geek” if you ask her children). Her favorite topics to study are Second Temple Judaism, Prophecy, Jewish prayer, Luke/Acts, and Midrash.

Her website is Worth Beyond Rubies.

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The Torah: The Root and the Foundation

My guest, Rabbi Darryl Weinberg, discusses the Torah and its function in the Christian’s life.

Darryl has over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, leadership development
and training, and recruiting. In addition to preaching the gospel, Darryl is also
passionate about health and finances. He ran an organic meat business for 10 years and truly believes you are what you eat so we need to learn about what is good for us and what isn’t. He is also on a mission to help people learn sound financial principles to get out of debt and live a life of freedom.
Believing that we are all intended to have an abundant life, Darryl seeks to help people understand God’s blueprint so that people would experience all that He has designed for them.

https://www.alttnmessianic.com/

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Israel and the Nations

My guest, Steven Neptune, talks with me about Israel and the nations, replacement theology, covenant, and the Tanakh, as well as other topics found in his book Jesus and the Olive Tree: Re-engaging the Mystery.

Steve is the Senior Pastor of Gateway Church in Aurora, OH. He is an author, speaker, and President of HarvestNet Institute. In the tradition of C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer, Steve is passionate about presenting the truth claims of the Christian worldview in a relevant way to his and future generation.

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Olive-Tree-Re-engaging-Mystery/dp/0578525011

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The Amazing Hebrew Language

My guest, Lauren Crews, is such an engaging teacher as she unpacks the Hebrew alphabet and language. You won’t want to miss this episode!

Lauren is a teacher at heart and loves nothing more than teaching God’s Word. She holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has 14 years of teaching experience.

https://www.laurencrews.com/shop/

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The Jewishness of Jesus

My guest, Eva Marie Everson, talks about her trip to Israel and how it changed her life and the way she read the Bible.

Eva Marie Everson is a multiple-award winning author and speaker who hails from the picturesque Southern town of Sylvania, Georgia. She is president of Word Weavers International and the director of the Florida Christian Writers Conference. She enjoys coaching new authors through her company, Pen in Hand. Eva Marie and her husband make their home in Central Florida. They are the parents of three fabulous children who have blessed them with the world’s greatest grandchildren.

https://evamarieeversonauthor.com/

https://evamarieeversonauthor.com/books/

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Jesus came to make the Torah “stand up.”

My guest today is D’vorah Calic.

D’vorah explains Matthew 5:17. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them.”

D’vorah and her husband are co-founders of Bless Israel Network, a media organization
based in Israel. The focus is to provide programming designed to inform viewers of the rightful
prophetic role of the Jewish people and Israel in God’s prophetic plan.

D’vorah writes and hosts “Heartbeat of the Torah,” where she connects the beauty of the Torah
of Moses to the teachings in the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament), assisting in understanding the Jewishness of the Scriptures, the Gospels, and the Messiah. In addition,
she is a weekly contributor to “Gift of Thorns”, a Facebook community spreading hope, good
news, and comfort. Her series is called “Getting Down to the Root.”

https://www.blessisraelnetwork.com/

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Why do we need to know the Jewish Roots of Christianity?

Episode 2

In today’s episode, I have Aaron Eime. Rev. Aaron Eime is a Deacon at Christ Church, Jerusalem and Bible Historian, and teacher for CMJ Israel. Aaron studied at the Hebrew University in the Master’s Program with a focus on Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation of the Bible. He also studied Psychology and Sociology at Queensland University in Australia. He is a dedicated Bible teacher exploring the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith and has taught internationally including in Europe, North America, Hong Kong, and China. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and 3 children.

https://www.cmj-israel.org/

https://www.cmj-israel.org/resources?author=97

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Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity

Episode One of Grafted: Jewish Roots of Christianity.

Introduction: Are you a Christian who wants to go deeper into the roots of your faith? In this weekly podcast, your host Stephanie Pavlantos will explore the Hebraic significance of Scripture with teachers and scholars while providing a deeper understanding of Jesus, the Torah, and the Old and New Testaments. We will help you understand Scripture’s meaning through the Hebrew language, culture, and history.

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A Scenic Overlook and Mountain Experience

Have you ever wished you could have a scenic overlook of your life—a past, present, and future look to see why you’ve experienced the failures, grief, and struggles? Wouldn’t it be nice to see the bigger picture and understand what God is doing?

The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference

A Writers Experience

When I went to the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference last week I was able to visit the scenic overlook at the top of the mountain where we stayed. There were beautiful sunrises and picturesque views, and I took lots of pictures.

While it’s so good to catch up with writer friends and make new ones, the conference can feel like you are drinking from a fire hose.

I took classes on marketing my book, starting a podcast, and branding, as well as how to join various groups that help you become a successful author. I’m still praying about how much to spend in these areas and which of them God is leading me to do.

Then there are the contests…I have a love/hate relationship with them. It’s nice to win an award, but the sting of not placing is tough. Contests are an affirmation for me. It’s nice to know your peers like what you’ve written enough to rate your piece high enough for an award. Contests can also make you feel like you are on the right track.

But what happens when you don’t place? Does it mean that everything you write is bad? No, it doesn’t. We have to trust God with all we do. Our writing, our art, our promotions and jobs, and our education.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:6-8 ESV

The Scenic Overlook

The Mountain Experience

As I drove my friend to the airport, I said, “It would be nice to understand what God is doing!” Of course, she agreed and said, “Wouldn’t we all like that?” It’s true.

I stopped at a scenic overlook on my drive home to Ohio. While there was a steep path going up to the overlook there was another path at the parking lot level to see the same view. Of course, I took the steep path. I didn’t even see the other deck until I was walking back to my car.

As I looked out at the mountains, I couldn’t help but feel small. They were so far away and so high. The trek I made up the path was nothing compared to climbing one of those mountains. We often think of mountain experiences in our Christian walk as highs or the happiest moments in our lives.

However, when I look at these mountains, how often do we think about the trip to the mountain? Only those who prepare for it get there.

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The Trek to the Mountain

Six essentials we need before climbing a mountain

!. Equipment: the right boots, outerwear, pants, and layers of clothing for the heat and the cold weather.

2. Food and water: That kind of hike would take a lot out of us physically. We would need to carry enough food and water to stay hydrated.

3. Protection: We would need bear spray at least to protect ourselves from any predators that might follow us or block our path. Also, there might be underbrush. We would need to have a knife to get through the undergrowth that may hinder or prevent us from getting where we need to be.

4. Rest: We could not do that hike in one day. We need to rest.So we would need to have a sleeping bag and/or tent to camp out in.

5. Preparation: That hike would not happen in a few hours or a day. A trip like that could take days. Be ready for the trip. Rest up and exercise to prepare your body for the climb.

Do you see the parallels in our Christian walk?

Spiritual Mountain Highs

Six essentials before we get to that Mountain High

What do we need to prepare for a spiritual mountain high experience?

1. Equipment: Prayer and God’s Word. We need the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts and the Word of God to equip us.

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV

2. Food and water: Jesus. He alone can keep us going in our Christian walk—whether it is a mountain high or a valley low.

Jesus. He alone can keep us going in our Christian walk—whether it is a mountain high or a valley low.

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“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

3. Protection: Satan is our predator. He lies in wait to overwhelm us or convince us to stop so we will not make it to the mountain. Are you ready with God’s armor? In the Old Testament, men in a covenant relationship switched their armor with the other. God has given you His armor to fight satan’s attacks.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 ESV

4. Rest: Our “walk” with Christ is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to rest–that’s why He gave us the Sabbath.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:9-10

5. Preparation: Just as we wouldn’t climb a mountain without preparing, we can’t have a mountain-top experience with God without some preparation.

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. “ 1 Peter 1:13 ESV

Heaven–the Scenic Overlook

So, while we don’t get that scenic overlook experience in this lifetime–a chance to see and understand all God is doing, we will someday in Heaven. Everything we have gone through will make sense. God was working on your mountains and in your valleys, He is working now and will continue to do a good work within us until the day we die.

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When the Holidays bring Grief and Sadness

This is the last installment of my month of stories of the Holidays.

We must remember that Christmas is not a happy time for all people but can bring about feelings of grief, sadness, and depression. the nearly two years have been difficult for a lot of people in more ways than one.

My friend, Dar Myers, tells her stories of grief and how best to deal with it, not only during this time of year but all year long.

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 KJV

COVID-19. Delta variant. Omicron variant. Country lockdown. Mandates. Loss of loved ones. Unrest and dissension in our Country. Authority in question. Law enforcement officers were ambushed and killed. Claims of bias and profiling. Rogue police officers. Demand for defunding of police. Stress. Chaos. Unanswered questions. Uncertainty of future.

Grief and Sadness

All the above can bring sadness and grief to many individuals. Today’s society has various opinions on how to manage sadness and grief and is not afraid to offer their advice. Entering the holiday season, society’s advice adds pressure to individuals to suppress grief and sadness.

This advice of they’re in a better place, it’ll pass, it gets better with time, or it’s been a year, it’s time to move on, is meant out of love. But most times, it causes more anguish.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 KJV

My World Stopped

On September 24, 2015, my world changed in a matter of five-and-a-half hours. My cell phone rang at 9:00 am; my sister, Robin, was on the line. A call from her this early was a bad omen.

Shocked, all I heard was “Jimmy, my brother, an Okaloosa County Sheriff Deputy, was shot while serving a domestic violence injunction at an attorney’s office.” Robin said they transported him to a hospital, but she had no further information.

I headed for Shalimar, Florida, the community he lived and served.

Once I got to Tallahassee, Robin called again, explaining Jimmy had died at 2:30 pm. He was shot three times, twice in the back and once in the back of the head. I headed back to Jacksonville, Florida, to await arrangements.

My world stopped.

Over the next nine months, I felt the bullets that riddled Jimmy were catalysts as flint to fire. Unable to attend the funeral due to poor health, the televised funeral allowed my mom to watch. In December 2015, she died of a broken heart; the official cause of death was a heart attack.

In June 2016, a friend of eighteen years died of a sudden heart attack and two weeks later, a fire engine driving down Mayport Road in Mayport, Florida, found my daughter’s father dead in a creek. An autopsy ruled the cause of death as a heart attack.

I was reeling, had no sense of control, and was numb. There was a sense of detachment so I could function for the sake of my daughter, who was in denial.

Memories flooded my conscious and subconscious minds. Most predominant was the sound of Taps, 16-gun salute, and Last Call. I quake, fill with sadness, and find myself shutting down to this day whenever I hear these.

Stifled Grief

Society today has what they call “Stifled Grief,” meaning we don’t speak about it. We put it in the past and try to get over it quickly so we can move on.

Most people assume grief and sadness have a solvable solution.

The new Model of Grief contends to find a middle ground, one where we can directly face the grief. By directly facing the grief, allowing the reality of grief to exist, we can focus on helping ourselves, and others, survive within or inside the pain.

Self-compassion is approaching ourselves, our inner experience with spaciousness, with the quality of allowing which has a quality of gentleness. Instead of our usual tendency to want to get over something, to fit it, to make it go away, the path of compassion is totally different. Compassion allows.

Robert Gonzalez, Reflections on Living Compassion

In David Kessler’s Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief (2019), the six stages of grief include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, and meaning. Finding meaning has the following components to assist in the processing:

It’s relative and personalIt takes timeIt does not require understanding why a loved one died, or loss occurredWhen you find out, it may not be worth what it cost you

Kessler indicated loss happens to you; meaning is what you make happen.

Love Does Not End with Death

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Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Holidays and special occasions intensify feelings of loss, sadness, and personal. There are no guaranteed simple guidelines to take away the hurt. However, below are suggestions that may help.

Talk about your grief. Ignoring the grief will not make it go away while talking about it often makes you feel better.Recognize your physical and psychological limits. Low energy and fatigue are residual effects. Respect and honor what messages your body is relaying to you.Avoid unnecessary stress. Do not overextend or isolate yourself. Make special time for yourself. Acknowledge “keeping busy” does not distract, but increases stress.Be with supporting, comforting people.Do what is right for you during the holidays. Focus on what you want to do, not what other want or expect you to do.Embrace your treasured memories. After the death of a loved one, memories are the best legacies that exist. Treasure them, don’t ignore them. Feel your feelings.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Resources

Kessler, David. (2019). Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. ISBN13: 9781501192746

Living Observance Blog. (January 1, 2021). The New Model of Grief.

  www.livingobservance.com

The Holy Bible. (2011), Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI.

Wolfelt,  PhD., A.D. (N.D.) Helping yourself heal during the holiday season. Concerns of Police

Survivors.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all the stories from my friends this month. I hope you enjoyed them and learned from them as I have done. May the Lord bless you in this coming New Year!

~Stephanie

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