Testimonies

Shalom everyone, my name is Wanda and have been following Yeshua the Hebrew way for the past three years. I grew up being raised by my grandmother who attended a Baptist church and attended Pentecostal revivals from time to time. I grew up having a fear for G-d as a child, but during my teenage years is when my rebellious years started to take place. After graduating High school I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and that's where things took an even more extreme turn for the worst. I started using drugs on a daily basis. It didn't take long for that to influence my belief of who and what God was to me. I began exploring into many different New Age ideas of why we were put here on this earth. I was way out there. I battled depression at the same time isolating myself from friends and family. It was just me, my apartment, and the paranoia that settled in to torment me and my mind. 

To make a long story short, I needed peace and did not know where to find it. I cried myself to sleep many nights because I could not sleep. After I had enough that's when I decided it was time to go home. And when I did, I did everything I could think of to get better, but nothing ever seemed to help. Every time I made plans to go to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting something always got in the way. I never made it to those meetings. I tried putting a crystal to my heart because many of my hippie friends told me it would absorb all the bad energy, but that never helped. The doctor who counseled me for one session prescribed me anti-depressants but it only made me feel high again so I trashed them immediately. I began searching and researching many other religions trying to find something to believe in for peace. During the time I used drugs I was convinced that the God of the Bible was just like all the other gods out there. And I thought I already kind of knew a little about Him. But at this point I was just so desperate so I finally began reading a Bible starting from Genesis, the very beginning, which cleared up so many questions I had but I still wasn't sure. 

I was still putting the crystal to my heart before I went to bed and every morning when I would wake up. I did it secretly and hid it in hopes of not wanting my family wondering what I was doing. But one morning when I woke up, the crystal was gone! I began searching everywhere for it in my house but could not find it. I became so frustrated in the middle of trying to look for that rock that I somehow felt as if someone was watching me. So I looked up to the ceiling and yelled "ok what do you want? You have my attention!" Then I heard a voice that wasn't audible but I heard the words "Just follow me" and so I questioned "follow who?" And that was it. 

A few weeks later I began reading the New Testament and as I was reading I found those little words which I heard that one day as I was searching for that little crystal rock, "follow me." And I knew it was Yeshua who spoke to me that day. It forever changed me as I accepted Yeshua as my savior and believed in him. He became my Shalom. When I began my walk with him I had this real sudden desire to meet someone who was Jewish and didn't know why. I just felt like they could teach me some important things about G-d. But since there aren't really any Jews in our area where we lived that desire just began to fade away. I wanted so much of G-d so I faithfully served in the church I began attending. 

After two years of being clean and single I met my husband and got married. We helped in a couple of ministries together. You name it, we were there. From serving in youth ministry, children's church, praise and worship, intercessory prayer, and revival outreaches on the Navajo Reservation. Through all we were doing I started to feel as if something was missing or that something about me started to change. I questioned myself many times wondering what was wrong with me. Those feelings compelled me even more to start reading my Bible more than I already was. And as I began reading in Acts about how the believers had formed a community together by sharing everything they had and meeting in each other's homes, it made me crave for that kind of fellowship that I thought didn't even exist anymore. I wanted to be part of that kind of unity. It wasn't too long after that that my heart changed. Who did I become? And where was the authenticity of who G-d created me to be? I was too afraid to tell anyone in fear of others thinking I was crazy or falling away from the faith. I just wanted to follow Yeshua and do what he and the Apostles did from what I read in the bible. 

At this point besides my husband, I didn't know who to talk to. Then one day I heard a pastor say that if you ever feel lonely ask G-d to lead you to his true sheep so I did just that. And almost a week or so after that prayer I got a notification that Holy Language Institute started following me on Pinterest. All the articles they had pinned sparked an interest, so I looked them up on Facebook and that's where I saw one of Izzy's most current post which was being commented on at that very moment. I reached out to someone on that comment thread who had experienced what me and my husband were going through. And it all began from there. We left the church we were attending for the past 8 years. It was hard to do because of all the relationships we had made with many other families but we just knew we needed to follow Yeshua. To our surprise we discovered that there was a fairly new Messianic congregation in our little town. That is a whole other story about how good Abba is in helping us to find each other. 

One more thing that Abba wanted to make clear with me was about my wish of always wanting to meet someone who was Jewish to teach me about Him, but I thought I wouldn't get the chance to because of the little town we live in. And this is how He made that clear. Just last year I dreamt that I was sitting at a bar like counter just babbling on about something and there beside me on my right side was a man who was just sitting there listening to me babble on. He didn't say anything but just listened. Then in the middle of my babbling I paused and turned to him with tears in my eyes and said to him "this whole time I've always said I wanted to meet someone who is Jewish, and here you are this whole time who is Jewish." I didn't see his face clearly but I could tell that his countenance was full of a kind and gentle patience that didn't mind so much to hear all the babble. It was as if he overlooked all that babbling talk because he was looking forward to the moment of when I would realize who he truly was. And when I did he smiled. I did meet a Jew who was going to teach me about my Father! It was Yeshua the whole time who was and is my Rabbi. He was always there I just needed to realize who He really was. And I did and am forever thankful for Him being so patient with me as it took me 11 years to realize this. My husband and I hear a Rabbi say that if you ever go overseas and would like to get to know a group of people you have to dive into their culture, so if you want to know Yeshua more, dive into his culture. And that's exactly what our family did. So now we tell many others every chance we get of our Jewish Messiah, our Rabbi Yeshua. And we remember to be patient with others as He was with us as He clearly displayed in my dream. 

I read last night I Samuel 2:1-2 "For I rejoice in thy Salvation." כי שׂמחתי בישׁועתך׃ Or "in my Yeshua."

Verse 2 [There is] none אין־קדושׁ ayin Kadosh - Holy as YHVH. There ain't anyone that is set apart like YHWH. [There is] none אין בלתך ayin bilteka - except or beside. In Benner's Ancient Hebrew, "except: a flowing away of all except one. From בל to come to nothing when effort is given. Klein says, "to be worn out." Everything that we do (fashion) either wears out, withers, or dies. But You O LORD NEVER wear out, wither or die.

Deuteronomy 29:4,5. [There is] none ואין צור כאלהינו ROCK like our God. He is the great Tsar. He is our ROCK. We are His stones (Eben). But for you who love Hebrew, I want to show you something that I believe it's quite fascinating and that you could use in the future. I began a project two years ago, in the month of May, when I heard sermons regarding Proverbs 31. It is also planting season in Michigan. Proverbs 31:5 "She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household...." Obviously, a mother awakes today, opens the fridge, and puts the pre-made bread in the toaster. A little effort here and there. And then WHAM, breakfast. But we know it didn't happen that way in Proverbs 31. She had to wake up, crush the grain, re-stoke the fire, knead the crushed grain, and then cook it on the fire. Because my lesson was regarding all the effort a mother had to perform in order to make bread, I decided to grow wheat, organically.

I filmed the growth cycle, starting with my grandchildren throwing the seed. (Of course, there were a lot of out-takes!) I also filmed the harvest and the cutting of the grain. I went to the extreme of harvesting the grain as they would have in ancient, biblical, days. With that said, I made a threshing board and threshed the grain. You may be aware that this method is still being performed where there is no other mechanical equipment.

This is where it gets interesting. The Hebrew word for a threshing board is called מורג "morag." Benner describes it this way, "a wooden board with embedded stones on the bottom that is dragged over the threshing floor by oxen to break up open grain."

The Latin word for "Morag" is the word "tribulum." That threshing board is called a tribulum. And the teeth that cut the grain is the Hebrew word, "tsar." - rock. Deuteronomy 4:30, "When thou art in tribulation (Tsar), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice." Tsar - BDB "a hard pebble, flint." Benner, "A very hard rock when fractured forms a razor sharp edge." The purpose of the tribulum is to bind and cut the grain, a mechanical way of separating the grain. It does NOT hurt the grain. It only separates in order to finally get to the seed, which is the MOST important part.

I will let you fill in the blanks. Please read Isaiah 41:15,16.

I grew up in a loving, happy Christian home. I presumed that everyone went to church on Sunday until early Elementary school. At the church my family went to (until I was about 8), they had an opportunity to pray the "sinner’s prayer" almost every week & I prayed it several times. I did not know if I should just pray it once or anytime it was offered, so I figured that I would just pray any time it was offered and that way I wouldn't miss out. I never really knew what it meant to be saved, beyond not going to hell. I remember when I was around 7, I took a penny from those "take a penny, leave a penny" things at a store. Well, I took a penny but I really didn't need it. So that night, I was so scared to fall asleep.....I couldn't fall asleep... I was terrified that I was going to hell for stealing a penny. My mom told me some thing about God loves me and that Jesus forgives me, and sent me back to bed. I would say that this was really the first time that I understood the idea of sin and that I sinned.

My family went to church every Sunday, until I was around the 3rd grade. We had moved around that time, and we couldn't really find a church that we liked...So we went to different churches and didn't go every week after the 3rd grade. Being a Christian and going to church was still just something that we did. It was not a personal decision, or choice, for me yet.

I was a very anxious child which grew into a battle with self harm (off and on, starting 2nd grade) and depression (starting around the 6th grade). I was terrified and so scared and upset when I had to share in front of the class or raise my hand to give an answer. It was terrible for me, I didn't know how to handle it- and like so many other things, we don't know how to handle, it went into a mess.

In the 7th grade, my world and what I thought I understood changed. My dad passed away in the Spring of my 7th grade year. It tossed my mom into utter confusion and sense of overwhelming depression. Now, it was just my mom, my younger brother, and me. My depression grew worse and I just wanted to be "normal" which lead to more sin and confusion over what was true.

In the beginning of high school, I was still anxious and more depressed. I didn't know what to do, so I kept myself busy with extra class and taking hard classes and found my value in these things. I also took care of the housework at home, since my mom was new to being a single parent and everything. I found my value in how much i could do and how much I knew. I was lost, confused, and alone. But Praise God, God was working in my life when I didn't even know Him. It all started, probably in the 8th grade- I remember thinking i didn't know if there was a god or even if there was I didn't know what that meant to me. I asked God are you real? A year or so after that, I fell through a storm door and my hand was cut up on my palm. At the time, this didn't mean anything besides don't run up stairs leading into a house... but now it is proof that God was at work way before I was even thinking about him or pursuing him.

God was faithful to that "prayer" asking if He was real. In my high school years, God drew my heart to His. I had a small group of Christian friends. I was always mad at my Christian friends because they were so cheerful and happy, and they reached out to me in friendship, showing me kindness, care, and invited me to go to church & youth group events. They also put up with my argumentative attitude, allowing me to ask questions and constantly challenging them (in a genuine curious sort of way, if there is such a thing). I am very glad and thankful for that small group of Christian friends who allowed God to work through them in reaching out to me. I had two wonderful teachers in 10th and 11th grade, who must have been praying for my salvation and dedicated to planting seeds that would one day bloom. My Chemistry teacher, Mr. Neil, would tell the class Bible stories and my History teacher, Mr. Radcliffe, would give mini-sermons through the context of contemporary US history in a public school classroom. Still today, I give them much respect for listening to the Spirit of God and speaking truth into my life (and thankful for their obedience to Messiah).

During this time (10-11th grade), I told myself that I had to figure out what I believed and why. I decided that there was a god, and then eventually that there was only 1 god. But I still didn't know who this god was. I did an internet search of monotheistic religions and I decided that I would learn more about Islam, Judaism, and Christianity (in that order). I just researched a small amount into Islam and was guided to the conclusion it was about fear. Next, I was lead to start reading the Bible - thank God. I started reading from the beginning, my plan was to read through the old testament/Hebrew bible and then make up my mind about that. Then, I was going to read the New Testament and make my mind up about Christianity. God softened my heart to go to church with my Christian friends even though I had no idea what was happening in the service.

This is really where God began to change my life.

I read Genesis - I had known some of the more common stories, but not a lot- It seemed so strange and bizarre as I didn't know if I believed in God at the time. But God was working on my heart, letting me get to know Him through the Torah. I began to feel a drawing in my heart, I eagerly read the Bible hungry for the Word and to learn more about this God. In the middle of reading Leviticus, I accepted that the God of the Old Testament (as that is what I called Him, not knowing what else to call Him) was the real God. I saw a glimpse of something by pure grace through reading Leviticus and all "those rules." I saw that God was real and Holy. While I was reading the Torah, I kept asking God if He was real and to reveal Himself to me. One day, I was reading and I remember thinking 'Wow (about all the laws and rules) this God really must be truly Holy' and something just clicked. I love the book of Leviticus because I love the God of Leviticus (and the whole Bible). Adonai (the LORD) is truly holy, pure, and righteous if all these things can't be in His presence. All of a sudden the scripture came alive to me. I eagerly desired to read the rest of the old testament to learn about my new God and new faith. I told myself that I would read the rest of the Hebrew Bible to learn more about Adonai. And then after that I would read the new testament and see what I thought about that. In regards to Jesus, I wanted to watch Jesus not follow him. But, I ended up fighting the power of God. Which wasn't smart, but God is good.

This was all happening, while I was going to a Christian youth group & church on Sunday so that I could learn more about it and investigate. I didn't tell anyone that I wasn't a Christian, actually I kept a lot of secrets, but I am pretty sure that they all knew I was searching. They invited me to a Christian Bible youth camp the summer between my 11th and 12th grade years. I didn't want to go, but I felt like I had to go. I felt like I hated Christians because they were always so happy and cheerful and even nice to me, so the last thing I wanted to do was to spend a week with them! But I had to go, I can't really describe the feeling just a longing and tugging. I didn't want to go to a church camp, but I just felt like I had to. Now I am able to say that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit, an invitation to listen to the Almighty. I felt like I didn't have an option, it was that strong of a feeling (even though I did, since we all have free will). It was like the decision to go to camp was already made in my soul I just didn't know it yet. The Almighty had been preparing me for this and working in my life before I even knew it.

Through this process I learned that it is wise to submit to the Lord. I went to camp, but I surely wasn't going to sing about Jesus! I sung about the LORD, but skipped the lines/chores about Jesus. (I was stubborn.....obviously). During that week at a Bible camp, I accepted Jesus: that He was real and that He was my Lord and Savior. This is how it happened:

A few years before (at the time while I was asking God if He was even real), I fell through a storm door window and got a scar on my hand. At the camp, we went canoeing down a local river and I fell on some glass. I wrapped up my hand and finished the day. Right before dinner, I was in the cabin, getting ready for dinner and unwrapping my hand to clean the cut. I cleaned it. And then I actually looked at it. I was sitting in a chair and I saw that my previous scar and this new cut formed a perfect cross. I am not exactly sure how this happened, but the next thing I knew I was on my knees and confessing that Jesus was real. That night was one of the longest, scariest nights for me, I was literally shaking and trembling for hours, while I thought about the God of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), Jesus, and what had happened earlier in the day. I had a decision to make, that I had been putting off for months if not years. I shook, trembled, thought, and cried..feeling like I couldn't move.. until I recognized Jesus as Christ (Yeshua was and is the Messiah).

I finished reading through the Bible the first time 3 years later, and was very involved in Christian organizations during college. I learned a lot during my time with the organizations. I didn't think much about the Hebrew roots of Christianity again until my junior year of college, but something seemed missing. Even though I believed in the God of the Old Testament first, I wasn't sure what to do with this. It seemed that majority of Churches (that I knew of) just pushed it aside. An old high school friend contacted me my junior year and told me about Messianic Judaism and explained to me about the Hebrew Roots of Christianity. This was the first time that I felt like things really really fit and were whole. It seemed very strange and weird, but at the same time it felt like I was coming home. I worried that I was going a little crazy since I didn't know how I could follow Torah and still be a believe in Jesus.....but that is exactly what Yeshua calls us to! 'If you love me, you will follow my commandments'

I found a congregation online, and through much testing accepted that I follow a Jewish Teacher who did Jewish things all His earthly life. He had a problem with the man-made rules, not the Torah (the Law). As I learned more about the Messianic movement, it has become clear to me that I, as a gentile, have been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel and I have found a deep wealth of Biblical truth in the Messianic Teachings.

Now the telling of my testimony would not be complete if I didn't warn you to stay away from the "sacred name" movement. Since being exposed to the Hebrew Roots of my faith and accepting them, I have begun to learn Hebrew and some of the traditional prayers. I feel that it has really drawn me closer to our Master Yeshua and helped me grow in my knowledge of the Word. (Yeshua even said that the Shema in Mark 12: 29-30, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength was the greatest commandment (This was from Deut 6:4-9 and included in the liturgical daily prayers).

Since becoming a follower of Jesus, I have worked hard on not self harming and changing my lifestyle. God says that I have no need for that and it isn't what he wants for me/anyone. I'm not going to lie, it was hard...I had gotten to the point where I was actually doing it in my sleep without consciously knowing it. My worth and value are in Christ, not things of man or how much I know.

I can say that the verses that inspired me to pursue God is true from my personal experience with our Creator. "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul" Deut 4:29 and "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD...." Jeremiah 29:13-14

My journey with the Lord began with my water baptism at 12. I was not baptized at birth because my family denomination required you to be at an accountable age to accept Jesus as Lord. From that moment on I knew that my journey would not be alone. There were various times where the Lord protected me from disaster all the way through my school years ending with a college degree in Chemistry and Math. My career began with a Fortune 500 company. As I began to be promoted to greater leadership roles with key breakthroughs; I knew the Lord’s Hand was involved.

In 1979 I was promoted to a key marketing position at the corporate office. My family of a beautiful wife and two wonderful children, were attending a well-established church in the community having many members who held company corporate positions. In that year the Lord was stirring in my heart that my Christian journey was shallow though I was a Sunday school teacher and was by the world standards a “good guy”. I read a book by Dennis Bennet “Nine O’clock in the Morning” which described the Charismatic movement with an Episcopalian church in Washington State. After reading that book, I wanted and desired the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues so I too could be used of the Lord in mighty ways. My effort on my own was futile and in desperation, I prayed: “Lord, put someone in my path who is Charismatic and not a flake, Amen”. Well about 3 weeks later while working in the corporate office, I discovered our division marketing manager looking at a little black book in the men’s lavatory. When I inquired, he said, “Praise God, this is the Bible and I am born again!” I could not believe it. His old life style was certainly not Christian. So I spent time with him and saw his zeal for Jesus. He invited me to an Assembly of God church. On Sunday night April 22, 1979 I received the Holy Spirit and spoke in my Heavenly language. I have never been the same! The Bible came alive; I knew my relationship with my Father in Heaven was real and alive.

Fast forward and passing many wonderful encounters in my journey walking close to the LORD. Also passing a tough time of divorce where my wife of 19 years found another man and took custody of my son and daughter. If it were not for my strong faith, I would not be writing this testimony. He brought me through and gave me my bride now of 27 years of marriage. I am hers and she is mine; we are one in our love for Jesus.

In 2004, I was crying out to Jesus wanting to know Him more. His reply: “I am a Jew”. From that point on my journey was a quest to know Jesus as Yeshua, an itinerant brilliant rabbi of the 1st century. I began a 3 year study under Dwight Pryor, in blessed memory, of 80 lessons on understanding who Yeshua was and His message to His people. They were all audio lessons and I transcribed every one of them [it is hilarious to look at my spelling of Hebrew words then, some were really out-there]. I started digging into the Hebrew words and discovered a teacher who showed me how the ancient Hebrew letters were pictographs. Discovering that the Hebrew language is unique and powerful. I wanted to know more.

Well I then discovered this teacher whose passion for Yeshua overwhelmed me. He was so young and so knowledgeable. He had an unusual name: Izzy Avraham. What!?! I purchased his Hebrew Quest – all cd’s. Izzy was so helpful in helping me to teach from the Hebrew Quest for a year with my church home group. I started with 40 students who loved the lessons on the letters of the Aleph Beit. They just adored Izzy and his creative presentation of the letters. However as we stepped through the following cd’s, the class dwindled to 6 by end of the year. Most did not learn the Hebrew alphabet so how could they go on?

So welcome to all to the Holy Language Institute. We will journey together and grow in our knowledge of God’s beautiful word and will enter that space where Izzy is: Growing in our knowledge and love Him who first loved us.

I wanted to share a story with you guys. I became Messianic about nine months ago. It was such a joyful experience that when my congregation had its first Yom Kippur, I wanted to share my joy with friends and family. One of those friends is an Orthodox Jew. I began to share with her what I was learning at my congregation, and eventually when I found Yeshua Radio, also began to share with her what I learned through Izzy's teachings. She's told me a few times she doesn't believe in Yeshua, but listens to me when I talk to her about my faith in Him. I pray Abba will give me the wisdom to continue to share my joy in Yeshua with her, and that He will send me the people He wants me to share the Gospel of Yeshua with.

A few days ago I listened to one of Izzy's messages on Yeshua radio. He said that when Yeshua comes and transforms your life, you can't hold what Yeshua has done for you, you gotta share it with others. I can totally relate to that. I don't even remember how I started the conversation with my friend, I just know we began to talk about being Jews and I began to share my story with her. No prepared messages, no fancy talks, just a regular friend talk, she listened, I'm joyful for that. All praise be to Elohim for He has made it all possible.

I guess my story begins around the age of 16. I was raised in the church and was very much a Sunday Christian. One Sunday, a man who stood in the office of a prophet came to church and he began speaking and he had me and some others come to the front and he laid his hands on my head and God said to me through him, “You will teach My people the difference between right and wrong and cause them to discern between the holy and the profane things.” As a 16 year old, this was a pretty cool but intimidating thing to hear.

A few years later, my parents sent me off to Texas Bible Institute, where I was supposed to be mentored and taught so that I could become this big preacher some day. Well, I graduated from their one year program and the first thing I did when I left, I ran! (Ran from God, that is)

In 1997, I joined the Air Force and began my journey away from my calling. I would still go to church but I was a back pew dweller and tried not to do too much to draw attention to myself.

If I can go back for just a second, in October of 1996, I heard a teaching at a church here in Amarillo, TX and it was on the Nation of Israel. In all of my 21 years... I had never even contemplated that Jesus was a Jew or that the Bible was a Jewish book!?!?!?!? This really had me intrigued. I began paying more attention to things that were Jewish and became fascinated with the Nation of Israel, and really fell in love with what was happening there.

In 2006, I started going to church with my wife, at the time, and our 3 kids in Dallas, TX. This particular church was a little strange because the pastor wore a prayer shawl with his nice suit and was using a lot of Hebrew words and talked about Shabbat, and held a Pesach Seder. (I really had no clue what he was talking about) That day, he told the story of the woman with the issue of blood. He told how she knew that the Son of righteousness would come with healing in His wings and when she reached out and grabbed His tzitzit, or the hem of His garment, or His “wings”, she would be healed. Talk about making my head spin!!

We began observing Shabbat regularly and continued to attend the church for a little while. After marital issues, I found myself running from God again.

In 2009, my parents began telling me about this getting back to your “Hebrew roots” movement. I was amazed that my dad was actually excited about something. I’ve never really seen him get excited about much, and he was going full blast with this. Every time I visited, we talked for hours about everything they were learning, but I just still wasn’t there.

It was September of 2015 that I really started looking at my life. One day, Abba pointed out to me, that the prophecy...from 24 years ago was all about this: He was telling me that I would teach HIS people Torah!! After all, what is Torah but the instruction manual, to teach us the difference between right and wrong, holy and profane?

My mom was actually friends with Izzy on Facebook. She asked me if I had heard of him and suggested that I follow him. I began to follow and obviously saw him speaking about Holylanguage.com, and so I signed up. I am now 8 lessons in on learning the Esrim v’shtaim otiyot hayesod (22 letters of the foundation.)

What an amazing rollercoaster this has been!!! That no matter how far I strayed or how far I tried to run, He kept prodding me, gently nudging me back in the right direction and is giving me all of the right resources that I need to properly interpret Scripture and begin fulfilling His call for my life!!

Hello, my name is David. I'm 61 years old and live in the Appalachians by choice. I've moved between Florida and North Carolina a couple of times and have remained in NC since 2013. I'm married 31 years and live in a rural community in the mountains of North Carolina near the borders of Tennessee and Virginia, just West of Boone. I work from home and I'm employed as a project manager for a Fortune 100 company. In my earlier careers, I worked as an RN and also practiced law for a few years in NC before going into the corporate world. I've worked for large companies in IT management since 2008. I'm a deacon at a small Baptist church in my community, Cove Creek Baptist Church.

In September 2019 I had an experience that altered my worldview and the course of my life. It was about 8 pm and I was at home and decided to go outside. No reason, I just went out on my front porch to enjoy the night air and listen to the brook that runs in front of my house. After a few minutes, I felt, what I know now, was the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) come on me. At that time, I was estranged from Yehovah and wasn't the least bit spiritually inclined. Immediately a couple of things happened to me. First, I had an overwhelming feeling of my need for repentance, and second, a thought intruded into my mind which was "Keep my commandments!" I didn't audibly hear anything or see anything, but I knew that what I was experiencing was supernatural.

Since then, I have been diligently seeking to know and incorporate the ways of Yehovah into my life. At first, I was perplexed about what exactly to make of the then persistent thought, that I should "keep my (God's) commandments". I was raised Baptist and was a Christian. I had been raised to understand that "the law" no longer applied to Christians. I attended church on Sundays, and except for the occasional "golf word", I thought I was doing pretty good keeping "the Big 10". Nonetheless, I responded to my experience of that night by being willing to set aside what I was taught in church and begin my search for the truth about Christianity, the nature of God, and what Yehovah wants, and by digging deeper into scripture. In short, I am seeking truth.

Over the last 3+ years, I have invested hundreds of hours watching YouTube and reading books with a focus on learning how we came to have the different scripture interpretations that so many rely on. I wanted to know who and what were the sources of this and how they influenced the doctrines being taught in churches. I began to study for myself to learn the truth on which I am wagering my life. I am Torah observant and yes, I also still attend church on Sunday too. I expound Torah to the congregation at every opportunity.

I have come to believe that the degree of one's knowledge about the language of Yehovah and the depth of understanding of the culture and context of scripture, as well as non-canonical corroborating writings, correlate directly to the accuracy of one's interpretation and application.

I am so thankful for the work of Izzy Avraham and Holy Language Institute. I look forward to learning much more about what it means to pursue righteousness and live Torah because of what you do.

Sincerely,

David 

Shalom, I’m Jonathan. I have been a part of the Holy Language tribe since 2013. Recently I became a volunteer to help serve and give back. I'm going to be creating pictures and short videos with the Hebrew words for things from the world around me, and sharing them with you through our social media posts. In fact, we just uploaded my first video to YouTube, and you can watch it here! 

I’m sure as you join me on this journey you'll also get to meet my wife, daughter, family, and friends. Maybe hike some trails, go backpacking, hang out in a hammock, and enjoy some tasty treats in the kitchen. We are going to be following Yeshua in a Hebrew way. I’ll keep Yeshua in the lead position and go with the very simple words that have so much depth, words that He said to me in the beginning - "Follow Me". Which brings me to my story!

My testimony began when Jesus/Yeshua met me in a hospital bed after being admitted for cardiac arrest and severe pancreatitis. The doctors said people with this severe of a problem usually had to seek continual treatment or have surgery. Neither seemed appealing to me.

At that time in my life, I had already sought many different paths in this world. I grew up hearing of Jesus and just thought that people that followed him or went to church had a small understanding of how big this universe really is. Yet, all the choices I had made lead me to this place.

It was about two in the morning as I laid in the hospital bed that there was a knock on my door and a man entered the room. He asked if he could pray with me. I didn’t know him, but I was in desperate need of direction, help, and healing. The man prayed with me and after he left, I surrendered my will and life over to Jesus in a personal prayer.

As I surrendered Jesus/ Yeshua showed up to me in a vision. I remember there being a bright light and him saying “follow me”. I just said “Ok” and cried. We didn’t need to speak much because everything was just understood. I had surrendered to him.

That night I was completely healed from pancreatitis. The doctors were skeptical and kept me a few days for monitoring, but I knew Jesus/Yeshua had healed me. To this day, I have not had any additional treatments.

At that moment I knew Yeshua as Jesus and that’s ok. He told me to follow him and through doing so he has revealed so much more to me, such as his true name.

Upon telling my parents of my experience, they were completely thrilled. It had been a long, hard journey for us with the choices I made so this was definitely an answer to their prayers.

After leaving the hospital, they brought me back to my house where I have been a single father for several years. As I sat down with my daughter and told her of my experience, I was uncertain of what was going to happen, but knew that things had to change. Looking back I had no idea how much change we really needed, but it has all been for the better.

My daughter was and has always been so understanding. She was willing to walk this journey with me. In doing so she too has come to know Jesus/ Yeshua, which is a true blessing.

Jesus/Yeshua said to “follow Him” which is great, I thought, but how do I do that? This was the question that started my prayer journey with him. Since I knew he could speak with me, I kept talking out to him, explaining all my thoughts, and listening to what he had to say. He wasn’t audible but a few times. He spoke more to my soul like opening up my thoughts to his understanding and giving me answers to my questions. He didn’t always answer right away. There were times I threw fits with my arms shaking in the air in frustration, but He didn’t smite me. He patiently taught me how to listen to him. He also taught me how to hear from him by reading his already spoken Word (Scripture).

It was like why should He have to repeat Himself over and over again, He has already given us His Word. So, I fell in love with Scripture. 

In reading His word and listening to His voice, He has taken me to many places. I’ve met Him on mountain tops, seen His spirit move through a church, guided me on my journey to meet my wife, lead me to messianic congregations, taught me His name is Yeshua, took me on a trip to Israel, and continues to teach me Hebrew.

His name Yeshua completely blew me away that it literally means Salvation. This was introduced to me at a messianic fellowship. That night I just couldn’t get enough of this deeper, richer understanding of His culture and meaning in the original language of Hebrew. I already had several scripture texts that I had found differences in the translations. I was inspired to start my quest in learning Hebrew and eventually being able to read and interpret Hebrew for myself.

When starting a project I generally dive right in. I started “Googling” through the internet and came across several places trying many free offers, but the one that stuck for me was Holy Language.com. It was Yeshua centered which was important. I grew tired of other programs that didn’t keep Yeshua as the focus as He will always be my true love and the reason for even learning the language.

I started Holy Language in the fall of 2013 and since then went through Hebrew Quest, most if not all of Hebrew Chapters and have been enjoying Derek, Elihana, and Yisrael through each of their teachings. I’ve replayed almost everything that is in the Holy Language archive. If you have ever taken a look at the archive, that’s a big accomplishment. The archives can be played over and over again so I really enjoy that as Yahweh’s word never grows old.

Hebrew has now become more involved in other aspects of my life as I am incorporating the Hebrew words for everything that is around me. This world was spoken into being in the Hebrew language. Since I want to know every detail about God as He knows every detail about us, I want to learn this world through His eyes and the language He spoke it in.

As we kick off 2016, it’s a great time to join me and the Holy Language tribe to follow Yeshua in a Hebrew way. Each week I’m making videos that help incorporate new Hebrew words in an easy to learn way. But that’s not all, if you can’t read Hebrew or need a refresher course, check out the 40 lessons of Hebrew Quest that will take you through the Aleph Bet and into reading Scripture. Among the continual live classes, we also have an archive that is turning into the Netflix of learning Hebrew. Make sure you sign up for our weekly email and join us on social media. 

You'll see me through my pics and videos on the Holy Language social media, and you can also connect with me personally on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube - just search Jonathan Lovelace and stop in and say “Shalom"! I look forward to meeting you, and let’s fill our hunger in learning Hebrew with Holy Language Institute!

Much Love <3 <3 <3 

Jonathan

My testimony began in March 2003, when I could clearly hear the Ruach HaKodesh say one word: Sabbath. It was while we were having band practice for the following Sunday service. I shared it with my fellow musicians, but we all laughed it off as a joke.

God persisted though. He brought me into contact with other Sabbath keepers and I seriously started studying everything pertaining to the Sabbath. I still stayed in a Sunday church, although I also started working through Torah portions on Sabbath. 

However, over a period of time I was eventually persuaded and in June 2011 I finally broke with mainstream Christianity and Sunday worship. I had come across Messianic teachings which really intrigued me and Ruach HaKodesh brought two lovely people across my path. Under auspices of HRTI the three of us started a Messianic Yeshiva in November 2012 and we have never looked back. 

It is wonderful to study the Word of God in the way He originally intended. I have also been very fortunate to study Hebrew at a local Ulpan and keep it up with websites like the Holy Languages Institute. To God be all the glory!

I'm Ruth. We are celebrating Sukkot for the first time..in the deep woods of Michigan. 

Took my children out of school just a couple days and enjoying it!! I don't know how to celebrated exactly but I feel I am being restored quit a bit from a hard year. 

Peace for Jerusalem!!! HAPPY SUKKOT!!! May GOD bless Israel!!! 

<3

My name is Jody and I am in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky.  

I am doing a couple of things during the 8 days.  I do a Torah study via Skype with a friend I met on a trip to Israel.  I plan on Skyping from my sukkah this week.  She will be a "virtual ushpizin" to my sukkah.  

I also plan on having a good friend over for dinner in the sukkah this weekend.

Hi, I'm Kelly. I celebrated with my husband and two daughters in Las Vegas Nevada, this was our first year making a Sukkah!!

Here I am, all alone in a crowd...my Sukkah this year will simply be an umbrella in my "postage stamp sized" front yard. I will be intentional to eat at least one meal every day in it. As you can see in my picture, I have the lulav and esrog which I coloured back in 2004 (graphics from torahtots.com). I will ponder the roles of a different Patriarch each day for the entire week (more pages to colour while I ponder).

This time of the year is so loaded with wonderful concepts. I live on Vancouver Island in the beautiful province of British Columbia. Still waiting to meet people of like mind. Meanwhile, I dig out the resources that I have enjoyed over the years and am ready to learn! And learn! And learn!

Sukkot blessings, Shirley

Greetings Holy Language : ) Blessed and joyous Sukkot everyone!! : ) Greetings and hugs in spirit \o/

My name is Gavriela and I'm located in southern Alberta, Canada.

What I'm doing for Sukkot is celebrating with great JOY our Almighty Creator, His Son and Messiah—our redemption—Yeshua, His birth, and the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit!

I'm celebrating Abba's commanded Moadim—the 7th light on our Menorah/Lampstand, the 7th Feast for 7 days, in the 7th month, under the 7th full moon—and the 4th Blood Moon! (Also symbolic are the 70 bulls sacrificed—standing in the gap for the 70 nations and the 12 tribes of Israel, the people of YHWH!—and each day being 1,000 years of history for the 7 days.)

Abba Yahweh is our shelter, our sukkah and huppah—our covering.

I'm celebrating the waving of the Lulav—to worship and love Adonai with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength—symbolic of the etrog/heart, palm/spine, myrtle/eyes, and willow/mouth! The willow is also symbolic of the Holy Spirit—we are to be AIR-driven : ). I'll be waving to the four corners of the earth—Israel scattered throughout the nations—as trees, the Lulav symbolic of PEOPLE.

I'm celebrating the Water Libation Ceremony—symbolic of so much of Yeshua! The four giant brass bowls filled with oil and fire—the wicks having been made from the old priestly garments. Yeshua's garment was torn into four parts—these wicks shine His LIGHT. Yeshua healed the blind man at the Pool of Siloam that we might SEE the deeper truths of Torah. The priests would pour out blood and water, just as when Yeshua was pierced, blood and water were poured out.

I'll be celebrating the Eighth Great Day of New Beginnings—all things NEW!

Joy-filled and blessed Sukkot—Feast of Tabernacles—to all! \o/

Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is ONE! \o/

By the way... not quite finished the sukkah! Close, but still in progress : )

We are celebrating sukkot at home and with our congregation every night in their giant sukkah! Love & joy from Jennifer in Des Moines! 

We live in a small apartment in Oceanside, CA so we transformed our balcony into our Sukkah with bamboo walls, leafy greens from a friends tree, palm branches, fruit, flowers, and pumpkins!

Tonight, some friends are going to join us in the Sukkah for dinner then we are going to check out the super blood moon on a hill nearby.

Later in the week we are gonna go Sukkah hopping and visit some friends who are camping in Sukkot at Palomar Mountain.

Other than that, a lot of rejoicing!  Praise YHVH!

My parents were the founders and leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ—now known as Cru. I began following Yeshua when I was perhaps five years old. By high school, I had become an apologist for the Christian faith at my public high school. I had been reading C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer for several years and had visited L’Abri in Eck en Weil, Holland.

I have been a long-distance bicyclist. I cycled from the Oregon coast to the Delaware coast in five weeks, and also cycled in the California mountains and along the coast.

During my first year of college, as a music major at Cal State San Bernardino, I began to be threatened and overwhelmed by doubts about the Christian faith. Christians that I spoke with in the beginning were not helpful—they were either too threatened by or unprepared for my issues. I struggled for about seven years.

Through a variety of mentors, experiences, inner healing, and study, God slowly put the pieces of my life on a firm footing. There were no instant answers, though many were offered. During this time, I prayed to YHWH, “If you exist, and get me out of this pit, I will prepare myself to become the kind of person who could be helpful to someone like me.” Whether Elohim makes such bargains or not, it has shaped my entire life since. Out of compassion, I have sought to find good answers for troubled believers and despairing nonbelievers.

Journeys through several Christian denominations and the Charismatic Movement followed, until eventually I returned to the denomination of my parents—now known as the Presbyterian Church (USA)—to prepare for ordination.

Here is a summary of my education (I used to joke that I was doing a tour of Southern California educational institutions). I’m only including the schools I graduated from:

• Life Pacific College – Diploma in Bible – 1979

• Azusa Pacific University – B.A. in Religion & Philosophy – 1986

• Fuller Theological Seminary – M.A. in Theology – 1992

Sometime in the mid-1980s, I studied with my wife and daughter at L’Abri in Huemoz, Switzerland.

After several internships, I served as pastor for nearly 25 years of a Latino/a congregation—until I broke my leg in a swimming accident in June 2013. I’ve been on long-term temporary disability ever since. After the leg was healed, I underwent several surgeries on my right foot. Although I can walk short distances, drive, and attend worship, I’m not allowed to stand on my right foot without a brace. Whenever I leave the house, I must use a walker while I continue retraining my foot.

From 2008–2013, our congregation ran a coffee house and music venue for alternative music bands—a place to plant seeds of the gospel in a low-key way. I sometimes say that I seek to plant seeds of dissatisfaction and rumors of glory wherever I go. :)

Currently, I write a somewhat humorous blog at zacharybright.com

, stay active on Facebook, and lead a neighborhood Bible study in our home on Thursday evenings. My years with the Latino/a church sparked my interest in Hebrew because many of my Latino friends online attend Messianic congregations and are learning to speak Hebrew.

I live with my wife, Terry, who is the program director at Elizabeth House—a shelter for women with children facing problem pregnancies. We have two adult children: Rebecca, a “dog whisperer” in Pennsylvania, and Chris, an actor in West L.A.

I recognize some Hebrew from my seminary and college years, though New Testament Greek came more easily. I’m fluent in French and Spanish, and so-so in German.

My story starts with a spiritual journey to truly get deeper into the Word of Yahweh. A few years ago, I was attending a non-denominational Sunday church, and after a while, I started realizing that there was something missing—that it was just skimming the surface of God’s holy Word. The preacher would only preach for about thirty minutes, and it just seemed superficial. I mean, they were good messages, but there was just no depth to them. I wanted more, so I started reading my Bible and was determined to read the entire thing.

How that happened is I had a dream, and I remember some words—I’m guessing they were Latin. I searched for them and found that they meant something like “the size or greatness of the willing spirit.” When I looked up that phrase, it led me to the verse where Yeshua says He did not come to do away with the Law, and that not one jot or tittle will pass away from it. That sent me on a journey through the Scriptures—searching everything about the Law, commandments, and covenants.

I talked with a counselor at my Sunday church, but of course, they didn’t think the Law was applicable to Christians because of grace. We had many discussions, and she held her view. One time, the pastor was preaching on the Ten Commandments, and when he got to the Sabbath commandment, it was just a total wash over. He said you could keep any day as a Sabbath, but didn’t go into the many verses about the true Sabbath. I was totally disappointed—and that was the last time I attended.

I realized that Yahweh was calling me back to Him and wanted to reveal these things to me. A few years before that, I had already felt the need to celebrate Passover. Even though I wasn’t yet keeping Shabbat, I was drawn to the Passover and its meaning in both the Old and New Testaments. There’s so much I could tell you, but just know that Yahweh is drawing His people back to Him. He is gathering His people into His truth. It’s amazing.

The last thing I’ll say is that I began researching the names YHVH and Yeshua—and how they were changed in modern Bible translations. It’s unbelievable that all this has been concealed from us. I never would have discovered it unless that voice had said to me, “Dig deeper,” and that dream had started me on my search for truth.

Thank you so much for your teachings and your patient way of explaining the Hebrew Alef-Bet. I’ve watched all of them! I now meet with a group of Messianic believers in Yeshua and have celebrated Pesach with them—and soon, Shavuot.

Nez

Hi, I’m Kari. I’ve been following Yeshua since childhood, but I feel like my childhood began all over again when I discovered his Jewishness. When I was a sophomore in college, four things coalesced together: Jews for Jesus came to our church, my best friend and I attended two Passover Seders, my parents began attending a Messianic Jewish synagogue, and I tagged along with my best friend on a Biola-sponsored educational outing to a synagogue, led by a young Messianic Jew and his then-fiance (who also happened to be Student Ministries President at Biola University where I was planning to transfer). That year brought a whirlwind of change. I began to explore this Jewish Yeshua, trying to grasp Him in His own context, delving into the world of His modern-day brothers and sisters, and learning about His ancient world. I also began to explore my own family’s Jewish ancestry, which was disconnected several generations ago when my great-grandmother became a Christian. I felt strangely drawn on both fronts to this newfound path. There was only one way to describe it: I was home. 

Shortly after these changes were in full swing, I transferred to Biola University, roomed with my best friend, and together with the help of the aforementioned Student Ministries President, we planned the first-ever school-wide Passover Seder at Biola. It was a momentous occasion that drew over one hundred students and involved our most hilarious story to date: the time we chased a pregnant sheep in our bare feet across Biola’s urban campus. Yes. Good times, indeed. 

Weaving itself through that entire year was my own unfolding love story. I met a young Jewish man who had been raised in a Conservative Jewish home and had become a disciple of Yeshua three years before. As we grew a friendship, a romance sprang up with it. Since we lived on opposite ends of a very large state, we knew our long-distance relationship was on a time clock. One year after we met, he asked my dad for my hand in marriage, I moved to the town where he lived, and we spent the year of our engagement across town instead of across state. We were married in June of 2002 beneath a chuppah in a custom-crafted Messianic Jewish wedding ceremony. 

My husband, Tyler, likes to describe the way we engaged with our faith when we first met with the metaphor of an ornate jewelry box. For him, growing up Jewish, he was very familiar with this box. He had turned it round and round, knew every edge, every carving, every detail. But he never knew what was inside of it. He had a beautiful box, and no clue what it was for. 

For me, I grew up in a Christian home, and I lived inside that box. As a matter of fact, I had no idea the box even existed. I lived comfortably inside it, but my vision of Messiah was pretty dim in there. I could feel His presence; I knew His character. As a matter of fact, I suppose it’s like spending your life in intimate conversation with someone in a pitch black room. I knew Him, but I had never really seen Him. When I discovered Messianic Judaism, it was like the box was opened, and I could not only see the Messiah, but the box itself was fascinating to me. Now I had an entirely new journey to begin! I wanted to study every nook and cranny, every detail, ridge and carving of that box, and of this Messiah I had never seen in full light before. 

So there we were, exploring differently, but synergistically, too. I have no doubts that HaShem brought me to reawaken and deepen his passion for his Jewishness, and to spur him on to covenant faithfulness. I have no doubt that HaShem brought him to keep me grounded in love for my Messiah. 

Since that time, we have brought five daughters on board our little ship, and each season has brought a new and (hopefully) deeper connection to our Messiah-centered Judaism. I am currently in the process of converting, which I see as the culmination of this journey of rejoining my ancestral people, as well as the tie that connects my daughters to their Jewish future.  

After looking into this wonderful ministry that the Avrahams have built from the ground up, and interacting with other students, I knew I needed to join.  We are part of something truly special, and I’m so grateful to be here!