Day of the Holy Name of Jesus 5772/5773 2011/2012

click on pictures to enlarge them in your browser




The three other climbers who summitted Mt. President 8/25/95
Paul from Maine, a friend, and his wife.

Blessings of this Holiday season:

Jewish and Christian Blessing
“May the eternal light and good energy in the Lord Bless you, protect you, and keep you,
May he lift up his face upon you while being gracious unto you,
May he uphold you and that which you value, and give you peace. ”


May the Light of God surround you.
May the Love of God enfold you.
May the knowledge of God grow inside of you this holiday season.
May the realization that God dwells in us help,strengthen and support you
May the Power of God protect you.
May the Presence of God overwatch you



1st day of Hannukah, think about Being Kind
2nd day Giving Joy
3rd day about Being good
4th day Giving Love
5th day about Living long
6th day about Loving Life
7th day about Being True
8th day about Prospering

Another wondelful meditation is to pray each day until a realization comes about how practicing one of Jesus’ beatitudes can bring you happiness in some part of your life.



Some thoughts on the fundamentals of Mystic Christianity:

What is the best way to be saved, redeemed, justified, sanctified?
What is the best way to have God's Presence dwell in us?

As for God's Presence:

In one sense it is better to be saved than to save, better to be redeemed, justified, sanctify than to redeem, justify, sanctify. This is the sense in which God's Son Jesus Christ went to the Cross in order to do this for us.
Hopefully this does not have to happen and happen again to us. Once is enough.
The Bible teaches this. But, also in another sense it does happen again. Today, Christ is born in us as an angel from Heaven to Earth. Tomorrow He will come again… as a human angel on Earth. But, not without human beings continuing to do their part.




4 views in 4 directions from the top of Mt. President
clockwise from the upper left:
1) East
2) North showing the mountain Diny was so inclined on that day to name as Gordon
3) West
4) South
"May he or she who places Peace in high places in us,
place Peace in you." Jewish Prayer/Blessing

"Under certain circumstances, truth can be considered as invariance under change of notation." teaching in philosophy and mathematical logic


As for God's Power:

Is it better to love than to be loved. This we know from St. Francis' wonderful prayer.
But, as for faith and hope: it is better to first have and hold hope and faith in ourselves if we are to share it and give it to others. To be faith and hope you have to be able to give faith and hope. But, first to be it you must have it already. The Good News is that we all have faith and hope already inside of us. For, God has put it there through His own life that He lived already here on earth for us.

Again, we thank God for a good prayer year that we have
experienced in Christ.
And, we pray that the day may soon come
that we all may be One in God's name. We pray that
this year the Christ Jesus we experience during
the Christmas season will find a permanent home
in all our hearts during the whole year ahead.
Partners in God, partners in Christ, we are one family.
John 17:21



Vista up the river valley from top of canyon rim overlooking Mt. Zion National Park, Western US
Yearly Prayer Calendar:


View from above of part of the Angel’s Landing rock formation from lunch stop at the top of the eastern canyon rim. Christmas vacation hiking trip to Zion National Park 2005




Water Flowing down the rocks into Petroglyph Canyon Mt. Zion National Park, US

Holy Days 5772-5773/2012

Confession of St. Peter (January 18) Psalm 23, Conversion day of St. Paul (January 25) Psalm 67, International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), Tu B’Shvat Festival of the Trees (February 8),
Ash Wednesday (February 22), Saint Benedict’s day (March 2), Purim (March 8), Ash Wednesday (March 9), Saint Gregory’s day (March 12), Saint Patrick’s day (March 17), Saint George’s day (March 23),

Holocaust Remembrance Day, [inside of Israel April 31, outside May 2], Passover (April 7), Easter (April 8), St. Mark (April 25) Psalm 2, Lag B’Omer (May 10), Shavuot (May 27), Pentecost (May 27),
St. Peter and St. Paul’s day (June 29) Psalms 66, 87,97,138,

(July 4) Independence Day U.S.A., St. Mary Magalene (July 21) Psalms 30,42,116,149, St. James day (July 25) Psalms 7, 33,34,Tisha B'Av (9th of Av, July 29),Tu B'Av (August 3), St. Ignatius Loyola Saint Bernard’s day (August 20), Saint Barthomew’s /Nathaniel’s day (August 24) Psalms 15,67,86, 91, World Peace Day (September 21), Rosh Hashanah (September 17), Yom Kippur (September 26), Gabriel, Michael, Ariel, Raphael and All Angels day (Sept. 29),

Sukkoth (October 1) Saint Francis of Assisi’s day (October 4), St. Luke (October 18) Psalm 103, Shemini Atzeret October 20, Saint James of Jerusalem day (October 23) Psalm 1, All Souls/All Saints Day (Psalms 111,112,148,149,150), Veteran’s Day (November 11) St. Martin's day, Saint Margaret’s day (November 16), Thanksgiving day (November 22), Saint Andrew’s day (Psalms 19,24,96,100), Hanukah (December 9), St. Thomas’s day (Dec. 21) Psalms 23,27,121,126, Christmas, St. John’s day (Dec. 27) Psalm 92,97,98,145, Holy Innocent’s day (Dec. 28) Psalms 2,26,19,126, Day of the Holy Name of Jesus (Dec. 31) Psalm 8.



[For Bible readings and Psalms that go with these Holy Days see the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (both the two year daily office
and the two year lectionary readings) or the three year revised common lectionary at http:\\divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary . (S
The revised common lectionary was created for the occasions of common prayer and worship services among Protestants, Catholics and Jews.
It has more readings from the Old Testament than the ordinary episcopal or catholic lectionary.
Using these two or three year daily offices is an excellent way to keep track of an intention for reading most of the Bible in two years.
The best translation of the Bible I have found is “The Amplified Bible” published by Zondervan.
It has cross-references in the text to related passages and prophecies which make this translation even more of a “Tree of Life” than others.]



New Moons of Shevet (January 25), Adar (February 24) , Nissan (March 24), Iyar (April 28) Sivan (May 22 ) , Tammuz (June 21), Av (July 20), Elul (August 19), Tishrei / Rosh Hashanah (September 17),Yom Kippur (September 26), Succot (October 1), Hoshana Rabba (October 7),. Shimini Atzeres (October 8), Simchas Torah (October 9),Chesvan (October 17), Kislev (November 15),Tevet (December 14) (months of correct eating, laughter, speaking, thought, movement, seeing, hearing, action, feeling, smell, relaxation, judgement) tribes of Asher (Psalm 100 ), Naphtali (Psalm 98) Judah (Psalm 92),Issachar (Psalm 95), Zebulun (Psalm 96), Reuben (Psalm 90), Simeon, Gad (Psalm 94), Ephraim (Psalm 97), Menashah (Psalm 97) , Benjamin (Psalm 93), Dan (Psalm 99))


Vista overlook, Zion Canyon Christmas vacation 2005


[According to Jewish tradition, Moses gave the eleven psalms 90-100 to eleven of the tribes of Israel., the tribe of Simeon was excluded because of the events in Numbers 25-1:15. Psalm 91 was given to the tribe of Levi. Psalms 95 to 99 have been called the “Coronation Psalms” and are used in the Jewish Saturday Morning Kabbala Shabbat service. For some Baptist Christian Hymns related to the Messianic age see “The Coronation Hymnal”, by A.J. Gordon and A.T. Pierson, Revell and Co., N.Y., Boston, Chicago.( which is now out of print, but copies are available in several University
libraries). Also, the complete series of Watchword Articles from the 1880s and 1980s, along with its wondelful teachings on Christian prophecy and Christian Jewish prophecy by A.J. Gordon. There are also some very good Baptist Sunday School lessons and teachings from other contributers. Just google: Watchword A.J. Gordon.





Area north of the Angel’s Landing rock formation.

Please pray with us assisted and helped by the prayers at
http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org/prayers
(you may register there and post your own prayers if this is helpful to you)

Irish Prayer and Blessing
“May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back.
May the Sun(Son) shine warm on your face, And the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And May God hold you in palm of his hands.”
(Until we talk and pray together again and he blesses you again through us

6/6/2011
Contemplations, Images, and Prayers Teachings
of the 2011 Pentecost/Shavuous season.
Take Us to the River....

Pictures from the great flood at Vicksburg, MS 2011
(The areas of Warren, Issaquena,Yazoo, Sharkey counties
got baptized by “old man river” during Pentecost 2011)

Our prayers are with the flood victims and also
The tornado victims and the more serious disasters in Tuscaloosa,AL
And Joplin, MO.



Figure 1 Yazoo river backwater flooded areas north of Redwood, MS 4/1/2011



Figure 4 Flooded areas north of Vicksburg around the HWY 61/HWY3 interesection and the redwood Elementary school. May 14,2011






Figure 13 Yazoo river flooded areas around Sartaria, MS. For some other pictures backwater floods in this area see the blog posting from two years ago.



Figure 14 More backwater flooded farm fields north of Redwood, MS.


Figure 15 Flooded areas around Sartaria.

Figure 18 Flooded areas of Delta National Forest northwest of Redwood, 4/1/2011.




Figure 24 Steele Bayou, Yazoo river control structure which is located just east of Eagle Lake MS, north of Vicksburg.


Figure 25 May 14 photo of Steele Bayou control structure


Figure 26 May 14 photos of backwater levees south of the Steele Bayou structure which protect the area going toward Rolling Fork. The north side of the levees have been reinforced with vinyl covers (looked like for about 1 mile).
Figure 27 Backwater area of the Yazoo between Redwood and Yazoo city west of state HWY 3 4/1/2011
Figure 36 On the west side of the Ms river from Vicksburg at Delta La is where a large number of concrete mats used to stabilized the Ms river banks are stored.



Figure 37 Flooded areas around Letourneau, MS May 14,2011.



Figure 38 Another photo of the same area


Figure 39 Ms river banks on its east side just north of where the Yazoo river diversion canal enters the river south of the city of Vicksburg.



Figure 40 Vicksburg waterfront from 2000’ May 14 without telephoto lens, another photo of this area before the floods and some photos of the Vicksburg area with the telephoto lens see the web site:
http;www.ourprayergroupnews.blogspot.com





Figure 41 East side of MS river looking south from the downtown area toward the Interstate bridge and the railroad bridge.4/1/2011



Figure 42 May 14 photo of same area
Along with some
Kabbalah teachings related to the Torah reading for the week after Shavuous 2011
And resurrection of some books by my great-grandfather Adoniram Gordon,
Son of John Calvin Gordon


The floods caused the Yazoo river backwater areas north of town to flood.
This farmland grows mainly cotton,soybeans,corn,
Farmers who did not have crop insurance lost large amounts of money.

Booklist of some of the titles authored by A.J.Gordon

Congregation Worship, Boston 1874
Ecce Venit, New Yor, Revell, 1889
Elements of Christian Character, Am. Baptist Pub. Soc, (ABPS) 1895
The Holy Spirit in Missions, Revell 1893
How Christ Came to the Church, (ABPS), 1895
In Christ, or the Believer’s Union with His Lord. Boston 1872
The Ministry of Healing, Revell 1883
The Ministry of the Spirit (ABPS) 1894
Reasons of Total Abstinence. New York, National Temperance Society and Pub. House n.d
Rest in Christ London 1902
The Ship Jesus AB Missionary Union, n.d.
Twofold Life, Boston 1882
Who Shall Come After the King? ABPS, n.d.
Coronation Hymnal, ABPS 1894

Biographies
A.J. Gordon, A Biography by his son Ernest B. Gordon, Revell 1896
A.J. Gordon, American Premillennialist by Scott Gibson

Sermons
The Book A.J. Gordon with an introduction by Nathan Wood was republished
by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids Michigan in 1951 from an earlier edition Fleming Revell in the Great Pulpit Masters Series.

I agree with most of the theology in these sermons except the position stated
in sermon #15, "The Ordinance of Silence" that the Jewish Sabbath is "outdated".
Obviously, it is not "outdated" for the millions of Jews still practicing it
today. It seems rather egoistical to me for someone to state that the Christian way
of worshiping God is the "only way" that is pleasing to God.


Related work by a friend
The City Without a Church by Henry Drummond
(see other earlier postings on this blog for a discussion of some
Parts of this book).

35th day of the Omer count
(Chol Hamoad)

Malkuth of Hod (Kingship of obedience)

Song and praise

Bible verses corresponding to the Holy Spirit’s 13 corrections to the 13
attributes of the long face of the name of God (the Father) Micah 7:18-20 and
Exodus 34:6-7
Note: these corrections (tikkuns) have to do with our human faith and hope in
God (as exemplified in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the Messiah Ben
Joseph) as opposed to our human love of God as exemplified in King David and
his Son the Messiah Ben David the short face of the name of God (Zeir Anpin)
Corrective verse || original verse || Hebrew

1) “Who, is a God(El) who is like unto You ?|| “YHWH, YHWH, El”|| YHWH,YHWH,El
2)”Who pardons iniquity” || “Merciful” || Rachom
3)”and overlooks transgressions”|| “and Compassionate”|| v’chanon
4)”for the remnant of his heritage?” ||“slow” || erech
5)”who has not retained his wrath eternally”|| “to anger” || apaym
6)”for He desires kindness*!”|| “and abundant in kindness” ||v’ rav chesed
7)”He will again be merciful** to us;”|| “and Truth” ||v’emet
8)”He will suppress our iniquities***”|| “preserve of kindness”|| notzer chesed
9)”and cast into the depths of the sea all their sins****.”|| “for thousands ofgenerations”|| l’elpaym
10)”Grant Truth to Jacob”|| “forgiver of iniquity”|| naso aon
11)”kindness to Abraham*****”|| “transgression” || v’pasha
12)”As you swore to our father******” ||“and sin” ||v’chatah
13)”from ancient times*******”|| “but not all”|| v’naqah

(erasing them with oneness)
*and delights in mercy
**compassionate, for he is like the apple tree among the trees of the wood R.
Shimon Zohar
***cancel the judgements of fate,karma,bad luck against us. R.
Elazer Zohar
****where only the sea turtle (turtledove) and the trident of Neptune can
retrieve them R. Aba Zohar
***** and to all those who love the Messiah and fear the Lord God there is no
love longer than its neighbor R. Jehuda Zohar
****** for we all live in the same world and share the same air and have
equal right and ability to breath it R. Shimon Zohar
******* “Be ye perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect” Jesus
Christ





Figure 6 First of a series of backwater flooding areas west of HWY 3 south of the Hearn farm and north of the Simrall’s planation. 5/20/2011




Figure 7 Second photo in the series flying west of HWY 3 and south toward Redwood, MS 5/20/2011


Figure 10 Fifth in the series showing the Steele Bayou flood control structures. As of the date of this photo 5/20/2011 they had not overtopped as predicted by the Corps a week earlier. Definitely good news for the people farming from here up toward Rolling Fork, MS .

What does it mean to be a "real Jew"? According to many Jews it means to
have a Jewish mother and to meditate on the Hebrew Letters in the Torah,
by use of whichGod created the Universe.

According to Saint Paul, Romans 2:28-29 "For the real Jew is not
the person who is one outwardly, nor is circumision that
which outwardly evident in the flesh. But, the real Jew is one who is
so in secret,and real circumcision is one which is of the heart, wrougth
by the Spirit, and not the letter, and the communications
such a person receives comes not from human beings, but from God."

Thus, in this famous passage St. Paul has redefined what it means to
meditate on God inwardly (ie, one doesn't receive the revelation from
the Torah by mediating on the Hebrew letters of the Kabbalah, but from
meditating on love and truth within the human heart.

I believe God supports St. Paul's definition of what a Jew is as truthful. But I also believe that there is not just one definition of what a Jew is (just like there
is not just one definition of what a Chrsitian is). Therefore, I do not consider
the Jewish Sabbath to be "outdated" as most Christians do. But, I have received
much benefit from practicing the Jewish Law as a Christian and I think many
other Christians can also receive these benefits.

So, below the Biblical teachings refer to the original Hebrew letters,assuming
this will provide us with wisdom, undrstanding,blessing just as the later
Christian/Greek translation can.


Bible verses corresponding to the Holy Spirit’s 9 corrections to the 9
attributes of the short face of the name of God (the Father) Psalms 118:5-9
and Numbers 14:18
Note: these corrections (tikkuns) have to do with our human faith and hope in
God (as exemplified in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the Messiah Ben
Joseph) as opposed to our human love of God as exemplified in King David and
his Son the Messiah Ben David the short face of the name of God (Zeir Anpin)

Corrective verse ||original verse || Hebrew

1) “In distress, I called upon YAH?”|| YHWH,slow || YHWH Erech
2)”With abounding relief YAH answered me"|| “to anger” || Apaym
3)”YHWH is with me” || “abundant in kindness” || v’rav chesed
4)”I do not fear.” || “bearer of iniquity” || notzer avn
5)”What can man do to me” || “and transgression” || v’pasha
6)”YHWH is for me through my helpers” || “he erases” || v’ nkach
7)”So I shall see the downfall of my enemies.” ||“and he does not erase” ||lo ynkach
8)”It is better to take refuge in YHWH” || “he accounts the iniquity of the fathers” || poker aonabot al’bnaym
Than to rely on man
9”It is better to take refuge in YHWH.”|| “to the third generation and fourth generations” || al shaloshaym than to rely on nobles || v’al rbaym

According to the Kabbalah (Zohar) taking both of these blessings/corrections
together we have the mysterious 22 letter form of the name of God.
The order of the meditations and comtemplations contained in this name comes
from the Aaronic Priestly benediction given in the book of numbers as
explained (only partially) in the Zohar passage corresponding to the Torah
reading of Naso. It is a threefold-contemplation of the passage of God’s
grace three times from the heavens downward to earth. Each passage
corresponding to one of the three sections in the blessing as the name of God
YHWH is written and directed through 22 letters (the mystery is what are
these 22 letters?) that are referred to in the Torah passage. The
word “letters” when it is mentioned in Jewish writings usually refers to the
22 consonants, not the vowels, in the Hebrew language. So, I assume what we
are to think about as placed inside our fingers are 22 consonants that are
contained in this passage. There are twelve consonants corresponding to the 3
times the name of God YHWH occurs in the passage so that , just as we have
ten fingers on our two hands, the passage means that we being men of God are
to look for ten other consonants that these twelve consonants which refer to
God, refer to in the passage. We see that the occurances of the consonants
aleph, vav and yod (which are important in Old Testament Kabbalistic
interpretation… the aleph being important as representing a beginning in an
end…a letter which contains the vav and yod inside of inside and generates
recursively a tree of meaning. yod being important as representing the ten-
fold subjective heavenly form of biblical realization of truth or reality in
the objective world we live in, and the vav being important as representing
the six-fold throne or Son of God inside of the lower earthly realms and also
being capable of recursively and mathematically generating itself fruitfully
as a metaphysical comptemplation of itself*) count up to ten (three in the
first verse, four in the second, and three in the third verse). So, for
myself this is how I interpret these teachings.





Figure 8 Third in the series taken from 2000’ flying south toward Vicksburg while still north of Redwood.




Figure 9 Backwater levees south of Redwood, north of Vicksburg east of Eagle Lake


Another possible approach to understanding what the mysterious 22-letter name
of God inside of the priestly blessing means which also follow the above
interpretation about the point of the 12 consonants of YHWH is to take these
twelve consonants in the three verses as the root letters of the blessing and
then pair them up which each of the remaining consonants of the Hebrew
alphabet as they occur multiplying in the three verses.
see the Jewish Christian prayer posting at:
http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org/prayers/message.cgi?105
for more details on this.



Figure 11 Next in the series flying south toward Vicksburg and the Port of Vicksburg area. The west sides of these levees are covered/reinforced by rubber sheets (for about 5 miles according to the Corps press release).




Figure 12 Final photo in the series showing the Port of Vicksburg area in the upper right.


So, considering the 12 consonant letters of YHWH occurring in this blessing
and the 30 consonant letters which YHWH blesses we have a total of 42
blessing letters in the 42 letter blessing of the name of God in the Bible
verses above. Thus, combining these thoughts with those from the ana b’korach
prayer in this Shavuous omer count, this meditation is a new unification of
the 22 letter name of God with the 42 letter name of God. May it help both
Christians to understand Messianic Judaism and Messianic Jews to understand
Christianity.

In the Naso chapter of the Zohar which explains how the three-fold in three-
fold Aaronic priestly benediction is to be meditated on using YHWH the four-
letter name of God there is also the explanation of how the name of God YHWH
with the vowels of a..o...ai (Adonai which is written as Yod Yod…reality
inside of reality in the Amidah prayerbooks is to be contemplated:

One considers the four-letter name of God YHWH with the vowels and consonants
Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Yud, Vav-Aleph-Vav,Hei-Yud while saying and contemplating
the first verse (May YHWH bless you and keep you). The thought process here
is held in the spiritual body of the priest in the right shoulder region
(compassionate side of the mercy of God) aligned to the right of the third
Yogic throat chakra center. Then, contemplating the second verse (May YHWH
illuminate his countenance toward you and endow you with grace) one
contemplates the name of God YHWH as being Eheyeh, Eheyeh, Eheyeh (I AM who I
AM, I will be who I AM, I AM that I AM)…this the redemptive part of the
righteousness of God expressing itself as its Holy Spirit of Truth manifests
inside and around the spiritual body of the believer passing before us all as
a second redemptive time around the throne of God (the second coming of
Christ), Then, contemplating the third verse one gazes downward toward the
4th Yogic heart chakra (collective realm of God’s Truth inside the priest’s
spiritual body) and mentally pronounces and meditates on the name of God YHWH
with the vowels and consonants Yud-Vav-Dalet,Hei-Aleph,Vav-Aleph-Vav,Hei-
Aleph. The uniting of the name of God expressed in the first and third verse
(May YHWH lift His countenance to you and establish Peace inside of you)
through it being expressed inside of real person in the second verse is the
how the name of God Adonai participates in the blessing of Aaronic priestly
benediction.

In orthodox Judaism, these blessings also are given by the Aaronic priest
during the Tashlich service which occurs before Rosh Hashanah every year. At
this time of the year, as we stand near a body of water to say them, the
emphasis is more on correction through the casting away of our sins instead
of the creation occurring during the festival of the “end of the world”
(tantric olam) and the laying out of the boundaries of the new one. This
festival of “first fruits”of new creation in Christ is mentioned both in the
Old and New Testaments as an important one.

For all those Christians and Jews who have understood the highest and best
teachings referred to above about the Aaronic blessing

Be still and know that: “I AM He who is living, but was dead” Book of
Revelations

welcome to our world of a new creation which is:

the concept of a concept:

An end (or purpose) inside of a beginning,
A beginning (or meaing of a purpose) inside of an end (or purpose).

“An end of the eternity (of the necessity of our future hope),
Which occurs in us at the end of our own faithful thoughts from a world of
desire in our past.”

I AM He who is living, but was dead
* see elsewhere in the ourpraygroup.blogspot.com blog for a discussion about
some interpretations and thought relative to considering the forms of the
Hebrew consonants as ‘autiots” when they occur in the first chapter of
Genesis