Isralove - Interview + Giveaway!

When I first found came across Isralove over on Instagram it was seriously ALL the heart eyes. Ruth, the founder, has been a graphic designer for more than eight years. She's putting her skills to good use, working full-time to make a beautiful collection of home items, like throw pillows, customized mugs, coasters, and wooden Hebrew letters, and the cutest onesies for babies! I think items like these are not only a fun way to decorate your home, but also serve as a reminder of your faith both to yourself but also to others who visit your home.

Ruth was sweet enough to send me her gorgeous Am Yisrael Chai pillow. But all opinions are my own. 

After seeing this pillow I knew right away where it would go in my home. It is so lovely that I wanted it to be one of the first things you see when you walk into the house. 'Am Yisrael Chai' means 'the people of Israel live.' I love that. For me, the meaning goes beyond the typical idea of the nation of Israel persevering despite constant threats and attacks from Islamic nations though. For me, 'Am Yisrael Chai' also reminds me of that the people of the Lost Tribes of Israel still live and of YHWH's promises to bring them back. I am so happy to have this beautiful reminder of Scriptural truth in my house. The pillow itself is soft and easy to wash, definitely the type of thing that's made for living and not just looking at. :)

A little more from Ruth herself....

What was the inspiration behind starting your business Isralove?

I started Isralove after my son Adam (4) was born and I saw all these cute outfits and nursery designs on pinterest, etsy and other international websites, and couldn't find a lot of modern, we'll designed baby onesies, nursery art etc that I liked. And, a lot of the shirts, onesies etc here in Israel have English phrases in them... I wanted Adam to have some modern, Hebrew designs... 

What was the first product you ever made and how did you get started?

The first product of Isralove was the Hebrew name onesie. Almost all of my first items were gifts I prepared for family and friends, took pictures of them and created Etsy items of then (that's why Adam's and his cousins names dominate the shop :) After the first items went live in the shop the first orders came in,  and sometimes customers would have a special request which helped me develop more and more items as I got to know better what Jewish gifts my audience is looking for, and which personalization options they are looking for. 

What has the experience of running Isralove been like?
During the first year I almost only uploaded gifts I created for fiends "on the way" but whenever I had an idea for the shop I wrote it on a sticky note and put it under my keyboard. Since this was "just a hobby" next to my "real job" I never really got to create all my ideas which frustrated me a bit and I decided to dedicate more time for the shop and develop more products. 

You moved to Israel from Germany, what was it like moving to Israel as a child?

Well, I was 13 when we moved, and we have visited Israel very often during my childhood. And I was very excited about moving here, since I remembered the beaches and fun we had during the vacations (and probably also a lot of ice cream?) which sounded pretty cool for a 13 year - old. When we came here at the beginning of the summer vacation we went to an Ulpan (Hebrew class) as family. I knew the Alphabet already since my father taught us… and after 2 months only (while the course is 6 in total) we had to go to school, which was a bit of a culture shock at first, I didn’t understand much (Israelis talk REALLY fast), but after 6 month I was able to speak and read and during 8^th grade children are still pretty open for new friendships and especially here in Israel, which is a very warm and welcoming culture. At the age of 16 I met the brother of one of my school friends, who is my husband today :) 

What's your favorite part about Living in the Holy Land?

My husband is a tour guide, so the best part about Israel for me (and Adam) is to tour the country, with it's amazing and various views and the history going back thousands of years. For now, Adam's favorite place is the "Elah Valley" where we stopped on a trip in May and  he was excited to finally see where David fought Goliath, after reading the story.

Do you have a favorite product that you have designed?

My cushions and the Hebrew alphabet place mats have been under my keyboard for more than a year I guess and these are designs I am  extremely excited about to finally have in the shop! 

Giveaway time! Get yourself entered to win a pair of Isralove placemats with the Hebrew alphabet on them! They say immersion is the best way to learn a language, so why not add more Hebrew to your home? Especially when it's this pretty! Like the throw pillows, these are also made for real-life use and can hold up to spills and wipe downs. These would be a fun and educational upgrade to your dinner table.  This contest is open internationally. Thanks so much to Ruth for a fun giveaway!

Isralove's website
Isralove on Instagram
Isralove's Etsy shop

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Looking Ahead To The Fall Feasts

This is your reminder that the Fall Feasts of YHWH will be here soon! Summer is definitely my favorite weather but I do find it easier to let go of as I look forward to celebrating the festivals. Maybe that's not an accident? :) For those of us who follow the traditional calendar we still have some time, but now is our chance to prepare by taking time off work and planning how you are going to celebrate.

Yom Teruah: 
In Scripture this is a one day holiday, but since it is the only feast to fall on a new moon we aren't positive about when it will land. Therefore, this is traditionally observed on two days.
Starting in the evening on October 2 and going through sundown on October 4. Yom Teruah is a no work day.

Yom Kippur:
This is a no work day and a fast day. October 11 in the evening until October 12 at sundown.

Sukkot:
Starts the evening of October 16 and goes through October 24th at sundown. Hopefully you can free yourself up to celebrate as much as possible but the only mandatory no work days are the evening of October 16 until sundown the 17th, then October 23 in the evening until sundown the 24th. Since this is a camp out festival you will want to start thinking about what you are going to do for a sukkah this year.

Traditionally the day after Sukkot is a celebration known as Simchat Torah, where the final Torah portion of the cycle is read. This is a time of great joy, but this day is not found in Scripture. 

If you want a printable download of the dates you can find it here. 

The Way Documentary - Interview + Giveaway!

Guys, there is something I am so excited to share with you today; a look at the Hebrew faith on the big screen! I can't wait for all of you to watch this and five of you will be able to win a copy of The Way for yourself as well.

Husband and wife team Luke and Kayte started this film with a simple premise: if Yeshua lived a perfect life then why do his followers today do almost everything differently than how he walked? They traveled to meet dozens of people who discuss what drew them from ordinary Christian faith to a Hebrew lifestyle of Shabbat observance, keeping the festivals of YHWH, and Scripturally clean eating. Check out the preview below. 

Not to spoil anything, but the film is even better than the trailer. It was so refreshing to  watch this, to see others who have been on a similar journey, to hear their stories of celebrating the Feasts. If you are someone who feels isolated or alone in your faith then please check out The Way! You'll feel like part of the tribe. :) 

That said, this isn't just a documentary for those in the Hebrew or Messianic movements. I think this would be a great introduction for anyone who is not familiar with this kind of lifestyle. Luke and Kayte did an excellent job of explaining through Scripture the thought process behind the seventh day Sabbath, etc. and even incorporated differing viewpoints as a way to address the 'what abouts' that many of us have dealt with. I would recommend this movie to anyone pursuing the faith, no matter where they are in that journey.

Luke and Kayte

Kayte was kind enough to spend some time sharing more of what went into The Way.

What caused you guys to create this documentary?

The Way started as a seed of an idea in Luke’s heart. He’s a journalist, so he’s super inquisitive and great at finding a story. A few years back, he got a call from his mom that she wouldn’t be celebrating Christmas that year. He thought that was crazy, so he set out to research so that he could set her straight with facts. Except he found that she was right about Christmas’ origins. That led him on a search through scripture and church history that revealed the ways that modern-Christianity has veered from the life of Yeshua and the apostles. In the course of all this, I joined him in this journey and we realized there were countless others around the world seeking to get back to a more biblical way of life. So The Way is the story of those people and the things they’ve discovered.

Why did you feel this was an important venture to undertake?

This awakening is spreading like wildfire right now. There are truths that God’s revealing from history and in His Word that we’d love to help share with the wider world. We think a lot of believers are searching for a deeper connection with God and a richer understanding of His Word, and we hope The Way will help people pursue those things.

How has the process of making this film changed or challenged your own faith?

Our faith has grown tremendously in this process. We’ve spent a year and a half hearing from probably 50 people about the most formative moments in their spiritual lives and the most awesome things they’ve learned from the Word. It’s been a sort of masterclass. Personally, I have such a deeper reverence and awe of God’s goodness, seeing the love and wisdom and justice in each and every instruction He’s given us. Instructions that used to seem archaic or arbitrary are such a joy now. Plus, I feel like I have so much more in common with Yeshua, living this way. :)

Who do you hope will watch The Way?

Anyone who’s curious about the discrepancies between the way Yeshua lived and the way that modern-day Christians live. Or anyone who’s made huge changes in the way they live and worship and are having a hard time communicating their reasons to their friends and family. 

What's something that's going to surprise viewers about this film?

They’re going to learn some crazy facts from some pretty surprising sources - things that made me wonder, “How in the world did I never learn this in 25 years of church, history classes and Bible study?!"

What was it like to work as a couple on a project like this?

It’s been awesome - this project has stretched through for 90% of our marriage! The doc has been the most rewarding and most challenge thing either of us have undertaken. We’ve gotten to work as a team, hear each other’s ideas, pray together constantly, cover each other’s shortcomings and get really good at tackling the insane new challenges that have popped up every day for the last year and a half. And during the early editing process, we’d turn watching the 50 hours of footage into date nights by cooking dinner together and picking an interview to watch through and take notes on while we ate!

How was your experience getting crowd funded through Kickstarter?

The Kickstarter experience blew us away. We knew there were pockets of people who’d be excited about seeing this story come to life, but we had no idea of the scope of the support we’d receive! We were nervous about our initial fundraising goal of around $12,000 - we wondered if we could make it - so by the end of the Kickstarter when the project had been 330% funded, we knew God was telling us that He’d supply everything we needed to make the best film possible - and not just financially, but also in terms of interview leads, prayer support and people with wisdom we needed.

The Kickstarter campaign was also how we met our incredible composer, Jake Hull, and many of the wonderful interview subjects you’ll see in the film. Lots of people reached out to us with their stories after hearing we were making the film. So even though we thought we were finished shooting interviews, we ended up doing lots of travel and shooting more interviews after the campaign - and some of those interviews became core to the story.

Is there a certain message or takeaway point you hope to impart to viewers?

We want people to finish watching the film and to think, “Wow, maybe there’s actually some timeless goodness still in the instructions God gave in the Old Testament. And maybe there’s a way that the whole Bible can work together as one story - with the patriarchs and the apostles and modern-day Christians all with core commonalities in their walk. And maybe I should take a second look at traditions I’d never thought to question before.” But most of all, we hope that (as Zac Bauer says) people “go home and read their Bibles."

What kind of responses have you gotten to this so far?

We’ve had lots and lots of people tell us that they cried! It blows us away. I think that there’s something powerful about seeing your story echoed back to you in a medium like this. It’s very human and affirming. We’ve also had believers who’ve gone to church their whole lives tell us that The Way answered questions from the Bible that they’ve wondered about for years. And lastly, lots of people have told us they’re excited to share The Way with friends and family, to start a conversation about what they’ve been learning in their walk with God.

How can we learn more about The Way? 

You can watch the trailer for The Way, clips from the film, read FAQs and of course, buy a physical or digital copy at The Way's website.

We’re also always on Facebook hanging out with everyone there and posting video clips from the film (or cut scenes) so come on over!

Thanks so much Kayte for taking time to talk with us! Doesn't she feel like a kindred spirit? I loved the 'real life' that went into this. Mom announced we aren't celebrating Christmas anymore - I can relate! And the creativity of incorporating the making of the documentary into date night. You'll hear more from Kayte when you watch The Way as she makes a couple of appearances! And a huge shout out to Kayte and Luke for providing five copies of the DVD to give away! Here's your chance to watch the documentary at no cost, or if you've seen it already win a copy to share with a friend. 

This giveaway is only open to readers in the US, sorry my international friends (you can still download a copy at the website) but I will have something special for you guys in a couple weeks. A huge shout out to Kayte for sharing their story and generously giving away five copies of the movie! Winner will be announced Sunday.

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25 Things the Bible Says About You

This post takes a look at what the Bible says about you, so that we can be rooted in our identity in the Messiah and his work in us. This list is not conclusive, but is an excellent reminder to focus on what God says instead of what the people around us say or even our own thoughts. Sometimes we need to stop and remind ourselves, My identity does not depend on this test or that diagnosis. I am worth more than my salary or what that person said. As believers in Messiah we are called to know our identities in him!

Did you know in Scriptures there are many things that the Living God says about you. Psalm 139:17-18 says that YHWH's thoughts of us are more numerous than the sand. Here are just a few of the thoughts God has about you.

The Living God describes you as:

-His (Isaiah 43:1)

-Called by the name of Israel (Isaiah 43:1)

-a renewed creation in the Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:17)

-set apart (Ephesians 1:4)

-loved with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)

-a priest (1 Peter 2:9)

-made clean from the filthiness of idolatry (Ezekiel 36:25)

-called, justified, and esteemed (Romans 8:30)

-precious in his sight (Isaiah 43:4)

-inscribed with God's word on your heart (Jeremiah 31:33)

-not forsaken when seeking YHWH (Psalm 9:10)

-given strength (Psalm 29:11)

-blessed with peace (Psalm 29:11)

-healed from disease (Psalm 103:3)

-satisfied with good things (Psalm 103:5)

-traded joy for morning (Isaiah 61:3)

-given the Spirit of power, love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

-able to have a joyful heart even in the worst circumstances or most extreme poverty (2 Corinthians 8:2)

-a restorer of the paths to live in (Isaiah 58:12)

-set apart by the learning of the Word (John 17:17)

-ransomed from death (Psalm 103:4)

-healed of backsliding into idolatry and faithlessness (Hosea 14:4)

-not judged by appearance (Isaiah 11:3)

-pruned for great fruitfulness (John 15:3)

-called to walk in the same ways as the Messiah (1 John 2:6)

Learn these things! This is what the Living God says about you. Speak and pray these things over yourself. Saying things like, "Thank you that I am given peace. Help me to experience that," or "Teach me what it means to restore the paths to live in," are great ways to sink these truths into your being. Learn what YHWH says about you so you know who you are.

Related posts:
Overlooked Truths in Proverbs 31
Why Biblical Law is for All Believers
The Northern and Southern Kingdoms in the Bible (and why they matter)