Teaching Team
Fortifying Walls: A Trip to Florida
It was Friday afternoon, and I had just arrived in Tampa, Florida for the weekend. Upon arrival I was greeted with warm weather and lush, green scenery. Daniel, Boaz and I would be presenting for the second time what we consider to be one of the most critical messages for the movement today: our “To Whom Shall We Go” seminar, which focus on answering Jewish Objections to Yeshua. But there was one problem. Daniel’s plane had been delayed, and it might even be cancelled.
Boaz and I waited eagerly for the news, but when it came, it was not what we had hoped. Daniel’s plane—after sitting for over four hours on the tarmac—was not going to take off. The snow storm in Philadelphia had caused all remaining flights for the day to be cancelled. Daniel would now be stuck in Pennsylvania for Shabbat, and as we would latter find out, until Monday night. How could we present on Sunday without him? Boaz and I both put this behind us as we prepared to enter into Shabbat.
One of the values of spending a weekend with a community is developing relationships. Being in Sarasota with the Ohr Yeshua community for three days (Friday to Monday) afforded Boaz and I some time to get to know them. These relationships have a two-fold effect. Not only do they allow us to gain intimate knowledge about our constituents and their needs, but we also have a chance to dialogue with them and learn at times even more than we share.
Ohr Yeshua’s Saturday morning Shabbat service was an extra special blessing. It’s amazing to me that the more I become connected with the Siddur, the more its liturgical structure makes me feel at home anywhere. At the same time, it allows for creativity and diversity in every congregation. This was how it was at Ohr Yeshua. They followed the siddur’s basic liturgical structure, but certain melodies (like their cantor’s version Kedushah) were particularly beautiful. I would call it “diversity within structure.” Another unique aspect is that their leader Gary Beresford would give little messages in between the prayers. These short drashs were so compelling and powerful that when it was time for Boaz to give his message, he joked that maybe he should just let Gary continue!
On Saturday night after Havdallah Boaz and I presented a Restoration outreach seminar. We focused on what the Torah is and it’s eternal nature. We got a really nice response, and it became evident in the question and answer session that some attendees who were new to Torah had really been challenged. It is always encouraging when we discover that we are not just been preaching to the choir.
Sunday finally came, and we had to do the “To Whom Shall We Go” seminar without Daniel. Although we survived without him, Daniel was sorely missed. When I reflect on my year with FFOZ, I am amazed by how team dependent we really are.
As I look back on Sunday, what sticks out the most in my mind is when Boaz asked how many people knew any former believers in Yeshua who had denied Him for Orthodox conversion or the like. Over half the room raised their hands. It was a sign for me once again of how important this seminar is. In my opinion, there is no greater message than one which strengthens people’s faith in our Master and Messiah, Yeshua.
Before I went home, Boaz and his family took me to the beach on Monday night. While Boaz was trying to run off the great food we had been served on Shabbat, I was building a sand castle with his children. I felt right at home, as I had grown up only a few blocks from the beach in Connecticut. We were so engrossed in creating an elaborate “drip” castle that we didn’t notice that the tide was beginning to come in. In an effort to save the castle, we built a wall completely around it. As the waves hit the walls, they would break down slightly, and I would enthusiastically shout that we needed to “fortify the walls!” By the time we left, the wall had been made so strong that it still had not been successfully breached by the waves.
In a way that’s exactly what we are doing in the “To Whom” seminar. We are fortifying the walls of our faith in the Master as the waves of untruth mercilessly pound against us. We all must stay strong.
Upcoming "To Whom" Seminars:
1) Shavuot Conference on May 22-27 in St. Paul, MN/Hudson, WI (This will include an extended two day version of "To Whom".
2) Sunday July 1st in Dallas, TX
See our "Upcoming Events" page of the website for more details.
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Visitor Feedback:
I'm glad to see your interest in those leaving Yeshua for Orthodox Judaism. Admittedly, I am very Orthodox in my views and very much more in tune with the Orthodox then I am in the Messiainic movement. Again I am not Orthodox. But darn close!
I have not denied Yeshua. I do believe he is Messiah. But my Yeshua is very different from Church's Jesus. A simple name change from Jesus to Yeshua or Christ to Messiah does not even begin to reveal the Yeshua I believe in. My understand of him is very different from what the Church teaches and most Messianics.
I just want to say that the simple question you presented does not begin to fathom the issues at hand.
We need to focused on doctrines and preconceived notions. I will warn you that most of them will fall apart in the face of Torah. 99% of the Messianic Community are not taking an honest look at them in light of Torah.
I am willing to discuss this more if need be.
His Servant,
Karl
Karl Werner | March 26, 2007 10:48 PM