The New Year was March 14, 2021 and we had a baptism.

At the first of this year the Shiloah Valley branch started a prayer effort as a group, and we have committed to pray at the same time everyday. The time we are praying is at 7:00 AM (Mountain), so if you would like to join us in prayer from wherever you are at, you can join us in praying for our nation, the House of Aaron, and the Holy Spirit to lead us in the way we are supposed to go.

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Like the rest of the world, Covid-19 interrupted our feast plans for the year. We ended up delaying the Seder and did it a month later with our group. We were on lockdown during Pesach (Passover) so there was no getting together for the feast weekend.
For Shavuot and Sukkot we had small gatherings keeping it mostly to family. 
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For the Feast Season of 2020 we are emphasizing connection and family.

Sukkot 2020 House of Aaron
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September 19 Rosh Hashana Yom Teruah

September 28 Yom Kippur

Erev Sukkot October 2

Sukkot October 3 – 9

Shemini Atzeret October 10

House of Aaron Observance weekend October 3-5

October 3
5:45 pm Supper
7:30 pm Introduction to Feast
9:15 pm snack in the tent

October 4 Shabbat
Brunch 10:00 am
12:00 Daily Sacrifice and Communion
3:00 pm Activity
5:45pm Supper
7:30 pm Evening Service
9:15 pm snack in the tent

October 4
9:30 am Morning service Special numbers?
12:00 pm Feast Meal

Living on a farm often furnishes us with valuable life lessons. Yesterday as I was checking the maternity group (pen where cows within 3 weeks of calving are kept) I discovered an old cow that couldn't get up. She was obviously very close to calving but because of milk fever (low blood calcium) she not only was not able to get up but could not initiate parturition.
So I went to the dairy office and got some calcium solution. We administer this intravenously in the jugular vein. This requires restraining the head (usually with nose tongs fastened to a hind leg) and inserting a large 14 gauge needle into the jugular vein. Usually 500 ml (about 1/2 a quart) of 23% calcium solution is given over a period of a few minutes.
Even though this therapy was critical not only for the calf but for the cow's life, she wanted no part of it. Even though weakened by the hypocalcemia she fought me every inch of the way. When I tried to introduce the nose tongs she forcefully emptied her nasal passages of assorted mucopolysaccharide secretions (snot) all over my shirt. Supplemented by loud bellows she swung her head and attempted to rearrange my rib cage. I finally succeeded in getting her head secured to her back leg. However, even restrained like this, when I tried to pop the needle in her vein she bowed her neck and tried to commit mayhem on my person.
I finally was able to get the calcium solution into the cow and released her head. I left her alone while she continued to say uncomplimentary things about me and my family. Not long after she was able to stand and then a few hours later successfully delivered a healthy bull calf. Both she and the calf would have died without my intervention but she was not grateful.
Many times we shake our fist at God and denounce his methods and his ways as harmful and dangerous to us. We are convinced he doesn't know what he is doing and fight everything that life throws at us. Later when the storm settles down we usually fail to see that what God administered was just what we needed and what the situation demanded. As the late Brad Scott was so fond of saying, "God is smarter than us."

In 1 Corinthians 7: 1 the apostle Paul states "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman." This is a bizarre statement especially if it is shorn of its context and not viewed within the entire corpus of the Bible. And yet entire theological systems have been built upon the concept and the idea of love between man and woman condemned or at least disparaged. St. Jerome was reputed to have stated that the form of a woman was repulsive and disgusting. The fact that this point of view does not fit the Biblical narrative at all is discounted or ignored.
I offer this example as representative of something we call "cherry picking." Finding a statement and pulling it out of context to either discredit someone or to substantiate our belief system. If you find a statement shared and repeated over and over by people who oppose the one who made the statement be aware that you may be viewing an example of this very "cherry picking."
We are most vulnerable to the toxicity of "cherry picking" when we don't know the field or have a scant knowledge of the topic. Ignorance is fertile soil for planting the seeds of slander and character assassination. This tendency is also seen in the fervent search for damning material regardless of date, context or accuracy.
Something that follows the "cherry picking" is the willingness to believe scandalous purported statements without checking to see if they are true. I don't know how many quotes I have seen recently on FB that the person never said. It is so easy to check up on it and verify whether there is any chance the person said it. What is so horrifying about all this, is that the body of believers, who are called to "cast down the accuser of the brethren," have become his greatest fighting force.
Our biggest enemy right now is not Trump, Bill Gates or Dr. Fauci. The gifts of the Spirit were given so that we could edify, exhort and comfort. I have to remind myself of this all the time.

There has been some debate on celebrating July 4th and the founding of our nation. If you know history you know that the ratification of our constitution hung in the balance over the issue of slavery. It was finally ratified by keeping statements that allowed slavery in some southern states.
While we may hate this fact, reflect upon the truth that the Declaration of Independence contained the words that would ultimately bring slavery down. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,..."
It is these words that have continued to direct our nation in the right course and allowed us to repent and correct our path. We will not have become the nation God created us to be until those words ring true for every human in our country--both born and unborn. By God's grace these words which spring directly from the Bible that man was created in God's image will be our final destiny.

The sun just breaking over the horizon this morning. Those who know these mountains will recognize that it is coming up north of Thunderhead. This is about as far north as we ever see the sunrise.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2 Watching the glorious sunrise and the light spilling out over the mountains and into the valley reminded me that Yeshua (Jesus) said "You are the light of the world," and "You are the salt of the earth."
Even though we shine with His light we are called to shine. I also recall the time that the water of Jericho was bad and the land unproductive because of it. Elisha called for a bowl, put salt into it, and threw it into the spring and the Lord healed the water.
I wonder if today wouldn't be a good time for all of us to be light and salt. To bring grace and healing to our hurting land, forgiveness and repentance where necessary. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our impact on the bitterness so pervasive today would be like the salt in Jericho's spring--that we would bring healing and relief?

Last Friday I had a busy day. Traveled to Beaver, UT, which is about 120 miles from home and transferred 4 embryos into Angus cows and then another 60 miles to Centerville to put 56 Braunvieh embryos into Jersey and Jersey cross cows. What are Braunvieh cows? Glad you asked--Braunvieh means "brown cow." It is a breed originating from Switzerland that was originally a triple-purpose breed--milk, beef, and draft animals. I knew nothing of the breed. Always love working with farmers, definitely the salt of the earth, so I enjoyed my day albeit my left arm needed therapy afterward.🙂
I had an interesting experience when I filled up with gas in Beaver after putting in the Angus embryos. It was about 8 in the morning and I had already put in a half day's work so I was hungry. I bought a pint of milk (pasteurized but excellent) and two granola bars. Carefully keeping my distance I set the goods up on the counter so the clerk could total up my bill. When the amount flashed on the screen she gasped. The total read $6.66. She huffed that nowadays no one is Biblically literate so they don't know what that number means and who Satan is. Her foreboding look kind of scared me so I grabbed my food before she threw it in the trash. I thanked her and made my exit. The milk and granola bars were delicious.
In many ways many of us seem to be afraid. Revelation definitely talks about a mark of the Beast and his number being 666. However, it connects the mark to the worship of the Beast and ties it to the hand and the forehead--what you do and what you think. It is clearly harking back to the tefillin which are bound on the arm and the forehead. They contain scriptures one of which is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength."
I am just reminding all of us today that you are not going to accidentally take the mark of the Beast. It involves worship and is clearly intentional. Remind yourself today how much better you live than your parents and grandparents. There is a lot of bad stuff in this world but it doesn't define us--God does. Take time to enjoy your day.

Due to the current best practices of safe-distancing, we will NOT be holding our Pesach Celebrations the weekend of April 10-12. If possible, we will be celebrating a postponed Seder meal together in EskDale on May 7, 2020. However, we will still be observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread at its regular time, which starts the evening of April 8th and continues until the night of the 15th. Enjoy your matzah as you quarantine. ;) 


Additionally, we will not be holding regular Sabbath services this week (March 28, 2020). We will hopefully be streaming live (or recording and then posting) worship and John Conrad's Torah Portion, starting at 10:30 AM Sabbath morning. Details will follow both here and on the House of Aaron Facebook as we figure them out. :) Social Distanced Church is new to us.