The word amen is a liturgical response to hearing someone else recite a blessing or certain prayers. The Hebrew root of amen, aleph-mem-nun (נמא), is shared with the word emunah, meaning faith or belief. Reciting amen is thus an indication that the speaker affirms the truth of what was said, an indication reflected in its common English translation as “verily” or “truly”…
Category: Steve Cohen
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Basic Jewish Teaching: The Calendar
The Jewish calendar is really two calendars in one. The civil year and New Year begin in September, the month of Tishre. The religious year begins with the month of Nissan, March or April. The first month of the civil calendar falls on the seventh month of the religious calendar…
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Jewish Identity
Frequently, as I have had the opportunity to minister in various congregations, I have asked people, ‘What do you think it means to be Jewish?’ People tell me that being Jewish is being part of the chosen people. Or that it is a person who has the Jewish religion. Or that it is a person who does not believe in Jesus…
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Understanding Key Jewish Beliefs
It is important to understand the foundation of what Jewish people believe today. There is no single answer. The term dogma, which is much better applied to Christianity, has little place within Judaism. In Judaism, the need for a profession of belief did not arise, and rabbis saw no necessity for drawing up concise formulas stressing Jewish beliefs and faith…
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Plus One
Since the 1970s, a custom has arisen in extending invitations to gatherings allowing the invitee to include a Plus One — defined as a person who accompanies an invited guest to an event or gathering. Today if you receive a request to RSVP for an event, you will likely be given the opportunity to bring a Plus One.
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Mishpochah
‘Tis the season to think of family; immediate, close in, not-so-close in, added in by marriage or adoption, and those considered part of the family even without kin relationships. These folks are Mishpochah – Yiddish for family…
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Silent Night Revisited
On Friday, December 9th, Nancy and I attended a wonderful cantata for congregation and choir call Carols by Heather Sorenson at our church, Zion Lutheran in Walburg, Texas. (This is available on their site for your viewing, too!) The congregation was an integral component of the music by singing along…
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Investing in Three
When Yeshua walked this earth, he had an incredible impact on thousands of people. Ultimately, he chose twelve in be part of his core group, and from those twelve, he invested most in three, Peter, James and John. These three were brought close into Christ’s inner circle, so that following His ascension, they were the emerging leaders of the nascent church.
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MBWA Examples
One of our volunteers, Ken Ebright, in St. Louis has kept up his personal ministry by wandering around ever since we left St. Louis in 2015 to move to Texas. The following are a few of his many reports of what has been happening. Your prayers for Ken would be much appreciated, and If you want to send him a note of encouragement he can be reached at kenebright@yahoo.com.
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Thank You For Your Prayers
It has been a challenging couple of weeks. On September 6th, Nancy’s Aunt Bev’s journey on this earthly plain came to an end and her time in the Lord’s presence began. She was one of the sweetest people and I had the privilege of getting to know her and her loving husband, Uncle Dan Crews. We made last minute plans to travel to Denver to be with the family for the funeral service and a loving time of memory. The funeral was on September 15th, my 73rd birthday.