Shabbat Flowers ~ and an Elul Story

I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.
    He browses among the lilies. 

Song of Songs 6:3

Chodesh Tov!

Blessings in the new month of Elul! （though already as I am posting this we are already well into the month and almost the full moon!!)  

The sixth month on the Hebrew calendar is a time of repentance and return to God, a time of preparation to meet our Messiah and crown Him as King, in anticipation of the Fall Feasts of Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur,  culminating with tabernacling with Him,  as One with each other at the Feast of Sukkot! 

Also in this month it is said to be a time of drawing near to the beloved and a time when `the King is in the Fields`.  The verse above from Song of Songs is also associated with Elul. *

* The 4 letters from the first letter of each word of the  verse,  spell out the word ELUL in the Hebrew! 

 I find that in this month the LORD speaks to me in intimate ways and even shows how He is hearing my heart and bringing things to pass in a way that is very .... Elul!

That`s the only way I can describe it! So let me give it a go with the Elul Story about the Shabbat Flowers!

Since I returned to celebrating the Shabbat, here in Japan, I always love to buy flowers on Friday afternoons to welcome the Shabbat. The joy of walking home with flowers through the city is a great delight.  I experience it as a wonderful time,  bathed in His love, like a child excited to give flowers to her Daddy or a wife to her husband on their special day.  Yeshua says keep My commandments, abide in My love, and make my joy complete!

So on with the story, 

When I  buy flowers on Friday afternoons,  I also try to  picture how it must be in Israel, the women scurrying to do their shopping and greeting one another with their bouquets on their way to their homes for Shabbat.  This picture of the city filled with joy for Shabbat and for honoring the beloved Yeshua, the LORD of Shabbat, bubbles up in my heart with joy!!   I have longed for my city that we would honor God`s Shabbat and the women would be out on the streets like that on Friday afternoon, doing their shopping to make a special meal for the family, and in the flower shop greeting each other with, Shabbat Shalom! In Japanese,

 シャバット・シャローム！

I have been going to the same flower shop that is close to where I live, and have developed a friendly relationship with them.  Over the years have shared a little about Shabbat with he staff since they always see me on Friday,  a few have asked about that!

Recently God has opened a door and answered a prayer to share about Shabbat in the local church.  They are a small congregation who loves Israel and has become interested in returning to do the things of God and connecting to our Jewish root in the faith, as `one new man` in Messiah.

We had our first Shabbat last month, and already the second one this past Shabbat which was also the beginning of the month of Elul.

This church is right down the street from the flower shop where I buy flowers, so I was excited both times to order a `delivery` of Shabbat flowers to the church to have for our Shabbat to honor the LORD  and make a beautiful table for our celebration.

The first time when I placed the order I asked if they could write `Shabbat Shalom` in Japanese on the card. And they did.

Then when I came again the next time I once again asked if they could write the same message.

When I came into the flower shop later that afternoon, I saw the arrangement was in the glass case, and the words `Shabbat Shalom` on the message card filled my heart with joy!!

It was like a first `drop` from Heaven of the glimmer of the vision of the Shabbat being honored in Japan! ( I shared a little about this vision of Shabbat in Japan in an early post HERE).   And more than that, it is the LORD of Shabbat, Yeshua,  being honored in Japan when we observe Shabbat we say clearly that we are giving honor and praise and glory to the God of the Bible, the God of Creation, the God of Israel who invites us all to be a part of His glorious Kingdom through Messiah Yeshua!!

Glory to His Name!!  Oh LORD how we pray for all the nations to know you, the Holy One, and the Maker of Heaven and Earth, Saviour of all the world..., maybe it will be one Shabbat bouquet at a time!!

Hence I call it an Elul story, as it takes place in this month of repentance and return! A month when `the King is in the fields` and where we seek the face of the beloved from the `fields` where we are and may He meet us here!

With love to all and to all be God`s Love!!❤️

Love, Shayndel

He has brought me to the banquet house
    and his banner over me is love.

Song of Songs 2:4 

pS i just found the post where I first had the prayer/vision about Shabbat in Japan, amazingly it was 6 years ago!! Thank you LORD for hearing my prayer and bringing such encouragement in this Elul!! I pray for multiplication and seeing it come about more and more by the power of Your Ruach Ha Chodesh, even to be a revival of the Shabbat Shalom ・Teshuvah kind!!

Quoting from the post, this line below: 

I am so excited for when the people of Japan will know ADONAI and will celebrate the Shabbat, and on Friday afternoons people will greet each other in the town with シャバット・シャローム ,
 Shabbat Shalom! As they scurry to buy food and flowers and prepare for Shabbat!

 

Elul Moon, Psalm 81, and sharing a Testimony of Teshuvah

Sing for joy to God our strength,

shout to the God of Jacob!

Lift up a song and sound a tambourine, a sweet lyre with a harp.

Blow the shofar at the New Moon,

at the full moon for the day of our festival.

Psalm 81:2~4

 

Dear friends,

 I will be sharing a testimony this Shabbat at Tav about my story of `Teshuvah`, Return! If you are in a time zone that you are up during these hours, please do stop in!! The time is 3PM in Japan, and sorry friends in the U.S. as its middle of the night, 2AM in the morning!! For other time zones, please check and if its a reasonable time zone, hope to see you then !!

 

＊

Enjoy the Elul Moon!  Below is another on the spot upload, the exciting thing is how while there I saw the full moon coming up as I was blowing the shofar.  It felt like something out of a Psalm!!!

Shabbat Shalom!!

♡

Love,
Shayndel

Blessings and Love , Shabbat Shalom!!

Fans show Praise Report!Beloved Fans!

Can you see the word `Beloved` written on this fan? A highlight of the show!

Visitor in Pink! The color of AHAVA=Love

Another highlight, The words, `Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li` written on the wall with the Hebrew letters cut out from Origami paper

Thank you for your encouragement for the fans exhibit! It went well, already almost 2 weeks ago and I just am catching up to post, Some Highlights included this fan pair (yes, like fan fare), I was so excited how this mother and son entered in and made their fans.

Because of the regulations and concerns in the pandemic we made everything user friendly and `individually created sets` for making your own fan, with each set containing a blank side to draw on, a patterned side  prepared in advance that you can choose, and four colors, as well as a sheet of stickers and ribbon if you would like for decorationg!!

Everything is `take home` so that there was no need to worry about many people handling the materials.    It could have been daunting and discouraging from having it, but I am glad we did it!! There were many precious moments.






Back to the beloved...
This mother and son worked on their fans, each with their set of colors and created a beautiful fan.  When I asked if they would like to add a word, anything that comes to their heart to put on the fan, the mother said she wanted to use the word Beloved!!! She had just learned this word from looking through the exhibit and seeing the word on the fan in the show and the theme scripture which I explained to her, I am the Beloved`s and the Beloved is mine.

They didn`t have this word in their vocabulary until this day!!

Praise God!!

Truly the words we use, the words we say, the words we write on our fans and express even here on our blogs, have significance.  I was joyous and my heart lept for joy when she chose that word to express and then doubly when I saw her son also chose this word Beloved!!!

This was the second annual Elul `Shalom fans` Exhibit!! You may recall the first annual from my post here! It seems like yesterday when we had the first one year ago!! HERE*

Other highlights:  writing the Psalm 27 on the Palm trees was much fun as well as at the end of the day having an Elul communion in fellowship.

You can see photos of Israel interspersed between the fans.!!! I wanted to also share about my trip to Israel last May and include an Israel awareness theme to the exhibit as well, as a celebration of Elul!!!  As you know it is my prayer for the Japanese people to know their Messiah and Saviour Yeshua, and to share His love with them and introduce Him to them through His word and His love.  I am so excited for when the Knowledge of the LORD fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.    The island nations wait for His Torah!!

...the way it works is, you choose your pattern for the back, and draw on the front with the 4 colors you select!! Then option to decorate with stickers or a ribbon!! The mother and son both chose to write the word `Beloved` on their fan.  I believe they experienced God`s love in the fans making workshop today.  Thank you Yeshua. 

Psalm trees!! For the celebration of the month of Elul, we wrote the words of the Psalms 27 on the Palm Trees in the exhibion space!! This one in Hebrew, in progress!! two photos down a friend completed the words in English on another Psalm tree!!!

Today!! This day!!

Photo of me in Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, 2019, holding a Shalom fan

a visitor to our exhibition with the Smile fan she made!!

Fellowship is wonderful! Helping to set up!

A photo of an olive tree that I took in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Part of the exhibit of Photos from my Israel trip that were displayed with the fans

Nice choice of ribbon!!

You know this, is the Eastern Gate where Messiah Yeshua is said to return. 

He is with us! He is with you!

The day this time was a little scaled down due to the circumstances, but the Glory of God was there and we could feel His LOVE maybe even more so as His presence filled the day.



♡

Love,
Shayndel

Elul Challah-cast!! Letters to the Beloved!!

I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine.

Ani leDodi VeDodi Li.

Song of Songs 6:3

The Shabbat Table is set with the Hebrew words and letters that spell `Ani Le Dodi Ve Dodi Li`!!! 
The whole verse formed from 12 strands

Can you see  the Letters that spell `Elul` ? And that they are taken from the letters in the first letter in each of the four words of the verse (picture at very top is the verse, picture directly above is `Elul`.)

As I was videoing the Challah-cast, the plan emerged!  To write all the words of the verse Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li... in challah!!! And of course to sprinkle in a little `drash`, talk about this month of `teshuvah` --return-- with some insights and challah tips, sharing an Elul communion, and reading the psalm 27 with you...

אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי

 Hope you enjoy the Challah -cast, and have a blessed week.

Blessings to all!  Shabbat Shalom, as already we are coming up to a new Shabbat. 

Love, Shayndel

(doing Challah-casts as `Joanne`!)♡

G’mar Chatima Tovah!
May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for good year!

Happy Elul!

Happy is the people who know the TERUAH (Joyful shout of the Shofar )  Psalm 89:16

Tonight begins the first day of the month of Elul!!

Elul is the month of preparation before the High Holy Days, it is a month of `Teshuvah`, of return, and of drawing nearer to the Beloved Yeshua!! The shofar is sounded daily as a call to repentance and return, a wake up call ! and a preparation of our hearts to clean out those places that are holding us back from nearness to God.  I love listening to the shofar, as well as I hope to get better at sounding my little shofar during these next 30 days!!

Today is the first day of Elul, first evening actually.  This month it is said that the King himself is in the fields, so may we look  to meet Him as we are and to ask Him to show us those places that we need to work on in this month of teshuvah.   Oh, and remember, the name Elul is said to be an an acronym made of the first letters of the Hebrew verse in Song of Songs, 6:3, I am my beloveds and He is mine, Ani le Dodi ve Dodi li.  I also love the tradition of reading Psalm 27 daily in this month.  As we are just in the first day, I  wanted to mention these observances if anyone might be moved to enter into this preparation month for the Fall Feasts. So many now in the Body of Messiah are realizing that they are for all God`s people which is so exciting to see, as shofars are being blown in Malaysia and Australia and Singapore and Japan! and all around the globe to call for nations to return to Him and as well of course calling out to Him to hear our voice united as one!!!

Listening to the sound of shofar everyday is a beautiful part of this month.  If you are moved to find some shofar sounding videos (there are many!) and listen each day,  let your soul hear the sound that is said to be a call to return,  representing the voice of God and remniscient of the  shofar sound at Mt. Sinai as well as the sound of the great shofar blast that will usher in the return of Messiah and the gathering of peoples of every tribe and nation to Him . 

Blessed Elul to all! 

Love, 
Shayndel


 

Making Fans, Blessings Fans, Yeshua Fans!

message on a summer fan:  He is with us! He is with you!!

You can read it as a double entendre, or a double blessing!
Blessings Fans, fans of blessings, Shalom fans, fans of Shalom.
Yeshua fans, fans of Yeshua.

The Shabbat table becomes my `studio table` during the week, as I am preparing for a small exhibit of fans, the second annual!! It seems like yesterday when I did the fans workshop last year for Elul and to share the shalom fans and workshop!!(related post HERE)

This year it will be somewhat scaled down, actually I am not really even inviting or announcing for this event except here and there and thankful to  a few `in person` fellows who will be there to help !!   The community center is open for events, but to respect the mood overall and as we are not to gather with too many people, so we will not promote the event actively.   We are having it and hoping and praying that some passersby will come in and enjoy the exhibit and that God will send just the right people, adults and children who might like to take part in the workshop, and those who would be blessed by the event.

I think in these times we have a special chance and open door to share about the Beloved Yeshua and welcome others to be His fans!  I am a fan of Yeshua!! I know it is  a `follower` or `disciple` but well,  sometimes we can engage with the Holy Spirit and have a little fun with Him with a childlike heart by saying `I am a fan of Yeshua`!!  Especially in this month of Elul when the King is in the Fields and He meets us as we are, no pretenses!! (how it should be always, but it isn`t always, so let the pretences fall away in this season of repentance and Teshuvah!!).  Oh King and LORD Yeshua, please do meet us this week and `in the fields` as we display our hearts of love for you in all the ways that each one does so as to bring glory to You!! Help us to peel away the pretenses so that we are pure in heart for you.  In this season of repentance and Teshuvah, return, may new `Yeshua fans` lift up a banner, a flag, or a cry and give our selves to YOU!!!

I am my beloved`s and He is mine.

Song of Songs 6:3

 אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי

origami paper for the back of the fan!! I love combining the different patterns, this year I will prepare the `backs` and streamline the materials for the workshop , making a `set` for each participant.

The Shabbat table becomes a studio table during the week!! And as you can see the Kiddush cup and the shofar made their way into the fans!!! Lift up the cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the LORD!

I will take up the cup of Salvation, and call upon the Name of the LORD!  Psalm 116:13

כּוֹס-יְשׁוּעוֹת אֶשָּׂא;    וּבְשֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא

Try it at home too if you are moved to make a fan!! The basic materials can be found in the 100 yen shop (like the dollar shop!) here in Japan, or use what you have available or at the shop you are able to get to, and let me know how they come out !!!  Even if you don`t make it, share your message that would go on the fan ! xoxo Blessings and Shalom!!♡

Love, Shayndel

Shabbat Shalom--some thoughts on Rosh Chodesh Elul and Parsha Re'eh!

Happy is the people who know the teruah (joyful shout of the shofar)
                                                       Psalm 89:16

       Parsha Re`eh,
       Almost Elul!!!

This week (Friday) we will enter into the new month of Elul, the 6th month of the Hebrew calendar.

As Elul is the preparation month for the Fall Feasts, that means its getting close to the Fall Feasts, which begin with Rosh Hashanah,  in Tishrei, the 7th month and a `New Year`on the Hebrew calendar.

I love the month of Elul itself, and feel like I need to even prepare in these few days before Elul to prepare for Elul!! 

Prepare to prepare ??  What does that mean?  I would say, it means to strip away everything that is not focused on the beloved Yeshua!!  To have the whole month clear for meeting Him in the fields and in every encounter.  So as to precious-ize (not a word maybe?! but just making that word for the situation!!) each moment in anticipation of His return.  As we know the Fall Feasts are a time of celebrating the beginning of Creation, and the blowing of the Shofar to announce the Kingdom come, as well as the leading up to the day of Atonement, a time of individual and corporate repentence and return,  and after that the rejoicing in the Feast of Succot.  

And ultimately tabernacling with the God of Creation, our very beloved Yeshua.  Of couse there will be dancing and a feast of feasts for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  The spring feasts have been fulfilled in the Messiah`s first coming and although we don`t know the day of when He will return, we want to be prepared!!  The time of the Fall Feasts will be the fulfillment of His return and of His Coronation and His dwelling with us!!!   Indeed now is a time of preparation.   Halleluyah!

The word Re`eh, the name of this week`s Parsha, means `See`!!

It is the root word of Yireh, which may be known to many, as that is the word for ADONAI Yireh, The LORD who Provides, one of the names given to God that we read in the book of Genesis when Abraham saw the ram in the thicket and says `The LORD will Provide`, which also can be translated as `The LORD is Vision`, since it is from the root word See.  He sees the end from the beginning and the beginnning from the end.

I pray a blessed month to all and a month of `Seeing` what it is that God has for us individually and as a body of Messiah.  

Much Love, 
 ♡
Shayndel 

Elul story by the sea

 

Blowing the shofar at Elul is like the little shofar before the BIG Shofar Blast that we are approaching at the Feast of Trumpets.  Lining up our little selves with our BIG and great LORD and King!   I love taking my little shofar and blowing it each day of this month of Elul  in "preparation" .  As you may have noticed from the number of Elul posts!!  

How do we  prepare for the Day of the Big Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah, Rosh Hashanah)  and the Big Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ?  One daily way is, Repentance in the small things (big things too of course, but hoping that some of the big ones have been clear and of course Salvation is the only way to do that!)!   Seeking God for where we need to clear out those parts of us that still need to be gotten right  -- the bitterness in our hearts, unforgiveness, what else? --- ask Him to show us---there are always those places---!!

When we seek Him with a desire to see His face and to  draw closer to Him, He answers!  Sometimes it is through the Holy Spirit showing us a cloud that takes the shape of the shofar and gets longer and wider!! Sometimes it is with a blue sky that appears on a super cloudy day. ...  you had brought a raincoat with you on your ride, as it was getting grayer and grayer and then as you meditate on His greatness,  the next time you look up what do you know,  the sky has cleared and is all blue.  Can we "blow away" the clouds ?? No, we cannot do anything in and of ourselves.  Can we ask Him to show us where we need to grow and stretch and enlarge our tents?  Yes, we can seek His face and we can take a step each day to draw closer in wanting to know His heart.   The story of Elul, from Shayndel's reflections today,  is to step out in action and take the small steps to seek Him.  As we read each day of this month in  Psalm 27, Your Face Lord I seek!  

In Your behalf my heart says:

"Seek My face!"

O Lord, I seek Your face.

Psalm 27:8b

(JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh )

Blessings and a happy Elul day to you!!

 

Love,

♡

Shayndel

Enlarge the place of your tent, 

stretch out your tabernacle curtains.

Do not hold back--

lengthen your cords,

strengthen your stakes.

Isaiah 54:2  

(from this week's Haftarah reading)

A shofar "centerpiece"on the Shabbat table during the month of Elul

S H A B B A T      S H A L O M !!!

Shabbat Shalom!

 

Related post on this blog, with a little more explanation about Elul, HERE
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For a Torah Teaching on repentance in the month of Elul, Teshuvah (Repentance) and this week's  Parsha Ki Tetze , HERE .  This teaching and inspiration is on a weekly podcast by Jewish pop singer and Torah Teacher Ari Goldwag  

Elul Postcards!

I sacrifice in His tent with shouts of joy,

singing and chanting a hymn to the LORD.

Psalm 27:6b

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Psalm 27:1a 

H A P P Y     E L U L  !

♡

Captions from a SHALOM FANS Show!!

Not in any particular order, 

I am posting some photos from my recent SHALOM FANS show!! It was an invitation for people to come and greet each other with the Hebrew word, SHALOM and make their own "SHALOM" fans!!  And they （the people!) in turn became "fans of SHALOM"!! You will see some such fan-fare in the captions!! Enjoy! And please take some origami paper and color pencils and a blank fan and make your own!! 

The event was on the first day of Elul, hence this Elul fan (right, above)  with the scripture from Song of Songs!

Welcome! Hello ! Shalom

A little elementary school girl made this Shalom fan, she wrote the word herself, seeing it in the gallery, Shalom!!

A lot of origami paper of different patterns was set out to use for one side of the fan, and to use in collage on the designs.  Give your fan a unique Japan flair in combination with the Hebrew words and Jerusalem theme.

One visitor made this drawing, and the words in Japanese say "Beautiful, like a flower blossoming"

Today!

Shayndel and Shirah!

PALM TREES, decorating the walls, became "PSALM TREES"

You are invited to write out a Psalm and add it to the trees!! PSALM TREES!

GOD IS LOVE!

Fan made by a Shalom fan who came to the exhibit

Photos display from my Israel trip, from Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee, including a few with "Shalom Fans!", palm trees.   There are places where Yeshua walked and will return

Painted fan!  "Morning Glories"  to me they are a flower of "ELUL" and speak of God's mercies new every morning!!

JERUSALEM FAN, EAST GATE, on display with a gold ribbon!

Fan made by a child visitor to the show and workshop, can you see that she wrote SHALOM!! The newest "SHALOM fan!!"   Doubly!! A "fan" of shalom and a "shalom fan"

The other side of Shalom---Love!!! and a little peek at the artist of the fan!

One visitor and friend worked diligently on this origami collage JERUSALEM Fan!! So exciting to see new Jerusalem fans!! Yes, that's another double or triple entendre!! NEW JERUSALEM fan, New JERUSALEM fan , and a "new fan" of Jerusalem (i.e. the one who made it).  It doesn't take much to become a Jerusalem fan!! First, turn your heart to the Apple of God's eye.  Next see how brilliant she is and you will see the glistening colors and hills come alive, and you will want to return and Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!

Glimpse into the Gallery, songs played on guitar,   praising our Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom, Yeshua

AHAVA= LOVE in Hebrew

AHAVA fan!! Fan of Love!! On display!

SHIR= Song in Hebrew

SHIRAH= Sing! A Bi-lingual Fan!  On display!

Blessings and Shalom!!

Love,

♡

Shayndel