God and Barbers

Current mood: cheerful
Category: Religion and Philosophy

God and Barbers

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.

As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:



"I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.



Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:

"You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber."I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed."Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people
do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

To all my GIRLS :)

Current mood: cheerful
Category: Writing and Poetry

"BECAUSE" by TD Jakes

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize
what a gold mine you are,
Doesn't mean you shine any less.

Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out
that you can't be topped,
Doesn't stop you from being the best.

Just because no one has come along to share your life,
Doesn't mean that day isn't coming.

Just because no one has made this race worthwhile,
Doesn't give you permission to stop running.

Just because no one has realized how much of an
awesome woman you are,
Doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.

Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level, doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs'.

Just because you deserve the very best there is,
Doesn't mean that life is always fair.

Just because God is still preparing your king,
Doesn't mean that you're not already a Queen.

Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now, Doesn't mean you need to change a thing.

Keep shining, keep running, keep hoping, and keep praying,
Keep being exactly what you are already. COMPLETE!!

Send this on to your female friends who need to keep on doing
what they do best.
BEING A WOMAN OF GOD!!!!

Israel Highlights

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Travel and Places

In no particular order:

*Eilat/Red Sea/Scuba Diving

*Massada/Sunrise

*Camel riding/cave exploring

*Dead Sea

*Playing volleyball on the Mediterranean beach at night in Tel Aviv

*Meeting real Israeli people

*The soldiers!!!

*The FOOD!!! Ice Cream especially, I had it almost everyday!!!

*Praying for people to get healed and God healing them!!!! :)

*All the "deep" talks and witnessing to people :) open doors and divine appointments :)

*Wine tasting in the Golan Hights ;)

*Jerusalem/Western Wall/Sabbath

*Ceasaria/Kibbuts(?)

*Tveria/Sea of Galilee/Boat ride

*Having a bodyguard ;)

*Salsa :)

*New friends and unforgettable memories*

~*People's lives changing*~

The pics are up! Go check them out :)!!!!!

BACK in US :)

Current mood: cheerful
Category: Travel and Places

SURPRISE EVERYONE :) i couldnt extend my stay :( so i came back with the group last night and am now in RI with my dad and the fam :) will prob get back to Seattle by next Thursday/Friday in time for the Image :)! i have LOTS of stories and LOTS of pictures... will try to post both soon :) love and miss you all! cant wait to see all my RI peeps :)

Update 3

Current mood: cheerful
Category: Travel and Places

Hi guys!!!! i love and miss you SO much! I cant even tell you how much i appreciate you prayers!!! I can literally feel them lifting me up and encouraging me :) Thanks so much! God is SO doing His thing, its very obvious there is a clear purpose of me being here :) I LOVE it! The food is fabulous, lots of humus and salads, VERY healthy, I lost so much weight with that and all the physical activities we do :) i have a SWEET tan too, all the laying out in the sun and water time :) i miss home though... i cant tell you how special and surreal it is to be here, but i do miss home and all my friends/family. I feel so ridiculously close to God here its phenomenal... being here where Jesus was, walking the same ground, being at the same sea... its crazy... i'm having a good time and making new friends... i LOVE ISAEL and its people... its undescribable... :)

Another quick update

Current mood: enthralled
Category: Travel and Places

hey guys... love and miss you all :) a lot has changed since the last update... this trip suddenly took a serious turn, but God is awesome and SO had an agenda for me being here... it's a bit hard on my part though so please pray/fast for me and i'll give the details when i get home (which may be sooner than i thought).

on the bright note:

i LOVE Israeli people!!! made so many new friends and influencing so many lives, its mind blowing....

Scuba diving in the Red Sea... Dead Sea Spa... undescribable...

i'm spending SO much money here lol so pray for my finances!!! lol

i actually have lots of QT time to spend with God and read the Bible, i'm not behind at all on my reading plan :) and that helps A LOT!!! you have no idea...

there's so much to say and not nearly enough time to write it all so you'll just ahve to wait till i get home :) i love and miss you all. i'm having a great time and loving Israel and its people. its SO hard to see it turning its back on God though but the light and the love are slowly chipping away the hardness... 5 more days with the group... i want a grand finale... finish strong, make an impact thats bigger than i can imagine, and i believe God will finish what He started :) we made a covenant under the stars...

OH and its unbelieveable to actually see and walk in the places where so much (Biblical) history took place!!! its unreal and i LOVE it!!!

Super quick update on my trip :)

Current mood: exhausted
Category: Travel and Places

hey guys... love and miss you all SO much! thanks for all your prayers, believe me they are felt BIG time!

we flew in today and its 2:01 am right now and i'm just wrapping up my first day in Israel in Tel Aviv... i'm at a loss for words of where to start... it's unreal, but i feel so at home in this country... so at peace, so i like belong here... the people are amazing, everyone is SO good looking and VERY cool! i really ahve so much to say! i will def journal it all so nothing gets left out and I can really tell you EVERYTHING when i get home... just these points super quick:

i'm so different form everybody and they all know it

God is using me BIG time to speak into girls' lives

i have crazy favor

i LOVE this country and these people

its unbelieveably beautiful here

God is totally shining through me... His love and joy can not be hidden!

tonight when everyone else was partying and drinking i was playing voleyball with Israeli guys on the mediterranean beach!!! it was awesome!!! :) ok more later! love you all :)!!! keep praying!!!!

Israel Info

Hey guys, i totally want to keep in touch with all of you while I'm away for a month!
I'm not sure how much access I will have to e-mail/facebook in Israel, but i will have a CELL PHONE while i'm there!
My Israeli # starting on Thursday, 7/12 will be 052-456-1627
To call from US dial: 011-972-52-456-1627

So call/text :) i'll be happy to hear from you! the time difference is +10 hours
After July 29th(?) i will be in RI so i'll have my phone and internet access :)
yai! cant wait to go! love you all!

My Itinerary
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Travel and Places

For all who'd like to know where I'll be and what I'll be doing the next month:

Day 1
Wednesday 7/11
Flight to Israel LY028
Day 2
Thursday 7/12
Bruchim Habaim- Welcome to Israel!
Transfer to Tel Aviv- the first Jewish city in modern times - a vital, dynamic and vibrant metropolis that never sleeps.
Panoramic view of Tel Aviv from Azrieli Tower.
Checking- in ( Marina Hotel- TLV ).
Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.
Dinner at the hotel.
Night tour to Old Jaffa- a quaint city, more picturesque than ever, with romantic paths and gardens.
Overnight at the hotel ( Marina, TLV ).

Day 3
Friday 7/13
Breakfast
Visit to the Diaspora Museum.
Transfer to JERUSALEM- the capital of Israel and of the Jewish people.
Armon Hanaziv overview.
Tour to Mishkenot Shenanim.
Checking in at Novotel Hotel and getting ready for Shabbat.
6:40 pm- Candle lighting.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Visit to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem for Shabbat Prayer.
Festive Shabbat dinner in the hotel.
Overnight at Novotel.


Day 4
Saturday 7/14
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Breakfast.
Shabbat sessions.
Festive Shabbat Lunch in the hotel.
Tour of the Old City of Jerusalem ( Zion mountain, King David's Tomb, Kardo street, roofs of the Old City tour, Western Wall. )
The Western Wall tunnels.
Farewell visit to the Western Wall.
Havdalla – Shabbat ending ceremony.
Back to the hotel.
Dinner and overnight at Novotel hotel.


Day 5
Sunday 7/15
Breakfast.
Visit to Yad vashem- The Holocaust Museum.
Visit to Herzel Mountain- the military cemetery.
Visit to the Museum of Israel.
Dinner.
MEGA EVENT for Taglit birthright Israel participants from all over the world!!!!!!!!!
Overnight in the Novotel Hotel.


Day 6
Monday 7/16
Breakfast.
Visit to Latrun- military museum.
Visit to Ezra forest and a ceremony by the Madrichim. Tree planting.
Archeological digs in Beyt Govrin.
Transfer to the South
Camel riding, dinner at the Bedouins camp (Nokdim).
Group session by the madrichim.
Overnight in a Bedouin tent.

Day 7
Tuesday 7/17
Bedouin breakfast.
Climbing the ancient fortress Massada.
Massada ceremony by the Madrichim.
Swimming in the Dead Sea.
Transfer to Eilat- a desert resort on the shores of the Red Sea – Israel's most southern town.
Tour of the city.
Dinner at the Shalom Plaza Hotel.

Day 8
Wednesday 7/18
Breakfast in the hotel.
The Red Canyon Tour.
Swimming in the Red Sea.
Visit to Ben Gurion's Tomb and Zin Valley Overview.
Transfer to Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight at theMigdaley Yerushalaim Hotel.

Day 9
Thursday 7/19
Breakfast.
Visit to Zfat- the center of Kaballah, mystic Judaism, place where the spiritual meets the physical, where the East meets the West..
Tour to Tveria.
Dinner and overnight in the Mercury Hotel.

Day 10
Friday 7/20
Breakfest.
Security seminar.
Kayaking on Jordan River.
Transfer to Kazrin-the capital of Golan Heights - discover the secrets of this beautiful and serene landscape, whose hills and cliffs are packed with natural and historical sites.
Transfer to Tveria.
7:20 pm Candle lighting.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Visit to the Great Synagogue of Tveria for Shabbat Prayer.
Festive Shabbat dinner in the hotel.
Overnight at the Mercury Hotel.

Day 11
Saturday 7/21
Breakfest.
Shabat sessions.
Lunch in the hotel.
Tour to Old Tveria city, Ramban tomb.
Havdalah.
Dinner and overnight in the Mercury Hotel.

Day 12
Sunday 7/22
Breakfast.
Visit to Kfar Kedem.
Visit to Haifa - is the main city of northern Israel and the third-largest city in the country.
Visit to Caesaria- the main residence of Herod and many other Roman governors.
Transfer to Tel Aviv- the first Jewish city in modern times - a vital, dynamic and vibrant metropolis that never sleeps.
Overnight in the Marina Hotel –Tel Aviv.

Day 13
Monday 7/23
Breakfast.
Closing Session.

After that I'll be staying in Israel for another week with my family and then going out to RI to see my fam and friends for another week :) A trip of a lifetime.. yea, I know!

You Ask Why...

Current mood: chipper
Category: Life

another great one i got from Erin :)

You Ask Why I Follow This Jesus? You ask why I follow this Jesus?
Why I love Him the way I do?
When the world's turned away from His teachings
And the people who serve Him are few.

It's not the rewards I'm after
Or gifts that I hope to receive
It's the Presence that's calls for commitment
It's the Spirit I trust and believe.

The Lord doesn't shelter His faithful
Or spare them all suffering and pain,
Like everyone else I have burdens,
And walk through my share of rain.

Yet He gives me a plan and a purpose,
And that joy only Christians have known,
I never know what comes tomorrow,
But I do know I'm never alone.

It's the love always there when you need it;
It's the words that redeem and inspire,
It's the longing to ever be with Him
That burns in my heart like a fire.

So you ask why I love my Lord Jesus?
Well, friend, that's so easy to see,
But the one thing that fills me with wonder is
Why Jesus loves someone like me.

-Author Unknown

Playing Esther

Current mood: mellow
Category: Travel and Places

So i'm going to Israel... in 10 days. to a place where Christians are not very well liked to say the least. i'm going with a group of Russian Jewish young people and something tells me that i will be the only Messianic... i hope i'm wrong, but i dont think so. my previous experiences with the Jews (some even in my own family) have not been pleasant in terms of Christianity. they dont like Christians. to be a Christian Jew is seen as betrayal and is not looked upon favorably. I have not revealed myself to be a Christian so far. i'm being discreet about it, but i KNOW that once we get there and once these people meet me, there will be NO WAY of hiding it any longer. i know it's God's will for me to go and He will bless me and my time there and who knows if I am called to go there for such a time as this... i believe i am. i cant wait to meet those 40+ people that I will be with there. and i know for a fact that once they meet me and talk to me they will know. i cant deny who i am. i cant hide the salt and the light thats in me. its meant for all to see so they might come to believe. am i scared? well no... theres no fear, just nervous excitement... i know it will be an adventure. Pray for me, guys. Pray that God will do miracles on this trip through me in His land to His people. I'm praying too :) Thanks!