Gathered Around the Fire

Nationally, it was called The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993. Others called it the Great Flood of 1993. While the Minnesota River didn't get its name into the historic titles for that year's flooding, it was a major event in the MN river valley and ranks as the highest river reading ever at Mankato. Ken Weilage, who lived a few miles north of North Mankato on Highway 169, remembers the flood well.  " We were there since 1975 and never had much trouble up until '93," said Weilage. Hearing the predictions of major flooding, Weilage built an earthen dike around the entire five-acre site. While the water rose to the very top of the levee, it protected the buildings from damage. Unlike most floods, which hit southern Minnesota in March or April — the results of heavy snowmelts and spring rains — the flood of 1993 came in June with the river reaching a crest of 30.1 feet June 21 .   And the flooding in 1993 was unique in that it affect...

Today I want to talk about the First Tithe mentioned and therefore the most important of the three  tithes  commanded in Scripture.  I can almost guarantee you have never heard of it.  If you have never heard of it, then you are probably missing out on this tithe of thanksgiving. The word tithe means 10%, to those of us in the USA or Canada that is a dime donated for every dollar earned (our modern equivalent to the biblical 'harvest').  The Feast of the Lord Tithe. I first heard about it in my mid-twenties over a dinner table.  Beyond this dinner conversation, I had never heard this taught in any gatherings I had attended over the last 50 years.  After that dinner, I went home and looked it up in Scripture and sure enough, it was there,  laid out as  plainly   the other two 'lesser' tithes we hear about all the time .    The  FEASTs of the LORD tithe  was to be brought into the presence of the Lord three times a...

The Original Feast of Weeks commemorates the giving of the Torah (instructions) at Mt. Sinai - when the power of God came down on the mountain and God inscribed the law (instructions)  with his own finger  on tablets of stone  hewn out of the mountain with his own hands. The Feast of Weeks comes after the completion of the barley harvest and at first fruits of the Wheat Harvest which comes 50 days after Passover. So when Jesus said... " Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone."  Am I the only one who wondered why Jesus used a kernel of 'wheat' instead of 'barley' as the analogy when he was obviously speaking about himself dying on Passover which happened at the time of the first fruits of the 'barley' harvest? Maybe you never thought about that, but I did. Wow! Barley was considered the bread of affliction (slavery) poor man's bread (survival). It was less nutritious than wheat.  Furthermore, because they hurried...

The Feasts of the Lord tithe was the first and therefore the most important of the tithes. This tithe was given  3 times a year  during the 3 required feasts  The tithes were taken from the recent harvest.    SPRING - Passover was the Barley harvest and the first fruits of the herds, lambs and goats, calves Feast of Weeks - Wheat harvest Tabernacles - Fruits, nuts, wine harvest  We rarely if ever hear of this tithe because in puritan ethics it is wrong to enjoy physical things.  Be sure to set aside a tenth  of all that your fields produce each year.  Eat  the tithe of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks  in the presence of the  Lord  your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name,  so that you may learn  to revere  the  Lord  your God always.   Dueteronomy 14:22-23 Conditional options covert to silver for tra...

GOD'S SPRING FEASTS  - GOD'S PLAN OF REDEMPTION REVEALED! I do NOT have it all figured out, by a long shot. I have had to reverse my position on certain things as I have discovered new information. And I am still learning but I am more convinced than ever about the prophetic significance of the Feasts , especially as they relate to the plan of redemption of mankind. In order to see this, you have to lay the annual feasts over the course of human history,   I use the Golden Gate bridge as my template. (See Picture) to more clearly understand the plan of redemption and the times we are living in.  Currently, we are living in the Final 'Days of Elijah' just left of the second tower.  The 'Days of Elijah' refers to the 'spirit' of Elijah coming before the Messiah in both of His comings.  John the Baptist - was 'Elijah" of the first coming, and Joel speaks of the last days and the Spirit being poured out on all flesh. Malachi talks abou...

Every once in a while I come across an excellent article about the Spring Feast Days or God's Holy days. A few posts back I tied the tenth of Abib the day of selecting the lamb to the crossing of the Jordan by Joshua. In my reading along in the book of Joshua, it appears that Jericho was taken down on the last day of Unleavened Bread.   after seven days of marching around it during the seven days of Unleavened bread signifying Christ's finished work in us, comes about by daily eating of the incorruptible bread of His word.  this battle was immediately preceded by their circumcision at Gilgal. "I have rolled away your reproach" It appears that on this same day, 40 years earlier, the seventh day of unleavened bread, the crossing of the Red Sea ended with the complete annihilation of Egypt's army. This was immediately preceded by the pillar of cloud moving from in front of Israel and coming around (circumcision) to a position behind them cutting off Egy...