Master Minded Ministries Newsletter - December 2022
What’s Inside This Issue:
Saying “Good-Bye” and “Hello” 2022 - 2023 >
Masterminded Ministries 2023 >
Saying Good-bye and hello 2022-2023
by Jerri McGarrah
For all intents and purposes this time of year can be difficult for many. We love lights but feel pressure to get everything done. We love people but find that we’re missing those who are absent. Let’s find some hope today.
Hope
Where does hope come from? Is it simply a feeling that we muster up when we feel bad? I’ve learned something just researching this word. If you know me, I love to do word searches. If you were going to describe hope to someone, you might tell them that it’s anticipating something better for the future that you don’t have now. You might imagine that you have it already and live on the feelings or anticipation that it brings just thinking about it, but hope in Hebrew has two main words that we translate – hope. Yakhal which means “to wait for” and Qavah – which is a picture of a cord being pulled tight until it breaks loose. It is the waiting time before release. Both words have other pictures expressed in the Prophetic books of Isaiah, Psalms, Hosea and others that paint the picture of a farmer who plants seeds and waits for them to germinate and grow, also, the shepherd that waits for the dew in the morning. Hosea gives us something to think about. Hosea 2:14 -15 talks about what the Lord is saying to Israel that will lure her back to Him and give her back what He had provided for her. Specifically –
“There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”
The valley of Achor was a place of judgment and condemnation. It was a place of ruins. You can find this story in Joshua 7. When Israel came back to her land in 1948, one of the first things that some of them did was go to that place and plant vineyards! Planting the promise of hope! The hope of God is sometimes watching and waiting for Him. In the New Testament hope takes a new picture. Jesus lived and died and now is resurrected to demonstrate the redemption and new life that we “hope” for. It has become a living hope, if you will. The Christians who believe have a demonstration of God’s ultimate plan for all of us that we can have this hope in our lives. “Christ in you, our hope of glory!” Colossians 1:27.
Faith
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” This is also a season where believers have the most important role of all. Those of us who know what we are certain of become the light to the world, because of Him working in us. I can almost sing with John in 1 John 1:1-4: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The Life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. ...We write this to make our joy complete!” When you combine Faith and Hope you find your Joy!
Joy
This one can be hard—not because God isn’t good and not because we find sadness more familiar than joy, but because we have memories. With every “hello” there is a “good-bye.” For every new life, thing, event there is struggle to let go of the past. I don’t know why we like to hang on to the things, especially when the new is so appealing. But sometimes the past has a grip on us that ends up paralyzing us. This is where the lesson is hard. It’s in the dying that we find the joy in the living! I think that’s why those who have much find it so hard to find joy. Those who hold on to what they have in their hands have a hard time living in the new life in Jesus. It is difficult. It’s dying to self and letting Him live in us and through us. Jesus was really honest with us and that’s why so many disciples left Him. The fact of the matter is that new life in Jesus is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit! Galatians 5: 22 expresses this:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law!”
“The Joy of the Lord is my strength” Nehemiah 8:10.
I have said all this to tell you that Hope – Faith - Joy come with realization (revelation) that God is telling us, showing us, empowering us to live for Him! “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” – Paul (and Jerri) Ephesians 3:16-19
Merry Christmas
Masterminded Ministries 2023
A message from Pastor Dave
Dear Friends,
Thank you for taking a few minutes out of this busy month to read a few lines and hear what God has been doing for and through Master Minded Ministries. As we rapidly approach the end of the year, I find myself both bewildered and excited. Bewildered about how fast this year has gone by and excited and eager to welcome a new year that gives us a chance to focus on an amazing future. Let me begin with a bit of reflection – to look back on what God as been doing on behalf of MMM and the amazing things to report.
Connecting with Our Jewish Roots – One of the things that Jer and I enjoy doing so much is sharing insights and wisdom from the things we have learned and been exposed to in our study of the Bible. These things show up in the various articles that we write and send out through our newsletter. So many times as believers, we lack the context of what shows up in the very words of Jesus, or until we are exposed to the “back story.” We don’t see the whole picture.
As God is unfolding His great plans, we are watching the revelations of His Word taking shape and this is opening doors to bring light to Jews and Christians alike. We’re living in Bible times! Jews are watching Christians awaken to God’s Word, and they are welcoming the dialogue and the relationships and Christians are finding new depths to their faith and finding that God is revealing Himself in incredible ways. As the world is getting more anti-Semitic, Christians are rising up to stand with their Jewish brothers and sisters.
Once again, this year included some significant teaching articles in the newsletters. You may recall some of those as you read the newsletters, such as the 3-part series: “Is the Old Testament Still Inspired Scripture and Significant For Today?” Or Jer’s articles from October, “Paul Lives on the Inspiration of Scripture.”
Electronic Newsletter - We started an electronic newsletter back in October that is delivered by email. We don’t want to lose anyone that wants to receive the newsletter. It still includes great information and education. If you would like to continue to receive the newsletter by regular mail, just let us know. We are happy to send it. If we have your email address there won’t be any problems; we would like clarification from you, please. We did this mainly to save the cost of postage and labor for almost 250 newsletters. Please let us know if you’re not receiving it, and we will add you to the mailing list or email list.
Broadening Scope of this Ministry – This last year has also expanded our influence to a bigger world. Last December we were privileged to go to Germany and work with a ministry called Master Mind or Church in Action. We spent a week interacting with other leaders in how the church at large takes on the culture to live our biblical mandate of going into all the world. In August Dave was a featured guest at pastors’ conference in Rwanda with Pastor Patrick Twagirayesu of Africa Bright Future. He spent the week engaging with about 500 native pastors. We’re watching God open doors unexpectedly and take us to the world.
Biblical Journeys – We had the privilege of leading three significant tours this year. Two of those were Israel trips, with right at 100 people traveling with us. The third trip was to Greece and Turkey, following in the footsteps of Paul and the Churches of Revelation. We had four scholorships that helped people get to Israel.
We have three trips happing in 2023. Nothing would please us more that to have you travel with us on a Biblical Journey. There is a 5-star tour to Egypt coming in early November. This is going to be outstanding. We’ve never before taken a group to Egypt. This trip is 11 days and includes sailing the Nile River for 4 nights and 5 days. The great cities, pyramids and museums are also included in this tour. All details will be found on our website in early 2023. We are planning a student tour for 2024. The group will be focused on discipling young people from 15-17 who want to walk where Jesus walked. You will be seeing more information coming out as this trip develops, also on our website: www.mastermindedministries.org.
The Teacher and the Preacher - This has been a year of interesting change for the T & P. As many of you know, we have been on the radio since 2011, and what began on one single station grew to 20 stations. After much conversation and prayer, my radio partner, Harold Berman and I, determined that it would be a good time to shift from radio to podcasts. We continue to have our major station in Boise and have made the podcast easily accessible at: www.theteacherandthepreacher.com. You can listen at your convenience without living in one of the cities where we previously aired. You have direct access anytime you like. One of the most significant podcasts was a 3-part serious: “What Do Jews Think about Jesus?” You’ll be amazed at what you learn listening to these podcasts. All of the previous broadcasts can also be found at the T & P website.
In late October, we hosted our annual Master Minded Ministries Fund Raiser and Auction. This was the largest attendance ever – 170+ folks. Their generosity resulted in raising $23,000. It will be a night to remember. This was a true blessing from the Lord through a great group of supporters who share our heart for Israel. This goes a long way when our budget this year was over $100,000. This year we’re planning for at least 5 scholarships to help open doors. If you’d like to donate to those, please just identify that on your donation.
Israel finds itself in some challenging times. What a great time to be standing with her. We couldn’t do what we do without you. Your generosity has resulted in significant investments in the work happening in Israel. You helped Jews who immigrated to Israel, as well as those living there already who need assistance in daily living. You also helped us in the restoration of Joshua’s Altar on Mt. Ebal in Samaria. An amazing ancient discovery and now its rebuilding.
There were scholarships to help students and worthy young people experience Israel. This couldn’t happen otherwise. These things and so much more happened this year thanks to your partnership. THANK YOU MASTER MINDED FAMILY FOR ALL THAT YOU DID TO HELP US IN 2022!
With gratitude,
Pastor Dave and Jerri McGarrah
About Masterminded Ministries
Master Minded Ministries is a non-profit 501 © 3 organization that teaches, preaches and supports the Jewish roots of Christianity. We proudly share Jesus as Messiah and join with the many voices around the world to love and support Israel and the Jewish people. We offer biblical tours throughout the year and also provide events and conferences to bless Israel and those grafted in.
“…Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My Son, My firstborn…’” Exodus 4:22
