A few words about Y2K, the computer problem.
It is certain that there will be problems with computers early in 2000.
We don’t know how great the problems will be.
We have been advising you to prepare by having some extra food
and other emergency provisions.
We hope you have done that as you are able.
Now we must continue to be careful and prudent.
We also need to put ourselves into Yahweh’s powerful and loving hands.

John 14:1  "Let not your heart be troubled;
you believe in Yahweh,
believe also in Me.”

John 14:13  "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  14
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

John 14:27  "Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give to you;
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things
work together for good to those who love Yahweh,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things?
If Yahweh is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

This means that IF we do have trials then they are for our good.

James 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
4  But let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

1 Peter 1:6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while
you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  7
These have come so that your faith
--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--
may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor
when Yahshua the Messiah is revealed.

1 Peter 4:1  Therefore, since the Messiah suffered for us in the flesh,
arm yourselves also with the same attitude,
for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
2  that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh
for the lusts of men, but for the will of Yahweh.

1 Peter 5:10  But may the Elohim of all grace, who called us
to His eternal glory by the Messiah Yahshua,
after you have suffered a while,
perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.

Friends, may Yahweh protect and bless you
on this Sabbath Day and through the coming year.

We expect to see the new moon next Friday evening 1-7-2000. Watch for it!

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke

Caution - it may take you a year to read this Sabbath Greeting.

Some folks like to make new years resolutions.
While the custom is tied in to a somewhat pagan observance,
we can still resolve to do better at any time and
a new calendar may provide some kind of impetus to help us.

One thing I’d like to encourage this year is reading the Bible – every word.

A lot of us read parts of the Bible throughout the year
and read the most important passages as parts of sermons and studies.
That’s good. But there’s a value to reading the entire story
with all the details and sub-plots.
There’s a value in getting those familiar passages in the larger context.
There’s a value in feeling the flow of the total story and
seeing how the writing style changes through the 1500 years or so
over which the scriptures were written.
Reading scripture on a daily basis is also an important way to
stay close to Yahweh.

If you teach others about the Bible or
if you would like to teach and you haven’t read the entire book
in the past five years then it certainly is time.

I met an older couple who had each read the Bible every year
for THIRTY YEARS!
They had some good insights into the message.
They also had a shalom that made quite an impression on me.

It will take about a half hour each day with a double portion
on Sabbath to get it done in a year.
Not a great commitment, considering the importance of the project
and the value we discussed above.
If it takes a little longer than a year, that’s OK.
If you’re too busy to read the scriptures every day
then you’re too busy.

You can start at page 1 and read until the end of the book.
That’s not a bad way to do it.
If you read from a Christian Bible you will read things in a
different order than if you read the ‘Old Testament’ from a Jewish Bible.
Neither order is inspired by Yahweh as far as we know.

Another way is to read the scriptures in the approximate
time order of how things happened.
This makes the experience more meaningful for me.
You will find many of the Psalms in with the story of King David’s life.
The prophecies are given with the stories of the kings to whom
they applied, the life of the Messiah is taken from all the Evangels, and
many of the Epistles are read in with the story of the Acts of the Apostles.

I have taken a time-order reading list and broken it into daily portions
for reading. In most cases the chapters are not split.
We read a portion each day and a double portion on Sabbath.
The list below is for twelve months and includes about 33 portions each month.
That means you can skip a day sometimes if you need to.
The book of Job is considered by many scholars to have taken place
during the sojourn in Egypt, before the institution of Hebrew slavery.
Therefore it is read before Exodus.

Here’s the list:

Month 1
GENESIS 1-2  3-5   6-8   9-11
12-15 16-18 19-20   21-23   24-26
27-28  29-30  31-32   33-35 36-37
38-40 41-42 43-44 45-47
48-50 & EXODUS 1:1-7
JOB 1-3  4-6   7-9 10-12 13-15
16-20 21-23 24-28 29-31 32-33
34-36 37-39   40-42
 

Month 2
EXODUS   1-3  4-6  7-8  9-10
11-12  13-15  16-18   19-21 22-24
25-26   27-28   29-30   31-33
34-35   36-37   38-39  40
LEVITICUS   1-2  3-5   6-7   8-9
10-12   13   14   15-16   17-19
20-22   23-24   25   26-27
NUMBERS   1-2   3-4   5-6

Month 3
NUMBERS   7   8-10   11-13
14   15-16   17-19   20-21   22-23
24-25   26-28    29-30   31   32-33
34-36
DEUTERONOMY   1-2   3-4   5-6
7-9   10-11  12-13   14-16   17-19
20-22   23-25   26-27   28   29-30
31-32   33-34
JOSHUA   1-3   4-5    6-7   8-9

Month 4
JOSHUA    10-17   18-19    20-21   22-23
24
JUDGES  1-2   3-4   5-6   7-8   9-10   11-12
RUTH  1-4
JUDGES  13-15   16-17   18-19   20-21
1 SAMUEL   1-2   3-5   6-8
1 SAM    9-11   12-14   15-16   17-18
1 SAM 19, PSA  59, 1 SAM   20
1 SAM   21-22, PSA   56 & 34, 142, 52
1 SAM 23,  PSA  63 & 54,  1 SAM 24
PSA   57, 1 SAM   25-26   27-30
1 SAM 31, 1 CHRON 10,  2 SAM 1
2 SAM 2,   PSA   96,  105
1 CHRON  12-13 & 15      16-18
1 CHRON 19 & 2 SAM  3-5     6-8

Month 5
1 CHRON   9-11    PSA   60
1 CHRON  11,  2 SAM 12,   PSA   51
1 CHRON  14,  2 SAM 13
2 SAM   14-15   &   PSA    3
2 SAM   16-18     19-20     21-22
1 CHRON  20,  PSA  18,  2 SAM   24
1 CHRON   21-22,   PSA   30
1 CHRON   23-25    26-28
1 CHRON   29   PSA   5-7
PSA  10-11, 13, 17, 23, 26, 28
PSA  31, 35,  41, 43,  46,
PSA   55, 61, 62, 64, 69
PSA    70-71,  77,  83,   86,
PSA    88,  91, 95,  108-109
PSA   8-9, 16, 19, 21
PSA   24, 29, 33,  65-67
PSA   68,  75,  93-94
PSA   97-100, 103-104
PSA   113, 114, 117,  119
PSA   122,  124, 133-136, 139,
PSA   145,  148,  150,  4,  12,  20,
PSA   25,  32, 38, 42,  53,   58,
PSA   81,  101, 111, 130-131, 141, 146
PSA   2,  22,  27, 45,  47- 48
PSA   87,  110,  1 KINGS  1    35
2 SAM   23,  1 CHRON  11,
1 KING   2-3
2 CHRON   1-5
1 KING   6 - 7
1 KING   8,  2 CHRON   6-7

Month 6
1 KING   9,  2 CHRON   8
1 KING   4-5,  10
2 CHRON  9 & PSA 72 &  PROVERBS  1
PROVERBS 2-6   7-10   11-13   14-16
17-19   20-22   23-25   26-28   29-31
SONG   1-8
1 KING   11
ECCLES   1-5     6-12
1 KING   12-13,  2 CHRON   10
1 KING   14,   2 CHRON   11-13
1 KING   15-17
2 CHRON   14-18
1 KING   18-19   20   21-22
2 CHRON   19-20
2 KING   1-3
2 KING  4,  2 CHRON   21,  OBADIAH
2 KING    5-6   7-8
2 KING  9 & 2 CHRON  22
2 KING   10-11,  2 CHRON  23
JOEL
2 KING   12,   2 CHRON   24
2 KING   13,   2 CHRON   25

Month 7
JONAH
HOSEA 1-6   7-12
2 KING   14,  2 CHRON   26
AMOS  1-5     6 -9
2 KING   15,   ISAIAH   1-2   3-6
MICAH   1-5    6-7,  2 KING   16
2 CHRON   27-28,  ISA  7-9
ISA   10-12  & 15-17
ISA   21,  23,  2 KING   18
ISA   14,  34,  13,  2 CHRON   29
2 CHRON   30-31
ISA   24-26, 32, 35    28,  22,  29,
ISA 33,  2 KING  17, 20
ISA   18-20,   30-31
ISA   38,  2 CHRON   32
ISA   36,  2 KING  19,  21
ISA   40-42
ISA   43-45   46-49   50-53   54-58   59-62   63-66,
2 CHRON  33,  NAHUM,  2 KING   21
ZEPHANIAH,  2 CHRON   34

Month 8
JEREMIAH   1-3   4-6  7-9  10-12  13-15
16-18    19-20 & 2 KING 22
2 CHRON   35 &  2 KING   23
JER   22,   26   46-47
HABAKKUK   1-3
2 KING  24,  2 CHRON  36,  JER   25
JER  35 -36
DAN   1-2
JER  48-49   24, 29    27-28   23,  50
JER  51 & 34
EZEKIEL   1 -3   4 -7   8-11  12-15   16
EZEKIEL  17-19   20   21-22   23-24
JER   21 & 32     33, 30 -31
JER    52  &  EZEK 25    29-31    26-28

Month 9
JER   37-38
2 KING   25   &   JER   39-40
LAMENTAT’N   1- 2   3 -5
JER   41-43     44 & EZEK   33
EZEK  34-36   37-39   32 &  DAN    3
EZEK   40-41   42-44    45-47
EZEK  48  &  DAN   4
PSALM   44,   74,   79,   80
PSA    85,   89,
PSA   102,  106,   123,   137
DAN   7- 8    5,  9,  6
EZRA   1-3
DAN   10-12
EZRA   4 - 6:13
HAGGAI   1-2   &  ZECH   1-2
ZECH  3-8
EZRA   6:14-22 &  PSA    78
PSA   107,  116, 118
PSA   125-126,  128-129, 132, 147, 149
ZECH   9-14
ESTHER   1-2   3-7   8-10
MALACHI   1-4
EZRA    7-8    9-10

Month 10
NEHEMIAH  1-3   4-6   7 & 11   12 & 8-9
NEHEMIAH  10  & 13
1 CHRONICLES   1-2   3-5   6- 8   9

 As we enter the evangels  we should note that Yahweh has
given us four separate accounts, each with it’s own message.
This synthesis should not be your only experience of Yahshua’s life.
Read the evangels each as a whole too.  A more meaningful
chronological account could be given if chapters were divided,
but we have used whole chapters together for simplicity.

LUKE  1
MATT 1   &   JOHN 1
LUKE  2   &     MATT 2    3
LUKE  3   &    MARK 1  &   MATT  4
JOHN   2 - 4
LUKE  4 - 5
MARK   2 &   MATT  9 &  JOHN   5
LUKE  6   &   MARK    3
MATT  5 - 8
LUKE   7
MATT   11   &   LUKE    8
MATT  12   &   LUKE   12
MATT   13    &   MARK  4
MARK   5 - 6
MATT  10   &   JOHN 6
MATT 14 15   &   MARK  7
MARK    8-9
MATT 16 - 18
JOHN 7 - 8     9 - 10
LUKE   9 -10    11, 13    14 - 16   17 - 18

Month 11
MATT 20 &  JOHN 11
MATT 19   &   LUKE   19
JOHN 12   &   MARK    10
MARK  11   &   MATT 21 - 22
MARK    12   &   LUKE   20
MATT 23 - 24
LUKE   21   &   MARK    13
MATT  25 - 26
LUKE   22    &   MARK    14
JOHN  13 -15    16 - 18
Yahshua’S arrest & EXECUTION
MATT 27
LUKE   23   &   MARK    15
JOHN 19    &   MARK    16
JOHN  20 - 21 &  MATT 28  &  LUKE 24
          ACTS      1 - 2   3 -4   5 -6   7- 8   9 -10
ACTS   11 - 12   13 -14
ACTS  15   &   GAL   1- 2
GAL  3 - 6
ACTS 16 - 17   18
          1THES     1 - 5
          2THES     1 - 3   &   ACTS 19
          1COR      1 - 4   5 - 8   9 - 11  12 -14
15 -16

Month 12
          2COR      1 - 4   5 - 8    9 - 12   13
ROM     1 - 3   4 - 6   7 - 9   10 -13   14-16
ACTS   20 - 21   22 -23   24 - 26   27 - 28
COL       1 - 4
 PHILE     1 &  EPHES   1 - 3      4 - 6
 PHILIP    1 - 4
1TIM      1 - 5     6   &  TITUS  1 -3
 2TIM      1 -4
JAS  1 - 5
JUDE      1 &  1 PETER  1 - 2    3 - 4
2PETER    1 - 3
HEBR      1 - 4     5 - 8     9 -10    11 - 13
1 JOHN    1 - 5
2 JOHN   &   3  JOHN
REV   1- 3    4 - 7   8  - 11   12 - 14
15 - 18    19 - 20     21 - 22

We will send you a printed list if you send us your mailing address.

Friends, May Yahweh Bless You on this Sabbath Day, and
may Yahweh bless you with His word throughout the coming year.

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke

What kind of resolutions should we make?
Reading the Bible this year is a good one. (see above)
How about deciding to do some other things that will
please Yahweh, our maker.
Let’s start with some of His requirements.

We can begin in the Torah:
And now, Israel, what does Yahweh your Elohim require of you,
but to fear Yahweh your Elohim,
to walk in all His ways and to love Him,
to serve Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart
and with all your soul,
and to keep the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes
which I command you today for your good?   Deuteronomy 10:12

Through Moses, Yahweh also told Israel they must
listen to the words of Yahshua when he came:
'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren,
and will put My words in His mouth,
and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words,
which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.  Deuteronomy 18:18-19

The prophet Micah had a simple message from Yahweh.
Simple; but not easy.
Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, oh man, what is good;
And what does Yahweh require of you but
to do justly,
to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your Elohim?
Micah 6:7-8

Yahshua the Messiah verified the importance of this concept
in no uncertain terms. He said,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:
justice
and mercy
and faith.
These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Matthew 23:23

The apostles also upheld the same convictions:
If anyone among you thinks he is religious,
and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart,
this one's religion is useless.
Pure and undefiled [clean] religion
before the Almighty Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and
to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.  James 1:26-27

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear Elohim and keep His commandments,
For this is man's all.
For Elohim will bring every work into judgment,
including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

These scriptures all say essentially the same thing:
Have an understanding of the power and rulership of your Creator.
Do what is right in His eyes,
Then, go beyond what is right and make a special effort to
help others who need help.

Call them resolutions or just words to live by at any time.
But WE CANNOT IGNORE THESE SCRIPTURES!
They stand in your bible and in mine,
in the Old Testament and in the New,
and they tell us things Yahweh wants us to do and to be every day.

Friends, may Yahweh bless you on this Sabbath Day
as you firmly resolve to walk in all His ways.

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke

Dear Friends in Yahshua,

There is a lot to think about in the five verses of Psalm 15.
It pertains directly to our salvation.
I counted eleven requirements for being in Yahweh’s presence.

Psalms 15:1 Yahweh, who may abide in Your tabernacle? [live in your tent]
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

--Looks to me like this is talking about salvation.
--Let’s see who will be there.

2  He who walks uprightly,

– In the Jewish tradition how a person is to 'walk'
is the subject of much discussion and writing.
They call it Hallacha

And works righteousness,

-- Hmmm. Work. This may not be easy or automatic.
– May even take some effort.

And speaks the truth in his heart;

– Yahweh looks on the heart. There is no way to fool Him.
– Yahweh’s children are honest within themselves.

3  He who does not slander with his tongue,

– It’s interesting that the word for slander is related
   to the words for leg and walking!

Nor does evil to his neighbor,
Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;

– Sounds like a good person to know.
– As Yahshua said, “Everyone will know you are my student
   because of the love you have.”

4  In whose eyes a vile person is despised,

– There is a time to recognize evil for what it is.

But he honors those who fear Yahweh;

– There is also a time to praise the righteous.

He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

– A dependable person - no matter what.

5  He who does not put out his money at usury,

– We see a lot of usury today, but Yahweh’s people
  don’t get involved in taking it.

Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

– How shameful to take a bribe and then do something
   that will hurt people who do not deserve it.

He who does these things shall never be moved!

Friends, may you dwell in Yahweh’s house and
never be moved from it.
May Yahweh bless you on this Sabbath Day

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke

Last week’s Greeting, based on Psalm 15,
prompted a few questions from a reader in Chicago.
I thought they would be interesting for others.

<3  He who does not slander with his tongue, >
Q:  What is your definition of gossip (since that's surely included
in what the author is talking about here)?
And do you think the believer may ever engage in it?
If so, under what circumstances?

Tom:   Bad speaking about someone else includes a number of different topics.
We are prohibited from saying anything that would harm another
person in any way.
We may not make him look bad in other people's eyes.
We may not say something that could decrease his income or harm his family life.
We may not ever say something false about him that is negative.
Even saying something that makes him appear better than he is
must be done with caution.
The one time when we MUST say bad things about someone is to protect others.
It would be wrong to keep quiet about someone stealing, raping, cheating, etc.
Evil speaking is a large and interesting topic with many fine points.
Perhaps we should devote some other Sabbath Greetings to it.
 
<Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;>
Q:  I would enjoy learning what you think this means;

Tom:   This is very similar to bad speaking above.
The difference is that it starts with someone else. We are cautioned
not to take it from there and tell our own bad story about someone.
Often people just want to make their story worse to impress the listeners.
Regardless if it’s true or if it’s positive.

Q:   Also, what is the Biblical definition of a friend?

Tom:   Your question really is, “Who is my neighbor?”
I refer you to the parable of the good Samaritan in Mark 10:25-37.
If you treat friends who are not in the congregation like the Samaritan
treated the man he found on the road, you'll do fine.

>4  In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
Q:   I also would enjoy learning what you think this means.

Tom:   Many men and women get a kick out of
associating with 'bad boys' or 'bad girls'.
Sometimes they are bad in business, sexual ways, sports,
bad speaking, religious heretics, or whatever.
Some get a thrill from being with them or watching them.
These vile things should be far from our eyes.
Think about all the bad examples people love to see on TV.
    Psalms 101:7  He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house;
    He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.

<He who swears to his own hurt...>
Q:   I would also enjoy learning what you think this means.
Tom:   When we say we will do a thing we must do it,
whatever the cost to us or no matter how much work it takes to do it.
This is just keeping our commitments.
The master said, “Let your ‘yes’ mean yes and your ‘no’ mean no.

<5  He who does not put out his money at usury,
>  – We see a lot of usury today, but Yahweh's people
> -- don't get involved in taking it.>
Q: . . . . Do you encourage your flock to cease and
desist from having any dealings with these Satanic [banking]
institutions of the world?

Tom:   My thoughts on the subject:
Receiving interest from a bank is not wrong.
The prohibition was to not charge interest to your brother.
    Deuteronomy 23:19  "You shall not charge interest to your brother;
    interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest.
    20  "To a foreigner you may charge interest,
    but to your brother you shall not charge interest,
    that Yahweh your Elohim may bless you in all to which
    you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess.

Notice that this is a rule that carries a blessing and not a penalty,
except as we incur penalty for disobeying Yahweh.
But there is no specific immediate penalty prescribed.
It is not wrong to have a savings account with a commercial bank
but it would be better not to be in the banking business
in any country except Israel.
That is the only place I've heard of that has banks
that don't loan money at interest.
It is certainly not a sin to borrow money at interest
to buy a house or a car but I would encourage people to
stay out of debt as much as possible.

We should know the difference between how we treat a brother
(in the congregations) and how we treat our neighbor.
The laws are:
1.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)
2.  Love one another (true believers) as I (the Messiah) have loved you. (John 13:34)
BIG difference!
This should be a big motivator for a study of how
Yahshua loved the disciples.
We all need to “go to Yahshua’s school” and learn
deep within our heart, how to love the way he loved.

I assure you, dear friend, there is no other path
to get where Yahshua is, than walking just as he walked.

Thanks for your questions.

Keep Yahweh’s truth in your head and His love in your heart.

Friends, may Yahweh bless you on this Sabbath Day . . .

Shabbat Shalom from Tom and Cathy Schattke

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