Saturday, December 1, 2012

Nov-30: thankful for a great birthday celebration that my wife put together for me.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Nov-29: thankful for my education that keeps my life interesting.
Nov-28: thankful that God allows me to get back up when I can't do things right...like eating on a diet

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Nov-27: thankful that God is helping me and my wife get through ministry opportunities that keep us up late.
Nov-26: even though I think that it's crazy at times, I'm thankful that I'm at Seminary.
Nov-25: thankful that I have a roof over my head.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Nov-24: thankful that God is good all the time.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Nov-23: thankful that even though it was crazy to do it, we got to go out and do black Friday shopping.
Nov-22: thankful for my first Thanksgiving I got to celebrate with my wife :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Nov-21: thankful for the time in fellowship I got to spend with a friend of me and my wife from Florida who was here visiting.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Nov-20: thankful for my friends from India who I work with, who share their culture and their food with me.
Nov-19: thankful that God sustained me through the first time I ever worked 12 hours straight.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Nov-18: thankful for ministry and the joy of living in this community to get to do it.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Nov-17: thankful for a God of great peace and joy. Even when things aren't easy.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Nov-16: thankful that I have a God who sees everything that I need and knows how to help me.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Nov-15: thankful that God bestows grace where it's needed.
Nov-14: thankful that even though it's stressful, Hebrew is interesting to learn.
Nov-13: thankful I get to be the one helping make dinners at night.
Nov-12: thankful for the crazy life I now live.
Nov-11: thankful I got to visit a new church today, Christ Chapel.
Nov-10: thankful for my brother and getting to eat Thai food with him and Donna.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Nov-9: thankful today that God heals all broken hearts and all wounds emotional and physical :)

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Nov-8: today I Praise God in thanksgiving for my dad. A wise man who loves his family, it's a model for my life that I really need.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Nov-7: today I'm thankful for my wife, we have been married for 10 months. God is so good.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Nov-6: thankful I had the opportunity to vote, that I have the freedom to let my voice be heard.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Nov-5: thankful for opportunities to do ministry, and making phone calls to do that ministry.
Nov-4: thankful I got to attend a new church, Birchman today. And I was in worship with my wife!
Nov-3: thankful that a friend from work offered me a job to paint his bathroom today :)

Friday, November 2, 2012

Nov-2: even though I now have a commute Im thankful I have a job.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Nov-1: today I'm thankful for my car. Having it to get to and from everywhere
But it still counts as blogging
Annoying that I'm choosing to do this thru text messages
30 days of thankfulness begins today!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

First Halloween in 2 years I haven't dressed up! Sad day!
You will be able to get here from Facebook once I'm done.
Going to make a blog list to blog 30 days of thankfulness for November.
Haven't blogged in a long time...

Monday, September 10, 2012

I forgot how much I loathe doctors offices, not doctors just their offices...
Eaters of the Bagels of the Common Tongue, some food for thought.
I think I will come up with some snappy catch phrase to alert people to the new posts.
Won't have a "Readers and Bagel Eaters" alert for posts on Facebook, maybe just a tweet.
So if yousee posts from here, it's because I am just in the mood to use both.
The real blog is my Wordpress one...this is just an everyday blog.
Okay yeah so I know that the posts are short, but hey they're texts
This was Donna and I's second time there
Big time thrills at Schlitterbahn, in new Braunfels tx
Spent the weekend with family in Austin tx
Haven't used this mobile app to blog in a while

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Summer for Netflix

I am going to be honest here. I need to blog more often. As I writer, I have somewhat of a hidden obligation to write and tell people my thoughts and what not so here it goes. This has been a very long long long summer, and I am grateful I had Netflix to keep my mind and time occupied when things got boring.

Sometimes in life I feel we need to have things to occupy our time. This is a very big "Catch-22", because when we find the appropriate things to occupy our time, we are not able to be in a place where we can be lead astray into worldly things. God gives us indications that our minds should be occupied, but occupied rightly with all the right things.

I spend a lot of time watching TV shows as well as reading different books. Also as I am interested in music (like a great deal) I truly and dearly try to make sure what I listen to is clean of vulgar language, and keep restrictions on what I watch as well as what I do in my life.

All I can say is...TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

Grace and Peace for now.

-Joel

Psalm 37:4

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Where Jewish evangelism has some of the greatest impact

It starts all the way back in the first century, when there's only Jews in the church...but here is the best part of this whole story. A Jew who found the Messiah, and who knows the truth, stood up and preached this before the authorities of the faith... (from Acts 7

Stephen's Speech (quoted from Acts 7)

English Standard Version (ESV)
And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
“And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
“But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house, and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’
“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
     during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,
49  “‘Heaven is my throne,
     and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
    or what is the place of my rest?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

This is such a great example of what it means to stick up for the faith. As Jewish people who believe in the Lord, our calling is not to hold our tongue when it comes to the gospel but rather to speak and get attention to the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.

I pray that people will look at this example (by the way the man who wrote this speech was stoned to death shortly after) so let's be grateful to the Lord for people who stand up.

GRACE AND PEACE!
-Joel

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Books, Vampires, and other enchanted things...

Today has been an interesting day for me. As many of you guys well know, I am playing the video game ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM, and recently I just added the Dawnguard expansion (via XBOX LIVE), and i have become a vampire. I know this sounds a little too much like Twilight, but there are just a lot of things in this game that make vampires actually cool again.

However, playing the agme so much has been boring. Today of all days (Saturday) really nothing has happened apart from me playing Skyrim, making a few things to eat, and watching Netflix. I am not sure what to do today, but I am just great that I could say I have nothing to do, be home and being with my wife is a great place to be.

Oh well, just getting my thoughts out before I go nuts.

Grace and Peace!
I'm sure I'll think of something intelligent to write later.

-Joel

Friday, July 13, 2012

What does it mean to be "Blessed"

In a lot of Christian circles these days, we hear this statement in response to "how are you"...I AM BLESSED. Often times, I am not sure many people are really aware of the severity of that statement, how blessed we truly are, how blessed we are to have everything we possibly need to have provided for us. We live in the United States, (well the writer of this post does anyway), so why is it that we cannot simply make that answer to people. WE ARE BLESSED.

Blessed in the sense that we have our needs met every single day we walk out the doors of our home, work our 9-5 jobs, etc. Blessed that we don't have diseases, blessed that we have the resources that not everyone has, and we should be sharing it with others.

I may not be one of the most intelligent people on the planet, I certainly to strive to be eloquant with my speech (I probably mispelt that word, and that one too) but I do wish to make this point about being blessed.

We do take it for granted a lot of the time. What we have I mean. We complain about the smallest things and I know I am certainly guilty of this. I have an ungratefully selfish heart and I need to ask for God's forgiveness daily in this matter. I wish to be more grateful daily, and if I had the means to do it, I would give back to people who don't have anything to say that they are blessed.

May we ALL BE BLESSED.

GRACE AND PEACE!

-Joel
Psalm 37:4

Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Darkest of Secrets

Okay so you know about my family, my family's background about being Jewish believers, and our ministry that we are involved in (Chosen People Ministries)...

I was not in anyway aware of the horror that was involved with World War 2. Naturally, anyone would be floored when hearing of the atrocity of 6 million Jews (and others) being put to death, but what about this one to swallow. Currently, there are 15 million Jews in the world. Of that number, 1% (150,000) profess Jesus to be their Messiah. But what if that number were greater?
WELL IT WAS!

According to something my parents had previously told me, there was an estimated 400,000 Messianic Jews that lived between Poland and Hungary, any all of them were wiped out by the Nazis. Among some of these people were missionaries previously employed by CPM. Its not only tragic, its a realization of what happens when the Gospel isn't shared. We must be diligent with our opportunities to be out preaching when necessary. You seriously do not know when God will take you. Many of these missionaries were sent to their deaths in the camps along with the unbelieving Jews (probably could have been saved on their way to the ovens). Remember to never hold your tongue when the Holy Spirit leads you.

GRACE AND PEACE.

-Joel

Psalm 37:4

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The explanation of the FIRST 100

Bottom line of why I chose to do this, despite getting joked around with from the seminary, from the people who are close to me, I want to be all that God desires me to be as a husband, so I want to work on that, so every 100 tweets, I will discuss the bits and pieces of what i am learning.

the first thing that I want to address is sadness...

My grandfather had died through the writing of some of these things, and also I had dealt with some personal struggles that God is getting me through, but expressing your emotions (even if you're a guy and that doesn't seem right to you) you still need to do it.

So fight for your marriage, and keep learning through everything

Many Many Many Blessings,

GRACE AND PEACE!

Joel

Psalm 37:4

The finishing touch on the First 100

"What it means to be a husband" #100; your goals are amazing things, and you can reach them when you put your mind to it.

Yeah, I wish I could go back and tweet everything over again... I have to completely redo this post. I had it just where I wanted it to be and then the computer proceeds to crash on me and didn't publish anything once I had asked it to.

So now i have to redo the entire post. i start with #100, because I enjoy the way that the whole series flows up until this point. It is however, #102 that you're looking at, not 100 because the count was all off, so I will have to restart this...hopefully you can see the tweets here when I get them up, and then I'll explain the points from them again..

"What it means to be a husband" #99; Be passionate about what you enjoy doing, but be even more passionate about how you love your wife.
"What it means to be a husband" #98; have goals for your future that are realistic and can help you become all that God has called you to be
"What it means to be a husband" #97 (should be 96 but oh well :P)...Rejoice in the life you have been given with the wife that you have.
"What it means to be a husband" #95.5; remember to check your count of where you're at in your project, or else you might repeat a number :P
"What it means to be a husband" #95; taking proper care of yourself can help show your wife how much you care about her.
"What it means to be a husband" #94; the Xbox 360 isn't just for your use alone. Your wife can find things she likes to do on Xbox too ;)
"What it means to be a husband" #93; teach other men how to do what it is that you do to love your wife with all your heart and do it well!!
"What it means to be a husband" #92; compliment your wife often, on every little thing she does.
"What it means to be a husband" #92; your wife has priority over all of your time
"What it means to be a husband" #91; sometimes you can't say anything to help your wife with her hurts, just show her that she's loved by U.
"What it means to be a husband" #90; dream in realistic standards for not everything you desire to do is going to be possible.
"What it means to be a husband" #89; if your wife loves to dance then learn to dance & if you love to do something don't assume she will 2!
"What it means to be a husband" #88; when your mind wanders, your thoughts should be on your walk with Christ and your beloved, above all...
"What it means to be a husband" #87; you are a warrior, your sword you carry is the Word of God.
"What it means to be a husband" #86; you can't do everything by yourself.

"What it means to be a husband" #85; grilling is a key quality to being a man. Therefore do it well...
"What it means to be a husband" #84; think of ways that you can always be of service to your wife...always!
"What it means to be a husband" #83; killing insects can best be done by visiting Dr. Foot or teaching the bug to read the New York Times...

"What it means to be a husband" #82; Saturday is a good day to sleep in, but if you won't want to wake your wife up...then get out of bed.
"What it means to be a husband" #81; sometimes you have to fail at making food in order to learn that you aren't as great a cook as planned.
"What it means to be a husband" #80; work diligently and whole-heartedly before the Lord your God. It's your duty to provide for your wife.
Tomato plant from my late grandfather. Can't wait to plant it in the ground really soon this summer. Hope it makes it.
"What it means to be a husband" #79; sacrificially give of your time and energy, it is the way you emmulate Christ to your wife.
"What it means to be a husband" #78; always remember to carry your phone charger :-P
"What it means to be a husband" #77; guys, iron sharpens iron. This journey cannot be done by yourself...have others there to help you ;)
"What it means to be a husband" #76; tolerating and liking aren't the same thing, however, be nice about what your wife likes and dislikes..
"What it means to be a husband" #75; next to your salvation, your wife should always be your source of joy in life.

"What it means to be a husband" #74; the time you spend with your wife is so precious. Cherish every single moment you spend together!
"What it means to be a husband" #73; when in doubt...remain silent.
"What it means to be a husband" #72; no matter what is going on, the chores still need to be done around the house.
"What it means to be a husband" #71; your job is to make your wife's life as de-stressed as possible.
"What it means to be a husband" #70; sometimes, it is you that has to be the one to carry out the work, not your wife. You are her strength!

"What it means to be a husband" #69; rejoice in your God! Your wife is a precious gift from the Lord. Remember that always!
"What it means to be a husband" #68; surprises aren't surprises necessarily. It takes craftiness for your wife to not figure out your plan!
"What it means to be a husband" #67; liking video games isn't a bad thing, its great if both you and your wife can play them together.
"What it means to be a husband" #66; the best lunch appointment there is...is going home to have lunch with your beloved wife.
"What it means to be a husband" #65; if you're going to be up late reading a book, find a light that doesn't keep your wife awake ;)
"What it means to be a husband" #64; you must always help your wife reach her goals by being the pillar that holds her up (as Christ does)
"What it means to be a husband" #63; it is often best to leave the grocery shopping to your wife, that way you are left to work a job.
"What it means to be a husband" #62; sometimes you have to get out of church and go to the store to get what your wife needs.
"What it means to be a husband" #61; by now you should have a strategy down that tells you... "you know your wife" and her likes/dislikes!
"What it means to be a husband" #60; whatever your wife's favorite food is, learn to cook! Then you can cook it for her!
"What it means to be a husband" #59; resolve to let your yes be yes and your no be no, at all times, period. End of story.
"What it means to be a husband" #58; Chinese food tastes good even after you get drenched in rain going out to get it for dinner.

"What it means to be a husband" #57; you are the only one who can clean up the messes in your life, take responsibility for your own life.
"What it means to be a husband" #56; if you think you've said too much, you probably have. Stop talking, it's just easier to not say a word.
"What it means to be a husband" #55; your remorse is great sign, because God is at work in your heart. Just don't stay there.
8 May Joel Freeman Joel Freeman @phoenixfire_85
"What it means to be a husband" #54; asking for help is a pride issue; being humble about help is the only way you can get over pride.
"What it means to be a husband" #53; taking care of yourself is vital but it isn't just you anymore. Take good care of your wife. Always!
"What it means to be a husband" #52; there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. Run to him and pursue his goodness for you
"What it means to be a husband" #51; whatever you've done in life, Christ is the answer to fix everything. Apologize fast and get right.
"What it means to be a husband" #50; you are responsible for your own mess, so clean it up, and clean it fast.
"What it means to be a husband" #49; your wife's heart is fragile, hold it an guard it with your life, and repair the Hirt when necessary.
"What it means to be a husband" #48; love is a choice. Even if it is hard, choose to love, and do it selflessly.
"What it means to be a husband" #47; your greatest strength is your humility and courage to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences.
"What it means to be a husband" #46; honesty, no matter how hard it seems, is truly the best answer for everything.
"What it means to be a husband" #45; take time out of your day to show your wife what you are learning from God's Word; it is vital to life.

"What it means to be a husband" #44; if you have a trade, teach it to your wife. Your wife learns the most from you, so be her teacher too.
"What it means to be a husband" #43; whatever you are doing, check your spelling. You don't want to communicate a message badly to your wife
"What it means to be a husband" #42; date nights don't have to be glamorous, just a time where you do something to spend work your beloved.
"What it means to be a husband" #41; sooner or later, the amusement park closes...so get off the emotional roller coaster and walk solid!
"What it means to be a husband" #40; spend to live, don't live to spend. It's not always about having money to spend.
"What it means to be a husband" #39; you reflect your wife and vice versa, remember to hold fast to the Cross, that is how we truly love.
"What it means to be a husband" #38; your selfish ambitions are a weakness, you will never find contentment until you finally just let go.
"What it means to be a husband" #37; when circumstances don't work, don't react negatively, your good attitude remedies a crap situation.
"What it means to be a husband" #36; If you can find spare change, then you can go out.
"What it means to be a husband" #35; your way is not always the right way. Your patience...it may be hard to wait, but its worth it to wait.
"What it means to be a husband" #34; your daily thoughts and actions towards your wife should always be in ways to build her up as your love
"What it means to be a husband" #33; taking one car isn't a big deal. You are there to help your wife when she's tired.
"What it means to be a husband" #32; a dog is good practice for a kid. Taking care of the dog helps prepare you for the task of being a dad.
"What it means to be a husband" #31; doesn't matter where you came from or what you've done, what matters is what you're doing NOW. Forward!
"What it means to be a husband" #30; you are a soldier - follow orders! Lead your wife and love God...unconditionally. The Lord has spoken!!
"What it means to be a husband" #29; if you are not married yet, and you think that your future wife will wait on you hand and foot...O DEAR
"What it means to be a husband" #28; Love doesn't have to be extravegant. It can be as simple as a pack of index cards or Chinese food.
"What it means to be a husband" #27; when ordering food, order your wife's food first, that way you remember to do it.
"What it means to be a husband" #26; being tired is a state of mind, not being. You are never "Too tired" to do a favor for your wife. :)
"What it means to be a husband" #25; Jesus himself bore our sadness, we can get up and move forward with His help.
"What it means to be a husband" #24; sorrow is a natural part of life. Your ability to cope with sorrow is a part of who you are as a man.
"What it means to be a husband" #23; your personal history affects views both by your wife and those around you, be careful of your actions.
"What it means to be a husband" #22; your comfort is nothing compared to your wife's comfort. No matter what...put her needs before yours.
"What it means to be a husband" #21; who you are stems from where you came from. Always look to your roots, they are your strongest allies.
"What it means to be a husband" #20; be strong in the Lord, it is your job to be the pillar of your family, no matter what happens in life.
"What it means to be a husband" #19; selfishness is your Undesirable #1...its an enemy to your marriage and has no place in it.
"What it means to be a husband" #18; even if you are under the weather, your role as a man is to get up and keep fighting. Working while ill

"What it means to be a husband" #17; Men...our human love we have for our wives first and foremost comes from our relationship with Christ.
"What it means to be a husband" #16: slaying dragons can wait til after the kitchen has been cleaned.
"What it means to be a husband" #15: always always always go out of your way for your wife, even if you need to clock out of a job to do it.


What it means to be a husband #14; A shepherd must tend his flock, and at times...fight off the wolves.

What it means to be a husband #13; you don't have to agree on everything your wife likes, but it is helpful to take an interest in her likes
What it means to be a husband #12; teach your wife that she is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14); love her as the Father does.
You are the only you this world will ever know. Something about you is meant to make something about God known in a way no one else can.
What it means to be a husband #11: support your wife in everything she does.