The month of Elul is a time of spiritual preparation for the Fall Feasts. It is a time to reflect over the past year, plan for the next and repair broken relationships. The time is short, the King is coming.

Hearing and remembering are dominant themes in Deuteronomy. These two form the basis for faith, obedience and gratitude - all characteristics which Moses said would allow Israel to thrive in the Land.

The world today is a fairy-land of wishful thinking, illusion and deception. Figuring out what is actually true is difficult. Both Y'shua and Jeremiah give practical, Biblical advice on how to find the truth in the midst of all the lies.

The Bible is an intensely practical political manual. It covers all aspects of how people are to organize and behave so that they will thrive. The American church has been cut out of politics by the tax authorities and so has neglected its heritage of political activism and become irrelevant in many areas of public life.

The parables in Luke form a structured whole. Each has both an homiletic and an eschatological application. The Good Samaritan is told in the context of eternal life and describes Messiah's care for the wounded as well as his promise to repay kindness upon his return.

Seeing all of the cultural chaos around us, it would be easy to despair. Such an attitude is neither Biblical nor is it warranted. That we are actually winning is obvious from the behavior of our enemies.

We are living through an age when the dominant ethos is perpetual adolescence. This has roots going back several hundred years but has really accelerated since WWII. The upshot of this is the accelerating destruction of history and tradition. It has gotten to the point where people don't even know what bathroom to use. What is an adult to do during such evil times?

Throughout history, God has always been with His people. In the wilderness, He was in the Tabernacle. During the time of the Gospels, He was here in the person of His Son. Now His Spirit is with us. The Spirit's ministry and mission are laid out clearly in the Book of John.

In the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6, Y'shua comforts the poor and excoriates the rich. Wealth is a training and testing vehicle for the poor and the rich alike. God's heart is open and flowing with love and sustenance for us. Since we are creatures in the image of God, it should be our goal to train our hearts to be open and generous. How does one do that?

Speech is our most powerful faculty, either for good or evil, thus it is important that one study the laws of proper speech. This talk discusses evil speech, hurtful speech and courageous speech. Evil speech - lashon hara - is speech that damages a third party. Hurtful Speech - ona'as devarim - is speech that damages the one spoken to. Courageous speech expresses joy and hope in the face of a society that encourages cynicism and negativity.