This post is about the credits. Generally the full list of credits go at the end of a film; people want to know who made this incredible masterpiece happen, but they don’t really want to sit through all those names and list of tasks at the beginning. I know many of you are old enough to remember when the credits rolled through the beginning of the film for ten minutes or longer and everyone sat through it (probably why the fast forward button was created.) I’ve seen some of those movies, but not very many. One that sticks out in my head is Aristocats – the cute little Disney film about the attempted murder of spoiled cats… only Disney could tackle that storyline and make it cute. I digress.
For this journey, we’re going to compromise. The credits are going in the middle. In this season of Sukkot – remembering His faithfulness and His provision to guide us through the wilderness – it is necessary that we acknowledge the many people and events that happened along the way to bring us where we are today. It’s a daunting task because so many of you have poured into our lives in ways we may not even know. We’re going to try as hard as we can to include the many people that have impacted us, but we will no doubt miss some. It’s not for lack of appreciating your time and commitment to us as we’ve grown over the years. If anything, it’s because we’re just old and forgetful.
As we are really trying to take stock of all the blessings that HaShem has poured out for us to get us to where we are, we realize this will be long. We try to keep our posts shorter, but for this one, we will have no regard for length. Feel free to hit your “fast forward” button…
Family
No words are sufficient to express how each member of our family has impacted and continues to impact our walk. We are well aware how our way of living life has shifted over the last five years. We know how some of those changes have been difficult on family in particular and we just thank you for your grace, support and understanding as we pursue this path. God has become more real to us over the last five years through the pain of loss and the frustrations of change. You all have put up with us through it all and we just thank you all for your long suffering and willingness to put up with our ever-changing life.
Kim (Aaron’s dad) – From early childhood this man has helped me remain on a path toward God. Even when I got off the path he managed to gently guide me back even when I didn’t see the “gentle” in the process. He’s put up with us as we’ve taken this path of Torah for the last five years and he’s been a willing ear and sounding board as we’ve researched and studied God’s word. He’s traveled the Land of Israel with us, shown his love to the Jewish people along with us, and he continues to teach us through his own growth in God. I can’t write too much for him otherwise my computer may die from getting too wet from my tears. He’s been an imperative part of my personal walk of faith and I am eternally in his debt as both a son and a student of the faith. His children were anything but easy, but he managed to assist us all regardless of where our life path took us. Dad, I can’t say thank you enough and I’m grateful that you have worked so hard to make us decent God fearing adults. Earlene adds “You have been an immensely unexpected blessing in my life for the last ten years. You had little to no mercy on me when we went snowboarding the first time and I couldn’t sit down when it was time for lunch (kidding!) You ensured I had a proper understanding of the life expectancy of parrots before I said “yes” to Aaron when he proposed. You didn’t give up on any future traveling with us after our first foray through Israel together (though, in all fairness, I am pretty sure you taught Aaron to drive so any car accidents would have been your fault!) You also, through your love for Claire, exhibited the depth of meaning in the words “for better or worse” when you weren’t married when she was diagnosed, but still chose to carry her through those last few years as her husband. You exhibited your devotion to HaShem when you didn’t abandon Him or blame Him for the loss of her precious life. Thank you for your years of training Aaron up in the way he should go. Thank you for not giving up on him during the tougher years!”
Isaac – A giant of the faith in his own right, Isaac has been an instrumental study partner and sounding board. Brenda, his wife, is right there with him. We love how they’re available for questions as they have studied through Scripture themselves and they continue to do so which always gives them insight and brilliant answers and challenging questions as well. It’s been tear jerking to watch their own walk of faith and their own struggles with God. Thank you for your willingness to study together, to talk about current events and align them with Scripture and your willingness to tell me when I’m being dumb with my understanding. Your entire family is a blessing! Getting to see you in 2020 before we left the States was the coolest and most unexpected part of this journey so far!
Ryan – I have a group chat with my brothers, my dad and nephew on Google Hangouts that has been a running conversation for a few years now. With this chat, and of course through in-person conversations, I’ve been able to watch my older brother rediscover his God and wrestle with Him as Jacob did. Ryan has come up with challenging questions from his own studies and it’s been a blessing to travel the road of faith with him.
Calvin & Marci (Earlene’s dad & mom) – The best parents a gal could ask for – what more could I say? Probably a lot. We all know I cannot do this justice, but I am definitely going to try. Thanks for the example you have set for me throughout my life. You two have loved each other through some easy and some very difficult times. Thank you for living your lives in such a way that people from the community pour out their love after a house fire and show up with meals and a shoulder to cry on when your first grandchild passes away. Thank you for raising us in a home where God was sought out on a regular basis and not relegated to Christmas or Easter days only. Thank you for keeping us geographically close to family so we could build great bonds with them and learn from their examples as well. Thank you for ensuring that the three of us girls always felt loved, even when the answer you had to give us was “no.” Thank you for not giving up on each other through some of your harder times. Thank you for not just letting the monkeys take me in when I got lost at the zoo, for not throwing me into the Lake of the Ozarks when I lost my 50th fishing pole to its murky depths, and for not knocking me into kingdom come whenever I sassed back in my teenage years. Thank you for teaching me to respect people I don’t agree with. Thank you for making me memorize bible verses and ensuring I understood the importance of gathering with like-minded people to worship and to learn from His Word. Thank you for supporting my decision when I moved to Colorado! Thank you for continually questioning the path we are on, even now. For ensuring that we have thought through what His Word has to say about the things we believe and not pushing us back toward any particular path simply because it’s what you believe. Thank you for giving me room to fail – and therefore also the room to succeed. Thank you for being our safety net during this crazy adventure in Israel and for taking care of the pup. Everything that I am (even the things that are not like you) are due to your influence and your unswerving devotion to Our King.
(Aaron adds) Earlene’s parents are among the biggest blessings of my life. Without them, I wouldn’t have a God fearing bride who is willing to travel this crazy journey with me. I love Calvin and Marci and their deep roots of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I love that they’re willing to have the hard conversations of faith and their willingness to study with us. Thank you for your patience with us as we’ve traveled this path that has brought us to where we are. Thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown me as a son-in-law. You have been a blessing from the day I met you and an enormous influence in my own walk of faith over the past decade.
Chrystal – Thanks for not killing me with those toy bells when we were kids… Thanks for not always agreeing to be my partner in crime – I’d have been in SO much more trouble if you always went along with my crazy ideas! Thanks for always taking my side when I was throwing Laura under the proverbial bus (sorry about that, Laura… I was just a kid…) Thanks for moving to the beach so I have somewhere cool to vacation. Thanks for being a great role model of a sister when I was growing up. Thanks for always remembering to send a card for special events and being the person I could count on to have time for my tears during those first few lonely months after I moved to CO.
Laura – Thanks for always knowing the proper movie quotes to use in every situation. Thanks for inspiring your girls to the same level of excellence! Thanks for teaching me what it was like to have someone to worry over – I couldn’t ever keep you 100% out of trouble! Thanks for still loving me after all the times I blamed things on you! Thanks for traveling so much with Travis and keeping me on my toes looking for the next adventure (though nothing I do will ever top having a water fight with your husband while riding bareback on an elephant… you got me there!) You’ve been a great “little sister” and I cannot wait to see what things He continues to do in your life and through your girls. I have little doubt that the best is yet to come.
Grandparents – Our grandparents, both past and those who are still with us on this side of the veil have all been instrumental in our walk. They have served their roles in raising us up as Kingdom laborers beyond anything words can muster. The wisdom they have shared of their journeys through life and faith have served to help us find the way during various stages of life. How does one express sufficient gratitude to grandparents? All we have is “thank you” and all the love we can muster.
Or Chaim
We owe you a debt that cannot be repaid. It was within the family of Or Chaim that our trust in HaShem grew to depths we could not have fathomed just five years ago. Many of you have sowed into the soil of our life, not knowing whether you would ever see fruit. You sowed into us simply because that is what He instructed. We were so new – not knowing these weird words like “Oneg” and “Havdalah” and “Simchat Torah” (basically, we were missing out on all the best parties one can have!) You taught us the meaningfulness of the true Body of Messiah. You taught us to question authority and our past experiences with a healthy dose of respect, but also through the lens of His Word and with His grace. You taught us how to be participants in the body – how to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. We do not remember who was first to share the shelter of their tallit during the closing Aaronic blessing, nor do we remember who was first to invite us over for a meal in their home. We don’t remember who was first to pray over us or who was first to invite us to Passover or to Hebrew class. There are many other firsts that we do not remember, but we know it was someone within the ranks of Or Chaim and, therefore, we owe all of you this enormous debt of gratitude. We hope to carry His name well and live a life that earns all the kingdom wealth you have sowed into us.
Stew – From day one you took a chance on us and started to light the fire of growth. We were so touched by the fact that the pastor of a congregation went out of his way in the middle of his time to worship just to say hello to a couple of young strangers sitting in the back who were hoping to go unnoticed. It made it clear that you knew that relationship building within the body of Messiah is a form of worship and is foundational to the building of a greater understanding of the One we serve. I remember Stew suggesting to me (Aaron) the first day he met us to join the Torah team. Stew has been our pastor for the last 5 years and has never ceased to push us outside our comfort zone and push us to grow in our service of the Kingdom. Stew and Millie invested us with so much trust and compassion as well as responsibility in leadership. The responsibility alone pushed us into such growth as individuals and leaders that neither of us actually expected. Even though we butt heads at times, Stew put up with us and just graciously helped us to continue growing. He’s offered his words of wisdom more times than we can count, but also ensured there was humor in there too, especially when Aaron’s study brain was forgetting the real world effects of things. Without Stew making rounds to say “shabbat shalom” to people during our opening worship, we have no idea if we would have continued on this path. There’s really no way to over exaggerate how much God used this man in our walk. Stew, thanks for all the hard work you put into us and all the wisdom you continue to be willing to share, even if it is from a distance. We love how open you are to serving Him and to doing what He has called you to do.
Millie – Millie Lieberman is an incredible woman of God. It took us a little longer to get to know her than what it took for us to get to know Stew, but it was worth the wait! She’s one of the sweetest women you’ll meet and she desires to know God more intimately all the time. It’s mostly to Millie’s credit that we’re in Israel right now as she is the one that brought us the initial word from the Lord about our transition in 2020. Millie, your heart for raising us up into leaders did not go unnoticed. We are so very grateful for the time and energy you put into our growth and our success in serving our King. Your words of wisdom along with those that Stew always shared are treasured possessions in our hearts. We’re grateful that you were both willing to put up with us along our path of growth. Your faithfulness to sharing “a word” from Him – even with the sacrifice of losing our amazing company (haha!) – spoke volumes into the chasm where we were longing for direction from Him. That word resonated with both of us from the moment we heard it. Thank you for sharing that word – for confirming the timing of a plan that we had already felt was in His heart for our future. The connections you helped us establish ensured that His plan for us continued in the year of COVID-19, shutdowns, lockdowns and travel nightmares.
Larry – Larry has been an inspiration from the first time we met him. During one of the first onegs at Beth Abraham/Church in the City, Larry willingly shared specific things he was struggling with in his walk. I remember Earlene saying how refreshing it was that a member of the leadership (as he was always on stage as part of the Torah Team) was willing to sit down at a table with a younger person and just start sharing life with this stranger. From that point on our relationship with Larry has only grown deeper. We have realized how much Larry and Joyce have dedicated to the cause of Messiah and some of the other people they have mentored in their life. We felt like we stumbled into the best relationship we could have had at that time, but we know that HaShem gets credit for putting us two rapscallions in the path of this pillar of faith at such an early point in our lives. Any time I have a question on Scripture or some off the wall theory I want feedback on, I call Larry. Even if he disagrees with me, he’ll consider what I’m saying and explain why he agrees or disagrees. Larry has brought more growth in my Biblical knowledge just by being willing to dialogue on it without worry about crossing some theological boundary that offends him. Larry, you have become a cherished friend and mentor. I can’t express my thanks enough for putting up with a couple of young nobodies as we discovered “the Way” that our Master calls us to follow. Your heart for Torah and your desire to grow deeper into the Way of HaShem elicits a joy within me that few things do. Thank you for building a relationship with us that was so deep, nothing short of the will of God would let us leave!
Joyce – Joyce has been such a gift over the past few years as she was willing to gently mentor us along with Larry. She initially shared about First Fruits of Zion and the discipleship material they produced and that again was a change in our path that I’m sure will have some later mentions in this. We have had some of the most profound conversations and discussions with Joyce and Larry as they mentored us and helped us grow in the last many years. They opened their home to us on many occasions and just shared all that they had with us. She never made us feel burdensome and just kept pouring all she had into us as we learned from her wisdom and experience. Just as with Larry, she brought us under her wing and helped us find our footing as we were exploring this new thing called Torah. Joyce, thank you for your empathy and your patience with us as we grew and studied. Thank you for cheering us on wherever we went. Thank you for being so welcoming to a couple of young nobodies! Your love for Israel is unsurpassed! We have been so touched by your willingness and desire to bless Israel – constantly investing in the future of complete strangers simply because His Word is very clear about His love for them and about what our reaction should be to that information. Similarly, you have welcomed us into your home and into your heart as dear friends. You are overly generous with your time and one of the most hospitable of all our Colorado friends.
Russ – This man gushes wisdom and encouragement for those in his midst. The number of times that he was just a phone call away and stepped in with his words of wisdom astonish me. He treated us like we were his own children often and just encouraged us to grow in our Biblical understanding. Your willingness to share your struggles with us helped us grasp at a road you’ve already traveled. I cannot thank you enough for sharing your struggles and helping us to understand those same struggles in our lives. You and Siri have been valued mentors. You are incredible servants of God and no amount of thank you’s would be sufficient. In a time when we were lost and confused, you, Siri and the Larsens stepped in to become the mentors we needed – I’m not even sure that was the intent, but it certainly was the result. The time we had over meals and over Scripture are my most cherished memories! Sharing a loaf of challah and a few bottles of wine on the Rhine will always be a highlight of our many trips. Thank you for helping us on this path of Torah regardless of how “messi” it may be.
Siri – Your heart for study is second to none! I love that you are always available and willing to share your own journey and your discoveries in Scripture. Thank you for being such a loving friend, mentor and resource for us! We are drawn closer to our Father through the love you exude for Him. Your guidance and counsel over the past 5 years have been highly cherished in our hearts. Some of our favorite memories over the last few years have been sitting around your table and just talking about life. Thank you for giving of your time, your excellent culinary creations and your home. Thank you for introducing us to the impacts of inductive bible study and sharing the experiences of an eventful e-bike ride through the Black Forest! Thank you for all you’ve given to us!
Mary & Tom – Your mutual willingness to share your long suffering along with your joys with the community has inspired us to do the same almost from the beginning. We are thankful to have shared your painful life experiences and we are grateful that you shared in ours. Our joyous times together certainly top any shared grief. Our days with you both on the farm and at the congregation have been a comfort and an adventure. Tom, I love your bear hugs and Mary, your gentle spirit and sweet voice in song have always lightened my heart even during my most frustrating moments. Thank you both for your constant gifts to our Master’s community. Thank you for refusing to play the charade of walking in your own strength and ensuring that everyone knows any strength they see in your life comes from Him.
Carl & Glenda – Carl, we always looked forward to your “Carlisms” every week. Any time we saw you slip a little purple or pink note out of your pocket, we knew we were in for a sound byte from the Father’s heart. Glenda, you are the best trouble that has ever graced the doors of Or Chaim! I miss getting into trouble with you and your sassy zeal for the King.
Julie – Thank you for your heart for Israel! It was through your positive spirit that I (Earlene) often felt certain that our journey would happen in His timing – even if it was delayed. Thank you for praying with me and for praying over me. Also, thank you for your Torah portion overviews. Your heart for Israel and your experiences in the Land as it exists in 2020 help shape the insights He gives to you for sharing with others. You have lent your knowledge and your skills to others when they take trips to Israel for the first time. We pray that you will be here again soon! We will be in Colorado by next summer and share that float trip through Golden!
Rhonda – Your heart for asking questions and your humility in being willing to voice your concerns from a Jewish perspective are just what we needed in our Torah studies! You have opened our eyes to how some of our Christian-worldview thoughts are harmful to our goal of being light and salt in this world. You have provided the real world perspective we needed in order to be more effective tools for His kingdom work. Thank you for being so real. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for being my Patriots fan support when Tom Brady left the team this year… (the struggle is real!) We love you immensely!
Jack Rink – Jack was a faithful servant from week two when we started on this path of rediscovering Scripture. He was our first Hebrew teacher who introduced us to this strange alphabet and the vowels markings that go with it. It was a confusing beginning but he was gentle and faithful to come and teach us for the first many weeks of our time with this new community God had introduced us to. He’s always been a welcoming ear when I had a question and his joyous smile and his “boker tov” was a restful sound to my heart each Saturday morning. This man, in the most profound of ways, opened Scripture to us by simply teaching us an alphabet. Thank you for your devotion to the Lord – for giving your time to teach Hebrew and investing in others with the desire to see them know Him better.
Kent Brown – We haven’t known Kent as long as we’ve known some of the others in our “credits” but in the short time we’ve known him he’s made an everlasting impact on our walk of faith. Kent was technically my (Aaron’s) 4th Hebrew teacher, but in terms of what I learned and my advancement with the language he made the biggest impact. He helped us see the pictographic purpose and meaning behind the language and helped us open up Scripture even beyond the initial Hebrew understanding we had. He spent many hours with us over more than a year helping us to make more headway with the language in a few months than I had for years leading up to his class. His gentle nature was the biggest impact on my walk though. Even when it was visually evident that he was frustrated I never heard him allow that frustration to come out in a harsh way. He’s a leader among leaders in my eyes and I’m anxious to see how God uses this man in the Body in the coming years.
David & Laura – These two incredible individuals helped us glimpse the joy that King David had in his dancing. They taught us to dance in worship and shared their tremendous Biblical wisdom with us. They always helped us see Scripture from a viewpoint we hadn’t considered and counseled us through difficult considerations and decisions. They gave us space in our busy schedule and patiently allowed us to partake in the dance lessons as our work and school schedules allowed. Their patience and long suffering in that regard is second to none. I cannot help but be overjoyed that they helped me step outside of my comfort zone and helped me experience the joy in dancing for our King. Thank you for spending precious time to choreograph a dance from His heart for the Aaron Shust song “Zion”. Thank you for your patience in teaching us the steps and for your perseverance in pursuing this dance even after our Pesach evening was cancelled in the wave of COVID-19. Thank you! (Earlene would like to add: “thank you for not giving up on me when my first dance lesson resulted in my running from the room crying… not my best moment, but one I am glad you chose not to take as a bad omen! If this is not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is!”) We wholeheartedly recommend David and Laura for all your Messianic dance moves!
Jason & Sharee – Jason has been an astonishing man to watch over the past few years. His personal growth has been profound as he learns to submit to his God. I see in this man a great leader and a man that God is raising up into someone that will shepherd some of His flock. He speaks His mind and has helped me understand the Jewish people a little bit better through his own experiences and life long struggles. He’s been an amazing friend and one that I long to see how God uses him as he grows more in his relationship with HaShem. Sharee – thank you for pouring out His heart through your art. Thank you for the beautiful piece we cannot wait to hang up in our new home in Missouri. The visual of the incense of our prayers rising before his throne is majestic!
Lynne – Thank you my sister for all the conversations you have had with us. I love the way you are willing to listen to my ponderings on Scripture. The way you agree in excitement when you tell me how you see something in Scripture the way I do and the way you gently suggest I go back and study some more when I’m off in the weeds. I love the knowledge and friendship you have shared with us and your leadership in worship through music has forever changed my life. I’ve never seen anyone enter into an intimate flow in the Spirit during worship the same way you do. Your gift in singing is unique within the entire Kingdom. Thank you for all you have blessed us with over the last 5 years. For stepping in to shelter me in difficult times where I was out of my depth and for offering your wisdom and encouragement through our past years of growth. Earlene adds “thank you for sharing the fun of ‘Seagulls, Stop it Now!’ and for always getting my jokes!”
Michele – This woman is a servant among servants in the Kingdom. She gives of herself till there is nothing more of herself to give, and then she pushes herself to give even more. Her willingness to sacrifice her time and strength to pour into her community has been inspiring to me and has taught me more about serving others. Thank you Michele for all you have done for us. For the encouraging words you constantly send us and for the cherished hugs and blessings you would speak to us on Shabbat. Thank you for all that you have given to the Kingdom and to us personally.
Mike & Val – This couple is newer to our Colorado congregation, but they have been such a blessing since they came. They are servants to the congregation more than some long-term congregants and they are studiers of rare quality. I love how they dive into the finer details of Scripture and they don’t skim over the “boring” parts. The parts others skim over are the parts where they draw great meaning and understanding. I love that about them and I’ve learned a lot from them in our short time together at Or Chaim. Thank you for joining our Torah Club and then refusing to be silent members – instead pushing into the depths of the Torah with us and with others. Thank you for your servant hearts and your willingness to share your studies with us. You’ve been a blessing from day one!
Patricia – You helped me in a time where I was feeling underwater by taking on the Hebrew reading and the scheduling. I’m not even sure how it happened in hindsight, but it was a great blessing to me. We love your sweet heart for the Lord and the gentleness and joy that you bring to worship. You’ve been a wonderful sister in the Lord since we started at Beth Abraham and we’ve enjoyed every minute of getting to know you. Thank you for being the first to invite us to this thing called “Havdalah” – for opening your home to us that first month and ensuring we felt welcomed that night. Thank you for your charisma in flagging, for your time spent studying His Torah to bring a message for the congregation and serving HaShem in these ways.
Bill & Joyce Preussner – This couple has been incredible to get to know and they have taught us a great deal about servanthood and obedience. They serve our community in Colorado in several ways and they’re constantly giving more of themselves. They have taken on one of the most challenging aspects of running a congregation and they have never once shown frustration about it. It’s been a blessing to behold. Both of them are well studied and they’ve shared that with us. The faith of their walk together and their journey as individuals have produced profound testimonies that we have gleaned from. It’s been a great blessing laboring in the Kingdom with both of you!
Mary Jane – This woman is the single most joyous person I’ve ever met! She demonstrates in my eyes what it looks like to have the joy of salvation. I’ve only seen her joy subdued for short periods and then she is right back to her joyous self. You have blessed me Mary Jane by your joy and excitement over God’s truth and His Son’s gift of Salvation. Thank you for teaching us “Sababa!” and “Shabbat Shalom Y’all”! Thank you!
Jan Rubin – Thank you for worshipping our Father with such passion. Watching you worship has moved many others to throw caution to the wind and step out to give Him the worship He alone is worthy of. Thank you for not letting your physical abilities and constant spiritual attacks limit your desire to dance with the King. We have missed watching you dance with Him!
Judith Williams – You’re always our firecracker sister! We love your heart for sharing the Messiah with others. We appreciate your bringing others with you to Shabbat, week in and week out. Thank you for your quiet service to the Kingdom and your devotion to HaShem.
Sarah Moses – We don’t know Sarah as well as we would like to, but in the short time we’ve had to get to know her she has had profound impacts on our lives. This sweet woman has lived through such tumultuous experiences and yet she loves her God and Yeshua. As a holocaust survivor her testimony has no comparison. Our easy walk thus far can’t even compare to hers but she has taught us in her own way to remain faithful to God even through the challenging times.
Kirk & LaJuan Busby – Just like everyone in this list, it would take a book to describe the full impacts this couple has had on our lives. LaJuan has shared in Torah studies and contributed some faith shifting wisdom during those studies. Kirk was one of a handful of people that shared what seemed like simple words of wisdom but through those words contributed to Aaron finishing college. Their younger daughters are growing into women who will be the next generation of all-stars in the faith. No amount of thanks and gratitude would be sufficient to thank this family for opening their home and hearts to us. This family has single handedly assisted us in learning about half a dozen ministries and dozens of individuals which only helps us to see the active work of HaShem in our current world. Many thanks to the Busby family and much love from our family to yours.
Everyone Else Too!
Tiffany – When God brought me to CO all those years ago, I had no idea that the City of Littleton would become my work tribe for twelve years. I was just looking for something to cover the gap between my bills and my savings account until we could get this church thing off the ground. I had no plan to stay for longer than a couple of years. However, you took “just a job” and made it something that I could be proud of and wanted to excel at. You made the City of Littleton, and specifically our Finance department, a team that I simply did not want to leave. Your leadership within the department makes each member of the team want to serve the citizens better. Your positive attitude has helped me struggle through CAFRs and GASB68 calculations when I just wanted to give up! (The cool thing is, I can say things like that and only you and I know what it means – like our own secret nerd code…) You inspired me to become more of a leader at Littleton – to serve people with the highest integrity and to go that extra mile even though I didn’t always have the time. You showed me how to lead my team and you believed in my ability to excel at accounting. On top of all these things, you become a great friend – you were there on my wedding day and the day that I lost my nephew. You understood that life is more than the 8 hours we put in at work every day and encouraged me to enjoy the time away from work – always reminding me that it would be there tomorrow.
Scott Elliott – There are so many ways you have impacted this journey of faith! You became a trusted friend at HLG and continued to inspire myself, and others, to attempt big, crazy things for God. You taught me that there should be no limit to our creative solutions when we find a problem that He has brought us to fix. You helped me think “big picture” back when we were sophomores in college and just starting to talk about what it would be like to plant a church. You encouraged me to move to CO when I knew only one person in the State and you encouraged me to stay when things got tough in that first year. You let me be the groupie at the Quince St house and helped me find some great sisters in the faith at Cornerstone. You had my back when things got tough chatting with Will, Johnny or Jerome on the 16th Street Mall and you talked me out of trying to be homeless (still not sure if I should thank you for that one…)(Aaron adds: “but I thank you!”) You shared what you had learned about the Jewishness of Jesus when we were doing the Christ Collective and you sparked in both Aaron and I the curiosity that we are still trying to quench on the subject. Thanks for ditching us in Colorado a few years ago so that there was one less person to have to say goodbye to when we left… and for giving us a great place to visit the next time we are out East!
Chip & Deb Anderson – First, thank you for agreeing to come to CO to serve at TNL all those years ago. We have learned so much from you since then. Thanks for not giving up on His plan for you when the TNL thing didn’t work out. Thanks for inviting us along for the wild ride that was The Christ Collective (TCC). We learned so much from that experience and built a deeper friendship with you than we had known with anyone at TNL. You helped bring us closer to that understanding of a real family within the church – how things should work. Even when the year of TCC was over, you continued to serve us all in love, even at a time when you could have been bitter. We learned from your example and were able to put our new lessons to use within just a year of TCC ending. During our year at TCC, you encouraged us to attend a church that was unlike anything we had ever experienced before. We picked a location we knew in Greenwood Village, but a belief system that we didn’t understand (Messianic Judaism.) HaShem brought us to their congregation on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar – Yom Kippur. It wouldn’t be until a few years later that we learned the significance of this day, but it was a point along our path that hindsight has taught us was another blessing from Him. Thanks for being great warriors for the kingdom! Thanks for sharing with us the things you know and continuing to share what you have learned since then! Thanks for opening your home during that year when you were broken and hurting and giving us a chance to heal from a church split. Thanks for being open with your hurts and not ever pretending that life with God is all cupcakes and rainbows. Thanks for teaching us how to be real at church – through good times and especially bad. Thanks for being there every year since we met you, inviting us over for a meal before we left CO and encouraging us along in this crazy adventure!
Dean & Carol Niforatos – Dean would likely be the last person to ever read from this blog or follow us along our journey, but he has nonetheless contributed to our journey in profound ways. For me (Aaron), he served the purpose of a swift kick in the pants as a man of faith. I have deep theological differences with this man, but he was willing to enter into conversations with me that most would just walk away from. That conversation culminated in him asking me questions and my answering in a 50-page typed response while we were traveling over the Christmas/New Year’s holidays. The swift kick in the pants was one to help me discover a life of prayer and study. Up to the point where we discipled under him for a very short time, I was a pulpit learner. When I challenged Dean’s teachings, I didn’t know why I disagreed with him, I just knew I did. That caused me to finally sit and begin to study Scripture to understand why I believe what I believe. Because of Dean, I can now answer the challenge of theological debate much more proficiently, though I know I still have a lot to learn and more to study. I know after studying that Dean’s theological stance will never be my stance unless God Himself grabs my ear and changes my understanding. That said, Dean was instrumental in helping me to study rather than sit in the back row of church and “learn” from the pastor during a sermon. I no longer drink the milk from the pulpit. Now I feast on the meat of Scripture. Dean also gave me the gift of prayer by helping me see how hypocritical we are if we say “I’ll pray for you” or speaking about prayer in any way and never following through. Prayer is now a much bigger piece of my personal walk because of Dean. Despite the great divide between our understandings of Scripture, he’s still a brother and fellow laborer in the Kingdom. One day, those differences will be reconciled at the feet of our mutual Master and King.
Doug Hershey – This guy is a giant/all-star in the faith! If you haven’t followed this man or read his books, you’re robbing yourself. I’m going to borrow his words when I say I have a tremendous “intellectual man crush” on this guy! God has touched this man and granted him a view into the world that no one else I’ve met has received. He’s gifting the world with some of that vision with picture proof of God’s faithfulness as Doug creates an Ancient Prophecy/ Modern Lens series to show you the before and after pictures of God keeping his promises. He’s only getting started and I’ll repeat myself by saying you’re robbing yourself if you don’t take the opportunity to view his books. Visit DougHershey.co – and no, we are not affiliates of his website we just believe in the work he’s giving to the nations. I found this guy by divine happenstance when he was raising funds for the first in this Ancient Prophecy/Modern Lens series. Since then we’ve had the opportunity to build a friendship with him and learn from several of his talks and his class on his website. He’s gifted and he’s really influenced our walk and desire to serve the Kingdom, Israel and the Jewish people.
Gilad & Magi – Thanks for making time for some strange couple from CO earlier this year when COVID-19 tried to take center stage and when you were gearing up for a year that has been busier than ever. Thanks for agreeing – so early on – to be a place that we could stay while we were here and for all your frenetic work during the month before our arrival to help us get a volunteer visa and ensuring that His will was encouraged and supported at every turn.
Elisheva Pirard – This is my (Aaron’s) second Hebrew teacher. She got up extra early while I stayed up extra late in order to teach me Hebrew via Skype from Jerusalem. She was our guide and an anchor of faith and wisdom while we traveled Israel during our first trip here. We can’t thank her enough for her hospitality, sharing her stories, introducing us to the Land of her people, and the experiences that she shared with us while we spent ten days discovering the Land for the first time in 2017.
Boaz & Amber Michael – Part of our plan while in Israel was to meet with this couple and have a meal in their Sukkah. With the lockdown in Israel we won’t have that opportunity, but we’re still hopeful that we’ll be able to spend time with them during our stay. They have spent much of their lives working to live out the literal meaning of God’s Torah going forth from Zion. They are the founders of First Fruits of Zion which is a discipleship organization that helps Jew and Gentile understand how Yeshua and Torah are not antithesis to each other. Because of these two, we have a much more intimate view of the cultural underpinnings of Scripture that is imperative to have a fuller understanding of God’s word. They have given us their time, but also a global effort to help our growth. For their gift to the Kingdom and to us individually we say thank you and bless you!
Deb Kerber – This sweet woman of faith works for First Fruits of Zion. She has become a cherished friend and co-laborer in the Kingdom. She and her husband have welcomed us into their home and shown us more favor than we deserve. She embodies the joy and servanthood of the entire FFOZ team. We just moved to Missouri before coming to Israel and we’re excited to build up this relationship once we return home from our journey in the Land. Thank you for spending part of a night with us in Orlando playing arcade games and joyfully getting all the points you could! Thank you for your hugs and for your love to us the last eight months!
All the staff at FFOZ – It would be great if you all could stop striving for the stars – you make the rest of us look bad! (Just kidding, of course.) May we never see the day that you all give up on the excellence we are all called to pursue! Thank you to the people we know, as well as the many that we do not, for the time that you have spent putting together training packets, videos, boxes of Torah Club packets, calendars, and for the hours you’ve spent orchestrating the most impactful conferences of our lives of faith. We point people to you when they need sound doctrine – it’s a bonus that the road you have traveled has exhibited some stumbling as well as sprints and marathons. We are blessed to have you as people we trust to set the record straight and to continue studying even the points you are certain you already understand – always comparing your walk to The Word to ensure that no course correction is needed. Thank you for your service to Jews and Gentiles alike. Thank you for striving to provide great resources that champion the Torah.
Thank you for your kind words. Miss you both!