It is from the Sephardic Jews that the ethnic slur of Wandering Jew was coined. The tale is told of the Wandering Jew, who was sentenced to wander as punishment for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I, however choose to view my Sephardic Jewish ancestors as amazing survivors in a hostile world. As the Jews meandered, searching for a place they could safely practice their religion, it was if they were caught in a revolving door as they gained converts and lost members to Islam and Christianly. This is why Hebrew DNA is often difficult to find, as it has been largely unstable through the centuries (here).
Tag Archives: LDS
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed
Arizona is blessed cursed with some of the hardest and harshest nutrition-robbed soil I have ever encountered.
When I purchased my home almost seven years ago, my backyard was filled with a lush blanket of green bermuda grass. Sadly, over time–and not without a struggle to save it–the grass slowly died in several spots and my backyard became a mixture of bare caliche-ridden ground and patchy grass. Continue reading
Guest Post: A Life of Crime Doesn’t Suit Me
M* is pleased to share the following guest post from Marsha Ward.
Marsha is a multi-published freelance writer, editor, workshop presenter, mentor, and consultant, and the author of three novels as well as a contributor to two non-fiction books on writing and publishing. She is the Sacrament Meeting organist and Relief Society pianist in her small Central Arizona branch.
Recently I attended the LDStorymakers’ Writers Conference in Provo, at which I had a marvelous time hobnobbing with my fellow writers and associates. I live in Central Arizona, so going to Utah by car is a bit of a trip there and back. I got home about 10:15 on Sunday night after driving most of the day. (All right, I did take a lunch break where I could check my email.) I didn’t know I was about to have a new adventure.
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Reflections on Brother Ronnie Milsap, Church Music, and the South
My Number Two son, Piano Man, is a gifted pianist. He also plays the bass and the guitar, but the piano is his true gift. As it is with any talent, it chooses it’s form in which to present itself. Piano Man’s gift of music shows forth in the form of jazz and especially blues improv. Piano Man plays once in awhile for Priesthood where he cannot help but throw a trill or a bluesy chord into the prelude. He did this once as a young teen, and a young adult member jumped up from the audience to admonish him on not playing reverently.
It was amusing, as the member of the Bishopric in charge of conducting that week, was out in the hall and heard the prelude, but not the shaming, opened the meeting with, “We are thankful for Brother Piano Man who brought a little spirit and soul to Priesthood today.” Incidentally both gentlemen are converts to the LDS church; the Bishopric member was a born and bred southerner. The other fellow? Well bless his heart, he’s just a Yankee. *
Guest Post: Salvation in This Life
Another fine guest post from Ray, who blogs at Things of My Soul.
The Jewish leaders who facilitated the crucifixion of Jesus did so in part because they could not accept Him as the one who had led them (Jehovah) and/or would pay for their sins (Jesus). They said, in essence, “We don’t need you. We are children of Abraham. We are fine. We’ll do it on our own.”
We decry deathbed repentance, particularly for those who consciously choose to procrastinate repentance until the end – to do what they want to do until they are facing death and the possibility of judgment, largely because we see repentance as a process rather than an event. At the same time, too many members view grace, faith and works as follows: Continue reading