It just wasn’t clicking like I thought it should. It wasn’t a depressing day, just not an exciting one.

I went from waking to go to church in an hour. No time to read scriptures before I left. No time for my complete ritual of coffee, breakfast, or time to sit with my hubby. At least I didn’t leave my bed before finishing my morning prayers, or the day might have been worse.

Maybe I needed more time to wake up. My mind was still caught between sleep and Sunday morning when the service started. The pastor’s sermon landed flat. Nothing struck me, nothing made me want to dig deeper later. I like sermons that fire me up one way or another with something grand or something hard that makes me wrestle with it. Today I got neither.

The uplifting songs we usually play and sing before the service felt flat. I stood there going through the motions, waiting for something to grab hold of me. It never did.

The entire atmosphere felt asleep. I was hoping it was just me.

I waited all morning for the day to shift, to wake up. The Spirit wasn’t absent at church, or in my home, it just wasn’t dancing. I kept thinking something would click.

It didn’t.

Waiting for the Spark

I came home from church, ate, and opened my scriptures, hoping that would do it. Nothing read right. I had my notes from church, scriptures I wanted to study later. My notes seemed uneventful at best.

I kept waiting for the usual spark. The moment when a verse jumps off the page. When something in Scripture suddenly makes sense. When the Lord feels especially close, real, and present.

Nothing shifted all day. Yet nothing felt wrong either.

I went about my day with no plan. I usually plan my days in the quiet of the morning, but I’d skipped that silence to get to church. So the day just unfolded as it did.

It wasn’t as if I slept all day or scrolled through social media, for I did neither. Yet, I also didn’t go to the garden to pick fresh food for dinner, go outside, or do anything else I perceived as truly relaxing.

The Day Was Doing Its Work

I chatted with my husband and mother about things from the day or week. We face-timed with family members, which is always fun. I spoke and texted with an adult grandkid who is usually very busy with his life and work. I had connections that weren’t always the norm.

Dinner was a simple leftover meal, finished in a snap. The dishes would have sat if my hubby hadn’t cleaned up before we went to bed, ending the ho-hum day.

I woke up today realizing I had unwound and slept quite well. The connections with family and doing nothing without getting pulled into modern life technology, that was the real rest. That was the stop, the recoup from the crazy week.

The Lord was with me all day, and the Spirit within me too. Not dancing or demanding anything, just quiet and comforting so I could rest. A rest I didn’t know I needed. I’m working on better Sabbath living, and this day showed me something important: Sabbath isn’t about one designated day. It’s about resting throughout the week, staying strong, keeping the Spirit close.

Our Expectations, Not His

There are so many ideas and rules on what your spiritual day of rest is, regardless of when you take it. We hear and believe things like it should feel spiritual when you go to church, that something should move or lift you. If you’re reading Scripture, it should always speak to you. We think the Spirit should show up loud and obvious, but many times it shows up quiet and calm too.

Remember our rules don’t come from the Lord, and we can’t expect Him to fit into them.

The Spirit’s Quiet Work

The Spirit wasn’t snoozing yesterday. It was inviting me to trust something different.

The Lord doesn’t love me less on flat days. He’s not measuring His presence by whether I feel it. He’s not showing up less because the music didn’t move me or the sermon didn’t strike anything in me. His faithfulness doesn’t depend on my feelings.

That’s what yesterday was teaching me. Not that I need to accept the ho-hum day, but that I can trust the Lord in it.

The Spirit was inviting me to show up anyway. The Lord’s quiet invitation was clear, this is a good morning, even though it didn’t deliver what I expected. Keeping my faith steady on a day when nothing clicks matters. He is there. He is just as present on a flat day as He is on a breakthrough one.

That’s the peace I was feeling and didn’t know it until I looked back at the day.

Your Turn

What spiritual experience are you waiting for that keeps you from trusting the Lord right now? What breakthrough are you holding out for that’s making you miss His faithfulness in an ordinary day?

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet Melanie

I Heard, I Questioned, I Checked Scripture

Not too long ago, I sat in church services and heard a pastor explain that Jesus simplified everything. The Ten Commandments, all the laws, all the instruction God had given through the centuries.

He was referring to Matthew 22:36-39, where a lawyer asks Yeshua which commandment matters most from the Torah. He says the greatest commandment is to love God with everything you have, and the second was to love others as you would love yourself.

We will get into this scripture more next week.

The pastor’s words did not confuse me, they bothered me. I understood what he was saying, but I had to ask him.

“Don’t you think the Lord would continue to spell things out for us? Why would He stop being specific about what He wanted us to do?”

He said Jesus was sent to make things easier.

I left that conversation a little concerned because I had heard it from other services as well. I carried this concern into this week’s reading.

This week clarified it for me. Yeshua did not come to make things easier. God sent Him to us to make things possible and to give us guidance through His light. God sent Him to continue the laws of Abraham and to fix how man had gone astray by building systems that looked like obedience but weren’t. The Lord didn’t abandon what He had written. He upheld it and lived it.

That matters now, in this season, because we have wisdom and knowledge, yet we can still build upon it.

In a Nutshell - This Week’s Summary

You’ll find this week’s scripture reading on the Yearly Path 2026 Schedule. Below is a quick summary of the scriptures for the week. Please pray, read, and do a deep dive where the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) takes you.

This week’s reading follows Yeshua at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7) where He declares Himself the Light of the world and speaks of living water and freedom through truth (John 8:12-59). When the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11), Yeshua refuses to condemn her but calls her to sin no more. He heals a man born blind (John 9), and when the Pharisees reject the miracle, the man’s faith deepens. Yeshua teaches that His sheep know His voice, and He lays down His life for them (John 10:1-21).

Throughout this section, Yeshua calls disciples to true obedience regardless of what it costs (Matthew 8:18-22, Luke 9:51-62). He sends out seventy (Luke 10:1-24), and they return rejoicing. He teaches through parables. The Good Samaritan shows mercy across division (Luke 10:25-37). Mary chooses to sit at His feet while Martha serves (Luke 10:38-42). The Lost Sheep and Prodigal Son reveal the Father’s joy over the repentant (Luke 15:1-32). He warns against hypocrisy and greed (Luke 11:37-12:12, Luke 12:13-21). He speaks of forgiveness without limit (Matthew 18:15-35) and the need for persistent prayer (Luke 18:1-14).

Through it all, Yeshua’s message remains clear. He came to fulfill what God established, not erase it. He calls all people, Jew and Gentile alike, into transformed relationship with Him.

Yeshua counseling a young, rich ruler is where I found myself digging deeper into this week’s scriptures.

The Commandments Jesus Upheld

A rich young ruler approaches Jesus and asks what righteous action or deed he needs to do in order to receive eternal life. Yeshua points back to the founding commandments from Moses.

So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17, NKJV)

“Which ones?” he said. Yeshua said, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 19:19-20, TLV)

“All these I’ve kept,” the young man said to Him. “What do I still lack?”
“Yeshua said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you own, and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving, for he had much property.” (Matthew 19:20-22, TLV).

The commandments stand. The Lord didn’t abandon them when He sent His Son. He upheld them and Jesus lived them.

What Your Foundation Actually Means

Growing up, I heard the Ten Commandments drilled into my head. It was the foundation of what the Lord commanded us to do, for obedience. Learning about Yeshua later didn’t erase that. It didn’t mean I forgot where I came from or what shaped me.

In this season of life, I’ve wondered if everything I built my life on has become obsolete. If the foundation I stood on matters anymore. If what I know is still relevant or if I’ve simply aged out of usefulness like outdated technology.

This week’s reading answered that for me. The foundation doesn’t expire. The Lord’s character doesn’t change because you’ve entered a new season. What you’ve learned, what you’ve kept, what you’ve built your life on doesn’t become trash because you’re no longer managing a household or raising children who depend on you.

It becomes the ground you stand on to go deeper.

The rich young ruler had his foundation. He’d kept the commandments, but he couldn’t move beyond them. The invitation wasn’t to throw away what he’d learned, it was to release his grip on what he thought would save him and follow the One who actually could.

For those of us in the second half of life, the commandments we learned still hold. The faithfulness we practiced still matters. The God we’ve followed through decades of seasons is still the same God. He hasn’t changed. He hasn’t decided we’re disposable.

He’s inviting us deeper, to know Him more fully and follow Him more closely. To hand over what we’ve been carrying and discover what He wants to do through us in this time.

Your Answer to His Call

This week’s reading left me pondering Jesus’ repeated calls to follow, believe, come to Him, and abandon all, regardless of the season. It’s not a one time choice, our roles change in His kingdom. Are we ready for these new roles and to follow Him?

Yeshua is the Light, showing us how to live out the commandments we’ve kept and need to keep. He is our example on how to live our life. By reading His Words and watching what He does, gives us a complete picture of how we should live too.

Will you hand over what you know and go deeper? Will you follow into what comes next, even when you’re scared because it’s new?

It may seem scary, but we can all do it.

Your Turn

What are you listening to that you need to clarify with the Word of God in this season?

Shalom and Blessings, Janet Melanie

Next week’s chronological scripture can be found in the 2026 Yearly Read.

I asked my mom to pray the other day over dinner. She hesitated, but didn’t back down from being put on the spot. She didn’t know what to do, she’d never prayed over a meal before on her own. I told her it didn’t matter what she said, just say it from the heart. She looked at me blank. I said, “Just thank the Lord for the food on your plate.”

She started to pray, then she stopped and said, “Oh, I don’t know, don’t they say the bracha over the bread for meals?” Then she said the prayer for the bread, uncertain if praying her own prayer was good enough. I told her it was perfect.

I thought, this is very cool. I also realized neither of us had been taught how to pray. Only how to recite prayers.

The Gift I Didn’t Know I Was Looking For

Thinking about this moment in my office, my new-to-me prayer books caught my eye. I’d found them at my mom’s house while I was helping her clean up earlier this summer. I kept returning to the bookshelves she thought had nothing important in them. As I dusted the books, I found several prayer books. Some had my name and my grandmother’s name in them. Plus, I found a Tanakh from the 1970s that nobody had ever read.

My mom told me I could have them, and it felt like I had found gold.

Looking at them, I realized I was now on a journey to understanding pray and prayer more deeply.

The Lord wasn’t just showing me something about my mom’s prayer life. He was inviting me into something I didn’t know I was searching for, my own prayer journey. I needed to weave the past with the present. The prayers of my heritage, connected to the faith I now hold in Yeshua as The Messiah.

When Tradition Meets the Heart

This is what I’m learning now about prayer. The prayers passed down from generation to generation are beautiful. They are a gift from the Lord, a reminder of Him and all His glory, and the people of Israel. Prayers I had said for years, without knowing why, had more meaning than I knew. I’m discovering the true meaning behind them one by one.

I’ve started studying what these traditional prayers mean and why we say them. I’m also connecting the prayers to the way I pray, to deepen my connection to the Lord. Do I have to pick one or the other? No, I’m discovering something the Lord keeps whispering to me: It’s okay to hold both.

The Light That Connected It All Together

Lighting the Shabbat candles was a tradition growing up, and as each of us girls became old enough, we learned to say the prayers at home. It was an honor to say them at Temple when asked. I didn’t always light the Shabbat candles as I was searching for Yeshua as an adult, but it was a habit I came back to again and again. Lighting them was comforting, and it always felt like home.

Even though I stepped away from specific prayers during my search, I never stopped praying from the heart.

Just recently, as I was lighting the Shabbat candles, something shifted in me. The candles and the light were more than a Bracha said week after week. The candles mean so much more. Those candles aren’t just tradition. They’re not just a beautiful ritual my family passed down.

Yeshua is the Light. He is the Light of the world. The Light that came into darkness. The Light we’ve been reaching toward in every generation of prayer, every blessing over bread, every moment we lit candles and said the words without understanding we were speaking toward Him.

The prayers I learned held something deeper. They weren’t separate from my faith in Yeshua. They were leading toward Him all along.

Learning to Pray

My prayers are very private to me. Some days all I do is talk to the Lord all day. Sometimes it’s a formal prayer, other times I’m just chatty. It’s comforting to have Him by my side no matter what. I’m still learning what came from the Word of the Lord and what came from men trying to help us get closer to Him. Those aren’t the same thing, and I’m working on honoring both tradition and my personal connection to the Lord.

Everyone learns to pray differently, and that is perfectly fine. To me, praying comes from the heart, from you to the Lord. You are asking for guidance, compassion, and the means to follow what the Lord intended for your life. Prayer is thanking the Lord from your heart for the things He gives you, for what He heals, your daily bread, knowledge, and the deepening relationship with Him.

Is a specific type of prayer different from praying? People might say that one uses a script and doesn’t come from the heart. Even if the intention was to help everyone grow closer to the Lord, it’s still orchestrated by man. The other comes from the heart, or does it?

Either way, when you take a specific prayer, learn its meaning and embrace the words into your heart, it becomes part of the special relationship you have with the Lord. One that is ever growing and becoming stronger. Just words without meaning or heart, scripted or not, are a one-way conversation. Lip service the Lord hears, but He’s waiting for your heart to become involved too.

This is one of the journeys I’m on now. I’m learning to reconcile my heritage’s prayers with my personal prayers to the Lord. Learning to let them live together. Figuring out the true meaning of the inherited prayers. Learning to add my own voice to generations of voices reaching toward Him.

The prayers were a gift. Learning to pray is the reward.

What About You?

Did you grow up with specific prayers too? Maybe a prayer at dinner that your family said together. The blessing at the holidays. The words you recited without thought, because that’s how it was always done. Those prayers carried a purpose, even if you didn’t understand it then.

Perhaps no one ever taught you to pray. Or the idea of praying directly to the Lord still feels unfamiliar, and you’re not sure where to start. Just start. Open your heart to the Lord and talk to Him. He will hear you.

You can start a conversation, grow a relationship, and create a partnership with the Lord for eternal life.

Where are you in your prayer and praying journey? Drop me a line, I’d love to connect and know.

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

Growing up Jewish, I was always asking why. My Jewish learning was thin, one year at an Orthodox elementary school, Friday night services, holidays, Sunday school, and my Bat Mitzvah lessons. We didn’t read the Tanakh at home. What guided us was what a tradition or a Rabbi said, current or historical, not the Word of the Lord itself.

In my twenties, when I leapt into the Christian world, I heard a version of the same instruction. Follow your pastor, your minister, your bishop or elder, depending on the sect. Something in me never sat right with this. I witnessed many people agreeing for the sake of agreeing, without digging into the Lord’s Word.

My current journey has been very clear, what did the Lord intend, and I seek truth through His Word. Sometimes I feel like I’m splitting hairs over what’s right and what’s not, over what the Lord truly intended. This week showed me that knowing the difference is exactly the point, and Yeshua was the one pointing it out. The Pharisees and scribes had built an entire system of tradition, and He didn’t call it wrong because tradition existed. Instead, He called it hypocrisy.

“You hypocrites! Yesha’yahu was right when he prophesied about you, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me. Their worship of me is useless, because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’” (Matthew 15:7-9, CJB)

It’s hypocrisy when your lips honor God but your heart is somewhere else, when worship turns into noise, and man-made rules get taught like they came straight from Him.

Tides are changing. People of the Lord are preaching, don’t follow me, my own pastor says, follow Jesus. Looking back, I can see that the Holy Spirit was guiding me to question.

In a Nutshell - This Week’s Summary

You’ll find this week’s scripture reading on the Yearly Path 2026 Schedule. Below is a quick summary of the scriptures for the week. Please pray, read, and deep dive where the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) takes you. Remember to follow the Lord’s Words every day, not just what you read or hear from someone else.

This week’s reading follows Yeshua as He feeds thousands with a few loaves of bread and fish, walks on the water, and heals those who come to Him. Through His actions He teaches that true uncleanness comes from the heart rather than outward traditions.

Peter boldly declares that Yeshua is the Messiah, and days later Yeshua takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain where He is transfigured before them. His face and clothes shine with glory, as Moses and Elijah appear speaking with Him. Peter, still processing what he’s seeing, offers to build three tabernacles, one for Yeshua, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them; and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” (Matthew 17:5, CJB)

The disciples begin learning that following Yeshua means living with humility, faith, and self-denial by placing His will above their own. Along the way, Yeshua continues to show compassion through miracles, including healing Gentiles and feeding another large crowd. These passages remind us that the Kingdom of God is revealed not only through power and miracles, but through transformed hearts, trust in the Messiah, and a willingness to serve others.

This is where I found myself digging deeper into this week’s Scriptures.

The Loophole They Called Devotion

The clearest example of what Yeshua was addressing appears in Mark 7. The command itself was never in question. “Honor your father and your mother” is one of the Ten Commandments. It could not be more straightforward.

What the Pharisees had built around the command was another matter.

They legalistically twisted a practice called Corban. A person could declare money or possessions as Corban, which was irrevocably dedicated to the Temple. Once that vow was made, those resources could never be used for anything else, not even to support an aging parent. The vow itself became the excuse. A son could look his mother in the eye and tell her he had nothing to give her, and by the letter of the vow, he was right. In reality, he had used a legalistic loophole to walk right past the very command he was supposed to be keeping, honoring God with his mouth while dishonoring his parents in practice.

“For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban” (that is, a gift to God),’ then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.” (Mark 7:10-13, NKJV)

This wasn’t a side issue for Yeshua. He named it directly, in front of everyone, as evidence that tradition had quietly replaced obedience while still wearing obedience’s clothes.

Enough of the Rules, Time to Live It

Most of us spent our earlier seasons keeping things running. You kept traditions because it made sense at the time. You kept peace at the table, kept everyone fed and on schedule, doing what needed doing without stopping to question it. There wasn’t always time to ask whether everything you did, learned, or heard came from the Lord or just from what worked.

This season is different. The home doesn’t rest on those same daily demands anymore. If something changes now, faith practices, Sabbath observance, how a holiday is celebrated, it doesn’t take the whole household down with it.

That’s not permission to discard everything that came before. Tradition itself was never the enemy in this story, only tradition that quietly took the place of what God actually intended. This season gives you room to finally ask the honest question, what did the Lord intend, and is that what I’m actually living out. It’s in your power to change anything that doesn’t fit once you know the answer.

Your Turn to Realign

Yeshua was very specific. Don’t let tradition or rules take the place of what the Lord intended. Keep that in mind throughout your day, but be careful with it too. You don’t have to throw out the life you’ve built or the traditions that bring you joy. The Lord isn’t in competition with them. Just don’t let tradition override what He intended.

What’s something you’re working on to draw closer to the Lord through what He actually intended? It could be small or large. I’m working on bringing Shabbat back the way it was meant to be kept, which means learning, growing, and searching out the truth through prayer and Scripture.

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet Melanie

You’ve been walking a road that doesn’t have a lot of company. Your faith doesn’t fit neatly into one tradition. Your season of life shifted in ways nobody prepared you for, and you’re still figuring it out.

Somewhere along the way, you started wondering if there’s a place where all of it belongs together. There is, and you’ve found it.

Whatever season of life you're in, you've found a place to grow in your relationship with the Lord through His Word as we journey together from Genesis to Revelation.

Who This Is For

This publication is for women making decisions nobody warned them were coming. Empty nesters figuring out what comes next when the kids are gone. Still working, semi-retired, retired, or never worked outside the home at all. Wherever you are, you’re still growing, still active, and finding your footing in territory no one mapped out for you.

It’s for women whose faith didn’t land where they expected. You stepped beyond simply accepting what you’d always been taught and began opening Scripture for yourself. You still appreciate traditions while learning the difference between what the Lord commanded and what developed over time.

If you’ve accepted Yeshua as the Messiah and desire a deeper relationship with the Lord, you’ll feel at home here. Whether your background is Jewish, Messianic, Christian, or somewhere in between, you’re welcome.

You don’t have to reshape yourself to fit someone else’s label. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve lived between two worlds and belonged to neither, you’re home.

Why I Created The Biblio Bridge

I grew up in a Jewish home, came to believe Yeshua is the Messiah, and spent years trying to understand how all the pieces fit together. I found myself appreciating the beauty of Jewish tradition while embracing Yeshua and following the Lord. Somewhere along the journey I stopped trying to fit into someone else’s box and started digging into Scripture for myself.

The Biblio Bridge grew out of that journey. My hope is to create a place where women can grow in their relationship with the Lord, embrace Yeshua as their Messiah and Savior, discover the richness of Scripture through its Jewish roots, and walk confidently wherever the Lord leads.

What You’ll Find Here

This is more than a 52-week Scripture study, though that’s where it starts. We're not simply reading through the Bible. We're growing in our relationship with the Lord as His story unfolds from Genesis to Revelation.

Each week we read through the Bible chronologically from Genesis to Revelation using the NKJV Chronological (New King James Version), the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible), and the TLV (Tree of Life Version) side by side.

To me, reading the Bible chronologically simply makes sense. Scripture is the Lord’s story, His teaching, and His history. Reading it in historical order allows the people, events, psalms, prophecies, and letters to unfold as they happened. When different biblical writers describe the same event or period of history, those passages are read together, providing a fuller understanding of what the Lord was doing at that time.

The reading cycle is divided into 43 sections, with weeks set aside throughout the year to dig deeply into the biblical feasts and holidays. Each Simchat Torah, celebrated in the fall, we return to Genesis and begin the journey again. Since the Hebrew calendar is lunar, the exact date changes every year. Each time through, we discover something new without skipping any part of the Lord’s Word.

Why Chronological?

I’ve always appreciated the Jewish rhythm of beginning and ending the yearly reading cycle with Simchat Torah each fall. I also admired the Christian encouragement to read through the entire Bible. Over the years I wanted something that brought those two approaches together.

Reading the Bible chronologically answered those questions for me. It allows Scripture to unfold as one continuous story while placing people, events, psalms, prophecies, and letters within their historical setting. It helps me see what was happening at the time each passage was written instead of reading everything in isolation.

This study reflects that journey. It follows the Jewish rhythm of beginning and ending with Simchat Torah, reads through the entire Old and New Testaments, and seeks to know Yeshua within His Jewish context while embracing Him as the Messiah. Then, each year, we begin again, allowing Scripture to build on itself with every reading and every passing year.

As we come to know the Lord more deeply through His Word, we begin to understand our own journey more clearly.

More Than a Bible Study

This journey is about more than reading Scripture.

Along the way you’ll also find articles that connect the Lord’s Word with the season of life many of us are living right now, whether that’s retirement, becoming grandparents, navigating change, cooking for a few, or discovering new purpose after decades of caring for others.

During the biblical feasts, the regular rhythm pauses for recipes, traditions, and deeper studies that explore both Scripture and history. Together we’ll discover what the Lord specifically commanded, what developed as Jewish and Christian tradition over the centuries, and why understanding the difference helps us appreciate both more fully.

You’ll also find Biblio Devotional Puzzle Books and Puzzle Sheets. Some are free, while others are available to paid subscribers. They’re designed to help you slow down, engage with Scripture, and enjoy the learning process.

Yeshua is at the center of everything we do. Growing in our relationship with Him isn't one part of this journey. It's the reason for it.

How to Read With Me

Reading the Bible chronologically isn’t as overwhelming as it may sound.

Start with 10 to 15 minutes a day, or even a few minutes at a time if that’s where you are right now. If reading is difficult, listen to the Bible instead. However you take it in, consistency matters more than speed.

Before you begin, pause and pray. Ask the Lord to guide your reading and open your heart to what He wants you to see that day. Some days you’ll simply continue through the story. Other days one verse may stop you in your tracks and lead you into a deeper study. Trust the Holy Spirit’s leading.

The goal isn't simply to finish another Bible reading plan. The goal is to walk with the Lord through His Word, growing in your relationship with Him one day at a time. Pray, read, ponder, listen, and keep moving forward.

You can find the full reading schedule here.

I can’t wait to walk this journey with you.

Shalom & Blessings,
Janet

Subscribe now

This page is your reference guide for the weekly Deeper Read studies. Here you’ll find the complete downloadable reading schedule along with the Scripture passages for each week’s study. As new Deeper Reads are published, the corresponding Scripture readings will be added here.

The newest week’s reading always appears first, making it easy to follow the current study, read ahead, or revisit previous weeks.

Our Reading Plan

Together we read through the Bible chronologically from Genesis to Revelation using the NKJV Chronological (New King James Version) as our primary reading Bible while comparing the CJB (Complete Jewish Bible) and the TLV (Tree of Life Version). Reading these three versions side by side often reveals details and connections that enrich our understanding of the Lord’s Word.

The reading plan is divided into 43 weekly sections, with additional weeks devoted to the biblical feasts and holy days. Each Simchat Torah, celebrated in the fall, we return to Genesis and begin the journey again. Reading through the Scriptures this way allows the people, events, psalms, prophecies, and letters to unfold within their historical setting, helping us see the Lord’s story as one continuous journey.

If you don’t own the NKJV Chronological Bible, don’t worry. Simply read the Scripture passages below in the order they’re listed using your preferred Bible translation. The references themselves are arranged chronologically, making them easy to follow in any version.

Before You Read

Before you begin, pause and pray. Ask the Lord to open your heart, guide your understanding, and show you what He wants you to see in His Word.

Some weeks you’ll simply follow the story as it unfolds. Other weeks a single verse may lead you into a deeper study or answer a question you’ve been carrying. Don’t feel like you have to understand everything the first time through. The goal isn’t to master every passage. The goal is to walk with the Lord through His Word, one day at a time.

Trust the leading of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh), enjoy the journey, and allow the Lord to reveal His Word in His perfect timing.

Reading Schedule

The readings below are listed in the order we’ll read them throughout the week. Each date corresponds to that week’s Deeper Read, making it easy to follow along, read ahead, or revisit a previous study.

July 16, 2026

John 7:1—52; John 7:53—8:11; John 8:12—59 John 9:1—41; John 10:1—21;
Matt. 8:18—22; Luke 9:51—62, Matt. 11:20—30; Luke 10:1—24; Luke 10:25—37;
Luke 10:38—42; Luke 11:37—12:12, Luke 12:13—21; Luke 12:35—59; Luke 13:1—9;
Luke 13:10—17; Luke 13:22—35; Luke 14:1—24, Luke 14:25—35; Matt. 18:10—14;
Luke 15:1—32; Luke 16:1—31, Matt. 18:15—35; Luke 17:1—10; Luke 17:11—19;
Luke 17:20—37; Luke 18:1—14, Matt. 19:1—15; Mark 10:1—16; Luke 18:15—17;
Matt. 19:16—30; Mark 10:17—31; Luke 18:18—30

July 8, 2026

Matt. 14:13—21; Mark 6:30—44; Luke 9:10—17; John 6:1—15; Matt. 14:22—33; Mark 6:45—52; John 6:16—21; Matt. 14:34—36; Mark 6:53—56; John 6:22—71
Matt. 15:1—20; Mark 7:1—23; Matt. 15:21—31; Mark 7:24—37; Matt. 15:32—39; Mark 8:1—10, Matt. 16:1—12; Mark 8:11—26; Matt. 16:13—28; Mark 8:27—9:1;
Luke 9:18—27; Matt. 17:1—13; Mark 9:2—13; Luke 9:28—36
Matt. 17:14—23; Mark 9:14—32; Luke 9:37—45; Matt. 17:24—18:9; Mark 9:33—50; Luke 9:46—50

Here’s a funny thing that happens when you come back to a scripture passage at sixty that you read earlier in your life, no matter how many times you’ve read it before. The words haven’t changed, but they feel different because you have. You’ve grown in your spiritual life, or maybe you’ve simply realized you want more of what the Lord offers. Either way, the same words suddenly hold a meaning you never saw before.

If you ask two people to explain the same passage, you’ll get different answers. The same is true when you read scripture at different stages of your own life. The words themselves don’t change, but what you take from them does. The young woman raising babies finds one truth inside those same words. Years later, watching those same children leave home, she finds another. The woman standing in the second half of her life, having raised her children, kept a home, and seen the world a little differently, finds something else entirely in the very same page. Your journey doesn’t distort the words of scripture. It deepens your access to what they mean for you right now.

This is how the text was always meant to work. The Word meets you where you are, giving you what you are ready to receive and holding the rest until it’s time. Or until you’re ready.

Yeshua knew this. He built it into the parables on purpose, to help you grow, to help you learn, and to always walk besides you.

Why Yeshua Told Stories

Sacred stories called parables fill the pages of Scripture and grew from the everyday life of that time. Truth lived inside them in a form you could hold onto, pass down, and return to throughout your lifetime. Long before anyone could read, stories were how truth traveled from one generation to the next, using words everyone knew and was easy to remember.

Yeshua understood this deeply. He chose parables rooted in the everyday lives of His listeners, such as farming, fishing, vineyards, and wedding feasts. When the exact scripture fades from memory, the story stays behind. You may forget the chapter and verse, but you will never forget the farmer who went out to sow his seed.

The disciples noticed Yeshua taught the crowds differently than He taught them, and they wanted to know why. They asked Him directly:

“And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Matthew 13:10, NKJV

Yeshua answered them as follows:

“And He told them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, everything is in parables, so that
Seeing, they may see and not perceive,
and hearing, they may hear and not understand,
so they may not turn back and be forgiven.’” (Mark 4:11-12, TLV)

The parable of the sower is one of the most preached parables of our time. A farmer scatters seeds on the different types of ground. Some land on rocky ground, sprout quickly, then wither from shallow soil and heat. Some tumbles into thickets where weeds grow tall enough to swallow it whole before bearing fruit. The remaining seeds finds fertile soil, producing grain far beyond one’s expectation.

Yeshua walked His disciples through every detail of that particular parable because they needed the full explanation at that point in their journey.

The chronological Bible makes an important point, instead of reading meaning into every detail, understand the lesson of the story as a whole first. Let the story or lesson become something you hold dear in your heart and soul. Then go back and pull the pieces apart for a deeper understanding.

Yeshua ended the parable of the sower with a personal invitation that grows as we grow:

“Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!” Mark 4:9, CJB

Not everyone will hear His words the same way. Some will gain a deep understanding of the first read. Others will grasp a general meaning, then in time embrace something deeper in His words. As you grow and are ready to understand more, you’ll hear more from reading the scriptures. As your world shifts, so does the depth of your understanding of His Word.

Yeshua designed the parables to reach people at different depths, depending on where they are in life. The invitation is not a onetime offer. It stays open for your entire life. Every time you return to scripture, you may hear something you could not hear before.

The Encounters Were Parables Too

This week’s reading doesn’t stop at the parables themselves. Yeshua’s actions were parables too. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded what He did so that we would have more than His words to learn from. We would have His life. The things He did, the people He stopped for, the ones He touched, the moments He acted when He could have walked past, all of this is teaching. All of it offered a story worth remembering and passing down.

A Roman soldier who trusted more than most of Israel had. A hemorrhaging woman reaching through a crowd, believing that touching the hem of His garment would be enough. A man lying beside the healing waters at Bethesda for thirty-eight years with no one to carry him in. A father watching his twelve-year-old daughter stop breathing. Every one of those is a parable in motion. He is always teaching, just not always with words.

The older we get, the more we recognize the importance of living out the lessons the parables teach. We must live by His words and speak His words, but we must also take action as Yeshua would.

There is one more thing people easily overlook. It is not enough to say the right words. You must watch the tone behind them too. When you speak without a gracious and intentional tone, without love backing every word, people will not hear what you meant to give them. Yeshua knew this too.

What You Weren’t Ready to Hear Then

So many of us have followed the Lord for years and thought we understood what He was teaching. We thought we were going in the direction He pointed us in, and we were. That was the right direction for that season. Now we arrive at a different place, with a fresh perspective, journeying with the Lord in ways we could not before.

We have read the passages, known the stories, carried the verses in our hands all these years. Then we arrived at this part of life, and something cracked open within us. It might be a loss, a transition, an identity we are questioning, or doubt creeping into places where certainty once lived. That is when a passage we have read or heard a hundred times before suddenly carries meaning we never saw before, as if the words were written just for where we stand today.

Do not mistake that cracking open for failure. Many things may feel unsettled in this unfamiliar part of your life because it is uncharted territory. We adjust as we grow. Grief, uncertainty, and a certain distance from ourselves can surface. That is not a sign anything has gone wrong. That is growth unfolding in real time.

This season offers you something earlier seasons could not. You bring to the Word every hardship you have endured, every lesson earned, every moment of faithfulness and failure woven into your story. That is precisely the soil the seed was waiting for. Yes, you are ready.

“However, what was sown on rich soil is the one who hears the message and understands it; such a person will surely bear fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23, CJB)

You are in the exact season of growth meant for you, and the Lord honors you for your openness.

Your Turn

The parables are everywhere this week. Yeshua wrapped truth in stories drawn from everyday life so that when you were ready, really ready, the meaning would find you. Not the meaning you understood at thirty, or the one that carried you through raising your children, but the one that belongs to this season, this version of you, this soil.

What truth has He been wrapping in a story just for you?

Let me know in the comments below.
Shalom and Blessing,
Janet

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most recognized passages in all of Scripture.

Most people, believer or not, have heard something from it such as: Blessed are the meek. Turn the other cheek. Do not worry about tomorrow. These words have echoed through centuries, cultures, and countless lives. The Lord didn’t give them to us just once.

He gave them to us over and over again.

When I sat down with this week’s readings, I recognized many passages before I finished the first line. I had read the Lord’s Prayer more times than I could count and said it even more than that. The Sermon on the Mount felt like ground I’d covered before. My first instinct was to move through it quickly and get to the other side.

I didn’t, and I’m glad.

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The Kingdom Arrives

Jesus’s public ministry began with an urgency that people couldn’t ignore.

From each of these men we learned about Jesus’ ministry again and again.

From the very beginning, this kingdom broke every boundary including social, physical, and religious. The ministry didn’t come to the expected people in the expected places. Instead it came to fishermen on a lakeshore, to a leper no one would touch, and to a paralyzed man lowered through a roof by desperate friends. In Capernaum, Jesus taught with authority and drove out an unclean spirit in the synagogue and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Yeshua traveled throughout Galilee preaching and healing every disease, touching the untouchable, seeing the invisible, and forgiving the unforgivable.

The religious establishment watched, then resisted, then plotted. The Sabbath controversies began as Jesus allowed His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath and healed a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. The Pharisees conspired with the Herodians to destroy Him. Jesus withdrew, yet crowds still followed. He healed them all then went up on the mountain and called the twelve by name.

The broken and the outcast rushed toward Him. The establishment clenched its fists, because Yeshua had broken their rules and they could not stop Him.

The Same Story, Told Again and Again

As I started reading this section of the chronological scriptures, I kept reading words I’d heard over and over again. How Yeshua healed, where He healed and when He healed. The words were so familiar, yet I was missing a point. This was the first time I’d read the Bible chronologically, and that changed everything I was concentrating on. Not only did I gain some historical perspective, I could also see John, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all giving the same information. Sometimes, with a slightly different point of view or choice of words. Sometimes with almost identical language.

Then it hit me. Each of these men was talking to a completely different group of people.

Matthew wrote to Jewish believers to prove Yeshua is the promised Messiah. Mark wrote to Gentile Romans, reflecting Peter’s accounts, fast-paced and action-focused. Luke wrote to Gentiles, framing Yeshua’s life in careful historical narrative. John wrote to all believers, Jewish, and Gentile, with a theological aim: believe and have eternal life.

I stopped and asked myself why the Lord would be so specific. Why tell us the same story through four different people, to four different audiences, in four different voices?

That question became personal. I’ve been on my own journey of learning to know and walk with Yeshua, sitting with the Hebrew roots of my faith and letting that language open new doors through Scripture. There have been moments when using both sets of words felt a little foreign and uncomfortable. Yet they fit together for me. Reading these passages this week felt like an answer to prayers. The Lord didn’t send one voice to reach everyone. He sent four different men, from four different backgrounds, writing in four different styles, to four different audiences, all carrying the same truth. He knew people arrive at His Word through different doors, using different words, from different places, and different people. The Lord built it this way on purpose.

While I was searching for the truth in verbiage, I stopped feeling like I was supposed to pick one set of words. I started feeling like I had arrived exactly where He intended me to, on His time.

The Lord is not content to speak once and hope it lands. Like a good father, He says what needs to be said as many times as it takes, in as many ways as it takes, until every single one of His children hears it. He arranged four voices, four audiences, four sets of language, so that no one could say that the message wasn’t for them.

So many times we read these familiar verses and skim right over them. You’ve heard this before. This deeper read asks you to slow down, and take a minute. When you do, each man’s account sits next to the others, and you can see how Jesus walked the earth, healing bodies, minds, and souls, saying the same things over and over again, in ways you never noticed when the Gospels were read separately.

He Reiterated It So We Would Learn

The Lord didn’t speak once and walk away. He didn’t say, “I already covered this.” He said it again and again through Matthew’s pen, Mark’s pen, Luke’s pen, and John’s. He said it in the synagogue, on the hillside, by the well, and on the shore. He said it to crowds of thousands and to one woman sitting alone in the heat of the day.

Each man captured a different piece of what the Lord was doing in this season.

No buildup. No long introduction. Just the announcement landing like a stone in still water.

The kingdom wasn’t just an announcement. Yeshua walked up to one person at a time and offered it directly to them. You are that one person.

The kingdom He described demanded more from the inside and excluded no one from the outside.

From there the teaching expands outward. He instructs on prayer, on worry, on generosity, on judgment. He tells His disciples not to chase after the things the nations chase, because their Father already knows what they need.

Trust isn’t something that happens to you. It’s something you choose, usually when you can least afford not to. You keep choosing it because somewhere along the way, He proved Himself true.

He calls us to that trust repeatedly across all four accounts. He closes with the image that holds it all together.

The house didn’t stand because someone read, studied, and understood the Word of the Lord. It stood because someone lived them.

This is how the kingdom actually works. It’s not about rules, religion, or checking the right boxes. It’s about what shifts on the inside when you finally let the Lord’s Word in and then it starts working its way out. The Lord knew we’d need to hear it more than once before we’d really let it in. Then multiple times after whenever we were in doubt.

The Takeaway

Scripture is not a checklist. It’s alive and meets you differently depending on where you are standing, the times in your life, and your experiences. The disciples who walked with Yeshua heard Him teach the same truths in different towns, to different crowds, in different words. We have four Gospel writers for the same reason. The Lord is not being repetitive without reason. He is being relentless because He knows how hard it is for the human heart to truly receive something the first time. Plus, keeping it in our hearts for all eternity.

If you have read these passages before, read them again. If a truth feels familiar, stay with it longer. If you have heard a message twenty times, ask why The Lord keeps bringing it back around.

It’s never one and done with the Lord.

The Lord will give you His lessons as many times as it takes regardless of what stage of life you’re in.

For Reflection

Which of the four Gospel writers speaks most clearly to your current season of life? Are you needing the urgency of Mark, the history of Luke, the fulfillment of Matthew, or the deep theology of John?

Drop a comment below. I’d love to hear which voice is calling to you right now.

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

Six Hours to Insight

Shortly before our trip, I had finished reading this week’s scripture passages, which are listed below. My mind was filled with the Word of the Lord, but I didn’t know what direction to write about. Usually as I am praying and reading I know a little bit of the direction of my weekly scripture journey. Not this time. My trip became the journey that connected this week’s scriptures.

As we drove, I noticed the differences on how we approached a journey. My husband drove while I navigated. We listened to the radio, sang along, laughed at roadside signs, and talked about family, the garden, and our future. He’d point out cool things in the sky and the landscape, while making fun of road signs along the way.

I kept my eyes on the GPS and road signs. I spent time looking up random facts like checking if a singer was still alive, verifying songwriters, or confirming dates of different songs. Plus checking on the weather, and my email. Sometimes on long stretches I’d sneak a little nap. During my rests I’d think about what we would do when we got to our destination, or home again.

I realized during this trip how differently we engaged with life. My husband savored the journey itself, while I waited for the destination by staying distracted. Through conversation with my husband, I realized my mother represents a third way of traveling through life. She is neither present in the moment nor waiting for the destination. She simply reports on her surroundings and recounts stories of something she remembers that connects with something else randomly.

This isn’t something new as she’s aged, it’s just how she’s gone through life. These roles mirrored the scriptures I’d been reading, revealing how the Lord invites us to walk in the present moment and walk with Him.

The Navigator in the Seat

For much of my life, I lived the role of Navigator without even knowing it. The day my sister arrived, and I was nine, marked the beginning. From then on, I made sure she was entertained, cared for, shielded from harm, and of course spoiled. I kept anything crazy going on in our house away from her, and I kept that up until I left for college. Even then, I’d come home whenever she needed me, whether that meant picking her up, helping with homework, or just being there. Whenever my father fell ill, I made sure he was okay. I helped him in his business, made sure his prescriptioned were filled, and checked on him when he was resting.

Every job I held as an adult was the Navigator in nature. I helped in a pharmacy ensuring medications didn’t conflict with each other, was a nanny, a teacher, trainer, a techie who fixed a farm’s technology from phones to website to sales. I became the “let’s figure out how to make something work” person for everyone.

Life promoted me to wife, mom, homesteader, and now a partial caregiver for my mom when she is with us. Today I grow food for us and others to make sure what we eat is clean and healthy. Being a navigator isn’t my identity, it’s just what I’ve always done.

A Navigator makes sure everything and everyone is okay. They ensure everyone is doing what they need to do to progress. They look at the map and point out the turns before the driver even sees the bend in the road. The Navigator doesn’t always listen, not because they’re being rude, but out of habit, always being a few steps ahead, ensuring everything runs smoothly. They don’t exactly enjoy the journey, but they don’t realize they’re missing it either.

And Yeshua grew both in wisdom and in stature, gaining favor both with other people and with God. (Luke 2:52, CJB)

This verse reminds me that even the Lord moved through stages rather than rushing to the finish line. He did not skip childhood to get to adulthood, nor did he bypass human growth to avoid learning. He allowed time to do its work, trusting the process rather than trying to navigate the outcome.

The Trap of the Reporter

My mother is living with us for the next four months or so. Besides daily tasks, we help her with physical therapy so she can regain strength and return home independently. I’ve noticed that she and her friends don’t actually have conversations with each other. She doesn’t have conversations with us either.

They simply take turns recounting their days, pains, and scenerios around them. They add explanations for why they can’t do things, weaving narratives from separate situations into a conversation. On the surface, it looks like conversation, yet it isn’t. It’s two people sharing a space while holding entirely separate conversations. One reports actions, then the other reports theirs. Nothing interweaves except superficial pleasantries like, “How are you doing?” and “Oh, that’s nice.”

They never ask, “How does that make you feel?” or “What does that mean for us?” They don’t seek to connect with the person or the situation. They are merely reporting data, they are disconnected from each other. The Reporter offers updates but constructs no bridges.

Is this the true isolation of aging, or maybe it isn’t aging at all. My mother has lived this way her whole life. To me it signals a false togetherness, two people occupying the same space while living entirely separate lives and realities.

The Companion Difference

Then there’s my husband. He showed me what Companionship looks like without naming it. On that six-hour drive, he was fully present. He pointed out clouds, laughed at roadside signs, and sang off-key to familiar songs. He wasn’t trying to fix the route or report mileage. He rode beside me, sharing moments through the miles.

This is what I’ve been missing. The Companion doesn’t navigate the road ahead but walks the road that’s here. They don’t report the day, they live it with you. With the Companion, the journey itself becomes the destination.

“He said to them, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and remained with him the rest of the day — it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.” (John 1:39, CJB)

Yeshua didn’t offer a map or forecast of what lay ahead. He simply invited His followers to walk with Him and be part of the moment together. This invitation captures the heart of companionship. The focus isn’t on predicting or forcing the future, but on experieincing the now along side each other.

Waiting in the Silence

This realization of Navigator, Reporter, and Companion mirrored the tension in the book of Daniel. In chapters 7-10, Daniel is desperate for answers. He sees visions of beasts and kings and asks,

Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” (Dan. 12:8, NKJV)

He wants a roadmap with turn-by-turn directions and a clear destination, because sitting in the uncertainty of not knowing is unbearable.

The answer he receives is not directions, but a command to walk.

“But you, go your way till the end. You will rest and then at the end of days you will arise to receive your portion.” (Dan. 12:13, TLV)

The Lord refused Daniel’s report request. He gave him a journey. We don’t always need to know the outcome, especially when we serve the Lord. We need to be present in the walk. The silence between promise and fulfillment isn’t empty space, it is where faith lives.

I held onto my farm job for two years because I was afraid of losing access to food. I was navigating the supply chain, worrying about potatoes. When I finally stepped away, volunteer potatoes sprouted in manure piles where I never planted a thing. My daughter found sources nearby. Provision came not because I controlled the harvest, but because I was finally just walking instead of steering.

That's what this week's readings kept showing me. The Lord doesn't fix things from the outside and He doesn't send lightning bolts. He enters them quietly and softly. A baby laid in a manger. A voice crying in the wilderness. A Word made flesh, walking in the same dust we walk in.

Being a Companion to Yeshua Gives You Freedom

This changes everything for me. Following Yeshua was never just about reaching a destination, and He was never a Reporter broadcasting instructions from a safe distance. That means I can stop trying to navigate His path or file progress reports. I can just walk beside Him.

Freedom comes when I realized He’s already here. He’s not waiting for me to get it right before He shows up. He’s already walking beside me in the ordinary moments, in the dirt of the day, living it with me.

“I am no longer calling you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. Now I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I selected you so that you would go and produce fruit, and your fruit would remain. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name.” John 15:15-16

Yeshua doesn't command from a distance or broadcast updates from afar. He calls us friends and walks with us into whatever is ahead. That friendship removes the pressure to perform. I'm free to be present, to fail, to learn, and to grow alongside Him.

Learning to Walk With Each Person

This freedom extends beyond my walk with the Lord. It’s changing how I show up for the people who matter most, though I’m still learning what that looks like in each relationship.

With my mother, I’m working on letting her be happy in her way of reporting. She’s lived this way for years and fixing her approach won’t bring peace. I’m learning to encourage her and laugh at her stories instead of trying to navigate her path or correct her course. Just sitting beside her and sharing the moment is enough.

With my children, I’m trying to listen more, though the dynamic differs from friendship. A boundary remains between parent and child, a guiding hand that stays present even when I hold back advice. I don’t demand status updates or pressure them for information. I allow them to come to me when they are ready. I’m working on not interrupting with wisdom before they finish speaking and watching as they make decisions good and bad. I stay close, yet give them space, offering support without taking control.

With friends, I’m reminding myself this is a two-way street. We both navigate and report and need space to be fully heard. I stop to listen, for I’m truly interested in what they are saying, and they need to feel my commitment to them in this way. Companionship means holding the same weight, not carrying them alone or letting them carry me.

With my husband, I’m learning to be a helpmate walking beside him. On that long drive, he showed me that companionship lives in the shared miles, not the arrival. I’m pointing out the clouds with him now instead of watching the GPS alone.

I haven’t arrived at any of this. I’m on the road, and that’s exactly where Yeshua meets all of us.

In your daily life, are you more of a Navigator, a Reporter, or a Companion and which one do you most want to be?

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

The Unanswered Question

The older I get, the more I realize there’s scripture, tradition, human rules, and the Lord’s intent. What was the Lord’s intent on giving us the Sabbath?

In Genesis it was the sixth day and all was good, then there was the 7th and the Lord rested.

“God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.” (Genesis 2:3, CJB)

He gave people a day for rest, yet He never defined it. Most of us at some point miss the point behind this. The seventh day produced something invisible, rest itself.

When the Lord blessed the day, He gave the day itself the power to produce something in whoever enters it. The day is not just a placeholder on a calendar. It has value and importance.

Think about it this way. Each day the Lord created something concrete and specific such as light, day, food, people, and more. The seventh day produced holiness, restoration, and peace.

A Sanctuary That Arrives

The Sabbath stands apart from rules, rituals, and religion because it’s a sacred window of time appointed by the Lord. Unlike a holy place you physically travel to, this sanctuary arrives at your doorstep every week. The day itself is active, not passive. It does something to you when you step into this dimension. This day invites you to exit the relentless grind of productivity while shifting your focus from what you produce to who God is. Observing it transforms you with deep rest, fresh perspective, and renewed trust in the Lord. True value emerges when you live in a rhythm designed around His presence.

How do we define work for ourselves?

Our Shared Memory

Growing up, and when I say this I’m still growing up in the ways of the Lord. I’ve experienced the Jewish Friday Sabbath observance, the Saturday Orthodox, and the Christian Sunday version. I’ve also lived the version of it’s the weekend where you do what you want. Everyone has their own version of rest and the Sabbath.

It doesn’t matter where you come from. You know about that one day where you get the day off from work. If it’s called the Sabbath, Shabbat, Sunday, Saturday, or just a day off, you know about it from your childhood even if you didn’t walk in the way of the Lord. It was the day your working parent(s) had off and they either did nothing in your eyes, worked around the house, or it was time where the family did fun stuff they didn’t do the rest of the week. That was the key, a day or so when you did something you didn’t do the rest of the week. When you started school, Saturday and Sunday were your days off. You learned there was a break in the schedule regardless of what it was called.

There are so many questions about the Sabbath, like which day is it, when does it start, and is it necessary? Some calendars start on Monday, some on Sunday. If you go by scripture how do you know what the 7th day truly is?

People think they need rules from others throughout their lives. Around the Sabbath there are plenty of rules. They depend on who you talk to, what you read, what their perspective is, what scripture they quote, and how they define it.

In the beginning, the Lord provided a day specifically for us to pause and recoup, honoring both Him and our own needs. To skip this rest is to invite sickness into our lives, something the Lord never intends for His children.

Honoring the Intent

The same question returns again and again. How should you honor the Sabbath?

“So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from his. Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11, CJB)

As you discover what Sabbath rest looks like for you, know that I am walking this same path. Our understanding and obedience shifts over time.

Is it a specific day, a way of living, a scripture, or something else entirely? The Lord never provided a complete definition, yet we know He paused His work to reveal the power of rest. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, demonstrating that health and compassion matter on this day just as much as any other. The Sabbath means far more than simply stopping work.

“Then He said to them, ‘Shabbat was made for man, and not man for Shabbat.’” (Mark 2:27, TLV)

As you look at your Sabbath rest, pray and ask the Lord to show the way to being mindful to His intentions and respectful to His word. You will need to define the Sabbath for yourself and what it looks like.

Maybe it’s slowing down. Maybe it’s visiting people you normally don’t see. Maybe it’s creating a quilt for the needy. Going to church or synagogue, reading scriptures a little more deeply, or just taking time to sit and listen to the Lord.

Sometimes the Sabbath means just stopping and healing. Finding the way the Sabbath fits in your life will take time as you dive into scripture, pray, and meditate. As you decipher between religion, rules, and what the Lord intended, you’ll become strong in all aspects of your walk with Yeshua.

My Practical Journey

My journey to a more mindful Sabbath started with what I’m not going to do, instead of what I was going to do. Sometimes I find stopping things makes room for where my journey needs to go. I’m not baking or cooking from scratch on the Sabbath. These activities give me great joy, but I’m exhausted at the end of the day. I do not consider them work, yet the exhaustion doesn’t allow me to sit in the moment and relax. We will still have a healthy meal, it will just be simple, and the baking preparations will be done the day or two before.

I’ve also begun mindfully bridging the knowledge of my childhood with the beliefs of my adulthood to create a more cohesive Godly Sabbath day. I’ll need to decide which traditions are important and which have been a burden. I realize that finding this right balance requires prayer, time, listening, and doing. This practice is bringing spiritual, mental, and physical health together. The lessons I’ve learned are already spilling over into the rest of my week for a calmer, more enjoyable, more intentional, and more productive life.

Join me each week through Substack Notes and Posts as I look at different aspects of Shabbat.

What are you doing to fulfill the intent of the Lord this Sabbath?
Let me know in the comments.

Remember to always search for what the Lord intended through scripture.

Shabbat Shalom
Janet

He Is Already Beside You

Where the Word Took Me This Week

For two years I knew it was time to leave my job on an organic farm. The Lord kept nudging me toward something else, but I held on because of the food. Working there meant I never had to worry if my garden had a bad season. I had access to everything I needed for my kitchen and pantry, every single day.

My last bargaining chip with the Lord was potatoes. We eat a lot of them and never grow quite enough on our own. I finally grabbed onto the faith that He would take care of it and walked away. I was trusting Him, but I won’t pretend I wasn’t nervous. Every time I walk out to the garden now, it feels like He’s nudging me and saying, see I told you?

Not only do we have a source for organic potatoes near our daughter’s house, but volunteer potatoes are sprouting in places we’ve never planted them, including in piles of manure turned soil we haven’t used yet. The Lord didn’t just meet the need. He exceeded it and made me laugh doing it. What I thought I needed to manage, He was already tending.

This week’s scripture reading.

Epoch 7, approximately 332–37 BC, moving into the opening of Epoch 8, approximately 37 BC–AD 6.

If you don’t have the Chronological NKJV, that’s fine. Read the above scriptures in the order they are listed in any version you prefer. I use the NKJV, CJB, TLV, and cross-reference with other versions. Words do matter, especially when they help you connect with the Lord.

Before you read…

Stop and pray to the Lord, ask Him to guide you to exactly where He wants you to dig deep. Some weeks you’ll read for an overview of scripture. Other weeks you’ll go down amazing rabbit holes for answers and directions. While other weeks one verse will stop you cold in your reading, guiding you to find answers and more. Trust the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) within you. Follow the Lord’s lead.

This week’s passage summary.

Daniel is receiving visions he cannot fully understand. He sees beasts, kingdoms rising and falling, and a timeline that stretches far beyond his own life. He wants a report, a clear roadmap of how it all ends. What he gets instead is a command to keep walking. The Gospel passages open on the other side of that long silence, with John the Baptist preparing the way, the birth of Yeshua, and the early years of His life unfolding quietly and unhurried.

These scriptures show a God who does not skip steps. He moves through childhood, wilderness, and preparation before anything begins to look like arrival.

Wednesday June 17th, I’m diving deep into what these passages reveal about the difference between navigating your life, reporting on it, and actually walking through it with the Lord.

Read along this week and join me in the chat if you have anything you’d like to discuss.

What’s something you held on to a little too long because it felt like security — and what did you find on the other side when you finally let go?

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

The readings this week focus on spiritual drift, true repentance, obedience, Sabbath faithfulness, and moving beyond religious routine into active participation in God's work.

Turning to the Lord

How many times have you gone to the Lord after doing everything you thought He wanted you to do? You went through the motions. You showed up, yet you didn’t follow through. You sat in the seat, bowed your head, said your prayers, read the scriptures, yet your heart wasn’t in it. Somewhere in the back of your mind you’re waiting for the Lord to notice and respond the way you think He should. You think you did your part, now it’s His turn. The Lord always keeps His Word, yet you must meet Him, for He is waiting on you to keep your word too.

This is the trap of treating arrival as the destination. You reach the milestone, cross the threshold, and then you wait. You pretend the hard part is over. The children are grown, the career is winding down, and you assume that everything will just fall into place. It feels like the Lord isn’t speaking to you anymore. The silence you hear is not abandonment. The Lord has more for you to do, but changes may need to happen.

The people of Jerusalem knew this space intimately. They returned from exile believing they were home. The walls were rebuilt, the temple was standing, and the law had been read aloud in the streets. By every external measure, they had arrived. Yet they kept the old ways, even after they had learned the truth of the Lord. Everything that worked outside the walls would not work inside them. The rules were different, and the Lord expected His Word to be followed once it was heard. Yet in a short time the people forgot the lessons of tithing, the Sabbath, covenant faithfulness, and all that the Lord had taught them. The people thought arriving in Jerusalem was enough to gain their blessings. It was not. They needed to follow the Lord’s direction, yet they did not want to change their ways.

When the Old Habits Return

In Nehemiah 13, the leader sees firsthand what spiritual drift looks like. Returning to Jerusalem after an absence, Nehemiah found that much of the spiritual restoration had begun to unravel. The same habits that had defined previous generations were quietly returning.

They heard His word but it never truly sank in because it was not yet second nature. When leadership left, the people returned to what felt familiar and comfortable instead of staying true to what they had learned from the Lord. They reverted to old ways because sometimes familiarity feels safer than faithfulness. This is human nature. We drift back to what we know whether it aligns with the Lord or not, until the new becomes second nature.

It’s very easy to do this in our everyday life. We become comfortable with how life has been, often choosing the familiarity of the known over the discomfort of the next step. For the people of Jerusalem, this meant forgetting the Lord’s presence and desecrating the Temple and Sabbath by prioritizing business over worship.

Do you find yourself doing the same thing in your new season? Are you so comfortable where you were that you hesitate to step into what the Lord wants next? You may not be forgetting God’s Word, but you might be failing to act on it. When you’re feeling the pinch, you ask the Lord for guidance, but aren’t recognizing the answer.

The Fast That God Ignored

In Isaiah 58, the people were going through the motions. They were fasting, praying, heads bowed, sackcloth on, with the outward performance of complete repentance. Yet they remained frustrated because the blessings they believed were due to them never arrived. They asked the Lord directly why He wasn’t noticing everything they did or responding to their cries. The problem was clear. The people showed up to perform religious rituals, but they did not follow the Lord’s commandments.

The people ask the Lord directly and He answers.

The ritual is there, yet the transformation is not. God is telling them plainly that one without the other is noise. Then He tells them what He actually wants His people to do.

This is not a spiritual metaphor. They are physical acts requiring physical effort directed at real people with real needs. Here’s the honest question I have for you. When you walk past something uncomfortable, how do you know if it’s your test or theirs? It’s easy to tell yourself the Lord will provide for that person or that He will send someone else. Maybe He sent you and you kept walking by pretending not to see how you can help. You have knowledge from a lifetime of learning, allow the Lord to use you as He sees fit in this season of your life.

Showing up to fast while ignoring the person starving outside your gate is not fasting. Fasting without prayer, obedience, and an open heart to hear and carry out the Word of the Lord is not fasting, it’s starving. You’re starving your mind, body, and spirit of nourishment.

True healing happens when you move from watching to doing. It’s always there, waiting for your obedience. Once you step forward, you stop drifting through your new season like a guest and start restoring what is broken. You become someone who mends what’s shattered and builds the foundation for what comes next. You become a helper to the Lord in repairing His kingdom.

Showing Up Is Only the Beginning

There’s a version of faith that lives entirely in arrival, and another version that lives entirely in the past. I used to pray more. I used to read the Word every morning. I used to show up for people. It always ends the same way: I will get back to that soon. None of that is actionable faith, for it’s all waiting for something to happen without your participation. The simpler yet harder question you need to answer is what are you actually doing today?

Retirement is not the destination. Empty nesting is not the destination. Finding a new home is not the destination. Each of these is a beginning, an arrival into a season where the Lord has already given you direction. The question is whether you are willing to follow it or not. Yes, it can be scary, but with the Lord everything is possible.

These scriptures are not gentle about it. Arrival is not the same as participation, and hearing the truth creates responsibility for the truth. The people of Jerusalem heard the law read aloud, wept over it, and committed to it, yet they didn’t take actions that made the Lord’s work second nature.

Isaiah 58 is the clearest statement of this anywhere in Scripture. God is not hiding, and He’s not distant. He’s not withholding arbitrarily. He’s waiting for the fast to become real, for the bowed head to connect to the open hand, for the religious posture to match the daily life.

Arriving at the feast is not enough. You have to actually be there and participate.

Your Next Step

This week, ask the Lord to show you one area where you have been going through the motions without following through. Ask Him for direction on something very specific in your life. Take time to listen, especially if you do not like the answer. Then act on what He shows you.

Arrival is not the destination. It is the beginning of the next season.

What’s one area of your life right now where you’ve been sitting in arrival, and what might taking one small step forward actually look like for you?

Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

Here are the full scriptures for this week: June 3, 2026, NKJV Chronological Bible, CJB, and TLV: Neh. 6:15 — 7:73a, Neh. 7:73b — 10:39, Ps. 1, 91, 119, Neh. 11:1 — 12:30, Ps. 120 — 134; Neh. 12:31 — 47, Ps. 104, 107, 111 — 113)

In Nehemiah 6:15, the wall around Jerusalem was finally finished. Previously, the wall had been demolished and the gates burned to the ground. For over a century, the city remained exposed, with generations growing up scattered and uninstructed in the Lord’s Word. To the surrounding nations, a city without a wall was a city whose God had abandoned it, a visible disgrace carried by everyone who lived there.

Nehemiah was living in Persia was serving in the court of the Persian king. He had never seen Jerusalem himself, yet he knew of it. When his brother Hanani arrived with the report that the wall was still in ruins, Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed for answers and guidance. His prayers led the Persian king to give Nehemiah permission to rebuild the wall, beginning the restoration of the people as well. One man’s prayer resulted in the restoration of Jerusalem’s wall, the people’s return, a renewed emphasis on God’s Word, and the formation of a unified community.

A Wall Restored: A People Made Whole

The wall rising again around Jerusalem wasn’t just a construction victory. It marked the beginning of a people being restored to the fullness of what the Lord intended for them. We weren’t created to live starved of the things that sustain us. The Lord created us as whole people, and when any part of that wholeness goes unfed, whether spiritually, emotionally, communally, or even at the table, the entire person suffers. They weren’t just a city in ruins, they were people in ruins. What Nehemiah built with stone, God used to nourish everything else back to life. This section of Scripture shows exactly how He did it.

Spiritual Nourishment: The Word Returns

The first thing the Lord restored wasn’t the feast or the community. It was the Word of God. Once the wall was finished and the people were gathered, Ezra brought out the Torah and read it aloud from early morning until midday. The Levites moved through the crowd, explaining it as Ezra read, so that everyone understood the Word of the Lord. The people wept, not because the reading was sad, but because they were hearing it for the first time. That is what spiritual starvation sounds like when it finally meets nourishment. It doesn’t feel like relief right away. It feels like grief first then knowledge. Knowledge brings sadness first, then acknowledgement of the truth, which is freeing.

Nehemiah’s response to their weeping was genuine. He didn’t let them stay in the moment of grief.

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” (Nehemiah 8:9, NKJV)

He encouraged the people to gain nourishment for themselves and give to those with less.

“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’” (Nehemiah 8:10, NKJV)

The people’s hearts were filled with knowledge of the Lord, knowing He would show them the way forward.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105, TLV)

A lamp you always carry, not just one you pick up when it’s dark enough that you need light to see. The wall went up because the Lord built it. The Word of the Lord returned because He is the light to all truth.

The Word of the Lord is always open to you, regardless of where you are in life or how you got here. Grief, busyness, losing your footing in your own faith, or simply never having been taught, none of this closes the door permanently. The Lord stands in front of you with open arms waiting, and He meets you exactly where you are to help you move forward in His Kingdom.

Emotional Nourishment: Truth That Grieves and Then Grounds

Living without truth for an extended period of time creates a unique kind of hunger. You don’t know you’re hungry because you’ve never known what it felt like to be full. You just know inside something is missing.

When Ezra read the Torah and the people finally understood it, something broke open inside them. All the people wept when they heard the words of the Law for the first time. They were finally hearing truth, and they felt the Lord moving within them.

Truth unlocks grief before it grounds you in new knowledge. It reveals the gap between where you are and where you can be. A gap that can feel enormous when you first see it clearly. Yet the grief isn’t the end of the story and this pain isn’t the destination. It’s the clearing of the soul so that the joy of the Lord can take root.

"So they cried out to ADONAI in their distress, and He delivered them out from their troubles. He brought them out of darkness and deep gloom, breaking their chains." (Psalm 107:13-14, TLV)

Learning the truth about what you have missed is never a waste. It’s the beginning of being re-centered. You now know what you need and where to find it. That is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

If reading Scripture, sitting in worship, or a sudden wave of emotion has ever brought you to unexpected tears, you weren’t being dramatic. The Spirit was feeding you exactly what you needed from the Lord. He was opening your heart, now listen to Him.

Communal Nourishment: You Were Not Made to Rebuild Alone

After the weeping and the Word, God didn’t send the people home to sit quietly with what they had learned. He told them to go out, gather branches, build booths, and celebrate together. In Nehemiah 8:17 it says the feast hadn’t been celebrated like this since the days of Joshua. The entire community was eating, dwelling, and remembering together what God had done for their ancestors in the wilderness.

Scripture treats communal nourishment as essential, not optional. The feast includes everyone, not just the ones who were popular, outgoing, or worthy. It didn’t matter if you came with goods or were empty handed. He restores people through community.

“He raises the poor from the dust, lifts the needy out of the dunghill, to seat him with princes with the princes of His people.” (Psalm 113:7-8, TLV)

That lifting often happens through the hands of the people around you. If you have been doing your rebuilding alone, this is your permission to let someone stand beside you. Let the Lord use you and your community to uplift you and those around you.

Food and Feast: Nourishment at the Table

It’s easy to spiritualize the feast and miss that the Lord was actually telling his people to sit down, prepare good food, pour something sweet to drink, and enjoy it. This isn’t by accident.

""You water the mountains from your palace; the earth is satisfied with how you provide - you grow grass for the cattle; and for people you grow the plants they need to bring forth bread from the earth, wine that gladdens the human heart, oil to make faces glow, and food to sustain their strength." (Psalm 104:14-15, CJB)

Think about these verses. The Lord gave us wine to lift our spirits, oil to make us shine, and bread to give us strength. Even the grass for the cattle plays a part in feeding us. The Lord gave us more than survival food. He gave us these specific gifts so we could truly enjoy life and feel His strength."

“And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, to the house of the Lord.” (Nehemiah 10:35, NKJV)

By bringing the firstfruits to the Lord, the people acknowledged that everything they ate came from Him. This creates a powerful connection between the food on our table and the One who provided it. Food is not just sustenance, it’s a gift. When we receive it with gratitude, it changes everything about how we sit down to eat.

Eating is an act of worship. The feast is not a prize for getting our act together. It’s an important part of the relationship with the Lord. Thank Him for what He has put on your plate and the health that comes through it.

The Dedication: What Wholeness Sounds Like

Once the work was done, the people rejoiced loudly.

“Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off.” (Nehemiah 12:43, NKJV)

The nations that had mocked the rebuilding of Jerusalem and threatened the workers could hear the rejoicing. The wall wasn’t about stone or building materials. It was the frame God built so that everything inside it could be restored. That restoration sang out for all to hear the greatness of the Lord.

Where the Rebuilding Starts

Most of us are somewhere in the middle of this story. Maybe the Word has gone unread long enough that you have forgotten what you’re missing. Maybe you have been rebuilding alone. Maybe you’ve forgotten that eating well and being part of a community is a form of faithfulness. So many times as we age, we start to isolate ourselves because life has changed. This is your opportunity to reach out and be part of a community, even if it’s different than the one you’ve been part of before.

It may seem difficult or even impossible to be nourished in body, soul, and mind. Yet through the Lord we can. This week, connect with one person and share a meal, a snack, or a cup of tea. Start building relationships old and new for this time in your life.

Is there someone in your life right now who has been rebuilding alone — and what’s one way you could share a meal or a moment with them this week?

Until next week,
Shalom and Blessings,
Janet

My brain said quit. My heart said this is too hard, I have no idea where to go or what to do. The Lord said wait. “I’m not done and you’re not quite ready to go, and then we will go together.” This settled it, Biblio Bridge wasn’t going to stop, but it did need a break which is what’s happened for the past six weeks. The Lord was loud, He was clear, and I promised I would listen the best I could.

When the Lord says wait, you don’t get to walk away. He didn’t say stop or go, He said wait. Which means figuring out what He actually wants you to do. For me wait meant sitting with some things I’d been avoiding. Wait meant letting Him show me what I wasn’t yet ready to see. I didn’t know how long it was going to take, or what was going to happen, but I did know the Lord had this.

If you’ve been with me, you’ve heard the Biblio Bridge story. If you haven’t, I’ll catch you up.

Where It All Started

The Biblio Bridge started with a story that began long before I knew it was a story. I grew up in a traditional Jewish family. I knew Torah language, which does not mean comprehending Hebrew. I knew the rhythm of the holidays, culture, and expectations. I knew the weight of being Jewish looking for answers that didn’t come from my culture or heritage. What I didn’t have was anyone to explain what was happening inside of me. Somewhere along the way I had embraced the love of Yeshua. First I called Him nothing, I didn’t have the language. Then I learned to called him Jesus, but that name always felt incomplete. The name Yeshua was comforting in the same way Avraham was. I would discover that I was a Messianic Jew. I didn’t know the language or that it was even a thing. I was living between two worlds and no one in either one could bridge them for me. I felt alone in both and discombobulated inside. Yet I searched and read and reached for the Lord.

It took until my early 50s for all the pieces to come together. The Lord didn’t rush it. When the time was right I was flooded with information. I asked Him why He hadn’t put those pieces in front of me earlier, the answer came back clear, because it wasn’t time. I went from searching for answers, semantics, words, and language to suddenly having the right people, the right words, and the right version of scriptures appear as if overnight.

When everything finally lined up I cried, I jumped for joy, and every fear I’d been carrying on that journey lifted. I was complete in both worlds for the first time in my life. I was prompted to start The Biblio Bridge believing I could help others like me, and more than just me. People who embraced Yeshua, Jewish and gentile, because He brought us all together. I was on go-go-go standard time. I had plans and thought this is where the Lord wanted me to go, yet nothing came together for more than a week at a stretch. It was a prompt, a do, and then a struggle for what was next. It was about health, eating, and scripture.

Around this time, a chronological NKJV Bible landed in my hands. My husband and I started reading it together, cross-referencing with the CJB, the Tanakh, and the TLV, and something opened up that I hadn’t expected. I’d loved reading the Parshot, the Shabbat Scripture Readings each week. They were comforting, predictable, and the stories were amazing. I realized we never read the entire Old Testament when I was growing up. Maybe because we didn’t go to saturday services. I thought that was what Sunday school was for. Plus we didn’t read scripture or Torah in the house. In my adult life I’d read through the scriptures from cover to cover more than once. Yet the more I read, the more I realized I knew nothing from scripture.

Then He Said Wait

As I started moving forward, this is when the Lord said, WAIT.

In the short wait, the Lord showed me things I hadn’t wanted to see. I looked at the relationship between me and one of my children, facing the difference between what was real and what I’d wanted to be real. Once I accepted this, the relationship shifted to where it’s growing now. No more walking on eggshells, no more feeling the uneasiness of the situation. Maybe because I knew the truth all along and had finally handed it to the Lord.

I looked at my mother clearly, without the anger and the grief that had always been in the way. The Lord let me see the truth. She’s living with us for the next five months until she can make some decisions about her life. The Lord told me she needed to be here, even though it had always been volatile and fairly toxic. I’ve discovered she needs to be here for herself. I needed her here for better understanding and handing everything over to the Lord concerning my mom.

In this wait I spent 5.5 days at my mother’s house on the west coast, where the Lord helped me go through everything in her house. Every morning I would wake up, ask the Lord what to do, and it would get done. Paperwork, heirlooms, and other things we’d been told were missing for thirty years appeared. Each day, everything was accomplished, and my mom consistently did what needed to be done, a change from the past 20 or so years. I spent time within the Jewish community and felt comforted and not like a fraud. Inside, I carried Yeshua within me the whole time with pride. Someday, someone from this community will reach out and I will understand.

While I was cleaning out my mother’s place, I found a Jewish scripture book my grandmother gave my parents in 1972. She brushed it off as nothing, and I thought, “Why didn’t we read this as a family?” It was a missing piece I had yearned for. Every time I asked the Lord, “Now what?” He pointed me straight to something else that gave me answers. At the end of the time, I got on a plane with my mother, some things, and many answers. Plus, a sense of peace I had never had before.

After returning home, I tried catching up on the time in the wait, which never really works. Time you cannot make up, no matter what. I stopped reading, though I kept praying. I would pray, “Lord, why am I feeling like I’m fading away from you? What am I doing wrong?” No answers came. I’d pray, “Lord, I know I haven’t been reading, though I have been praying, and I have so much to do, please help me.” Still nothing.

In the wait, He reminded me about the anvil. Years ago I told the Lord, when I stop listening, throw an anvil at me. It always seemed like a joke, but looking back, He took me at my word. At all the worst times in my life when I turned my back and thought I have this instead of He has this, I got hit with an anvil. They got bigger the more I didn’t listen, and some of them really hurt. This time my health flared for days, prompting me to tell my husband childbirth was less painful. This part of the wait made me connect my whole health, not just food, not just spirituality, not just one part, but all of me. I finally understood that spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health are not separate. They are all a part of you and me, all given to us by the Lord.

What the Wait Built

That’s when the Biblio Bridge became what it is now. During the wait, the Lord had quietly put all the pieces in front of me for this part of the journey. He had settled things I’d been questioning for years and answered what I thought would stay unanswered. Except for one thing I’d been fixated on for decades. For a long time, I sought a different answer than what I’d received, hoping to disprove my initial assumption. He was clear: you already know, trust the answer, trust yourself. I closed that door too, and truly handed it over to the Lord.

What You Get When You’re Here

Everything I write comes through the lens of whole health, which means all of you and all of me. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically, along with food, movement, prayer, and meditation. It will never be a checklist, just life happening as we study scripture together. Scripture isn’t separate from how I eat, how I move, how I sleep, or how I love people. His word contains all the answers, prayer provides direction, and the spirit makes me hear what I am being told.

The scripture study follows the Hebrew calendar, but not the specific scripture portions for each week. We will be working through the chronological NKJV Bible from Genesis through Revelation. We will use Bible versions such as the NKJV, TLV, CJB, NASB2020, and other research for knowledge and understanding.

Every Simchat Torah, which is in the fall, we go back to Genesis and start over, the way it’s always been done. I broke down the Chronological NKJV version, minus full book scripture holidays, into 43 sections. One section a week, when there isn’t a holiday we are concentrating on from scripture. Whenever the Lord prompts me to write something besides the study, you’ll get that too. Each week you’ll know what section or holiday we’re studying, and wherever the Lord prompts me to look deeper into. You’re encouraged to pray and read the entire section, part of the sections or whatever the Lord wants you to know. I’ll let you have an insight into my prayers, and my findings. These may not be the same for you, but you can see what I’m doing so you can tap into the knowledge the Lord wants you to know for you.

It may seem like a lot to read the Bible in one year with holidays, but this study is not about taking apart every verse word for word every week. It’s about praying, reading, learning, and going deeper into a few verses within the section each week. As time goes on, you’ll build more language, more understanding, and more than just the Bible stories we’ve been told our entire lives. Of course, at any time you can slow down, dig deeper, and then continue whenever you choose. I’m just giving you front row seats to the guide I am using to learn more and be closer to the Lord.

You’ll also get simple healthy recipes made for one or two, with real life woven into everything. This is for women in the latter half of life. They’ve raised their children and are now in an unexpected season. Younger women are welcome here too, if what I write resonates with you.

For Those Who Want Something More and Different

For those who become paid subscribers, every month you’ll receive a Biblio Devotional Puzzle Book emailed to you. It’s downloadable, printable, and yours to work through on paper. I love puzzles, I love scripture, I love writing, and I love food. Each monthly book has a section for every week of the month. The content is completely separate from what’s here on the Substack. The June Biblio Devotional Puzzle Book is about the Women of the Bible. It won’t replace anything here. It’s extra as a special thanks for supporting my work and helping me keep the lights on at The Biblio Bridge.

I don’t know what’s coming with my mother, my garden, my children, or much of anything else around me. I know the Lord has me, He has this season I am in now and forever. This upcoming season, where nothing is as expected and all the rules have shifted, is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Join me. Let’s go.

I’ll see you in the Deeper Read.

Shalom and Blessings
Janet

How much the Lord did for us in such a short period of time, because He loves us. Let’s take a peek at the season, or more specifically 50 days.

Passover, the Last Supper, the crucifixion, the resurrection. Forty days of Yeshua walking among His people, then the ascension. Shavuot, or what Christians call Pentecost, when the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) came upon the disciples in Jerusalem. It’s the complete plan of redemption laid out in real time. Liberation from bondage to atonement and victory over death. The presence of God transferred from a physical body walking among a few people in one place to living inside every believer everywhere, permanently. All of it designed by the Lord, all of it just for us.

God created that plan for Jews and Gentiles alike. Our eternal life doesn’t start when we die. It starts right now and continues until we graduate to Heaven and beyond. I personally believe the Lord gives each of us free will from the beginning. He wants us to choose Him. Not out of fear, games, coercion, or someone else’s agenda, but because we want that relationship and love. He wants us whole, mind, body, and soul.

This season is the perfect time to continue that journey, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been walking this road for years. The feasts themselves are a health framework wrapped in scripture, and that’s exactly where we’re headed.

Chametz, Matzot, and the Bread of Freedom

Spring means different things to different people. For some, it’s open windows, dragging rugs outside, or spring cleaning throughout the house. Trees begin to bud, food starts to grow, gardens get planted, and animals naturally have their babies. The weather warms and there’s a renewal in the air. This is all by the Lord’s design, written into creation itself.

In Hebrew, chametz (חָמֵץ) means leavened bread. In those days, people created leavening by adding flour, water, and time. Left long enough, the flour, and water fermented from wild yeasts in the air and in the flour, producing something similar to what we call sourdough today. The Lord gave specific instructions for their meal and sustenance for the impending journey.

Exodus 12:11 TLV: “Also you are to eat it this way: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is Adonai’s Passover.”

He impressed upon the Israelites that time was of the essence. They needed to be ready and prepared to leave, while still receiving nourishment.

Exodus 12:33-34 TLV: “Now the Egyptians urged the people, sending them out of the land quickly, for they thought, ‘We will all be dead!’ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.”

The Israelites grabbed the dough and left as the Lord had instructed.

Exodus 12:39 TLV: “They had baked matzot cakes from the dough that they brought out of Egypt. It had no hametz, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not delay, so they had not made provisions for themselves.”

The Lord didn’t leave the Israelites without nourishing food. He gave them exactly what they needed for the journey to freedom. Matzot, unleavened bread, quick to make and easy to carry. The bread of haste became the bread of freedom, and the Lord built it that way on purpose.

That same attention to what goes into our bodies didn’t stop at the edge of Egypt. Which is exactly what we need to look at next.

The Lesson of Matzot: Simple Food, Real Freedom

Spring has sprung. The season itself is an invitation to start fresh, and that invitation extends further than most of us think. It reaches into the kitchen, our cupboards, and menus.

The matzot the Israelites carried out of Egypt was about as simple as food gets. Take flour and water, mix them together, then flatten them out, and bake. No processing plant, ingredient list you can’t pronounce, or chemicals that don’t belong in food. The Lord didn’t send His people into freedom with complicated provisions. He sent them with the simplest food that would genuinely sustain them, and it was enough.

That’s worth thinking about. We’ve accepted the idea that eating well demands significant time, money, and effort. Some believe they can’t create nourishing food themselves. Or that quick food means we have to eat ultra-processed food, which isn’t healthy for us.

The matzot principle quietly dismantles this ideology of eating quick meals from corporations that don’t have your best interest in mind. Simple food and ingredients sustain you. They always have and always will. Food such as a hard-boiled egg, fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, and simple bread.

Food which is close to us, easy to prepare, and whole, real food. The Lord never changed the rules; man did. Somewhere along the way convenience became the goal, and real food became the casualty. Labels now say enriched, a term that really means companies removed the original nutrition and substituted it with a synthetic version. All in the name of convenience, commercialization, money, and taking control of what the Lord gave us for food.

Look out your window right now. The renewal you see is the Lord’s annual reminder that starting over is built into creation. The fields are waking up, the birds are singing, and the air is warming. The gardens are ready to be planted, while the season itself is pushing toward life, growth, and nourishment. That same renewal is available in how we eat.

Matzot was the bread of haste and the bread of freedom. Quick to make and genuinely sustaining. The Israelites didn’t leave Egypt hungry and they didn’t leave complicated. They left light, fast, and nourished. That’s a great model for a food reset.

You don’t need to overhaul everything in your food by next week. You need a first step, which you follow through on. Something simpler, something closer to what God made. Something that actually nourishes you instead of just filling you up.

Any journey starts out small and allows you to grow. The journey of food nourishment allows you to learn and grow little by little from the most basic nourishing food.

That’s the matzot principle, and it’s been working since the night they walked out of Egypt.

The Season and What’s Ahead

Passover is behind us now but the season isn’t finished. We’re in the Omer count, the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot. Each of those fifty days is a step, and we’re walking them right now.

What’s still ahead in this season is significant. The ascension of Yeshua, Shavuot, which Christians call Pentecost, and the giving of the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Ghost). The spring calendar God built into Israel’s life doesn’t wind down after Passover, it builds.

You have the opportunity to look at your health and food, and follow what the Lord intended for you. He wants you to have good health, and love. Both are built on one habit at a time, one step at a time, and one moment at a time. Choosing both health and the Lord together.

Remember…

This isn’t about being extreme or making food into a religion. It’s about paying attention to something God clearly cared about from the very beginning. He designed nourishing real food and always gave us sustenance. All before big agriculture and processed food took over our lives.

L’chaim - To Life!
What’s one food habit you know isn’t serving you — and what would one small, simpler swap look like for you this week?

May the food on your table feed your body, strengthen your spirit, and honor the One who created both.
Janet

I do, more often than not. For the past four weeks, I’ve been studying Passover and Easter, wandering all over scripture looking for what the Lord wanted me to write about. It’s a pivotal part of the Bible on so many levels for me, and I couldn’t figure out what direction I was supposed to go, so I just started reading.

Following the Thread

I started at the beginning, with the original Passover story in Exodus 12, where God instructs Moses about the lamb, the blood on the doorposts, the unleavened bread, and the night of the tenth plague. From there the observance laws expand in Leviticus 23:5 and Numbers 28:16-25, and Moses retells the commandment in Deuteronomy 16:1-8. I kept reading through Joshua 5:10-11, 2 Kings 23:21-23, 2 Chronicles 35, and Ezra 6:19-22, reading every Passover celebration I could find in the scriptures.

Then I moved into the New Testament and read Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and finally Corinthians.

“Get rid of the old hametz, so you may be a new batch, just as you are unleavened - for Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7, TLV).

I kept praying to find the perfect way to connect Passover, the Last Supper, Jesus, and the traditions of the time. Old hametz, as in leavened bread, renewing, the Passover lamb being Yeshua. There is so much to unpack, plus this year in 2026, the days and times of the last Supper, are very close in time proximity.

What I Realized About My Studies

Eventually, I realized all this reading was for me. The Lord wanted me to learn more, but I’m not ready to pass it on to others yet. You know the saying, “You cannot give away what you do not have.” I was reading and fretting about what to share. At each turn, a greater understanding revealed more for me to read, ponder, and pray about for answers. I found answers for myself, but I wasn’t ready to share. Yet the holidays kept prompting me to write, and the only connection was food.

Both Passover and Easter revolve around food. The Bible specifically details the Passover Seder. Jesus asked his disciples to prepare for Passover, and that preparation became the Last Supper. This year, Passover and Easter overlap, which doesn’t happen often, and that felt like it meant something worth paying attention to.

The Matzah Memories

Throughout my studying, I kept thinking about matzah. Those dry wheat crackers and everything we did to dress them up or disguise them. Melting chocolate over them and sprinkling on nuts. Matzah brei, which is eggs and matzah mixed together and fried. As a kid, I poured as much sugar on it as I wanted. Now I like it just as it is. Of course, no Passover would be complete without matzah ball soup.

I even made matzah from scratch. The recipe couldn’t be simpler: flour and water mixed into a soft, handleable, non-sticky dough, rolled out flat, holes poked all over with a fork, then baked or fried until crispy. You have to work fast and get them cooked before they have any chance to rise, staying true to the tradition of the Passover unleavened bread. That simplicity is the whole point.

Two Kinds of Bread

This is where everything clicked for me. Scripture presents two kinds of bread: unleavened bread, made fast for quick nourishment, and leavened bread, which matures and rises. Both unleavened bread and bread are mentioned throughout scripture.

Commercial yeast didn’t come onto the market until the late 1860s AD, so before that, bread rose through time and passed down knowledge. The Israelites most likely kept back a piece of dough from the last batch, added it to new flour and water, and waited a few days for it to rise.

The Lord didn’t say hurry up and add more yeast. He didn’t require extra ingredients or complicated recipes. He recognized that sometimes food needs to be immediate, and sometimes the feast can wait to be enjoyed. Quick bread for urgent moments. Risen bread for planned meals and nourishment. Both have their place, and both are provision.

Bread as a Lens for Scripture

The more I read scripture through the lens of food, the more I see how consistently it’s used to teach us about trust and obedience. In Exodus 16, the Lord provided manna six days a week and told the Israelites to gather double on the sixth day because there’d be none on the Sabbath. He wasn’t just feeding them. He was teaching them how to prepare, how to rest, and how to depend on Him.

He provided us with whole, real, nourishing food, whether we needed to eat quickly or could enjoy it leisurely. The Lord never does anything randomly.

A Simple Invitation

Dig deep into your soul and thank the Lord for the food you eat, for the nourishment, and for the wisdom to know what to eat. Turn to God and trust that through Jesus, you’ll come to know everything you need for a fulfilled life.

Has there been a time when your scripture reading took you somewhere unexpected — somewhere you clearly weren’t the one steering? What did you find there?

Happy Passover, Happy Easter
Never forget what the Lord does for us.
Janet

Sometimes I don’t listen to the Lord very well. I think I know where I’m going and I head off on my journey. Yes, I pray, read His word, wait for answers, and then I go. I have two modes of transportation: go, go, go, or stop.

When I get the go, I think I’ve got this, without ever checking the map along the way. I need to change this thought pattern to we’ve got this and He’s got me. It’s something I’m working on daily.

My study of scripture this Passover and Easter season has been eye-opening and honestly, a little scary. Scary because I do not know where the Lord is taking me, yet here I am. I’m not sure where I am going, but I am going and He is with me.

When Your Heart Knows Before Your Brain Does

There’s something special that happens when Yeshua knocks at the door of your heart. It’s an invitation for a relationship with the Lord. Throughout scripture, He tells us again and again that He lives in our heart. Not your brain, but your heart. Growing up, I’d memorized the V’ahavta in Hebrew without much thought of what it said or meant. Yet, the language is direct and specific.

“Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, are to be on your heart. You are to teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign on your hand, they are to be as frontlets between your eyes, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5–9, TLV).

We are to love God completely, not halfway, not when it’s convenient, and not with your mind, but with your heart.

For someone who didn’t grow up with the comfort of the name Jesus, nor the verbiage of Yeshua, it can be rather unearthing. It makes little sense, it’s not complete, and you don’t understand what’s happening.

We know the love of the Lord is amazing. In your heart, you know He is your savior. He’s knocking at your heart, even if you don’t have the language for it, yet. It’s your brain that’s getting in the way of the truth.

Think of it this way. You would be rather surprised if, having been told tables were chairs and chairs were tables since childhood, someone got upset when you sat on the table instead of the chair when requested. We carry what we’ve been taught throughout our lives, without thought, until something changes. We change when we discover for ourselves the truth we are questioning.

My grandmother, the smartest woman I knew growing up, used to tell me, “When your heart and brain agree, then you are right.” I always thought she meant finding a soulmate. In recent weeks, I’ve discovered she was talking about relationships. The relationship you have with everything and everyone, and most of all, with the Lord.

When we open our heart to Him, true transformation happens.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NASB20)

We are meant to lead with our hearts and learn with our brains. We are meant to let our hearts hold the joy and the miracles He gives us. Yet we forget too easily the miracles all around us. Or maybe, it’s not that we forget, it’s just that we don’t remember them at the forefront of daily life the way we should.

I’ve had many miracles throughout my life, yet only now as I study scripture do they come to the forefront of my mind. My heart never forgot, but my mind didn’t quite remember either.

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The Miracle I Almost Let Myself Forget

When my youngest child was born, the doctors told me not to expect much and to pray she came home from the hospital at all. She was born at twenty-four and a half weeks gestation, partially paralyzed on her left side, and needed much medical intervention. While she was in the NICU, doctors gave us a long list of potential issues and limitations.

Day after day, I saw one miracle after another. We had a large prayer community supporting us. There were days we’d walk into the NICU and a doctor or nurse would greet us with a slow shake of the head and the words, “We just don’t get it, but keep doing whatever you’re doing.” We had faith and prayed.

The doctors went from she might go home within six or seven months to her coming home at three months old. The doctors gave us the laundry list of what not to expect, such as she will never walk, not talk, and mentally we aren’t sure how that will turn out. Oh, and watch her eyes; she was on oxygen, which could lead to blindness. I looked into my daughter’s eyes and said, “Baby, you tell me.” Her eyes said it all, “I’m in here, Mommy, don’t believe them.” I never wavered.

When I look back on that season now and I get nervous about where the Lord is taking me next, I know I should remember those miracles. Yet somehow I forget. My heart knows the truth; my brain is the problem, for it tries to protect the heart. However, the heart doesn’t need protection, it needs love. It needs the Lord.

Walking So Close It Felt Like Heaven

The entire time we walked through those years, my heart and my mind were in complete agreement. My heart knew what to do, and my brain helped me carry it out. During this time Yeshua and I walked side by side, not toward a destination but toward knowledge. How could I have forgotten?

There wasn’t an introductory phase. There was just faith that led to miracles. When a doctor said, “Mom, she will never walk, get used to the idea,” my heart said no, and I proceeded. I heard the medical staff’s offer to connect us with long-term care resources, but I knew it wasn’t necessary. The Lord helped me fire medical staff one after another until I finally found a doctor who looked at me and asked, “What do you want?” I said, “A blank script for every therapy I can find. I want hope.” He wrote it, wished me luck, told me there wasn’t much out there, and went on his way.

I didn’t know what I was doing, but the Lord did. The more I pushed against the establishment of negativity, the more He placed people in front of me who could help. This journey spanned many years. When it ended, I tucked the memories away and kept moving on. Life took another turn, and another that needed to be taken care of without thought. Pushing the last triumph into the abyss of my memory. Yet when a memory came up from this time, my heart ached, and rejoiced that we got through it.

As you go through your journey with Jesus, look for the miracles in your life, however small or large. Remember the feeling in your heart when He touched you.

If you are in a quiet moment right now, wondering if He is even there, say a small prayer asking the Lord to fill your heart. Say, “Lord, here I am, I am calling upon you to walk with me.” Then be silent and still.

You may hear nothing, but don’t give up, for he is there. Try again, use your own words from your heart. You may hear what you believe is your own voice. Remember, He speaks to you in familiarity or none of us would hear Him.

He speaks in a way that you will actually hear. This is not a coincidence. This is grace.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, TLV).

The Broken Record

I never forgot what the Lord did for our family. I held it close in quiet moments. Yet, as time went on, I let that relationship slide. Why did I not hold it close enough to stay near to Him the way I had been? That is the harder question.

How many times will we do this in our lives? Over and over, like a broken record, because we don’t let our hearts lead and we don’t let our brains remember that this is good.

That child, the one I was told would never walk and would need care the rest of her life, has made me cry many times. Tears of joy, tears of remembering, tears because I didn’t know what to do. At fourteen years old, she broke a school record in track and field. I stood at the finish line bawling like a baby, because in that moment of joy, the memory of being told she’d never walk crossed my mind. My heart never forgot how wrong they were.

He Never Gives Up

The Lord never gives up on us. We shouldn’t give up on ourselves either. Reach out, He is there. He will always be there.

Now go do what He guides you to do.
I’m stepping into this season of my life, for it’s the most precious one yet.

What are you going to do?
Janet

You know, when you’re doing one thing, even if it’s with the Lord, and He sends you in another direction. If it’s for a moment, or for life. I have, and lately more often than not.

Throughout your life, things change. The world changes, and you either have to embrace the changes or hold on tight. Sometimes being left behind and sometimes standing strong, waiting for the world to come to its senses. When you hold on tight to the Lord, and truly to the Lord, you’ll never go wrong, even on the days it doesn’t feel that way.

Welcome to By The Fire, a new section and chat on The Biblio Bridge that comes through prayer and prompting. Sometimes as I’m studying scripture, praying, and learning on my scriptural food and health journey, I go down a different rabbit hole. I do ask the Lord if this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Usually, I feel him standing over my shoulder, rolling his eyes. Either as, of course, or you know better than that. It’s funny how we hear the Lord in our own voice, so we can hear and understand Him.

Sometimes when I’d receive the definitive go ahead on my side tracked idea, I’d grow frustrated. I was unsure what to do with the new information. I had other plans for what I was writing, and I’d get derailed. Even though I'd planned my original writing with prayer and listened for answers, I wasn’t sure which way I was suppose to go.

What I've learned is that it's not that I'm not supposed to write on my original subjects or verses. I simply needed to wait. For He had something else that needed to be written first. It's all in the Lord's time, not ours.

This Past Week

As I’ve been working through the Bible, which I always do in prayer, my study and writing has been interrupted by non-subject thoughts and prompts. Lots of them. Meaning I’ve been pushed off my path of studying the scripture through food, and pushed to studying through a prompting of the moment. It seems these off excursions are very much related to the world around us and where the Lord pushes me.

Though many times I only realize where He’s sending me with the help of a dear friend. We all need someone the Lord has sent to us as our scriptural and spiritual helper. I am grateful for CH, that the Lord sent her my way so years ago and keeps her close to me to this day.

These days I call my "there goes the chicken" moments divine redirection instead of rabbit holes. As long as I am redirecting as the Lord wants, then that is what I need to do. He always redirects me back or forward, depending on his needs. Learning to let go of what I intended to write about is an on going struggle. Like saying but, but, but, and your parent pointing you in the right direction. The Lord indeed is the best Father of all.

Find Your Direction

The Lord’s constant intention to be our partner, friend, savior, and guide offers me comfort, especially when I listen.

“The plan of the heart belong to man, but the tongue’s answer is from ADONAI.” (Proverbs 16:1, TLV) or “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:1, KJV)

“A man’s heart plans his course, but ADONAI directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, TLV) or “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, KJV)

This is another prompt I’ve been hearing very loudly, to use different versions of the scripture in my writing so different people can understand and hear the word of God more loudly.

Reading different versions of the bible is what made me very confused, until I found one that comforted me. I’m not saying you should find a Bible that comforts without truth. Or a Bible that is written by someone whose whole goal is to change the meaning of the Lord’s word. There are many Bibles out there such as these. I am talking about syntax and language, where the meaning is the same, the words may be different.

Listen To The Lord Throughout Your Journey

Even when you don't understand the steps, trust that it's His plan. His redirections keep us on the path He has for us, especially when we feel unprepared or can't yet see where He's taking us.

Give the Lord your objections or concerns out loud when he asks you to do something. I didn’t say complain, I said what you feel or think are your barriers on accomplishing His work. He will answer and guide you. He did for Moses, Jeremiah, and Esther, He will do it for you too.

Every day the Lord sends you answers, clues, paths, and support, whether you realize it or not. He talks to you through His words to you, in the scriptures, friends, and complete strangers in the written and oral form. Our greatest responsibility is to know through the Lord, if what we are doing is His plan or ours.

Whenever you see By The Fire, know that the Lord prompted me to write it. It may not be in the order of anything, but it is in the order from the Lord. Grab your Bible, something to drink, and let’s have the conversation that’s at hand.

Then jump over to the chat and continue the conversation.
Janet

As I study Scripture through the lens of food, I find the Lord’s words very enlightening for how we should eat and when. Some passages are very specific and easy to understand. Others, such as the scriptures around Passover, are more detailed. The good thing about this is that it gives me an opportunity to learn something new every time I study this part of the Bible.

In the scriptures below I cross-referenced several different versions. The word lamb seh (שֶׂה) in scripture really means young animal. Some versions say lamb and kid, while others only say lamb.

When it comes to food in Scripture, the Lord is either very specific or specifically vague.

Consider Genesis 1:29 (TLV), where He says: “I have just given you every green plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the whole land, and every tree, which has the fruit of a tree yielding seed. They are to be food for you.”

He gives man plants to eat, but He doesn’t specifically name them. He gives the criteria of the plants, but nothing else. The Lord trusts man to eat food according to the criteria, not specific instructions.

In Exodus 12, the Lord knows exactly what is about to happen before Pharaoh allows the Israelites to be free. He gives very specific instructions on what they are to do for food, preparation for leaving, and to keep themselves safe. His instructions are very specific on what food to eat, how to cook it, how to use the animal for their safety, and what they will be doing for the next seven days.

The Lord didn’t draw up a battle plan, but a meal for sustenance. A meal that would allow them to leave quickly when Pharaoh set them free.

Before the Meal: Choosing the Lamb

Not only does the Lord give the Israelites specific instruction on what to eat and how, but when to do it for every generation that comes. Every generation is commanded to remember this time of bondage and the Lord bringing His people out of Egypt. The instructions are very clear. The Lord has set the table for the Passover dinner for generations to come, the very same meal that would one day become known as Jesus’ Last Supper.

The instructions begin earlier than the meal itself. The Lord starts in Exodus 12:3, telling Moses how to select the animal and how to use it.

“Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb for his family — one lamb for the household. But if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor are to take one according to the number of the people. According to each person eating, you are to make your count for the lamb. Your lamb is to be without blemish, a year old male. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You must watch over it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. They are to take the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the crossbeam of the houses where they will eat it.” Exodus 12:3-7 (TLV)

The blood on the doorposts was protection so death would pass over each Israelites’ house. Every instruction the Lord gave came with purpose, and obedience.

Three Required Elements

Then come the food instructions in Exodus 12:8-11.

“They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over a fire. With matzot and bitter herbs they are to eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled with water, but only roasted with fire — its head with its legs and its innards. So let nothing of it remain until the morning. Whatever remains until the morning you are to burn with fire. Also you are to eat it this way: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is Adonai’s Passover.” Exodus 12:8-11 (TLV)

The instructions center on three specific foods to be eaten together, at the same table, on the same night.

The first is the lamb, specifically roasted over fire. There are no other options of cooking the lamb. Specifically the animal is to be whole, including the head, legs and inner parts. The Lord specifically says there will be nothing leftover for the next day. He specified not only what animal but what method and what form of cooking and eating.

The second requirement is eating matzot (מַצּוֹת), or unleavened bread. A food mentioned throughout scripture. It wasn’t a new food, just faster than making a bread or cake that rose. All leaven had to be removed from the house, not just off the table.

Exodus 12:15 TLV:

“For seven days you are to eat matzot, but on the first day you must remove hametz from your houses, for whoever eats hametz from the first day until the seventh day, that soul will be cut off from Israel.” Removing Hametz wasn’t a suggestion or symbolic gesture from the household. It was an act of preparation and obedience.

The third is maror or bitter herbs. Bitter herbs so that the Israelites and their families would never forget the bitterness the Lord saved them from out of Egypt. They were not served on the side. They were eaten with the lamb and the Matzot, woven together in the same bite. The bitterness and the redemption were meant to be held at the same time.

Why Roasted and Not Boiled?

The text doesn’t tell us why the lamb should be roasted. There are many theories such as roasting is faster than boiling. They were leaving in haste and fire over an open flame is quicker than bringing a pot to temperature. The method fit the moment. Plus they could roast an entire animal intact as the Lord required. In order to boil the animal, the Israelites would have needed to cut the animal up, which the Lord told them not to.

Other theories I read were that boiling draws things out of the meat and into the water. Nutrients, flavor, substance, all of it leaching away into a liquid that gets discarded. The fire from roasting drives things inward, concentrating what is there, preserving what belongs to the meat. The Lord’s method kept the nourishment intact. Something the Israelites were going to need for their long journey.

Symbolically, fire throughout Scripture carries the weight of judgment and purification. The method set this meal apart from ordinary cooking. It was covenant food, prepared in a covenant way.

Nothing Left Until Morning

Whatever remained of the meal in the morning was to be burned. Not saved, not wrapped up for later, not divided among households for the week ahead, burned and destroyed.

This meal was designed to be eaten completely, in one sitting as a community in their own homes.

Eat It in Haste

Verse 11 gives us one of the most striking meal instructions in all of Scripture. Eat it with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, your staff in your hand. The Lord wanted the Israelites to be dressed and ready to go as soon as they were told to.

This is the only meal in Scripture I could find, where God tells His people to eat it like they are about to leave. They were eating their way into freedom. The food and the departure were one continuous act.

The Leaven Instructions

Verses 15 through 20 expand the instructions beyond the meal itself and into the entire household.

“For seven days you are to eat matzot, but on the first day you must remove hametz from your houses, for whoever eats hametz from the first day until the seventh day, that soul will be cut off from Israel.” Exodus 12:15 (TLV)

Hametz refers to any food that has been allowed to rise or ferment, which means time. It takes time for cakes and bread to rise. The Israelites didn’t have time for food of this kind. The Lord instructed the Israelites to remove all Hametz from the house, not just from the table, before the feast began.

“The first day is to be a holy assembly for you as well as the seventh day. No manner of work is to be done on those days, except what is to be eaten by every person — that alone may be prepared by you.” Exodus 12:16 (TLV)

The first and seventh day are set apart from the rest of the days. You are not to do regular work, except for preparing food. Once again nourishment is set apart as important.

Then the Lord gives the instruction again for all the generations to come. “During the first month in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, you are to eat matzot, until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. For seven days no hametz is to be found in your houses, for whoever eats hametz, that soul will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an outsider or one who is born in the land. You are to eat no hametz; in all your houses you are to eat matzot.” Exodus 12:18-20 (TLV)

It may seem like a lot, but the Lord was preparing for His people to be free.

For All Generations

The Lord didn’t give these instructions for one night only. He said so in the text, before the night even arrived.

“This day is to be a memorial for you. You are to keep it as a feast to Adonai. Throughout your generations you are to keep it as an eternal ordinance.” Exodus 12:14 (TLV)

“You are to observe the Feast of Matzot, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you are to observe this day throughout your generations as an eternal ordinance.” Exodus 12:17 (TLV)

Before the night even happened, the Lord made sure it would never be forgotten. He didn’t give criteria of when the Passover meal would no longer be needed. The remembrance was always meant to outlast the circumstances that created it.

As you dig into the food of Passover and Easter remember what scripture says and what it meant.

How will you remember the Passover and Easter meal?

Is there a family food tradition from Passover or Easter that you still carry, even quietly? Or one you wish you’d held onto?

Me, I’m going to start by making some Matzot from scratch. Yes, I’ll share some recipes as we get closer to the actual holidays.

Janet

Throughout Scripture, the Lord speaks to His people as those who He shares a personal relationship with, because He does. In Exodus, while Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep, the Lord called to him from a burning bush. When Moses noticed the bush was ablaze yet untouched, he turned to take a closer look. Only when Moses turned his attention toward Him did the Lord speak.

This is significant and relevant to us today. The Lord is waiting for us to acknowledge Him, and then the relationship begins. He may even do things to get our attention, just like He did to Moses.

When Moses heard the Lord call his name, he said, “Here I am”. In Hebrew, the word is hineni (הִנֵּנִי), found in Exodus 3:4, means “Here I am” which is a declaration of readiness and willingness to do whatever the Lord asks, before he does. The Lord then asks Moses to remove his sandals, for the ground where he stood had become sacred.

The Lord spoke to Moses about the children of Israel, explaining that He had heard their cries. Their time of suffering was ending, it was time to leave that land behind and journey to the one He had prepared for them.

A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey

The Lord didn’t speak of armies or conquest but of peace and provision. He described a place of harmony and abundance.

“So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to bring them up out of that land into a good and large land, a land flowing with milk and honey, into the place of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.” — Exodus 3:8 (TLV)

The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” paints a picture of life in balance. Milk symbolized strong herds, healthy soil, and people rooted in their land. It meant people gaining daily nourishment from animals sustained by the pastures beneath their feet. It was a sign of steady provision, not excess.

Honey represented the sweetness that comes from flourishing creation. In Scripture, the Hebrew word d’vash (דְּבַשׁ) often referred not only to honey from bees but also to the rich syrups of fruit like dates or figs. God’s promise, then, was not of wilderness honey found by chance, but the fruitfulness of well-tended orchards and fields, a sweetness born of stewardship and blessing.

Together, milk and honey describe more than comfort. They point to a land capable of sustaining life, where people and creation thrive in harmony. God’s vision for His people wasn’t just freedom from bondage, but life rooted in abundance, where His care and their stewardship would keep the land fruitful forever.

This Phrase Doesn’t Go Away

The Lord never dropped the image of “a land flowing with milk and honey.” It stayed with Him, appearing again and again throughout Scripture. Always pointing back to the life that He created for His people to enjoy. When they left Egypt, lost their way, and even generations later through the voices of prophets, the phrase returned as a recurring promise.

To the Lord, it was more than a description of a place. It was the picture of a relationship, of people living in abundance, gratitude, and trust. The goodness of the land was never meant to be taken for granted, it was meant to remind them of the Provider.

The Bridge for This Season

We are a generation of women who have spent decades feeding others. Preparing breakfasts before school or work, thousands of dinners for families, holidays that took weeks of preparation. The table was our full-time occupation, sometimes joyful, sometimes exhausting, and often both. We didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Then the seasons shifted. The table grew quieter and the portions smaller. For many of us, something unexpected happened. We wondered whether feeding ourselves with that same care still counted. Was the effort worth it for just one or two? Did the table still matter in this quieter time?

God’s very first description of freedom was of land that feeds you well. Not a land where feeding others was the requirement, but one where the food itself was good, abundant, and flowing. A place where you could eat and be satisfied. That promise wasn’t only for Moses or the wilderness generation. The image has waited in Scripture for thousands of years, ready to meet you now, in a time when you may finally enjoy it.

Pursuing your health through real food isn’t a hobby or a luxury. It’s alignment with how God has always defined abundance.

Though I’m a from scratch-cooking kind of gal, I too look at meals and wonder. Should I really cook or is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich good enough?

The goal isn’t perfection, it’s nourishment.

This Week at Your Table

You don’t have to do anything elaborate. Where could you add a little milk and honey, literally this week? A drizzle of raw honey over something simple, in your coffee or tea. A piece of fruit, eaten slowly, without rushing past it.

God described His best gift as a land that feeds you. You are still in that promise and so am I.

When did you last slow down to actually enjoy a meal — not to fuel up, just to savor? What was on the table?

Remember, regardless of the season.
The Lord wants you to flourish.
Janet