Beginnings are important. New beginnings create new opportunities.
Rhythms are important too. Starting in mid-October 2023, the annual Jewish lectionary reading cycle begins anew and is a great time to jump into a deeper relationship and rhythm of relating with God. Most of you have signed up for this blog because of your interest in this reading cycle that I’ve tried to make accessible through the Parashah Project. This project is dedicated to making the Word of God accessible to the People of God.
The foundation of God's Word is in the Torah and is traditionally divided up into 54 separate portions called parashiot (singular parashah).
In the year ahead, I will continue to post links to the weekly parashah reading and devotional commentary on the Parashah Project website. I will also be making some changes and adding some new things. Let me explain how the year ahead will work.
Free Monthly Content
Starting next Friday, October 13, 2023, I will be moving from the previous weekly email format to sending out a general monthly newsletter for all free subscribers. These emails, however, will correspond to the Biblical Calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. In other words, my “months” will be counted according to the lunar calendar—how time was counted before the whole system was changed. But don’t worry, I’ll be helping you learn more about the lunar calendar and explaining why it matters.
My purpose is to make ancient rhythms accessible to you and support you relationally connecting more deeply with the Ancient of Days. Seriously. We want to be like the ancient prophet Daniel who was granted access into the heavenly throne room to relate with the Ancient of Days—God Himself.
While I was watching,
thrones were set up,
and the ANCIENT OF DAYS took his seat.
His garment was as white as snow,
and the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
its wheels a burning fire.
A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him.
Thousands of thousands attended Him
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10)
Therefore, I will be sending these emails out on the Friday closest to Rosh Chodesh—which means “head of the month” or the first day of the lunar month. This is a reckoning of time marked by the emergence of the new moon. Now don’t worry, this is not going to be a weird astronomical deviance from a Biblical faith. This is focused on removing the “debris” that has accumulated over centuries that has divided the people of God from accessing relationships of holy intimacy with God and each other.
So, what can you expect from these monthly emails? At least three things:
You will receive a monthly overview of readings according to the ancient Jewish lectionary with links to the devotionals in the Parashah Project.
This calendar of readings will also include the Biblical feasts and other holidays that occur that month. These holidays will help us remember the works of God in the past, cultivate deeper gratitude even in the hard times in which we live, and to stir up greater faith in the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who sent His Son into the world to rescue the world and restore holy intimacy on Earth as it is in Heaven.
You will also receive a new installment called “Hebrew Treasure.” These will be brief devotional reflections from Psalm 119 that will mine nuggets of gold from the original Hebrew. My goal is to make the riches of God’s Word more accessible to you—even if you don’t know any Hebrew!
So, please consider sharing this invitation for a free subscription with others who might like to join our growing community.
Paid Subscription Opportunities
As I mentioned above, starting next Friday, I’ll begin sending out monthly emails according to the Biblical lunar months. The first email will actually begin the 8th month called Cheshvan and will include weeks in October and November according to the common modern calendar. For those who want to go deeper, I will be offering the following additional opportunities and resources.
Interactive Annual Calendar. For every paid subscription, I will send you a free interactive calendar created with links to all the weekly parashah devotional as well as the various holiday readings throughout the year 5784 that corresponds to the more familiar 2023-2024 reckoning of annual time.
New Content and Relational Engagement. I have a ton of resources I’ve developed over the years that I want to begin sharing beyond my local sphere. All paid subscribers will receive additional posts that will include some of these resources and I will welcome your feedback as I develop these resources to promote biblical literacy and Scripture for ALL. I also have an amazing wife who will be sharing ideas and resources for celebrating the holidays as a family. She helps me—and will help us all—take the content heavy stuff I create and make it more accessible and practical. Her name is Lisa, and you will love hearing her heart and being inspired by her creativity.
Free Book The Psalm 119 Journey. I’ve created a special category for a paid subscription that, in addition to the resources above, also includes a copy of The Psalm 119 Journey, written by my good friend Steve Allen. His story will touch your heart and strengthen your trust to walk with God with full surrender. Steve was diagnosed with ALS a number of years ago and while his outward decay is impressive—that pales in comparison to his inner life of faith and love for God and others that are compellingly fueled by God’s lavish love for Steve. This book also includes all the Hebrew Treasure commentary Steve asked my to write to contribute to his book.
I am also offering a 25% group discount. That means that if you find at least one other person to join with you, each of you will receive 25% off your first year subscription. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to participate in this growing community, receive resources and opportunities to relationally connect with like-minded others, and support my work of promoting Relational depth for Kingdom breadth through a variety of innovative initiatives.
We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with you! Shalom,
Thomas and Lisa