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That which is from Elohim (God) will return to Him…

Not only does our life come from YHVH (LORD) our talents and creativity are also His gifts

What do you have that you did not receive? What you refer to as natural talents and abilities are gifts from The Creator. Yet how many talented people do you know that perform at a high level without putting in any effort to develop their abilities? It is human pride that would like to show up without practice or preparation and still outperform those who have been diligent. How often have you actually seen this happen? The gifts He has given you should serve to give direction to your life. They give you a path to walk forward in. Let the pursuit of them become a passion that you may excel in them and employ them to the fullest. In so doing you honor the God who gave you the gift. (Adapted from Dales Cresep’s blog)

God Made You Creative (By Alan Gilman)

One of the wonders of being human is our ability to create. Maybe you don’t think of yourself as creative, but creativity comes in many different forms. Not everyone is an artist, poet, or writer, but everyone is creative in one way or another. The way you speak, your work, and your imagination (yes, you have one!) are all creative to some degree. I am surprised at how many people say they are not artists, yet they love to fix things, bake, or rearrange their furniture. All these activities are creative in nature.

There is a type of creating only God can do; make something from nothing. Obviously, we can’t do that. All we can do is rearrange things that already exist. That said, what we produce didn’t really exist prior to our making it. A cake is far more than the combination of its individual ingredients. Our ability to choose the best ingredients, mix them in precise proportions, and select the right baking method makes the cake what it is.

Our involvement in the creative process is one of the signs of our being created in the image of God. When we arrange and rearrange the elements of God’s creation, we participate in a process that he initiated, and we fulfill our God-given mandate to subdue the earth. Not all forms of creativity are in keeping with the mandate, however. Due to our first parents’ rebellion against God, sin has tainted our creativity just as it has affected every other aspect of life. Therefore, we need to make sure we understand human creativity from God’s perspective.

Regardless of a person’s relationship to God, the call to create is stronger for some than for others. Some people have a deep yearning to make some sort of creative difference in the world around them. They want to make a statement or express their feelings. They want to add beauty to their lives or to the lives of others. The more we understand that these longings and the ability to carry them out find their origin in God, the better we will understand their purpose.

These abilities aren’t possessions we own, but gifts. If we accept that God is their true owner, there is a much better chance we will handle them in a way that pleases him and is most beneficial to others. Realizing that our creative yearnings come from outside our selves helps us to avoid over identifying with them and reduces the possibility of their taking control of our lives.

This is good news for those who are frustrated with their creativity, whether you struggle in how you express your gifts or wish you were far more creative than you think you are. In either case, since creativity doesn’t originate with us, we can go to the One in whom it does. God can (and I believe will) help you. He can even give you creative abilities that you have only dreamed of until now.

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Here is a historical sketch of creativity given to one that was blind - and was used.

(Taken from) The One Year Christian History - E. Michael and Sharon Rusten

Did you know that the author of many of your favorite hymns was blind?

Fanny Crosby was born in 1820 in Putnam County, New York. When she was just six weeks old, she caught a cold that caused inflammation in her eyes. When her parents called their family doctor, He was not at home and someone else came in his place. This stranger recommended that hot poultices be placed on her eyes, which tragically resulted in the loss of her eyesight. As news spread about her blindness, the man quickly left town and was never heard of again. Misfortune continued to follow the family as death claimed Fanny’s father when she was but one year old.

When her grandmother first heard of Fanny’s blindness, she said, "Then I will be her eyes." She became an important part of Fanny’s life, spending hours describing flowers, birds, and beautiful sunsets to the little girl. Another important person entered Fanny’s life, when she was nine years old-a Mrs. Hawley, who schooled her in poetry and the Bible. Fanny spent much time memorizing both. By the age of ten she had memorized whole books of the Bible.

When Fanny was fifteen, she entered the Institution for the Blind in New York City. She studied there for seven years and then returned to teach at the school for eleven years. While a student there she developed her talent for writing verse. She was never proficient in Braille but rather depended upon her phenomenal memory. She composed and edited poems in her head.

In the fall of 1850 revival meetings were being held at the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City. Fanny and some of her friends went every night. Twice she went forward at the altar call but could not find the peace and joy she craved. On November 20, 1850, Fanny went forward for a third time, all by herself. The congregation was singing the old Isaac Watts hymn "Alas and Did My Savior Bleed." Fanny was filled with joy and shouted, "Hallelujah!" She had given herself to her Savior.

She fell in love with Alexander Van Alstyne, a blind musician she met in the school for the blind. They married when she was thirty-eight and had one child, which died in infancy. Fanny kept her maiden name, which was unusual for the time and was referred to as "Mrs. Crosby" for the rest of her life.

Fanny did not start writing hymns until eleven years after her conversion but then became one of the most prolific hymn writers in history. She wrote nearly nine thousand hymns before her death in 1915. Her well-known hymns include "Blessed Assurance," "Rescue the Pershing," "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross," "Pass Me Not," "Praise Him, Praise Him," "Saved by Grace," and "To God Be the Glory." Approximately sixty of her hymns are still in common use.

In addition to her hymn writing, Fanny Crosby was a popular speaker and traveled throughout the world. She went to the White House as guest of Presidents John Quincy Adams, John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, and Grover Cleveland. Her friends included many famous people, such as Horace Greeley, Henry Clay, and Jenny Lind. In spite of her fame, Fanny never missed an opportunity to present the gospel message to anyone who would listen.

Fanny Crosby never wanted sympathy because of her blindness. When a minister once expressed regret that God had not given her the gift of sight, her startling reply was, "If I had been given a choice at birth, I would have asked to be blind… for when I get to heaven, the first face I will see will be the One who died for me."

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Yeshua’s message includes a parable about talents. You know that this was a measure of money in the original text, and in the context of the story. You also think of talents as special gifts or abilities. Yet it was no accident that this passage was translated into this term. Are we open to considering this parable with our understanding of the word 'talent'? Do you assume that any person’s talents are fixed at birth, and that they can develop what they have, but not acquire new ones? But in this story the servants took the talents they had and acquired new ones. He tells us to desire the greater gifts and would not encourage us to do so if He were not willing to give them to us. We should be looking for new dimensions in which to grow and develop throughout our whole life, for He will bless our efforts and give them to us, that we may be a vessel equipped for every good work. (Adopted from Dales Cresep’s blog)

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"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be - brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a Child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Marianne Williamson, in A Return to Love (Quoted by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech)

Everyone is gifted to show forth the glory of the Creator. Use your talents and gifts to reflect Him.

"Let us trust Him who took care of Paul (i.e. the thorn in his flesh). He watches over us with a jealous, loving care, lest we exalt ourselves. When we do this, He seeks to show us the evil of it and to deliver us from it. Through trials and failures and troubles, He seeks to bring us to the place where His grace is everything. His strength is made perfect in our weakness; His presence fills and satisfies our emptiness; and becomes the secret of humility." Andrew Murray

We have the assurance that he will never leave us or forsake us or try us beyond what is needed to be developed in the image of Yeshua.

How does God feel about issues we face today?

If you examine your life closely you will see that you have some special ability in which you excel. This may not be something that is widely valued or lucrative. It may not be something that is highly visible to bring fame and the recognition of men, but in God’s love for all and His generosity, creativity, and impartiality He has neglected no one in His distribution of talents. Do you know what yours is? You honor the giver of your gift when you develop and exercise it, and if you look to God you will sense His pleasure when you do so. He put the desire in you to lead you into your destiny. Delight yourself in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. But what is the main purpose of your God given talents, abilities, and gifts. Do you think they are for you? He has given you the illustration of your relationship to others as members of a body. Every member of a body serves some vital purpose for the good of the whole. None exists in isolation, and none exists to serve its own interests alone. If you are gifted to write, it is so others may read. If you create beauty it is for others to enjoy. If you minister life, it is that others may receive life, even as you also receive life from them. You should be grateful for what God has given you and eager to use it. Be unselfish with it, for it is blessed to give. (Adopted from blog posts by Dale Cresap)

The year is 1910, over one hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for the car was sold in drug stores.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year,
a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about
$5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press
AND the government as 'substandard.'

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had
graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.

Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates
the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U. S. A.!

He was an older gentleman, wearied, haggard, and lost in his misery. He had a grizzled beard, wore a tattered suit that had seen better days, and though there were dozens of individuals passing him by, none gave him a second glance. That seemed fine with the man. He wasn’t people watching. From the way he leaned forward onto the piece of gnarled wood I supposed he used for a cane, I could see the man was also in a great pain…

Oftentimes we look at these divine appointments as nothing more than flukes or chance encounters, but being one who does not believe in accidental occurrences, being one who believes vehemently in the idea that our steps are ordained of God, and those who come across our path do so at His will, I am ever vigilant not to miss any of the opportunities He presents me with to make a difference in someone’s life.

…You could have pretended as though you did not see, but you chose to stop, and look, and act… I can buy the milk and eggs another time.

With love in Christ

Michael Boldea Jr.

The Torah teaches that creative skill is derived from God. The Hebrew word for skill is "ha-ham'" and is often translated "wisdom." Wisdom is the ability (the word used in the verse above) to apply knowledge in effective practical ways. So in English, if referring to a life decision, ha-ham is wisdom; if business strategy, it's shrewdness; if making things, it's skill.

In the context of this Torah portion, we see how in this case God gives skill to certain people for a stated purpose: "that they may make all that I have commanded you."

Is it possible that "that they may make all that I have commanded you" is applicable to every skill each one of us possesses? Clearly God gave these particular craftsmen a skill for a specifically stated purpose. But is every skill God bestows on all human beings given to us solely for his purposes? While we may accept God as Creator and that nothing exists that doesn't originate with him, how personal does this get?

Torah teaches that the creation is not impersonal and random. On the contrary, it is the result of God's intentional design. Humans were brought into being for an expressed purpose, which according to Genesis 1:26 was to take care of the planet, a mandate that has never been rescinded - thwarted by evil, but not rescinded.

Is it not reasonable then to assume that the creator God would instill in people the abilities necessary for the fulfillment of his purpose? Since ability isn't derived from nothing, it must have its origins in the Creator. Skill can be enhanced through training, but the core ability from which skill is derived must be present in potential form first, a potential given to us by God.

But sheer talent is not the same as possessing the necessary wisdom required to use our talents effectively. This might be the key to discover how best to use our God-given talents. Skill is more than simply performing tasks well, but performing tasks well within the context or contexts God has ordained for us. The Tabernacle's craftsmen could have used their skill for all sorts of things and would have most likely done excellent work, and there were likely times before and after the building of the Tabernacle when making other things would have been appropriate.

But what constitutes appropriate? That takes us back to the general mandate in Genesis. Until we receive specific directives like those received by the Tabernacle craftsmen, we need to remember that the abilities entrusted to us are gifts of responsibility to serve the overall purpose of God. And since wisdom too is God's gift (James 1:5), then we would do well to diligently seek him regarding the use of our talents. You might be surprised at the clarity you receive, if you are open to receive it.

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On the day I called Thou didst answer me; Thou didst make me bold with strength in my soul.

What better gift can we have than the assurance that He hears us and supply’s all our needs?