“Whither thou goest, I will go.” (The Book of Ruth)

We recently celebrated Mother’s Day, and I had a scene replay in my head about my mother of blessed memory that I thought I would share with you today.

It happened many years ago, when I was much younger than I am now. I had had a major upset and did not like my mother’s response to it. The truth is that I no longer remember what it was that had gotten me so upset, but I do remember the rest of the story. I got so angry that day that my 7-yearold self decided I was not going to stay in my house, I mean, my parent’s house, a moment longer. And so, I screamed at my mom that I was going to run away from home.

My mother might not have had more than a high school education, but she had a lot of saichel, a lot of common sense, and her response to my anger was truly amazing. She told me that if that’s the way I felt, she would go get a suitcase for me. I followed her upstairs and watched as she went into the closet and pulled out not one, but two, suitcases.

I said, “Momma, I’m only 7 years old. I don’t have all that much to take with me. I only need one bag.”

And she said, “I know, but the other bag is for me.”

I asked her why she needed a bag and she said that if I was going to leave, then she was going with me. And she added, “Why don’t we go downstairs for a minute and I’ll make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for each of us in case we get hungry on the road.”

It sounded like a good idea to me. After all, I was already feeling peckish. But as I watched her, I noticed that she made three sandwiches.

I asked why and she said, “Well, I think when your father hears that you are leaving, he is going to want to go with you too.”

Then she took out more bread and put together two more PB & J sandwiches and I asked who those were for. She said they were for my brothers because she suspected that if I was leaving, they were going to want to go too to protect me and make sure I was okay.

Funny thing … I never left the house that day … and, I learned a very important lesson about family sticking together.

My mother and father may no longer be on this Earth, but my brothers are still here. We talk to each other pretty much every day, and, even though we live quite a geographical distance from one another, we still look out for and protect one another.

A part of me is with each of them and a part of them is with me. I can’t think of a better Mother’s Day gift for our dearly-departed mother and father. Nor can I think of a better way to honor their memory.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of Health Care settings in the area, including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.

We go through many ups and downs in life. We have times where we feel great and everything is going wonderful in our lives. However, we have those moments where we feel the complete opposite of great and wonderful.

Today, most of us have a cell phone and/or electronic device and we have learned how to do an amazing thing called “charging up our phone or device.” It is remarkable how we will charge our phones and electronic devices so we can continue to use them without interruption.

What do we do (if anything) to charge up our batteries when we get worn out and run down? We need to make sure we give ourselves and our bodies just as much attention as we do our phones and devices. We have to find ways to recharge our batteries. I am sure we all have many different ways to do this. Some may simply do nothing, read a book, go to the beach, go shopping, exercise, etc. The list could go on forever. With all the things that we do differently to recharge our batteries and regain our strength and focus, I must point out one common thing that can recharge all of our batteries. We must look at spending time in God’s presence.

PSALM 16:11 “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

NLT

God can charge you up, no matter what has drained you – and He is the only one who can do that. Be sure to spend time with God. We can do that by going to church, praying (just talking to God), reading the Bible, and by singing worship songs and hymns. There is also one other thing that I have found that helps me recharge – helping other people in a time of need, which not only brings great joy to your life, but brings you a new energy that you did not have before. We can create an environment for ourselves to recharge anywhere and anytime we need. So remember to keep your batteries charged so you can keep going.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

I remember a time many years ago when one of the most used holy books in my library was falling apart. I discovered that the library at FAU had some wonderful craftsmen on the floor of the Judaica Collection. These artists have a knack for bookbinding … and, let me tell you something, it is not easy to find a good bookbinder these days. It is a dying art.

I brought my book over to them and one of the binders gently took it in his hands. I could see by the way he held it that he knew this was a holy book. I got the impression that this was a man to whom all books are sacred.

I asked him what I should do and he told me to leave it with him and he would see if he could give the book some added life. In the end, he was able to bind that book back together so well that I have been using it for a good 12 years now. What a wonderful job this master binder did.

When I think of my love for books, I can’t help but think of a novel called Farenheit 451. It was about a time in the future where firemen have a very different job than they do in our current world because, instead of putting out fires, in the futuristic world of Farenheit 451, a fireman’s job was to start them and, sadly enough, it was books that they were supposed to burn.

One of the closest people in my life is in a book club. She was supposed to get a particular book to read called Fifty Shades of Grey. I called the library to find a copy of it for her and found out that it was deemed too risqué for the Broward System. So, I called Palm Beach and found that they have a few copies of the book. I also found that the book that one library may as well have chosen to burn was so popular in the other that, if I put in on reserve, I would be waiting weeks or months until after her book club had already finished reading and discussing the book in detail.

A book can be banned and a book can be burned, but, sometimes, when you ban a book, you only make it more desirable, more popular. While fire can destroy a book, the heat from a fire can also be used by one who sees books as holy to seal the glue that binds the pages back together again. A fire can be used to burn books, even holy books, but a flame can also provide us with the light we need to see the written

word.

Lag B’Omer is soon upon us. It is a time when we traditionally light bonfires and those fires remind us of the light that can be found in the Torah and in those who teach the inner meanings of G-d’s word.

May the flames of literacy grow inside you and may the books you choose to read warm your heart and light your soul.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of healthcare settings in the area including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.

The Scarlet Letter begins in 17th Century Boston, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her breast. A man in the crowd tells an elderly onlooker that Hester is being punished for adultery. Hester’s husband, a scholar much older than she is, sent her ahead to America, but he never arrived in Boston. The consensus is that he has been lost at sea. While waiting for her husband, Hester has apparently had an affair, as she has given birth to a child. She will not reveal her lover’s identity, however, and the scarlet letter, along with her public shaming, is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. On this day, Hester is led to the town scaffold and harangued by the town fathers, but she again refuses to identify her child’s father.

Hester supports herself by working as a seamstress. Shunned by the community, she lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of Boston. Community officials attempt to take Pearl, her daughter, away from Hester, but, with the help of Arthur Dimmesdale, a young and eloquent minister, the mother and daughter manage to stay together. Dimmesdale, however, appears to be wasting away and suffers from mysterious heart trouble, seemingly caused by psychological distress.

Hester and Dimmesdale arrange to flee Boston together. The day before their departure, the townspeople gather for a holiday and Dimmesdale preaches his most eloquent sermon ever. Dimmesdale, leaving the church after his sermon, sees Hester and Pearl standing before the town scaffold. He impulsively mounts the scaffold with his lover and his daughter, and confesses publicly, exposing a scarlet letter seared into the flesh of his chest. He falls dead, as Pearl kisses him.

Hester and Pearl leave Boston, and no one knows what has happened to them. Many years later, Hester returns alone, still wearing the scarlet letter. When Hester dies, she is buried next to Dimmesdale. The two share a single tombstone, which bears a scarlet “A.”

Hollywood released their version of the story years ago. I had enjoyed the book as a child and, therefore, I was eager to see the movie. I was disappointed. I believe that the people who wrote the movie really missed out on what the Scarlet Letter was really about. I believe the story is about Redemption. Hester has this Scarlet letter on her chest that she must where at all times. Instead of feeling sorry for herself and cowering away, she does all she can to help others. After several years, she becomes more famous for her charitable work than she is for her Scarlett letter.

The “A” no longer represents her sin, but instead, it represents the person she has become. That is why I believe that, even after she was given permission to remove the letter, she continued to wear it – until her death.

I believe this is one of the biggest misconceptions concerning Jesus Christ. Christ does not want you to carry a Scarlet letter around. He wants to take the scarlet letter from you. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” That word “confess” simply means, “to agree.” In other words, “Agree with God concerning your sin and He will make you clean.” What’s holding you back?
What prevents you from having the relationship with God that you were created to have?
Deron Peterson is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

I was recently talking to a group of young professionals and I asked them to tell me what they thought was the holiest city in the world today? Now, before giving you the answer, let me share the fact that about a third of those in attendance were Christian, about a third were Muslim, and about a third were Jewish. With that being said, can you guess?

Well, most of the Christians said Bethlehem, although a few called out Rome. Can you guess which city the majority of the Muslims in the group thought was the holiest? Mecca was the primary answer. And last, but certainly not least, can you guess which city the vast majority of the Jews in the audience called out? Okay, this one was a no brainer. They called out “Jerusalem.”

It is a question that I got from the writings of Rabbi Joseph Abrams of Atlanta. And then I decided to change the question just a tad. I was going to ask them if they could tell me what the holiest city in Florida is, but at the last minute I asked this instead, “What is the holiest house in all of South Florida. Several immediately called out their house. Others called out the house of their Priest, their Pastor, their Imam, their Rabbi.

I told them to think a bit more and they did. They started calling out Houses of Worship – St. Anthony’s, Temple Torah, House of the Good Shepherd, First Baptist. I told them that I thought they were really using their heads now, but I also let them know I disagreed. I let them know that I am a student of human behavior and that, rather than just listening to what people say, I tend to look at people’s behavior to get my answers.

So, do you have any idea what I said was the holiest house in South Florida? Here it goes. Are you ready for this? I said, the casino – the one in Hollywood or the one in Coconut Creek.

Now, before you prepare to condemn me for my answer, let me explain myself. The Casino is the one place I know that people of many different faiths gather together regularly under one roof. They gather together without getting into fights or arguments with one another. They enter and they obey the rules of the house. They bring money into the house and, while they are there, they pray more than they do most anywhere else. When they leave, they leave most of their money behind and, yet, amazingly, each one looks forward to coming back again.

So tell me, where else can we get people of so many different faiths to spend a day in peace together under one roof, where each one can pray in their own unique way, where everyone follows the rules of the house without complaint or need for explanation, where each brings money for the house and often leaves it there, where each expresses their desire to become a winner?

Life is a gamble my friends. Take a chance on life and make wherever you’re at a holy place.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of Health Care settings in the area including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.

By Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Have you ever quit and now justify it in your mind as to why you quit? Have you ever heard someone give excuses as to why they quit?

We all have our reasons why we do the things we do in life. Let’s take a look at what Jesus went through for us:

• They plotted to kill Him

• One of his leaders betrayed Him

• Jesus knew one of the 12 would betray Him

• He asked God if there was any other way

• His best friends could not even pray for an hour

• He was arrested on false, made-up charge, then taken away and put to death

• Peter denied Jesus three times

• They spit on Jesus and struck him with the palms of their hands, when he was with the high priest

• They mocked and beat Him, made fun and laughed at Him

• They lied about Him

• He was found ‘not guilty;’ they had no evidence to convict Jesus of a crime

• The people wanted a rebellious murderer over the King of the Jews

• Pilate gave in to the people – I don’t think he did that very often at all

• They whipped Him with a cat o’ nine tails

• They mocked Him by placing a purple robe on Him

• They put a crown of thorns on His head

• They began to salute Him and spit on Him

• They struck Him on the head with a reed

• They bowed a knee and mock worshipped Him

• And then after all that, they nailed Him to the cross and He asked God to forgive them

• They laughed at Him and mocked Him, telling Him, “Save yourself if you are really the Christ”

• His own mother and his disciples had to watch his cruxifiction on a cross

• One of the men hanging next to him even mocked Him

• He cried out “it is finished” and died

• They divided His clothes, cast lots for them

JOHN 19:30

30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. NLT

Jesus finished what He started. He never quit and he never gave up. He suffered the sins of the world, then He rose from the dead. He empowered the disciples with a new message, the good news that He had defeated the power of sin and death. Jesus taught us to refuse to quit, and to fight with everything that is inside of us. Do not just remember what Jesus did, remember why He did it.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

A man went to his father to tell him that he had just become a millionaire. His father did not seem very impressed. The young man screamed, “Pop, I’m not even 30 yet and I’ve already made my first million …” To which the father responded, “My son, you’ve counted your money. What I want to know is, what you are going to do with it?”

I was never very good at math and, to this day, I still have trouble adding things up. I just can’t count. Don’t get me wrong, my friends know they can count on me, but they also know that I am not a whiz when it comes to numbers.

In the Torah, we find the commandment of giving a half shekel. Our Sages taught that G-d showed Moses a “coin of fire.” What do money and fire have in common?

We know that a fire can destroy a forest and, if you’ve ever seen someone who has been burned, you know what harm it can cause a human being. Yet, a fire can also cook our food so it is safe to eat. A fire can warm the cockles of our heart. A fire can bond metals together, molding two things into one. (Perhaps that is why the word “welding” sounds so much like “wedding.”)

Wealth … Wealth can keep a roof over our heads. It can provide food and sustenance. It can help build houses of worship and academies of higher learning. Wealth can be used to support charities and foundations.

Fire can burn one beyond recognition, making someone appear unpleasant and ugly on the outside. But money … Money can make someone unpleasant and ugly on the inside. So here we are following G-d’s commandment to take a census, each giving half a shekel, but why a half a shekel?

I have a friend who has worn a necklace for many years now. The necklace is a half a heart. Can you guess who has the other half? That’s right, her husband. That half a heart reminds her that she can use her heart to lift her husband up or to drag him down, to weld herself to him, making them one, or to burn a hole right through his heart. Such is the power of love. Fortunately, she has chosen, for the most part, to lift him up … to remember that he counts.

If you take the Hebrew word used for “counting,” you will find a better translation would be to “lift” or to “elevate.”

When we use the gifts G-d has blessed us with to elevate others, we have used our gifts wisely. We have merged our lives together. But, if we fail to use our gifts to help, we have not only failed others, we have failed ourselves and we have failed G-d.

Let the upcoming Passover holiday remind us. It is not our bread that needs to rise to the occasion. It is we who need to rise, whatever the occasion might be. Remember, each of us counts far more than we know. Now go and do the math … and make sure that others can count on you.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.

We had this young man, Toto, who lived about a block from our house in Corrientes, Argentina, whose parents were very violent. They would take turns beating him and then throw him out of the house.

I first met Toto in our backyard. Samuel had invited a group of boys from the neighborhood into the house.

While the boys were playing in the back, a neighbor woman came and told me I needed to be careful with Toto. Apparently, he was a thief. We soon got to know him as he spent more time in our house. I remember one day, Toto found a Tonka Truck collection I had saved since I was a child. He took the trucks, the Hot Wheels and other cars and sat down on the dining room floor and played all morning, afternoon and into the night. I asked him why he enjoyed those toys (because they were not for boys of his age; he was 14 at the time). He replied, “I’ve never had toys like this before, never even one toy car.”

Soon Toto was spending significant time in our house and, on occasion, he would spend the night when things were difficult at home. He never stayed too long because even though his parents beat him, he still loved them; they were his parents. He told us once of a story where he ran away from home and spent three months riding by truck all over the country. When he arrived home, his parents didn’t know he was gone. He was known to spend weeks at a time sleeping on the street because he was afraid to go home. What he noticed was that no one cared enough to look for him.

One day, Toto was acting very strange. He quickly said he had something to do and walked out of the house and didn’t return. It was then we realized that he had stolen Samuel’s birthday money. Fearing what had become of him, Beth and the boys set out to look for him. For weeks, we went to all the places he was known to sleep or hang out and never saw any trace of him.

Rolo, who has had several experiences with children like Toto told us it was hopeless.  “Once they steal from you,” Rolo said, “It’s over. You can never have him back in your house.”

I looked at Rolo and said, “If we never find him, how can we show him forgiveness?”  Through his tears, Rolo said, “We’ll find him.”

That night we got a phone call from Toto. He told us he was okay and was traveling again by truck. He didn’t realize we had caller ID and identified the place he called us from. We went to find him. When we got there, he was gone. We headed home defeated. About an hour after we got home, the doorbell rang. It was Toto! With huge tears in his eyes he said, “No one ever looked for me before.”

Have you ever felt like no one was looking for you? Do you ever feel like if you disappeared, no one would even notice? That’s how Toto felt. God’s word says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you 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.”

God is looking for you. He loves you, and he wants you to give Him your burdens.

Deron Peterson is is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach.

If there was one thing I could never have to do again, it would be to move! I cannot stand even the thought of moving. It just gives you one of those really bad feelings you get when you think back to all the stuff your mom made you eat when you were a child that you just hated. If it was me and I had a choice between moving and a visit to the dentist with no drugs – I would choose the dentist!

Now that you know how I feel about moving, the irony is that I find myself in the middle of moving our church facility from one location to another. This brings a whole new meaning to spring cleaning. I thought moving a house was difficult. Just imagine moving your house, but about 15 times more difficult.

Now as we prepare to move from a rather large facility to a much smaller and more cost-effective space, we have begun the cleaning out and paring down process. I think cleaning out our stuff is the hardest part for a lot of us because we have to get rid of some of our stuff that we desperately want to hold onto and never let go of. When you move from one place to another, you must clean out some old stuff, decide which are your essentials and make room for some new things to come your way.

I think it would be great if we could all look into our own lives and give ourselves an honest evaluation of all the baggage we carry. Then, after we decide what our essentials are, we can remove some old stuff, and begin to make room for some new things to come our way.

Some essentials that we should want to keep include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Add to that prayer (talking with God), going to church, family, friends and love. Yes, I said love twice because it is so important that it needs to be said twice. Everything should begin and end with love. Remember that God’s kind of love has no conditions on it, but rather is giving unconditionally with no strings attached. God’s love does not say ‘I love you because you did something for me,’ it simply says, ‘I love you, no matter what.’  Some of our baggage might include painful memories, hurt feelings, wounded pride and unforgiveness. We need to take those bags out to the garbage where they belong and get rid of them for good. Then and only then will we be ready for the new things God wants to bless our lives with. I don’t know about you, but I like God’s blessings in my life.

I want you to know there is someone in this world who loves you and cares about you, so keep your head up and stay strong. I always pray that everyone who reads the articles will be encouraged and blessed. This time is no different, but if you could please pray for us as we prepare to move and  get ready to have our first service in our new facility by April 1. Thank you and God bless you.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

Wednesday evening, March 7, is the eve of The Festival of Purim. Purim is a very colorful holiday. Children, and adults, are known to dress up in costumes that make the Temple a rainbow of colors.

Colors can be found in the Bible. For instance, I just mentioned the rainbow … G-d’s sign that he would never destroy the earth by flood again … and, need I remind you that the flood showed no preference to one color over another.

Then, there was Joseph and his multi-colored coat and last, but not least, there was the High Priest who wore a breastplate that had stones of 12 different colors on it.

Why a multi-colored coat? Why stones of 12 different colors? According to many historians, a multi-colored coat was a sign of leadership. Who was Joseph supposed to rule over? His brothers … not just one brother, but all of his brothers. And that multi-colored coat should have served as a constant reminder that he needed to keep each and every one of them in mind when he made a decision, as each of his brother’s needs were different.

Why stones of 12 different colors on the breastplate of the High Priest? How many tribes of Israel are there? That’s right, 12, so this was to serve as a constant reminder that he was tending not just to this tribe, but to the entire House of Israel, a house with different wants and needs. But the High Priest was responsible for serving them all.

Have you looked at the American Flag lately? Take a look at it. It is truly a sight to behold. Notice that it has three different colors on it. That’s right, Old Glory isn’t just red. Old Glory isn’t just blue. Old Glory isn’t just white. Old Glory is red, white and blue.

If you look closer, you will see that there is more of one color used in the flag than the others, but that is not to send a message that one group, one color, or one political party should be favored. No, let those colors remind each of us and each of our duly elected officials that America is a Melting Pot of the red, white and blue … and, we need to listen to each other. We need to work together, not just for our own sake, not just for our party’s sake, but for all the inhabitants thereof.

I remember a song lyric that my mother of blessed memory taught me many years ago. It was The Color Song and it asked what G-d’s favorite color was. I have never forgotten it, and I think it is a message that all of us need to remember with all the political campaigning we are being bombarded with because, my dear readers, God’s favorite color, despite what some candidate might tell you, isn’t red or blue. G-d’s favorite color is the color of Love!

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of Health Care settings in the area including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.