My name is Carrie (not Kelly), also known as Messyanic (spelled with a “y”).
I came to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Christianity.
From a young age, I chose to serve this God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. However, in my early 40s, my husband & I discovered the “Jesus” preached in Christianity was not quite the same as the one portrayed in the Bible, and we found ourselves not fitting into Christianity any longer.
When we sought solace in the Messianic movement, those whom we thought also served the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and believed Jesus (or Yeshua) to be the Messiah, we found it to be quite messy.
The Mess in Messianic
Evidently there was a special way of saying “the name”. Some say you are to pronounce it a specific way, others say it doesn’t matter, still others claim you are not to ever utter it.
Some teach Jewish believers hold a higher station than “gentile-turned believers”. Some say physical seed matters, others say it doesn’t.
Some throw out all of Paul’s letters. Some throw out the book of Hebrews. Some embrace the Hebrew language, calling it the pure language. Others hold the Greek in higher esteem.
The calendar is of particular controversy. Some recognize a lunar Sabbath, some don’t. Some insist on the sighting of a sliver for a new month to begin, some say it starts at conjunction. Some reckon days as evening to evening, some say morning to morning, still others claim morning to evening. And so on and so on.
And most seem to hold fast to the Christian version of Jesus.
So where do I fit in?
I want to know (& understand) what the Bible says.
Therefore, I challenge popularly held beliefs and test it against the Bible. And in doing this, I find myself to be a Messianic Misfit.
There is a whole lot of religious tradition mixed with religious teachings. Some line up with what the Bible says, but I’ve found quite a bit doesn’t.
Check out the road I’ve taken, see what I believe today, and catch some of my recent blog posts.
And if you’re interested in what I have to say, please check out some of my latest newsletters and YouTube videos and subscribe if you’d like to read & watch/hear more.
On occasion my husband and I host gatherings throughout the year to encourage others on the road to life. Learn more here.
And if you’d like to get in touch with me, please send an email to Carrie-at-Messyanic-dot-com.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you came. 🙂
The rules are simple. Keep it G rated. Healthy, passionate discussion and debating is fine. Disagreement is fine as long as we can all agree that the truth of Scripture is the final decider of all things. Cursing will not be tolerated. Those who resort to that are generally unwilling or incapable of expressing themselves intelligently. If you come here just to stir up strive, to kindle a fire, then you will be invited to leave. We are not here to be the idea police. Censorship is an ugly beast. We are happy to give a soap box to anyone that can make a Scriptural point. Let’s just agree to be reasonable and represent what we claim stand for in an admirable fashion and represent the ‘set apart’ example for those that need it.
I must confess I have little understanding of the biblical calendar . I understand we are to observe The set apart or appointed times, including Sabbath. I get weary with all the traditions or mans ideas. I however realize I need to be careful and seek Fathers face in all things. I am sending this to my hubbies email so he can copy it read and and discuss it with me. I believe we are so very close to the return of our Lord. I just want His children to be ready. Thank you for your thoughts and study.
Linda
Thanks for your blog, we are Messyanic also! Too Christian for most Jews, too Jewish for most Christians. But, we search for the truth and if what we believe doesn’t go with the Word, we go with the Word.
I wasn’t raised in church but I was given a Bible at 10. I read it and believed it. Then I started going to church where people had bracelets that said WWJD. I asked them what it meant. When I heard “What Would Jesus Do” I guess I just took it literally, and questioned why they didn’t. So I learned about what Jesus did and now I do it. Twenty-two years later I had my first Passover. Every year for the past 7 years we have enjoyed Passover and the Feasts and we invite others to join and partake.
Thanks for sharing.
Great to meet you, Heather. Thanks for sharing your testimony. 🙂
Glad to have found your post. I worship with a Messianic congregation…am sometimes at odds with normative Messianic Jewish positions, (i.e. thoughts about “the name” and who should keep dietary laws, etc.) But at this point, it is the best that I have. I also came to faith in Messiah in Christiandom. As I have grown in my realtionship with Him my attachment to Christianity has fallen by the wayside, as have relationships. I am endeavoring to keep a humble witness, fully aware that I have much to learn. Still, the disconnect can be lonely and spirituality warfare intense. The misfit title fits for me as well. Your blog encouraged me when I most needed it.
Nice to meet you, Linda. 😀 Yes, the disconnect can be lonely, but drawing closer to our Maker and learning His heart and His ways are well worth it. He knows what you need and when you need it…He will care for you. (And despite how it may appear…you are not alone.)
I meant “spiritual warfare” , not spirituality warfare. LOL. First time I’ve laughed today…thanks for the opportunity!
Thanks Isha . It is good to meet you also. I may have given the impression in my earlier post that this walk of faith is new to me. It is not. I have worshiped “messianicly” [new word :)] for 20 some odd years now. What is increasingly the case (and perhaps increasingly new) is the extent of the disconnect. In this day when Christians seem to refuse to “get it” and Messianic believers come in all stripes (Ever heard of Messianics for the Blessed Mother? Yup, you read right), it is difficult to find “like minded” people. This is a good thing though because it keeps me humbly aware of how little I know, ever wiling to learn and thus growing and dying simultaneously, ever invoking the Davidic position not to consider those things that are to high for me, and remaining striving to be able to give an account for the hope that is within me. At the end of the day, my redemption and salvation are not based on how well I understand all mysteries, calculate days, or the like, but in the finished work on the stake. So I endeavor to grow in my understanding of TORAH, embracing Y’shua’s yoke, and asking wisdom from the Most High who gives liberally per Yaakov (James) 1.
It is very difficult to find the truth when you are seeking it on your own. Yeshua promised that when He returned to the Father, the Father would send the comforter, and He would teach us all thing, as well as remind us of the things Yeshua taught us as He was among us. So when I read this post I realized that that is what it means to search for the truth. You hit the nail on the head, when you said that things were getting messy. I also just realized that that is exactly what satan wants. Whenever we come close to the truth, satan throw a curve ball in there and we get confused. Let us continue to rely on the Spirit to lead and to guide in all things.
Love you blog. I am very fortunate to have found it. Keep up the good work
Henry
Thanks, Henry. 🙂
Oh, we are so confused. Jew? Gentile? Yehovah only has two kind of men in His kingdom, the Ezrach (the native born man, the spiritually born man, the 2nd born man, the male-child, the new man, the heir of the promise and so much more) and the Ger (the “stranger” who dwells within the gates of the Ezrach): there are no Gentiles in Yehovah kingdom!
One law shall be for the native-born man [Ezrach] and for the stranger [Ger] who dwells among you.” (Exo 12:49)
You shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is native-born [Ezrach] among Israel’s seed and for the stranger [Ger] who dwells among them. ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born [Ezrach] or a stranger [Ger], that one brings reproach on Yehovah, and he shall be cut off from among his people. (Num 15:29-30)
The stranger [Ger] who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you [Ezrach], and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers [Gerim] in the land of Egypt: I am Yehovah your Elohim. (Lev 19:34)
Yehovah gave His commandments to each Ezrach man. The 4th commandment and the 10th commandment make this very clear.
But no one can become a Ger and later, at Passover, an Ezrach without leaving the kingdom of his birth and and joining himself (his family come with him) to Yehovah and His other called-out people.
“I am Yehovah, your Elohim, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shall have no other elohim existing before My face.” (Exo 20:2-3)
Here is a great place to begin learning about the Ger and the Ezrach.
http://weareisrael.org/2013/12/30/the-ger-and-the-ezrach/
I know from personal experience what it take to research and write what the two of you have done here, and this is a great start; but there is much more to uncover.
Praise Yehovah! Those who seek, do find.
Michael, thank you for the invite to your blog, I have been there before. Personally, I like to refer to Scripture for learning, but I appreciate your willingness to share what you have learned. 😉
The tagline “Neither Jew Nor Gentile” is a reference to the many verses in the New Testament addressing the Jews and the Gentiles.
The word “Jew” (G2453 “Ioudaios”) is often used by many folks in reference to someone who practices Judaism, but I think it more likely refers to those either living in the land of Judah, the southern kingdom of Judah, or are from the tribe of Judah (which is only one tribe of Israel/Jacob) when used in the Bible.
The word “Gentile” (G1672 “Hellen”) is often referred to by folks to mean non-Jews, but from what I understand it specifically refers to those who are Greek when used in the Bible.
You mentioned Yehovah’s “kingdom”. May I ask what specifically you are referring to?
From the references you are citing it sounds like you are talking about the descendants of Jacob and those who sojourned with them into the Promised Land. But when I hear “kingdom”, I think of the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” preached about in the NT. And that, I believe, is a reference to the kingdom mentioned at the end of Daniel 7. If you can clarify what it is you are referring to, I may be able to better understand your comment. Thanks.
Great start? As long as it does not lead to keeping 1) Yeshua as Messiah 2) Starting the day with morning and leaving it separate from the night 3) Understanding that the moon for months is not Scriptural 4) Understanding that Passover is to be kept in the land where the Most High places his name and not just anywhere one would assume to deem worthy.
One person’s “great start” is another person’s going off the reservation back into Babylon.
Dear Ish and Isha,
Is this the correct place to ask questions, seeking clarification on points raised in CW’s posts? I have questions; do I ask them in comments, or where? Thanks.
If there is a blog post that’s related to your questions, go ahead and ask them in the comments of that post (you can do a search for blogs related to your question near the top of this page). Otherwise, you can ask them here. Thanks.
Is there an answer to my question about the Passover timeline?
Hi,
I could not find your email so I am posting it here for you.
You are absolutely right about the calendar too (you were right about the Shabbat work types as well). However, you could not figure it out how it works. I did it for you.
Here is the link: http://www.thedeserttabernacle.com/p/real-hebrew-calendar.html
Please read it carefully. It explains all the points and it really works. You can check it if you do not believe me.
Sincerely,
Aleksandr Sigalov
And this may be interesting for you as well: http://www.thedeserttabernacle.com/2016/03/important-message-from-god-to-christians.html
Hello! Very nice to find this and I am encouraged that this is a forum where we can discuss, disagree or agree, learn and find new insights. I used to be a writer for a popular teacher, but when I began to diverge from the ‘standard, boiler-plate, bed-rock’ of understanding inherited from the Christian church I was asked to leave. I have my own blog called Pair O’ Dimes, My Two Cents Adjusted for Inflation at blogspot. I have discovered that most of us who grew up on Christian doctrine are fine with slapping the feasts, Sabbath and dietary laws over our ‘understandings’ we learned in Christianity, but are unwilling or scared to truly scrutinize whether what we ‘know’ is actually biblical. Still searching. Very happy to be on the ‘Hebrew Roots/ Messyantic’ path, it is an improvement over churchianity, with the benefit of encouraging us to get back to basics…i.e. the word. Looking forward to friendly discussions between brothers and sisters. Thankful to have found your site. Shalom.
I don’t have comment but only to thanks
Hello
This is my first time here. I just learned of this site today on the open thread at Corbett Report.com. Thankyou carriew.
I will just jump in here and try to find out if I, as a misfit, or whatever else I may be called, might fit in here. I am now 83 years old and probably don’t have many more left if any at all.
I first began to find the Truth about 1982. It’s a very long and detailed story and I don’t even know if I could tell it well if I tried. Thought about it many times but also thought, “Who would even want to read it?”
But as to the “misfit”. Once I began to learn some things i.e. the milk for babes type of stuff, it became an obsession. I couldn’t get enough. I quickly learned what Proverbs 2: 1-5 meant. It says;
“My sonne, if thou wilt receive my wordes, and wilt hide my commandments with thee, that thyne eare may heare wisdom: incline thyne hart to know prudence. For if thou shalt cal for wisdom, and incline thyne hart to prudence: If thou shalt seeke her as money, and as treasures shalt dig her up: then shalt thou understand the fear of our Lord, and shalt finde the knowledge of God.”
This clearly tells me that to find the knowledge of God there is but one way. Seek it as one seeks money and dig for it as one digs for treasure.
I spent the entire summer of 1992 on an island in the Yukon river 75 miles upstream from Dawson City, Yukon Territory. There were many books and other information there about the Klondike Gold Rush and there was also minimal amounts of gold to be found if one knew how and where to look. Which I did do all summer long.
But what I learned that was so impressive was what most, if not all of those seekers of the gold had to go through just to get to the Klondike, let alone what most of them had to do after they got there in order to TRY and find some gold. At first it was easy to find. As one story was told about it being like a cheese sandwich when lifting up the rocks in the river. But that was quickly gone and then the digging began. But the overall struggle of just getting there and then the added struggle of trying to find some when by then most of the claims were already taken is mind blowing. Many died just trying to get there. These people were doing for gold what Gods word says must be done for His knowledge.
But there is one very reassuring bit of His word that brings comfort. “If a son asks a loving father for bread, will he give him a stone?” And; “Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find.” The Key? Know what to ask for and understand what it means to “seek” for it.
In my seeking one of the things that made me a misfit was telling people who say they are Christians that God does not love everybody. Their first response is John.3:16. my reply would be John 17:9.
So what do you think so far?
roger
Welcome, Roger, and thank you for sharing! That was very well put.
For one, I appreciate hearing stories from people’s personal lives, particularly when they relay something unfamiliar to me, like what you shared concerning your time on the Yukon. (I have another website that I started nearly 20 years ago, http://memoirsbyme.com/, which I intend to restore & revise a bit here in the near future, encouraging folks to share stories about their life with loved ones by writing them down in short episodes and privately distributing them periodically by hand or through snail mail. Anyway, that’s a totally different topic from this thread.)
Two, I agree with your statements.
I remember when I was a young person (I’m now 53), hearing a sermon on the passage that says “seek and ye shall find” and learning that the idea behind the word “seek” is not to just *merely look* for something, but rather to *keep looking* for it. But then beyond just looking repetitively, it’s helpful to keep our eyes wide open — making observations all around and contemplating all that is observed — and yes, even digging for it. For sure, at times it can be very arduous to gain knowledge & understanding, but when it comes, oh my, how rewarding it is!
As for the notion that God does not love everybody, do you mind expounding a bit on that, so I can better see where you’re coming from with that?
I think most of us have been conditioned over our lifetime to say certain things & respond in a certain fashion without ever really thinking about what we’re saying &/or considering what others are attempting to communicate with their words. And therein lies what I believe to be a huge problem within human society — we’ve been trained to act like animals rather than the human beings we were designed to be. I aim to be better than that. (I still miss the mark, but I think I’m better than I used to be.)
Hi, I found your website looking for someone that has the same idea about the Messiah’s humanity as I have come to. I have since read through a lot of material on your website and have found some very helpful.
However, I have also been on a similar journey regarding calendars but am currently running with lunar so I am interested in your aha moment that stopped you on lunar calendars.
Thanks
Stephen
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