Shabbat Date

The fascinating journey towards Adonai's Sabbath for both Billy and JoDell started with motorcycles!   Like the meandering country roads in the mountains and hills of Georgia, their path started with Billy's love of motorcycles.     A pastor in their area started a motorcycle ministry and invited Billy.  They began attending and learning and after several years, Billy was asked to begin pastoral education.  Three years later, Billy is an ordained minister.Their Harley Davidson motorcycles naturally attract attention and allows both Billy and JoDell to share their faith.   They have many opportunities to share the love of Christ with many and help explain the path to salvation.   Each year they make their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which is held annually in The Black Hills and in Sturgis, South Dakota.  For 10 days during the first week of August, Billy and JoDell get people's attention and preach Christ to many who do not know the Lord.Both of them learned about Shabbat through Seeking Scripture.  And have discovered that most people don’t understand God Holy Sabbath.   The specialness of Sabbath let's them pause from work and it give them more time to read God’s word.

Although they started in different walks of faith, both Rodney and Stephanie had a common thread connecting them to Sabbath. Stephanie was 15 when a good friend brought her to Sabbath church. As she walked in, she felt like God hugged her and at that moment, she knew she was where He wanted her to be. When she was shown the fourth Commandment, she knew it was truth. Rodney, on the other hand, is a fourth generation Seventh-day Adventist, and does not remember anything but Sabbath for his entire life.Rodney indicated that he did not know what his life might have been like without the Shabbat, and he is not sure how people can work seven days a week. As he started keeping the feast days he said, "My life changed a lot. My understanding of scripture improved and made more sense." Stephanie shared, "I have entered a life of obedience and it has lead me to a relationship of love with my God and Savior."On the seventh day, they try to spend a part of each Shabbat in God's creation enjoying the beauty He created. They do no work and focus on Torah and family.

John and Maxlyn began to keep Shabbat after a Bible study with First Fruits of Zion. Just reading the Old Testament passages, it became clear that they were to keep the commandments and the Sabbaths. They started slowly by just acknowledging that it started Friday evening and it was God’s Sabbath. They developed their own ways to set it apart from the other days of the week. Then they added some of the traditional prayers used in Judaism but made them personal. The Sabbath is a beautiful sacred time and has come to mean so much to them especially when they share a meal with friends in the same walk.As a result of keeping the 7th day Shabbat, they have a peace that was not present in our former faith walk. They feel a closeness to the Father as He invites them to Sabbath. They now see that the sabbath is His sign for His covenant peopleJohn and Maxlyn make Shabbat special when they have a nice meal with friends. On Friday night, they light candles and say kiddish. They say blessings and other liturgy that express their love of their Father and they delight in His ways.

Robert and Lisa's journey into observing the sabbath began when Lisa was challenged to state which day was the sabbath with support from scripture. After realizing that, even though she had read the entire bible, she could not remember any scriptures to support her belief that Sunday (the first day) was the sabbath. Thus began her research into every scripture in the Bible that mentions the sabbath. Upon completion of this study, she was shocked at how important the keeping of the sabbath is to our identity as a people who are in covenant with the one true God, YHVH, the creator of heaven and earth. She also recognized that it had NEVER been changed from the 7th to the 1st day in scripture. This went against everything she had ever been taught (and believed) about the Bible. With Robert's support, the children and Lisa immediately began to try to keep the sabbath to the best of their understanding. Lisa then explained to the children what they would be doing and why, as the chore schedule would now be changed so that no work, no homeschooling, and no shopping would occur on Saturdays. For the first sabbath, Lisa cooked a special meal on Friday, so that we could enjoy the day together without having to cook. The children and Lisa sang praise and worship songs, read scripture, and relaxed on that very first Shabbat (around 2004-2005). The blessings of this obedience to His word was palpable throughout the day, and Lisa knew that she had found the truth. Thus began a journey that could not be conceived in her thoughts at the time.Obedience to the truth of scripture, instead of the doctrines of man, opened Robert and Lisa up to a new journey that they did not foresee.  Their deeper understanding of scripture literally changed the trajectory of the life of their family! When she says "journey", Lisa did not mean a quick detour or short exploration but rather, she meant a new journey that would forever change their understanding of the Bible and how they live their lives on a daily basis. It involved letting go of beliefs and traditions that they had held their entire lives.  It also included the blessings which come with walking in biblical truth. This meant that family members did not always understand or agree with some of the truth that they would ultimately embrace. Though these challenges were difficult to endure, the blessings from the Father that they saw in our lives, and in their family far outweighed the negative.Now, their family looks forward to their weekly Shabbats and Friday's are very busy as they prepare enough food for Friday and Saturday.  This lets them fully rest from their labors of the week. As a family, they gather in the evening on Friday and have blessings of the bread and wine, blessings of our children, and all husbands and wives that are present bless each other in prayer. They sing the Shabbat song to open Shabbat, and then enjoy a meal together. On Saturday (Shabbat), they have coffee together and a special Sabbath Sweet that was prepared (usually by our daughter) on Friday. If we are home together then we read the weekly Torah portion. However, sometimes we get together with other families of like mind to fellowship and have bible study together.

The journey to Sabbath for both Heath and Leah was unique for each of them. Leah kept Sabbath from her birth, and Heath became aware of Sabbath during his courtship with Leah. Once they were married and started having children, they were united in Sabbath and His Appointed Times. They find that Shabbat has been a blessing to their family as it brings them together every week as a family. It is also a break from the rest of the world.The biggest blessing for their family is to see their children's reverence for Shabbat and their Creator.When asked, "How do you make Shabbat special or set aside from the other six days?" Leah says, "Kiddush Service on Friday Evening." Sometimes she will make a special dessert or meal. They will also try and do things together as a family because they are too busy the rest of the week. They will play games or watch a movie together. But most especially, they enjoy sleeping in on Shabbat! Although Heath says that sleeping in past 6:30 is "sleeping in". He is too used to getting up early every day.The Todd's would like to leave you with a scripture and is their way of sharing a great reason to celebrate the seventh day Sabbath:"Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed." Exodus 31:16-17

Hailey came to understand the Sabbath through her husband, Trey, and he has known about the Sabbath his whole life. As they dated and their relationship grew, Hailey became very interested in his faith and wanted to better understand what he was doing on Saturdays.

During their walk in Torah and Sabbath, their lives have been so blessed by Yahweh. Their very best blessing is their beautiful healthy daughter! Even Trey's health improved after he had a terrible heart attack at 21! Hailey says, "I think that we are always being blessed but following Yahweh fully, makes you realize your blessings m."

During the Sabbath, they make it a point to stay comfortable and relax as they watch a documentary, video or also read during the day. They also make a point to contact Treys parents and share the Sabbath together as often as possible.

They would like those who read this or hear their story to know that you will "feel in your heart" that the Sabbath is the way. And If you are following Yahweh, they say, "Don’t let other people tell you what you are doing is crazy." Because they both know that you are not!

Robert and Hollie's first Sabbath was early part of 2013 and went to visit a study fellowship that met in a hotel conference room about 5 miles from their house. This was when they first discovered the depths of what this walk would mean to them and their family and the learning has not ever stopped. After doing a deep study of the Scriptures they saw these repeating words for Sabbath over and over again: "forever, generation to generation, it's a sign, etc."

Roberts shares his perspective on the sabbath. "It has given me a dedicated day to spend with Yah. I know that each day is dedicated to him, but this day is special in that I get to spend the whole day with Him. In His word, in praise of him. It's such a valuable time of the week to regenerate myself for the rest of the week."

https://shabbatdate.org/robert-and-hollie-seven-years-in-the-wilderness-to-understand-the-sabbath

Trish - Second Chance with a Man Who Learned to Love the Lord

While Alisa prayed for seven years that her husband would become the spiritual leader of their home, Chris was challenged by a coworker. At his work (the fire station), the coworker convinced him to take a look at Torahclass.com. Chris did so reluctantly and became hooked on the truth. In the end, Chris as the budding spiritual leader, helped Alisa learn and helped teach her this new path.

This new understanding changed their life as Chris walked through an open door and saw the changes they needed to make in their life and that of his house. They all fell in love with all the moadim and Feast Days. As a result of this new knowledge, understanding, and changed life, Alisa comments, “Blessing galore!! I so look forward to my day of rest.”

Regarding the sabbath blessings, Chris states, “Absolutely, I never realized how much YHWH had HIS hand in my life and how He had protected me from myself. I am thankful for the many blessings I received but did not deserve. We have an awesome loving ABBA”

The sabbath will be a time of study, prayer, watching videos, and discussion as husband and wife. They do not buy or sell, nor work for personal gain or profit. They happily rest, enjoy the quiet blessed day, and look forward to their weekly time off from our normal activities through out the work week. They gather with like minded Believers for Shabbat gatherings when they have the opportunity too. But mostly they simply rest as commanded.

A word of encouragement for others, Chris says, “Keeping or celebrating His Shabbats is the first door to understanding His ways and how we are to represent YHWH here on earth. It naturally separates us from the world and is the first step to establish His blessings and understanding in following His Word.”

Do not simply trust the Sunday Christian doctrines we have been told, because the doctrines are not Scriptural. Read the Scriptures for yourself and study it from the Hebrew perspective that it was written in and read by to those of that time period. Most all English translations are very poor translations of the Hebrew meanings.

Both John and Judi went to a friends' home, sat down with them and enjoyed their sabbath meal. From the very moment they sat down at their table they had a feeling that this was just right. It was the right thing to do. They had a coming home feeling.

The sabbath has provided more family time and a designated time of study and worship. When asked if they have new blessings they did not have before and Judi responds, "Definitely!" To make the sabbath special, a large family meal on Friday evenings starts the sabbath. Their big family can be a big noisy crowd in our dining room, but that is what they love so much.

To encourage others learning about sabbath, Judi says, "God's blessing is on those who honor the sabbath. He gives a deep rest to those who keep it."

Cheryl - Yom Kippur Changed Her Family's Life Forever

Christie can't remember exactly when she kept her first Shabbat but it was over 20 years ago. She does however remember asking her boss to take off on the Sabbath. She was very nervous but committed to walk in the Father's ways. Her boss let her off with no problem at all. She worked there for five years and never worked on the Sabbath even though she was originally hired to be the only person in the office working on Saturday!

Johnnie's first Sabbath was spent with his wife's (Christie) grandparents, and all of them (Johnnie, Christie and her grandparents) ended up studying about the Sabbath day. It was through her grandparents that both Johnnie and Christie came to understand and believe the Sabbath and believed it was for them.

After learning about the Sabbath their eyes were opened to so much and it continued more and more over the years. They are definitely blessed by keeping Sabbath.

The Sabbath has allowed them to rest their mind after a hard week's work. It also allows them to reflect inwardly, and set their heart back inline with the Heavenly Father's will. It has changed their life because it gives them the time to reflect and reset every week, and to start the first day full of energy!

"Yes!", Christie says. "We have more time together as a family and it's an enjoyable rest from our weekly labor. If not for the Sabbath, we'd probably never slow down."

Johnnie indicates, "Absolutely! Learning about Shabbat has opened the door to learning so much about our Heavenly Father, and that's my blessing!"

To make the sabbath special, Christie says, "We like to study as a family, we may watch a video, or go to visit other families who also keep the Sabbath." And Johnnie says, "I love to rest, and read the scriptures. I call those I love. My wife and I will sometimes spend most of the morning talking on the porch."

The encourage others to look at the Sabbath as a blessing and a day of rest from your labors. "Who wouldn't like a day off to reflect and get spiritually rejuvenated?" And enjoy His rest! Just enjoy Him!

"Yahweh has changed my life in ways unimaginable. I've been through a lot in my life and I know I would have never been able to over-come without the love and mercy of Yahweh and the gift of redemption through Yeshua Messiah!", as shared by Christie.

Finally, Johnnie says, "My wife, Christie and I have been blessed in such a way that is special. Before we learned about Shabbat we were both deep into the world. We reached a point of desperation. We were both called together! Everything that we have learned, every good and bad experience we've had together! We decided together that we would keep the Shabbat, and each step forward from that point has seemed to be in perfect harmony. Sabbath was the first step of a journey that has taken us on a hard, sometimes very hard, but beautiful journey. Christie and I have had some very hard trials in this walk, but I really believe through all of it, keeping the Sabbath and resting has gotten us through it. It is sometimes our only day to listen to him without the daily routines and distractions."

For John's first sabbath he watched a video from a ministry named Shofar Mountain and it clicked in his heart all at once. And although John has experienced more persecution and lost friends he now has more peace and more rest!

When asked if he has more blessings than before he kept sabbath, "Yes, I'd like to add that it is easier to walk out my faith not having to twist the Fathers Word to fit my agenda." Both he and his wife make the sabbath special with rest and study then make a nice meal to sit back and enjoy with friends when they have the chance to get together.

Encouraging others to experience the sabbath, John says, "If you want to go on a journey and see the Fathers Word come alive in your life? Then keep the Sabbath, things will start happening and your walk with Him will change."

John says he is just a simple guy with a simple life, and can't say that he has any fancy words to change your mind about the Sabbath. However, when you're ready, tell that Father that you want to be obedient to Him and see what happens…

My desire has always been to please God. Studying scripture, I learned that the Sabbath was His and to please Him I should delight in it by observing it to draw closer to him. Before a trip to Israel, I attended a Messianic Shabbat service which helped me prepare for my visit to Israel. I’ve made a lot of new ... Read More

What does it take to launch a dream? Put the kids in bed and begin a podcast! You will hear what it takes to change a vision into a reality. The journey will take Matthew and Shannon into many new relationships which will help others see that the most important part of Sabbath is relationship. Relationship with God and others.

Enjoy the journey with Matthew and Shannon, pull up a chair and smile when you hear the many amazing stories. You will read and hear how God calls His people to have a date with them! And you will hear how God leads them to share a very special time, His weekly appointed time.