Michael is following Yeshua and learning Hebrew! Here's his story.

Hello Holy Language Tribespeople (is that a word?)!

I started following Yeshua (Jesus within the Christian context of the church) in response to a puppet ministry at the age of seven, which told the story of HaShem's one and only Son. I believe this aspect of my faith brings me back to a point of humility, which I need regularly, knowing that a puppet opened up my heart to Yeshua.

While I've been drawn to various ministries since a youth, it wasn't until I was thirty-three that my learning took on a more intentional focus. It wasn't until forty years of age that I really began to dig into the Hebrew (but only using a reference book at that time). In response to the Ruach HaKodesh, I began attending Seminary classes online, but quickly found during the second semester that it was lacking in its Jewishness. I REALLY enjoyed, however, the taste of Hebrew I got from my seminary professor.

Not wanting to loose the basic Hebrew I had learned, I found Yisrael Avraham's YouTube videos on learning Hebrew and watched every one of them (some multiple times). My favorite of all the videos is the teaching on the "brachot" for meals. My three year old son sings the blessings along with me, and even my 19 month old daughter joins in for a hearty "AMEIN!" at the end of the brachah. I've also purchased a wooden Hebrew Aleph-Beit puzzle, from which my son is proudly showing me letters and saying the names even as I type this story.

In the meantime, I had been searching for another "seminary" which would provide the Hebrew teaching my heart yearned for. As silly as it may sound, I wanted to learn the Hebrew language (inasmuch as possible) like a Jewish boy growing up in Nazareth. Then, suddenly, it hit me! Why not look for a Messianic school?! That is when I found Rabbi Paul Saal at Shuvah Yisrael in Bloomfield, CT. He in turn introduced me to MJTI - Messianic Jewish Theological Institute. Now, I'm enrolled in the Masters of Jewish Studies program at MJTI (mjti.org).

My primary congregation is Praise Christian Fellowship in Barkhamsted, CT, where I am a "Lay Minister" and adult Bible teacher. I teach, mostly out of the Tanakh (showing the connections to verses in the Brit Chadashah), nearly every Sunday, with opportunities to preach on a regular basis.

Additionally, once a month, my family attends Shuvah Yisrael (Messianic Jewish Congregation) in Bloomfield, CT. Most Wednesdays, I also go to Shuvah for a Yeshua based Mussar program and Hebrew Grammar study. So, at my Christian congregation, I'm a preacher/teacher, while at the Messianic congregation I'm a Talmid (with big ears!).

I'm so excited to see HaShem moving in my life in such a new and refreshing way, and equally excited to see where He might lead me in helping to repair a schism which occurred between Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua that was almost two millennia ago (and it is two millennia too long!). If you are reading this, and have not yet begun to learn from the materials at holylanguage.com, then you are in for a real treat. I encourage you to dive right in!

If YOU have already benefited from Izzy's posts and YouTube videos, do the right thing and send HOLYLANGUAGE.COM a donation. I don't give a lot, but I give every month. If you have questions about what has helped me in my study, or you just want to say hi, you can connect with me on Facebook at http://facebook.com/mikereldred

תודה ושלום

(thanks and shalom)
Michael Eldred

You have a story too, and the tribe would love to hear it! Will you tell it? www.holylanguage.com/story.html