Tag Archives: Stand with Israel

Kerstetter Chronicles: October 2016

Chills ran down my spine. Young hands ran across the keys, and the notes reverberated powerfully through the hall, compelling every guest to rise to their feet and wrinkled hands to wipe tears from wizened eyes. The song was HaTkivah “The Hope,” Israel’s national anthem. And a banquet hall of Holocaust survivors joined their voices with the notes of the piano in impassioned song.

We thanked them for their bravery. Because of their courageous determination to survive and to become pioneers in the land of Israel, the next generations – my generation – can return to a settled land. And they asked us to make them a promise. They asked us to be their voices. To tell their stories. To stand for Israel. To stand in the gap and say, “Never again.” To do what it takes. And we promised. We will be their voices.

We won’t have them in our midst much longer. Are there Jewish elderly homes near you? Is a survivor speaking at your school or community center? Go. Hold their hands and hear their stories. Be their voices. Stand in the gap with us. Stand for Israel, and stand for humanity. If we won’t push back into the dark, who will? We have the light, and it is imperative that we let it shine.

Over our month in Israel this summer, we served both believers and unbelievers in numerous ways, including the aforementioned banquet for Holocaust survivors in Sderot, a pizza and game night in a foster children’s home outside of Jerusalem, packing supplies at food distribution centers in Sderot and Jerusalem, sharing the Gospel with students at Jerusalem University and on the beach in Tel Aviv, and reconnecting with friends we made in Argentina. We learned so much and our years of studies came to life more fully as we immersed ourselves in the beautiful complexities of Israeli culture.

Because of our early return to the States, we only made it through one week of Hebrew studies, so we have prayerfully applied to restart the Hebrew course at Tel Aviv University in 2017. Please pray with us as we seek God’s will in this and every area of our lives, and to use our time for His best during BJ’s last full semester at Moody. We look forward to the next steps of this journey, as God guides us and you walk prayerfully beside us. Thank you for your faithful support through the valleys and mountain tops.

With love,

BJ and Carissa

Five Things I Want My Friends to Know about Hanukkah

Today is the last day of Hanukkah 2015, and as BJ and I have lit the candles each night and thought about what this special holiday means to us, I have come up with five things that I want you to know. They may not even be the five most important things or the most spiritual, but they are the ones that I want to share with you. If you would like to learn more about Hanukkah, or how to celebrate next year, check out https://www.chosenpeople.com/site/hanukkah. 

1. Hanukkah celebrates more than one miracle.
The most commonly known reason for celebrating Hanukkah is the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days when there was only enough pure oil for one day. But the other incredible miracle that we celebrate is God’s preservation of the Jewish people under the threat of destruction at the time of the Maccabees and all throughout history.

2. Hanukkah is not a mandated holy day but it does honor God.
God did not command the celebration of Hanukkah or mandate how it should be celebrated, but it celebrates and honors His faithfulness to the Jewish people and His holiness and glory displayed in miracles and in the Jewish people’s dedication to obeying His commands, purifying the temple and keeping the light of the temple menorah burning.

3. Jesus celebrated Hanukkah.
Because Jesus is Jewish. God chose Israel to be the people to represent Him to the nations and through which to bring the promised Messiah into the world. Not only did Jesus choose to honor God and honor His heritage by celebrating Hanukkah in Jerusalem, but the fact that he did was important enough for God to include it in His inspired Word. (See John 10:22).

4. God’s unfailing faithfulness to Israel through history is a testament to His character and His perfect faithfulness.
Because He has always been faithful to Israel, you can know that He always will be and He also will be faithful to His promises to you.

5. It’s cool if you celebrate Hanukkah too.
You don’t have to be Jewish to celebrate Hanukkah. If you do, you show that you stand in solidarity with the Jewish people and your Jewish friends. And if you worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you too can celebrate that God is faithful and always true to His word. Besides, who doesn’t like lighting candles and eating fried foods for eight nights in a row?

Kerstetter Chronicles: June & July

“Am Yisrael Chai! Stand with Israel!” voices shouted in unison with the blasting shofars and rallying drum beats, as the crowd snaked through the northern suburban park. Waving flags of white and blue and banners proclaimed our unified purpose and heart cry.

We were proud to be a part of it all – to make a public statement that despite the increasingly hideous news claims and accusations made against her, we stand with Israel. All of our connections in Chicago were represented there. Friends from Moody Bible Institute, Chosen People Ministries and several Messianic synagogues walked behind and in front of us. And each one was there because of a deeply felt importance of identifying with Israel before a cynical world.

In light of our American Independence Day, our hearts are stirred with a similar national pride and a deeply felt gratitude for our freedom. Truly, God has blessed America. But, as a nation, we stand at a crossroads before God. Will we continue to stand with Israel, or will we turn our back on her? As individuals, we must do what we can to sway the tide. Will we each take a stand against the modern faces of anti-Semitism? Will we accept the influence of political misinformation and faulty hermeneutics on our churches and schools? Or will we seek and stand for truth?

With each new strain placed on our ties with Israel, a familiar verse is brought continually to our minds.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” Genesis 12:3

So, this month, as we celebrate our great nation and our blessed freedoms, I urge you to pray for the United States of America, and our relationship with the people of Covenant. May we never turn our backs on Israel, and may God always bless America.

As we travel around the country this month, we would appreciate prayer specifically that we will present our ministry clearly and simply, and that God will move in many hearts to join our partnership team through prayer and financial support. Please also pray for continued recovery for both of us from our Lyme treatments in May, and strength & energy for our travels.

As always, we are so thankful for your love, prayer and support for us, and we pray that God will use us and this ministry to richly bless you.

Love in Yeshua,

 BJ and Carissa Kerstetter