GPS (G-d"s Positioning System)

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)

Jenny and I recently purchased a Garmin. We bought it in Los Angeles during the week of orientation for my daughter's freshman year at college. We thought a "global positioning system" would come in handy on our trips to California for both ministry opportunities and visits with Misha. Now we can navigate our way through any city or state... (while also making it possible for any overarching authority in the country to keep track of us; but I digress!)

The system is helpful, especially when it is not safe to attempt reading a map while driving. A calm and confident female voice tells you where to go and, if you miss a turn, simply says, 'recalculating.' She never yells at you or calls you an idiot or scolds you for not listening to directions. She is the perfect driving companion.

She does have one shortcoming, however. She doesn't think; she only tells you what she's been told.

During our most recent trip to the east coast we told our GPS the address of an old friend in Annapolis, Maryland. We had an engagement in Delaware and thought it would be nice to visit her on our way back to New Jersey where we were staying, as we often do, at Jenny's mother's house. We typed in the right house address but the wrong town and, upon realizing our error, corrected it. No big deal. Our GPS girl (whom an acquaintance dubbed "Garmina") got us there, and we enjoyed our time with our friend, spending the night in her lovely home.

The next morning, I stumbled out of bed and my own internal GPS said, "GO FOR COFFEE!" I headed into town, certain I would find a Starbucks or something similar somewhere along the way. I drove a while and, before arriving in the heart of Annapolis, I hit heavy traffic. Frustrated, (and still coffeeless) I headed back the way I came. In the early morning pre-caffeine mental muddle, I overshot the street I thought led back to the house. Further frustrated, I stopped to turn the car around and...voila...directly in front of me was the green, white and black of a Starbucks sign! I sighed with excitement and whispered a little thank you heavenward for divine non-Garmin guidance.

With joy in my heart and a latte in my hand, I decided to let the GPS lead me, since I was unsure as to how to find my way back. I tapped and tapped until I found the proper address and started to drive, so proud of myself that I had figured out how to operate my new device and could count myself a citizen of the 21st century!

Garmina dutifully told me to turn right on a street, the name of which I recognized. So far so good. Then she directed me to a road I didn't recognize, but I figured she knew better and was taking me an alternate route. From there she led me to a freeway and, I have to admit, I started to wonder what she was thinking. One highway led to another...and another...and another...and before I knew it, what should have been a five minute drive had become a half hour journey with no end in sight. Needless to say I was not happy with my girl's decisions and I told her so! (She didn't respond.)

FINALLY...she told me I was arriving at my destination...and I did. Amazingly, it was the correct house number and street name...but the WRONG TOWN! Then I remembered. She was reading the pre-corrected information we had given her. She was only doing what she was told. I apologized to her for questioning her decisions, admitted my mistake, sheepishly punched in the post-corrected info, and away we went.

I was embarrassed and flustered and concerned that Jennifer was anxious as to my whereabouts (since I had not taken my cell phone.) To calm myself down I started to flip through radio stations, hoping to find something interesting. I went from one to another and as I did, I heard some music that sounded vaguely familiar. As I listened, a pleasant enough voice began singing: "You have shown me Your paths, Oh Lord. In Your presence is fullness of joy! In Your right hand are pleasures, in Your right hand are pleasures, in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore, pleasures forevermore!"

I was shocked! I exclaimed (to no one in particular), "That's my song! Who is singing my song? I never heard this before! Someone owes me money!! (Sorry about that last one...but I thought it.) Then I realized...IT WAS I WHO WAS SINGING! The song was "Pleasures Forevermore" from my first album, "I Call You Friend." I didn't recognize myself because, even though I've been writing, singing and recording for decades, I had NEVER heard myself on the radio! This was the first time...EVER!!

I continued to listen to the station, (which turned out to be "Family Radio"), and hurried back, hoping Jenny wasn't upset with me and reflecting on what had just occurred.

Had I not gotten lost, I would not have heard myself sing on the radio. I hope it doesn't sound self-indulgent but...I was kind of excited to hear it! In spite of a frustrating and confusing morning, I wondered if that incident had been the finger of the Lord, tapping me on my shoulder. I don't want to read too much into it but, sometimes I think He does that; just to let us know He's there...just to let us know we're not lost...at least not really!

Garmina succeeded in returning me to our friend's house. Jenny was, thankfully, still asleep. And, as I enjoyed my early morning latte, I quietly marveled at the thought that G-d could care enough about someone like me, that He would send me a delightful surprise out of nowhere...in the middle of nowhere! When I thought I was hopelessly lost...He let me know I was mercifully found! Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...(even when it comes through the radio.)

Or perhaps it was just a crazy, random coincidence. Who knows? Whatever the case, I know this: He DOES show me the path of life and in His presence is fullness of joy! My ride back to my friend's home was a joyful one and, when I related my tale to her, we had a good laugh.

As a matter of fact, I think we need to laugh more in general. We are not lost. He knows the way we take, even when we make mistakes and find ourselves in unfamiliar territory. It's good to have a GPS girl to help us when she can...but it is our G-d who will lead us home!!

Yours on the journey,

Marty

LOVE NEVER FAILS

Many years ago, when I was living in New York City, my friend Ann Ault had me play a song on the piano. It was called "Charity" and was based on something called "The First Letter to the Corinthians." I had no idea as to what "Corinthians" were, (though the actor Ricardo Montalban had done a commercial for a car that featured "fine Corinthian leather." Letter or leather, this young Jewish man from Cleveland was clueless!

Little did I know that the words of "1 Corinthians 13" were written by another Jewish man named Saul, a rabbi from a placed called Tarsus; a man who became known to the world as Saint Paul. His ancient writing had been put to music by a modern fellow named Kenn Gulliksen. I had no idea who he was either, but I recall liking the piece.

Fast forward a year or two, and Ann has led me in a prayer of commitment to Yeshua (Jesus), I am part of a congregation called "The Vineyard," Kenn Gulliksen is the pastor, and I am singing songs based on passages from the pen of men like Saint Paul!

Fast forward even further and I am in California with Jennifer Yaffee, a girl whom I first saw at the Vineyard and married a little while a later. Twenty-five years have passed since we wed in Los Angeles, had a daughter, Danyel Misha, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to raise her. There, in what is sometimes called the "buckle of the Bible belt," she grew into a lovely and loving young lady who has, in spite of her earthly father's many faults, a heart that seeks after the heart of her heavenly Father. For eighteen years I have been nothing but pleased with Misha; now I stand amazed as I watch her do her best to please Him!

And now, Jenny and I are the proud (and nervous) parents of a college freshman. As part of her application to the university she attends, she auditioned for their women's chorus and was accepted. On her first day there, she joined the other young ladies in performing a song for ALL the proud and nervous parents who would, that evening, leave campus--- without their child. (In our case, we left our one and only!)

So, the time has come to let go---and to hold on tighter than ever---in prayer---and in love. That is the one thought, the one emotion, the one truth that seasons everything we are experiencing in this new---and unfamiliar season. In a world of uncertainties and unknowns, this we know and of this we are certain: we love our daughter, she loves us--- and G-d is the author and perfecter of that love.

The rabbi/apostle said it well:

"Love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13: 7+8)

As valedictorian of her high school class, Misha chose as her theme the words spoken by Yeshua in response to a question as to what was the greatest commandment:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,

and with all your might, and...you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

(Matthew 22:37+39)

We could not have been more blessed than we were on our daughter's commencement day when she delivered that moving speech. That same blessing attended us as we listened to her sing on the day she commenced her college career.

Along with the precious daughters of the other assembled parents, Misha sang words which have now become very familiar to her sad/glad dad; the words from "The First Letter to the Corinthians." The composer and the melody were different than the ones to which I had been been introduced so many years before. I had liked "Charity," the first rendition I had heard of 1 Corinthians 13. This new version was life to my soul!

A well known phrase from a song by the group "First Call" goes something like this: I don't know what the future holds but I know who holds the future. Amen.

What more can we ask, Jenny and I, than that our treasured daughter begin this new phase of her life---and ours---with a declaration of the transcendent and permanent power of love! When all has been said and all has been done, love is what remains---love is what abides.

As I write this, we are still in California. Soon we will return to Tennessee and the house which was Misha's home for all but one year of her of her young life. We will miss seeing her off to school in the morning and kissing her good night. We will miss her going out with us, hanging out with her friends and launching out into every new activity we had the privilege of sharing with her these many years---which passed much too quickly!

Should it be on your heart to pray for our family, we would so appreciate it.

In that spirit, we thought you might appreciate hearing the song that brought comfort to our trembling hearts that day we began our farewell to Misha---at least for a while.

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

(1 Corinthians 13: 13)

Thank you, again, for listening.

Grand Canyon Sweet

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach (Messiah Jesus), from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named"..that you "may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and depth and height---to know the love of Messiah which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of G-d." (Eph. 3: 14-15, 18-19)

We rode in a small plane over the rim of one of the world's wonders, the Grand Canyon, and listened, as we flew, to what was a musical "suite," inspiring and beautiful, and pondered the days ahead---and behind---and what life has in store for our little family.

We marveled together at the grandeur of what was before our eyes and considered both the brevity and significance of our lives. The hand of G-d as a master artist is evident in all He has made. It is amazing to think, dwarfed as we are in the presence of such an awesome and breathtaking sight, that we, frail and faulty human beings, are the crown of our Father's creation.

Anyone who knows Jenny and me knows that we consider the crown of our relationship to be our daughter, Danyel Misha...and in a few days she will be living no longer under our roof but on her university campus. We took this road trip in order to create a pre-college memory for her...and to delay the inevitable for us!

We are glad for the days we have had her, in the comfort and security of our home, and sad that we have to let her go so soon. The years just fly by and, in the blink of an eye, she's a young adult, ready to make her way in this world.

I didn't ask---but I wonder what she's thinking as she surveys the vastness and enormity of what is before her; the colors and contours of the canyon and the twists and turns of her future.

We can trust in the One who fashioned such a natural masterpiece; we believe that He will do the same in the life of our "little girl". He promises, after all, that "we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which G-d has prepared beforehand that we might walk in them." (Eph. 2: 1o)

I must leave off now and press on to the last leg of our journey. We are all having a wonderful time...but are a bit stressed. The emotions are---new and unfamiliar---for we've never been here before. Our plan is to--- argue as much as possible and to thoroughly annoy each other in these last hours! It will make it so much easier to say goodbye!!

Would you consider praying for Misha---and for us! May G-d keep her safe, lead her to future lifelong friends, inspire her and instruct her in the way she should go--and the ways she can grow. May He help us to help her on her way---and to discover the way He has for us.

May He bless you all as you kindly remember us.

How deep, how high, how wide---how great is the love that our Father has for all of His children.

It's time for Misha to discover that truth fully for herself. She belongs to Him, not to us. He is her G-d, and shall be--- forever!

Bittersweetly yours,

Marty

(Thanks for listening.)

O, What a Beautful Morning

"All the sounds of the earth are like music, all the sounds of the earth are like music.

The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree,

And an ol' weepin' willow is laughin' at me!"

The aforementioned quote is, of course, from the musical "Oklahoma" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. I have sometimes listened to the song, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" as I drive past farm meadows and marvel at the "bright golden haze" that hovers on the horizon, illuminated by the rays of the rising sun. (Sometimes I also sing!)

In our back yard is "an ol' weepin' willow." My wife, Jenny, planted it when we moved into our home seventeen years ago. It was just little then and we didn't even know if it would survive. It did---and now it is a magnificent tree, standing sentinel behind our house, bearing silent witness to the wonderful years we've spent here.

As it's branches sway gracefully in the Tennessee breeze, it reminds us that the winds of time continue to blow, almost imperceptibly. You hardly notice the the passing days and months and years, until events startle you into reality. Jennifer and I are experiencing such an event.

As I write this, she and I are preparing to escort our daughter, Danyel Misha, to college. it seems only moments ago that we moved her, as a one year old, from Tarzana, California, to Brentwood, Tennessee. We have loved our sojourn here and she has grown up to be a marvelous young woman, of whom we are very proud. She has spent much of her summer bidding farewell to family friends, schoolmates, and all the folks who have contributed so much to helping her become the person she is today.

But now, her tomorrows have beckoned---and she is off, leaving the comfortable shelter of our home for the exciting, yet unknown promise of her own unique life experience. She is ready---and, I suppose we are too. (We'll find out soon enough!)

Prayers for her---and for us---would be appreciated.

Jenny and I are a bit undone---but our "ol' weepin' willow" seems unfazed. It continues it's quiet laughter as we contemplate a potential season of weeping in the midst of our pleasure in seeing Misha embrace her new adventure with her usual steadiness, maturity and tenacity.

When we return from our trip, Jenny and I will be in this house together---alone---for the first time ever. Perhaps, more often than not, we'll "sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky."

Well, thanks for listening. I guess I'll just close with another chorus:

"Oh, what a beautiful mornin', Oh, what a beautiful day,

I got a weepy-eyed feelin',

Our daughter's goin' away...Hey!...

(That's why we ask you to pray!!)

---with apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein---

Shalom y'all,

Marty (We're doin' fine, Oklahoma) Goetz

Sabbath Prayer

SEEK...and YE SHALL FIND

Did you know that we are celebrating a holiday? It's a new moon, don't ya know? On the Jewish calendar, that's a time for celebration! "Rosh Chodesh,"or "Head of the Month," is the Hebrew rendering for such an occasion.

This one is special, for it is a month not to feast but to reflect and prepare for the days ahead. What days? The "Days of Awe," or, "Yamim Nora'im." These are the days which begin at "Rosh HaShanah," the traditional Jewish New Year, and continue through "Yom Kippur," the "Day of Atonement."

These are days marked by self-reflection, repentance and amending of one's ways. Elul, which comes from a word meaning "seek," is the month to commence that process.

So, let's commence! (Now don't let this be an occasion for obsessive introspection which could lead to depression, G-d forbid!) No, let's read Psalm 27, the traditional daily reading for this season, sound the "Shofar," (a ram's horn which is a symbol of G-d's call to awaken to repentance) and look to the L-rd Yeshua who said, "Seek first the kingdom of G-d and His righteousness...". (Mt. 6:33)

"Seek those things which are above, where Messiah is..." said a famous Rabbi named Shaul. I am going to try that this Elul.

Perhaps you will, too, always remembering that "the Joy of the L-rd IS OUR STRENGTH!!" That, of course, is from the book of Nehemiah, in which this month is mentioned, by the way. (Nehemiah 6: 15)

So, my friends, Happy New Moon, Joyous Pre-New Year and...HALL---ELUL---JAH!!!

Shalom y'all, Marty

P.S. I celebrated by going out to lunch with my precious daughter, Misha! Great fun!!