Focus From the Founder

As a child, I enjoyed peering through my kaleidoscope at the colorful fragments of glass as they shifted and formed beautiful mosaics with the subtle turn of the lens. What began as a jumbled mess of glass pieces turned into something incredible—once the focus shifted.

As 21st Century Christians, we live in multi-cultural communities where our diverse denominational viewpoints can often resemble those fragments. How do we come together to form something beautiful—something that makes sense of the fragmented pieces of the hopes, dreams, wishes, and beliefs we all carry?

In order for us to come together in agreement we must first find a place of commonality. We can do this by going back to the beginning when Jesus actually walked and talked on this earth.

Years ago, I contemplated what it must have been like to live “in the beginning” of what became known as Christianity. It was the 1st Century and Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus) was actually here as the very Voice of God Himself. I imagined myself living in His time and culture, listening to Him recite the Holy Scriptures in His native tongue of Hebrew. How impactful it would have been to hear Him explain the compelling Words of God in His multi-faceted ancient language—a language filled with Jewish allegories and humorous Hebraic idioms.

It was then I had a revelation that changed my whole focus on Yeshua, and I instantly knew how to turn the kaleidoscope of faith. We, as His followers must know Him in His own Jewish context. We can’t force the Jewish Jesus into our culture and 21st Century understanding. He was not a westerner from America or Europe. He lived in Israel, frequented Jerusalem, and spoke from a perspective that would seem foreign to westerners today. He was a Middle Eastern teacher of God’s First Testament Scriptures who lived in the 1st Century and spoke Hebrew and Aramaic.

In Hebrew “Bereshith” translates in English as genesis or “the beginning.”

What was it really like in the beginning? Does our Christian faith today look anything like how Yeshua worshipped? Do we understand His theology? Can we hear His Words as the Jews of the 1st Century did? Are we missing key elements to hang His teachings on?

As we launch the inaugural issue of Kaleidoscope, roll out our new website, and prepare for the release of my first book; Just a Little Girl, I’m excited about the opportunity to introduce you to the First Century Messiah, and to share the rich Hebrew nuances of His language with you. With a desire to restore the community of Yeshua, I’ll be sharing many of His deep teachings in Precious Gems articles and booklets, in video series teachings, and at special events throughout the year.

Welcome to Kaleidoscope, where our goal to illuminate the many facets of God’s Word is based on a foundation that began over two thousand years ago.

In the beginning (beresheet) there was the Word, Yeshua.

Shalom,