Today’s weather matches how I feel ….it’s cloudy, it’s grey, it’s raining and…it’s June 28th.
Sixteen years ago today, Dad took his last breath on earth and, in the next moment he was healthy and whole in heaven.
It’s a hard day. It always has been and always will be. There is no way around it. Yes, we honor and remember him, the impact he had around the world, his life, his legacy. But we still miss him.
I mourn. I mourn the loss of my Dad, of Keith’s father-in-law, of Sarah’s Pappy. I mourn the times he has missed with us, the memories that could not be made, the faces he will never get to see.
It’s hard to weigh the current with the past. I would not for a moment wish he was here, if it meant his illness and suffering were to be prolonged.
But what have we ALL lost without hearing the messages that he had to carry? Will we ever truly know? We need to take up the burden of the cross that he gave his life to do. We need to continue running the race that he could not finish; though in his heart, he willed himself to keep going.
I remember one of the last hospitalizations before his passing. I came to see him and, though he was sick and weak, he had a map out in front of him with a route highlighted in yellow and red circles around certain cities.
What was he doing? He was planning a cross-country ministry trip from his hospital bed. He was basing his route on where the hospitals were in case he had a flare up!
Needless to say, I was upset at the thought of this! His heart function at that time? A mere 5%…and he wanted to travel? Across the country! I told him he would come back in a casket.
Who does that? My dad. That’s who. I never saw a man more dedicated and committed to the calling on his life. He was visibly disappointed when I sat with him and asked if he realized, what a risk he was considering in planning this trip.
He folded up his map, closed his eyes, and I know…felt defeated. He knew deep down that this trip could not happen. He had never thought about the risk, only the potential opportunity for ministry and the doors that could open! That was Dad, to the core.
I literally let my frustration loose on the person who was going to travel with him. What was he thinking? I told him that if he took this trip with my father, and my dad died on this trip, I was personally going to hold him responsible for his death. I was that upset.
Yes, he acknowledged he understood the risk, but he also knew that you did not argue with Dad when his heart was set on ministry! And he was right, Dad would have done anything to go.
Dad never wanted to stop ministering, it was his life…his passion…his calling. But, Dad was obedient and even unto death, was willing to do as His Father bid.
I never wanted him to go, but I had to LET him go, as the Father bid. No one was ready for the loss, but we accepted what was to come and also knew with his death, would come his victorious healing. What more could we possibly ask for?
I will not mourn that time, even though I mourn his loss. I will remember ALL his days. I will honor his memory and press on as he would want of me and, as we all should be doing.
My precious Papa…I would still love one more story, one more salami omelette, one more “slosh”.
Merry Christmas from all of us here on the farm. May you find peace, joy and comfort in this time of year as many celebrations were had over most of your tables and in your home to remember the birth of our Lord and Savior.
May there be an abundance of peace, joy and blessings in your home.
Please watch for our End of Year update where we will share ministry news, prayers requests, updates on books and life in general here on the farm.
We have had a back order on three titles. Thankfully, one of the books arrived last night.
If you order a book and it is on back order, you will receive an email from me. We try very hard to keep up with supply and demand, but as we all know, everyone is struggling right now with shortages, including those that provide paper for printing.
Factor in human decision making on WHEN to order, and that creates an issue. Our deepest apologies to those who are waiting.
We want you to receive quality items and are making our best effort at getting books to you.
Also, we had experienced some difficulty with getting books to New Zealand, but found that UPS is able to get our orders in, where USPS has not been able to do so.
Thank your for your orders and your patience during these days.
Today is a day of the year I tend to dread the most. There are others, but June 28th is significantly hard. Today is 15 years since Dad was called to heaven.
It comes like a terrible storm that builds up in the sky. The clouds gather and darkness follows as lightning flashes, thunder rolls then the rain and hail fall.
But then the winds come, possibly with is a tornado… ready to drop and devastate with little or no warning, leaving carnage and loss it’s path, those who are left stand in sadness and dismay.
That’s how today feels every year. I do not celebrate today that my Dad is in heaven, though I do feel immense relief that his body is no longer suffering from the disease that robbed his life.
I do not celebrate, as I grieve deep in my heart, often in silence but with a deepness that no one can really know or understand. I think of him daily. Today I hold him even closer in my heart and the memories I have of my dad, my papa, my abba be like a healing oil with each tear shed.
He died with praise in his heart and in his body, his hands literally lifted to the heavens in worship moments before he past. The storm came, destroyed my heart, and left the dark and intense silence that always follows.
He died serving Jesus, and in doing so, serving you. To see many come to know and understand the Lord more was his passion! He dedicated his life to teaching, preaching and sharing. Even in his death, his voice still can be heard.
“So he went and did according to the word of the Lord”…that is what Dad wanted engraved on his headstone. That was his life. That, was his calling. Many have experienced what it was like to hear from my Dad. He was a treasured vessel filled with the moist amazing and fragrant oil, poured out on others. For me, I will do my part to keep his legacy alive.
We need to follow that path that was started and in his memory and to honor him, rise and press on with the work He has set before us, no matter what storms may come.
So where are we at after 15 years, a full update is being written and we look forward to sharing with you in the near future.
In His grace,
Sissie
The following is shared from a post made by June Volk.
Today we celebrate the life of Arthur Katz who departed from the earth 15 years ago today.
Shelly and I miss him every day and look forward to seeing him again.
IN MEMORIAM “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom And knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, And His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: To Whom be Glory Forever.” Amen Romans 11:33-36
Arthur Katz passed on into Glory on June 28, 2007 and the earth lost a great prophetic voice and a father in the faith to countless numbers of Jewish believers.
A privilege the Lord afforded to Shelly and Scott was to be fathered by Arthur into the kingdom of God, and in the foundations of the faith. Arthur was a man jealous for authenticity, truth in the inward parts, and was passionate to see the purposes of God fulfilled in the lives of those who called upon the Name of the Lord.
I have personally experienced Arthur weeping in deep travail over the condition of his own life, as well as the condition of the people of Israel, and the condition of the Church.
The last years of Arthur’s life he suffered in his physical body. Several months before his departure, Inger took some time apart to be refreshed and strengthened in the Lord while Shelly and I tended to him. Arthur amazed us with his stamina displayed in his diligence to the Word, prayer, meeting with the community of believers living on the property of Ben Israel, as well as his communication by phone with saints from all over the world.
Shelly was scheduled to speak to students attending a discipleship school in Canada one of the Saturday mornings we were caring for him. Arthur was well enough to join with us for the meeting, and we realized that neither Shelly nor I should speak to the students.
The car ride to Canada was long and grueling, but Arthur did well. When we arrived the students graciously welcomed us. The presence of the Lord filled the house, and there was a deep sense of expectancy before the formal meeting began.
Arthur shared his deepest love and burden, the mystery of Jesus, Israel and the Church. He spoke about the weakness of the Church today because of its failure to reach out to the Jews all over the world, taking heed to the Apostle Paul’s writings to bring the Gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek. He explained with clarity the tension that keeps a human body healthy and why that tension was missing from the Church today. The conflicts the Church would be forced to face by fulfilling their call to Israel. And to the Jews would conclude in strengthening the body of Christ.
Israel in her hardness against Jesus being the Messiah and Lord—of not being confronted by the Church today—the Church would remain in her weakened condition. The call of the Lord, according to the Scriptures to the Church, is being circumvented. The power and authority of Roman 9-11, as well as the writings of the prophets, was expounded by Arthur. There was a hope deep within his heart for the students to ‘catch’ this vision. It caused a stirring within Shelly and within me to see the Biblical Roots of the faith restored to the Church once again.! The passion of Arthur’s heart was for the apostolic vision of the first century Church to be restored in the lives of God’s people. His message to the Church was for it to be utterly different—utterly the Lord’s —to cry out to know Him—to know His heart—His mind—His desires—to seek after His purposes—not our own. This was the purpose for which Arthur lived.
We will miss him; the Church will miss the voice in the wilderness that Arthur represented. He was wholeheartedly dedicated to see the purposes of God fulfilled in his own life, and in the lives of the saints. His passion for the Church and for the people Israel still cries out in both his vocal messages and in his books as well as in the lives of the ones who knew him and loved him.
The message Arthur spoke in Canada was his last public speaking.
A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
“SO HE WENT AND DID ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD” I Kings 17:5
An excerpt from The God Who Saves by Fire, a Jewish Saga written by June Volk.
A little cleaning up…My sweet helper…Olivia…sitting with Great-Pappy.♥️Tante needed a hug…In loving memory…
Yes, we are back on the property after living in town for 15 months! We are not in the farmhouse yet, but are at present staying in the small cabin which is located right next to the farmhouse. It has been a long time since I have paused and written an update, and it felt like today was the right time to start again!
Though moving back into an even smaller space has come with it’s own challenges, we know that this is temporary and only for a short season. We are HOPING the house will be done by the first of June. With the weather getting “warmer”, we felt it was wisdom for us to return to the property and be able to spend time on the house while attending to other needs on the farm.
Many know how Minnesota Winter’s can be, so having multiple snow storms after moving into the cabin really should not have come as any surprise and you just go with it, day by day.
It’s good to be home. Good to be back on the property. Good to breathe in the air and have the cabin flooded with light, even on cloudy days. It’s good to sit up in the office and look out the same window Dad would have, when he was reading or writing or just listening to what the Lord wanted him to do next.
It’s the goodness of God, in all that He does for us. His sacrifice on the cross gave us all that we could ever want or need in life that will be everlasting, where there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more loss, no more tears.
I have a new friend who’s ministry is to care for those who have experienced deep loss and are mourning as she understands deep loss due to what she has personally experienced. It has caused me on more that one occasion to stop and reflect on the losses that we have walked through. And here we are, pressing on…life, hope, everlasting mercy, seeking the joy He gives that comes in the mourning.
I wanted to share something that was really an eye opener from my brother David, my older brother for those that my not know David. I sent him a message this morning to wish him a happy Easter. We had been able to spend a few short moments together yesterday and were just catching up.
His response back at first stopped me in my thoughts and then then it all became clear. Here is what he wrote…
“Blessed morning, according to the hebraic calendar today they would be preparing the lamb after having it in the house for four days we’re all to lay their hands on it and impart their sins to it. I was thinking about your statement that you guys are just caretakers… dad told me he was handing you the reins, not the lead rope. Reins are used to steer and set directions. The lead rope would be given to take the horse to the stall for caretaking. He gave you the reins.”
I never knew that Dad had that conversation with David, It meant a lot coming from him. I know how my father felt about certain things and I was gong to do my part to help in any way possible.
And as I read his words again, it made sense in my heart what he was trying to convey. He handed us the reins to steer and get direction.
Please keep your prayers going for us, for wisdom and for guidance. This past year has been challenging, but we know to stand strong and fight any feeling of defeat….because He lives, we CAN face tomorrow, and all we have and do is because of Him.
