Dear Kineti readers, I'm pleased to announce the release of my first worship song. Give it a listen?
It's a cover of a 1970s song by the pioneering Messianic music group, Lamb. It's one of my personal favorites that has inspired me in life and drawn me closer to God.
This song is a collaboration between my old friend Troy Mitchell and a new friend from Israel, Eli Ben Moshe. Troy is a veteran Messianic musician, cantor, and talented songwriter. Eli is a musician himself and audio engineer; his father is Marc Chopinsky from the pioneering Messianic music group Israel's Hope.
For this song, Troy sings the first verse and plays piano and guitar. I sing the second verse, background vocals, and play guitar. Eli is on bass and percussion. Eli also mixed and mastered this track.
A huge thanks to Troy and Eli for adding their skill and talents to this track. A huge thanks to Eli for helping me get started in the recording and audio engineering world.
The song is based on Psalm 98 and Isaiah 52:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation [Yeshua] of our God. Shout joyfully to Adonai, all the earth. Break forth, sing for joy, and sing praises. Sing praises to Adonai with the harp, with the harp and a voice of melody. With trumpets and sound of the shofar blast a sound before the King, Adonai.
Break forth in joy, sing together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for Adonai has comforted His people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. Adonai has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the salvation [Yeshua] of our God
Both command God's people to break forth in joy, sing, and praise God because all humanity will see the salvation of our God. These verses are linked and they are made true only in one person, Yeshua.
The album art is based on a photo I took in Jerusalem a few years ago. A man played guitar, then another man joined on violin. Soon, people gathered around and started dancing. An IDF soldier came by and we lifted him on our shoulders as we danced. It was so joyful, I thought it a fit as album art for this song. 🙏
The album art
The photo I took in Jerusalem, used as an inspiration for the album art
May this song amplify the name of Yeshua, Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and Savior of humanity. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved!"
Album art for Here Comes the Son, my Messianic music creation with the help of AI. A '60s British invasion pop song about the coming of Messiah. 😅
Messianic music is a big part of my life:
I run Chavah Messianic Radio, the single largest repository of Messianic Jewish music on the web, spanning music from the last 6 decades.
I created MessianicChords: lyrics, guitar chords, and piano sheet music for thousands of Messianic songs, helping musicians and worship teams learn and play Messianic music at their congregations.
I led worship at a Messianic congregation for over a decade, played with other Messianic music groups at conferences, feasts, even state fairs.
One of my relaxing and joyful past-times is playing on my guitar and singing to the Lord, using our great legacy of Messianic, Christian, and Jewish music. I think it's great we can sing "How Great Thou Art" and "Mi Kamocha" in the same service. 🙂
I'm also involved in the tech world and I'm employed at Microsoft.
So this week when the AI music creation tool Udio went viral, I just had to try generating Messianic music with it. 😎 I thought I'd do something fun with it: a 1960s psychedelic British invasion tune singing about the coming of Messiah. Here's what I came up with:
This melody was inspired by the Beatles of the late 1960s, specifically their song Sun King. The lyrics are inspired by Isaiah 25:9, where it describes the Lord arriving and the people rejoicing.
After a few hours of fiddling with Udio generating several dozen samples through a variety of prompts, I pieced this one together. I'm pretty happy with it! The build up to crescendo at 1:40 is :chef's kiss:
It's definitely not typical Messianic music, true, but hey, it's something fun and unique.
First Fruits of Zion contributor Aaron Eby tried his hand at this as well for a kids' class. He generated Inside Out, a pop song from Yeshua's words from Matthew 15 about what makes a person unclean:
Fun stuff! OK, so it's not gonna replace Paul Wilbur or Lamb. And it's not as valuable as real, human-created music. But I think these tools have the potential to help musicians create music. Much potential here! And a lot of fun.
If you love to worship God and do so with other Messianic believers, you need to check out Proclaim:
This is a summertime music festival I help put on every year, and it's just an awesome place to be. 3 days of camping, Messianic music artists, worship, dancing, campfires, food, family games, and more. Real community there, tons of youth and adults alike. Awesome place for families. I've made new friends at Proclaim. I've connected with old ones.
Each year it's gotten better, too. More people showing up. (I think last year we had 400 or so.) More Messianic artists. Last year we had Ted Pearce, Troy Mitchell, and a dozen others artists. This year we'll have our dear friend and Israeli musician Baht Rivka Whitten, and a dozen others but well-known and upcoming young artists.
Check out our video below:
The event takes place in June, and we just opened registration today: get your tickets here.
(In fact, I've been working on the new website, proclaimmusicfestival.com, for the last few months. We just made it public today. Let me know what you think, even if you can't make it to the event.)
Last night I took my daughter Kess out for a dad-daughter date night. We went out to a movie, dinner, ice cream, and shopping at a thrift store. We had a great time! And some much needed reconnection. ♥
While at the thrift store, I saw they had some vintage vinyl albums from the 1970s and '80s. As I was thumbing through them, I found this gem:
This is the 1972 album of Lamb, the music group that pioneered the Messianic music genre. This was their first recording! 😎 Indeed, one of the very first Messianic albums ever recorded. (Possibly Liberated Wailing Wall had the first recorded Messianic album? Or did this come first? Maybe someone knows.)
What a treasure to find this!
Here are the tracks for this golden oldie. Give it a listen!
Some of the tracks have kind of a funky '70s vibe to them: The Judge, The Least I Could Do, The Night is Far Spent.
Many have aged well: The Sacrifice Lamb, Baruch Hashem, Dracheicha, The Night is Far Spent. The Sacrifice Lamb in particular has been covered by other Messianic artists and is still commonly used in worship services at Messianic congregations across the world.
This album is pretty special to me because I grew up listening to Lamb. The first song I learned to play on the guitar was a song from this album: Baruch Hashem - here are the guitar chords for it!
Another song from this album is very special to me: The Night is Far Spent. Some years ago, I had a vivid dream about life and death, involving myself and my family members saying goodbye to each other and stepping into graves. (And now that my younger brother has died since then, it is even more meaningful to me.) I'm convinced this dream was from God. It showed me the shortness of life, told me to get sin out of my life before it's too late because the Lord is coming soon.
When I woke from the dream in tears, The Night is Far Spent was inexplicably playing from my PC. The lyrics go:
The night is far spent
The day is close at hand
When Jesus comes
As the son of man ...
Let us walk honestly in His sight
Shedding the old ways
The ones we did in the night
Let's put on new clothes
The armor of His light
And let's do His word
Before the end of night
So why do we slumber
When it is time to rise?
Awake all you sleepers
His coming draweth neigh
It was no coincidence. As The Judge puts it, "He'll find you in your dreams" ♥
This album is very special, friends! Perhaps God was giving me a unique blessing finding this rare gem at a little thrift shop near Seattle. I was blessing God for it last night. 😊
It took me till 3am, but I built something interesting last night.
You can now auto-transpose guitar chords for Messianic music chord charts on MessianicChords.com:
You can try it out here - just click the + or - buttons to transpose the chords up or down.
Currently, this new transpose capability works only for newer chord charts that are submitted through the means below. I'll be updated all existing chord charts to work with the auto-transpose in the next few weeks.
When you click upload, you're now taking to a new chord edit page, where you can upload a new chord chart or edit an existing one:
As seen above, you can upload a chord chart, attach files (e.g. recording of the song), links (e.g. link to the song on MessianicRadio, Youtube, etc.), and add rich metadata like key, capo, relevant Scripture, copyright, year, and more.
When you fill in the chord chart as shown above, the auto-transpose functionality will be enabled. (By contrast, if you don't fill in the chord chart, and just attach a PDF or Word document of the chord chart, that's OK but auto transpose will not be available.
You can also edit any song on the site by clicking its little pencil icon:
As 2021 has come to a close, I thought I’d inventory what has been a good year for me, despite COVID and all the craziness.
In this post you’ll find some photos of myself and my family, our adventures, some Messianic things I’ve accomplished this year, and more.
And some personal highlights from 2021:
🎹 Added 16 new Messianic albums (240+ new Messianic songs!) to Chavah Messianic Radio
🎶 Raised over $15,000 for Messianic musicians via Messiah’s Music Fund
💰 Raised over $10,000 for Israeli charities through my non-profit, Bless Israel 👩💻 Rewrote MessianicChords.com from the ground up
📢 Created MessianicChords iOS app, Android app, and Windows app
📝 Added 100+ new chord charts to MessianicChords
🔯 Wrote a dozen or so articles on faith and life on this blog
😅 Got COVID and recovered
🎉 Spent a lot of time with my kids!
💗 Went on lots of dates with my wife!
🥾 Took a few hiking adventures, some by myself and some with the whole fam
💪 Began a daily exercise habit - 15-20 minutes, full sweat, every weekday
🕎 Practiced Hebrew with Duolingo each day of year, extending my streak to 1390 consecutive days of learning Hebrew
📖 Grew closer to God through Scripture study, family Bible lessons each week, prayer, church, worship, and church small groups
🏜 Read Dune
🔉 Launched a podcast with John K. McKee of Messianic Apologetics
🏄♂️ Went surfing for the first time
🎻 Joined the Proclaim Music Fest leadership team
🎸 Learned a dozen new songs on the guitar
💻 Got tech press articles on my work at Microsoft
🏈 Went to a Minnesota Vikings game and a Seahawks game
⛪ Joined the worship team at my church and led worship a few times
⚾ Joined a new softball team and made some new friends
😎 Helped a friend get hired at Microsoft and saw our friendship grow over the last year
⚡ Played a ton of Age of Mythology with my wife and son
🍿 Had game night or movie night with my family nearly every week of the year
This blog, the Kineti blog, also saw some love. I’m most proud of these posts:
I rewrote Messianic Chords itself from the ground up just the other week. It’s faster, works better on mobile, new features, a new tech stack and a fresh can of paint.
I built this site for my own needs, really: a way to quickly find chord charts for Messianic music. I use the site to learn new songs, practice songs on the guitar, and print the chord charts when I go to play music at Messianic congregations. I think it’s useful to any musician who plays Messianic music.
It has since grown a great deal, with many musicians contributing chord charts to their songs. I believe it is the largest repository of chord charts for Messianic music anywhere on the web.
A friend emailed me with a question. Her Messianic friends listen to Christian contemporary music and tell her they don't care for Messianic music because there's nothing contemporary. Are there Messianic musicians with a contemporary music sound?
I interpret contemporary here to mean Christian pop, the kind you might hear on Christian radio stations, the kind of music published by Bethel Music et al.
My response:
There certainly are some Messianic musicians with a contemporary sound. I am thinking of folks like Shae Wilbur, Melody Joy, or Beckah Shae. Also, Joshua Aaron has done several songs with contemporary Christian artist Aaron Shust. I'd also suggest some Hebrew music from folks like Jamie Hilsden and albums like Midor Ledor have a contemporary sound as well.
That said, your friends are right that most Messianic music sounds different. I think that's OK! Most Messianic music does have a different sound, one that is not trying to emulate the Christian genre. The Messianic movement has a unique calling, distinct from the broader Church, so our music will often reflect that.
Summary: A beautiful new album from Israeli psalmist Micha’el Ben David and his wife Ashley. Samples from the new album with review of each song, plus a free song download for you, fine Kineti reader.
I’m a big fan of music for Messiah. I grow closer to God chiefly through music; it’s the lubricant that lets the heart to speak freely to my God. I haven’t found its match in any other medium. Prayer comes close, study can be enlightening, but singing from the heart praises due to God is unmatched in my life.
Music enables intimacy with God, unlocks my joy, gets my feet tapping, it even inspires divine service. The longest and perhaps greatest book of the Bible – and even the Bible’s longest chapter – was inspired by and set to music by the righteous.
Music for the Lord has blessed me, encouraged me, caused me to grow closer to God. It continues to do so to this day.
I’ve used my talents for the Lord in this regard as well: I lead music at my local Messianic congregation, I created Chavah Messianic Radio to amplify Messiah’s music, and I built MessianicChords to empower musicians to learn and play music from our great Jewish and Christian heritage of music for the King of the Universe.
All that said, I’m stoked to announce a new album for the Lord by Micha’el BenDavid and his wife Ashley. It’s entitled Kol Yonah, Voice of a Dove.
You’ll find below a review of each song with sample audio, and, if you’re so kind to read this review, enjoy a free download from the new album at the end of this post.
1. The Seventh Day
The album has several songs for shabbat, and the album itself is Micha’el’s 7th album. I think it’s quite fitting, then, to open the album with a beautiful, strings-filled Scripture reading of the first Shabbat, Hebrew and English.
2. Lecha Dodi
The erev shabbat liturgy with a new musical take.
“Let’s go, my beloved, to meet the bride And let us welcome the presence of Shabbat”
A female eastern-sounding vocal accompanied by harp opens. Then Micha’el enters with soft singing and saxophone for the intro.
This gives way to the driving sound of a modern, hip sound with soft drums and saxophone singing through several stanzas of the shabbat-welcoming, Messianic redemptive verses, all in Hebrew.
3. Adon Olam
A beautiful, somber take on the traditional prayer Adon Olam, which extols God’s preexistence and His eternal kingship.
Adon Olam has been wildly popular in the Jewish and Messianic worlds. Its storied history produced hundreds of melodies and covers. Perhaps the most well-known melody of Adon Olam is a version created by the 1960s band The Village Stompers. (Amusing side bar: Did the Village Stompers really write the tune for Adon Olam?)
For example, several Messianic artists have covered the traditional tune of Adon Olam:
Now, Micha’el and Ashley add their original take on Adon Olam. It’s masterfully done, rivalling if not surpassing the others.
Soft, piano, violin set a mood that, in my opinion, mirrors the somber yet majestic tone of the ancient prayer. Micha’el drives the singing until the end when Ashley’s soft voice joins in. Beautifully done. One of the best songs on the album.
Intro in English with the full song in Hebrew.
4. Osseh Shalom
I had the pleasure of singing and playing this one with Micha’el & Ashley when they visited my congregation a few months ago.
An original, soft jazz take on the old prayer for God to make peace on us and all Israel. Soft sax and drums flow through an easy-to-sing, memorable chorus. I’ve found myself humming this one at work and whistling it at home; it’s catchy, memorable, soft and beautiful.
Mostly Hebrew, with Ashley singing one section in English.
5. Pote’ach et Yadecha (Open Up Your Gracious Hand)
This song has impacted my prayers and given me a new appreciation for God’s provision.
Taken from the psalms, it highlights an aspect of God’s power and provision, a depth which I had somehow never really absorbed into my understanding: God opens His hand, feeding and sustaining all living things. That inspires awe in me.
This statement sums up God’s grace: out of His goodness, he feeds and sustains life. It sums up God’s knowledge and power – he set the planets in motion, placed the earth at just the right distance from the sun to give us warmth, enabling the seasons to come and go, bringing rain to feed the plants, the plants in turn feeding the animals, and in this way God sustains all living things.
From microscopic life to the complexity of human life, God sustains.
Doesn’t that make you want to give thanks, folks? When I think on this, reflecting how good God is, I start giving thanks and praising God! He is good, my friends!
You open Your hand And with Your favor You satisfy every living thing.
-Psalm 145:16
This simple song alternates the English and Hebrew of this psalm, with interspersed lai lai lais. Intro by Micha’el and outro by Ashley. Truly a beautiful, heartfelt song that has changed even the way I pray. One of the best songs on the album.
6. Adonai Uri (The Lord is My Light)
Out of Psalm 27, one of my favorites psalms. Why? It reminds me that I belong to the Lord, and I’m safe and secure under Him.
“The Lord is my light and salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strong tower of my life; whom shall I fear?”
-Psalm 27
Put it in perspective. If the King of All is the savior of *my* life, what do I have to worry about? I’m secure: God will care for me, God will preserve my soul. Sin, suffering, death is all temporary and will disappear. Money, possessions, material things will all turn to dust. But the God who made everything will see to it that I’m preserved with Him.
That’s a relief, fine friends, isn’t it? That’s a joyful thing to look ahead to! Hallelu!
Micha’el and Ashley put this old trust-inspiring psalm to a beautiful new tune and once again, the tune strikes a tone and mood that fits the original psalm so well.
Heavy strings, violin and flute pull at the heart. A soft and smooth melody build the trusting and confidence in the Lord that the psalmist put into words. Micha’el begins softly in Hebrew, with Ashley coming in tenderly in English.
Perhaps the most beautiful part of this song is when Ashley sings
“The one thing I’ve desired of the Lord That will I seek That I may dwell in the house of Adonai All the days of my life”
..and Micha’el echoes back, amplifying the divine Messiah:
To behold the beauty of Yeshua All the days of my life And to inquire in His Temple Where He will set me on a rock
Flowing from this, they sing beautiful worship together, with Micha’el in a low tone and Ashley high. The repeat the above verses corporately: “The one thing we’ve desired of the Lord, that we will seek: that we may dwell in the House of Adonai all the days of our lives…”
Adonai Uri contributes to the staggering worshipful beauty characterizing Kol Yonah. This Hebrew and English song is in my top 3 on the album.
7. When Israel Was a Child
Prophecy song from Hosea 11,
When Israel was a child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.
With gentle cords and bonds of love I drew them I became to Israel as One lifting a yoke I bent down to them and fed them
These words of the prophet are of particular significance to Yeshua’s disciples. The gospels writers midrash on Hosea – whose name means salvation – to point to God calling Messiah out from Egypt.
This song will resonate with many folks in the Messianic and Hebrew Roots movement who have left the mainstream church and abandoned dead religion for renewal in God’s Torah. Part ways through the song, Micha’el adds his own midrash on Hosea:
Out of Babylon I’m calling My Bride Out of confusion I’m calling Zion Out of religion I’m calling My Bride All because I love her
This speaks to something God is tangibly doing in our day: causing many non-Jews to see the goodness of God’s Torah, abandon dead religion, abandon anti-Semitic Church doctrines, see the Jewish people in new light as God’s chosen, and gain a new identity as first-class citizens within the enlarged commonwealth of Israel.
These same words speak to Jewish believers, too. I don’t know whether this was Micha’el’s intent or not, but as I read into it, he call for Jews and Gentiles to avoid the trappings of ritual religion devoid of God’s spirit. This is needed. There is a pull in Messianic Judaism towards what is essentially Orthodox Judaism + Yeshua. Micha’el’s midrash on Hosea in this song calls both Jew and Gentile to something higher still: out of suffocating religion and into renewal through God’s Word and God’s Spirit.
Following after God need not devolve merely into ritualistic religion. While the various flavors of Orthodox Judaism are not all dead religion, for some it has become exactly that. Yeshua calls us to something higher than mere religion, higher than ritual, higher than tradition. Religion, ritual, and tradition may all be well and fine in their proper order, but they are a sideshow, not the main attraction, a shadow and not the essence.
Meaningful, prophetic song with practical application today. English.
8. Esther Song
Esther’s heroic act of self sacrifice for the sake of the Jews in Persia:
Go and gather all the Jews present in Shushan And fast for me, neither eat nor drink for three days, My servants and I will likewise fast So I will go to the King, which is against the law And if I perish, I perish
As you may recall the Purim story, Esther approaches the Persian King to appeal the ruling that would see all the Jews murdered by royal decree. (A precursor to the Holocaust, in some ways.)
Approaching the king without being summoned meant death, unless the king raised his scepter and permitted the approach.
Esther’s sacrifice was this: she put her life on the line in order to save the Jews of Persia.
I love that Micha’el and Ashley turned these powerful words of self-sacrifice for the sake of the Jewish people into song. Ashley sings it powerfully to a haunting piano background.
The message of interceding for Israel remains for the disciples of Yeshua. Paul writes in the New Testament, “If I could somehow be cut off from Messiah for the sake of my people Israel, I would do it!” It echoes Moses’ own pleading with God for rebellious Israel, and again told through Esther’s actions.
Micha’el and Ashley change up the words towards the end of the song, “Go and gather all the of the Jews who are present in the whole world.” I think this alludes to the end of the 2000 year old Jewish exile and moreover the spiritual blindness-in-part of Israel, a time the rabbis refer to as bat kol, the time of small voice [of God]. Our plea for Israel continues until the time of complete and total redemption, which comes only at Messiah’s appearance. These supplications and heart desires for Israel are summed up well in Esther’s Song.
9. Taste & See
Ah, an old favorite melody remade fresh with the beauty of Ashley's vocals set to violin and piano.
I first fell in love with this song years ago when Micha’el released it in his first album, named after this very song:
I’m not alone: that song is highly-ranked on Chavah Messianic Radio, and one of Micha’el’s top ranked songs.
This new version, however, surpasses it truly: heartfelt sincerity comes through Ashley’s soft singing. Micha’el joins in for the chorus as the piano and violin build up to its climax: “In Yeshua will our souls rejoice!”
10. Rejoice in Yah!
Rejoice in Yah, all you tzaddikim, all you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful! Praise Adonai with the harp! Make melody to Him with the stringed instrument!
Easily the most joyful song on the album. You can’t keep still; it may well be impossible to listen to the song and not get your feet tapping and head moving back and forth. Praise Yah, make melody to Him! Sing a new song! Yes!
Love this joyful song!
You can hear Micha’el really has fun with this one, shouts of joy and even laughter throughout this song. Each verse is interspersed with Micha’el reading from Psalm 33, followed by a loud chorus of voices singing, “Praise Yah! … Sing to Him a new song! Play skillfully with shouts of joy!”
Ashley’s flute works marvelously on this track. Upbeat, hip kind of flute playing adds pep to this joyful ensemble. Best song on the album.
11. Tuv Yerushalaim (The Good of Jerusalem)
Out of Psalm 128, The Lord will bless you from Zion. This psalm is special to me as I often pray this blessing over my family during erev shabbat dinner at my home:
The LORD bless you from Zion; May you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of thy life May you see your children’s children Peace be upon Israel!
The blessing is part of a broader psalm in which the psalmist answers, “How will a man who fears God be blessed?”
Being blessed by God from Zion, living long enough to see your grandkids, seeing the good of Jerusalem, seeing peace upon Israel. That’s better than any Western prosperity gospel.
I had first heard this melody several years ago as part of a live performance by Micha’el. This new version is softer and Ashley lends her gentle voice. As with so many of the songs on this album, the combination of male and female vocal, husband and wife together praising God beautifies the whole thing. Hebrew.
12. Shalom Al Yisrael (Peace Upon Israel)
Flowing from the previous song, Tuv Yerushalaim, this song is the same melody as Tuv Yerushalaim, same psalm, but set to a reggae, upbeat sound. Gets you moving! The reggae guitar sound, drums, light piano and upbeat sax combine for a fun rendition.
The song concludes with a repeated, echoed “Shalom al Yisrael.”
13. One Thing or Another
Playful, rolling, up-tempo reggae riff on Qohelet / Ecclesiastes melded with Psalm 121.
Micha’el spits a great reggae intro:
Ha! Yah man! What does the watchman say? Am Yisrael chai! No matter how many enemies surround us Hashem is with us! Lift up your heads to the hills From where comes our help? Our help comes from our Creator Maker of heaven and earth!
Its verses extol how God, our help, lights up the world, overcoming the darkness of the world.
“There’s nothing new under the sun… It seems the whole world has gone mad There’s lawlessness all around”
The pre-chorus continues “If it’s not one thing, it’s another”, referring to the continue sins and darkness of humanity.
But, like Ecclesiastes, the song doesn’t end in despair. Instead, the chorus turns to God,
“I life my eyes to the hills, From where then comes my help? My help comes from Hashem Maker of heaven and earth”
The second verse speaks of the hope of Israel: Messiah, the forgiveness found in him, His glory filling the earth. These glories and this light wins out over humanity’s sin and darkness.
The final verses end just as Ecclesiastes does. Micha’el clearly is having a blast singing this reggae tune as he belts out the final verses of Qohelet in reggae fashion:
So what is the conclusion of the matter, my friends? Fear Yah and keep all His commandments! For His commandments are pure To be desired more than gold And in keeping them there is great reward!
Then he applies these same words for today in a kind of Qohelet midrash and Messianic prophecy:
Yes, this is the conclusion of matter: The Kingdom of Yah endures forever Little flock don’t be afraid The Good Shepherd’s on His way He will trample down all evil in our day!
Lot of fun in this song, but the message is right on! God wins in the end, hallelu! And I think this is ultimately the message of Ecclesiastes: despite humans doing the same thing over and over through the ages, rehashing the same sins again and again, the conclusion is God’s glorious light blots it all out. Our responsibility as humans, then, is to follow this victorious God and keep all His commandments.
Love the message, love this fun song.
Wrapping up
Kol Yonah / Voice of a Dove is a beautiful new work for the Lord. While Micha’el has experimented with different sounds over the years, this new album is uniquely characterized by the beauty of husband and wife worshiping together, the soft strings and piano setting the stage for heartfelt prayers, praises, and thanksgiving. It makes Kol Yonah the best album Micha’el has produced to date.
Folks, this album lifts me up, encourages me, gives me a little joy, you know? I think it’ll do the same for you, fine Kineti reader.
As a thank you for reading, here’s a free download from the new album, it’s my favorite from Kol Yonah:
Big news, friends. I am glad and overjoyed to announce: The brand new version of Chavah Messianic Radio is here!
This new version works better on mobile, has more awesome features, is more secure, faster, smoother, and no longer requires the now-defunct Persona service to sign in. Woo-freakin'-hoo!
Even though some features are still baking – hearts, chat, a revamped profile, and sharing, to name a few – I felt it was important to release Chavah v3 now. Chavah v2, built back in 2012, was showing its age, utilizing some now-obsolete technology. This new version is a complete rewrite with brand-spankin’ new tech for the modern web – oh yes!
How far we’ve come
Chavah has come a very long way, fine Kineti readers. And it all started right here on the Kineti blog. Back in February 2010, I built Chavah v1 and announced it right here on the blog:
The first version of Chavah, introduced back in 2010. Humble beginnings!
That first version was pretty basic. It required a browser plugin (Silverlight) to run. It didn’t work on phones or tablets; mobile phones weren’t as big as they are today back in 2010. There was no sign-in, and while you could “like” songs, your likes wouldn’t travel with you to different devices.
Then in 2012 as mobile phones and tablets became ubiquitous, I rebuilt Chavah from the ground up with modern HTML5 web tech that enabled it to run on PCs, Macs, mobile phones and tablets.
Chavah v2, released in 2012. A revamped, more beautiful UI, new features, plus new web tech enabled it to run on mobile phones and tablets.
It’s been 4 years since I released Chavah v2. In those years, I’ve added more features, boatloads of new music – a over 1000 additional songs – and grew the Chavah music community, which now hosts over 3500 listeners.
And now, with Chavah v3, mobile is better, sign-in is better, HTTPS security, and new features and new music as icing on this sweet, sweet cake.
Micha'el is a good friend and holy brother. I've hosted him at my congregation several times over the years. Not too long ago, Micha'el and I sang Hebrew songs to Lutherans in Minnesota. :-)
I've come to know Micha'el as a man of integrity. He loves Messiah and Torah, and is a bold and unapologetic voice for the Lord in Israel and around the world. While living in a Jewish community in Israel, he was pressured by some anti-missionaries to give up his faith in the Messiah. He refused, and as I recall he told them, "No, I love you too much to do that." He love for Israel and the Jewish people is the fabric of who this guy is. I'm honored to know him.
Over the years, he has produced 7 albums and numerous music videos:
His music is some of the highest-ranked music by the international Messianic audience at Chavah Messianic Radio.
I encourage you to check out his music, including his new album, on EmetZionMusic.com.
Summary: Officiating a Messianic wedding? Here are the words I used. Thoughts on becoming a minister in the US. Plus, Messianic wedding music.
I officiated my first wedding the other week. The couple attend my congregation and asked me to officiate the wedding. It was a real honor to do so and join two Messianic believers together in marriage.
Seeing as how I’ve never officiated a wedding before, I had little idea what to say. I did a bit of research and found some traditional words spoken at Jewish and Christian weddings. Things like Ruth’s vow, the Shehekianu, etc. But I also wanted to add my own words as well. (I’ve been married for 11 years, after all! I have some wisdom to contribute. )
What I put together for the wedding may be useful to you, fine Kineti reader / Google searcher.
Below is my Messianic Wedding Officiating template. Feel free to use it as-is, or tweak for your liking.
Dearly beloved and honored guests, friends, family, and disciples of the Messiah, we are gathered together today to join ___ and ___ in the holy covenant of marriage.
Marriage is a divine institution that God ordained in the beginning. He says in the opening chapters of the Scripture, “It is not good for man to be alone.”
So as ___ and ___ join in marriage today, they are in fact fulfilling a mitzvah, a commandment of God, by joining together as God intended.
Marriage itself is woven throughout the Scriptures. In the Hebrew Bible, God relates to his people using marriage terminology, saying in the prophets, “I am a faithful husband to my people Israel.”
And likewise in the gospels, Yeshua the Messiah is likened to a bridegroom coming for his people: we who are to be the wise, patient and faithful bride of the Lord.
Messiah himself amplified and strengthened marriage: when the religious authorities of the 1st century permitted divorce for almost any reason, Messiah rebuked them and called for husband and wife to remain as one barring only extreme circumstances.
Marriage is not something to be entered into lightly or flippantly. The Scriptures present to us a high calling of marriage, one in which the bride is prepared with purity, clothed in righteous deeds, a lesson of kindness on her tongue, having eyes only to please her groom.
Likewise, the groom comes to the bride willing to sacrifice his own life for her, and forsaking all others in order to love and serve his wife alone.
When husband and wife are in mutual submission to one another, a peaceful and holy environment for raising Godly children is created. And in doing so, the couple fulfill the mitzvah to be fruitful and multiply.
Marriage is accomplished by three unions: a union of the heart, of the mind, and of the flesh.
In the union of the heart, the husband and wife share the same desires and work towards the same life goals for their marriage and their family. Instead of individuals traveling in separate trajectories, the hearts of a husband and wife work together and encourage one another in their unified direction. Together they are stronger than they were as individuals, their goals and desires of their heart now closer and more attainable as each spurs on the other.
In the union of the mind, husband and wife are no longer dueling intellects with disparate and diverging views. Instead, the minds of husband and wife in a God-ordained marriage converge, complementing the other’s understanding and wisdom, each filling in for the other’s weaknesses. The two minds of husband and wife become a unified, complementary intellect, making whole and complete both husband and wife, to the glory of God the Father.
In the union of the flesh, husband and wife are no longer distinct individuals to be addressed alone. When the husband is blessed, so is the wife. When the wife is blessed, so is the husband. When a person speaks to the husband, he is speaking also to the wife. When a person speaks to the wife, he is also speaking to the husband. As a unified front standing together, being bound together by their joining today, ___ and ___ no longer belong to themselves alone, but each to the other.
With this knowledge, as set-apart children of God and adopted son and daughter of Israel, ___ and ___ come now to be wedded as one before the Holy One, blessed be He."
This day, ___ and ___ both take up and commit to the ancient Biblical covenant:
___ and ___ repeat after me:
“Ani l’dodi V’dodi li”
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”
Therefore, let no man come between these two, as God has called ___and ___ to join together this day, and to remain as one until the last day of their lives.
Today, ___ (groom) confirms the words of Ruth, as he says to his bride,
“Wherever you go, I will go Wherever you stay, I will stay.”
Today, also, ___ (bride) confirms these words and says to her groom,
“Your people will be my people And your God will be my God.”
For this reason, a man shall leave his parents and cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
___ (groom full name), I pray this blessing from the Scriptures upon you as you join yourself to your bride this day:
“Blessed are you, ___ (groom full name), man who fears the Lord Blessed are you, ___ (groom full name), who walks in the ways of the Lord May you eat the fruit of your labor May you be joyful and prosperous May your bride be as a fruitful vine in your house May your children be as olive plants around your table May the Lord bless you from Zion May you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life May you live to see the return of Israel’s king May you live to see your children’s children And may you live to see God’s shalom upon Yisrael.”
___ (bride full name), I pray this blessing from the Scriptures upon you as you join yourself to your groom this day:
“Blessed are you, ___ (bride full name), woman of valor Blessed are you, woman who fears the Lord Your value is beyond pearls May your husband’s heart trust in you May you prove to be your husband’s greatest treasure May you bring good, and not harm, to your husband and your home May the Lord bless the work of your hands You will be like a merchant ship, bringing sustenance from afar You will extend your hands to the needy And you will open your arms to the poor You will rise while it is still nighttime and provide food for your house Strength and dignity will be your clothing You will neither worry nor fear, but you will laugh at the days to come You will open your mouth and speak wisdom You will be known for your kindness and gentle spirit Charm and beauty are temporary But you, ___, woman who fears the Lord, will be praised.”
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe Who has kept ___ and ___ in life Sustaining them both, and preserving them until this special time
Amein.
Do you, ___ (groom full name), take this woman of God, ___ (bride full name), to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live with her in obedience to the Most High and trust in the Messiah?
[Groom says, ‘I do’]
"Do you, ___ (bride full name), take this man of God, ___ (groom full name), to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live with him in obedience to the Most High and trust in the Messiah?"
[Bride says, ‘I do’]
___ and ___ , what further vows and tokens do you bring to seal this union today?
[Exchange of vows and rings]
These solemn vows and rings are given as seals and outward signs of the covenant of marriage and as a public acknowledgment of the holy union between this man and woman.
In accordance with the Torah of Moses and the covenants of Israel, by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh, in the authority of the Master, Yeshua the Messiah, King of Israel, recognizing the authority of the Holy One alone in ordaining marriage, I declare this union sealed in the name of the Messiah, and now pronounce you, ___ and ___ , as husband and wife.
___ , you may now kiss your bride!
[kiss]
Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you Mr. and Mrs. ___
There you have it, folks! These were the words I used in officiating a marriage of two Messianic believers. I hope it is useful to some of you.
Who’s a minister? Everyone! And no one.
As a side note, becoming an official minister in the eyes of the United States government is, shall we say, a low bar?
While I actually am a minister in the real sense of the word – I help run Tabernacle of David Messianic congregation – I didn’t have to prove that I was a minister in any real capacity. The state government didn’t care whether I was actually a minister. It seems almost anyone can be a minister in the eyes of the US government, given a page or two of paperwork and $20 at the county courthouse.
In my opinion, that cheapens marriage and lessens the sanctity of the role for those who do minister and perform weddings.
Even so, I recognize the authority of God alone in ordaining marriage. The local government is a mere formality along the way.
Messianic wedding music for the reception
At the wedding reception, I played some Messianic songs appropriate for a wedding. Live music is always best, IMO. Then you can lift the groom on a chair and parade him around the room to Hava Nagila! (We did this and had a real joyful time.)
But, if you need some background Messianic music fitting for a wedding, see my previous post 14 Messianic Wedding Songs. Some beautiful, some joyful, all fitting for a Messianic wedding.
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