Ruth's Road

08/31/2026

Walking in teshuvah

“Mystery of the Chuppah”

Book Excerpt: 198-199 Watching and Waiting

The parable of the 10 virgins is a clear warning that He is coming as a Bridegroom and as a
“thief” to abduct her for the wedding and she will want to have oil in her lamp (intimacy), have her white wedding garments ready (robed in His righteousness), and to be watching and waiting for His return. With all this in mind, it is easy to see that Jesus might have been giving them clues as to the time of His return. He is confirming that He is their Bridegroom Messiah that they read about in their scriptures and rehearsed in their festivals. Yom Teruah is the festival where the idiom, “no man knows the day or hour” is used and the ONLY festival that begins with the sighting of a new moon... AND is on the new moon of Tishri 1... the ONLY new moon announced with a shofar blast! In light of this alone, I would strongly suspect that Jesus was saying,

“I am a Bridegroom Who will come to abduct you for the wedding one day when the Father says it is time. Remember the clue of Yom Teruah, looking for the new moon when you know the month and the season, just not the exact day and hour. Because of this, heed the daily awakening blasts of the shofar blown every day in the month of Elul and examine your hearts and if they have grown cold, return to Me and I will return to you. Keep rehearsing these appointed times that keep you on My appointment calendar so the reality of these glorious, future events will always be before you to remind your heart of who you are and that you are part of an amazing divine love story. Be watching, anticipating this day with intimate love-sick hearts, preparing yourselves for that day. You are legally betrothed and “no longer your own but bought with a price”... a costly Bride-price that I paid for with my own blood.... I left you a gift of part of Myself; My very Holy Spirit, so you would be with Me when I am away building your wedding chamber... As darkness in the world increases, let your hearts be alive and strengthened with this “joy set before you”.
By Christie Eisner

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08/30/2026

The Gift of Teshuvah
My heart is on fire, boiling over with passion. Bubbling up within me are these beautiful lyrics as a lovely poem to be sung for the King. Like a river bursting its banks, I’m overflowing with words, spilling out into this sacred story. (passion translation) psalm 45:1
I’m going to ‘steal’ a bit of this verse, and take some liberty with it. I have written earlier this year during the time of counting the omer (one of my favorite ‘heart’ times of the year), and now we stand upon another ‘path’ you might say, that the Lord has laid before us, to lead us on to the matters that are on His heart, by inviting our hearts to join in; this time is traditionally called “teshuvah”. I love thinking about God’s invitation during counting the omer because it’s so ‘open’ to unscripted dialogue with Holy Spirit and can be so intimate and personal, whereas this time of teshuvah is more ‘focused’; a time, you might say of preparation, or specifically turning and returning to the Lord. It’s a time like all the biblical feasts are of what I call God’s ‘gyroscope’, to help orient our lives and hearts toward His heart. It’s never meant to be a legalistic type adjustment, but one of the King’s love for His people inviting them into His presence and His ways. Do I need to be ‘turned and returned’? If I’m unclear about that, then the answer “yes” is even more evident. Hopefully we all see this opportunity as one not filled with guilt and duty, but
as a true gift of God.

As I began thinking of writing this post, my heart got so stirred and tenderized. I seem to ‘leak’ and begin walking through my life with an ‘acceptable’ degree of dullness; after all, life has its challenges and I don’t always have time or inclination to care for my heart, and of course God understands... You know the old analogy of standing in a small boat, fishing and not noticing the slightest current moving the boat to another location...or of course the old favorite of boiling a frog by slowly turning up the heat, etc. I am so thankful for this year’s ‘invitation’ from Holy Spirit, to come away; to walk on this ‘road’ of turning and returning; of seeing some of the issues of life that are other than His issues and perspective. I can especially feel this during these interesting times we are in and other pressures our nation and the nations are experiencing. There are real things pressing in on us and we can emotionally and practically deal with some of the affects on our daily lives...but where is my heart in the midst of all this? Oh, how thankful I am that the
Holy One of Israel isn’t removed from my personal life; that He isn’t ‘off somewhere’. He is here and He has life for me; not to just survive, but to prosper; to ‘gain’ ground in my relationship with Him and His eternal purposes in heaven and on earth.

So come along and walk on the ‘road’ Jesus is walking on, take a chance with me that we might encounter Him as He moves through history preparing His beautiful bride for His upcoming wedding. He has sent out an ‘invitation’ through His word, that He touches our hearts with, even as we live out our lives in this fallen world. He sanctifies our lives through a simple heartfelt “yes” from our lips, as He beckons us to “come”... So now, all together say: “yes!” See you on the road and at the next ‘stop’... Yom Teruah! (Rosh Hashanah).
by john e

ps. This isn’t a time for better theology or self-examination leading to condemnation and more works…we are in need of recognizing His presence and how much He enjoys ours!

08/28/2026

“No napkins needed”

Ki Tavo/When you come in
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:9
Isaiah 60:1-22

When I was a kid I would have called this week’s portions “a smorgasbord '', but now a lot of people would say, “What?”. Today it’s probably called “a buffet”...so much more sophisticated sounding, I guess. If you give me some ‘poetic license’, I would say a buffet is more organized and nicely presented; whereas a smorgasbord is messy; overflowing with gastral delights, without care if they go together or even ‘bleed’ into each other. Today’s portions are a smorgasbord of biblical delights!

We could make many trips to the word and gorge ourselves on the thoughts and intentions of our Living God. Today I’m only bringing a small plate because of the time and space; but don’t let that keep you from going back many times and heaping your plates full. Deuteronomy helps lay the foundation and the floor beneath the Jewish people to be able to believe and receive the promises of Isaiah 60:1-22. One of my favorite verses is 60:13 “...To beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place of My feet glorious.” That’s ‘God speak’ for a people and a place! (I know it is relating to the land of Israel; but the land is incomplete without the people) Can you even imagine how He is preparing the nations and His people “To beautify the place of My sanctuary”; that He, the Holy One of Israel would want to include the nations (Gentiles), and not just rely on His own magnificent abilities to cause this to happen? A sanctuary that isn’t just for good meetings and powerful preaching, but a “place of His feet (becoming) glorious”!

Let’s take a moment, and maybe even close our eyes and imagine a place that it feels so safe and pure to be in; a place where the secrets of your heart can be washed away without any condemnation; a place where you could realize your innermost hopes and dreams; a place where you can be totally open and vulnerable; a place where whatever ails you is completely done away with; a place where…(go ahead and spend some time there). For this is what we are made for and yes even made of; the ‘soil’ of the kingdom of God infused by the very Holy Spirit of God! You are not just here to wait for heaven; you are here to experience heaven and bring heaven to the earth! Open wide and take another ‘bite’ from this week’s smorgasbord, let it consume you, and vow never to just go to the buffet again; but let God into our lives today and be ‘messy’, and satisfy us beyond anything we could have imagined; take time with His word today and be renewed in your understanding of Who He is and who you are! No napkins needed…by john eisner

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08/27/2026

Walking in Teshuvah
John and I have followed a Bible reading plan, reading through the Bible every year for the past
48 years and I can’t emphasize enough how this discipline has strengthened our hearts and
nurtured an intimate relationship with the Lord. I usually stick to the daily reading unless the
Holy Spirit directs me differently.
Last night I had a dream and a voice whispered to me in my sleep, “Read Psalm 45”. I got up
excited to open my Bible and this is the verse that jumped out at me:
“The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King's palace.”
I know I have a one track mind when I read the Bible but wedding and bridal language is every where!! I read these verses and saw the consistency of scripture. Just like the parable of the ten virgins, Psalms 45 is reminding us that the future wedding of our Messiah will be a Jewish wedding. In ancient Israel when the friend of the bridegroom sounded the trumpet to signal,
“Behold! The bridegroom cometh!”, a procession would go through the streets... often at midnight... to go “abduct” the bride and take her to the groom’s house to consummate the
marriage. She would have to have her beautiful bridal garments sewn and ready to put on in a moments notice because her bridegroom, known as “A thief in the night”, would be there any
moment to take her away! Her virgin maidens would then grab their lanterns to accompany her to the bridal chuppah.
Paul says, set your mind on things above... in the heavenly theater... not things on earth... (Col.3:2) so your heart will stay encouraged and strengthened. Remember, while earth is
preparing for war, heaven is preparing for a wedding!!!
As you continue walking through this tender time known as ,“The month of the bride”, let this one exhilarating thought capture your attention: You were redeemed and created for romance.
The King and Creator of all things has set His affections on you, has paid a costly bride-price for you with His own blood and has promised that one day in the future you will enter into this
psalm 45 reality... you will be brought to His palace in glorious attire and you really will live “happily ever after”. Christie Eisner

“The sounding of the shofar in the month of Elul is compared to the trumpet blasts preceding the arrival of a king.”

08/26/2026

"Earth is preparing for war... while heaven is making wedding preparations!"

It is important to understand the Hebraic idea of two theaters of activity always going on at the same time. As trained Greek thinkers, we tend to think linearly and chronologically. When laying out future events, the Greek way of seeing them is “flat” and listed in order, occurring one right after another. If we read certain portions of the Bible like this, we get confused trying to figure out what is going on. In Isaiah 37 -39, Isaiah gives an account of the defeat of Sennacherib’s army and the story of Hezekiah taking place on the earthly theater. Then in chapter 40, Isaiah is seeing God’s plans from the heavenly theater that He will accomplish in Israel’s future. When reading the prophets and the book of Revelation there is a lot of jumping back and forth from events taking place on earth and events taking place in heaven that the writer is describing. Once you understand that events on earth and events in heaven can happen at the same time, your vision becomes more three dimensional. Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Paul and John all had heavenly encounters that gave them revelation into the heart and purposes of God.

As we begin to look at the future events surrounding the second coming of Jesus, we will see that understanding this two-theater reality is extremely helpful. Seeing two “movies” going on at the same time; one in heaven, one on earth, gives order to the otherwise jumble of events that we have tried to make sense of. The heavenly theater should be our focus because Paul says in Ephesians 2:6 that God, “... raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
We are to live from a heavenly reality... separate from the world but fully participating in its redemption. What is happening right now in the theater in heaven? Heaven is preparing for a wedding! That is the narrative that we should be focused on right now. The narrative going forth on earth at the moment, is releasing fear, anxiety and instability and a spirit of hatred and violence. Earth is preparing for war... while heaven is making wedding preparations!

We need to be aligned with the heavenly theater and be preparing our hearts for the Bridegroom to come for us. If we are focused on heavenly realities our hearts will be strengthened in love allowing us to encourage and care for others as we draw their attention to the excitement of God’s kingdom reality and His divine love story. Teshuvah means, return, turn around, so look up... seek His face and be filled with peace. In the midst of this present darkness, His light is about to break forth... in His people... to be seen on the earth! By Christie Eisner

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08/21/2026

Teshuvah torah portion
“my dog must have eaten those pages”

Ki Teitzei/When you go out
Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19
Isaiah 54:1-10

Knowing where to begin in this week’s torah/haftorah portion was quite a challenge and I also had a difficult time seeing the connection between the two. The haftorah always sheds some light or clarification on the torah portion. Sometimes the ‘connection’ isn’t completely obvious and has what you might say a ‘spiritual’ link. This week the dichotomy between the two was like the Grand Canyon in my mind, and I just couldn’t see the connection. The torah portion contained a bunch of the ‘laws’ that you would hope, especially a non-believer would never see. Things like what to do with women captured after a war; how to get rid of your wife; how to kill a rebellious son, and one of my favorites; what to do when your brother’s ox goes astray. You can just imagine how much easier it would be not to mention these or just say, “those pages must not have been printed in my bible”…or the ‘stand by’, “my dog must have eaten those pages”. I went from all of that to Isaiah 54 with the tenderness and beauty of a loving God restoring His beloved bride, Israel, to full standing with all the heavenly benefits. It’s kind of like when I’m on a walk with our dog at a fast pace, and she decides to sniff something in the grass and I don’t notice, and keep walking…as the leash runs out of slack, she almost becomes air borne as her head is je**ed around toward where I am. (I am usually very gentle with her, so don’t call peta or something like that) We serve such an amazing God! Here are His people that have become so to speak ‘barren’ because of their unfaithfulness to the Living God, and He says, “Sing o barren, you who have not borne, break forth into singing…for more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the married woman, says the Lord”. That’s more grace than I know of in me! “Enlarge your tent…lengthen your chords…” I however would say “get out of the tent and hang yourself by your chords!” but God…“For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you…” I wonder how a “mere moment’ might have felt when they were in captivity to the heathens and forsaken by the Lord. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, neither disgraced…for your maker is your husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name; and your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth”. He obviously isn’t worried about His reputation…in fact He is so full of love for His people that He wants His ‘reputation’ to be measured by the love He has for His wayward people, who tried to embarrass Him! Man, what a God is betrothed to us!

9“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. 10 For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

So today as we look at our shortcomings and even sinfulness; instead of falling into condemnation or justifying our sin; during this time of ‘teshuvah’ (turning and returning), let us be reminded that our God’s love for us overcomes Him, and instead of running from Him, let us begin running toward His incredibly comforting arms of love and comfort. by john eisner

I recently heard a teacher say an amazing thought: “You were not made to love God: you were made to be loved by God!” If we really let that seep into our hearts and minds…we may find ourselves loving God as a response to His love rather than struggling to attain it…WOW!

During teshuvah this year let us be looking for the kindness of the Holy One of Israel Who beckons us to return; not just turn from bad behavior, but to go to the foundations that He us building His household upon (Jew and Gentile) as it says in Ephesians: “being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets”. Please note: upon their foundation, not upon them! We are to have the same foundation to build upon: the Tenach (the torah; the prophets and the wrirings (which we would call the Old Testament). What is your foundation? Is it Peter; Paul; Luther; Wesleys; or any other man or movement; the Lord graciously used them, ut they are not meant to be the foundation for His house! Think of the implications of that: turn and return…je

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08/20/2026

THE KING IS IN THE FIELD!
As we walk through teshuvah together I want to encourage you with a couple of thoughts on how to posture your heart and seek the Lord during this time.
Judaism refers to teshuvah as a time when, “A King in the Field”. It is a picture that serves to encourage Jews during the next 40 days, to reestablish the practice of Jewish meditation and
reconnect in an intimate conversation with God. It is interesting that Christian meditation is often quiet
and contemplative, sitting silently before the Lord. Jewish meditation is just the opposite. It is likened
to going out into a field where only you and God can hear; speaking out loud and being unafraid to
express passion and emotion.
An example of this can be seen in the character of Tevye in the acclaimed musical, Fiddler on the
Roof. Many of the scenes portray Tevye talking to God in a very intimate and genuine way, being real
and honest with Him as you would be to a close friend. A good biblical example is in Genesis 24:63.
"And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and
there, the camels were coming."
I guarantee that Isaac was not silently doing his evening prayers. He was grieving over his mother,
Sarah's death who did not live to see her grandchildren because when she died, Isaac was still single. He was forty years old, lonely and without a wife. He also carried the spiritual promise of Abraham that through his seed all the nations would be blessed. You better believe Isaac was having it out with God, passionately bearing his broken heart over years of unanswered prayers and
unfulfilled promises!
But the important thing to notice is that Isaac continued going out in the field to have a conversation
with God. No matter how much we are hurting inside, we must never stop the conversation! I love the
end result of Isaac's cry to God for help. He looked up and saw, just as the sun was going down, a
caravan of camels carrying the answer he had waited for so long. His bride, Rebekah, was coming
towards him on the horizon!
Here is a quote from a Jewish book, 60 Days: A spiritual Guide to the High Holidays by Simon
Jacobson.
“In Elul, the King is in the field, writes the Alter Rebbe. He uses the analogy of a king who was returning home from his travels...he had left his palace and gone to a far-off land outside his kingdom, and now he is on his way home. He is about to enter his palace, and he stands outside greeting his people. Then he goes back in the palace and again mounts his throne. When the king is
in the field, every person has the opportunity, without petitioning for an audience, to go over to him,
say hello and ask for whatever he needs. The king is smiling, he is happy to be home, he is in an
informal mode, and he is predisposed to answer all requests. That’s Elul. On Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur, the king is back in his palace on his throne.”
Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country...” Jesus paid a Bride-price for us, left His Holy Spirit in us as a gift to His Bride and a promise of His return, and told us He was, “Going away to prepare a place for us” (Jn. 14:2). When He returns as conquering King in the future, He will return to “His palace” in Jerusalem and rule and reign on the earth. Every teshuvah, we can anticipate the day of His return,
and “go out in the field” to renew our intimacy with Him.
Whatever circumstances you find yourself in now... however discouraged, however disappointed at
having your hopes deferred because of unanswered prayers; take this opportunity during the month of Elul and cry out to the Lord. Maybe find a private place and let your heart pour out words from
deep inside of you. Be as honest and vocal as you need to be... He is waiting to hear from you!

By Christie Eisner

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Ruth's Road is a ministry inviting people to find and meet Jesus throughout the Biblical Feasts.

08/18/2026

It’s all about a wedding and the clues are everywhere!
Listen again to the words of a Jewish commentary on the month of Elul:
“The month of Elul... is the month of the bride, a month in which the love between the Divine groom and His bride
Israel is at its height. ‘I am my beloved, and my beloved is for me.’ Elul is the time when the initiative comes from our
side of the relationship, and the Divine response to our love is one that relates to us as finite material beings and
embraces our natural self and personality. We the bride purify and refine ourselves in preparation for the wedding
with the Divine that occurs on Rosh Hashanah and particularly on Yom Kippur.” (Sefer HaSichot 5750, vol.2, pp.631-
633)
As Gentiles, we should read this and with a tad bit of jealousy say to ourselves, “What? The Jews know that Messiah
has a wedding planned and they even have clues in their feasts that suggest when it might take place?
Paul says in Romans 3, “What advantage have the Jews? Much in every way...to them was given...”

08/17/2026

Teshuvah... a time of repentance?
More accurately known in Judaism as, “turning and returning”.
Oh my, all the negative emotions and traditions we can dredge up using our traditional thinking of repentance! As we
enter into this special time on God's calendar, what can this turning and returning look like? How might it take on a
living reality that impacts our lives with the Lord and our day-to-day existence? Without groveling; nor guilt; nor
apologizing for our barren (at times), walk with God...a genuine “turning and returning” unto life!
A couple of years ago while Christie and I were praying about teshuvah, I was struck with the fact that it's an invitation
to having an encounter with the Living God in every area of our lives; not just theology...and not our guilt-ridden
existence, looking for relief. Also, a “turning” in our finances; giving in partnership with the Holy Spirit and growing in
intimacy through our giving... not just mechanically doing our Christian, measured, duty. A “returning” in our
marriages, as we invite the Holy Spirit’s presence to invade the relationship with our spouse... a three stranded cord
that does life together; with God revealing the mystery of husband and wife... what adventures and joy could He have
in mind for us! A “turning” in our relationships with family members, as we walk in love and forgiveness with the Holy
Spirit to see the blessing of God come to our entire household. A “turning” in how we relate to the world around us;
looking for and seeing how He is at work... seeing prophetically the goodness of God manifested all around us...
enjoying intimacy with Him as we ask how to pray and respond to those things and people.
So, ask Jesus to move on your heart today during this time of teshuvah. What unique things does He have to say this
year, at this time... the Living God, who desires our hearts to be knit with His in all of life.
“May our names be written in the Book of Life”
L’Chaim! (to life!)
by john e

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08/15/2026

Today is day 3 of the 40-day time of return called, teshuvah on the Hebrew calendar. The
following is an excerpt from my book, Watching and Waiting: encountering Jesus in the fall
feasts. I will post more during this next month to help nurture and reawaken your hearts in
intimacy.
“The sounding of the shofar in the month of Elul is
compared to the trumpet blasts preceding the
arrival of a King” Rabbi Simon Jacobson (p.45)
Over these many years of looking for Jesus hidden in the biblical feasts, I have found
a multitude of quotes like the one above. It is though the Holy Spirit continually illuminates
clues to me from Jewish books that suggest that they know something that we, as
Christians, do not. Far from dead liturgy instructing us to mechanically blow a shofar every
day during the month preceding the first fall feast called Yom Teruah, the quote invites us
into a story; a story of expectation concerning the arrival of a long- awaited King! Jesus said
in Matt.25: 14, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country...” Matt.
22:2 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who planned a wedding feast for his son.”
Jesus has been away on a 2,000-year journey building a Bridal chamber and making
preparations with the Father for His future wedding. When the Father says it’s almost time
to leave heaven and get His Bride, He will signal to earth for His people to make
preparations as well. In the pattern of the spring feasts, Jesus drew His Bride out of slavery,
revealed to her the Father’s love to heal her heart and paid a brideprice with His own blood
to make her pure and spotless like Himself. The spring feasts end in betrothal. The fall
feasts begin the events that lead to a bridal chuppah (chamber) with Jesus and to the
earth’s ultimate redemption. The season of teshuvah allows His Bride to realign her heart to
burn in passion for His return. Sometime soon in the future, the shofar blasts during
teshuvah will be a signal to us that His descent has begun.
I am convinced, that before the second coming of Jesus, there will be a time of
teshuvah, a time to return to Him... a great move of His Spirit, that will be unprecedented in
power that will result in circumcised, bridal, love-sick hearts that will make us yearn for
Him to come down... not only so the evil will finally be dealt with and love and justice will
finally rule... that will be fantastic... but for Him to come and finally get what He paid for... a
Bride ready and waiting with a heart that will literally explode if He waits even one more day
to come for her!
Every year, in the Hebrew month of Elul, I believe He has created a special time on
His calendar for us to check the condition of our hearts. Are we living in knowledge about
Him like Martha, busy with the work of the Kingdom but having no time to personally sit at
His feet gaining the oil of intimacy? Are we spiritually stale, living off yesterday’s manna and
telling the same revelations and experiences we had years ago without seeking Him for
fresh encounters every day? If so, He knows our weakness. He knows we are fickle in our
affections and yet desiring to be wholly His. He knows the propensity in the human heart to
drift away from Him because of the distractions and demands of our lives. That is the
beauty of teshuvah. He knows we need a season each year to examine our hearts. We need
to hear the voice of the shofar, or voice of God calling to us, “Come back! Return to Me,
WHERE ARE YOU?”
Think about it. The first fall feast is called Yom Teruah. What does it mean? The day of
blowing! The day of His breath! For thirty days before this day, the shofar is blown. It is like a
strong wind blowing to awaken love towards Him in our hearts... telling us to, “Wake up! I
am coming soon...I have been away on a long journey to prepare a place to bring My Bride...
and one day it will no longer be a ‘rehearsal’ but the time of fulfillment... Wake up! Watch! I
want you to be a Bride ready to meet Me, your Husband before the “last trump” blown on
Rosh Hashanah- Yom Teruah!”
The “month of the bride” has begun. Our part is to offer our hearts to Him