Lives 1st

This is the fourth and final part of the “What Happened in a Garden in Eden” discussion between Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers. This video is about the first demonstration of divine justice. God does not curse the man and woman and neither does he “punish the woman by telling her the man will rule over her.” This account reaffirms the establishment of gender equality in all things that the first creation account revealed. If you have a daughter, be sure she understands the wisdom principles of this account. This video covers Genesis 3:8 to 3:23 (26:11 minutes). This video was originally part of a Facebook Live broadcast and it is posted on Facebook. You do not have to be a Facebook member or sign into Facebook to view it. When you click on the link below, if a "Sign Up" screen pops up, just click on the "Not Now" option to immediately view the video . We hope you will find the video entertaining and informative. https://www.facebook.com/100011127369862/...

This is the third part of the “What Happened in a Garden in Eden” discussion between Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers. This video contains the discussion between the serpent and the two humans. This is the first account of the power of persuasion in the Bible. It is also the first opportunity for one human to protect another human. This video covers Genesis 3:1b to 3:7b (11:41 minutes). This video was originally part of a Facebook Live broadcast and it is posted on Facebook. You do not have to be a Facebook member or sign into Facebook to view it. When you click on the link below, if a "Sign Up" screen pops up, just click on the "Not Now" option to immediately view the video . We hope you will find the video entertaining and informative. https://www.facebook.com/100011127369862/videos/710740465973526/?l=6406524282342416647 ______________________________________________ Did you like this video? If you did let us know by “ Liking ” the TOV Center’s ...

This is the second part of the “What Happened in a Garden in Eden” discussion between Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers. In this video, God decides the man by himself is not “TOV,” so God decides to create a mate for him. The first thing God creates to fill that role is a wild predatory animal ! What was God thinking? This sets the stage for one of the most important events in the Scriptures of Judaism and Christianity . As a matter of fact, the Garden of Eden story was reinterpreted by Augustine in the 5 th century CE and his new interpretation laid the theological foundation upon which modern Christianity now stands. The verses discussed in this video set up the first confrontation in the Bible -- “ Two Humans vs. a Walking Talking Religious Snake .” The questions raised in the minds of the ancient Hebrew audience were these: ● Will the two humans act together and be “the image of God”? ● Or will the two humans act as individuals and be “images of a wild predator...

This is the first part of the “What Happened in a Garden in Eden” discussion between Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers. Their linguistic approach to Bible study allows the ancient Hebrew text to tell its own story – and its story is very different from the stories that have been told by religious institutions . This video covers Genesis 2:4b to 2:17 (19:36 minutes). This video was originally part of a Facebook Live broadcast and it is posted on Facebook. You do not have to be a Facebook member or sign into Facebook to view it. When you click on the link below, if a "Sign Up" screen pops up, just click on the "Not Now" option to immediately view the video . We hope you will find the video entertaining and informative. https://www.facebook.com/100011127369862/videos/710704882643751/?l=7116460202206216546 ______________________________________________ If you like this video, please let us know by “ Liking ” the TOV Center’s Lives 1 st Facebook Page _...

This is the second video of the “Humans from the Creator’s Perspective.” Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor begins by reviewing what the biblical text reveals about the mysterious unnamed creator in Genesis 1. These are things that creatures “created in the Creator’s image” should absolutely know. Next Rabbi Leynor and Jim Myers focus on the Creator’s blessing of the humans, which endows them with the capacity to do the things specified in the blessing. This is a great overview of “human potentiality from the Creator’s perspective. What is the first thing on the Creator’s list of human empowerments? – “ Have sex! ” And the second is “ fill the earth ,” which means a lot more than “ making babies .” A lot of people treat sex as a “ recreational activity ” today, but “ filling the earth ” is a very serious responsibility for the people that “make a baby.” Failure to understand and learn the skills necessary to “fill the earth” can have very bad consequences for the babies they make, their famili...

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers discuss humans from the Creator’s perspective. Genesis 1 provides a view of humans from the Creator's perspective. It reveals what they are empowered to do. You probably know humans are "created in the image of God" but did you know they are created with a soul that's like the soul of animals? As a matter of fact, did you know other creatures were created with souls too? This is the first of five videos on humans from the Creator's perspective and they should be great conversation starters too. https://www.facebook.com/100011127369862/videos/703401733374066/?l=3394687751874454646 ______________________________________________ If you like this video, please let us know by “ Liking ” the TOV Center’s Lives 1 st Facebook Page ______________________________________________ Also, help fund this work by donating an amount that works best for you. Every donation counts and makes a big difference – your gift also le...

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers talk more about their journey and one of the early shocking discoveries that challenged their BS (Belief Systems) -- the things that existed before Genesis 1:1 when the creation process began. Watch their informative and entertaining discussion . The Mysteries of the Beginning (6:17 minutes) ______________________________________________ If you like this video, please let us know by “ Liking ” the TOV Center’s Lives 1 st Facebook Page ______________________________________________ Also, help fund this work by donating an amount that works best for you. Every donation counts and makes a big difference – your gift also lets Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor & Jim Myers know you care! Donate now by Clicking Here Check the “ recurring” box to set up an automatic monthly donation . ___________________________________ Visit our website too . TOV Center

Hope is distinct from optimism or idealism. It has nothing to do with wishing. It references reality at every turn and reveres truth. It lives open eyed and wholehearted with the darkness that is woven ineluctably into the light of life and sometimes seems to overcome it. Hope, like every virtue, is a choice that becomes a practice that becomes spiritual muscle memory. It’s a renewable resource for moving through life as it is, not as we wish it to be. ( Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett; p. 233.)

“ In the image of God ” is a central belief of Christianity and Judaism. But what does “ humans being created in the image of God ” mean to groups that have very different beliefs about “who” that God is? Does the ancient Hebrew text support the Jewish or Christian view? Listen to Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers as they allow the ancient Hebrew text answer those questions in two short videos. The videos were originally Facebook Live broadcasts and they are posted on Facebook, but you do not have to be a Facebook member or sign in to Facebook to view them. When you click on the links below, if a "Sign Up" screen pops up, just click on the " Not Now " option to view the video. The Image of God – Part #1 (6:41 minutes) The Image of God – Part #2 (6:31 minutes) ______________________________________________ If you like the videos, please let us know by “Liking” the TOV Center’s Lives 1 st Facebook Page _____________________________________...

The Seventh Day of Creation reveals a mystery that very few people have ever heard. It received the Third Blessing of the Creator, a blessing that is not recorded in the Hebrew text. The first two blessings were for creatures with living souls. The blessings empower those creatures to fulfill the words of the blessings in their lives. However, in light of the first two blessings, the third raises some very important questions. (1) Does the Seventh Day have a living soul too? (2) What did the third blessing empower the Seventh Day to do? (3) What relationship does the Seventh Day have to humans? Listen to Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and Jim Myers discuss the Mystery of the Seventh Day on the two short videos that were broadcast on Facebook Live. The videos are posted on Facebook, but you do not have to be a Facebook member or sign in to Facebook to view them. When you click on the links below, if a "Sign Up" screen will pop up, just click on the "Not No...

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor and former pastor Jim Myers have been on a journey together for over a quarter of a century now. They talked about how two guys with mutually exclusive monotheistic belief systems brought transparency to their discussions learned to cooperate instead of argue about their belief conflicts. Watch their entertaining and informative discussion at https://www.facebook.com/100011127369862/videos/710682599312646/?l=5085125354997611633

Rabbi Leynor and I will be on Facebook Live in the morning November 15 th  about 11:15 am. We will be discussing the Garden in Eden and its gold mine of wisdom principles. Links to videos will be posted later.By the way, the Hebrew text doesn't say "the man shall rule over the woman." “Like” our “Lives 1 st  Facebook Page” to receive notifications of when we are live on Facebook --  https://www.facebook.com/lives1st/

When Rabbi Leynor and I (Jim Myers) met, we never dreamed we were beginning the journey that has now lasted over a quarter of a century -- or that we would now be talking about realities, genes and memes . It is unbelievable that the most important things we now know about realities, genes and meme were not discovered until the 21 st century. Our focus back then was on understanding belief systems and searching for ancient meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words of our Scriptures. I had been engaged in research about the Jewish Jesus for about six years before I met Jeffrey. During that time I created two guidelines that helped me stay on track in my work and help members of my Bible study groups resolve conflicts that often involved differences in beliefs. Belief Systems Guideline My Belief System will be large enough to include all of the Facts, it will be open enough to be examined and questioned, and it will be flexible enough to change if errors or new facts are disc...

Have you noticed that the world seems to have gone noticeably crazy? A couple of days ago I turned on a news channel and the first reports were these: ● Litchfield Park, AZ – 11 year-old boy murdered his grandmother by shooting her in the back of the head and then committed suicide. Why? She had been telling him to clean up his room. 1 ● Daytona Beach, FL – 15 year-old boy strangles mother to death. Why? They had an argument over his grades. 2 ● Chippewa Falls, WI – 10 year-old girl charged with murder for stomping head of 6 month-old baby boy. 3 ● Rowan County, NC – 11 year-old boy charged with putting sewing needles in Halloween candy. 4    The next day there was the shooting at the bar in California 5 – the 307 th mass shooting in America this year . 6 Even though these things seem “crazy” to most of us, our work at the TOV Center suggests that there is a factor that we need to consider. A growing number of Americans value other things above human ...

The growing gulf between rich and poor inflicts biological damage on bodies and brains. Western cultures have long cherished the notion that all people are created equal. But in the real world, our lives are not balanced with equal opportunities and resources. This distinction was noted mordantly in 1894 by author Anatole France, who wrote that “the law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.” The rich, of course, need none of these things, whereas the poor often have little choice. And economic disparity has only gotten worse during the past several decades, particularly in the U.S. In 1976 the richest 1 percent of U.S. citizens owned 9 percent of the country’s wealth; today they own nearly 24 percent. This trend echoes around the globe. Life in societies with wide gaps between rich and poor creates ongoing social and psychological stresses. These grind down the body in a host of unhea...