Farewell to the Fox?

Otto Grashey, Fuchs im Winterwald (Fox in the Winter Wood), Dorotheum, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Barking Fox blog entered the world on December 31, 2013, with a post entitled “Silent Night in September.” That post presented an opinion about the date of Messiah Yeshua’s birth, which I still believe to be at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in the fall. We may never answer the question of Jesus’ birthday to everyone’s satisfaction, but that post and the 643 others that followed not only served as way markers for my spiritual journey, and to my great joy seem to have helped others along the way. But as with all good (and bad) things, it is time for The Barking Fox to come to an end.

Sort of.

Well, it’s still going to be up on the internet thanks to a very generous deal from WordPress on annual renewal of domain names, but you’re probably not going to see a lot of activity – certainly not nearly as much as during the first four years, when new posts came about twice a week. The reason is not that I have run out of ideas. Our Heavenly Father continues to inspire me daily, but the inspiration is now coming out in other venues.

The Barking Fox began as an vehicle for sharing what I had learned in years of contemplative prayer, Bible study, and life experience. I hoped to connect with people through this blog, but did not expect such splendid results! Now I am blessed to be networked with fellow Christian and Jewish travelers of many streams from every inhabited continent (and maybe even Antarctica if we count my friend Russell, who has deployed there many times!) Those networks run through ministries, organizations, and congregations where I am glad to contribute my own humble gifts to the synergy created by collaboration among lots of dedicated, highly talented people.

This brings up what may be the key lesson of this six-year experiment: we are all best served when working in collaboration with others. My lone voice, for example, reaches only a few dozen people across the planet, but when joined with others, our efforts are multiplied to far greater effect.

That is why The Barking Fox is now a secondary effort. You’ll still see new posts, but not many crafted specifically for this blog. Instead, you’ll see articles, videos, and podcasts created in collaboration with wonderful people from several amazing organizations. Of course, you don’t have to wait for my contributions to be posted on this blog! Why not visit their websites right now? They are –

B’ney Yosef North America (https://bneyyosefna.com/)

Founded In Truth Messianic Congregation (https://foundedintruth.com/)

Fostering the Family (https://www.fosteringthefamily.org/)

Nations 9^th of Av (https://9-av.com/)

Prayer Surge Now (http://prayersurgenow.blogspot.com/)

Each of these ministries and organizations has a specific purpose in the multi-faceted work of redemption our God initiated millennia ago with His call to Abraham and Sarah. I hope you will take a look, and maybe even see if there’s something in one or more of them that resonates with you.

Thank you to everyone who has visited The Barking Fox, and especially to those who have followed along on this journey (even out of sheer curiosity). The journey is not by any means complete!

© Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog, 2014-2020. Permission to use and/or duplicate original material on The Barking Fox Blog is granted, provided that full and clear credit is given to Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

October 3, 2019

in Bible Literacy
2 Comments

Read Through the Bible with the Barking Fox – Reading Plan for 5780 (2019-2020)

Pekka Halonen, Children Reading (EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland, via Wikimedia Commons)

When Messiah establishes His kingdom on the throne of His father David, everyone will be surprised. One reason is the thoughts and ways of infinite God are incomprehensible to mortal humans (Isaiah 55:8-9). That is not necessarily a bad thing since our Heavenly Parent, YHVH delights in surprising His children. Those who study the Word of God will always have an incomplete understanding of it, but their hearts will develop a readiness for the instruction of His Holy Spirit. It is this teachable heart that will help these people adjust quickly to life in the Kingdom – just as the Scripture says:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15 KJV)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV)

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3)

In the interest of helping the people of YHVH study to show themselves approved unto God, The Barking Fox humbly presents the Bible Reading Plan for the Hebrew year 5780 (2019-2020). This is the sixth year for our reading plan. Thanks to everyone who pointed out typos, omissions, and other errors in previous editions. Every year brings improvement because of you!

This plan takes the Torah and Haftarah cycle as the foundation for reading entire Bible. Torah and Haftarah readings follow the one-year Jewish and Messianic divisions, with Torah readings divided into daily portions and Haftarah readings occurring on Shabbat. (Note that chapter and verse designations are according to the Christian rather than Jewish numbering.)

Torah and Haftarah readings for the Moedim (Feasts of the Lord) appear in italics. Readings for the rest of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and Apostolic Writings (New Testament) proceed through a daily plan that covers all of the Scriptures over the course of the year. In a new feature this year, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon are presented in daily readings rather than sequentially with the rest of the Tanakh.

The first weekly readings for the year 5780 correspond to the final readings of the previous cycle, which is why this plan begins with the last chapters of both the Tanakh and Apostolic Writings. This year is also a leap year on the Hebrew (Jewish) calendar, which means there is a thirteenth month, called Adar II, added in the winter, just before the month of Nisan.

Finally, this is likely to be the last year The Barking Fox will publish this Bible Reading Plan. That’s because, after six years, it’s time to bring an end to this blog. But don’t worry! This Bible Reading Plan, as well as other material on this blog, is being made available to B’ney Yosef North America for revision and republication on their website and in their newsletter. Look for further details here and on the BYNA site in the coming weeks, but if all goes as planned, this time next year The Barking Fox Bible Reading Plan will become the BYNA Bible Reading Plan!

If you are in search of an organized approach to the Word of God, maybe this can help. Whatever you do, please do get into the Word so that it can get into you!

Please click here to download the Bible reading plan: TBF Bible Readings 5780 (PDF)

© Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog, 2014-2020. Permission to use and/or duplicate original material on The Barking Fox Blog is granted, provided that full and clear credit is given to Albert J. McCarn and The Barking Fox Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

September 27, 2019

in Bible Literacy
4 Comments

Looking for the new Bible Reading Plan?

It may be that the annual Bible Reading Plan is the most popular feature on The Barking Fox. Since its first publication in the fall of 2015 (Hebrew year 5775), comments on the reading plan indicate that it is serving the intended purpose of providing a way for students of the Bible to incorporate the annual Torah cycle with reading of the entire Tanakh and Apostolic Writings (or Old and New Testaments as they are commonly called).

So where’s the plan for 2019-2020 (5780)? It’s coming! We’re now in the final stages of preparation and quality control. Look for publication sometime next week, along with an announcement about future publications. Don’t worry! The intent is to continue the annual Bible Reading Plan for the foreseeable future, but with a few changes that we hope will enhance its effectiveness.

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback and questions over the years – especially asking when the new plan is coming out! Just the fact that people are asking is motivation to keep doing this as a service to God’s people.

June 9, 2019

Counting the Omer 5779/2019 #50

Counting the Omer is keeping the commandment to count 50 days (seven Sabbaths plus one day) between the offering of the first fruits of the barley harvest (often called First Fruits) until the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) (Leviticus 23:15-21). This year The Barking Fox is counting the omer with modern pictures of people named in the Bible.