Greg Silverman Interview-2

What a joy to have another great interview with Dr. Greg Silverman!   Today I featured some new songs from his CD "I Am," which was just released!   You will be so blessed!

Dr. Greg Silverman brings the Message of Yeshua, Jesus, to both Jews and Gentiles through his anointed worship leading, worship seminars, and teachings on the Jewish roots of the faith. Greg’s love and enthusiasm for Yeshua, Jesus, and for God’s people are evident in every teaching, concert, choral workshop, and speaking presentation he gives.

Greg’s father is a Russian-Polish Jew and his mother is Italian-American. Greg gained an interesting perspective on both Christianity and Judaism from growing up in an interfaith home. Greg remembers accepting Yeshua while visiting his grandmother’s church at eight years of age. Praise the LORD for a praying grandmother! As a teenager and college student, he attended a wide variety of churches. Greg also gained proficiency in gospel music during these years. By the time he graduated from college at the University of Massachusetts with a B.A. in both Vocal Jazz & Gospel Music as well as Psychology, Greg had one foot with the LORD but the other in worldly living. In Spring 2000, Greg began to point his life wholeheartedly toward God. Greg was hired as an assistant music director to well-known gospel musician, Ron Metcalf, in New York City. Ron did more than just make use of Greg’s musical gifts and talents; he took Greg under his wing spiritually by praying for and counseling him. Ron encouraged him to seek out the Jewish people who knew Jesus. Little did Greg know that there even was a Messianic Jewish movement, let alone that God would one day call he and his wife into full-time ministry. Within a year, Greg had rededicated his life to the LORD at his mother’s church. Immediately, God was making the dry bones in his life live!

In 2001, while studying classical choral conducting for a Master’s degree at Temple University, Greg was invited by a friend to visit Congregation Beth Yeshua, one of the flagship Messianic synagogues in the United States. From the moment he arrived, he felt spiritually as though he had “come home.” That first night at Beth Yeshua, the synagogue was particularly packed due to the special concert that night. When the guest artist was announced, Greg had a flashback and realized that he had seen this artist on a video that his grandmother had sent him several years prior. Although uninterested at the time, watching that video had impacted him, and it was very possibly the first time that Greg had seen a Messianic Jewish musician. So, Greg was overwhelmed to realize that his first time in Beth Yeshua was actually a concert of the same Marty Goetz that was in the video. What a “God-incidence!” Within a year of joining the synagogue, he met his beautiful wife, Rosa, who had been in the congregation for several years prior to Greg’s arrival. Greg and Rosa have joyfully become a quartet together with their two wonderful sons!

Greg ministered full-time at Congregation Beth Yeshua from 2004-2010. In Summer of 2010, the Silverman family moved out west to Tucson, Arizona where Greg had been accepted with scholarship into the prestigious University of Arizona doctoral program in Choral Conducting.  Greg completed the doctoral degree in December 2013. He served as a Music Professor and Choral Conductor at Eastern University. Greg presently is the President of his own ministries. The purpose of Silverman Ministries, Inc. (501c3 charitable organization) is to: 1) Share the Good News of Yeshua, Jesus, with both Jews and Gentiles, 2) Lead excellent praise and worship both live and through media, 3) Train and equip other musicians and worship artists, and 4) Connect the Messianic Movement and the Church.

Greg has ministered throughout America and internationally, and he has been a worship leader at the national MJAA Messiah Conferences for over a decade.  Broadcast appearances include TBN, Daystar, and the Inspiration Network. Live performances have occurred at Carnegie Hall, The White House, and Giant Stadium. Greg released his first full-length album of original Messianic Jewish Music entitled Dry Bones in 2004, Revive in 2007, and singles since. The ministry also released a brief documentary movie about a piece of Hebrew classical choral music and Greg’s experience as a choral conductor, Sacred.

Carlos Perdomo-2

All I can say is WOW!  Carlos Perdomo's new CD, Psalms, Prayers and Songs has just come out and today's program features many of his new songs, some of which are sung with his daughter, Sharon, and son, Carlos, Jr.!   You will love these songs and another great interview with Carlos!

Having been raised in a Christian home; Carlos had his own personal encounter with the Lord when he was 19 years of age. Carlos’ experience happened in Mt. Vernon, NY, at a small bilingual nondenominational church. They gave Carlos the nickname El Cantante de Jehovah (The Singer of Jûehovah). It was then that God called Carlos to serve Him through song.

Carlos has been singing since he can remember. At five-years-old, he started singing at Friday night tea parties at the request of his mom and her friends.  There, Carlos learned the emotions of singing secular love songs. However, after his encounter with the Lord, he combined his love for singing with his love of worshiping God. Carlos is also an accomplished drummer, having played with a number of Christian bands.

There were trials and tribulations that attacked his faith – even deciding which music to perform:  secular or Christian music. When Carlos surrendered his life completely to his Lord and Savior, he began the slow but firm resolve to die to himself, presenting his body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. As we read in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Messiah; and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Bishop Ron Mathis

How nice to have Bishop Ron back in the studio!   We talked about Holocaust Remembrance Day and the March of Remembrance that he was going to lead (the March took place on Sunday, April 23 in Rochester, NY).

Great music, and a few new tunes by Carlos Perdomo.   Some special songs dedicated to Holocaust survivors from Ted Pearce.

Enjoy!

Guy Cohen Interview

I recently discovered yet another Messianic Jew!   We are everywhere, praise God!   Enjoy this great show with cool music by Jonathan Settel, Nancy Santiago, Sue Samuel, Michelle Gold and House of Peace.   And then there's the interview with Guy Cohen.

Guy Cohen grew up in Akko as well, in an Orthodox Jewish family in the Chabad Lubaviitch tradition. When he was 13 years old he approached his rabbi with a Biblical question he was struggling with based on Zechariah 9:9. Basically, he ask the rabbi how and why, in the modern world with cars, planes and so on, the Messiah will come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Cohen was severely disappointed and unsatisfied with the response he got and continued to yearn for an answer to this question.

When he was 18 and in the military he cried out to God asking where He is and who is Messiah. A few years later, while walking down the street in his home town of Akko, a random man walked up to him and handed Cohen a book. He looked at it and turned to hand it back, but the guy had completely vanished. When he got back to his office he opened the book up and began to read, it was a Brit Chadasha (New Testament) and was reading from the Gospel of Matthew and he was struck by the words of Yeshua. He continued to read the Brit Chadasha and came across Matthew 21:7 about Yeshua entering Jerusalem on a donkey and his questions from childhood rushed in his head, and he finally found the Messiah he had been looking for, Yeshua HaMashiach.

Cohen founded and leads Harvest of Asher Messianic Congregation in Akko. God has opened up a powerful opportunity for him to share the truth of Yeshua, the promised Messiah of Israel, in his own home town.

Robyn Putney Chat

I was prepared to just play music and talk a bit here and there, but a delightful thing happened at lunch on Shabbat!   I was dining with the lovely Robyn Putney and we spontaneously decided that she would visit the studio.   We weren't sure what would happen or what we would discuss.   But one thing was certain -- we were going to have FUN!

Enjoy the wonderful show as I was prattling with Putney, she was chatting with Chadwick and the rest....is history!!

:-)

Hali Berry Interview

It's not every day that I get to interview the wife of a former interviewee!   I had interviewed author Grant Berry a couple of years ago and then recently met Hali Berry at a Women's Retreat.   She is delightful and funny and most importantly, she loves the Lord!

Hali Berry grew up in northern New Jersey. She was raised Orthodox until she was about 11, including going to yeshiva till eighth grade and attending religious sleep away camps.

By 13 years old Berry was completely Conservative but still attended Shabbat services.

When she was 16, her dad left the family and married her mom's best friend and moved one and a half miles away into her house. For her mom, brothers and Hali, they simply stopped ALL synagogue activities.

Berry immediately started using drugs. At age 25 she moved to Southern California by herself and instead of drugs, she became obsessed with food and body image. By 28 she was going to the 12-step program Overeaters Anonymous. There she met a Messianic woman who told her about Jesus, and she knew that wasn't for her.

At the age of 30, at a retreat, she read the Sermon on the Mount and something changed in her, but she didn't move in it for years.

Berry moved back to New Jersey in 1995, married and with a six-month old daughter. It was there where she was finally moved to jealousy for her God by Christians and began going to church.

She met Grant Berry and read in his book that Christianity is extension of Judaism and THE VEIL WAS LIFTED. She is still proud to be learning more and connecting with her Jewish roots.

Rabbi Ruben Orona Interview

Today was so much fun!   Rabbi Ruben Orona (along with his adorable son Brian) was in the studio and we had a great discussion.  Plus great music from Liberated Wailing Wall, Michelle Gold, Barry & Batya Segal, Elana Watson, and Misha Goetz (Hoyt).

Rabbi Ruben Orona is a charismatic preacher who enjoys studying and sharing Torah with our Congregation members. Rabbi Ruben grew up in a Catholic home and did formal studies to become a Catholic Priest until he read the Ten Commandments as they appear in the book of Exodus. And this was his turning point! At that time Ruben was directly confronted by the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) who started to reveal to him the Scriptures from a Hebrew/Jewish perspective.

Rabbi Ruben was at one point ordained and licensed as an Evangelical Pastor serving as an Evangelist and as a Missionary for over 20 years. He has preached at Revival and Healing events bringing thousands of people closer to G-d and to Yeshua. Ruben has experience planting (establishing) congregations from zero and has also commissioned/ordained Evangelists, Pastors and Ministers in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

Through DNA testing, Rabbi Ruben discovered he was of Jewish descent! He was recently ordained as Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Shema Yisrael in Rochester, NY. Rabbi Ruben believes that each time the Torah is preached something ought to happen! Gifted with charismatic gifts of the Ruach haKodesh, Rabbi Ruben enjoys preaching and teaching in different countries and crusades. He has a special love for Israel and loves to lead others to worship Adonai in Spirit and Truth!

Rabbi Ruben combines his rabbinical ministry with working as a Registered Nurse. He holds a college Degree in Science in Nursing from Roberts Wesleyan College and also holds degrees at seminary level in Philosophy and Theology. Ruben is very family oriented and loves to spend time with his wife Carmen, to whom he’s been married for over 20 years, and with his son Brian.