06/10/2026
When HaShem created OAM, we knew from the beginning that it was going to be something different. It was created to be a bridge, a ground zero, a place for unpacking and restarting. That also meant it would often find itself on the outside looking in. It would go against the grain, press into issues others wouldn’t touch, unpack topics many would pass over, and teach perspectives and understandings that were not always popular. At times, it would make people uncomfortable by encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and putting sacred cows to the test.
We knew it would sometimes be an uphill climb because it would not be part of a larger organization with massive support or backing. Yet HaShem knew it was something that needed to exist, and at that time it was being led by people who were in a season where they had no fear of pushing the envelope.
However, over the years, as the home base of OAM began to grow, more responsibilities were added to the plate. More voices were added to the discussion, and our independence from outside influence slowly began to fade. We found ourselves bending a bit toward what we thought people wanted to hear—or what we were being told they wanted to hear.
The reality was that, although it didn’t always feel like what HaShem had originally called us to be, we also had financial responsibilities, expectations, and the growing needs that come with a growing community. Many of you who have walked this Torah-focused path for any length of time, know that it is not a walk of financial wealth. We are not part of a larger organization that can provide support or backing. We are, in many ways, on an Abraham walk—simply trusting that HaShem will make a way when we hit a wall.
We also trust that those who benefit from the teachings won’t fall into the debilitating “someone else will support it, so I don’t have to” mindset. So, little by little, we began to ebb and flow in hopes of making sure there was more money than month, keeping people happy, and continuing to grow our ability to reach others who were looking for a community like ours—a safe place where they could come, unpack, and begin regrowing their walk with HaShem.
It worked for a while, but it also took its toll and came at a cost.
That cost was that OAM slowly became a shadow of what it was originally intended to be. It led to internal frustration and struggles for our teacher, our leaders, and many of the people who had been there from the beginning. So HaShem stepped in and decided it was time to bring OAM back to what He intended it to be, whatever the cost.
Here we are, eight months later.
He has allowed us to move slowly through this process, but recently it seems He has decided it’s time to turn the heat up a bit.
The series P.J. has been teaching, “What Does God Expect?”, has not been easy for many. It has opened eyes, challenged assumptions, and made some uncomfortable. Yet it has been exactly what needed to be heard and unpacked. It has allowed some to begin healing their relationship with HaShem, with their faith, and even with themselves.
As mentioned before, HaShem has decided to turn the heat up, and He is even leading our leadership team back to the beginning as they work through some things of their own.
As P.J. mentioned last week, this coming Shabbat will be a step through that door.
He will be pulling off the bandage, opening up, and sharing what has been going on personally. It will be raw. It will be vulnerable. It will be exposing. But it will also put to rest many of the assumptions and conclusions that have been made along the way.
He is also preparing a series that he knows will not be easy. It is another step HaShem is calling him to take and another step toward bringing OAM back to what it was intended to be.
It won’t be the norm.
It won’t fit neatly into a box.
It will be uncomfortable. It will be challenging. It may even send us back into Scripture to study things for ourselves.
What it will NOT be is a return to what we were becoming—another cookie-cutter community that simply follows the rules, softens the message, and teaches what people want to hear.
We have always been, and will continue to be, a safe place where people can wrestle with Scripture, their understandings, and their walk with HaShem. We recognize that some people may come for a season and move on, while others may come, stay, and become part of the foundation of OAM.
What we will NOT become is a community influenced by others into becoming a place where people are told, “Believe exactly as we do, observe exactly as we do, or leave.”
That is not who we are.
So get ready.
We don’t know exactly where HaShem is leading or all that He is doing, but we know we cannot go back to what we were before. We know there are topics, environments, and understandings that He wants addressed, and for some reason He has chosen OAM to be one of the avenues through which those conversations happen.
We hope you choose to walk alongside us. We hope you stand with us. And we hope this direction brings healing, wisdom, clarity, and peace to the areas of your life that need it most.
It will not be easy.
You will struggle.
You will be uncomfortable.
At times, there may even be a few gut punches and raised eyebrows.
But we believe HaShem is doing something important. And when it all comes out in the wash, it will be exactly what He intends it to be.
See you this Shabbat. đź’•
