Tag: Hanukkah

Publishing Success and Hanukkah

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Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate this important holiday. It’s the feast of dedication,  commemorating the re-dedication of the temple after the Maccabean victory. The temple had been desecrated by pigs, one of the most unclean animals.

My thoughts on this? How much cleaning of my soul, life, and possessions is needed at this time in my life? What do I need to dedicate or re-dedicate to my Lord and Savior? After all the earthly temple is no more, but it is now inside of each soul who names Jesus Christ as Savior.

Many have heard the name Jehovah Nissi. The common understanding of this name is The LORD is our banner. Moses held up the rod of the LORD during the war with the Amalekites. The Israeli army was winning as long as Moses held his hands up, but we’re losing when his arms got tired. Aaron and Hur assisted him. At the end of this battle,  God spoke to Moses. This is when Jehovah Nissi is introduced in the Bible.

Exodus 17:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jehovah Nissi also connotates the LORD’S war cry, the light breaking through. As Christians,  we should join in with lighting a menorah for the 8 evenings of this festival, celebrating Jesus. He is the unending light of the world. Angels burn with holy fire. The love of God is a consuming fire. This holy fire, by the Spirit, cleanses us. It burns up the chaff, kindle the chaff. You can find a small menorah on Amazon. Mine uses birthday candles. You can find the Scriptures and prayers for each evening online.

This day, December 14th, 2023, is the final evening of the holiday, but this gives you time to prepare for next year. I got busy and have not climbed up to get my menorah down from the upper shelf in my kitchen.

Hallelujah, this day is also momentous for another reason.  I declare my KDP adventure complete. My kindle, paperback, and hardcover versions are all submitted and going through quality checks. Musings Along Life’s Journey,  Vignettes From The Road, will soon be available for purchase on Amazon!

You may see any, all, or none of these photos used in the KDP publishing. Each of the covers, including the audiobook, have different covers. I have not figured out how to use the photo from my original publishing or to reuse a cover made with the KDP cover creator. The top photo IS the cover for my audiobook. Top left is the first try at the hardcover. The green bordered one on the right is the first try at the paperback. The bottom left, of course, is the one from the original publishing by Zoe Life Christian Communications.

Stay tuned, and I shall soon begin my second book. I’ll take you through my publishing journey, sharing testimonies from along the road. I’m open to suggestions for a title & subtitle, as well as a cover photo. I also want testimonies or reviews of my first book to include. Stay tuned!

I leave you with a small portion of the cookies that the women from our life group decorated last Saturday. I was not able to attend due to family spending the weekend, but we got to share some of these at church last evening. We had a Q&A about our potential building plan at ACF Church. Shalom to you all!

January Fasting 2023

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Wow! This YouTube short got my attention! I listened to what John-Henry had to say and checked out my NLV Bible on my phone… Matthew 17:21 was not there! John-Henry won’t tell you what that verse says in this video, but you can find it in the King James version.

John-Henry Westin shorts on YouTube

What did translators… as J-H said, after the 1960s… leave out?

Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The background to this story:

Matthew 17:15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

A man interviewed on Destiny Image Heaven series was brought up to be a shaman but came to Christ. He said Luna, the base word for lunatic, is a demon spirit that attaches to a baby in the womb or shortly after birth that causes autism, mutism, Asperger’s syndrome, epilepsy… I also look at dementia… demon-entia. So, a demon like this won’t come out except by prayer and fasting. Apparently, Jesus had been praying and fasting before and likely through this encounter. I find it interesting that two dogs in our family are named Luna. I pray my current fasting and concentrated prayer time leads to the breaking of generational curses, release from demons, and healings breaking out in our family, as well as all those the Lord puts in front of me, praise God! [forgive me for using so many ellipses in this post, it’s just the mood I’m in!]

As of today, I will light 5 candles as well as the servant candle on my mini menorah since it is the fifth evening of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. It is good to remember the holy boldness of the Macabes to go forth in the Lord’s power to take back the Temple and cleanse it from the desecration their leaders had wreaked. To honor their faithfulness, God performed a miracle, and one day’s lamp oil supplied the lamps in the temple for eight nights! A foreshadowing of the Light of the World that stepped down into darkness, our Lord and Savior, The Messiah Jesus Christ!

Hallelujah!

May you experience true Shalom peace and provision, a blessed Christmas, and new strength to endure and triumph over the evil ones battling in the air as we enter 2023.