Hey guys. Here is a flyer announcing my upcoming book. The finished cover is coming in early January. I pushed the release date back to the 25th of January.
Have a happy, blessed, Merry Christmas! 😊❤️🎄
Click to send your name and email to be added to my author’s list once published.
Be blessed until next time. Luv you!
Ellie
As some of you know, I’m preparing to publish my first book in December. “OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront” is the book’s title. Jesus Christ, the leader of the Christian faith, is its focus, along with personal stories I share of my journey with Him thus far. They are memoirs of my experience with Jesus from my birth until about age 40.
Are you unsure or confused about who Jesus Christ is? Maybe disillusioned? Possibly, you never even heard about Him. “Just who is Jesus Christ?” you ask. What did He do? Why did He come to earth? If so great as they say, why did He spend so much time with little people like me?
These and other questions are what we explore in this book. Many have never heard of or known about Jesus Christ. Some who claim to know Him, even they have little or contradictory information about Him. The Church that He leads doesn’t rightly speak of Him, represent Him, or carry out His mission anymore.
“OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront” takes a look at some of the common misconceptions and misunderstandings about Jesus Christ that have been circulating for centuries. It challenges these erroneous ideals with Scripture.
The aim of the book is to help readers understand Jesus Christ and recognize His significance for our lives and the Church. We honestly consider ways we may have sidelined Him, put Him “on the back burner.” He’s not promulgated much anymore (in the Church). People seem to have ignored or replaced His mission with something else. The book explores likely reasons for this and offers ways in which we can bring Christ back to His rightful place—as Lord!
Written articulately in a learned, conversational, crisp, chatty, and readable style, anyone will enjoy reading this book—the young or old, believers in Jesus Christ or nonbelievers, or first-time Bible readers. You will find a message in it for yourself and will learn something new about Jesus Christ or the Bible that you may have never thought of. “OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront” will cause you to think seriously, dig deeper for meaning.
I hope most of the younger generations, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, will pick it up because most of the personal stories I share are in this age demographic, where now, it seems, there is more confusion about Jesus and His Church that has negatively impacted you. There is a way forward.
Pray for me to the finish line, and click author’s list to add your name and email to my author’s list to be notified when it goes to publication. Thanks!
Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.
1 Thessalonians 524 (KJV)
Be blessed until next time…
Ellie
Happy New Year’s Eve friends!
It’s true, we really do not know what a day may bring, let alone a year (Proverbs 27:1). For me, 2024 resulted in the loss of five family members–an aunt, three cousins, and last, my 3rd eldest sister. Some deaths we anticipated were soon to happen; others came unexpectedly, without warning. Regardless of when and how they occurred, these loved ones are gone, and I must venture into 2025 without them.
What God says in His word about people, life and death, and eternal matters resonated in my thoughts. Loved ones will one day cease to be because life is limited and death is sure. We must make a decision about where we will spend our eternity.
Jesus Christ assures us that God is the only eternal One, who will never grow tired or weak, cease to be, or stop loving us. He is the only One we should have complete confidence in as we journey into 2025. He is the only sure thing that will never change.
When loss does occur, we must make changes, adopt new mindsets, and follow new protocols or ways of doing things; my sister was the one who drove me to all events. The publishing of my book has halted, so the process is pushed back. I haven’t looked at the manuscript since November. It’s okay because I needed to be sad, grieve, and think about my sister. Lord willing (I now say), I will resume in January, because I did not know 2024 would end in such a way. We can, however, acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty, continue with our plans, and move forward confidently if we’ve made the Lord our refuge and secured our eternity.
So, with that said, here are two brief excerpts from my upcoming book, each from a different chapter.
Excerpt:
“We learn how Joseph worked as a carpenter to care for his wife and family. Jesus was their eldest child, but they had more children. Mark 6:3 (also in Matthew), tells us that Jesus had four younger brothers and at least two sisters. The sisters’ names have been preserved, but the brothers were called James (in the Hebrew, Jacob), Joses (in the Hebrew, Joseph, after his father), Simon, and Judas or Juda (also known as Jude)…”
And, later…
“Eventually, my eldest sisters followed mom and continued hosting the home and community bible clubs. My oldest sister, Chris, put the best spin on it to me by incorporating a puppet show in the clubs. She did shows at home and eventually began using a friend’s church building to host them. The children came and loved it. It had a significant impact on them! Of course, my sisters distributed goodie treats and juice each week, and there were Bible contests and games with prizes. So, it was my mother who instilled in us a love for God and His word, a compassion for children, and the importance of inviting others to receive Jesus Christ into their lives.”
We see here that Jesus too had siblings and understood the whole family dynamic; He felt the same love for His loved ones as we do for ours.
Be blessed until next time. Happy New Year! 🙂
Take a look at Inspiration by Ellie’s 2023 year in review of Blog messages, written to uplift, inspire, include, and point you to a wonderful life with God, the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Well, we’re at the close of 2023. My year is ending severely congested with flu-like symptoms since Christmas day, (but not COVID or the flu the doctor says). I’ve been bed-bound in my pjs and loungewear, taking meds, and drinking lots of juices. It’s not so bad, however, because I’m completing some Bible studies I started, reviewing videos from a writer’s conference I attended, catching up on some reading, and reflecting on my writing. I don’t just write to pass the time or because I like to. I write with a message I share with my readers to inspire them. This is the reason for Inspiration by Ellie’s blog site, as noted on my page titled Where can I find Inspiration.
I closed 2022 with a reminder for us to take into 2023. The blog was An Unprecedented Gift of Jesus Christ. Presented to us by God, the Father, Matthew’s gospel tells us the Messiah will be called “Jesus, who will save his people from their sins,” and “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” Long before Jesus was to arrive on earth, the Israelite community foretold his coming. The gift of Jesus Christ was unprecedented because of the way Jesus was conceived, the angelic appearances made about Him, and the array of people God strategically used to help get Him here. From Jesus’ conception to His birth to speaking his first sermon and performing His first miracle, God called on people to participate in this miracle. This demonstrates God’s willingness to relate with us. It’s also why Christmas is such a memorable time in the Christian community! But our commemoration does not end when the Christmas season does. As Immanuel, Jesus Christ was on a mission–to show us God and bring us to Him. Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection resulted in us being rescued from sin’s dominion, sin’s power, sin’s penalty, and–soon—from sin’s very presence. The completion of His earthly mission fulfilled all of God’s righteous requirements or standards He had in place to be in a right standing with Himself. Our acceptance and belief in this truth about Jesus is how we become close to God; Jesus is the only way we can do so. It’s why He’s important to get to know. And this is why each month in every year, I write blogs—to communicate this truth in such a way you get it!
So, did I do that? Have I inspired or encouraged you through my Blog posts? Do you feel God’s love and concern for you? Have you learned something important from the scriptures? Did you gain any hope to live and fight another day? Did you discover something new, a different perspective? Were you uplifted or encouraged this year? Were you incited to believe Jesus’ testimony and invite Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior? Could you get a sense of how well-known and important you are to God from the explanation of scripture, and how important God and His Son, Jesus, is to the world?
I’m closing 2023 by recapping Inspiration by Ellie’s 2023 blog posts. Welcome to all my new subscribers who came on board this year! Thank you to all who have been following me for a while; I appreciate all of you and welcome your comments, suggestions, thoughts, or criticisms. Feel free. If you haven’t read any one post, simply click the link to a title that may interest you. You can also complete the Subscribe section to automatically receive monthly content each time I post. Finally, join my author’s mailing list to be notified about my upcoming book to be published in 2024.
Inspiration by Ellie’s 2023 Blog Messages:
January – He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.
The gist or main point here: From the verse in the Bible in 1 Chron 29:11-13, to emphasize God’s superiority, greatness, power, and ownership over everything and everyone in our world.
The gist or main point here: Shared a personal experience of my life for you to know me better, which is an excerpt from my upcoming book.
March – Find Shelter
The gist or main point here: Local, state, national, and world news headlines and social media are overwhelming most days. From Psalms 91, persons can find comfort that there is a safe place and shelter one can find in God.
The gist or main point here: “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good” is a popular cliché we hear and say a lot today. But it’s true! It’s God’s nature to only be good and show goodness. Acts 10:38
May – Repost of Find Shelter
The gist or main point here: This is a repost of March’s blog, Find Shelter. I reposted due to the continuous disturbing news I was hearing.
The gist or main point here: Jesus made many controversial statements, ones His followers could not always comprehend. This blog is an exposition of what Jesus was teaching His followers in John 15:18-21 about being in this world but not of the world.
The gist or main point here: This blog is a continued exposition of Jesus’ statement about His followers being in the world but not of the world. This time, we also expound on the scripture found in John 17:13-23, where Jesus is clear how this idea was not just for His followers during His time but all who would come after them.
The gist or main point here: This is a daily devotional entitled, “Not of the World” by Sheri Rose Shepherd (2015), His Princess Every Day Devotional, Bible Gateway. I follow His Princess Every Day Devotionals and enjoy Sheri’s messages. This one coincides with mine about not being of the world.
The gist or main point here: Discussion on a story in the Bible found in Luke 8:43-48 about a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years; Jesus healed her because of the faith she demonstrated. We too can be healed of our issues.
The gist or main point here: Reflections on the Thanksgiving holiday and specific things for which I was personally grateful.
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Inspiration by Ellie Blog family!
I love you and wish you God’s choicest blessings!
I hope to connect with you in better ways and more in 2024!
Last month, we looked at Jesus’ words to the disciples in John 15:18-21, where He said,
“If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me.”
We concluded how:
In continuing this discourse about “not being of the world,” in John 17, we find Jesus this time talking to His Father, God about it. He prays in verses 13-19,
“But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.”
Jesus knows He is about to physically leave them. He confirms with God how the disciples: (1) now belong to Him because they accepted His truthful words; (2) were sent out to proclaim His word, and they went; and (3) they no longer belong with the world but are now with and for Him and God. On this basis then, Jesus asks the Father: not to take them out of the world; to set them apart from the world (or distinguish them) by the truth; and to protect and keep them from the evil one or evil spirit that runs the world. Again, Jesus equates the disciples with Himself, “[Father] they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.” God sent Jesus; Jesus sends us. The preservation Jesus asks for is about a distinction Christians should have and a work for which they were chosen–to proclaim God’s kingdom and Jesus’ message of being Savior of the world. They needed divine power, protection, and sanctifying grace for this.
So, Jesus commits them to the custody and care of God. But it’s not just for them. He continues in vss. 20-23,
“I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one–I in them and you in me–that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.”
That’s us, folks! 😊 One day, we heard or read the disciples’ testimony about Jesus Christ in the Bible, or someone told us; we believed and accepted it. So, we too, are called out of the world and sent into it with a specific message to share. We unite with other believers to testify of God’s love and show forth Jesus’ oneness with God. Others will also believe and glorify God as we proclaim Jesus’ message in the world. For such, we’re in it, but not of it.
Author and Pastor Ray Stedman agrees about not being a part of the world. He writes on his Ray Stedman Daily Devotion website a devotion titled, “The Way of Health” at https://www.raystedman.org/daily-devotions/nehemiah/the-way-of-health, “We must never forget that we are in the world but not of it. We are never to settle down here for good. I love the way C. S. Lewis has put it: ‘Our kind heavenly Father has provided many wonderful inns for us along our journey, but he takes special care to see that we never mistake any of them for home.’ We are pilgrims and strangers, passing through this world. We are involved in it, deeply sometimes, but we are never to see ourselves as a part of it.”
May we receive the grace to understand and accept this truth from Jesus while still here. May we unite as never before as the early church did–sharing the message of the Gospel of Christ, keeping the unity of the faith, and staying close together.
Blessings until next time! 😊
Inspiration by Ellie 