Tag: Christians

Book Description

My upcoming book’s title is “OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront.” Here is a description of it and my author bio. I hope you will check it out when it releases on January 11, 2026. Please continue to pray for me. (Writing is tedious.)

When you hear the name Jesus Christ, what comes to mind? You may feel uncertain or have questions such as, “Who is Jesus Christ? What did He do? Could you tell me why He came to earth and spent so much time with ordinary people like me?” It’s okay to have questions. This book seeks to answer them.

Some have never heard of Jesus Christ, while others once knew Him but have lost their way. Still, others claim to know Him well. This book uses Scripture and a few memoirs of my journey with Jesus Christ thus far to challenge long-held misconceptions and misunderstandings about Him, including the idea that His teachings are only for perfect or deeply religious people. Jesus’ message is for everyone, regardless of their background or current life situation. The book will teach you, spark curiosity, cause you to think, and foster a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. It is for those who have questions about what He was doing while on earth.

After reading and reflecting on what Jesus Christ said and did, you may survey your life and the organizations you’re a part of, seeing whether they truly reflect His teachings. Perhaps you will ask, “Is Jesus Lord?” Some who are close to Him might feel inspired to get closer and share Him with others. Those unfamiliar with Jesus can embrace his message, start a new life, and anyone who feels lost can find their way back. No matter your age, background, or beliefs, this book will support and understand you and make you want to help restore Jesus Christ back to His rightful place.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eleanor “Ellie” Parks is a born-again follower of Jesus Christ. After a lifelong passion for writing, this book is her first published work. Raised in Philadelphia, she shares personal stories to prove God’s presence in daily life. The youngest of seven children, she first learned about Jesus at home but found Him in her teenage years. Inspiration by Ellie, Ellie’s blog, offers Bible stories and reflections that apply to real life.

She has a degree in biblical studies from Colorado Christian University and likes to read, study, and discuss the Bible. Ellie is a single mom to her son, Bryant Parks, and his wife, Kelly. She has three beautiful granddaughters, whom she refers to as her “A” girls: Amiyah, Azariah, and Ayla.

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Click this link to send me an email to add your name to my author’s list once it is published.

Be blessed until next time. Luv you!

Book Promo

My book, OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront is scheduled for release in the middle of January 2026. (I decided to wait until after the holidays.) Be on the lookout next month and early January for pre-order information or the printed bar codes to place your orders. I’m excited! Here’s a description.

Are you unsure or confused about Jesus Christ? Maybe disillusioned? “Just who is He and what did He do? Why did He come to earth? And why did He hang around and spend so much time with average 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 have met him but have been led astray. Others claim to know Him. By incorporating Scripture with personal stories from my life, this book challenges preconceived ideas, erroneous information, and misunderstandings and/or misrepresentations of Jesus that have been circulating for generations. It forces us to survey our lives and organizations honestly to see whether Christ is truly Lord.

This book is for everyone of any age. The uninformed or non-believer who has questions about Jesus. Those who have met him but are now hurt, far away because of fraudulent misrepresentation of Jesus, neglect of rightful teaching, or coercion. And those who are close to him who will want to make Him known, after recalling the things He said. After reading this book, those who never heard or believed in Jesus Christ will; those who trusted at one time will turn back; and those who have met Him will draw even closer. You will want to restore Jesus Christ back to His rightful place.

Be blesed until next time !

Ellie

In It, But Not of It: Huh? Part 2

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:

  • Sometimes Jesus’ statements are hard to grasp or accept.
  • Jesus equates those who have accepted Him with Himself.
  • Jesus suggests a mind shift to now seeing ourselves as not a part of this world, although we live here.
  • This “spirit of the world” opposes the Spirit of God. It does not know God or accept Jesus Christ’s ways, teachings, or message. It hates God and His Son, Jesus.
  • We too will experience hatred and opposition as His disciples. We should expect this and not seek any comradery with or acceptance by the world.

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! 😊