Tag: Salvation in Christ

Upcoming Book Promo

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

“It Only Takes a Taste of Him”

In my upcoming book, OMG! What’s Been Done with Jesus? Bringing Christ Back to the Forefront (scheduled for release December 2025), I briefly discuss Psalm 34:8 (NIV), which says, Taste and see that the Lord is good.

It’s no surprise to me that the Lord alludes to food here; Jesus, too, used food as metaphors. The definition of taste is “the sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance.” As a verb, it is to “perceive or experience the flavor of.” I think this is precisely what God wants humankind to do.

When a friend invites us to taste a dish they’ve prepared or are still cooking, we rarely gulp down a full plate or take a big spoonful of it. We put a small amount into our mouths to see if it is flavorful, well-prepared, or tastes delicious. Does the mixture of spices and seasonings delight our taste buds?

God, in His wise simplicity, invites humankind to do the same. He’s telling us here that we don’t have to try to experience the full measure of Himself all at once or rack our brains trying to perform activities well enough to know Him (i.e., praying, bible reading, going to church, or ridding ourselves of wrong). No.

In this verse, the Lord simply invites us to experience a small taste of Himself. This taste will prove His goodness and faithfulness. The Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary notes the word “taste” in this verse as a verb. The Greek word is γεύομαι (geuomai), which means “to taste, eat, partake of,” usually implying enjoyment of the experience. (Retrieved from Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, Copyright © 2006 by William D. Mounce.)

Partake of an experience with God, the Father, which only happens upon believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. Don’t try to go big to impress people or because of pressure from others. Don’t do it to compensate for your losses or faults. Simply taste Him. You may say, “But I don’t have much faith at all.” That’s okay. Jesus said, “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20 NIV).

“Yum! He is soooo good!”  Go ahead, just taste; you’ll enjoy the experience; trust me. 😊

Be blessed until next time…

Jehovah is our God Too

My Google search noted how “Jehovah” is a Latinization of the Hebrew name for God, YHWH, which is also known as the Tetragrammaton. The four Hebrew letters YHWH, which are often transliterated as “Jehovah,” are the consonants of God’s name.  It’s considered one of God’s personal names in Judaism and is used in some Christian traditions. (AI Overview, 2025)

The name that follows Jehovah is a word that describes an aspect of God’s character and nature. Jehovah Sabaoth, Naheh, and Milchamma are ones I gravitate to. I’m naturally a fighter and outspoken. You will hear my voice or see me in action, standing up for a cause, speaking out against systemic racism or injustice, or vehemently fighting for the cause of the weak or those harmed. This nature of Jehovah, God reminds me to step back and let the Lord fight for me because He has power over all armies/systems, is strong in battle, and can smite any enemy.  

The names for Jehovah, God, are listed below. Read the chapter for context or clarity on who the Lord is or what He does, and then glean from the one you most need Him to be right now. 🙂

  • Jehovah Jireh – The Lord, my Provider – Genesis 22
  • Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals – Exodus 15
  • Jehovah Nissi – The Lord, my banner – Exodus 17
  • Jehovah M’Kaddesh – The Lord who sanctifies – Exodus 31
  • Jehovah Chereb – The Lord, my Sword – Deuteronomy 33
  • Jehovah Magen – The Lord, my Shield – Deuteronomy 33
  • Jehovah Shalom – The Lord, my Peace – Judges 6
  • Jehovah Sabaoth – Lord of the hosts of heaven – 1 Samuel 1
  • Jehovah Kahbodi – The Lord, my Glory – Psalm 3
  • Jehovah Malech-Olam – The Lord who is king forever – Psalm 10
  • Jehovah Chezeq – The Lord, my strength – Psalm 18
  • Jehovah Misqabbi – The Lord, my strong tower – Psalm 18
  • Jehovah Naheh – The Lord who smites the enemy – Psalm 18
  • Jehovah Seli – The Lord, my Rock – Psalm 18
  • Jehovah Hoshea – The Lord, my Savior – Psalm 20
  • Jehovah Rohi – The Lord, my Shepherd – Psalm 23
  • Jehovah Milchamma – The Lord, mighty in battle – Psalm 24
  • Jehovah Ori – The Lord, my Light – Psalm 27
  • Jehovah Gannan – The Lord who is my defense – Psalm 89
  • Jehovah Machsi – The Lord my Refuge – Psalm 91
  • Jehovah Hamelech – The Lord, my King – Psalm 98
  • Jehovah Bara – The Lord, my Creator – Isaiah 40
  • Jehovah Goel – The Lord, my Redeemer – Isaiah 49
  • Jehovah Ma’oz – The Lord, my Fortress – Jeremiah 16
  • Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord, my righteousness – Jeremiah 23
  • Jehovah Shammah – The Lord who is present – Ezekiel 48   (Retrieved from Christianity 201, 2019, https://christianity201.wordpress.com/2019/10/13/jehovah-names-of-god/)

The Crawford singers—my nieces and nephew—beautifully sing about our Jehovah God. If you are on Facebook, listen here: https://www.facebook.com/perry.crawford.174408/videos/2161556904295644

If you are not on Facebook, listen here:

Jehovah Is Your Name by the Crawford singers

Enjoy!! Until next time… 🙂

Excerpt from Upcoming Book

Hello fellow bloggers, subscribers, and friends. I’m sharing another excerpt from my upcoming book, which I hope to publish by January 2025. Check out all three excerpts in August, September, and now, October.

Excerpt:

“We should have knowledge about and reflect upon these blessings that are given to all believers at the moment of our salvation. They come with divine authority from a graceful God. Knowing these should help us form a correct concept about who God is, how He is, and what He does. We’re now enabled to think and act differently, according to God’s kingdom and not this world. Our spiritual and natural self-esteem should bolster. Also, meditating on these blessings will remove doubt and fear as we experience failure, persecution, temptation, and trials. Having this status in God’s kingdom helps us not to shrink back, just as Paul and the saints in Ephesus did not. We should sense such closeness to God, who loves and cares for His children. We should feel wanted by Him.

No one goes through such in-depth detail, planning, and giving of themselves without wanting you to be a part. If you do not feel accepted or worthy, ask God to remove any mental blocks that are prohibiting you from believing these blessings are now for you. You don’t have to work to earn them. Ask Him to cleanse your psyche of any assessments, stereotypes, or opinions applied to your life that came from you and what you did, or family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the law, the psychiatrist, social worker, preacher, priest, teacher, social media, television, magazines, etc.—whoever.

Let’s close this chapter with one of Paul’s most befitting prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23, asking for the Lord’s help to shift our perspective on who we are now in Christ. We begin with, ‘Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us...'”

[Copyright © 2024 by Eleanor D. Parks]

Want to read more? Please click here to add your name and email to my author’s list to be notified once the book goes to print.

Thanks and remain blessed until next time! 🙂

Calvary or Cavalry?

A song that rang in my ear during my childhood; I loved hearing the pastor and congregation singing it. Pastor wasn’t a singer but you knew how much he loved this song by the way he bobbed his head and moved his legs while singing it. 🙂 It still reverberates in my spirit today at 62—At Calvary.

“Calvary,” or Golgotha was a site immediately outside Jerusalem’s walls where, according to Christianity’s four gospels, Jesus was crucified. Interestingly to me, there is a similarly spelled word “cavalry.” It denotes a unit of troops on horseback summoned for war. This group of soldiers is trained to fight and can be quickly deployed in a war. It was God, the Father, who summoned and deployed Jesus for calvary in this war for human souls. Jesus was the troop, the only war hero who fought to the death and won the battle to bring us to God.

At Calvary

Years I spent in vanity and pride
Caring not my Lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary

[Refrain]     Mercy there was great, and grace was free
Pardon, there, was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

By God’s word at last my sin I learned
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary

[Refrain]     Mercy there was great, and grace was free
Pardon, there, was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

Now I’ve given Jesus everything
Now I gladly know him as my King
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary!

[Refrain]     Mercy there was great, and grace was free
Pardon, there, was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

O, the love that drew salvation’s plan
O, the grace that brought it down to man
O, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary

[Refrain]     Mercy there was great, and grace was free
Pardon, there, was multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

By William R. Newell

As this song tells us, Jesus’ death grants us unlimited mercy, grace, pardon, and freedom. Oh, and three days later, after this war at Calvary, Jesus got up from His grave; He’s the only war hero who ever did. Death couldn’t hold Him down. Wow! Jesus Christ is alive! Receive Him into your life now.

Happy Easter! 😊

Hear the Gaithers sing it.