Random Chanukah Thoughts

I wish that I could celebrate Chanukah, and other Jewish holidays too. I suppose that there is nothing really preventing me from doing it except my own ignorance of the holiday and laziness. Despite my belief that we have Jewish heritage, we’re Protestant and have never observed the holiday. I know some about it but not nearly enough to celebrate it properly. There is a Messianic Synagogue in town and we have attended it and could probably celebrate it with them, but the last few Saturdays have been too hectic to visit.

Thanks to my Mom, I first learned about Chanukah when I was a teenager. She had heard about it from my Grandma. Actually, the word “Chanukah” wasn’t mentioned at all; we called it the story of the Maccabees. Where Grandma picked up the story of the Maccabees, I don’t know, but early on in my parents’ marriage, she shared the story with my Mom. Then later on Mom passed it on down to me. When I started doing research about Judaism I learned that Chanukah was the result of the Maccabees. Not only that, I discovered that Chanukah was not the Jewish version of Christmas, as I had thought. It was a holiday that proceeded Christmas by several hundred years.

I wish my church, and all Christian denominations, observed Chanukah and the other Jewish holidays. I mean there is more of a Scriptural basis for the Jewish holidays than there are for the Christian ones. Jesus really wasn’t born on December 25; the 25th was originally a pagan holiday and the early church replaced that holiday with “Jesus’ birthday.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas and I do my best to remember Christ at this time of year. But I think adding Chanukah and the other Jewish holidays to our “Christian” calendar would increase our understanding of the Bible and the Jewish roots of our religion.

Whenever I study about Judaism, I feel closer to Christ. He was a Jew; He celebrated Chanukah, Purim, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, etc. I think Chanukah ought to be as respected and as valued as Christmas. Whenever I spot a menorah in someone’s window, I think “right on.” It’s something to be proud of and I wish that I could share in that pride.

Oh well, maybe we can celebrate it next year. Have a Happy Chanukah!

“The Lord Is My Shepherd: The Psalm 23 Mysteries,” by Debbie Viguie

Being a church secretary seemed like such a boring job… until the bodies started piling up.




Author Bio:
Debbie Viguie’s love for writing brought her from working as a church secretary to a successful career writing supernatural fiction. She is the author of “Midnight Pearls,” “Scarlet Moon,” and “Charmed: Pied Piper,” and the young adult “Sweet Seasons” series. She also is co-author of the New York Times best-selling “Wicked” book series. Debbie graduated from the University of California at Davis, where she majored in English. She and her husband, an attorney, live in Hawaii. For more information about Debbie Viguie and her books, visit her website: http://www.debbieviguie.com.





Book Description:
As church secretary Cindy Preston prepares for the Easter service, she literally stumbles across a dead body in the sanctuary. A prominent church member has been stabbed to death in the locked church. With whispers and suspicions surrounding the members of the congregation, Rabbi Jeremiah Silverman next door, helps Cindy search for the truth. As Easter Sunday draws near, the pressure mounts when the killer leaves clues that more deaths should be expected. Fighting against time, the rabbi and the church secretary work together, learning more about each other and their faiths as they seek to expose the truth. But what secret is the rabbi hiding?

My Thoughts:
Finally, a book in the Christian market that isn’t dripping with unrealistic romantic mush! I am not a big fan of fictional murder mysteries (I like to watch TV shows and movies on the subject) because on the whole they’re more about romance than the mystery. “The Lord is My Shepherd,” follows Cindy Preston and Rabbi Jeremiah Silverman from the moment they discover the first body, onto the friendship that develops between them as well as the developments of the case, to Easter Sunday when the murder is solved. Despite the suspicion of others, Cindy and Jeremiah maintain a platonic friendship that could evolve into something more, but with both being devoted to their faiths, it won’t be likely unless one of them has a change of heart. Another thing I liked was that Cindy wasn’t out to convert Jeremiah and his congregation; the faith aspect of the book was subtle, but more genuine than most of the Christian fiction that is out there.

“Self-Control,” by Mary Brunton

Author Bio:
Mary Brunton (née Balfour) (1 November 1778 – 7 December 1818) was a Scottish novelist.
Mary was the daughter Colonel Thomas Balfour of Elwick, a British Army officer and Frances Ligonier, sister of the second earl of Ligonier. She was born on 1 November 1778 in the Orkney Islands. Mary's early education was limited, though her mother did teach her music, Italian, and French.
Around 1798, Mary met and fell in love with the Reverend Alexander Brunton, a Church of Scotland minister, who later became a Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of Edinburgh. Although Mary's mother disapproved of the match, she married Brunton in 1798 and they had a happy marriage, which included companionship and mutual interests. After twenty years of marriage, Mary finally became pregnant at age forty, but she died in 1818 in Edinburgh after giving birth to a still-born son.
Brunton started to write her first novel in 1809. Like many of her fellow novelists, she also recorded bits and pieces of daily life in a journal. In her lifetime, Brunton wrote two complete novels, Self-Control (1811) and Discipline (1814). After her death, her unfinished work Emmeline, along with a Memoir, was published by her husband in 1819.

My Description:
“Self-Control” is the little-known tale of Laura Montreville, a seventeen-year-old girl living in the Regency Era, daughter of a widowed Captain Montreville. What makes this piece of work stand out from most classics of the Regency Era is the heroine’s strong faith in Christ. Not only does she “talk the talk” she “walks the walk.” There are several scenes of Laura praying, speaking of her faith and following the ways of God rather than the ways of man. When family-friend, Colonel Hargrave, confesses to her of his passionate and violent love for her, and continually pursues her even after she refuses him, it takes all of her self-control to hold fast to the faith she professes.

My Thoughts:
I really loved “Self-Control” and I consider it on par with Jane Austen’s canon, unfortunately neither the author nor this story has received much attention the last few decades. Published a year prior to “Sense and Sensibility,” it shares a lot of common themes with Austen’s first published work. Like Marianne Dashwood, Laura discovers that though passion and attraction often awakens love, it seldom lasts. She learns that love grounded in friendship, respect and selflessness is the love that never ends. I wish that someone would take notice of this novel and have it reissued into a brand-spanking new edition, the way Bethany House has done with Austen’s classics. The edition I read had the characters’ dialogs running together and it made it difficult to decipher who was speaking. Also, I firmly believe that “Self-Control” would transfer well to screen (hint, hint Emma Thompson, or BBC). Anyway, anybody who loves Austen or “Sense and Sensibility”, I highly recommend this book for you.

A Survey on Christianity

1. Are you a Christian?
Yes.

2. What is your perception of Christianity? Can you give some specific incidents that have lead to or confirmed your perception?
Well, my perception of Christianity is basically love. God's love for us that He sent His only Son to this earth; Jesus' love for us to die for our sins and come back to life; and the Holy Spirit's love for us to guide and direct us on a daily basis. This is what I get from prayer and when I read the Bible, and from church too. I suppose I view God is a father who is reaching out to this world, but most of this world isn't reaching back and turns a blind eye to Him and what He wants.

3. How do you feel others (Christians and nonbelievers) view Christianity? What makes you think this is the view they hold?
I think that most people see Christians or those who attend church as droll, boring and ridged people who use God/religion as a crutch. And unfortunately they believe this way because of a personal expirience. Perhaps they have encountered a fellow believer or someone who considers themself religious who acted that way. Or they have been to a church that preached damnation and judgement.

4. Name a well known individual whose character, lifestyle, and beliefs serve as an example of what you think a Christian is.
As of late, I've been reading about Sophie Scholl and her personal life. She was a Christian, but she wasn't perfect, nor did she claim to be. Then there was Corrie ten Boom who hid Jews, was arrested and sent to a concentration camp for it. I've also read some about the priest named Maximillian Kolbe, who was referred to as the Saint of Auschwitz. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller were two others, along with Stefania Podgorska.

5. What is the greatest difference between your understanding of the teachings of Jesus and the way Christians today live out their faith?
As mentioned in question three, the damnation and judgment part... I believe it's coming but only for those who refuse to have anything to do with God or Jesus Christ. I hear how people complain that God is narrow minded and they wonder why He doesn't accept everyone. Unlike us humans, God doesn't discriminate, He loves us all, created us all, died for us all and accepts everyone who submits to Him. What more does the world want from Him? He's done the hard part, all that's left is for them to commit to Him. Consider this, God is the creator of the world and desires His own creation to believe and act in a manner that He desires. That's why He gets to call the shots, because He's God.

The Shack: A Novel by William P. Young

Where tragedy confronts eternity.
What would you do if God sent you a note, asking you to meet Him at the shack where your daughter was murdered? That’s exactly what happened to Mackenzie Allan Phillips. But let’s backtrack a bit. The Phillips’ were the average family; a loving and devoted couple, three beautiful children. They believed in God, knew Him personally, went to church on Sundays and read the Bible regularly. The idyllic life is turned upside down when Mack and Nan’s daughter Missy is kidnapped and murdered. Actually, she is one of the victims of serial killer known as the Little Lady Killer. He targets little girls, kidnaps them and kills them. The FBI stumbles upon a shack, where there is blood on the floor. It is determined that the blood belonged to Missy and that she is dead. Three and a half years pass and the Phillips family is still struggling to come to terms with little Missy’s death. Nan is devout in her faith as ever; in fact, she constantly refers to God as "Papa." The oldest daughter is having difficulties though. And whatever faith Mack had before the murder is now lost.
That’s when Mack receives an unmarked envelope, with a note inside. The Author of the note asks Mack to meet Him in the very shack where Missy was murdered. At the bottom of the paper it’s signed, "Papa." Mack comes to the conclusion that "Papa" is actually God. He speaks to his friend Willie (who in fact is the author of this book) and the two discuss the possibility of God actually contacting him personally. While he is skeptical of God, on some level Mack’s curiosity piqued and he believes that God might be there. He waits until his wife and children are spending the weekend elsewhere when he takes off and travels to the remote shack. The bloodstain on the floor is still there, but God is nowhere to be found. Enraged, Mack destroys any object he can get a hold of. He steps outside briefly and the entire area is suddenly transformed into a little piece of heaven. When he goes back to the shack, a black woman answers the door, introducing herself as Elousia…a.k.a.- God. But it’s not just God the father who’s there, the whole Trinity is inside. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not what you imagine… as mentioned before God appears as a black woman, Jesus is an average looking guy clad in blue jeans and the Holy Spirit is a free spirit Asian woman.
Not to give away any of the great parts, I’ll leave it at that. "The Shack" is not your average Christian novel, actually it is the exact opposite of what I expected. I can’t recall any Scriptures in the novel, in fact at one point Jesus declares that He wasn’t a Christian, but that He is the answer. Mack is still devastated over his daughter’s death, and the Trinity encourages him to be open and honest about what he feels. Each of Them comforts him in Their own way. Neither of Them are taken back when Mack curses or explodes in anger. Each Member of the Trinity is endearing and left this reader feeling as though she has a deeper understanding of God. I smiled and cried as I read through Mark’s experiences. Many of my own questions that I didn’t even know that I had were answered. I find myself thinking back and snickering over certain incidents in the story, especially when Jesus is a butterfingers.
The author writes an introduction and then a little epilogue, insisting that he is merely ghostwriting the story of his friend. That his friend Mack’s daughter was kidnapped and murdered, his friend received a letter from "Papa" and that he did go to the shack and had a life changing experience there. Mack delved into a deeper relationship with Christ, discovered the location of Missy’s remains, and intended to witness to the Little Lady Killer. Whether this novel is true or not, doesn’t matter to me. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, as long as they keep in mind that this book is not for the faint at heart. I dare anyone to read this without walking away and feeling different. The story is heart wrenching, yet inspirational, even for those who don’t believe.