Joy to the World!

 

I hope this playlist by my daughter will bless your Christmas celebration. One of the things I love about Christmas is that the name "Jesus" is proclaimed. Songs about our Savior are played on television and radio. He IS lifted up. His salvation is proclaimed. He has come to YOU and for YOU. Haleluyah!

 

We acknowledge You, Yeshua (Jesus)....the one day when most businesses are closed & we remember that You were born. May it always be so in America. Glory to God in the highest...thank you for coming to save us. Thank you for the JOY you have brought to my life. I pray that all my Gail-Friends have a wonderful time of worship and celebration of the birth of the Messiah.

 

 https://youtu.be/a8-F_VCKXzo?si=r_x1Sa6HgNmpANJK

Hanukkah 2025

 

Greetings Gail-Friends!

Today is Sunday and we are preparing for Hanukkah, which begins at sundown.  We had a wonderful Sabbath yesterday and were blessed to attend Shalom Macon Messianic Synagogue on line.  I recommend the rabbi's teaching about Hanukkah.  You can watch it on YouTube at this link:    They are also doing a Hanukkah observance online tonight at 6pm.

 If you are new to celebrating Hanukkah, I also recommend my book 8 Days of Hanukkah and Christmas, too!  It includes daily reflections for the eight days of Hanukkah along with lots of full-color photos, songs, instructions for playing dreidle, and some of my yummy recipes.  This book is available on Amazon as a paperback or an e-book! 

 How did a Southern Baptist girl who celebrated Christmas come to be a Messianic Jew who celebrates Hanukkah? Well, that’s a long story for another book. But briefly, one day I got on my knees and prayed for God to show me if I was really, truly following HIM. I prayed, “I don’t want to follow a religion, a denomination, a teacher, or a preacher. I want to know that I am following You and Your Ways.” I never imagined how God would answer that prayer.

 

If you're a Christian and are not observing Hanukkah, please read this article by Michael Boaz of First Fruits of Zion:

  

"Given that Hanukkah is a historically Jewish festival and that its celebration is not a mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah, why would Gentile believers in Yeshua celebrate it? Obviously Jewish believers have a cultural affinity for the festival, but is there any real biblical significance to it? Is there any reason Christians might want to incorporate the celebration of Hanukkah into their homes? Here are five reasons you may want to consider celebrating.

1. Did you know that Hanukkah is in the Gospels?

Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures because the story of Hanukkah happened after the last book of the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures) had been written. However, Hanukkah is mentioned in the New Testament. Yeshua went to the Temple for the Feast of Hanukkah.

We can read in John chapter 10 that Yeshua was in Solomon’s Colonnade for the “Feast of Dedication,” which is another name for Hanukkah. “At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon” (John 10:22–23). The Master was acknowledging this feast during his time with his people. We can follow his example, unite with Israel and stand in solidarity with them, especially in today’s world of hatred and growing anti-Semitism.

2. Did you know that Hanukkah is a story of religious persecution?

Hanukkah is a story of religious persecution and standing up for faith in God. Yeshua tells us we can expect persecution, but he also tells us that we must stand firm in our faith. Hanukkah is the perfect time of year to think about these issues and reflect on how the Maccabees stood up under harsh persecution because their faith in honoring God motivated them more than fear did. This is a beautiful lesson that all families of faith can and should impart into their children’s hearts and minds. Yeshua too stood up under persecution—even to the point of death—in order to honor the Father.

3. Did you know that Hanukkah is the Festival of the Light of the World?

Hanukkah is the Festival of Light. It celebrates the relighting of the menorah lamp that burned in God’s Holy Temple. In rabbinic terminology, the menorah was sometimes called the “light of the world.” Yeshua said, “I am the light of the world,” and another time he told his disciples, “You are the light of the world.”

The beautiful, soft, warm glow of the candles on hanukkiahs provides the perfect backdrop against which to reflect on how a small amount of light permeates all areas of darkness. We can find inspiration to let our faith in Yeshua shine through our actions and thus affect the darkness in the world around us.

4. Did you know that Yeshua talked about Hanukkah?

Yeshua talked about Hanukkah. He warned his disciples that the things that happened in the story of Hanukkah would happen again: “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:15–16; see also Mark 13:13–16). To understand what he was saying, his disciples had to know the story of Hanukkah.

His words come into clear focus for us, his modern-day disciples, when we study the Hanukkah story and find its parallels and messages. Our Master’s words are still as important for us today as they were for his disciples during his day.

5. Did you know that Hanukkah commemorates the dedication of God’s Temple?

Hanukkah means “dedication.” It is a remembrance of when the Jews cleansed and rededicated God’s Holy Temple for the LORD’s service alone. The New Testament tells us that we are God’s temple. We can take the time during this season to spiritually strengthen ourselves and to make sure that our “temples” are clean, void of idolatry, and prepared to be the place where God’s Spirit can dwell in peace."

If you do celebrate Hanukkah, I'd love to hear about your observance in the comments below.

Golden Cottage Happenings

 

 

 Welcome back to Golden Cottage y'all!  November is almost over, and I'm only just now getting around to doing an update.  October was so busy, y'all.  I made that photo above with AI on Facebook.  Don't ask me how.  But it was fun, and looks pretty good...except my eyes look a bit scary.  

We celebrated Sukkot at home this year, and we had our sukkah on the back patio again.  Here are a few pics.

We waved the lulav and did the water pouring.  We remembered Yeshua's words at the Temple when he said, " "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  I can say, "Yes. He quenches my thirst daily when I draw near to Him, read His Word, and listen to His voice." Haleluyah!

 I always enjoy eating meals in the sukkah.  Lucy was always waiting for a handout and Toonie had a great time rearranging the table decorations.

My high school class held a seventy-fifth birthday party in Jacksonville, so we went and I was so blessed to see old classmates.  These ladies are long-time friends.  Elizabeth (top left) was in my first grade class.  Rita (front left) and Brenda (front right) have been friends since high school.  We all reared our children together and now we're enjoying grandchildren.   I love these ladies so much.  They are exceptional Proverbs 31 women. I call Brenda a Wonder Woman because she has health concerns and yet is still  caring for both her husband and her mother in her home.  Both could be in a nursing home, but she is determined to keep them at home.  She's an amazing caregiver.  Please pray for her and them. 

Yes, I turned seventy-five in October.  Jem and I spent the day shopping and eating out.  We went to Ollie's and bought a new carpet shampooer.  When we were checking out, Jem told the clerk it was my birthday.  She frowned and said, "And you bought her  a vacuum cleaner?"  I laughed out loud and said, "Yes. It's what I wanted!"  He gave me these beautiful flowers, too.  I had lunch with friends and got many sweet cards, greetings, and gifts.  My dear friend, Gail, gave me a smart birdhouse.  I'll have to tell y'all about it later. We have to learn how to set it up and use it.  I feel so blessed to be this old.  It's good to be healthy and strong and I count my blessings every day.  These truly are the "Golden Years" in many more ways than one.

We had a wonderful trip to Pensacola Beach, Florida for Rabbi Jem's Navy reunion.  Being wise, I packed clothes for cold weather and boy was I glad I did.  It was so COLD that week AND overcast and rainy on a couple of days.  Here are a few pics from the trip:

We went to Veterans Memorial Park.  Jem is a Purple Heart recipient, so I wanted his picture by the memorial.

My hero

Memorial to the dogs who served.

We had dinner at Maguires Irish Pub - it was fun!

We went on a boat trip to watch the Blue Angels practice.  Here's Jem and a buddy sharing sea stories, and him with a friend on their visit to the battleship Alabama.

It was so cold, y'all.  In the 50's the day I took this pic.  These people must have come down from Alaska, right?  Maybe it was warm to them.  Or maybe ya gotta go swimming in the gulf if you come to Florida.  I never did get down to the beach because it was too cold for this Florida girl.

  The only thing I forgot to bring was my gloves.   I lived most of my life in north Florida and used to always pray that if I ever had to move, I'd move SOUTH!  Well, God answered that prayer with a move to central Florida thirty plus years ago.  Our temps are almost always ten to twenty degrees warmer than up in north Florida.  Brrrrrr!! 

 

Jem had so much fun talking with his buddies.  

He did really well selling his new book at the reunion, too.  This is his second book, called Shenanigans: Adventures on the Shangri-La.  It's a hilarious memoir of his adventures as a sailor and chief petty officer in the Navy.  You can read an excerpt at the  link.  Everybody says it should be a movie or a tv series.  Wouldn't that be great, y'all?  

Well, this is getting long, so I'll do another post about November soon.  We stay so busy that I wonder how we ever had time to work.  God is good and we are blessed.  Every day, I count my blessings, especially for health and strength.  The "Golden Years" are truly wonderful in more ways than one.  

Till next time, God bless and keep you all.