Day 6: Victory Through Obedience The victory of the Maccabees was never about military might or numerical advantage. It was rooted in obedience. Against overwhelming odds, they chose faithfulness over fear, trusting that alignment with God mattered more than visible strength. In Scripture, the word shema (שָׁמַע) goes far beyond simply hearing a command; it means to listen with the…
God Dwelling With His People The restoration of the Temple was more than a national or historical victory; it symbolized God’s longing to shakan (שָׁכַן)—to dwell among His people. When the Temple was rededicated, the return of the divine presence, known as the Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה), signaled that God’s nearness, glory, and holiness were once again filling sacred space. It was…
At the heart of Hanukkah is the miracle of the shemen (שֶׁמֶן)—a small amount of oil that, by all logical measures, should not have lasted. To human eyes, it was clearly insufficient. Yet once it was dedicated to sacred purpose and placed in God’s hands, it became a nes (נֵס), a miracle that defied expectation. This pattern appears again and…
Rededicating your life during the season of Channukah
The story of life you say? Yes. I believe that one can discover the meaning of ‘life‘ inside the symbolism and history of this minor feast day….this historical event where a handful of determined, patriotic, God-fearing people overcame the struggles of an oppressive, tyrannical, ruling elite. Stay with me, let me explain. We can all agree that ‘life‘ has value…
The calendar has rolled around to this Season of Lights….and I’m not talking about the red, yellow and green light strings hanging from all the rooftops right now. I’m talking about some inner light emanating from a few special candles in a menorah on my kitchen table. Being by myself, lighting candles by myself….has been a little disconcerting this year….
Oh my….while looking for pics of our Hanukkah times…I ran across this one…it brings back so many memories! These little ones are all grown up and have babies of their own! Those days were filled with so much joy and happiness! My momma (may her memory be blessed) enjoyed it as much as I did and those younguns did too!…