Shoshana's Garden

This week is when the Gregorian Calendar, the roots of which is the Roman Julian calendar, begins a "new year." Most people don't care that this is what is followed in the world today. In fact, most people probably do not know that there was another calendar at all. Yes, the Bible actually has a different calendar. The one God established as He gave Torah (teachings) to the Israelites. They followed His guidance and that has a completely different rhythm than the rest of the

Chanukah Self-Control Tonight we light the last candle. It is the 8th night. I find it fitting that as we have celebrated the Festival of Lights - tonight begins the change of season. We begin winter, and yet we start the process of the days becoming longer. I love to think that as we move into more light in the physical, we can celebrate moving in HIS LIGHT spiritually. I hope you have been able to reflect on the Fruits of the Spirit in a positive way and that you KNOW you a

Chanukah Humility… Post two for the day because I missed yesterday. Humility is an attribute that is often misunderstood. The key is making sure our heart is in the right place. The words below that I wrote several years ago still hold true today. We continue to count the nights of Chanukah and we have reached day seven. We have seen and observed the progression of the fruits moving toward issues in the heart. Goodness and faithfulness are traits from within. The next one is

I missed yesterday so I will do two today. Again - I wrote this years ago, but it holds so true for today. Night six of Chanukah we light the LOVE candle again… Five candles and reminders of who HE wants us to be brings us to FAITHFULNESS. What does it mean to have faithfulness inside of us? One of the most popular verses about faithfulness is in the book of Lamentations. Putting several together we read: Lamentations 3:21-24 But in my mind I keep returning to something, some

On the fifth night of Chanukah the “Love/Servant” candle lights the Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness and finally the Goodness candles... Goodness... What exactly does this mean? The definition of goodness is: “the quality of being morally good or virtuous.” If you are kind, isn’t that being good? If you show love, isn’t that being good? If you are patient, that is being good. And yet “goodness” is definitely set apart in this understanding.  As I reflect on this “fruit of the s

Once again I read through this and couldn't change it... I guess it's time to figure out how to turn these into a booklet. Chanukah can be such an inspiration every year and it lasts for 8 nights! Today - take time to be KIND. The fourth night of Chanukah is marked for me by the word, “kindness.” The “LOVE” candle lights Joy, Peace, Patience and now Kindness... The moment I hear this word I think back to a song from years ago that Leslie Phillips sang and the words say, “It’s

I wanted to re-write this one. As I read through it, I just can't. Everything I wrote years ago still stands true today. I hope the Word of God encourages you. That it will strengthen you. That it will be a source of helping you have Patience this holiday season. Chanukah Patience… On the third night of Chanukah the “Love” candle lights Joy, than Peace and now PATIENCE…  The word patience usually stirs up lots of emotions in people. Most parents are constantly telling their y

I wanted to re-write this, but after the incident that happened in Australia, this needed to stay... It is something I am wrestling with - to find true peace within. I used to have it. Now, I struggle. The chaos and craziness of the world is catching up, BUT with God I can choose to walk in peace in my heart. That is my prayer this season. On night two of Chanukah the LOVE candle lights JOY and then PEACE.  What do you think of when you hear the word, “peace?” Some people thi

These are two words heard often this time of year. I have written about the fruits of the Spirit before, but I feel led to try and do different ones this year. I will admit that writing about these is throwing me a bit because I feel like my thoughts about them have changed. I question what love is and do we actually show this to those we come in contact with? Do I really have the JOY that God wants me to have? During Chanukah candles are lit. The Shemah (servant) candle is t

Warning - this is a longer post than normal. I wrote the article below in 2018. The details still hold true for me today. In fact, I read a post the other day on Instagram that "aussiedave" posted. LOVE it. It brought to life the fact that Jesus was most likely conceived during Chanukah. Such an amazing thought! fact, follow him on Instagram for more insights into Hebrew understandings in the Bible that will blow your mind. Today his post was about trials and the snow/wool c