Life (Acoustic Song, Sarah Jarosz)

Post Holiday Greeting Grafted In Readers,

Do you feel like you are in the middle of two holidays?

You are.

Currently, Hanukkah is ongoing.

Christmas occurred on December 24 and 25 in the west.

New Years Eve and New Years Day occur over the weekend in the west.

The eighth day of Hanukkah is very early next week also.

We probably find ourselves reflecting, thinking, wanting to nap, wondering can we return to normal, wanting to live on the wild side, be done with words, be done with events, just read a book, view a movie or television program, have this moment and what it contains pass.

Whatever the annoyance and our perceived quick fix I found a quote by writer Monica Johnson, on brainyquote.com that I like. It fits her and all of us:


Regret is not a proactive feeling. It is situated in disappointment, sorrow, even remorse. It merely wishes things were different without an act to cause a difference. However, repentance is different. Repentance is an admission of, hatred of, and turning away from sin before God.
Monica Johnson
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Thanks Monica. As you and I get ready for 2017, let's just ask Adonai to come alongside us and enter 2017 with us. Help us reshape those areas where we stumble and trip numerous times, improve our choices, correct our blind-spots, and help us use our strengths to aid someone else where they are coming up short. Perhaps this can be the year to begin a rebuilding of the human condition rather than a microscopic examination and ongoing critique of it. Perhaps we can try rebuilding each other and say, Go, your faith will make you whole!

In the coming months, a Forgiveness Anthology will help people with the art of forgiving.

Waiting For Messiah will be another anthology to aid us in relying on someone bigger than ourselves, Yeshua the Jewish Messiah not a Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Church of Christ, but a Jewish Messiah who comes to seek and save that which is lost, you and me!

I hope you might be involved in praying for these projects and perhaps in sharing them with friends and acquaintances when they become available.

Kevod Yeheveh, His Peace Restore the wasted moments of our lives.

Mellow Rock
David Russell

Come What May (Acoustic song, Covin and Earle)

Hello Grafted In Readers,

Are you about ready to settle down for a long winter's nap if you live on the side of the equator where December 21st issues in the season of Winter, today? You're not alone! No, not depressed but glad we are having temperatures that will be slightly above freezing for the next few days.

To our friends in the UK, Happy Summer, enjoy those "barbees and outdoor activities." You deserve to have this season of fun!

I titled this post with the generality, Come What May, and one of those things is the end of the year top stories, top songs, top memories, and of course top words. In the US, The Merriam Webster Dictionary publishers chose surreal as their word of the year, but the Oxford English Dictionary went with post-truth. I will cite a portion of their definition here:
"Relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion..." Being an election "era" where debates went on for months, entertainment value believed to be essential, the candidates put on quite a show for the US public and the world at large. The political conventions too had their share of spectacle. Other words of interest on the short list include:
-Coulrophobia: An extreme irrational fear of clowns.
-Latinx: A person of Latin American origin or descent. This replaces Latina/Latino.
-Schadenfreud: A german term, defined to mean malicious enjoyment of the misfortunes of others.

Tune in again next year or go to your favorite online dictionary to keep informed of new words you can use to impress the others in your sphere of influence.

Meantime, Kevod Yeheveh, his Peace surround you through the Holidays and remember Yeshua is the light of our world as we celebrate Hanukkah! It begins Sunday evening, Dec. 24.

Mellow Roc
David Russell

A Letter To The Editor (faith Perspective)

Hello Grafted In Readers,

Today is Monday, December 5, 2016, in my corner of blog land. Temperatures remain mild and somewhat wet where I live, but we could get a couple meters of snow later this week! It is nearing winter and of course, snow time here.

This morning, I composed a Letter To The Editor of one of our local newspapers that I would like to share with you. There is a considerable amount of writing that many in the western church still ignore that puts a positive light on the Jewishness of Yeshua.

My letter, less than 200 words is in question format, and challenges pastors, priests and all of us as persons of faith to consider thanking our ancestors for the heritage we have as believers and Christians.
This is my post today. If you wish to copy and share it, be my guest!
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Dear Editor/Reader:
Where is the little town of Bethlehem?
For religious observance of Christmas, can clergy stand in front of their congregations and publicly thank the Jewish faith for: the Tehillim, Hebrew language with emphasis on action, the Daily Amidah, encouraging obedience, justice, care of the poor?
Also admit God too is King in our seasonal hymns?
State the reason(s) for ignoring the Biblical feasts and only portraying the nice sides of church history?
Finally, are we too smug and arrogant as 21st century western Christians?
David Russell
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Kevod Yeheveh, His peace be among us today and tonight and tomorrow.

Mellow Rock