Happy New Year, Everyone!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the time with your loved ones over the holidays! 2017 has been a unique year with a lot happening behind the scenes. Lots of exciting changes are coming! I will share more in the next quarterly update.
2017 Highlights
Christian Writer’s Conference — Philadelphia, PA
The annual Christian Writer’s Conference in Philadelphia last July proved to be an enormous blessing! I met with many key writers, publishers, agents, editors, and speakers who have shared their wisdom and success, and with whom I’ve been able to network.
This year I plan to publish my first children’s book. That poses new challenges with digital art versus hand drawn or painted pictures which require scanning. Children’s books are always more expensive due to the colored ink required to produce them. They are also made of thicker paper and usually larger in size. This all brings increased cost. Children’s books are some of the most expensive on the market.
I had many questions regarding effective tools in making my first children’s book a reality, yet keeping it affordable for parents. It did not surprise me when God began to connect me with several children’s authors at random. We shared ideas, how-to’s, and began to swap info. There is nothing more encouraging that having your peers in the industry cheer you on.
Kudos to Marlene Bagnull of Write His Answer, Kathryn Ross of Pageant Wagon Publishing, Sarah Bolme of Ingram Publishing, and Linda Evans Shepherd of Advanced Writer’s and Speaker’s Association.
God also brought clarity to my calling as a speaker. During that time God brought about a lot of insight for the direction of this ministry and how to make it possible.
Welcoming the King of Glory — Jerusalem, Israel
As many of you know 2017 was Israel’s year of Jubilee. It’s the 50th anniversary of their Six Day War when Israel recovered Jerusalem as its capital city. This was a HUGE year for Israel, especially with the move of the US Embassy and the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by the US Government! Celebrations in Israel abounded this year!
In October, during the Feast of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), I had the express honor and privilege of visiting Israel for the first time to celebrate and attend the historic Welcoming the King of Glory conference which was hosted by twelve local Messianic rabbis.
Welcoming the King of Glory in Jerusalem, Israel. The nations gather during the Feast of Sukkot to worship God, bless Israel, and give the Gospel back to Jerusalem in a historic moment on the year of Israel’s Jubilee.
More than one thousand believers (merely a remnant) from all over the globe came to worship the Lord in song and dance, sharing beautiful testimonies of how the Gospel has reached them and changed the world! The Gospel has truly gone to the uttermost parts of the earth, as witnessed by those living in remote islands (Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and others) who joined with very elaborate praise and worship. I believe we are seeing the fullness of the Gentiles come in, precisely as the Apostle Paul prophesied would happen before the salvation of Israel.
It is not surprising that the Native American people (as God’s forerunners) had the honor of opening the conference that first night in presenting the Gospel back to Jerusalem! What a historic moment! The Native American people, hosted by Linda Prince, brought a huge “thank you” to the Jewish people for bringing the Messiah to the world by presenting Israel with a Holy Bible, reciting their covenant with Israel, and singing a hymn — all performed in their Native regalia and their Native tongues. It was glorious!
Welcoming the King of Glory in Jerusalem, Israel during the Feast of Sukkot. Worship by Native America.
The nations come with gifts of thanksgiving to Israel for obeying the Great Commission, and succeeding in bringing the Gospel to the farthest ends of the earth! Our hosts responded by welcoming the nations and gifting individual participants with a tallit.
At the Jerusalem Gate Hotel with my brother from Vanuatu and my sister from South Korea. Here to bless God, Israel, and the Jewish people!
On October 10th, the nations gathered in the streets for the annual Jerusalem March, hosted by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem founded by Dr. Jürgen Bühler. It was one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had, watching thousands upon thousands of Jewish people lining the city streets to receive us, waving, cheering, and welcoming us as we marched three kilometers through the holy city in joyous celebration, singing praises unto God! I saw tears, smiles, and even looks of surprise as children bobbed upon the shoulders and backs of their parents. Many of us blew kisses. May God forever bless Israel!
It was nothing shy of AMAZING!
Watch the ICEJ video here.
Watch our videos of the Jerusalem March and WTKOG conference by visiting us on Vimeo.
Me (far left) with friends from Australia and South Korea for the Jerusalem March 2017.
Our Growth
The Wordsmith Blog is our central voice, and has received more traffic this year than ever! We are growing our audience and we are so happy to have you all here! We are committed to publishing powerful uncompromised biblical content that will strengthen and fortify your walk with God during these end times!
Lots of great changes are coming in 2018 that will bring growth in reaching people, better public engagement with you, and even better content. That equates to the Gospel going forth in power!
To date we’ve had 50,917 visitors from all over the world in countries such as: Tobago, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Japan, South Africa, and many more!
Our Top 12 Posts from 2017:
These were the posts hardest hit in 2017. Check out our best…
#1 — The Native American People: The Forerunners In This Final Hour
#2 — The Total Solar Eclipse of 2017: What It Means and How to Prepare
#3 — A Word for the Remnant
#4 — Mary-Martha Syndrome: Living in Martha’s World with Mary’s Heart
#5 — Deception in the Church: Do You Know Who You’re Playing With?
#6 — Mastering the Art of Writing: Six Ways to Hone Your Skills and Develop Your Craft
#7 — Surviving Heartbreak: Encountering the God Who Heals
#8 — Rubbing Elbows, Linking Arms, and Holding Hands: The Art of Healthy Relationships
#9 — Discerning the Company You Keep: Personality vs. Character
#10 — For the Suffering Single: How to Live the Single Life with Success
#11 — My Sheep Know My Voice: The Lesson of an Irish Shepherd
#12 — Unveiling the Bridal Paradigm and the Song of Solomon Theology: Understanding the Marriage Covenant Christ Has with His Church
We are excited about 2018! We are growing and getting better, improving content and engagement with our audience, and expanding our reach. Please share below and join us by subscribing today! See you in 2018!
Cheers & Shalom,
Image Credit: Andrew-Art | Pixabay
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