Ahavah Writings Update

Greetings Everyone, 

I hope this update finds you in the midst of a great and joyful day. I know it has been for me so far. 

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On Valentines day we announced that our first book 'Ahavah' Writings for the Journey (AW4TJ) was coming along great and that we were hopefully only a few months away from publishing. Well, I am very excited to announce that while the books isn't ready for publishing just yet we have entered into the final stages of the editing process. 

This weekend God granted Traci and I the time we needed to finish the changes from the second edit of the book and we sent it in for approval from our self publishing company and they approved it. PRAISE JESUS!!! GLORY TO GOD!!!

We have ordered our final proofing copies and have sent digital copies to our final editors. These four individuals will be focusing their energy on the Theological/Spiritual Aspects, Grammatical/Layout Aspects, Reader Friendly/Devotional Aspect and of course the Content Aspect of the book (along with the writing of the forward). 

While this is a bit scary for me (since  my heart and soul have been pour out onto the pages it's pages) I am very excited about the progress we have been able to make these last few weeks. I have been working on a lot of the behind the scenes stuff (Legal/ Marketing Aspects) as well. Even though I am very eager to get AW4TJ out there, I am patiently waiting for God's perfect timing. 

My prayer continues to be that God will be able to use the content of AW4TJ to encourage those that read it. For me writing a book has never been about the money or the possible fame, it has always been about giving back and glorifying God with all that I am and I truly feel that I've done my best to honor God with each page that was written.

Even though I have read the pages of AW4TJ several times, I still feel encouraged when I read it's pages. Sometimes, I even get a bit teary eyed when something I've read reminds me that "WOW!!!, God had to be a part of this because on my own I couldn't have wrote this." 

More to come...

Blessings to you all, 

Matt

Our First Book

Greetings Everyone,

I write this to you at around 5am from Bartlesville OK. WOW!!! I wasn't for sure if we'd ever make it back here for a visit. :-). We are here celebrating my Dad's Wedding, just a few years in the making :-).

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I wanted to share with you some more about our book, 'Ahavah' Writings for the Journey. The word 'Ahavah' is a new testament word for Love. Thus making this book 'Love' Writings for the Journey.....

Traci and I have been working as fast as we can to get the editing portion of the book done. However, with two very young children in the home now it is sometimes hard to get some of these things done. I will say though that we have edited the first and second drafts of this book. At the moment we are making the changes to the second draft. Once this is done we will send it to the person who is writing the forward and then have it edited by a few people other than us. (You know for FRESH EYES).

For now though I wanted to share our final version of the prologue with you guys so that you will actually get a glimpse of what is actually in the book :-). So here it is....

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Greetings in Christ,

     I share these writings with you this day in the hopes of imparting something truly wonderful, a deeper walk with Him. I thank Him for each person who may read this book because He has a special journey for each and every one of you to embark on in life. Life has shown us all many things, much of which includes hardship and suffering. I remind you today that you are not alone in your struggles and that many have faced similar struggles before and have overcome them.

     Your life may have turned out differently than what you expected, but there are specific tasks that God has given each of us that we are uniquely suited for and called to live out in our lives. The primary purpose of which is to glorify God throughout our life and to honor Him in all things. This may not always be the easiest task for us to complete but it will give us the most rewarding life we could possibly have.

     Through it all, you will come to know that you are never alone and that while it may seem like no one understands, you will be able to take comfort in the fact that someone out there does.

     Knowing this, I ask that you read this book with the understanding that many of its pages were written with you in mind.  Certain parts of this book may remind you of someone who has mentored you in your journey with God or even of someone you personally mentor today.  Either way, I pray that God speaks to you in a mighty way.

     Remember that your life is its own ‘ahavah’ journey. ‘Ahavah’ is a Hebrew word for Love, thus making this book “Love Writings for the Journey.” This is to remind us all that LOVE is what it all comes down to in this life, because without it we have nothing. The only way any of us can embrace this concept of Love is to begin embracing God’s Glory in our lives.

In Ahavah,

Matt

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I hope that this post gives you at least a glimpse into the heart of this book. My biggest desire for this book is simply to remind those that read it of how much God truly does love each and every one of us. 

Blessings to you all, 

Matt

Something is Coming

Greetings this Holiday Season, 

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and that your Christmas season is shaping up to be a great one as well. 

Today I wanted to give you all a little update about something I've been working on since our Son Caleb was born. It's a new concept for a book. 

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Here's the story....

Many of you know that My wife and I have been working on a series entitled "Kedoshim: The Untold Journey". The first book in this series is still in the 'in progress' stage but we have a title for the first book. It's called "Kedoshim: The Journey Begins". 

However, this is not the book I wanted to update you about. The book concept I have been working on in recent days is very different. It is pulled from my Devotional Blog...

www.gathering-777-together.blogspot.com.

The night after Caleb was born I woke up in the middle of the night with this idea for a devotional book that combines Letters, Devotionals and Reflections. I have always wanted to do something like this and I am so excited its finally coming together. I have to say the timing was perfect because I had two weeks of paternal leave and Traci's mother was staying with us for quite some time. 

This gave me the time to write the book. It's a pretty simple book to write because a lot of it was already written and posted on my devotional blog. I am very excited about it if you can't tell because I really feel as though God gave me the motivation to write this book because of where I am at in my spiritual life. It also ties really well into another Idea God has given Traci and I that we aren't ready to share just yet. :-).

I have titled this book 'Ahavah' Writings for the Journey. The word 'Ahavah' is a new testament word for Love. Thus making this book 'Love' Writings for the Journey..... Here is the back cover text... Let was know what you think...

   God has taken my life and made it something truly wonderful. Growing up I went through so many things I shouldn't have gone through but every step of the way God was with me. I was blessed beyond what I could ever imagine, not in the way you would guess, but in the way of experiences that I have been able to use to reach others.   

Ahavah' Writings for the Journey is the result of those experiences in my life as well as in the family God has blessed me with. The purpose in sharing these writings with you is simply meant to be a bit of encouragement to all those that read it and to remind us all that our 'Ahavah' (Love) Journey with Christ is indeed a continuous one.    

God's promises are so wonderful and they are always anew. God promises us that he will be faithful to us, all we have to do is trust in Him for guidance. It is my hope that this book will help you, the reader, do so.

Blessings to you all,

Matt

A New Family Update :-)

Hey Everyone,

It has now been just over a year and a half since my wife and I packed up everything and left our home behind to go  forth into the world and serve in the Kingdom.  This marks the longest time we’ve spent in one place since we got married four years ago. 

I can’t believe that it’s been four years. In some ways it feels like only yesterday we were planning our wedding and in other ways it feels like that was a life time ago.  We have been through a whole lot in those four years and I am grateful that I did not have to face those things alone. 

Our little Leyla will be two years old in a couple of months and in just a few more weeks we will have a second child living in our home here in Tucson. It’s so crazy to think that Traci and I are where we are at today. Who would have thought. We have some wonderful new things happening in our lives and God is  truly revealing himself to us in some new and wonderful ways.  I will speak more on this in “A NEW Revelation”.

I can’t say that these revelations have been an easy thing for me to come to realize but we are learning so much about who we are in Christ through everything we experience here in the Desert Southwest.

Monsoon season has been a huge reminder of what we left behind in the Midwest and we truly hope to see our way back there one day. For now though we are continuing our Ahavah Journey and growing closer in our faith as well as in our family. 

For my birthday this summer Traci surprised me with a two night stay at a wonderful Desert Oasis up in the Catalina Mountains called La Posada Lodge and Casitas. We took Leyla and our dog with us and stayed in a really nice Casita (1 bedroom apartment) and spent some time resting as a family and with God. 

It was so restful, I didn’t want to leave and come back to civilization.  I really enjoyed giving that time to just focusing on God and on my Family for once. 

Blessings to all,
Matt, Traci, Leyla & Caleb Elliott

We have some NEWS

Hey Everyone,

It’s been an eventful year indeed. This time last year my family and I had just begun taking this step in our ‘Ahavah Journey’ with Christ as we packed our bags and moved halfway across the country for the ministry. The excitement of moving from Bartlesville, OK to Tucson, AZ has worn off and it seems like time has changed so much more than we could have ever imagined.  We truly have been blessed this year, Praise Jesus!!!

Leyla has grown so much and it seems she is going to turn out more like me than her mother (those that knew me as a kid, know what that means, LOL). I often think to myself, ‘what was life before Leyla?’ While she has grown we have also grown and learned so much more about the Love Christ has for each of us. Because of Leyla I have a deeper understanding of ‘The Father’s Love’ for his people and for his church.  This understanding has lead me to begin writing more which is good for our book and for my song writing hobby. In fact I have just about finished a song I will be titling ‘The Father’s Love.’

In other News, for those of you that haven’t already figured it out, we have some exciting news…

WE’RE EXPECTING A BABY BOY!!!

Caleb Jeremiah will be making his  debut in October if the pregnancy continues to go well. We have already had several appointments and have heard the heart beat a few times already.

We are truly excited about this and the timing will be fantastic, 2 months after this child's arrival our little Leyla will be turning 2 years old. That in itself is a miracle and a blessing.

With that in mind, a while back we discovered that Leyla has a very extreme case of eczema that often makes her itch excessively. We have since found that 100% organic cotton clothing really helps. Her Joy and ours is still very present but we are really praying she will grow out of it.  We don’t want her to have to work though that the rest of her life. Well that’s all for now :-). 

Blessings to all,

Matt, Traci, Leyla & Caleb Elliott

One Year Behind Us

Hello Everyone, 

It's hard to believe but at this point last year my family and I were packing boxes, saying unexpected farewells and taking the biggest leap of faith that God has ever asked us to take, moving here to Tucson AZ. Truly we are blessed to have such a wonderful support system across the country. 

Over the past year there have been many different roller coasters to survive, with adapting to the culture and ministry here. Every coaster we've taken has brought us closer together as a family and as believers in the one true God. Much has been learned and there is still much more to be learned. 

This year has really been an interesting one to say the least and it sure feels like we have been gone longer than a year. It was something new for us to sign a 2nd year lease on our house and we are grateful we were able too, the house God has us living is is so much more than we could have ever imagined.

We do miss many of those we left behind though and pray for you all often. It has been good to learn that some of our friends have moved on themselves, that others have gotten married and that still others have had or will be having more children in the days to come. God really has an interesting way of doing things doesn't. he. I know it's been incredible to see his provision in the lives of our loved ones as well as our own.

In just two weeks we will get the longest vacation that we've ever had since being married, 9 whole days, It seems strange to think we have been in a place long enough to have earned vacation time. We were blessed enough to find plane tickets we could afford and are going to be spending our time in California with Traci's family. 

While we are wishing we could have gone back to the mid-west to see our friends and family their as well, we are excited that we can at least spend some time away for some rest and relaxation with Traci's family. We truly hope to make it to the mid-west  at some point before Leyla turns 2 and we have to buy her a ticket as well, we will have to trust in Gods provision for that. 

Well, I'll leave it at that 

Blessings in Christ, 
Matthew, Traci and Leyla Elliott

Seasons Greetings,

I can’t believe that winter is already here and I have hardly even brought out my jacket. I’ve been trying to keep up with the weather for most of our loved ones and while I’ve always loved winter it is so amazing to be in a desert climate. All my life around this time of the year I’ve had to worry about shoveling snow, scraping ice off the windshield of a car, driving on ice and snow, expensive heating bills and as many of you know, cold hands, LOL. Now being in the desert its barely gotten below 40 degrees. Simply Amazing. 

I don’t pretend to brag about being in a warmer climate because I do really miss the snow and the Christmas tree farms but it is such a different feel to the Holiday season than I have ever been a part of.  

The one thing I’ve enjoyed a lot of this year is being in a house. Since our marriage, Traci and I have only ever been able to decorate for Christmas with a tree and the Christmas village my mother loved so dearly. While we still have those, living in a house has given me the chance to HANG CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. Very few people know this is actually one of my favorite things to do around the holidays. 

As far as life in general, we  are still slowly adapting to the culture here in Tucson. We’ve become more aware of what is around us for entertainment, shopping, groceries and in the wonderful outdoors. There is still so much more to Tucson that we need to get around to visiting but its been a great adventure for the most part. 

Leyla is growing and growing and so is our love for her, as well as our patience. We have really enjoyed seeing the progress that she is making. I’ll save most of that update for Traci’s  corner but let me just say she surprises us more and more each day. 

 Blessings to you all,

Matt, Traci & Leyla