I’m so excited to introduce you to the lady that opened the door for our current resurgence of quality biblical novels. When I took my first book proposal to a writer’s conference in 2001, I had a small component of biblical fiction buried within a Bible study. The editor shook his head and, among his myriad of objections, said: “Biblical …
Nicknames, Name Changes, & Nightmare Pronunciations
If you’ve ever read one of my novels, you know they’re filled with difficult-to-pronounce names. I try to extend mercy to my readers by assigning nicknames to the characters, a practice I’ve found nowhere in historical records. But nicknames are something with which modern-day readers are familiar. My readers also have to keep up with character name changes, sometimes changed by God, other times …
Who is Hephzibah?
There are several women in Scripture for whom my heart absolutely aches. Leah, because her husband Jacob openly loved his other wife, Rachel, more. Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose joy of birth and early motherhood gave way to letting go of the unpredictable and divine Son she watched die on the Cross. And then there is Hephzibah. She was wife of Hezekiah, …
Who is Micah?
When we look at the people in our churches, we see great variety. Tall and short. Young and old. Thin and . . . not so thin (especially after all those Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies!). Big churches, little churches, well-to-do parishes, and those that struggle financially. We could break it down into Protestant, Catholic, Evangelicals and then name various denominations. But what’s …
Who is Ahaz?
When was the last time you ran into an “Ahaz?” I think the wacko sea captain that chased Moby Dick is the only Ahaz I’ve ever heard of—well, besides the scoundrel-king we’ll talk about today. King Ahaz, son of Jotham and father of Hezekiah, was the twelfth king of Judah and nearly destroyed the nation with his idolatry. Dates of …
Who Is Hezekiah?
Hezekiah is an Old Testament king that I’m excited to meet in heaven. I have this image of him in my head—tall, dark, and handsome sort. His story can be found in three books of the Bible: 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32, and Isaiah 36-37. As with most kings, the accounts in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles are similar, …