In June of 2018, I began dreaming of returning to Israel for a second trip. My hubby Roy and I had made our first pilgrimage in 2000. We thought a 2020 trip to celebrate my 10th traditionally published novel, Isaiah’s Legacy, was a great reason to organize a readers’ tour of the biblical and historical sites mentioned in my books. …
Was Assyria’s King Sennacherib Married to a Hebrew?
The bronze (originally gold-plated) relief above commemorates the restoration of Babylon by Esarhaddon, ca. 681-669 BC. Some scholars believe his mama was Hebrew. Can you see the short, chubby mama (center of pic) standing behind her strapping young son? Yep, that’s Naqi’a-Zakutu (called simply Naqia in Isaiah’s Legacy). Why was she important enough to etch into a relief found in the temple of …
3 Ways King Manasseh Was Toughest & Best
See the gal in the picture on the right? We’ve been best friends since 6th grade. See that cute little lady in the middle? That’s my mama. We celebrated her 90th birthday a couple of months ago. Want to know what these two special ladies have in common? They’re the toughest women I know–and they’d do anything for those they …
The Power of the Prodigal
Children have a strange power over us, don’t they? A newborn hand gripping a new dad’s thumb can drive a hulking man to his knees in tears of thanks. A baby’s giggle can turn tears of grief into a hopeful smile. But a child’s rebellion can affect the whole family. How do I know? Well, we’ll save my personal story for future posts. Suffice it to say, prodigals wield a power to destroy, but when their …
The Difference Between Forgiveness and Consequences
Picture a beautiful sunny day in the Caribbean. My hubby and I had saved our pennies for a family cruise on our older daughter’s senior-year spring break. On this day we’d chosen an excursion on inner-tube motor boats. Dad got one daughter. I got the other. The guide instructed us on how to accelerate, how to steer, and off we went—about 15 of these cumbersome, floating, …
God’s Big Plan
When was the last time you witnessed a child having a full-blown meltdown in public; complete with head-pounding, ear-piercing, chest rattling shrieking, kicking, and crying their demands? I used to judge. I used to think that mother or father a terrible parent. Until I had children—and now grandchildren. Can I just say, Thank the Lord for Facebook and Instagram! These completely unrealistic snapshots of our lives at least balance …