Fact or Fiction: Joseph’s wife Asenath was held captive in a tower before she married Joseph? Well, I counted it as sort of both. An ancient Jewish novel, written sometime between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D., tells the story of Joseph and Asenath. It was reworked a few centuries later as ancient Christian fiction! Fascinating, huh, to think that “biblical …
The Fallout of Betrayal: Part III – Judah’s Redemption
Have you ever wanted to run away from home? When I was little—maybe five or six—I had a friend over to play and I remember feeling like my mom liked her better than she liked me. The sting of betrayal was sharp, and I somehow talked myself into believing my family wouldn’t miss me if I ran away. I packed …
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 …
3 Reasons Judah’s Exile to Babylon Matters to YOU
Some of you may know my personal testimony of becoming a Christ follower. If you haven’t read it, here’s a quick synopsis. I’m a spiritual mutt. Dad was Quaker. Mom’s charismatic. Grandparents were ordained ministers in the Pilgrim Holiness, then Nazarene, and then Wesleyan denominations. Scripture was used as ammunition in their holy wars at dinner, and by the time I was …
Thankful To Be A Child of Abraham
Yep, the ornery-looking girl in the too-tight jeans with a mischievous grin—that’s me, back in my BC days. At that stage of life, I wanted nothing to do with Jesus and I hated history. Couldn’t stand to be in the same room with my parents and refused to crack open a Bible. Typical rebellious teen. I remember spouting off to my U.S. History teacher—face-to-face, …
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 …