Writing historical fiction is usually research intensive. Sometimes every sentence needs to be researched. Comments that in contemporary fiction would be commonplace need to be meticulously fact-checked. Something like, “He considered her opinion as he bit into the juicy peach,” means you have to make sure there were peaches in that time, in that season, in that place. Maybe peach …
From Slaves to Rock Stars
The ancient copper mines in Timna Valley of southern Israel have long been associated with King Solomon’s mines. Brand new findings, however, indicate that the metalworkers there weren’t Edomite slaves, as has been assumed based mainly on the horrid conditions of the desert, but rather esteemed craftsmen. Men with the knowledge to smelt and work copper would have been highly …
“Sweeter than Honey to My Mouth!”
When I was young, we used to drive from my home in San Diego to visit my grandparents in Blythe, California on the Colorado River, on the border of California and Arizona. On the way we usually stopped in Indio at a date farm and purchased some of the glossy brown, sweet fruit. I remember wandering through the rows of …
By the Waters of Kadesh in Kindle
By the Waters of Kadesh is now in Kindle! In celebration, I’ve uploaded the first three chapters on my website. Read without risk! Kadesh is the sequel to In the Shadow of Sinai, but you don’t have to have read Sinai to enjoy Kadesh. It starts just after the Israelites have escaped Egypt and spent the first year of …
Anger or Hubris? You Decide
In Numbers 20, Moses is commanded by God to speak to the rock and bring forth water for the thirsty people of Israel at he end of their forty years of wandering. But he doesn’t speak to it, he strikes it. And for that offense, both he and Aaron are barred from entering the Promised Land with their people. There …
The Power of Story-Telling
Everyone loves stories. Jesus told stories, and the people listened. They loved and remembered them. Oral cultures in many parts of the world rely almost exclusively on stories in communicating and teaching. Missionaries have rediscovered the effectiveness of using Bible stories. Conveying the truths of Scripture in story form makes a lasting impression. I write for a ministry called Christ …
Join Me on a New Adventure!
This year I’m embarking on a new adventure with some very dear friends, and a couple new ones. Tanya and Jennifer are fellow writers for Christ to the World Ministries, a group that writes dramas that are then translated and broadcast to 32 countries around the world. Eileen, Diana and Delia are friends of friends! Together we are starting a …
As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem…
Although it is one of the oldest cities in the world, Jerusalem was not particularly significant to the Jewish people until the time of David. When the spies visited Canaan, it would have been just another city sitting on the Way of the Patriarchs. During the time of Joshua, the king of Jerusalem actually forged an alliance with four …
“Walled up to Heaven”
When the spies visited Hebron, they found a city “walled up to heaven.” (Deut 1:28) They found out why—the city was inhabited by the Anakim. It’s complicated to explain the Anakim, and there are several theories still very much in play, but here is what I have learned as best as I understand it. (It’s helpful to know the –im …
The Original Tract Housing
When archeologists excavated Arad, they found many stone dwellings in what seemed to be a residential area. Streets and alleys ran between the blocks of houses that were of differing sizes (500 to 1500 square feet), but they were nearly identical: a walled courtyard, a long living room and a small or kitchen. The rectangular living room was open to …