Blog
As a homeschooling veteran, I review middle-grade stories to help parents, librarians, and teachers choose good books.
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Gideon’s victory; Part 4
Part 1 2 3 4 5 I am a neighbor of Gideon. They call me Elkanah. I was with the three brothers of Gideon when they were ambushed by the kings of the great army of Midian, who roamed the hillsides with 30 men looking for sport a few weeks ago. I rolled under a bush, but...
What did Abraham know, and when did he know it?
Partway through his earthly ministry, Jesus stands in the Temple exchanging barbs with some naysayers. He drops an interesting comment: "Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56 NIV). Believers ever since have...
Gideon, mighty warrior; Part 3
Part 1 2 3 4 5 Alas, the enemies of Israel have come to teach us a lesson. The desert kings of Midian and of the peoples around us have joined together and brought a mighty army moving right into the Jezreel Valley below our hillside caves. We harvested the crops we...
Gideon, man of God? Part 2
Part 1 2 3 4 5 Lying on my blanket in the family cave in the night, I, Gideon, marvel. Today I met the Lord and lived. A god, someone who could work a miracle: consuming the offering I gave him. What else can this tribal god do? Is he stronger than Baal and Asherah? I...
Gideon’s journey begins; Part 1
Part 1 2 3 4 5 I am Gideon. I'm afraid the Midianites will catch me threshing this little bit of wheat that my family was able to grow and harvest. I hate those Midianites, who like locusts descend on Israel at harvest time and take away the crops, leaving...
Jacob deceives his father Isaac
My name is Jacob. I have a twin brother, Esau, who is a few minutes older. Before we were born, God told our mother Rebekah that the older would serve the younger. This means that the younger son, I, Jacob, would some day be the boss over the older son, Esau. I...
Ehud changes his mind
You are Ehud, a timid man with handicaps. You live in Israel during the time of the Judges, when the children of Israel occupy the promised land in a tenuous kind of way, bedeviled by the Canaanites and their tempting fertility worship while forgetting who their help...
God plans ahead
God chose the spot where he asked Abraham to build an altar and sacrifice his son Isaac. God told Abraham to take the boy to “a place I will show you.” It was several days’ walk from where Abraham lived in the Negev desert. When they got close, Abraham laid the...
Trusting God
Imagine that you are Rebekah, a young Aramean woman, not yet married. You live in Haran in a household that includes your elderly father but is run by your brother Laban. You have a comfortable niche, with friends and servants, a mother, maybe sisters. Life is looking...
Focusing on God
Why is paying attention to God so difficult? I have great intentions every day to pray a lot and let the Lord guide me through my decisions of the day: how I will spend my time, what I will focus on. But things degenerate pretty quickly. Soon I'm making choices...
Focusing on God
Why is paying attention to God so difficult? I have great intentions every day to pray a lot and let the Lord guide me through my decisions of the day: how I will spend my time, what I will focus on. But things degenerate pretty quickly. Soon I'm making choices...
What do disciples, writers, and faith have in common?
How many times have we as writers been discouraged, passed over for a book contract, received a rejection letter or fought writer’s block? What did we do? Peter gives us a great example of what we should do. His faith inspires us to step out of our comfort zone and meet Jesus. But we can all relate to what happened next. Peter turned his attention to the storm.