Authorpreneur Dashboard – James Michael Becher

James Michael Becher

Principles of the Kingdom (God's Success Principles)

Self-Help

It is this author's contention that God has several principles, which if followed can lead to success either in business or in life itself. He further contends that although many of these same principles may be found among the motivational speakers and thinkers of today, that they were originally derived from Holy Scripture, whether or not these modern spokespersons are aware of it. He points to Jesus' teachings on the growth and inclusiveness of the kingdom to show that not everyone who preaches or practices Kingdom principles will be found to be in the Kingdom at the end. The seventeen chapters of this book contain seventeen articles relating to seventeen of these principles with quotable quotes and examples from the author's novel, Of Such Is The Kingdom, A novel of Biblical Times. For a list of the principles included in this work, check the Table of Contents.

Book Bubbles from Principles of the Kingdom (God's Success Principles)

Quotable Quotes on vision

Here is the entire Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 7 on Vision.

More on Vision: From Purpose to Mission

This excerpt repeats the last paragraph of the preceeding one both as reminder ad to tie it in with the next point. After making the prvious one, I realized that, since vision stems frompurpose and results in mission, these two s sections needed to be tied together.

Formula For Dynamic Living explained

his excerpt is from Chapter 2. It.'s fairly short, but I should have made this one before, Although it's fairly short, It's very important and at the heart of much that is covered in this book. I trust you will be able to realize why as you study the formula and read my explaination below it.

More on self-image

I offer here a final excerpt from Chapter 3 ("The Greatest Love and Self-Image") of my Biblical self-help book. This excerpt actually covers some of what I included in the previous excerpt, but, I extended it to the end of the chapter. I could have started it with the 2nd paragraph, but I wanted those who may have missed the last one to understand the context, as the second paragraph in this excerpt relates only to those who are redeemed as represented by the little boy's boat. That may be enough to raise some of your curiosity. The 2nd paragraph is talking about sanctification and Spiritual gifts. Then, finally, I cover 5 steps to bring our self-image in line with the Word of God..

Some quotable quotes on use

Here are some quotable quotes from the quotable quotes section of Chapter 5 ("Purpose and Use) of my Biblical self-help book, Principles of the Kingdom." The last 3 are from the Bible. I hope you can see some relation between the sayings of famous men and those of holy writ, although, of course, to me, the scripture carries the most weight. The last quote relates to Spiritual gifts which we have already discussed in a previous excerp

Quotable Quotes on FOCUS

Here is the entire Quotable Quotes section for Chapter 9: FOCUS. I'm sure you'll find them useful in helping you keep your focus...

FOCUS

Here is the entire text portion of Chapter 9-FOCUS. I added this Chapter because I realized how important it is to ignore distractions and keep our focus on the main things which can help to fulfill our vision and bring about our purpose.

Chapter 5-Purpose And Uae

Here is the entire Chapter 5: Purpoe And Use". where I attempt to tie in purpose with use, mainly the use of our gifts and talents fo God's glory. I also attempt to explain the difference between Spiritual gifts and talents

Quotable Quotes on Priorities

Here is the entire Quotqble Quotes section of Chapter 6: "Priorities."

Priorities

Somehow, I missed including this chapter until now. I guess it wasn't a priority, ha ha!. And I almost missed including it in the book (same reason, ha ha!) I did include it because, in addition to knowing our purpose, and as a result of the same, having a clear outline and understanding of our priorities will guide us in the use of our time talents and treasure. This chapter had to follow the ones on purpose, since our priorities must grow out of our purpose. And goals in turn can grow out of priorities, but not vice versa. So, here, I show how to list priorities.

Quotable Quotes on Success And The Bible

Here are 6 Quotable Quotes on success and the Bible, pointing the importance of reading and studying the Bible for successful living.. The first 3 are from famous people past and present and the last 3 are from the Bible itself.

Formula For Dynamic Living

This excerpt is from Chapter 2. It.'s short, but I should have made this one before, Although short, It's very important and at the heart of much that is covered in this book.

Quotable Quotes on Purpose

Here is the entire Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 4: Purpose

Quotable quotes on being still and resting

Here is the entire Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 17 ("Slow Down and Rest") of my self-help book. As you will see, most of them (11-19) are from Holy Scripture. I didn't plan it that way, but it just seems that the Bible has a lot to say about being still and resting. I trust you will find these quotes helpful in causing you to be still and rest.

From the Reviews

My non-fiction Biblical self-help success book, Principles of the Kingdom (God' Success Principles) received the following great 5 Star review on Reader's Favorite and another great review on Author's Den. The only fault I find with the first review is that she said each chapter has quotes from a famous person (singular). she should have said "famous people," (plural), but other than that, it's a great review. And the second one is really excellent. I hadn't thought before about it being able to be used in Bible classes, as suggested in the first review, but I suppose she's right--it very well could. So order your copies.

5 Star Review

My non-fiction Biblical self-help success book, Principles of the Kingdom (God' Success Principles) recieved the following great 5 Star review on Reader's Favorite. The only fault I find is that she said each chapter has quotes from a famous person (singular). she should have said "famous people," (plural), but other than that, it's a great review. I hadn't thought before about it being able to be used in Bible classes, but I suppose she's right--it verry well could. So order your copies.

No Ishmaels Please

Before you get upset at the title, let me assure you that I'm not talking about people with the name Ishmael. What I'm talking about is anything which is the result of a lack of faith and trying to help God out by our own efforts. That's what Abraham tried to do and the result was something that God had not intended and which became a source of trouble. I compare here Abraham's action with that of Barabbas in my Biblical novel. But I close this excerpt on a semi-positive note regarding the working of God's grace in how Abraham was remembered.

The Greatest Love

Since Valentine's day is here, I thought I should share something about love from Chapter 3 of my Biblical self-help book. This excerpt first of all gives, in a nutshell, the meaning of the 3 main Greek words for love. Our English word "love" is too broad, covering many meanings, while the Greek language, in which the New Testament was originally written has several words, these 3 being the most widely used. Following a brief look at the 3 Greek words, I then quote an extended passage from Mary Ellen Grisham, as an illustration and application of agape love as it applies to marriage. The main thing I wanted readers to get from this was the selfless doing of agape love. Toward the end of the quote she applies the concept of doing to the other forms of love, but, to be clear, that doesn't mean that agape relates to the other forms--only that the evidence of any form of love is seen in the doing. My last sentence in this excerpt relates agape specifically to God.

Quotable quotes on resting

Here is most of the Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 17 ("Slow Down and Rest") of my self-help book. As you will see, most of them (11-19) are from Holy Scripture. I didn't plan it that way, but it just seems that the Bible has a lot to say about being still and resting. I trust you will find these quotes helpful in causing you to be still and rest.

Loyalty, Vision and Mission

Here's one part of Chapter 1 of my self-help book which I previously skipped over, but I'm posting it now because I realized it is important. The subject is loyalty or sticking with your chosen field and envisioning future results. Its actually a part of having a vision and it's what enables the vision to become the final step, namely mission.

My poem about slowing down

I included my own poem called "I Saw A Child Watching Some Birds Today" in Chapter 17 ("Slow Down and Rest") of my self-help book, because I felt it fit the subject nicely. The poem is based on an actual experience I had While attending Bob Jones University I was walking across campus one day with my head full of intellectual concerns, when I happened to see a child, probably one of the faculty's children, watching some birds. I was struck with the wonder with which he watched, contrasted with my own preoccupation and I rushed back to my room and wrote this poem. It tells my impression of the situation and the lesson of slowing down and being aware that I learned. Following the poem I make a final observation.

Be still

In this Bookbubble from the final chapter of my self-help book, I become vulnerable, giving some embarrassing examples from my own life of times when I should have slowed down and waited on the LORD, but instead forged ahead on my own and got in trouble, or panicked and lost my cool. I use these examples not to show how dumb I was, but to be an encouragement to you, as we are all in the same boat. As one commercial said, we all do dumb things. But I use these examples to show how you may avoid similar mistakes by slowing down and trusting God. (More to come) --------------------------------

Quotable quotes on exclusion

Having posted about the principle of exclusion and shared the powerful poem on the same subject, I now post the quotable quotes section of the same chapter, so you can see what other people, famous and anonymous, and even Holy scripture say about the principle of exclusion..

A poignant poem

I included in the chapter on exclusion in my self-help book, a poignant poem by Philip t. DeRiggi on cleaning house, i.e. getting rid of what you don't want in order to make room for what you do want. I thought the poem said it better than I could, and I'm sure you'll agree, as you read it. Is it time to do some house cleaning?

Exclusion

Here's part of Chapter 16 ("The Principle of Exclusion") of my self-help book. Even though it's toward the end of the book, this chapter is of utmost importance, since if we fail to get rid of old thinking patterns they can undo any progress we have made so far. I use illustrations from my Biblical novel and show the importance of monitoring what we put into our minds.

Quotable quotes on sowing and reaping

Here's the Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 15 ("Sowing and Reaping, Giving and Receiving") of my self-help book. I'm sure you can use all of them. 3 are from unknown sources and 4 are from the Bible, but all are pointed and emphasize the principle of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. ---------- NOTE: Now for a limited time you can purchase the eBook of this title from Apple iBooks, Kobo, or Smashwords for only $0.99

Sowing and Reaping, Giving and Receiving

Here's most of Chapter 15 ("Sowing and Reaping") of my self-help book. I have no examples from my novel in this chapter, but I quote from both Jesus and Paul. Then I give some basic assumptions on giving and receiving. Finally, I refer to both Genesis and Ecclesiastes for some insight on seasons, and then return to Paul to show how the natural law is applied Spiritually..

Quotes on Self-discipline

Having shown the importance of self-discipline and of avoiding its opposite, self-indulgence, here are most of the quotes from the Quotable Quotes section of the chapter (Chapteer 14: "Self-control or Discipline") of my self-help book. Some of the authors of the quotes are unknown, but most are from famous people and the last 3 are from Holy scripture. See what they all have to say about the importance of self-discipline.

Self-Indulgence

Having stressed the need for self-discipline, I turn to its opposite in order to show contrast. And I give the example of Herod from my Biblical novel as a classic example of self-indulgence. Since this is a relatively short section, I also add here the first quote from the Quotable Quotes section, which is a rather long but pointed quote from Theodore Roosevelt.

Self Control or Discipline

I follow up the chapter on enthusiasm with this one on self-control or discipline. The seem to be opposites, but they actually balance each other out. I trace the meaning and word origins as I did with enthusiasm and give the example of Barabbas from my Biblical novel. I also show the harsh meaning of the Greek phrase used by Paul to show the importance of discipline.

Some quotable quotes on enthusiasm

In the previous Bookbubble,I examined the origins of the word "enthusiasm" and applied it Spiritually. Whether or not you agreed with my conclusion, you can still enjoy and employ these quotable quotes on the subject of enthusiasm, taken from the Quotable Quotes section of the same chapter. I start here with #6, (which is from Winston Churchill) as it ties in with the concept of belief which was the last subject covered. This is followed by quotes from A. J. Herschel, Agatha Christie, Camus, Mary Kay, Ralph Marston and 3 from Holy scripture, all showing the importance of enthusiasm.

Attitude and Enthusiasm

Here is most of Chapter 13 ("Attitude and Enthusiasm") of my self-help book. After stressing the importance of enthusiasm, I give a detailed etymology of the word, showing its relationship with spirituality in order to show Biblically what is it's true source. You may be surprised and you may not agree, but at least it's something to consider.

Quotes on belief

Here are most of the quotes from the Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 12 ("Belief") of my self-help book. It is my hope that these quotes serve to underline the preceding content in the chapter.

Helping or believing?

In the previous excerpt from this, my self-help book, I explained how Abraham tried to help God to fulfil His promise and ended up creating an "Ishmael" (And although that was the name of the son that resulted, I use it also as a picture of something which is not God's best and which can even produce trouble as Ishmael later did.) Because God didn't remember Abraham's failure, I don't even mention mine, but I continue the thought here in answering the question of what to do when that happens, and then I include a very helpful quote from an unknown author on giving everything to God.

Faith (No Ishmaels Please)

Before you get upset at the subtitle, let me assure you that I'm not talking about people with the name Ishmael. What I'm talking about is anything which is the result of a lack of faith and trying to help God out by our own efforts. That's what Abraham tried to do and the result was something that God had not intended and which became a source of trouble. I compare here Abraham's action with that of Barabbas in my Biblical novel. But I close this excerpt on a positive note regarding the working of God's grace in how Abraham was remembered.

Quotes on Fear

Here's some quotes from the Quotable quotes section of Chapter 11 ("Conquering Your Fears") of my self-help book. In the previous BookBubble from this book, there were two quotes from the Bible included in text. The quotes section has seven (7) quotes from the Bible as well as 13 from famous people (8 of which are included here). I'm sure you'll find all of these quotes helpful. To see the other 5, you'll have to buy the book.

Conquering irrational fear

Having explained the difference between normal and irrational fear, I concentrate on the latter and how to conquer it. I quote first from Norman V. Peal on standing up to your fears. Then, on identifying our fears, I quote from the gospel of John and the book of Job. In keeping with my designation of this book as a Biblical self-help book, I try to quote scripture as much as possible, and here it really fits.

Fear

In the first part of Chapter 11 ("Conquer Your Fears.") of my Biblical self-help book, I first distinguish between normal and and abnormal fear, the former being good and even necessary, while the latter is debilitating. I use an example of Barabbas and his wife from my Biblical novel, from which I will mext post an excerpt.

Quotes about goals

Having shown the importance of goals (or at least objectives [which may really be the same thing]) instead of posting the next section of Chapter 8 (:What About Goals?") of my self-help book, which tells briefly how to set goals and properly limit them), I thought I would instead list some quotes about goals. So, here are some helpful quotes-- the last 7 quotes from the Quotable quotes section of I'm sure you can benefit from them all. The last 3 are from the Bible.

What about Goals?

Is it important to set goals in order to achieve our dreams? What is the difference between goals and objectives? Why don't most people set goals? These and other questions are answered in this chapter of my self-help book.

More quotes on vision:

Here's more of Quotable quotes section of Chapter 7 ("Vision") of my self-help book. Here are quotes from both famous people and the Bible, showing the importance and means of having and keeping a vision.

More on Vision with Quotable quotes

Here's the end of the prose part of Chapter 7 ("Vision") of my Biblical self-help book, with the first part of the Quotable quotes section, starting with a quote from the Biblical book of proverbs. There are more quotes in the book, so you really should purchase it to get the full benefit. Also I didn't pick up exactly where I left off last time. There's some intervening material.between the last excerpt and this one, but this one relates the concept of vision to that of mission.

More examples of vision

Having given the example of Pilate's wife in my last excerpt, I now follow it with a few more examples, only one of which is from my Biblical novel "Of Such Is The Kingdom." In addition to this one, John the Baptist, I also offer the example of Edison and Col. Sanders. I tie it in with purpose in the last sentence of the paragraph.

Have a Vision

Here's the first part of Chapter 7 ("Vision") of my Biblical Self-help book. Here we see the relationship between purpose, vision and inspiration. We also see just what having a vision looks like, and how to obtain one. There is also an illustration here from my Biblical Novel "Of Such Is The Kingdom" about Pilate's wife. Thus, my next bubble may be from that part of that book to give you a better idea of what I mean. The two books (this one and the novel) are best bought together.

Quotes on love and self image

Here's the Quotable Quotes section of Chapter 3 ("The Greatest Love and Self-Image") of my Biblical self-help book. As Valentine's day is around the corner, I chose to include the whole section in order to include the first and last quote. The first is from Norman V. Peale on being a love cell. Then there are several quotes related to self-image, and the last quote is from the Apostle Paul in and leading up to the great love chapter of the Bible.

More on self-image

I offer here another excerpt from Chapter 3 ("The Greatest Love and Self-Image") of my Biblical self-help book. This excerpt actually covers some of what I included in the previous excerpt, but, I extended it a paragraph further. I could have made it to cover only the last paragraph, but I wanted those who may have missed the last one to understand the context, as the last paragraph in this excerpt relates only to those who are redeemed as represented by the little boy's boat. That may be enough to raise some of your curiosity. The last paragraph is talking about sanctification and Spiritual gifts.

God's love and self-image

Here's another excerpt from Chapter 3 ("The Greatest Love and Self-Image") of my Biblical self-help book. I use here a well known story of a boy and his boat to illustrate God's love for us as shown both in creation and in redemption. I included this story and this chapter as a way of making the way of salvation clear as well as relating it to the concept of self-image. Read it and see if you don't agree. ----------------- NOTE: Now for a limited time you can purchase the eBook of this title from Apple iBooks, Kobo, or Smashwords for only $0.99

More on agape: an extended quote

Here's more from Chapter 3 of my Biblical self-help book. Here I quote an extended passage from Mary Ellen Grisham, as an illustration and application of agape love as it applies to marriage. The main thing I wanted readers to get from this was the selfless doing of agape love. Toward the end of the quote she applies the concept of doing to the other forms of love, but, to be clear, that doesn't mean that agape relates to the other forms--only that the evidence of any form of love is seen in the doing. My last sentence in this excerpt relates agape specifically to God. ----------- NOTE: Now for a limited time you can purchase the eBook of this title from Apple iBooks, Kobo, or Smashwords for only $0.99

3 words for love

Since Valentine's day is coming up, I thought I should share something about love from Chapter 3 of my Biblical self-help book. This is a very brief excerpt, but it gives, in a nutshell, the meaning of the 3 main Greek words for love. Our English word "love" is too broad, covering many meanings, while the Greek language, in which the New Testament was originally written has several words, these 3 being the most widely used.

Some quotable quotes on use

Here are some quotable quotes from the quotable quotes section of Chapter 5 ("Purpose and Use) of my Biblical self-help book, Principles of the Kingdom." The last 3 are from the Bible. I hope you can see some relation between the sayings of famous men and those of holy writ, although, of course, to me, the scripture carries the most weight. The last quote relates to Spiritual gifts which we have already discussed in a previous excerpt.

More on Purpose and Use

Here is more of Chapter 5 ("Purpose and Use") of my Biblical self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom." I refer here to Pat Robertson's concept of "the law of use" and also to Jesus' parable of the talents as I further explore using our God-given talents for His purpose. Toward the end I also tie in my example from my Biblical novel "Of Such Is The Kingdom," about Pilate. This example refers to and explains the excerpt I posted yesterday about "Pilate and Herod." ------ And this book is still only $9.99 on Amazon.

Purpose and Use

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 5 of "Principles of the Kingdom," where I attempt to tie in purpose with use, mainly the use of our gifts and talents fo God's glory. I also attempt to explain the difference between Spiritual gifts and talents

More on purpose:

Here's a little more about purpose from my Biblical self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom," with an illustration about Barabbas from my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom."

The Importance of PURPOSE

Here's an excerpt on purpose from my Biblical self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom." I quote a little from Rick Warren, as it was his book, "The Purpose Driven Life" which started me thinking about the importance of purpose, when my mom's church was studying it. I take his main thought, that it starts with God and take it a bit further. Also in this excerpt, I illustrate the importance of purpose with one the characters in my novel "Of Such Is The Kingdom," namely the beggar, Timotheus. I will post an excerpt from the novel about him later.

More on success and the Bible

This excerpt is a follow-up of a previous excerpt about the importance of the Bible for successful living.

Quotable quotes on success and inspiration

Here are the Quotable quotes section of Chapter 1 of "Principles of the Kingdom," being quotes on success and inspiration.

Inspiration continued: Mission

Here's the last paragraph of Chapter 1 of my Biblical self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom." This excerpt details mission as the final component of inspiration. At the end of the paragraph there is included an example from my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom."

Inspiration continued: Focus

Here's more on Inspiration from Chapter 1 of "Principles of the Kingdom." This excerpt is about another crucial aspect of inspiration, namely focus.

Inspiration continued: Purpose

Here is another excerpt from Chapter 1 of my Self-help book "Principles of the Kingdom," which takes up where the last one on "Inspiration" left off. It discusses briefly the first crucial element of inspiration, namely, purpose.

Quotes on forgetting

Here are a few quotes from the "Quotable Quotes" section of the chapter on "Forgetting the Past." There is a "Quotable Quotes" section at the end of every chapter of this book.

More on forgetting

As the new year approaches and we tend to look back, I thought it appropriate to continue with excerpts from my chapter on forgetting the past. This excerpt points out the importance of doing so. The first paragraph is a partial quote from Norman Vincent Peale. Then I include a quote from the musical, "The Sound of Music," and then an example from my Biblical novel 'Of Such Is the Kingdom" so you can see how I tie it in. I close with an important "how" question which I MAY answer in tomorrow's bubble.

Forget the past and look ahead.

Well, here we are almost at the end of another year, looking forward to the New Year. I thought it especially appropriate to add here some excerpts from Chapter 10 of my my self-help book, "Forgetting the past." No matter what mistakes we made in 2015, we need to forget them and move on as we look toward the new year.

The kingdom and the principles

Here is a brief glimpse of the purpose of the title of this non-fiction book. Based on the parables of Jesus and their explanation, I explain why I think the principles in this book are valuable and will be helpful for anyone, and also why I use illustrations from my Biblical novel.

Why the Bible?

In this excerpt, you will see why I like to quote from the Bible and why the Bible can help you to succeed in life.

The essence of inspiration

Just what is inspiration, what does it do, and of what does it consist? You'll find the answers to theses questions here, but barely. I pose that inspiration consists of three elements. But why these three in particular, and how do these elements fit and work together? together, Stay tuned or buy the book. The print book is only 6.99 on Amazon,

Chapter titles

Here are the Chapter titles, so you can get an idea of what is covered in this book. Each chapter focuses on a specific success principle with illustrations from my Biblical novel and quotable quotes.

Of Such Is The Kingdom, A Novel of Biblical Times in 3 parts

Literature & Fiction

Can a cynical, nonconformist, dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmith, and a musing mendicant all find true fulfillment in ancient Palestine? And at what cost? Find out in this intriguing 2020 Readers Favorites award winner.
The nonconformist, Manaheem, Herod's truth-seeking foster brother, is hired by Herod Antipas to foment an insurrection against Pontius Pilate, whom Herod fears. Manaheem, in turn, recruits the disgruntled blacksmith, Barabbas, to lead the insurrection - much to the dismay of Barabbas's Godly but fearful wife. Pontius Pilate is a weak ruler, whose wife pushes him to take over Herod's territory. Meet a young pensive mendicant, who joins with an older beggar unsympathetic to his younger partner's musings.
Meanwhile, Manaheem reunites with his former wife, Claressa. Then, in need of money, after much soul searching, tries to blackmail Herod, losing Claressa in the process. Will he win her back?
Barabbas turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of the two beggars.
Timotheus, the younger beggar almost turns back
Does redemption lie ahead, and at what cost to those who find it? Find out in this incredible tale filled with conflict, suspicion, and treachery

Book Bubbles from Of Such Is The Kingdom, A Novel of Biblical Times in 3 parts

The Search

Here is the very first part of the first Chapter of Part I. Here, I introduce a mysterious stranger who is searching to find the right person to enlist as an insurrection leader. I purposefully keep this character's identity secret for a while, in order to build more suspense. Also, by way of the stranger's search, I also introduce 3 more characters all of whom will also play an important role..

The Plan and a New Resolve

Here is most of Part I, Chapter 7, "The Plan," as Pilate and Procla move from vision to mission, forming and finalizing their plan to ruin Herod by sending accusing letters to Caesar. Then, we also see Pilates new resolve come into play as a messenger arrives from Herod.

Freedom And Substitution

Here is all of Chapyrt i8, where we see the unex[prcted trsult of Barabbas' release.

The Truth

Here is all of Part II Chapter 17, "The Truth" SPOILER ALERT: In case you haven't guessed it by now, the two beggars have become the two thieves crucified with Jesus. I purposely did not use the traditional names, since the thieves are not actually named in the Bible, and, to add the element of surprise. Here we see how they are sentenced--or at least how it could have come about. The scripture only mentions them so here I fill in some details from my sactified imagination.

Friends Again

Here is all of Chapter 16. In this Chapter, I expanded on Luke 23:12 where we are told thatPilate nd Herod became friends afgain. It's 's easily assumed that this was because of the case of Jesus, but just how? I decided to tie it in with Pilate's offer to release Jesus based on the custom of releasing one prisoner at Pasover, But whose idea was it? [Spoiler alert] I decided to give that honr to Herod, thus making it a contributing factor in the renewing of their friendship.

No Signs For Herod

This Bookbubble details what happened after Pilate sent Jesus to Herod. Tbe scene is basically fund in in Scripture. I just embeleshed it a bit. I a;so pictured Manaheem zs being present.

Jurisdiction

Here we see what happened when they brought Jesus tp Pilate. First his wife tells about her dream and then he we see his decision to send him to Herod, Finally we get sme insight the thoughts of both Pilate and his wife regarding what happened.

Anxieties and Hopes

I thought it best at this point to include another whole Chapter. This is the first Chapter of Part II and follows on the heels of Barabbas' failed insurrection attempt. This chapter finds him and his gang anxiously hiding out . We also see here the worries and prayers of his family. Finally, we see Manaheem and Claressa. as she anxiously questions him about his mission and he puts her off but shares his hope for a comfortable life with her.

Musings and First Encounter

This excerpt from part I chapter 1 reveals Barabbas' inner musings. I use this sort of stream-of-consciousness motif mainly to show his great discontent and his great hatred for the Romans and their taxation. When a Roman soldier enters, we see even more the extent of his deep hatred. As the soldier leaves, the mysterious stranger enters and Barabbas' treacherous attitude spills over into his conversation with this stranger. Is he in danger due to his rash outburst? Stay tuned or get the book.

Manaheem at the cross, Barabbas at home

This excerpt starts a little further than where the previous one left off. Here we see the effect of the dying Jesus Manaheem. Then we follow Barabbas home to hear him related his experience to his family. There's even a slight hint of the coming resurrection in his last remark

palm Sunday confrontation, robbery and more

The day Barabbas chooses for the robbery just happens to be the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem I wrote it that way in order for Timotheus to have a face to face confrontation with Jesus. Has has seen him before teaching to large crowds of people, but this is the first time he sees him up close. It won't be the last. Next I describe the robbery attempt that takes place during Jesus's triumphal ride. I planed the robbery attempt to coincide with this event because, as Barabbas noted, it offered a distraction, drawing attention away from the trio. In the first part we see the shop owner, Benjamin, deciding, as Barabbas predicted to stay at the shop. Had he decided to close the shop and join the festivities, he might have avoided what happened next.

Decision

Here is the last part of Chapter 7 of Part II, where Timotheus makes his initial decision regarding Barabbas' robbery proposal. Will he stick sith it? Stay tuned or buy the book.

The Shopkeeper

Here's the entire 2nd Chapter of Part II. I included, at this point in the book, another look at Benjamin the shopkeeper, as he will soon play an important though [spoiler alert] an unfortunate part.. As I pointed out the last time we saw him, his life is a contrast in many ways to that of Barabbas.

Robbery-?

Here is the entire Chapter 5, titled "Robbery-?". This is the first hint of what is to come. In need of money, Barabbas decides to try robbery. His men don't agree, so he goes on his own. Deborah and the children are worried when the messenger form Barabbas comes to tell that Barabbas is alight. They are relieved and plan how to survive till he gets back and pray.

Loaves And Fishes

Here is the entire Chapter 4 of Part II. I added this chapter in the 2md edition in order to both draw out the story and show more of the the characters of the beggars, and to include another Biblical miracle of Jesus and to show the reaction of both beggars to it.

Suspicion And Blackmail

This excerpt starts part-way into Chapter 3 of Part II. First, we see Pilate's suspicion of Herod. This plays an important part in the events to follow. Then, the scene changes and we see Manaheem demanding payment from Herod and resorting to blackmail. This will also have a repercussion soon in another area. So stay tuned or buy the book.

The Shopkeeper

Here's the entire 2nd Chapter of Part II. I included, at this point in the book, another look at Benjamin the shopkeeper, as he will soon play an important though [spoiler alert] an unfortunate part.. As I pointed out the last time we saw him, his life is a contrast in many ways to that of Barabbas.

Anxieties and Hopes

I thought it best at this point to include another whole Chapter. This is the first Chapter of Part II and follows on the heels of Barabbas' failed insurrection attempt. This chapter finds him and his gang anxiously hiding out . We also see here the worries and prayers of his family. Finally, we see Manaheem and Claressa. as she anxiously questions him about his mission and he puts her off but shares his hope for a comfortable life with her.

The Order

This excerpt starts shortly after the beginning of the next Chapter titled "The Order." Here we see Herod's reluctance to believe that the attack was from Arates, rather wanting to blame it on Pilate. We also see his callousness in the matter of John's beheading as contrast with Manaheemn's caring attitude. And here we see the order from Herod to Manaheenm to finally go ahead with the insurrection.

The Attack

I included this excerpt as the inevitable result of "the Outrage" (Herod's returning his first wife to her father, Aretas, King of Arabia, Nabatea.) Thus, this part of the Chapter is a necessary follow-up of Aretas' threat. It follows on the heels of John's beheading, leaving the party guests stunned and Herod bewildered. He doesn't suspect it could be from Aretas but has another suspect in mind. Can you guess? Stay tuned. Or buy the book.

John loses his head

John the Baptist's denunciation of Herod for his adultery and bigamy go unheeded and make Herodius more and more upset. In this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 21 ("The Unforgettable Party") I flesh out the Biblical account of Salome's dancing and her resulting horrible request. You will also see Herod's attitude toward the request and why he granted it.

Herod, Herodias and John

This excerp reprises the end of the previous one and continues. Here we see the result of Herod's decision to marry Philip's wife as far as the public and Philip are concerned, as Herod plans to go ahead with the marriage plans. As he starts to call the servants to arrange the wedding invitations, he hears something below. Opening the window, he finds John the Baptist, who denounces him for his bigamy. This seemed the most natural place for his first encounter with the Baptist. This scene seemed the natural follow-up to the previous one, though there are 2 chapters between them-(Chapter 16 introduces John). But here I include first how he hears about Herod's bigamy

The Outrage

Here the scene changes to Aretas' palace in Arabia Pretoria to get the reaction of this potentate to Herod's act of sending his daughter back to him with gifts. This is the only place where Aretas appears, but we will see the result of his reaction later. I thought it necessary to include this scene-change snapshot as a precursor of a possible later event and to build suspense. Then we see John the Baptist as he finds out about Herod's bigamy and plans to confront him. Finally we see Herod and Herodias discussing their marriage plans.

And More Plans

Here is the entire chapter 17 of Part I, "Plans And More Plans.: In this chapter, I contrast the insurrection plans of Barabbas and his gang with the expansion plans of Benjamin, the shopkeeper. We also see how the part of Barabbas' plan to sell his shop was met with his wife. At the end of the section, we see Benjamin.telling his expansion plans, I include news of Jesus' first miracle. It seemed the perfect place to include it.

John the Baptist

Here is most of the 16th chapter of my Biblical novel, which introduces the character of John the Baptist. This chapter also introduces a type of writing style previously unused in the novel, that of first-person stream-of-consciousness narrative. Here John speaks in the first person, revealing his inmost thoughts, ideas, self-doubts and struggles. And it is here that we can see the origin of John's vision as I referred to in a previous bubble, from "Principles of the Kingdom."

Blackmail or Bigamy

The gospels tell us that John the Baptist denounced king Herod because he had married Herodias, his brother, Philip's wife. In writing my Biblical novel. I decided to flesh out this affair and imagine how this bigomistic marriage came to be. If you've been following my "#BookBubbles, you'll remember that in a previous excerpt, Mahaheem's attention was called to Herod's wandering glances at Philip's wife when the two had come to call. Here in this excerpt Manaheem catches the king in the act and decides to turn it to his advantage by blackmailing the king. At first, Herod agrees to the price but then decides to take a more drastic course of action to rid himself of the blackmail.

Messiah?

This excerpt from Chapter 14, we see the contrast between the attitude of Timotheus and that of Lucas in regard to what happened and to the promised Messiah. As usual, Timotheus is seeking truth and Lucas is talking him out of it. Will Timotheus find the truth he seeks? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Deborah's fears

As promised, in this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 13 ("Plans") of my Biblical novel, we see the fears of Barabbas' wife, Deborah. This excerpt picks up right after Barabbas arrives home and greets his wife. It ends with her finally, though somewhat grudgingly accepting his actions, though she's still fearful something might happen to him. He assures her, as best he can that nothing will happen, but, of course he can't guarantee that, so he adds "with your prayers" as a further means of calming her and assuring her acceptance. But, will something happen? You'll have to stay tuned or buy the book to find out.

Plans

Having grasped the vision from the mysterious stranger (whom we know as Manaheem), Barabbas puts it into action by forming the insurrection gang--gathering men around a common objective, namely that of going against Pilate. But until now there were no specific plans or goals set forth--until now. He finally lays out some specifics. but then, going home, he again wonders about telling his wife.

Poverty And Repentance?

The next day, the 2 beggars work another crowd which is listening to John the Baptist and then discuss John's words--or rather Timotheus discusses it with Lucas, who wasn't really paying attention as usual. We see here the different attitudes of the two drawn in sharp contrast until Lucas again manages to quell his partner's anxiousness..

The Gang

Having had the seeds of the vision implanted in his mind by Manaheem, Barabbas now starts to put the vision into action by forming the gang which will do the insurrection. He thinks briefly of his wife-what here response would be-and wonders if he should tell her but puts that thought aside, and marvels at his newfound leadership ability. The Chapter ends with a confrontation with the two beggars, a scene which connects this chapter with the one which follows, so stay tuned or get the book.

The Assignment

Having left the seed of rebellious ideas in the mind of Barabbas, and having been given the official go-ahead by Herod, Manaheem returns to effectively plant the vision of leading an insurrection in the mind of the disgruntled blacksmith. He begins by discussing the evils of the government in general, and then painting Pilate as the real villain to be feared. Note his use of the word "vision." ************* At home, Barabbas tries to get his wife to see the need for action.

The plan and a new resolve

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel, as Pilate and Procla move from vision to mission, forming and finalizing their plan to ruin Herod by sending accusing letters to Caesar. Then, we also see Pilates new resolve come into play as a messenger arrives from Herod.

Pilate And His Wife

In my self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom," I referred to Pilate's wife and her mission to promote her husband. Here is an excerpt from my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom," which shows the struggle as I imagine it that could have taken place between Pilate and his wife. Due to length, I start this excerpt in the middle of a quote by Pilate. ----------------- The 324 page print book is only $21.95 on Amazon. The ebook is still only $2.99 in GooglePlay.

Prelude To Insurrection

Here is the first part of the last Chapter of Part I. I thought I should include this to show the anxiousness of Barabbas and his men prior to the insurrection.

Decisión and Deams

Here is the last part of Chapter 7 and all of Chapter 8 of Part II. I thought these go together as inChapter 7 we see how Timotheus decided to go along with the robbery plot and at the end of Chapter we see his indecision as he weighs the matter again in his mind. In Chapter 8, we also see the thoughts of the other characters as they also mull things over in their minds.

The Proposal

Here is the first and main part of Chapter 7 of Part II, "The Proposal," which is also the Chapter title. This scene may be incidental or may be pivotal . It depends on the decision of Timotheus, the younger beggar. Will he decide to go along and help with this plan which Barabbas is suggesting? stay tuned or buy the book.

Blackmail And Breakup

Here is the entire Chapter 6 of Part II. Here we See Claressa's reaction to Manaheem's blackmailing of Herod and the resulting break-up of her and Manaheem. Then we see Manaheem's reaction to the break-up. I included this in the first person-stream of consciousness (Manaheem's thinking). I use this device (stream-of consciousness) several places in this novel to show the character's thoughts.

The Insurrection

Here is the last part of the last chapter of PART I of my historical fiction novel of Biblical and Roman times. This is what everything has been leading up to--the insurrection. I wrote this part about the insurrection from the viewpoint of Pilate to show another viewpoint and also to add more suspense. So stay tune for PART II or buy the book,

John

Here is all of the 16th chapter of my Biblical novel, which introduces the character of John the Baptist. This chapter also introduces a type of writing style previously unused in the novel, that of first person stream-of-consciousness narrative. Here John speaks in the first person, revealing his inmost thoughts and ideas. And it is here that we can see the origin of John's vision as I referred to in my previous bubble, from "Principles of the Kingdom." Here also we see why John decides to go to Tiberius even before Herod's scandle..

Nonconformity And Romance

Here's a glimpse of the first element of romance in my Biblical novel, as Manaheem tells Herod how he met his now ex-wife Claressa, also a nonconformist. I thought it quite logical that two nonconformists would fall in love, attracted by their mutual belief in nonconformity. And yet, we will see that this very belief and the resulted individualism also drove them apart. This Chapter is important as it servves as necessary background for the re-kindling of that romance later in the novel, which in turn serves as a further plot catalyst (But that's getting ahead of the story.)

First encounter continued: planting the seed

Here is the rest of the stranger's visit, as his true purpose is revealed, and he plants the seed of discontent in Barabbas' mind. . Here also is explained the reason for his odd appearance. I made him a non-conformist--not that is sure there were any in that time, but it's not sure there weren't either. His non-conformity and thus his unique appearance stems from a deep seated rebellion, the reason for which will be explored further in Chapter 3. .

An answer

Here is the very first part of Chapter 3: "Answers And Questions, Here we see who the stranger is and what his mission is. I kept it secret until now to build suspense,. [SPOILER ALERT] I got his name from acts 13:1, adding an h.

A New Assignment

Having introduced the character of Herod Agrippa, the nephew of Herod Antipas in Chapter 8 of PART III, in Chapter 10 I set up a meeting of Agrippa with Manaheem by having Herod Antipas offer Manaheem the job of checking out the intentions of his newly arrived nephew. In the beginning of this chapter, Manaheem and Claressa are discussing Herod Antipas when a messenger arrives telling Manaheem that the king wants to see him at once. He goes, hoping that his half brother has decided to follow his new-found faith.. . Instead he is offered this assignment. What will be the results? Stay tuned, OR buy the book.

Crucifixion And Redemption

Here is all of Chapter 19 and part of Chapter 20. Since today is Good Friday,and I have been posting about Timotheus and Barabbas, I wanted to include both of them in this Good Friday post, so you can see their outcome. I already told you that Timotheus and Lucas are the 2 thieves on the cross. [For why I did not use the traditional names, see the previous bubble] Here we follow them to Calvary (with the inclusion of poetry) and watch them die on either side of Jesus, one saved, the other lost Then, we view Barabbas at the cross. I didn't include Manaheem in this excerpt, as I wanted to concentrate on Timotheus and Barabbas, but I may do a separate one on him tomorrow. Stay tuned. t

Crucifixion And Redemption

Here is all of Chapter 19 and most of Chapter 20. Since today is Good Friday,and I have been posting about Timotheus and Barabbas, I wanted to include both of them in this Good Friday post, so you can see their outcome. I already told you that Timotheus and Lucas are the 2 thieves on the cross. [For why I did not use the traditional names, see the previous bubble] Here we follow them to Calvary (with the inclusion of poetry) and watch them die on either side of Jesus, one saved, the other lost Then, we view Barabbas at the cross. And fianally. Manaheem. I have him meet Barabbas. I thought this would be a great way for Barabbas to explain his newfound faith, Then, we see Manaheem at the cross..

2 outcomes: crucifixion and freedom

As today is actually Maunday Thursday, I'm combining 2 Chapters in this #Bookbubble, and will do the same tomorrow, in order to show the results of the crucifixion on Good Friday (tomorrow). In these 2 Chapters, I contrast the fate of the beggars and that of their leader Barabbas. SPOILER ALERT: In case you haven't guessed it by now, the two beggars have become the two thieves crucified with Jesus. I purposely did not use the traditional names, since the thieves are not actually named in the Bible, and, to add the element of surprise. Here we see how they are sentenced. In Chapter 18, we see the unexpected result of Barabbas' release. Stay tuned.

Robbery And More

This excerpt is a follow-up of the one entitled "Palm Sunday Confrontation" Here we see the robbery attempt to which the three were going when they saw Jesus on the donkey. This section is crucial to the rest of the book and so is the timing. It is important that the robbery attempt took place on (the original) Palm Sunday . You'll see why later.

Final Conclusion

Well, here is the very end of the book. I started this bubble back before the start of the previous to remind about Sarah's promise. Here we see it fulfilled as the last person comes to Christ. I then .switch to Manaheem as I added a neat twist at the very end.

Joseph's Mother

Remember Joseph's mother had said that if something happened to Herod Agrippa, she might consider Joseph's new belief. Well it did, but will she? You'll have to buy the book to find out. Agrippa's end was not contrived by me--it is in the Bible (in Acts Chapter 12) But I used it to tie in to Joseph's Mother's story. ,

Interlude At The Inn

Here is all of Chapter 2 of Part I: "Interlude At The Inn." This Chapter actually has no bearing on the plots of the novel. I added it to add a bit of local color (how the inns were at that time), but mainly to add to and draw out the mystery surrounding the stranger, mainly that of his identity. Who is he? You may find some clues and get an idea here but his identity will be confirmed in the next Chapter.. .

Pilate's End

Pilate was summoned to Rome, as we have seen in a previous excerpt, to answer for his overly harsh treatment of the Jews and Samaritans, which was giving Rome a bad name. Here he is tried and sentenced to banishment to Gaul. History does record that Pilate died in exile. Just how he died is not recorded, so I have taken the liberty to speculate on it, relating it to his feelings of guilt over the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Prepare for a shock. But, what will his wife, Procla do now? We get a glimpse here, but, what lies ahead for her? Stay tuned or buy the book,

Reports, Laughter and Love

Having carried out his mission of checking out Agrippa's attitude, Manaheem returns to Antipas to report what happened and collect his pay. The pay is short, but Manaheem accepts it, which gives him the chance to add that he was glad to be able to tell Agrippa about Jesus. Herod is impressed with Manaheem's acceptance of the shortened payment, but of course both he and Herodius have another good laugh over the whole Jesus issue. The next logical scene is Manaheem telling his wife, Claressa, She praises the Lord, says they must pray for them and then says she loves Manaheem more each day--I thought that a nice touch to end the section on.

Ascension, names, Baptism and Romance

Since yesterday was assention Sunday, I thought I should a bubble about the assention of Jesus, But I didn't want to stop there, The assention lead to the promise of the Holy Spirit, and I use this as a springboard to my own idea of Barabbas changing his name, I also include here the start of reunion of Manaheem and Claressa after her decision to leave the last meeting by herself.. I wanted to include this little bit here--it actually comes before the Bubble I previously posted re: Claressa.

Of Such Is The Kingdom

This BookBubble is the entire chapter (Part II Chapter 12) which has the same title as the main title of the novel. It is taken from the gospel accounts of Jesus with the children. I thought it appropriate to post it on Mother's Day. The incident of Deborah taking the children to see Jesus and the impressions which this brief visit makes is important in forming the attitudes of both the children and of Deborah herself in regard to Jesus.

, Regret, Jealousy and Fear

This bubble (excerpt) includes the last part of the previous one. included it as a reminder and to tie the scenes together. We view first Pilate's remorse, which I feel includes an element of inexplicable fear. Then the scene switches to Herod and his servant, as the servant discovers and relates that the king's nephew, Agrippa is in town, and is jealous of his uncle's throne. That this news strikes fear into the heart of Herod I show by both his nervous habit of reaching for his crow and his question to the servant. This is the first mention of Agrippa in the novel, but it is far from the last. This scene sets the stage for an ongoing conflict between the two Herods.

Laughter And Fear

Here is most of Part III Chapter 7, "Laughter and Fear." The laughter comes as the reaction of Herod and Herodius to Manaheem's telling of Jesus' resurrection and assention. The fear is a little harder to pinpoint but is seen in Herodus' question after Manaheem leaves as to whether what he said could be true. It looks forward to the next chapter. Although we know from history that Herod never became a believer, I thought it only natural for Manaheem to try.to reach him. He nay try again before the book ends. .

Pilate's Remorse

This bookbubblle finds Herod and Pilate sharing a meal together. It takes place just after Manaheem's visit to Herod, when he tells Herod about Jesus' resurrection and is laughed to scorn. Here Herod brings up the idea to Pilate, who takes it seriously. The scriptures tell us nothing more about Pilate after he condemned Jesus to be crucified, wrote the superscription, and ordered the soldiers to guard the tomb. Here I pose the start of an irrational haunting fear and obsessive regret, which will take their toll on him. Where will it end? I do have an end in mind, but, you'll have to buy the book to find it out--or check back for a later excerpt.

Children

Well, you'll have to wait a little longer to find out about Claressa, as this excerpt is from Chapter 5 of PART III which comes before the one which reveals her decision. I did this on purpose to build the suspense. Here we have a meeting between Benjamin's children and those of Barabbas in which Barabbas' past crime is made know to his children by the children of the man he killed. A fight breaks out and so Barabbas is forced to admit his crime. How will his children react? (Will they understand?) And how will the fact of his past crime being published by Benjamin's children effect Barabbas? Stay tuned or buy the book. The eBook is now only $2.99 in Kindle, Nook and GooglePlay.

Opening::Seeking an insurrection leader

Here is the opening section of my intriguing Biblical fiction novel. I wrote it after planning out the chapter by chapter contents. The first paragraph especially sets the tone,--especially the last sentence of it which introduces the purpose of the traveler--to find a potential insurrection leader. So, right away there is mystery and intrigue. The rest of the section introduces 3 more characters, both major and minor, as the stranger continues his search.

Flesh And Spirit

Here is the entirety of Chapter 12 of Part I. It doesn't show up in the #bookbubble, but most of the chapter (after the first sentence) is in italics, indicating thought. Another indicator is that after the first sentence (which sets it up) the rest of the chapter is written entirely in first person, either singular or plural, indicating that it is the character and not the author as narrator who is talking, or, as in this case, thinking. This is a kind of stream-of-consciousness writing style.. I employ this technique with several characters throughout the novel to give greater insight into the characters than description or dialogue alone could do and thus make for a more interesting, if slower paced, read,

Poetry, Prose And Poverty

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6 of PART i to show you how sometimes I mix poetry with the prose as part of my unique writing style. Here is introduced another important character in this novel, a young beggar who later becomes---but to tell what or who he becomes would be giving something away.(a real spoiler). More bits of poetry are sprinkled throughout the first 2 volumes of this. novel.

Informative Interlude

For your interest and enjoyment, here is the entire second chapter of my literary, historical fiction novel of Biblical and Roman times. I added this chapter to give more information, especially about Herod who appears in the next chapter. But, this Chapter (Chapter 2) does NOTHING to further the plot. The Herodians appear to support the fact that Herod is a Herodian. These Herodians never appear again in the book. So this chapter is for informational purposes only,

The Reviews

HERE' ARE EXCERPTS FROM 3 GREAT PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS and one outstanding customer review of this novel--I had to include it: (SEE THE 3 OTHER BOOKS WITH THE SAME MAIN TITLE FOR more CONTENT BOOK BUBBLES. than there are on this one BUT CHECK THESE BUY LINKS FOR SPECIAL PRICING.)

Resurrection!

Here is most of first chapter of Part III. Part III is the sequel to Parts I and II and the subtitle is "Power and Persecution, A Novel of the Early Church and the Roman Empire". I decided to include most of chapter I as an intro. to Part III.. It actually starts before the last chapter of Part II, (as I needed to give more background as to why Barabbas came to give the announcement) and goes just beyond it. The question of Claressa's faith or continued skepticism won't be answered in this chapter, but will be soon, so stay tuned or buy the book-Thanks.

More redemption

Here's the part of PART II, Ch.21 about Manaheem's redemption. This is important as it sets the stage for a possible reconciliation with Claressa and his next visit with Herod. Also, the question of the extent of Christ's kingdom is again raised, as Barabbas talks with Manaheem. This excerpt picks up with Barabbas still kneeling at the cross, and ends with him back at home. In the middle, we see Manaheem at the cross.

Crucifixion and Redemption

[SPOILER ALERT: In case you haven't guessed it by now, the two beggars have become the two thieves crucified with Jesus. I purposely did not use the traditional names, since the thieves are not actually named in the Bible, and, to add the element of surprise.] Today is Good Friday, when we remember Jesus' passion for us. So, I'm posting this excerpt from the last part of Ch. 18 and all of Ch.19 and part od Chapter 20 of Part II. The two beggars have been convicted and Barabbas has been released Home at last, he tells his wife about the robbery and murder. That's where this excerpt picks up. Ch.19 details the crucifixion and the salvation of Timotheus with poetry as well as prose. It seemed a good place to put poetry and the rhymes just flowed. Chapter 20 starts with Barabbas at the cross.

Maunday Thursday Thoughts from prison

Following-up on my previous excerpt, this one finds the prisoners still awaiting their fate. And since today is Maundy Thursday, it's appropriate, as it takes place just after Jesus is arrested following the last supper. I contrived the window in the cell so that I could have Timotheus watch Peter's denial. I note his reaction through poetry and prose. -- Then, I switch the scene to Barabbas, already convicted, and relate his thoughts via first person stream-of-consciousness narration.

Crime And Punishment

Here's all of Part II Chapter 11 as a follow-up to my previous BookBubble, "Palm Sunday Robbery And More," where the robbery attempt goes bad and Barabbas, in an act of mad desperation, stabs the protesting shop owner to death and they are caught. In this Chapter, they await their fates in their prison cell and go over Barabbas' "perfect alibi." But Timotheus is bothered by the memory of the Nazarene astride the donkey days earlier. Here is another place in the novel where I weave poetry into the prose. Then we see that Barabbas is found guilty of both the insurrection and this robbery/murder, while the other two await their fate. If you know the scripture, you know what happened to Barabbas, and can you guess by now who the other 2 end up being?. (More later.)

Palm Sunday Robbery and more

This excerpt is a follow-up to my previous BookBubble, "Palm Sunday Confrontation." Here I describe the robbery attempt that takes place during Jesus's triumphal entry and ride.I planed the robbery attempt to coincide with this event because, as Barabbas noted, it offered a distraction, drawing attention away from the trio. In the first part we see the shop owner, Benjamin, deciding, as Barabbas predicted to stay at the shop. Had he decided to close the shop and join the festivities, he might have avoided what happened next..

Palm Sunday confrontation

Since this Sunday is Palm Sunday, I thought I'd present an excerpt from my Biblical novel which deals with what happened on that day, This is from Part II, so it's later than previous excerpts. Barabbas has tried the insurrection and failed, so, still hiding out, he now turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of the two beggars. The day he chooses for the robbery just happens to be the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem I wrote it that way in order for Timotheus to have an impactful face to face confrontation with Jesus, causing him to hesitate. He has seen Him before teaching to large crowds of people, but this is the first time he sees him up close. It won't be the last.

The plan continued plus new resolve

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel, as Pilate and Portia move from vision to mission, finalizing their plan to ruin Herod by sending accusing letters to Caesar. Then, we also see Pilates new resolve come into play as a messenger arrives from Herod.

God, Romance, And Money

Here is most of Chapter 9 ("To Love Again-?") where Manaheem meets his ex-wife Claressa again at the well. The spark of the old romance is re-kindled as he drives her home. When she attributes their re-meeting to fate, he brings God into the picture, as a probable cause. At this point, Manaheem is only a seeker after truth, but here is an early indication of a God-ward leaning, which may or may not be further developed. Claressa, at this point has no belief at all, but is willing to go along with his. Then the question of money and its effect on love comes up. All of this is important for the further development of their beliefs and their life together.

Still more of Manaheem's Story--Slaughter

Here's more of Manaheem's story. This excerpt picks up a little before where the previous one left off. It concludes Manaheem's visit to the first house in Bethlehem, and then begins his visit to another house. I tried to picture here what I thought must have been the attitude of the Bethlehem families on hearing the horrid news of Herod's purpose. What will happen next? Stay tune or get the book. The next excerpt may be a bit graphic.

Manaheem's story continued

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off. Manaheem is still relating to Herod what happened when he, Manaheem was 10 years old and Herod was away at school. Since this is the Christmas season, I thought it best to continue with this part of the novel, as it takes place after the coming of the magi. Manaheem tells of his attempt to warn the people of Bethlehem of the coming slaughter. Keep tuned, as I may add more tomorrow. Or, better yet, get the book. Get your gift copies to give for 3 King's Day Or get and give the ebook. Or even look for Part I by itself--that ebook is FREE

The magi and the slaughter

This is an excerpt from Chapter 3, which is an extended flashback to the coming of the magi and the slaughter of the innocents following the birth of Christ--which is why this novel would make the perfect Christmas OR even a post-Christmas gift (for the 12 days or for 3King's Day [Jan.6]) It's a great after-Christmas read. Manaheem, Herod's foster brother is telling Herod what happened when the magi came and Herod was away at school. This is to whet your curiosity. From here on, the chapter gets a bit gruesome--just a tiny bit.

The Reviews

HERE' ARE EXCERPTS FROM 3 GREAT PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS of this novel.: (SEE THE 3 OTHER BOOKS WITH THE SAME MAIN TITLE FOR CONTENT BOOKBUBBLES. BUT CHECK THESE BUY LINKS FOR SPECIAL PRICING.)

Claressa's Confusion

Here's part of Chapter 3 of PART III which deals with Claressa and her confused skepticism. She attends the believer's meeting as she promised Manaheem to do, but becomes even more confused as she listens to conflicting reports and attitudes from the disciples. I wrote it this way to heighten the suspense. Will she become a believer and a fit companion for Manheem, or will she remain skeptical and thus a miss-match? The meeting is not over yet. If you know the gospels perhaps you can guess what happens next. If not, stay tuned, or buy the book.

Agrippas servant

This escerpt picks up where the last one left off. The last excerpt described of the miracle of Heros Agrippa's horrible death. In case you missed it, it tis re-iterated here by Agrippa's servant, Blastus to Manaheem who had not heard of it. So far Blastus has been a minor character, but with this incident he becimes more important. Will he accept Manaheem's invitation? His doing so could have powerful results.

Agrippa's End

This excerpt details the miraculous death of Herod Agrippa as originally recorded in the 12th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible. It was this recorded event which motivated me to expsnd this novel to include it. Remember Joseph's mother's remark that if such a miracle happened she might believe? Will she, or will she recant her statement and continue to refuse to believe? Stay tuened or buy the book. ------ If you already have the first 2 volumes, look for Part III separtely.

More Intrigue: Herod and Tyre and Sidon

This next excerpt is the harbinger of Agrippa's end. (Stay tuned). Here The leaders of Tyre and Sidon, who had failed to reciprocate in trade seek to speak with Agrippa and they end up making an equitable agreement except that the first payment seems exorbitant. His pride at working out this agreement would soon contribute to his undoing. Stay tuned or buy the book. ------------ If you already have the first 2 volumes, look for Part III, separately.

Joseph and his mother

I start this excerpt immediately after Joseph accepts the Saviour. If you want the details of how it came about, you'll have to buy the book. I mainly wanted to show his mother's mother's reaction and her statement at the end of the chapter, which is a harbinger of somethig to come. Stay tuned or buy the book,

A momentous prayer meeting

In case you didn't remember or haven't read the account in the book of Acts, here is my version of Peter's release as seen through the eyes of my characters. I call it "A momentous prayer meeting," first because their prayers brought about Peter's release to their own surprise, and, second, because Peter's release set in motion an even more surprisingly awesome event. It's hinted at in the last section of this excerpt.

More intrigue: Peter arrested

In this excerpt, I view the Biblical event of the arrest and imprisonment of the Apostle, Peter through the eyes of the other disciples including Manaheem. What will happen to Peter. If you're familiar with the Biblical record you already know. If you're not familiar with the incident, you can find it in the Biblical book of Acts--but better yet, stay tuned or buy the book. I'll have more later. I included this as an example of fictionalizing an actual Biblical event. OF course, the Beheading of James, in the previous excerpt, is also Biblical although it is only mentioned in Acts with not much detail.

More Intrigue: James beheaded

In order not to keep you in suspense any longer, if you've been following these excerpts, here I show the release of Manaheem. But Manaheem's arrest was only the start of Agrippa's mad campaign against the Christians. Thus this excerpt goes through the the capture and beheading of James. If you know your Bible, you can easily guess who is next. But, if you're not sure, stay tuned, or, better yet, buy the book.

More intrigue: Manaheem imprisoned

This next excerpt focuses on Manaheem. He had not yet heard of the banishment of Herod Antipas. You will recall that Caligula had given Herod Agrippa Antipas' territory. Now, although he (Agrippa) refused the request of Caligula to set up a statue of him in the temple, he (Agrippa) decides to show his authority by having some Christians arrested. Now we see Agrippa and Manaheem face to face resulting in the arrest of the later, This sets the stage for the arrest and murder of another more predominate believer. Maybe you can guess who (if you know the Bible). If not, stay tuned or buy the book ----NOTE: If you already have Parts I

Agrippa vs. Caligula, Jews & Christians +

This excerpt gives some insight into the character of Herod Agtippa, as he first stands against Caligula's harsh treatment of the Jews, the sect called Christians are brought to his attention, and he plans to take action against the Phoneticians. How will Caligula react to his plea to rescind his order? What will he plan to do about the new sect called Christians? And what action will he take against the Phoneticians and will it result in further trouble? Stay tuned or buy the book. ------------- If you already have the first 2 volumes, you can search for PART III by itself,

Territory

This excerpt starts slightly before the end of the previous one and continues with the subject of Agrippa's bid for Antipas' territory, I included this in the novel to point up the political corruption of the time.

Banishment!

If you were wondering what would be the final fate of Herod Antipas, after he arrived in Rome and was imprisoned by Caligula and Agrippa, You'll find the answer in this excerpt. .But first...The dungeon reminds Herod of the one into which he had imprisoned John the Baptist and thus brings back thoughts of the Baptist. I include this to tied the two events together and also show something of the warped thinking of Herod and the contrast with that of Herodius who talks of praying. You can then read of Caligula's decision regarding Herod and Herodius. What happens next to them and to Agrippa? Stay tuned, or buy the book.

More Intrigue: Antipas Arrested

In the last excerpt, Herod Antipas had decided to go to Rome in order to accuse his nephew, Agrippa-- whom he assumed would have already left Rome--to accuse him before the Emperor, Caligula and try to gain favour and see what rewards he can get from the new Emperor. In this excerpt, Herod and Herodius arrive in Rome only to find Agrippa still there and himself accused of inefficiency and treason. What will be his fate? Stay tuned or buy the book. ------------ Note: If you already have the first 2 volumes, you can look for PART III by itself,

More intrigue: Antipas goes to Rome

Taking up where my last #Bookbubble left of, I answer the question of Manheem's response to Herod's request. After his refusal, Herod decides to take things into his own hand by going to Rome to ask a favor of Caligula. This action will set in motion events which will result in a surprising climax. For more, stay turned or buy the book

More intrigue

This excerpt stars where the previus one left off. Manaheem and his wife discuss the possibility of Herod's conversion, Here I introduce more intrigue into the plot. Herod Agrippa having been released from his imprisonment by the newly reigning Caligula, his uncle, Herod Antipas starts to plot against his nephew and calls for his newly converted half-brother, Manaheem to plan another insurrection--this time against Agrippa.. Will Manaheem agree to help in his half-with brother's latest plot? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Agrippa's release

As promised, here is the answer to the fate of Agrippa: Imprisoned for how long? He, of course is released at the rise of Caligula to the throne, and then more jealousy and intrigue between him and his uncle ensues. Read about Herod Antipas' next plot. Will it succeed, or even get off the ground? You can surmise, but for find out stay tuned or buy the book.

The plot thickens

Remember that Agrippa had come for a brief visit to Caligula with the hopes of reporting his uncle to the next emperor. Also remember that Caligula had mentioned his plan for an informal dinner party for his friends and backers to propel his bid for emperor forward. Here we look in on that party and find Agrippa, slightly intoxicated and overly excited about Caligula's leadership hopes, making a poignant toast that ends up getting him arrested. This serves to delay his plans and hopes. How long will he have to wait in prison? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Agrippa and Caligula

Here, after Manaheem reports the results of his vist to Claressa, Agrippa goes to Rome. As promised, I introduce here two characters, first Blastus, Agrippa's servant, and second, Caligula, the crazy nephew of Tiberius, who was already mounting campaign to become the next emperor. Although only a servant, the character of Blastus becomes important as the story continues, and Caligula figures predominately in the political intrigue which follows and effects his friendship with Agrippa will have a role in the fate of Herod Antipas. Stay tuned or buy the book. If you already have the first 2 parts, look for part III by itself,

Antipas and Agrippa

Here, in the next chapter, I pose a meeting of the 2 Herods,, Antipas and his jealous nephew Agrippa, This meeting propels forward the plot point of conflict between the two and the results it may have. At the end of this excerpt Agrippa makes a threat. What will this mean for the future of Antipas? Stay tuned of buy the book.

Procla

Here I pose a meeting with Procla and Mary Magdalene, following the tragic suicide death of her husband, Pontius Pilate. This meeting is pivotal. What will it mean for the life of Procla, and for the life of the new group of believers? What will her response be to Mary? Stay tuned or buy the book ------------------- This is the entire 3-part edition If you already have the first 2 volumes, Part III is available separately

Joseph, Barnabas and Saul

This excerpt starts with Joseph's decision about going to the meeting. Then, I purpose a meeting between Saul and Barabbas. But is this the old or the new Saul? He claims to be a Jesus follower, but will Barabbas believe him? Could he just be saying this to gain a foothold in the Christian community? Stay tuned or buy the book to find out.

Pilate's end

Having been summoned to Rome, as we have seen in a previous excerpt, to answer for his overly harsh trea tment of the Jews and Samaritans, which was giving Rome a bad name,, Pilate is tried and sentenced to banishment to Gaul. History does record that Pilate died in exile. Just how he died is not recorded, so I have taken the liberty to speculate on it, relating it to his feelings of guilt over the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Prepare for a shock. But, what will his wife, Portia do now? Stay tuned or buy the book,

Saul, Stephen and Gamaliel

This excerpt is from Chapter 15 ("Stephen") of PART III (Volume 3) of my historical, Biblical novel. Here I introduce the character of Saul of Tarsus (later to become Paul) as he makes friends with Joseph, the eldest son of the murdered Benjamin, and the two of them witness the stoning of Stephen, with differing effects. I use this Biblical event (from Acts Chapter 7) to explore differing reactions to it, first from Saul and Joseph and later from their teacher, Gamaliel. This is a formative time in the life of young Joseph as he considers both sides of the Jesus issue. Which side will he eventually come down on? Stay tuned Or buy the book.--->NOTE: if you have the first 2 volumes, PART III is also available separtely.

Pilate summoned

I decided to jump ahead for this BookBubble to show something of what happened to Pontius Pilate. History shows that he was exiled. Here I purpose a possible reason, which may come as a surprise to my readers. Rome, normally known for its harshness and unconcern for the common people, now, fast becoming a world power, suddenly becomes concerned for it's reputation and thus Pilate is called into question for his harsh treatment of the Jews and Samaritians. A disgusted Pilate regrets his harshness but his wife, Portia encourages him and says they'll beat this. But will they? Stay tuned or buy the book

The Bereaved

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off, as the newly re-named Barnabas and family go to visit the family of the man he had killed and apologize. As they go, Deborah asks if she can call him by his former name. Upon arriving they are met with nothing but hostility, first from the children and then the mother. This would be the natural reaction of a family toward the murderer of their father and it serves to add to the suspense. Will they finally accept Barabbas and his family--accept his apology and allow them to help? Stay tuned OR buy the book ----------NOTE this is the entire 3-Part edition. Each PART is also available by itself.

Names and Children

This excerpt from PART III starts with the matter of the name change, which as you will remember from a previous excerpt has no basis in scripture but is purely from my imagination and yet something entirely possible. So here, as the man who was formerly Barabbas, now Barnabas and his family get used to his new name , they decide to go and visit the family of the man he had killed. He doesn't want to take the children until they remind him of their previous conversation with dead man's children. I chose to keep the children involved in the action in keeping with the overall title of the series. --------------------- iF you already have PARTs I

Witness to Agrippa

This excerpt continues where the previous one left off, as Manaheem is about to tell Agrippa about Jesus. Since I already told about the coming of the Holy spirit, and, thus, at this point, the Holy Spirit has been given. I decided to add this point about Manaheem telling Agrippa about Jesus to show the courage which the Holy Spirit gives in witnessing about Jesus.

Herod Agrippa

This BookBubble picks up where the previous one left off. Manaheem consults with Claressa over Herod's request to find out his nephew's intentions. She says just ask him what he thinks, and she also suggests that it might be a chance to tell him about Jesus. But would he listen? Would Manaheem even have the courage to confront him with such a message? I also introduce here yet another character, that of Agrippa's servant Blastus, He seems to be a minor character, but will play an important part later on in this novel. I made Agrippa to be frank and open about his feelings toward his uncle.. But how will he respond if Manaheem brings up Jesus? Stay tuned, OR buy the book.

Pentecost

Since today is Pentecost Sunday , I thought I would post all of Chapter 11 ("Pentecost") of PART III of my Biblical novel. Here I change my writing style and tell what happened through the eyes and pen of my character, Manaheem, using first person narration. I did this to give the relating of the events of Pentecost a more personal feel. Also toward the end of this chapter, after experiencing the events of Pentecosts, Manaheem wonders if he should go ahead with the mission for Herod of spying on his nephew. Will he do it, and what will be the results? Stay tuned, OR buy the book. If you already have Part I and Part II, look for Part III by itself

Ceremonies

I'll keep you in suspense no longer regarding Barabbas' name change. I chose a similar sounding and similarly spelled name, the meaning of which is the opposite of his old name. Of course, this is purely fiction--there's no record in scripture of Barabbas after his release and there's also no record of the background of disciple whose name I gave him. I just thought it would be interesting. I'll let you read about it. We also see here the re-marriage of Manaheem and Claressa. This excerpt ends with the newly named disciple suggesting to his wife that they visit the family of the man he had killed. But will she receive them peacefully? Stay tuned, OR buy the book,

Belief, Reconciliation, and Baptism

O.k., I will keep you in suspense no longer--Here's most of Chapter 6 ("An Eventful Meeting") where Claressa tells Manaheem her decisions, both about whether or not to follow the Savior and about Manaheem. (Her hesitation has been because she wanted to make sure she was doing it for the right reason. Now their relationship can have a new dimension--a Spiritual one. It is founded on a common belief, and this is the basis for any successful relationship.) Then, Manaheem decides to share his new-found faith with Herod. How will the king take to hearing it? Stay tuned or buy the book. Next I include an interesting section about Barabbas and his family as the anticipate the coming baptism.

Regret and Romance-?

Giving Claressa time to meditate, Chapter 4 of PART III changes the scene again, this time to Pilate and his wife. This excerpt picks up in the middle of a conversation, as Pilate is decrying his weakness in dealing with the people. His wife, Portia, encourages him and helps him to forget by, for one thing, making love to him. After all, they are married, and it always seemed to work with me and my wife, whenever I couldn't sleep for some reason. .But, will it be enough to erase the haunting memory of his crucifixion of the innocent Jesus? Stay tuned or buy the book. If you already have the first 2 vkumes, you can buy PART III separtely. Otherwise, the complete 3-part edition is your best bet pricewise,

Claressa's confusion

Here's all of Chapter 3 of PART III which deals with Claressa and her confused skepticism. She attends the believer's meeting as she promised Manaheem to do, but becomes even more confused as she listens to conflicting reports and attitudes from the disciples. I wrote it this way to heighten the suspense.. Despite what she sees and hears, at the meeting, she's still not certain. Will she become a believer and a fit companion for Manheem, or will she remain skeptical and thus a miss-match? Stay tuned or buy the book. ------You can get PART III by itself , but you save by getting the complete 3-part edition.

The Bereaved

Here is the complete Chapter 2 of PART III. It changes the scene to the family of the man Barabbas killed, so, the question about Claressa will have to wait. I wrote it like that in order to build suspense, I added this chapter also to show the deep remorse of the bereaved family and how the release of Barabbas, their father's killer, served to further rub salt in the wound, so to speak. I also show their financial situation which won't allow for Joseph to go to rabbinical school, and the solution he offers which is not accepted by the mother. Will there be hope for for his schooling? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Palm Sunday confrontation

Today is Palm Sunday, so I thought that I'd present an excerpt from my Biblical novel which deals with what happened on that day, This is from Part II, so it's a bit later than my previous excerpts. Barabbas has tried the insurrection and failed, so, still hiding out, he now turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of the two beggars. The day he chooses for the robbery just happens to be the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem I wrote it that way in order for Timotheus to have a face to face confrontation with Jesus. Has has seen him before teaching to large crowds of people, but this is the first time he sees him up close. It won't be the last.

The plot

Here is another excerpt from Part I Chapter 3 of my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." In this excerpt, I show the primary plot of the book--how I imagine the insurrection against Pilate by Barabbas, spoken of in the gospels began and who, surprisingly could have really been behind it. I derived this idea from another little statement in the gospel of Luke. In Lk.23:12 it says "And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day: for before they were at enmity between themselves." Later in the novel I show the reconciliation, but here I show the start of the enmity.

Pilate and his wife

In my self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom," I referred to Pilate's wife and her mission to promote her husband. Here is an excerpt from my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom," which shows the struggle as I imagine it that could have taken place between Pilate and his wife. Due to length, I start this excerpt in the middle of a quote by Pilate. ----------------- The 324 page hard cover is only $12.30 on Amazon. The eBook is now only $2.99.

Barabbas and Family

Here's another excerpt from the first chapter of my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." This excerpt introduces the characters of Barabbas and his family and raises the question of whether or not he should tell his wife of the mysterious stranger's suggestion--and,if so, when?

Answer and a Question

Here is another excerpt from Chapter 3. Here we get some insight into the cause of Manaheem's non-conformist stance and attitude. I start toward the end of his story as he relates it to Herod, who had been away at the time. I include this bit of his story so you can see the awful horror of the situation. I close the excerpt with a question asked by Herod to keep you wondering. Stay tuned or buy the book. The print book is now only $19.66 on Amazon, and the ebook is only $2.99 in Nook & GooglePlay..

Children and redemption?

this excerpt follows the previous one .It starts in the middle of a prayer meeting of the newly named Barnabas (formerly Barabbas) and his family, as Deborah suddenly remembers the family of the man Barabbas had killed and they decide to go visit them. In keeping with the book's main title, I involve the children in this visit. I tried to keep mentioning the children to point up the importance of child-like faith. Here Barabbas' children confront Benjamin's children before the mother appears. Her scorn adds tension to an already tense confrontation. How will it end? Stay tuned or buy the book ----------------The entire 3-part 324-page eNovel is now only $2.99 in Kindle & Nook. $3.99 all other e-venues.

Power and Persecution

This excerpt picks up shortly after the previous one left off--after Manaheem tells his wife, Claressa about his visit to Herod Agrippa and his report to Herod Agrippa. Then follows a note from Manaheem's journal (a stylistic device using 1st. person narrative,) Using this device, I am also able to explore more deeply the effect of the Holy Spirit's influence in the lives of the early believers and the beginning of the church's persecution and how it was met with. This excerpt ends with them praying. To see the results of the prayer, stay tuned or buy the book ------ The complete expanded 3-part 370 page e-novel is now only $4.25 in all e-venues.

Herod Agrippa

This is a follow-up excerpt to the previous one on "Pentecost," which ended with Manaheem going to consult his wife, Claressa about whether to accept the assignment of Herod Antipas to spy on his nephew, Herod Agrippa. Here we see that she agrees and he goes to Agrippa. This excerpt shows an example of the new power (the power of the promised Holy Spirit) at work, giving boldness for witnessing. This excerpt goes to the end of Manaheem's visit with Agrippa and his subsequent report to Herod Antipas. I wanted to include this to show also the start of Manaheem's change of attitude following his conversion.. ---- The complete 3-Part (370 page) eBook is now only $4.25 in all e-venues.

PENTECOST

Since today (June 4) is Pentecost Sunday, I thought it appropriate to post this excerpt from Chapter 11, "PENTECOST" of Part III of my Biblical novel. Here I use the stylistic device of first person stream- of-consciousness narration to allow the reader to view the events of this historic day through they eyes of the character of Manaheem and also to see how these events effect and will effect his life--and immediately, how will it effect his decision as to whether or not to carry out the mission Herod has requested him to go on. The final answer to this is not found here, So stay tuned or buy the book. -- And now the entire 3-part 370-page e-novel is reduced to only $4.25 in all e-venues.

Resurrection

Here is the entire first chapter (except for the headings) of PART III, Power and Persecution. This chapter actually starts before the last chapter of PART II, as I needed to give more background as to why Barabbas came and excitedly announced that the Nazarene was alive. And, this chapter also goes just beyond that one. The question of Claressa's faith or continued scepticism won't be answered in this chapter, but will be soon, so, stay tuned, or buy the book. ---------------- This entire 3-part (370 page) ebook is discounted in all e-venues till the end of this month, so hurry. (Click "Buy" to see discounted prices.).

Reconcilation and Resurrection?

That's the title of the last chapter of part II—and here is the entire chapter (minus the headings). It looks forward to the resurrection,, but actually takes place a week after the crucufxion.. It follows up on both Manaheem's prayer at the foot of the cross and his tenuous romance with his ex-wife, Claressa. Will his newfound faith be enough to convince her to come back to him? This chapter also looks forward to the resurrection. Did the Nazarene really rise from the dead? (Barabbas so reports, but, Claressa is still not sure) And, if he did rise, what effect will that have on their lives? .

Dedication and dream

I decided to make a separate post for the dedication, since it contains the story of a dream my wife had which relates to the main title of the novel.

The Reviews

HERE' ARE 2 PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS of this novel.: (SEE THE 2 OTHER BOOKS WITH THE SAME MAIN TITLE FOR CONTENT BOOKBUBBLES. BUT CHECK THESE BUY LINKS FOR SPECIAL PRICING.)

Impossible Journey, A Tale of Times and Truth

Science Fiction & Fantasy

2025 scientists plan to time-travel to Eden to prevent the fall and thus put an end to all evil and disease in the world. But they can only travel 200 years, more or less, at a time.
Having gained the needed financial support from wealthy financier, Mark Lewis, the scientists manage to build the first time machine in which three of them take off on their imposing mission.

They visit six different historical time periods, including::
• The California Gold Rush of 1849
• Colonial Philadelphia of 1775
• The Renaissance
• Legendary Camelot
Each historical time period they visit points in some way to the true answer they are seeking. But they ignore the obvious and go on blindly with their mission.
At one point, they are pulled forward unexpectedly to their future where robots serve and are forced to fight in a senseless war (WWIII).

Book Bubbles from Impossible Journey, A Tale of Times and Truth

conclusion of 1775 Philadelphia

I'll keep yu in suspense no longer regarding what happened to Walt. In case you forgot or didn't see the previous excerpt, I start this one before the end of the previous, where walt joins himself to the colonists who had been arguing over Diesm and Christianity, the previous excerpt finds them chasing Walt. Hereis what happened next.

The setting

Here are the first 11 paragraphs to set the scene, introduce the main characters and prepare you for what is to come.

Camelot To Christ

Here's the last part of Chapter 10 along with the bare beginning of Chapter 11. The time travelers decide to make the most of their stop at Camelot to try to prevent it's fall by warning Lancelot and Guinevere. They try but to no avail, which makes them wonder for a moment if the same thing would happen in Eden. Having found that the fall of Camelot is that night, they decide to warn the lovers again, but find themselves surrounded by Mordred's men, and so try to take off instead. They do so to the surprise and amazement of Mordred's men, I thought it was a nice touch to show the reaction of those knights to the time cylinder taking off. This time, to their dismay, they land in 33 A.D. Jerusalem.

A Short Trip to Wonderland

Now, back to our time travellers. Having landed in 33 A.D. Jerusalem and witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and seen some evidence of His resurrection, but having chosen to ignore the implications of these events and leave that time period, now find themselves again moving forward in time till they hit a lever.. Thus they are forced (by fate, God, or me. the author) to return not long after the time that they left, They land a month or 2 later than when they left. There is also something strange going on with the speech they hear coming from outside the casual. Can you guess exactly when they are, and why I, the author had them make this short trip. I fully intended them to land when they did. If you can't guess why, stay tuned, or buy the book. -------------

Forward Again-?

I threw in this next little bit in order to land the time travelers just where (or when) I want them--which when, if you haven't guessed, you'll have to wait to find out.. I may keep you in suspense for a while, so why not buy the eBook? It's only 99 cents..

First Take-off

Here is most of Chapter 3 of my purposeful sci-fi (time travel) novel. This chapter sets the stage for everything else that happens, Here we find out who the time travelers are and watch them board the time ship and take off for the first time. Although the primary focus of this novel is on the time periods the travelers will visit, this chapter was necessary to set the stage and familiarize the reader with the time ship itself. There is also somewhat of an element of suspense as they attempt something never before tried in the history of the world.

1775 Philadelphia encounter

This excerpt is from Chapter 6 ("Deism and Faith") of my purposeful Sci-fi novel, "Impossible Journey." It picks up after they land in 1775 Philadelphia and Walt decides to go and "have a look around" . I purposely chose Colonial America as the second stop for my time travelers so I could point out the difference in the Deistic view of Benjamin Franklin and the view of George Washington. It also adds some excitement, as, when Walt tries to tell them their future, they think he's a British spy. Will he escape? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Glimpsing Jesus

This Bookbubble (excerpt) picks up where the last one left off. The time travelers have decided to check out the scene in AD33 Jerusalem where they have landed, walk down down the road and spot a crowd of people listening to Jesus, and are, at first, impressed. I suppose I could have jumped right to the crucifixion, but I wanted to first le them see both the man Jesus in his role as teacher, and also the crowd to show a contrast from this scene to the trial. I also include here the denial of one of his closest disciples, Peter to add more color and background as I approach the crucifixion.

Opening

Here is the intriguing opening of my purposeful sci-fi (time travel) novel. If I remember correctly, I wrote it after outlining the chapters. In order to arouse interest, I allude to what is going to happen without naming it but using such words and phrases as "standing on tiptoe," "destined to be different" and "revolutionary.."

The idea: Stop illness,disease and evil

In this excerpt we see the basic idea of my purposeful sci-fi (time-travel) novel. I arbitrarily chose 2025 for the starting point, but the more I see of what's going on today, the more I feel that the choice of that date was no accident [perhaps God-directed-?]. It seems more relevant today than ever, especially with the current Corona virus threat disrupting life across the planet. Of course, the solution posed by my characters is impossible (thus, the book's title). But could these modern outbreaks be a sign that the end is near? More later.

The Reviews

Here are the 2 reviews I received for this book, the first one is from Goodreads, and 2nd one is from the 4 star review I received from Reader's Favorite.

Taking Jesus to trial

In the previous excerpt, the time-travelers were forced to continue their stay in 33 A.D. Jerusalem due to a problem with the ship. This enables them to glimpse the taking of Jesus to Caiaphas for trial...I included this event to show the change in the attitude of the crowd from the previous day, and the surprise of time-travelers at this change, and to lead gently up to the horror of the crucifixion, Stay tuned.

Stuck in 33AD

I added this next little bit to Chapter 11 to give a reason for skeptical time-travelers to have to stay and in AD33 and view the next two most important events which could possibly bring their mission to an end. stay tuned or nuy the book.

Glimpsing Jesus

This bubblet (short excerpt) picks up where the last one left off. The time travelers having decided to check out the scene in AD33 Jerusalem where they have landed, They walk down down the road and spot a crowd of people listening to Jesus, and are, at first, impressed. I suppose I could have jumped right to the crucifixion, but I wanted to first let them see both the man Jesus in his role as teacher, and also the crowd to show a contrast from this scene to the trial.

Jerusalem: 33AD

This excerpt reprises the end of the previous one and continues. Having expressed a desire to not hear any more about Jesus, they now find themselves in his time and in need of water and alcohol for the fuel. This section sets up their first visit to the ancient city of Jerusalem.. What will they find? Stay tuned or buy the book..

Final conclusion: Faith and Unbelief

Here is the final conclusion---the end of the book I added it to make clear my belief in salvation by faith in Jesus and the fact that He is the only answer, and to make these truths stand out against the background of their opposites.

Camelot continued: A failed test case

In this interesting excerpt, you can see somewhat of my purpose for including this chapter (in addition to the fun) . King arthur tried to change the world through his system of "Migh for right" and failed. Here the time-travelers decide to make Camelot a sort-of test case for Eden, But, passion and diacontent proves too strong. Yet, in the end, their failure fails to convince them of the futility of their mission.

Canelot

This fun excerpt picks up where the previous one left off. , Note that in the previous one, the time travelers expressed a desire to never hear the name of Jesus again. with this chapter, I, the author, grant their desire--at least for a while. A lot of this chapter is just for fun, although there is point to be made. It's hinted at in their conversation with Arthur and will become clearer by the end of the chapter--but, for now, just enjoy this excerpt..

1775 Philadelphia continued

Here's the continuation of the excerpt from Chapter 6 ("Deism and Faith") of my purposeful Sci-fi novel, "Impossible Journey." I purposely chose Colonial America as the second stop for my time travelers so I could point out the difference in the Deistic view of Benjamin Franklin and the view of George Washington. It also adds some excitement, as they think Walt's a British spy. Will he escape? Stay tuned or buy the book. The print book is only $7.89 (Amazon). Kindle is $2.99, others $2.52.

1775 Philadelphia

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 6 ("Deism and Faith") of my purposeful Sci-fi novel, "Impossible Journey." I purposely chose Colonial America as the second stop for my time travelers so I could point out the difference in the Deistic view of Benjamin Franklin and the view of George Washington. It also adds some excitement, Will they discover who Walt is? Will he pull it off as one of their own time? Or will they think him perhaps a British spy? Stay tuned or buy the book. (I hopr to continue this tomorrow if I get the chance,)

First Take off

Here we see how it is decided which of the scientists will go back in time. I use Hebrew language facility as a criteria, not only since it would come in handy when they reach their final destination, but it will come in handy on an important stop on the way. Here we also see how the time machine is actually built, its dimensions and shape, and how it is actually going to work all of which are products of my imagination (any resemblance to anything else is purely con-incidental.) We also see the naturally excited reactions both of the travelers themselves and their fellow workers and their supporter, Mark Lewis. They take off and land, but where--or when? I purposely had the indicator break here to provide an element of suspense till the next chapter. Stay tuned or buy the book.

The setting

This excerpt gives more of the setting of this Sci-fi novel, giving the time and place of the first meeting, but mainly pointing up the background of the characters. Note the countries represented and the differing though similar beliefs, And follow their train of thought as they approach the problem and a solution. What will they come up with? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Conclusion Part 1

The time travellers finally arrive home, anxious to share. This excerpt sums up the entire novel in a few paragraphs, giving the message which I intended to convey from each particular stop on their journey, so you can see why I chose the particular time periods which I did. They are excited to share why they can't continue the mission. But, will their backers accept their reason--more to the point, will they accept their new-found belief? stay tuned or buy the book.

..Or not to continue?

Having now realized the true end and purpose of their mission, our friends naturally decide to try to return home. (This chapter will show a contrast of beliefs and life styles.) Unable to contact home base from where they were, they travel forward in time and return to Camelot, much to the surprise of the knights (I added this for humour effect). They try again to contact home base. This time they are successful and relate their desire to return home. Will the guys at home base accept their wishes? Will the mission still continue? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Salvation out of time

Here's more of Chapter 11 ("Christ and Crisis") where the time travellers finally come to accept Christianity. I put it off till now in order to show both the extreme hardness of their hearts and the place of God's Holy Spirit in actually finalizing it. But what will their friends and their backer at home base say about their new-found faith? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Pentecost encounter

Since the feast of Pentecost is around the corner, and since I haven't posted from my Sci-fi novel for a while, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. You probably guessed it from the last excerpt, but our friends have arrived on the day of Pentecost, where they actually meet the Apostle Peter. They were unmoved by seeing the crucifixion and even finding evidences of the resurrection, so how will this encounter leave them? Stay tuned or buy the book.

A short trip

Now, back to our time travellers. Having landed in 33 A.D. Jerusalem and witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and seen some evidence of His resurrection, but having chosen to ignore the implications of these events and leave that time period, now find themselves again moving forward in time till they hit a lever.. Thus they are forced (by fate, God, or me. the author) to return not long after the time that they left, They land a month or 2 later than when they left. Can you guess exactly when they are, and why I, the author had them make this short trip. I fully intended them to land when they did. If you can't guess why, stay tuned, or buy the book. ------------- The eBook is now only $2.25 in most e-venues.

Resurrection?

In the previous excerpt our friends viewed the horrible crucifixion of Jesus and yet remained unmoved. Actually the crucifixion is only part of the story. Without His resurrection, the crucifixion would be meaningless. So my next step in this process was to bring them into contact with the resurrection. I accomplish this first by having one of them overhear a conversation while working on the ship, but then, mainly by means of the fuel situation--namely that they have to obtain a quantity of alcohol to mix with the fuel to bring them further back in time. That's how one of them finds the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and watches as someone who looks like Jesus joins them. But will this be enough cause them to believe?

Crucifixion and apathy

Having landed in 33 A.D. Jerusalem, the time travellers decide to see what they can see of this time period, and so they witness the trial of Jesus and Peter's denial of him. This excerpt picks up as they are discussing the latter and decide to stay for the crucifixion. They see it all, but it fails to make a lasting impression on them. They fail to see it as anything but an interesting historical event. I wrote it like this to show that if a person's heart is not changed, even witnessing the crucifixion won't be enough to reach them. So will they change their mind about Jesus? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Camelot to Christ

Here's the last part of Chapter 10 along with the bare beginning of Chapter 11. The time travellers decide to make the most of their stop at Camelot to try to prevent it's fall by warning Lancelot and Guinevere. They try but, of course, to no avail, which makes them wonder for a moment if the same thing would happen in Eden, Having found out from home base that the fall of Camelot is that night, they decide to try to warn the lovers again, but find themselves surrounded by Mordred's men, and so try to take off instead. They do so to the surprise and amazement of Mordred's men, I thought it was a nice touch to show the reaction of those knights to the time cylinder taking off. This time they land in 33 A.D. Jerusalem to their dismay..

Luther to Camelot

Having helped to save Martin Luther from the wrath of the crowd, the Monk invites our 3 friends home for supper. After the simple meal of stew and biscuits, they ask about the document he had been nailing to the Church door. He tells them its his list of 95 grievances with the Church, and agrees to show them a copy. That's where this excerpt picks up. He points out the importance of his main point, salvation by faith in Jesus. Our friends try to dissuade him from fighting the church, but he thinks they're demons and kicks them out. At the ship, they discuss his fanaticism and say they never want to hear the name of Jesus again. I, the all-present author, fearing their request may echo the thoughts of some of my readers, grant their request--at least for the next chapter. Chapter 10 has no mention of Jesus. I chose to have them land in Camelot to show the fallacy of the concept of a "perfect society from Might-for- Right" as held by King Arthur.

Faith or works

Now you'll see why I had the time travelers go forward and then back in order to have them land in 1517--in order to have them meet the great reformer of the reformation, Martin Luther and be confronted with his concept of justification by faith. More about that in the next excerpt. But in this one, you can see one of the abuses of the Catholic church which he stood against, although as he says he was not against the church--just the wrong things it was teaching and practicing. The same goes for me, the writer--I'm NOT anti-Catholic. I'm pro-Jesus, and if you're trusting anything else but Him to save you, you're lost. There I said it, and there's more to follow. Stay tuned of buy the book.

Forward and back

Having accidentally left Alex and his thruster device behind, the time travelers again find themselves moving forward in time--this time due the lever jam. But they soon manage to correct the problem and move backwards again, although not very far, landing them in1517. This forward and back movement and the uncertainty of where they are going serves to add a bit of suspense to the story. But that's not the only reason I wrote it in. I had a definite reason for wanting them to land where (or I should say when) they did. If you haven't figured out what it is, it will become clear in the next excerpt, so stay tuned or buy the book

Ooops!

As promised-- the next part of Chapter 8 ("Humanism and Hope") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel. It become clear that the reason for Alex, the stowaway, not joining them to repair the ship is so that I could have them take off without him and his device. Are you disappointed? With the device, they might have been able to complete their mission fairly quickly. But, remember the title of the novel is "Impossible Journey." I had them leave him behind so that they would NOT cover a lot of ground in the next few legs of their journey. I have a few other important time periods in mind for them to visit. Stay tuned or buy the book.

Humanism and Hope

Here you will be able to see why I chose this particular time period for the time travelers to land in. I wanted to show a contrast between the humanistic ideas of that time as proposed by Leonardo Da-Vinci and the sinfulness of man as represented the scientists and their mission. There is also a reason I have the stowaway stay behind while the time travelers go to prepare the ship, but you'll have to stay tuned or buy the book to find out about that. ---- This book also available in Spanish and French..

Next stop 1490

Having managed to escape their war-torn future and having found a stow-away on board, the time travelers threaten to throw him over-board, but he tells them he has a device which can help them to go further back than they could otherwise. So they agree to take him with them in exchange for the use of the device. So he installs the device in the ship and sets the co-ordinates and walllah....They meet the famous sculptor and humanist, Leonardo DaVinci. I had a reason for having them meet this famous person. If you can't guess, the reason will become clear in my next excerpt. So stay tuned or better yet, buy the book. -----------

The stowaway and his device

Having managed to break free and escape from the troubled future to which they were pulled, the time travelers find a stowaway on board. They start to throw him out but find he has something that could be helpful to their mission, namely a device that can allow them to go further back in time than they could without it. I added the stowaway with the device in order to move the story far enough forward, since they were pulled from Colonial America to 2075, and with their ship, they could only go 200 years more or less at a time. I needed to propel them to at least further back than where they had been pulled from, and, for reasons you will see in the next few excerpts to put them in the middle ages. ------ Note: This book is now also available in Spanish

Escape from tribulation

Well, I guess it's time to end the suspense. They finally do escape, but only to find they have a stow-away on board. But before making that discovery, they are startled by more strange natural phenomena. If these strange phenomena seem familiar, perhaps you have read the Biblical book of Revelation.

Escape from terror, continued

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("Tribulation and Patience") of my purposeful Sci-fi novel. Having been pulled forward to their future and forced to fight in the senseless world war, the time travellers, having finally been given an opportunity due to some strange natural phenomena, have decided to make a run for it, but their captors aided by a robot are close behind them. Here we see that they do reach their time capsule ahead of their pursuers, but, there is still great tension as they still have to fix the damage to the capsule before they can take off. Will they be able to do so before their captors catch up with them? Stay tuned, or buy the book to find out.

Will they escape?

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("Tribulation and Patence") from this purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel. The time travelers having been pulled to their future and forced to fight in a senseless war are now offered a way of escape due to some strange natural phenomena. (These particular phenomena are those mentioned in Rev.6:12,

Escape from terror?

Back to Chapter 7 ("Tribulation and Patience") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, where the time travelers, having been pulled to their future and forced to fight in a senseless war, see what might be their only chance of escape, brought on by a quirk of nature (or should I say, act of God).

Forced to fight

We've already seen that the time travelers were brought to the future world war by mistake, their captors hoping for more primitive people But, having brought them, their hosts decide that having them is better than nothing and decide to make use of them and thus force them to fight in the war. The paragraph after the ***** shows their reaction--their inner fears and despair at the possibility of it ending like this.

Sensless future war (WWIII)

When the time travelers reveal where they are from and their purpose, they are laughed to scorn. That's where this excerpt starts, as in reply, one of the future people says "Nothing can stop this war...." Upon inquiring, the travelers find that the war is senseless and though there are voices for peace they are not headed, and some are mysteriously missing.

Primitive future war

The world war to which our time travelers are brought is a primitive one by their standards. Thus is explained the reason for their being pulled forward, even though by mistake, as their captors explain. Of course this is only one possible scenario of how a future world war would look. Nukes could have been more frightening on a global scale, but this type of warfare makes it more so on a personal level, as each man is required to do hand to hand combat with primitive weapons.

World War III

Here's more of Chapter 7 of my purposeful Sci-fi novel, which chapter depicts a future time of world war. The way things are today it could be any time. I just happened to chose the year 2075. It' not that I'm trying to be pessimistic, but rather realistic. Stay tuned.

Future landing

Here's more of Chapter 7 of my purposeful Sci-fi novel. Here is when they land after being pulled to their future. You can guess by the last paragraph of this excerpt that they have come to a future time of war. That's another clue to my purpose in having them pulled to the future--but all that will be clear later

Forward in time

Here's an excerpt mainly from Chapter 7 of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, "Impossible Journey." I started it with the end of Chapter 6 to get the connection. This is the one place in the novel where, instead of going back in time, the travelers are pulled forward to a time yet future to their own. My purpose for this forward jaunt will become clear later. This excerpt shows their reactions and attempts to correct the problem, including trying to call home--all without avail. More later. ------- And this novel can still be purchased for only $9.99.

Deism, Faith And Future

Here's the continuation of the excerpt from Chapter 6 ("Deism and Faith") of my purposeful Sci-fi novel, "Impossible Journey." I purposely chose Colonial America as the second stop for my time travelers so I could point out the difference in the Deistic view of Benjamin Franklin and the view of George Washington. It also points up the dogged optimism of the colonists as seen in their refusal to believe Walt's mention of the future civil war. It also adds some excitement, as Walt is taken for a spy.

A difference of views

Here's more of Chapter 5 ("Gold and Gospel") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, "Impossible Journey." Here we see how the gospel, as represented by the circuit riding preacher with whom they were thrown out of the saloon, contrasts with the more humanistic views of our time travelers, and why the preacher says that their plan won't work. I added the character of this preacher for this specific purpose of showing these opposing views. You'll have to buy the book to find out who will end up being right (if you haven't already guessed.). And you can still get the "Christmas edition" for only $9.99.

The plan continued

Here's more of Chapter 2 ("The Plan") of "Impossible Journey." Here the scientists explain more of their idea to wealthy financier, Mark Lewis. Here we see the determination of the scientists to proceed with the project despite risks. There is also some of the technical jargon which I threw in to make it sound scientific, although, of course, there's no basis for it in reality (that's what makes it science fiction).

The plan

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2 ("The Plan") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, "Impossible Journey." This excerpt re-iterates somewhat the idea which was detailed in Chapter 1. After getting the idea in Chapter 1, they realize they will need some financial backing, and so go to the home of the rich financier, Mark Lewis to present the idea to him. This excerpt starts after they attempt to introduce the idea and John suggests that Daniel read the Genesis account again. Keep in mind that at this point, all the men are believers in a God of some sort, but that's all.

Bible thumpers?

Here, as promised, is the next part of Chapter 5 ("Gold and Gospel") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel. Here truth confronts error in the person of a circuit riding preacher. I added this character as a means of inserting truth by pointing up the contrast between the true gospel and the impossible mission on which the time travelers have embarked. Historically, there were such circuit riding preachers at that time, even going to such a place as a mining town. One is depicted in the musical "Paint Your Wagon." This is the first of several encounters our travelers will have with the truth, but they won't accept it for quite a while yet.

Mining camp morality

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 5 ("Gold and Gospel") of "Impossible Journey." Between the previous excerpt and this one, the time travelers have managed to book a room for the night and find their way to the local saloon. My goal in this part of the chapter was to show the morality that existed in the '49er mining camps and the reaction of our time traveling heroes to it. Remember they are not yet Christians, but are good moral people. The contrast between them and a true Christ follower will be seen in the next excerpt, so stay tuned.

Communication through time

Here's another excerpt from Chapter 4 ("First Landing") of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, "Impossible Journey." Here the time travelers learn a bit more about the gold rush days, and make their first communication through time with their home base. They will attempt to do so throughout their journey, though not always successful. This keeps the travelers in touch with the other characters at home, keeping all the characters active throughout the novel, and giving the travelers further advice and direction where needed.

More on the gold rush

Here's another excerpt from Chapter 4, "First Landing," of my purposeful Sci-fi (time travel) novel, "Impossible Journey." Sorry, I did reveal where and when they were last time, but in case u missed it I include it in this excerpt which goes a little further.

First landing

Here is the first part of Chapter 4 "First landing." See if you can figure out where and when they are before they do. I will follow up with another excerpt revealing the answer next week, so stay tuned. --------- I chose this time period to point up the senseless greed and lust of mankind without God.

The idea

This blub starts in the middle of a quote. Daniel, one of the scientists, is translating from his Hebrew Old Testament the story of the fall of man. (At this point, all the scientists believe in a God of some sort but not in Christianity as such) From this O.T. reading, they get the idea of traveling back to prevent the fall.

The setting

Here are the first 5 sentences to set the scene and prepare you for what is to come.

Of Such Is The Kingdom Part I—Discontent and Insurrection

Literature & Fiction

It's an intriguing literary historical fiction novel of Biblical and Roman times. Step back into New Testament times--to Ancient Jerusalem at the time of Christ and of the historical Roman Empire, and ask: What could a cynical, non-conformist dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmith, and a musing mendicant all have in common? The answer: Down deep, they all seek something better. But will they find the true fulfillment they are seeking? The non-conformist, Manaheem, Herod's foster brother, is hired by Herod to foment an insurrection against Pontius Pilate, whom he distrusts. Manaheem recruits the blacksmith, Barabbas, to be the insurrection leader, to the dismay of Barabbas' Godly but fearful wife (when he finally tells her). The mendicant, an unfortunate but pensive young man named Timotheus, joins with an older beggar completely unsympathetic to his musings. Pontius Pilate sees himself as a weak ruler, but his wife pushes him to be stronger and to even take over Herod's territory. Manaheem re-unites with his former wife, Claressa. In need of more money, he tries to blackmail Herod over his illicit affair with Herodius, his brother’s wife, but, Herod decides to marry Herodius and send his present wife back to her father. John the Baptist preaches to Herod and looses his head. Herod's palace is attacked, and suspecting Pilate, he tells Manaheem go ahead with the mission. Barabbas is successful in forming a group of insurrectionists and they rehearse for the big day.

Book Bubbles from Of Such Is The Kingdom Part I—Discontent and Insurrection

Prelude To Insurrection

Here is the first part of the last Chapter of Part I. I thought I should include this to show the anxiousness of Barabbas and his men prior to the insurrection.

The Order

This excerpt starts shortly after the beginning of the next Chapter titled "The Order" Here we see Herod's reluctance to believe that the attack was from Arates, rather wanting to blame it on Pilate. We also see his callousness in the matter of John's beheading as contrast with Manaheemn's caring attitude. And here we see the order from Herod to Manaheenm to finally go ahead with the insurrection.

The Attack

In included this excerpt as the inevitable result of "the Outrage" (Herod's returning his first wife to her father, Aretas, King of Arabia, Nabatea. Thus, this part of of the Chapter is a necessary follow-up of Aretas' threat. It follows on the heels of John's beheading, leaving the party guests stunned and Herod bewildered. He doesn't suspect it could be from Aretas but has another suspect in mind. Can you guess? Stay tuned. Or buy the book.

John loses his head

John the Baptist's denunciation of Herod for his adultery and bigamy go unheeded and make Herodius more and more upset. In this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 21 ("The Unforgettable Party") I flesh out the Biblical account of Salome's dancing and her resulting horrible request. You will also see Herod's attitude toward the request and why he granted it.

Herod, Herodius and John

Following up on the previous BookBubles, in this excerpt, we see the result of Herod's decision to marry Philip's wife as far as the public and Philip are concerned, as Herod plans to go ahead with the marriage plans. As he starts to call the servants to arrange the wedding invitations, he hears something below. Opening the window, he finds John the Baptist, who denounces him for his bigamy. This seemed the most natural place for his first encounter with the Baptist. This scene seemed the natural follow-up to the previous one, though there are 2 chapters between them-(Chapter 16 introduces John). But here I include first how he hears about Herod's bigamy

The Outrage

Here the scene changes to Aretas' palace in Arabia Pretoria to get the reaction of this potentate to Herod's act of sending his daughter back to him with gifts. This is the only place where Aretas appears, but we will see the result of his reaction later. I thought it necessary to include this scene-change snapshot as a precursor of a possible later event and to build suspense.

And More Plans

Here is the entire chapter 17 of Part I, "Plans And More Plans.: In this chapter, I contrast the insurrection plans of Barabbas and his gang with the expansion plans of Benjamin, the shopkeeper. We also see how the part of Barabbas' plan to sell his shop was met with his wife. At the end of the section of Benjamin.telling his expansion plans I include news of Jesus' first miracle. It seemed the perfect place to include it.

John the Baptist

Here is the first part of the 16th chapter of my Biblical novel, which introduces the character of John the Baptist. This chapter also introduces a type of writing style previously unused in the novel, that of first person stream-of-consciousness narrative. Here John speaks in the first person, revealing his inmost thoughts and ideas. And it is here that we can see the origin of John's vision as I referred to in my previous bubble, from "Principles of the Kingdom."

Blackmail or Bigamy

The gospels tell us that John the Baptist denounced king Herod because he had married Herodias, his brother, Philip's wife. In writing my Biblical novel, I decided to flesh out this affair and imagine how this bigomistic marriage came to be. If you've been following my "#BookBubbles, you'll remember that in a previous excerpt, Mahaheem's attention was called to Herod's wandering glances at Philip's wife when the two had come to call. Here in this excerpt Manaheem catches the king in the act and decides to turn it to his advantage by blackmailing the king. At first Herod agrees to the price but then decides to take a more drastic course of action to rid himself of the blackmail.

Deborah's fears

As promised, in this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 13 ("Plans") of my Biblical novel, we see the fears of Barabbas' wife, Deborah. This excerpt picks up right after Barabbas arrives home and greets his wife. It ends with her finally, though somewhat grudgingly accepting his actions, though she's still fearful something might happen to him. He assures her, as best he can that nothing will happen, but, of course he can't guarantee that, so he adds "with your prayers" as a further means of calming her and assuring her acceptance. But, will something happen? You'll have to stay tuned or buy the book to find out. The eBook is only $2.99 on Amazon (Kindle) and B&N (Nook)

Plans

Having grasped the vision from the mysterious stranger (whom we know as Manaheem), Barabbas puts it into action by forming the insurrection gang--gathering men around a common objective, namely that of going against Pilate. But until now there were no specific plans or goals set forth--until now. He finally lays out some specifics. but then, going home, he again wonders about telling his wife.

Flesh And Spirit

Here is the entirety of Chapter 12 of Part I. It doesn't show up in the #bookbubble, but most of the chapter (after the first sentence) is in italics, indicating thought. Another indicator is that after the first sentence (which sets it up) the rest of the chapter is written entirely in first person, either singular or plural, indicating that it is the character and not the author as narrator who is talking, or, as in this case, thinking. This is a kind of stream-of-consciousness writing style.. I employ this technique with several characters throughout the novel to give greater insight into the characters than description or dialogue alone could do and thus make for a more interesting, if slower paced read,

Repentance-?

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off and centers on the two beggars as they discuss the meaning of Barabbas' words at the end of the previous chapter.. The next day, the work another crowd which is listening to John the Baptist and then discuss John's words--or rather Timotheus discusses iwith Lucas, who wasn't really paying attention as usual. We see here the different attitudes of the two drawn in sharp contrast until Lucas again manages ti quell his partner's anxiousness..

The Gang

Having had the seeds of the vision implanted in his mind by Manaheem, Barabbas now starts to put the vision into action by forming the gang which will do the insurrection. He thinks briefly of his wife-what here response would be-and wonders if he should tell her but puts that thought aside, and marvels at his newfound leadership ability.

First encounter continued: planting the seed

Here is the rest of the stranger's visit, as his true purpose is revealed, and he plants the seed of discontent in Barabbas' mind. . Here also is explained the reason for his odd appearance. I made him a non-conformist--not that is sure there were any in that time, but it's not sure there weren't either. His non-conformity and thus his unique appearance stems from a deep seated rebellion, the reason for which will be explored further in Chapter 3. .

The Insurrection

Here is part of the last chapter of PART I of my historical fiction novel of Biblical and Roman times. I wrote this part about the insurrection from the viewpoint of Pilate to show another viewpoint and also to add more suspense.

The Reviews

HERE' ARE EXCERPTS FROM 2 PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS of this novel.: THE E-BOOK OF THIS VOLUME IS FREE in all e-venues. Print-$6.92

Planting the vision

Having left the seed of rebellious ideas in the mind of Barabbas, and having been given the official go-ahead by Herod, Manaheem returns to effectively plant the vision of leading an insurrection in the mind of the disgruntled blacksmith. He begins by discussing the evils of the government in general, and then painting Pilate as the real villain to be feared. Note his use of the word "vision."

The plan continued plus new resolve:

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel, as Pilate and Portia move from vision to mission, finalizing their plan to ruin Herod by sending accusing letters to Caesar. Then, we also see Pilates new resolve come into play as a messenger arrives from Herod.

The Plan

This excerpt from Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel picks up in the middle of a dinner conversation between Pilate and his wife. Here we see, as I alluded to in the previous excerpt from "Principles of the Kingdom," showing both Procula's continued resolve and vision and Pilate's now somewhat changed attitude toward his old friend, Herod. You can see here, that even though Pilate goes along with the idea of sending letters to Caesar, it is his wife, Procula who really orchestrates the whole thing.

To Love or Not To Love

I'm making this excerpt now as follow-up to the previous ones from this novel. Here Manaheem contemplates the pros and cons of loving Claressa again. Even though he is realizing more and more that he really does love her, the consequences of following up on that love and what it will mean to his non-conformist stance weigh heavily on his mind. Their individuality is what tore them apart previously and he hopes to avoid the same thing happening again, but is somewhat hopeful that it can be avoided.

God and Romance-?

Here's the next section of Chapter 9 ("Non-conformity and Romance") where Manaheem meets his ex-wife Claressa again at the well. The spark of the old romance is re-kindled as he drives her home. When she attributes their re-meeting to fate, he brings God into the picture, as a probable cause. At this point, Manaheem is only a seeker after truth, but here is an early indication of a God-ward leaning, which may or may not be further developed. Claressa, at this point has no belief at all, but is willing to go along with his. All this is important for the further development of their beliefs and their life together.

To love again?

Since the previous excerpt, on Non-conformity and romance (about Manheem and Claressa) seem to go over so well, I though perhaps I should include another. This one is from Chapter 9 which is where he unexpectedly runs into her at the local well. It picks up after the initial meeting and the exchanging of a few pleasantries. As I mentioned in the previous excerpts, the romance between Manaheem and Claressa is crucial to the plot of the novel for reasons I cannot divulge now without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, it will still present somewhat of a challenge.

More of Non-conformity and Romance

Manaheem's story continues in this excerpt from Chapter 5 of my Biblical novel. Here he tells Herod what happened after he met his true love, Claressa--of their immediate but short lived happiness together and what she meant to him. This Chapter is important as it serves as necessary background for the re-kindling of that romance later in the novel, which in turn serves as a further plot catalyst (But that's getting ahead of the story.)

R rated for Gore: More of Manaham's story

Well, I decided to go ahead and show you the gory part. If you have a weak heart or stomach don't read this excerpt (and you may want to skip it when you get the book--Well, it's not that bad I guess, so go ahead and read it at your own risk.) It's a graphic description of what may have occurred as Herod sent his soldiers to kill the boy babies of Bethlehem following Christ's birth. We must realize that such things did happen and are still happening today in parts of the world.

Yet More of Manaheem's story: slaughter

Well, here's more of Manaheem's story. Some of the families believed him and some didn't.. This excerpt picks up where he is warning the last mother and Herod's soldiers are arriving at the same house. The next part after this excerpt is a bit gtusome, but I wanted to show a clear picture of what it must have been like then. (Stay turned or get the book now, The ebook is FREE.)

Still more of Manaheem's story--Slaughter

Here's more of Manaheem's story. This excerpt picks up just where the previous one lft off. It concludes Manaheem's visit to the first house in Bethlehem, and then begins his visit to another house. I tried to picture here what I thought must have been the attitude of the Bethlehem families on hearing the horrid news of Herod's purpose. What will happen next? Stay tune or get the book. The next excerpt may be a bit graphic.

More of Manaheem's story

I promised to share more of Manaheem's story, so here is some of what happened at the first house he entered in Bethlehem. I pick it up after he has initially told the reason for his visit. The woman speaks first, not wanting to believe what she has heard. then Manaheem answers Then the husband questions Manaheem.

Manaheem's story continued

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off. Manaheem is still relating to Herod what happened when he, Manaheem was 10 years old and Herod was away at school. Since this is the Christmas season, I thought it best to continue with this part of the novel, as it takes place after the coming of the magi. Manaheem tells of his attempt to warn the people of Bethlehem of the coming slaughtor. Keep tuned, as I may add more tomorrow. Or, better yet, download the FREE ebook. It's FREE in all e-venues,

The magi and the slaughter

This is an excerpt from Chapter 3, which is an extended flashback to the coming of the magi and the slaughter of the innocents following the birth of Christ--which is why this novel would make the perfect Christmas OR even a post-Christmas gift (It's a great after-Christmas read). Manaheem, Herod's foster brother is telling Herod what happened when the magi came and Herod was away at school. This is to whet your curiosity. From here on, the chapter gets a bit gruesome--just a tiny bit.

Answer and a Question

Here is another excerpt from Chapter 3. Here we get some insight into the cause of Manaheem's non-conformist stance and attitude. I start toward the end of his story as he relates it to Herod, who had been away at the time. I include this bit of his story so you can see the awful horror of the situation. I close the excerpt with a question asked by Herod to keep you wondering. Stay tuned or buy the book. The print book is now only $17.57 on Amazon, and the ebook is only $6.99 all e-venues.

Pilate

I thought I should give you a glimpse into his character and that of his wife as they speak for the first time in this Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." This is by no means a complete character assessment, but it will give you an idea of how I imagine and paint him in this novel, as well as how I imagine and paint his wife, and how I pose conflict between them. The contrast between their characters is to play a big part in this novel..

Non-conformity and Romance

Here's a glimpse of the first element of romance in my Biblical novel, as Manaheem tells Herod how he meant his now ex-wife Claressa, also a non-conformist. I thought it quite logical that two non-conformists would fall in love, attracted by their mutual belief in non-conformity. And yet, we will see later that this very belief and the resulted individualism also drove them apart. Later in the novel, Manaheem decides to try to get back with Claressa, and so romance is definitely one element of this Biblical novel.

Poetry, Prose and Poverty

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6 to show you how sometimes I mix poetry with the prose as part of my unique writing style. Here is introduced another important character in this novel, a young beggar who later becomes---but to tell what or who he becomes would be giving something away.(a real spoiler). More bits of poetry are sprinkled throughout the first 2 volumes of this. novel. This is PART I.of III, The print book of each volume is under $9.00. This one is the longest and is $8;84. The other two are less. The e-book of this volume is $2.52 most e-venues, $2.99 Kindle For e-books, the best bet price-wise is to look for the entire 3-part volume, ("...A Novel of Biblical Times," ), which no-longer available in print..

Musings and First Encounter

This excerpt from part I chapter 1 reveals Barabbas' inner musings. I use this sort of stream-of-consciousness motif mainly to show his great discontent and his great hatred for the Romans and their taxation. When a Roman soldier enters, we see even more the extent of his deep hatred. As the soldier leaves, the mysterious stranger enters and Barabbas' treacherous attitude spills over into his conversation with this stranger. Is he in danger due to his rash outburst? Stay tuned or get the book. The ebook of Part I is now FREE.

The beginning

Here's the first 4 sentences to whet your appetite and give you an idea of what PART I of this novel is all about.

The Christmas Victory (Gift Edition) A Gem of a Sermon, All Wrapped Up In a Historical Novel

Literature & Fiction

This is the full-color gift edition, with colored ribbons at every chapter heading and color pictures scattered throughout. It's a historical tiction novel which covers the years 1860 to 1909 and deals with the lives of H.W. Longfellow, his son, Charles and Mark Twain. What do the lives of Henry Wadsworth. Longfellow and Mark Twain have in common? The answer is that both of their lives contained terrible tragedies from which they eventually found real hope and spiritual meaning—at least in this novel. This book is about one little sermon and one, even littler poem, and how, fictionally, they may have influenced and given hope to, not only the author of the poem, Henry W. Longfellow, but also his son, Charles, and Mark Twain, whom Charles meets. Though suffering tragic losses, these all eventually find hope and spiritual fulfillment.

Book Bubbles from The Christmas Victory (Gift Edition) A Gem of a Sermon, All Wrapped Up In a Historical Novel

The Reviews

Here are 3 reviews. one specifically of the gift edition and 2 others.

Henry writing the poem

This excerpt starts toward the end of the previous one, as I wanted to include the pic of the children in this excerpt as well as in the previous one.. And so as to not leave you hanging too long, this one glimpses the victory of Henry's changed attitude, But, the change is not complete. To see what else happens to completely change Henry, stay tuned, or buy the book. ---- This excerpt is from the full-color Gift Edition,

Henry starts the poem /The children play

This excerpt starts after the one entitled "Henry's Personal War," where Charles tried to get Henry to stop his personal war with God over his wife's tragic death, but to no avail. This is referred to again in this excerpt. I include here a picture so you can see how I use pictures, and how beautiful. I include the setting (the children going out to play, etc.) so you can see how everything fits. You can see here also the contrast between the attitude of the children (their joy) and that of Henry. How will he ever change?

Christmas Past

I made this excerpt from the full-color Christmas gift edition to give you an example of how the full-color pictures fit into the text. This excerpt gives a look back at previous Christmas, to give you a sense of the normal Christmas experience in 1860's New England, and the contagious joy the children experienced during those Christmases. The last paragraph looks forward. Why the vast difference in the way Henry was feeling? Stay tuned or buy the book. You can get the original version without pictures for less by searching, but this edition would make a great gift for those readers on your list.

From The Reviews

Here are excerpts from the 3 reviews this work has seen so far. The first is specifically for this editon (Gift Edition) and is from a 5 Star review from Reader's Favorite. The 2nd is one that was obtained through my former publisher, and the last is from Goodreads.

Victory at last

I'll keep you in suspense no longer. I know you're dying to find out how Henry finally got the victory, And today is Christmas day, so here it is--the last part of the last chapter of Part I. There is much more to follow in Part II, both about the Longfellows and Mark Twain, and also George Applegate and Jim, the preacher,

Henry writing the poem

This excerpt starts toward the end of the previous one. I wanted to include the pics is this excerpt as well. And so as to not leave you ganging too long, this one glimpses the victory of Henry's canged attitude, But, the chabge is not complete. To see what else happens to completely change henry, stay tuned, or buy the book. ---- This excerpt is fromthe full-color Gift Edition,

Henry starting to write the poem / the children pl

This excerpt picks up where the one entitled "Henry's Personal War" left off. I include here 2 pictures so you can see how I use pictures, and how beautiful, I include the setting (the children going out to play, etc.) so you can see how everything fits. You can see here also the contrast between the attitude of the children (their joy) and that of Henry. How will he ever change?

The Geese / No bells yet

This excerpts details the spiritual victory of one character, namely George Applegate, through his epiphany with the geese, and looks forward to or hints at a possible victory for Henry the following day. Here is another example of how I add pictures to the text, with the picture of the geese added just at the right point in the text. George has won his battle. Will Henry win his? You might guess, but, if so, how will he win it? Stay tuned or buy the book. There are even more beautiful pictures to come as well.. This is the Gift Edition. You can still opt for the original edition (without pictures), if you like, by searching for it, but this one makes a great gift.

No Christmas for Henry

This excerpt looks both back and forward--back to the joys of past Christmases and forward to the depression and misery and lack of Christmas spirit which would now begin to be Henry's portion as a result of his wife's tragic death. Stay tuned to learn more or buy rhe book, ------ This is the full-color Christmas Gift Edition, but you can still get the original edition, if you prefer.

Christmas Past

I'm making this excerpt from the full-color Christmas gift edition to give you an example of the look of the book (with the red ribbons at the Chapter titles) and to give you an idea of how the full-color pictures fit into the text. This excerpt gives a look back at previous Christmas, to give you a sense of the normal Christmas experience in 1860's New England, and the contagious joy the children experienced during those Christmases. The last sentence in this excerpt looks forward. Why would this yeasr be different? Stay tuned or buy the book. You can get the original version without pictures for less by searching, but this edition would make a great gift for those readers on your list.

Writers and Officers

Here's a rather long excerpt from Chapter 4 of the Christmas Gift Edition to give you more of an idea of how I include pictures at crucial points in this edition of the novel. The first section is about Mark Twain, and I include a photo of the saloon in Virginia City where he drank with his friends and gathered information for his first newspaper story. The next section deals with Longfellow's son, Charles and his career as a Lieutenant in the Union Army. I include his picture and also a picture of the first real battle in which he participated. ------- This is the more expensive gift edition. If you want only the text without the pics. you can search for the less expensive edition, but this one makes a great gift.

Christmas past

I'm making this excerpt from the full-color Christmas gift edition to give you an example of how the full-color pictures fit into the text. This excerpt gives a look back at previous Christmas, to give you a sense of the normal Christmas experience in 1860's New England, and the contagious joy the children experienced during those Christmases. The last paragraph looks forward. Why the vast difference in the way Henry was feeling? Stay tuned or buy the book. You can get the original version without pictures for less by searching, but this edition would make a great gift for those readers on your list.

Of Such Is the Kingdom Part III—The Early Church and the Roman Empire

Of Such Is the Kingdom Part III—The Early Church and the Roman Empire

Literature & Fiction

[THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT AND IS HERE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY (to refer to previous bubbles) NO new bubbles will be made from this book) This novel is the sequel to Of Such Is The Kingdom Part II. Did Claressa embrace Manaheem's new-found faith? What happened to the bereaved family of Benjamin? Did Joseph, the oldest son get to go to Rabbi school? Did Barabbas continue to follow the master and did his wife and children join him? Was Pontius Pilate able to forget about his decision to crucify Jesus and did he become the strong ruler his wife wanted him to be? These and other questions are answered in this volume. The new characters added include Saul, who becomes Paul, Herod Agrippa, the nephew of Herod Antipas, who wants to take over the latter's territory, and Caligula, the crazy son of Emperor Tiberius and friend of Agrippa. Against the background of suspicion and treachery within the empire and disdain for and persecution of the new faith, the Church continues to grow and flourish. Follow the travels of Manaheem as he tries in vain to convert the two Herods. Follow the machinations of Herod Agrippa in his aim to take over his uncle's territory. Follow the foibles of Pilate as he seeks to become a stronger ruler, while still regretting his decision to crucify Jesus. Follow the new life of Barabbas and his family. Follow the lives of Benjamin's family as they cope and deal with their loss and the now seeming impossibility of Joseph's schooling. But mainly follow the early church as it grows in spite of persecution.

Book Bubbles from Of Such Is the Kingdom Part III—The Early Church and the Roman Empire

More intrigue: Manaheem imprisoned

This excerpt skips quite a bit of text from the previous one to focus on Manaheem who had not yet heard of the banishment of Herod Antipas. In the meantime, Herod Agrippa had, as Antipas had feared, been given his territory by Caligula..Then, he (Agrippa) decided to show his authority by first setting up a statue of Caligula in the temple, and secondly having some Christians arrested. Now we see Agrippa and Manaheem face to face resulting in the arrest of the later, This sets the stage for the arrest and murder of another more predominate believer. Maybe you can guess who (if you know the Bible). If not, stay tuned or buy the book -------NOTE: This book is volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Banishment!

If you were wondering what would be the final fate of Herod Antipas, after he arrived in Rome and was imprisoned by Caligula and Agrippa, You'll find the answer in this excerpt. . But first...The dungeon reminds Herod of the one into which he had imprisoned John the Baptist and thus brings back thoughts of the Baptist. I include this to tied the two events together and also show something of the warped thinking of Herod and the contrast with that of Herodius who talks of praying. You can then read of Caligula's decision regarding Herod and Herodius. What happens next to them and to Agrippa? Stay tuned, or buy the book. NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

More intrigue: The arrest of Antipas

In the last excerpt, Herod Antipas had decided to go to Rome in order to accuse his nephew, Agrippa-- whom he assumed would have already left Rome--to accuse him before the Emperor, Caligula and try to gain favour and see what rewards he can get from the new Emperor. In this excerpt, Herod and Herodius arrive in Rome only to find Agrippa still there and himself accused of inefficiency and treason. What will be his fate? Stay tuned or buy the book. ------------ NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

More intrigue: Antipas goes to Rome

Taking up where my last #Bookbubble left of, I answer the question of Manheem's response to Herod's request. After his refusal, Herod decides to take things into his own hand by going to Rome to ask a favor of Caligula. This action will set in motion events which will result in a surprising climax. For more, stay turned or buy the book ------- NOTE: this is volume 2, the sequel to PARTS I

More intrigue

Since it's been a while since my last #Bookbubble, this one starts toward the end of the previous one, so you can get the idea of the setting. Herod Agrippa having been released from his imprisonment by the newly reigning Caligula, his uncle, Herod Antipas starts to plot against his nephew and calls for his newly converted half-brother, Manaheem to plan another insurrection--this time against Agrippa.. Will Manaheem agree to help in his half-with brother's latest plot? Stay tuned or buy the book. ---------------------------- NOTE: This book is Volume 2, the sequel to "Parts I

Agrippa's release

As promised, here is the answer to the fate of Agrippa: Imprisoned for how long? He, of course is release at the rise of Caligula to the throne, and then more jealousy and intrigue between him and his uncle ensues. Read about Herod Antipas' next plot. Will it succeed, or even get off the ground? You can surmise, but for find out stay tuned or buy the book. --------------------- NOTE this book is volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

The plot thickens

Remember that Agrippa had come for a brief visit to Caligula with the hopes of reporting his uncle to the next emperor. Also remember that Caligula had mentioned his plan for an informal dinner party for his friends and backers to propel his bid for emperor forward. Here we look in on that party and find Agrippa, slightly intoxicated and overly excited about Caligula's leadership hopes, making a poignant toast that ends up getting him arrested. This serves to delay his plans and hopes. How long will he have to wait in prison? Stay tuned or buy the book. -------------- NOTE: This is volume 2 (the sequel to Parts I

Agrippa

Here, as Agrippa goes to Rome, as promised, I introduce two characters, first Blastus, Agrippa's servant, and second, Caligula, the crazy nephew of Tiberius, who was already mounting campaign to become the next emperor. Although only a servant, the character of Blastus becomes important as the story continues, and Caligula figures predominately in the political intrigue which follows and effects his friendship with Agrippa will have a role in the fate of Herod Antipas. Stay tuned or buy the book. ------------------ NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Antipas and Agrippa

Here, in the next chapter, I pose a meeting of the 2 Herods,, Antipas and his jealous nephew Agrippa, This meeting propels forward the plot point of conflict between the two and the results it may have. At the end of this excerpt Agrippa makes a threat. What will this mean for the future of Antipas? Stay tuned of buy the book. --------------- NOTE: This book is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Portia

Here I pose a meeting with Portia and Mary Magdalene, following the tragic suicide death of her husband, Potius Pilate. This meeting is pivotal. What will it mean for the life of Portia, and for the life of the new group of believers? What will her response be to Mary? Stay tuned or buy the book ------------- NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Saul and Barabbas

Here I arrange a meeting between Saul and Barabbas. But is this the old or the new Saul? He claims to be a Jesus follower, but will Barabbas believe him? Could he just be saying this to gain a foothold in the Christian community? You'll have to stay tuned or buy the book to find out. ----------- NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Pilate's end

Having been summoned to Rome, as we have seen in a previous excerpt, to answer for his overly harsh treatment of the Jews and Samaritans, which was giving Rome a bad name,, Pilate is tried and sentenced to banishment to Gaul. History does record that Pilate died in exile. Just how he died is not recorded, so I have taken the liberty to speculate on it, relating it to his feelings of guilt over the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Prepare for a shock. -------------------------------- NOTE: This is Volume 2, the sequel to Parts I

Saul and Stephen

This excerpt is from Chapter 15 ("Stephen") of PART III (Volume 2) of my historical, Biblical novel. Here I introduce the character of Saul of Tarsus (later to become Paul) as he makes friends with Joseph, the eldest son of the murdered Benjamin, and the two of them witness the stoning of Stephen, with differing effects. I use this Biblical event (from Acts Chapter 7) to explore differing reactions to it, first from Saul and Joseph and later from their teacher, Gamaliel. This is a formative time in the life of young Joseph as he considers both sides of the Jesus issue. Which side will he eventually come down on? Stay tuned Or buy the book.--->NOTE: This book is the 2nd volume, the sequel to PARTS I

Pilate summoned

I decided to jump ahead for this BookBubble to show something of what happened to Pontius Pilate. History shows that he was exiled. Here I purpose a possible reason, which may come as a surprise to my readers. Rome, normally known for its harshness and unconcern for the common people, now, fast becoming a world power, suddenly becomes concerned for it's reputation and thus Pilate is called into question for his harsh treatment of the Jews and Samaritians. A disgusted Pilate regrets his harshness but his wife, Portia encourages him and says they'll beat this. But will they? Stay tuned or buy the book.--------------------NOTE: This is the 2nd volume, the sequel to Parts I

The Bereved

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off, as the newly re-named Barnabas and family go to visit the family of the man he had killed an apologize. As they go, Deborah asks if she can call him by his former name. Upon arriving they are met with nothing but hostility, first from the children and then the mother. This would be the natural reaction of a family toward the murderer of their father and it serves to add to the suspense. Will they finally accept Barabbas and his family--accept his apology and allow them to help? Stay tuned OR buy the book ----------NOTE this book is 2nd volume, the sequel to Parts I

Names and Children

This excerpt starts with the matter of the name change, which as you will remember from a previous excerpt has no basis in scripture but is purely from my imagination and yet something entirely possible. So here, as the man who was formerly Barabbas, now Barnabas and his family get used to his new name , they decide to go and visit the family of the man he had killed. He doesn't want to take the children until they remind him of their previous conversation with dead man's children. I chose to keep the children involved in the action in keeping with the overall title of the series---speaking of which, remember that this book is Volume 2, Parts I

Herod Agrippa

This BookBubble picks up where the previous one left off. Manaheem consults with Claressa over Herod's request to find out his nephew's intentions. She says just ask him what he thinks, and she also suggests that it might be a chance to tell him about Jesus. But would he listen? Would Manaheem even have the courage to confront him with such a message? But now the Holy Spirit has been given. I added this point about telling him about Jesus to show the courage which the Holy Spirit gives in witnessing about Jesus. I also introduce here yet another character, that of Agrippa's servant Blastus, He seems to be a minor character, but will play an important part later on in this novel. I made Agrippa to be frank and open about his feelings toward his uncle. But how will he respond to Manaheem's mention of Jesus? Stay tuned, OR, if you already have Parts I

Pentecost

With Pentecost Sunday just two days away, I thought I would post all of Chapter 11 ("Pentecost") of PART III of my Biblical novel. Here I change my writing style and tell what happened through the eyes and pen of my character, Manaheem, using first person narration. I did this to give the relating of the events of Pentecost a more personal feel. Also toward the end of this chapter, after experiencing the events of Pentecosts, Manaheem wonders if he should go ahead with the mission for Herod of spying on his nephew. Will he do it, and what will be the results? Stay tuned, OR buy the book if you already have Parts I

Another Assignment

Having introduced the character of Herod Agrippa, the nephew of Herod Antipas in Chapter 8 of PART III, in Chapter 10 I set up a meeting of Agrippa with Manaheem by having Herod Antipas offer Manaheem the job of checking out the intentions of his newly arrived nephew. In the beginning of this chapter, Manaheem and Claressa are discussing Herod Antipas when a messenger arrives telling Manaheem that the king wants to see him at once. He goes, hoping that his half brother has decided to follow his new-found faith.. . Instead he is offered this assignment. What will be the results? Stay tuned, OR buy the book, especially if you already have PARTS I

Ceremonies

I'll keep you in suspense no longer regarding Barabbas' name change. I chose a similar sounding and similarly spelled name, the meaning of which is the opposite of his old name. Of course, this is purely fiction--there's no record in scripture of Barabbas after his release and there's also no record of the background of disciple whose name I gave him. I just thought it would be interesting. I'll let you read about it. We also see here the re-marriage of Manaheem and Claressa. This excerpt ends with the newly named disciple suggesting to his wife that they visit the family of the man he had killed. But will she receive them peacefully? Stay tuned, OR buy the book, if you already have PARTS I

Political intrigue

In the last part of Chapter 8 ("Regret and Jealousy") of PART III of my Biblical novel, I mention the nearness of Pentecost, which is coming soon, and I also introduce another character into the mix--namely Herod Agrippa, the nephew of Herod Antipas, who returns from Rome, desiring to take over his uncle's throne. I introduce him here to add an element of conflict between him and his uncle, but to also involve Manaheem in meeting him, as Herod's last order to his servant portends. Another reason for adding Agrippa as a character is his terrible end--but that comes later, Stay tuned or buy the book--buy it if you already have Parts I

Pilate and Herod: Regret and Fear

To follow up on my last BookBubble from my Biblical novel, and to get back to Pilate and his wife, here's an excerpt from Chapter 8 ("Regret and Fear") where, as Pilate and his wife get ready for supper, the receive a visit from Herod and Herodius, who join them at the meal. As the author, I arranged this meeting especially so that Herod to inform Pilate of the rumour that Jesus had risen from the dead, and that you, the reader could see his reaction.

Laughter and Fear

Back to Manaheem--You'll remember that he told Claressa he was going to try to reach Herod with the good news about Jesus. This is where he does try, but the results are what you could expect. As desilrabale an outcome as it might be, I couldn't have Herod accept Manaheem's new-found faith, as that would go against history. But, at least I have him confronted with the message so that both he and Herodius (who comes in in the middle of the conversation) are without excuse. Yet toward the end of this excerpt, you'll see Heroduis starting to wonder if it might be true. ------- NOTE: This book is the sequel to Parts I

Belief and reconcilation

O.k., I will keep you in suspense no longer--Here's the part of Chapter 6 ("An Eventful Meeting") where Claressa and Manaheem get back together, after she tells him she also has decided to follow the Saviour. Her hesitation has been because she wanted to make sure she was doing it for the right reason. Now their relationship has a new dimension--a Spiritual one. It is founded on a common belief, and this is the basis for any successful relationship. At the end of this excerpt, Manaheem decides to share his new-found faith with Herod. How will the king take to hearing it? Stay tuned or buy the book. (Buy it if you already have Parts I

Upcoming changes (Barabbas

And now, back to Claressa and Manaheem--and also Barabbas and family. Chapter 6 brings us to an eventful meeting (That' the name of the chapter) . To Manaheem's joy, Claressa is there. First, Peter and John tell of Jesus's assention and his last command.and promise. Barabbas requests to change his name. Since there is no record in scripture of Barabbas beyond his release, I thought this might be fitting due to his past crimes. Stay tuned to see what he changes it too--you may be surprised. After the meeting, Manaheem approaches Claressa and asks to take her home. She agrees. What will be the result of this ride? Will they get back together/ Stay tuned of buy he book. Buy it especially if you already have Parts I

Regret and romance-?

Giving Claressa time to meditate, Chapter 4 of PART III changes the scene again, this time to Pilate and his wife. This excerpt picks up in the middle of a conversation, as Pilate is decrying his weakness in dealing with the people. His wife, Portia, encourages him and helps him to forget by, for one thing, making love to him. After all, they are married, and it always seemed to work with me and my wife, whenever I couldn't sleep for some reason. .

Indecision

As promised, more on Claressa from Chapter 3 of PART III. Here she is confronted with an actual appearance of the post-resurrection Jesus. (I decided to give her something concrete to base her faith on) But, when Manaheem presses her for a decision, she remains indecisive, wanting to think things through on her own I'm keeping the suspense going by her indecision. Manheem is hoping she will give her life to the saviour so they can be united spiritually as well as physically. Will she? What will she decide? Stay tuned or buy the book. (Buy it especially if you already have the first volume, Parts I

Claressa's Confusion

As Promised, here's part of Chapter 3 of PART III which deals with Claressa and her confused skepticism. She attends the believer's meeting as she promised Manaheem to do, but becomes even more confused as she listens to conflicting reports and attitudes from the disciples. I wrote it this way to heighten the suspense. Will she become a believer and a fit companion for Manheem, or will she remain skeptical and thus a miss-match? The meeting is not over yet. If you know the gospels perhaps you can guess what happens next. If not, stay tuned, or buy the book. (Buy it, especially if you already have the first volume ("Parts I

The Bereaved

Chapter 2 of PART III changes the scene to the family of the man Barabbas killed, so the question about Claressa will have to wait. I wrote it like that in order to build suspense, and it's for the same reason I post from Chapter 2 here. At the start of the Chapter, as Benjamin's children are playing, some other children tell them about Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. This excerpt picks up as they relate this distressing news to their mother. We see the reaction of the the mother as well as all the children, especially, Joseph, the eldest. He brings up the question of what they will do now. Benjamin had wanted Joseph to go to Rabbi school, but there's not enough money now. This will be solved later on. How? stay tuned or buy the book.

Resurrection!

Here is the entire first chapter of Part III. Part III is the sequel to Parts I and II (a separate volume), and the subtitle is "Power and Persecution, A Novel of the Early Church and the Roman Empire". I decided to post the whole chapter as an intro. to this volume. It actually starts before the last chapter of the previous volume, (as I needed to give more background as to why Barabbas came to give the announcement) and goes just beyond it. The question of Claressa's faith or continued skepticism won't be answered in this chapter, but will be soon, so stay tuned or buy the book--buy it especially if you already have Parts I and II. Thanks.

Of Such Is The Kingdom, A Novel of Biblical Times, PART II

Literature & Fiction

Did you enjoy Part I of this historical fiction novel of Biblical and Roman times? This volume picks up where Part I left off. The insurrection having failed, Barabbas and his men find a cave in which to hide out. But Barabbas, unsatisfied, decides to try robbery. He enlists the help of the two beggars and they set out to rob rich Benjamin. But Timotheus almost turns back, after seeing the Nazarene. Will he go on to aid in this crime? Will it be successful, or will this also result in disaster? Meanwhile, non-conformist Manaheem tries to blackmail Herod over his part in the insurrection and loses his one true love, his former wife Claressa, also a non-conformist, with whom Manaheem is trying to reunite. Will he get her back? More importantly, will he, as well as Barabbas and Timotheus find the fulfillment they have been seeking?

Book Bubbles from Of Such Is The Kingdom, A Novel of Biblical Times, PART II

Dreams

Here is the complete Chapter 8 of Part II. I included this chapter to give more insight into the characters--their hopes and aspirations, as well as build some suspense as to whether or not Timotheus will stick to his decision.. . .

Proposal and decision

Here is all of Chapter 7 of Part II, "The Proposal," which is also the Chapter title. I already made a bubble of the first part of the chapater, but thought I should include the whole chapter as Palm Sunday is coming soon (you'l see what I mean later) and this scene is pivotal..due ti the decision of Timotheus, the younger beggar. But, will he stick to his decision? stay tuned or buy the book.

The Proposal

Here is the first and main part of Chapter 7 of Part II, "The Proposal," which is also the Chapter title. This scene may be incidental or may be pivotal . It depends on the decision of Timotheus, the younger beggar. Will he decide to go along and help with this plan which Barabbas is suggesting? stay tuned or buy the book.

Blackmail And Break-up

Here is the entire Chapter 6 of Part II. Here we See Claressa's reaction to Manaheem's blackmailing of Herod and the resulting break-up of her and Manaheem. Then we see Manaheem's reaction to the break-up. I included this in the first person-stream of consciousness (Manaheem's thinking). I use this device (stream-of consciousness) several places in this novel to show the character's thoughts.

Robbery-?

Here is the entire Chapter 5, titled "Robbery-?". This is the first hint of what is to come. In need of money, Barabbas decides to try robbery. His men don't agree, so he goes on his own. Deborah and the children are worried when the messenger form Barabbas comes to tell that Barabbas is alight. They are relieved and plan how to survive till he gets back and pray/

Loaves And Fishes

Here is the entire Chapter 4 of Part II. I added this chapter in the 2md edition in order to both draw out the story and show more of the the characters of the beggars and to include another Biblical miracle of Jesus and to show the reaction of both beggars to it.

Suspicion And Blackmail

This excerpt starts part-way into Chapter 3 of Part II. First, we see Pilate's suspicion of Herod. This plays an important part in the events to follow. Then, the scene changes and we see Manaheem demanding payment from Herod and resorting to blackmail. This will also have a repercussion soon in another area. So stay tuned or buy the book.

The Shopkeeper

Here's the entire 2nd Chapter of Part II. I included, at this point in the book, another look at Benjamin the shopkeeper, as he will soon play an important though [spoiler alert] an unfortunate part.. As I pointed out the last time we saw him, his life is a contrast in many ways to that of Barabbas.

Anxieties and Hopes

I thought it best at this point to include another whole Chapter. This is the first Chapter of Part II and follows on the heels of Barabbas' failed insurrection attempt. This chapter finds him and his gang anxiously hiding out . We also see here the worries and prayers of his family. Finally, we see Manaheem and Claressa. as she anxiously questions him about his mission and he puts her off but shares his hope for a comfortable life with her.

The Christmas Victory

Literature & Fiction

This is a historical tiction novel which covers the years 1860 to 1909 and deals with the lives of H.W. Longfellow, his son, Charles and Mark Twain. What do the lives of Henry Wadsworth. Longfellow and Mark Twain have in common? The answer is that both of their lives contained terrible tragedies from which they eventually found real hope and spiritual meaning—at least in this novel. This book is about one little sermon and one, even littler poem, and how, fictionally, they may have influenced and given hope to, not only the author of the poem, Henry W. Longfellow, but also his son, Charles, and Mark Twain, whom Charles meets. Though suffering tragic losses, these all eventually find hope and spiritual fulfillment.

Book Bubbles from The Christmas Victory

Mark Twain's New Year's Eve Romance

I thought you might be interested to find out more about the New Years Eve party to which Mark Twain was invited on New Year's Eve, 1887. It is here that he meets his future wife. Although he wants to impress her, he has to admit that he is not much on prayer. See how Longfellow's poem, which Twain has carried unread in his pocket for some time now, saves the day.

Summertime, romance-? and frogs

This excerpt takes place in the summer time when picnics were popular. It starts toward the end of a writer's meeting at Ida's house where Mark and Ida meet and she invites him on a picnic. . Here is a glimpse of Mark Twain's first crack at romance, as he takes Ida on the picnic (along with her mother, which was the custom). I included this event to arouse interest, even though. as you'll see, the affair didn't go too far. I also use the picnic setting ( and something that happens there) to provide Mark with subject of his first published short story.

Twain's New Year's Romance continued

This excerpt starts just before where the previous one ended. Mark's hope of seeing Olivia again is answered as they plan a date to listen to Dickens' lecture the following day. (Dickens was visiting America at the time and unfortunately it was before he wrote the Christmas Carol or there would have been another Christmas tie-in,-but I did use Dickens' pension for writing about children to start twain in that direction. But that's later. This excerpt focuses on his romantic inclinations toward Olivia.--inclinations mental and physical--you'll see what I mean.

Thanksgiving frog-?

This pre-Thanksgiving Day excerpt from my American historical fiction novel deals with Mark Twain's writing the story of the jumping frog which he wrote between mid October and November, and which was published on18th, making that Thanksgiving day a happy one for him for sure,.

Letting go (First loves-?)

This excerpt from my American historical fiction novel, "The Christmas Victory." sites a true incident from the life of author, Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), where he had to decide to let go of a relationship which would have meant a lot of momentary pleasure, but which he knew wasn't going anywhere.. He later did find his true love and married. I can identify with this incident, as a similar thing happened in my own life. I had, in fact, several enjoyable romantic relationships, which I eventually realized weren't going anywhere and and I should give up, before I met my true love to whom I married.

How I came to write and publish this novel

This excerpt from the foreword of my American historical fiction novel, "The Christmas Victory" tells how I had to let go my plans to do a lot of book promotion to write another book when I thought I had written enough books, I wrote this book and submitted it to my publisher and it was published, but later on, the publisher went out of business, leaving me high and dry. I tried contacting other publishers to get them to take over my books, but to no avail. I thought I might have to give up. And then, one publisher I contacted suggested I publish my books myself through CreateSpace. I did. CreateSpace was later taken over by Amazon, so all my books were listed as published by Amazon.

The poem and Mark Twain

Here's an important excerpt from my American historical fiction novel. At this point in the novel I devise Mark Twain's first contact with Longfellow's poem. It ties in with his first meeting wit Charles years ago on the train. Charles finds him again and introduces him to the poem. We see in this excerpt his typical reaction, but note what he does with the copy of the poem. Will it effect him later? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Lincoln's assination and the poem

In this mid-April excerpt, I tie in another important historical event, the assassination of President Lincoln, with the life of H. W. Longfellow. Here I imagine Henry's reaction to the news--almost doing something drastic. I use the historical event and Henry's reaction to it to bring the poem back into the story.

War's End continued

This next excerpt looks at the end of the war from the perspective of the ypung Army Chaplain. He hasn't heared the news until his old commaning officer, Captain Perkins pays a visit. Having come into the service directly from Seminary, Jim would naturally be concerned about his future.

War's End

This excerpt takes place in early April, as news arrives of Lee's surrender and the war's effective, though not official, end. I include this important bit of history to show the contrasting immediate reaction of both Charles and Henry.

Mark Twin meets Charles Langdon and Olivia's pictu

Here we see the first glimpse of Mark Twain's real true love, even though only through a picture, Being restless, Mark decides to go on a European excursion cruise. On board he meets another passenger named Charles Langford who idebtifies himself as a Jesus-follower. So, here also is Mark Twain's,first introducion to Christianity, or at leasr to a Christian, Here, in this brief meeting things are set in motion to bring aout a difference in Mark Twain's future, In a senese Mark's attraction to the girl in the picture might be called a fatal attraction, In another sense it could be a saving attraction. But will it be? Stay tuned or buy the book,

Twain's love life on hold

This excerpt picks up just before the previous one left off. Here as promised, is the solution to what he's going to do about Ina. I show him explaining his thinking on the matter to his drinking buddies, which is also a way of solidifying his thoughts and making his decision stronger in his own mind. Will he ever find true love? Stay tuned or buy the book. --------- NOTE: This novel is also available in a full coulor picture gift edition for giving at Christimas time.

Twain's first love-?

This excerpt takes place in the summer time when picnics were popular. Here is a glimpse of Mark Twain's first crack at romance. I included this to arouse interest, even though the affair didn't go too far. To find out just how far it did go, stay tuned or buy the book.

Mark Twain's New Year's Romance continued

Even though it's well into the new year by now, I thought I might as well post the rest of Mark Twain's New Year's romance. This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off and continues on into the next day and evening as Mark and Olivia go to hear Charles Dickens speak. I threw Dickens into the mix as a way to explain Mark Twain's writing about children. More importantly, my intent here is to start the reader wondering: will this spark of a romance between Twain and Olivia last? Twain is leaving, Will he remember her?

A glimmer of hope

This excerpt has part of a previous one where Henry crimples up the poem, but goes on to show show how the light of hope is trying to break through his darkness of heart and mind, Circumstances start to change, and he starts to relate to the change, but, when confronted, immediately retreats back to his darkness again. Will his attitude change, and what could change it? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Still more on "No Christmas"

Here's the rest of Chapter 1. This excerpt picks up where the previous one on "No Christmas" left off. Again we see a stark contrast between Henry's attitude and that of his children, as he acknowledges their thoughtfulness in using the tree outside instead of bothering him, but then ignores them and lost in his own thoughts, and, on Christmas morning, goes through the motions and refuses to be cheered up.

The injury

This excerpt from my American historical fiction novel gives a brief glimpse of Amy life during the civil war. It takes place shortly after Chaplain Jim's Christmas sermon and Charles' subsequent conversion, Here is where, after they discuss the possibility getting hit, he does get hit by an enemy bullet. What happens next and how will this effect his poor grieving father (still grieving for the loss of his in a fire earlier)?. You'll have to buy the book to find out.

Romance and Rejection

Here's more on Mark Twin's torrid romance with the beautiful and Godly Olivia Langdon. Being a well-bred and proper daughter, Olivia follows her father's advice, Will it mean an end to her relationship with Twain? Stay tuned or buy the book..

Twain's Romance and Deception

Here's another excerpt dealing with love and romance. This one is from my American historical novel and deals with author, Mark Twain, as yet not a person of faith. His love for Olivia is genuine, although he doesn't as yet share her faith. Furthermore, he fears the disapproval of her father. So he decides to pretend to believe. This is all told via a conversation with his buddies. Will they encourage him to go ahead with this deception? Will he decide to follow through with it? If so, will it work and what will be the end result? Stay tuned or buy the book. It's not only for Christmas.

Emancipation and re-inlistment-?

Since January is now coming to an end I thought it appropriate to submit this excerpt from which takes place as January ends. It's also timely in that it involves a transition. Transitions are often not easy. We faced a difficult one recently in Washington. Here ,I insert the historical event of the Emancipation Proclamation and the question of Charles' possible re-enlistment. Henry is quick to shoot down the idea but his past disapprovals haven't carried much weight. Charles has had to transition to civilian life Will he re-enlist and transition back to military? Stay tuned or buy the book. Although the title has to do with Christmas, it makes good reading any time of the year, as this excerpt should show.

Mark Twain's New Years Eve Romance

Since it is New Year's Eve, I thought I'd share the only part of this novel which takes place on New Year's eve--the first meeting of Mark Twain and his wife to be. (having met Charles Langford on the boat and seen Olivia' picture, and being invited by Charles to their home for New Year's eve, he goes) You'll also see how Longfellow's poem figures into things yet another time. This is also the first meeting of Twain and his soon-to-be Father-in-law. Olivia's father was suspicious of Twain from the start, and his not wanting to pray didn't help matters any, but perhaps the reading of the poem served to smooth things over. You really have to read between the lines,

The Christmas Victory sermon

I thought some of you might be interested to read the entire sermon which had so captivated Charles's heart that he had to talk to the chaplain and that he later felt he had to relate the sermon to his father. Here it is , in its entirety along with the setting and Charles's immediate response. Any preachers can feel free to use it next year or even this if you wish. It's all from the insight which the LORD showed me on the Is.7 passage.

Henry's victory--at last!

Here's the Christmas day excerpt. Especially those of you who are of the faith will be interested to see how I (fictitiously) turned Henry around. It was, as you will see, through the crux of the Chaplain' sermon which had brought salvation to Charles earlier. But Henry had to be brought to a point of being willing to listen to the crux of the sermon first, and that is where the bells came in, as I see it. You will also note that I see the final verse of the poem as a direct result of Henry's salvation--the exuberance which such an experience can produce. May such be your lot ad the lot of all with whom you share Christ this season.

Henry starting to write the poem

This excerpt goes to the heart of this novel--the writing of Longfellow's poem, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." Here I show something of the pathos and dispair that clouded Henry's mind as he began to write this poem--the famous poem that almost didn't get written. What happened to change his mood and allow him to finish the poem? I'm afraid you'll have to buy the book to find our--OR stay tuned, for a while, as I won't divulge the answer here anytime soon.

The war and the fire

I begin this excerpt with Henry's disappointment over the inevitability of civil war. I included this to show his already depressed state of mind when the larger tragedy regarding his wife takes place. The events here portrayed (in this excerpt) are true historical events. I enlarge on them only slightly to show what must have been Henry's state of mind and his reaction to these unspeakable tragedies. I end this excerpt with a look at his attitude that Christmas season, compared to that of his children. ------------- This book is now available as an eBook on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Smashwords

First meeting (of Charles and Twain)

Here's an excerpt from my latest novel, "The Christmas Victory," where Longfellow's son Charles meets Sam Clemens (a.k.a "Mark Twain") This meeting is a bit contrived, as historically it could not have happened, as Twain would already be in the west, but I thought it o.k. to change timelines ever so slightly, in order to have these 2 main characters meet in the beginning of the novel, since it's a fact that Twain was influenced later in his life by Longfellow's poem. Later in the novel they will meet again But, that's getting ahead. I post this excerpt now to attract new readers. Next I'll post about the tragedy of Longfellow This book is now available on all eBook venues as well as in print from Amazon and B

Taking down the tree

Well, I suppose by now you have taken down your Christmas tree, so I thought it appropriate to submit an excerpt from my latest novel "The Christmas Victory" about the Longfellow family taking down their tree one mid-January day in 1865, following their father's epiphany.

Mark Twain's New Years Eve

I thought you might be interested to find out more about the New Years Eve party to which Mark Twain was invited on New Years Even, 1887. It is here that he meets his future wife. Although he wants to impress her, he has to admit that he is not much on prayer. See how Longfellow's poem, which Twain has carried unread in his pocket for some time now, saves the day.

The last straw!

In this excerpt from Chapter 3, we see how Henry's despair deepens as, now on the heels of his dear wife's tragic death by being burned alive in that accidental fire, he is now faced with the possible loss of his eldest son as well, as Charles seems determined to do his part for the union cause, despite Henry's stern forbidding it. You'll see the result for both Charles and Henry as you read. Note Henry's thoughts about the place of God in all this at the end of the excerpt.

Another joyous Christmas time came and went

Here's an excerpt from Part II, Chapter 6. It's about another joyous Christmas for the Longfellows, but it also can serve as a summary of some previous events.

Happy hoidays

Here's a look at another joyous Christmas for the Longfellows with Charles telling about his recent trip, and then a look at Mark Twain's activities with look forward to New Years Eve. The celebration to which Twain is invited will be where he meets his future wife for the first time.

George and Gheese on Christmas eve

Here is my adaptation of the bird story which used to be told by newsman Paul Harvey, with the character of George Applegate.. Here is what I said about it in the forward "I have also included in the novel the story of the man with the birds, which story was made famous by Paul Harvey, though he himself says he was unable to trace its parentage. I have given the man a name and a continued bit of history both prior to and following his Christmas epiphany," I introduce him in Ch5, thiusly: "George Applegate especially loved Christas. It was a time when he felt especially generous. But, he just didn't believe some of the things the churches taught at this time-like God becoming man."

Another dreary Christmas

Here's a glimpse of another Christmas between the one I first described and the happy ending one in Chapter 10. This excerpt is from Chapter 8 -- Charles has something great to share, but Henry won't listen and refuses to be merry.

More on "No Christmas"

Here's more from Chapter 1 about their first Christmas after the tragic accident. You'll see how his attitude compares with that of his children and why they decorated the tree outside.

A happy ending

Here's a peek at the end of Part I, just to let you know, everything does turn out alright for the Longfellow household. But you'll have to buy the book to see what brought about this great change.

George's Christmas attitude

Here is introduced another character (a minor but important one), George Applegate and we see his attitude toward Christmas.

Henry's personal war

Charles tries to get his father to stop being angry with God and to realize the real true meaning of Christmas. But, Henry is not ready to listen--yet.

Henry starting to write the poem

This excerpt occurs after Henry writes the first two verses of "Christmas Bells." It reveals his feelings not only about his own tragedies but also about the war itself.

How I came to write this book

"First of all, I did not plan to write another book..." Thus begins the forward This excerpt is most of the foreword and shows how several elements came together (directed, I feel, by the LORD God) to convince me to write this book and guide me in doing so. I thought my readers might be interested to see what led to the writing of this inspirational historical fiction novel.

Christmas past

Here is a look back at the previous Christmases. (It actually appears before the previous excerpt.), as Henry reminisces. It will give you a sense of the normal Christmas experience for New England in the 1860's, and the contagious joy the children had experienced during those Christmases, while the last paragraph dimly looks forward.

No Chrismas for Henry

This excerpt looks both back and forward--It looks slightly back to the joys of past Christmases as he remembers his wife's love of Christmas and her cookies, and it looks forward to the depression and misery and lack of Christmas spirit which would start to be Henry's portion as a result of both the war and of a yet to be described tragedy (Stay tuned).

Of Such Is the Kingdom Parts I and II—Christ and the Roman Empire

Of Such Is the Kingdom Parts I and II—Christ and the Roman Empire

Literature & Fiction

[THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT AND IS HERE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY (to refer to previous bubbles) NO new bubbles will be made from this book) What do a cynical, non-conformist dry-goods salesman, a disgruntled blacksmit, and a musing mendicant all have in common? Down deep, they all seek for something better; and eventually, they all find the childlike humility and faith required for true fulfillment. The non-conformist, Manaheem, Herod's foster brother, helps Herod foment an insurrection against Pilate, using the blacksmith, Barabbas as leader, to the dismay of the latter's Godly but fearful wife. The Mendicant, a young man named Timotheus, joins with an older beggar completely unsympathetic to his musings. Meanwhile, Pilate's wife pushes him to take over Herod's territory. When the insurrection fails, Manaheem turns to blackmail, and Barabbas turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of our two beggars. Manaheem almost loses his one true love, his former wife, Claressa, with whom he is trying to re-unite. The robbery goes bad, and Barabbas and the beggars get caught and are sentenced to death.

Book Bubbles from Of Such Is the Kingdom Parts I and II—Christ and the Roman Empire

Of Such Is The Kingdom

This BookBubble is from the chapter with the same title as the main title of the novel. It is taken from the gospel accounts of Jesus with the children. I thud thought it appropriate to post it around Mother's Day. The incident of Deborah taking the children to see Jesus and the impressions which this brief visit makes is important in forming the attitudes of both the children and of Deborah herself in regard to Jesus.

Barabbas and Manaheem at the cross

This excerpt starts a little further than he previous one left off. Here we see the effect of the dying Jesus on both Barabbas and Manaheem. Then we follow Barabbas home to hear him related his experience to his family. There's even a slight hint of the coming resurrection in his last remark

Negatilve influence

Since I mentioned Timotheus and Lucas in my last BookBubble from my self-help book, "Principles of the Kingdom," I thought it fitting to post an excerpt from my Biblical novel which pictures the two beggars and the effect of Lucas' negativity on Timotheus and his Burgeoning faith.. This excerpt opens with a clear manifestation of the power of God by the voice at the baptism of Jesus, and yet Lucas almost manages to talk Timotheus out of believing what his ears have heard. This conflict continues throughout the novel until the end, when the identities of these two beggars are revealed (Some of you know who they become in the end--Please don't reveal it.)

More redemption

In my haste to catch you up on Claressa's situation, I failed to include the part of PART II, Ch.21 about Manaheem's redemption. This is important as it sets the stage for his reconciliation with Claressa (which I already posted) and his next visit with Herod. Also, the question of the extent of Christ's kingdom is again raised, as Barabbas talks with Manaheem. This excerpt picks up with Barabbas still kneeling at the cross, and ends with him back at home. In the middle, we see Manaheem at the cross. I'll get back to PART III (Volume 2) of the novel later, but I thought it important to bring in this excerpt from PART II first.

Reconciliation and Resurrection?

That's the title of the last chapter of the first volume of my Biblical novel. At the cross, Manaheem, like Barabbas, did find peace and fulfilment as he gave his life to the dying Christ [His salvation was one of my goals, but then I needed to restore his romance.] Since his conversion, he has been searching for his true love, Claressa to tell her and seek reconciliation with her. It's been over a week now and he finally finds her at the Market and tells her of his new-found faith. She is impressed, especially that he gave up his Blackmail scheme, but is still sceptical until Barabbas appears announcing that Jesus has risen from the dead. They both promise to go to a believer's meeting. But will Claressa accept the risen savoir as well, or will they be mismatched? The answer to that lies in Part III. Stay tuned.

King of what?

As promised, here's more on Barabbas at the cross. He answers his own question and, realizing who the man on the cross really is, he does find forgiveness and peace, On his way down the hill he meets Manaheem and shares with him his new -found joy and peace. As they discuss the dying "king of the Jews," the question again comes up as to the extent of his kingdom. Will they realize it is universal, and will Manaheem also find peace through this dying Messiah? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Redemption-?

Barabbas had told hid wife he had to go and see the man who was taking his place. So here, we find him kneeling at the cross. He hears the word of forgiveness from the cross. He sees the sign above the cross and realizes Jesus is king. But he asks himself, where then is his kingdom. So I leave this excerpt with that question. Does he find answers and peace? Stay tuned or buy the book.

Crucifixion and Redemption

[SPOILER ALERT: In case you haven't guessed it by now, the two beggars have become the two thieves crucified with Jesus. I purposely did not use the traditional names as they are just that--traditional and the thieves are not named in the Bible. So I gave them different names to add the element of surprise.] Today is Good Friday, when we remember Jesus' death on the cross for us. So, I'm posting this excerpt from the last part of Ch. 18 and all of Ch.19 of Part II of my Biblical novel. The two beggars have been convicted and Barabbas has been released in favour of Jesus. At home at last, he tells his wife about the robbery and murder. That's where this excerpt picks up. Ch.19 details the crucifixion and the salvation of Timotheus with poetry as well as prose. It seemed a good place to put poetry and the rhymes just flowed.

Thoughts from prision

Following-up on my two previous excerpts, this one finds the prisoners still awaiting their fate. And since today is Maundy Thursday, it's appropriate, as it takes place just after Jesus is arrested following the last supper. I contrived the window in the cell so that I could have Timotheus watch Peter's denial. I note his reaction through poetry and prose. -- Then, I switch the scene to Barabbas, already convicted, and relate his thoughts via first person stream-of-conciousness narration.

Crime and Punishment

Here's all of Part II Chapter 11 as a follow-up to my previous BookBuble, "Palm Sunday Confrontation." I failed to include there the part where the robbery attempt goes bad and Barabbas, in an act of mad desperation, stabs the protesting shop owner to death and they are caught. (I spared you the gory details.) In this Chapter, they await their fates in their prison cell and go over Barabbas' "perfect alabi." But Timotheus is bothered by the memory of the Nazarene astride the donkey days earlier. Here is another place in the novel where I weave poetry into the prose. Then we see that Barabbas is found guilty of both the insurrection and this robbery/murder, while the other two await their fate. If you know the scripture, you know what happened to Barabbas, and can you guess by now who the other 2 end up being?. (More later.)

Palm Sunday confrontation

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, so I thought I'd present an excerpt from my Biblical novel which deals with what happened on that day, This is from Part II, so it's later than previous excerpts. Barabbas has tried the insurrection and failed, so, still hiding out, he now turns to robbery, enlisting the aid of the two beggars. The day he chooses for the robbery just happens to be the day of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem I wrote it that way in order for Timotheus to have a face to face confrontation with Jesus. He has seen him before teaching to large crowds of people, but this is the first time he sees him up close. It won't be the last.

John looses his head

John the Baptist's denunciation of Herod for his adultery and bigamy go unheeded and make Herodius more and more upset. In this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 21 ("The Unforgettable Party") I flesh out the Biblical account of Salome's dancing and her resulting horrible request. You will also see Herod's attitude toward the request and why he granted it.

Herod, Herodius and John

Following up on the previous BookBubles, in this excerpt, we see the result of Herod's decision to marry Philip's wife as far as the public and Philip are concerned, as Herod plans to go ahead with the marriage plans. As he starts to call the servants to arrange the wedding invitations, he hears something below. Opening the window, he finds John the Baptist, who denounces him for his bigamy. This seemed the most natural place for his first encounter with the Baptist. This scene seemed the natural follow-up to the previous one, though there are 2 chapters between them-(Chapter 16 introduces John). But here I include how he hears about Herod's bigamy.

Blackmail or Bigamy

The gospels tell us that John the Baptist denounced king Herod because he had married Herodias, his brother, Philip's wife. In writing my Biblical novel, I decided flesh out this affair and imagine how this bigomistic marriage came to be. If you've been following my "BookBubles", you'll remember that in a previous excerpt, Mahaheems's attention was called to Herod's wandering glaces at Philip's wife when the two had come to call. Here in this excerpt Manaheem catches the king in the act and decides to turn it to his advantage by blackmailing the king. At first Herod agrees to the price but then decides to take a more drastic course of action to rid himself of the blackmail.

Deborah's fears

As promised, in this excerpt from Part I, Chapter 13 ("Plans") of my Biblical novel, we see the fears of Barabbas' wife, Deborah. This excerpt picks up right after Barabbas arrives home and greets his wife. It ends with her finally, though somewhat grudgingly accepting his actions, though she's still fearful something might happen to him. He assures her, as best he can that nothing will happen, but, of course he can't guarantee that, so he adds "with your prayers" as a further means of calming her and assuring her acceptance. But, will something happen? You'll have to stay tuned or buy the book to find out. And it's only $9.99 on Amazon and also on B

Plans

Having grasped the vision from the mysterious stranger (whom we know as Manaheem), Barabbas puts it into action by forming the insurrection gang--gathering men around a common objective, namely that of going against Pilate. But until now there were no specific plans or goals set forth--until now. He finally lays out some specifics. but then, going home, he again wonders about telling his wife.

The Gang

Having had the seeds of the vision implanted in his mind by Manaheem, Barabbas now starts to put the vision into action by forming the gang which will do the insurrection. He thinks briefly of his wife-what here response would be-and wonders if he should tell her but puts that thought aside, and marvels at his newfound leadership ability.

Planting the vision

Having left the seed of rebellious ideas in the mind of Barabbas, and having been given the official go-ahead by Herod, Manaheem returns to effectively plant the vision of leading an insurrection in the mind of the disgruntled blacksmith. He begins by discussing the evils of the government in general, and then painting Pilate as the real villain to be feared. This is where we pick up the conversation in this excerpt. Note his use of the word "vision."

The plan continued:

Here's more of Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel, as Pilate and Portia move from vision to mission, finalizing their plan to ruin Herod by sending accusing letters to Caesar. Then, we also see Pilates new resolve come into play as a messenger arrives from Herod.

John the Baptist

Here is the first part of the 16th chapter of my Biblical novel, which introduces the character of John the Baptist. This chapter also introduces a type of writing style previously unused in the novel, that of first person stream-of-consciousness narrative. Here John speaks in the first person, revealing his inmost thoughts and ideas. And it is here that we can see the origin of John's vision as I referred to in my previous bubble, from "Principles of the Kingdom."

The Plan

This excerpt from Chapter 7 ("The Plan") of my Biblical novel picks up in the middle of dinner conversation between Pilate and his wife. Here we see, as I alluded to in the previous excerpt from "Principles of the Kingdom,) showing both Portia's continued resolve and vision and Pilate's now somewhat changed attitude toward his old friend, Herod. You can see here, that even though Pilate goes along with the idea of sending letters to Caesar, it is his wife, Portia who really orchestrates the whole thing.

To Love or Not To Love

I'm making this excerpt now as follow-up to the previous ones from this Biblical novel. Here Manaheem contemplates the pros and cons of loving Claressa again. Even though he is realizing more and more that he really does love her, the consequences of following up on that love and what it will mean to his non-conformist stance weigh heavily on his mind. Their individuality is what tore them apart previously and he hopes to avoid the same thing happening again, but is somewhat hopeful that it can be avoided.

God and Romance

Here's the next section of Chapter 9 ("Non-conformity and Romance") where Manaheem meets his ex-wife Claressa again at the well. The spark of the old romance is re-kindled as he drives her home. When she attributes their re-meeting to fate, he brings God into the picture, as a probable cause. At this point, Manaheem is only a seeker after truth, but here is an early indication of a God-ward leaning, which may or may not be further developed. Claressa, at this point has no belief at all, but is willing to go along with his. All this is important for the further development of their beliefs and their life together.

To love again?

Since the previous excerpt, on Non-conformity and romance (about Manheem and Claressa) seem to go over so well, I though perhaps I should include another. This one is from Chapter 9 which is where he unexpectedly runs into her at the local well. It picks up after the initial meeting and the exchanging of a few pleasantries. As I mentioned in the previous excerpts, the romance between Manaheem and Claressa is crucial to the plot of the novel for reasons I cannot divulge now without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, it will still present somewhat of a challenge.

More of Non-conformity and Romance

Manaheem's story continues in this excerpt from Chapter 5 of my Biblical novel. Here he tells Herod what happened after he met his true love, Claressa--of their immediate but short lived happiness together and what she meant to him. This Chapter is important as it serves as necessary background for the re-kindling of that romance later in the novel, which in turn serves as a further plot catalyst (But that's getting ahead of the story.)

Non-conformity and romance

Here's a glimpse of the first element of romance in my Biblical novel, as Manaheem tells Herod how he meant his now ex-wife Claressa, also a non-conformist. I thought it quite logical that two non-conformists would fall in love, attracted by their mutual belief in non-conformity. And yet, we will see later that this very belief and the resulted individualism also drove them apart. Later in the novel, Manaheem decides to try to get back with Claressa, and so romance is definitely one element of this Biblical novel. ----- And remember, you can still get this novel for only $9.99

The glance of doom

Here's an excerpt from the very end of Chapter 3 (Part I) of my Biblical novel. This excerpt goes back to when Herod and his wife, Samantha were getting ready to go visit Pilate (the visit that produced the fight between Pilate and Herod the previous excerpt) As they are leaving, they are paid an unexpected visit by Herod's brother Philip and his wife, Herodius. I include this visit particularly for what happens as the visitors are leaving. It may not seem like much at this point, but Herod's wandering glance, noticed by Manaheem, is destined to have historic repercussions. Thus, this event can be seen as another important plot catalyst.

Pilate and Herod

In this excerpt, I detail a possible first fight between Pilate and Herod, formerly friends, as Pilate's ambitious wife eggs him on. This fight serves to move the plot forward. If you remember from a previous excerpt, Herod, already distrustful of his friend Pilate, was already making a contingency plan in case. Here is the catalyst of the insurrection to come, as Pilate, urged on by his wife stands up to Herod.

The struggle of an emerging purpose

Since I mentioned Barabbas in my last excerpt from "Principles of the Kingdom, here's an excerpt about him from the last part of the first chapter of my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." Here Barabbas struggles with his newfound purpose of going against Pilate and whether or not he should tell his fearful wife.

The plot

Here is another excerpt from Part I Chapter 3 of my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." This excerpt is actually prior to the one I sent yesterday. In this excerpt, I show the primary plot of the book--how I imagine the insurrection against Pilate by Barabbas, spoken of in the gospels began and who, surprisingly could have really been behind it. I derived this idea from another little statement in the gospel of Luke. In Lk.23:12 it says "And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day: for before they were at enmity between themselves." Later in the novel I show the reconciliation, but here I show the start of the enmity. ------------------------------- The 308 page print book is only $17.57, ebook $6.99

More on Manaheem's non-conformity

In a previous excerpt I talked about Manaheem's non-conformity and how it resulted from his horrible childhood experience. This excerpt is prior, where Herod first discusses Manaheems's non-conformity. I decided to make this one and to let you know here that the idea of making a character to be a non-conformist stemmed from my own teen-age years in the 60's when the idea of non-conformity was quite popular, and I started to call myself a non-conformist to the dismay of my father. It is not really known whether or not there were non-conformists in Jesus' time, so this may or may not be an anachronism. I chose Manaheem to be the non-conformist because little is known about him other than that he was Herod's foster brother.

Pilate and his wife

In my last excerpt from "Principles of the KIngdom," I referred to Pilate's wife and her mission to promote her husband. Here is an excerpt from my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom," which shows the struggle as I imagine it that could have taken place between Pilate and his wife. Due to length, I start this excerpt in the middle of a quote by Pilate. ----- And, guess what-- you can still get this 235 page novel for only $9.99.

Barabbas and family

Here's another excerpt from the first chapter of my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." This excerpt introduces the character of Barabbas and his family and raises the question of whether or not he should tell his wife of the mysterious stranger's suggestion.

Manaheem and Maji

Since tomorrow is 3 Kings Day, I thought I should repeat the start of Manaheem's story regarding the Maji. But, I decided to make a new excerpt starting further back in the conversation with Herod, so you can also get a glimpse of Manaheem's appearance and his character--particularly his non-conformist stance, since, as you will see by this excerpt, he says it was influenced by the events surrounding the arrival of the Maji. So the first part of this excerpt is new, and last part will be now to you if you missed my previous one.

Answer and a question

Here is another excerpt from Chapter 3. Here we get some insight into the cause of Manaheem's non-conformist stance and attitude. I close the excerpt with a question asked by Herod to keep you wondering. ---- Remember you still get this 235 page book for only $9.99, as the Special Christmas Edition.

Pilate

Since I mentioned Pilate in my last bubble from "Principles of the Kingdom," I thought I should give you a glimpse into his character and that of his wife as they speak for the first time in my Biblical novel, "Of Such Is The Kingdom." This is by no means a complete character assessment, but it will give you an idea of how I imagine and paint him in this novel. --- By the way, even though Christmas is over, you can still get the Special Christmas edition for only $9.99. It's the same 235 page novel-only the price is changed.--And because of Chapter 3, it makes a great post-Christmas read.

R rated for Gore: More of Manaham's story

Well, I decided to go ahead and show you the gory part. If you have a weak heart or stomach don't read this excerpt (and you may want to skip it when you get the book--Well, it's not that bad I guess, so go ahead and read it at your own risk.) It's a graphic description of what may have occurred as Herod sent his soldiers to kill the boy babies of Bethlehem following Christ's birth. We must realize that such things did happen and are still happening today in parts of the world.

More of Manaham's story: slaughtor

Well, here's more of Manaheem's story. Some of the families believed him and some didn't.. This excerpt picks up where he is warning the last mother and Herod's soldiers are arriving at the same house.

As promised: More of Manaheem's story

I promised to share more of Manaheem's story, so here is some of what happened at the first house he entered in Bethlehem. I pick it up after he has initially told the reason for his visit. The woman speaks first, not wanting to believe what she has heard. then Manaheem answers Then the husband questions Manaheem.

Manaheem's story continued

This excerpt picks up where the previous one left off. Manaheem is still relating to Herod what happened when he, Manaheem was 10 years old and Herod was away at school. Since this is the Christmas season, I thought it best to continue with this part of the novel, as it takes place after the coming of the magi. Manaheem tells of his attempt to warn the people of Bethlehem of the coming slaughtor. Keep tuned, as I may add more tomorrow.

Potery, prose and poverty

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 6 to show you how sometimes I mix poetry with the prose as part of my unique writing style. Here is introduced another important character in this novel, a young beggar who later becomes---but to tell what or who he becomes would be giving something away.

The magi and the slaughter

This is an excerpt from Chapter 3, which is an extended flashback to the coming of the magi and the slaughter of the innocents following the birth of Christ--which is why this novel would make the perfect Christmas OR even a post-Christmas gift (It's a great after-Christmas read). Manaheem, Herod's foster brother is telling Herod what happened when the magi came and Herod was away at school. This is to whet your curiosity. From here on, the chapter gets a bit gruesome--just a tiny bit. -----

First encounter

This is part of Barabbas' first encounter with the stranger. Here we see something of his strong hatred for the Romans.

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