Three days. This day made the third day since Jesus had been taken from them. How many days would it take for this ache in her soul to disappear as well? Would it ever? Mary of Magdala clutched the jar of fragrant ointment closer to her middle and fought back the tears that had been …
At the Cross ~ Part 4: Mary
The earth trembled beneath Mary’s hands, shaking and cracking, as if mourning the atrocities committed this day. The tears that had dripped steadily for hours now gushed forth in a waterfall. Her heart cleaved open. The bond that had tied Mary to her son since the day she learned of His conception, severed in two. …
At the Cross ~ Part 3: The Soldier
This was no ordinary crucifixion. Felix Maximus had presided over his fair share of them, and none had unsettled him in this way. Felix tore his eyes away from the Cyrenian kneeling in the dust and weeping over his bloodied hands. When he’d picked the man out from the crowd and forced him to bear …
At the Cross ~ Part 2: Simon of Cyrene
Welcome back for Part 2 of my Easter short story series! If you missed Part 1 from last week, you can read it here. Thirty-two days of travel, sleeping at inns and on hillsides, battling weather and the threat of bandits, had come down to this–a mere hundred cubits between Simon of Cyrene and Jerusalem. …
At the Cross ~ Part 1: Peter
The sword was flying in a flash of steel before he could think better of it. The young man, a personal servant of the High Priest, screamed in agony as his severed ear fell to the dew-covered grass. Anger and fear burned hot trails through Peter’s veins. Judas—a traitor! And these armed men he brought …
What is The Peasant Queen About?
Are you wondering what my upcoming book, The Peasant Queen, is about? Well, for starters, it’s a loose retelling of the book of Esther (one of my favorite Bible stories!). I started with the core of this epic Biblical tale and created another young woman in a different time and place that also finds herself …
In the Manger ~ Part 5: Mary (Continued)
A dozen other parents stood around them, waiting to present their sacrifice to the Temple priest, and, therefore, their children to the Lord. Babes squalled, apparently growing as impatient with the wait as some of their parents. Jesus cuddled against Mary’s chest, quiet as a lamb and unbothered by the surrounding noise, His tiny fist …
In the Manger ~ Part 4: The Innkeeper’s Son
There was a baby in their stable. That’s what Abba told Eli after he woke to the sound of strange screaming and yelling coming from outside. For hours it seemed, the loud noise went on and on until finally it stopped. That’s when Abba explained that a lady and her husband had become an abba …
In the Manger ~ Part 3: The Shepherd
Abel groaned as he lowered his aging bones to sit on a boulder. He settled against the stone that years of wind had worn smooth, bracing his hands on knobby knees. A soft bleat met his ear as his favorite lamb ambled to his side. “How are you tonight, boy?” Abel scrubbed a hand over …
In the Manger ~ Part 2: Joseph
I hope you’re enjoying this special Christmas story series! If you haven’t read Part 1 you can read it here! “It’s time. He’s coming.” “What? Now?” Joseph rushed to Mary’s side, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders. His heart tripped over itself, then sped into a gallop, hammering in his ears. She hissed a …