Cover of "Through the Fire: A Chronicle of Pergamum"

My first historical novel: "Through the Fire: A Chronicle of Pergamum" is almost ready to send to the printers.  The final proof of the manuscript arrived today. Above is the opening page for my upcoming website.The cover of the book is below

I hope to have this released around Easter. It will be available as a soft cover book, and as an e-book.

The cover shows Antipas, a Jewish merchant and business man, arriving in Pergamum with his granddaughter Miriam, age six.

Antipas is featured in the first novel in the series. Miriam, as the story begins, is now a young woman.  Both face incredible challenges and conflicts living in the amazing city of Pergamum.

This is the first of seven novels. Miriam is the main character throughout; her story takes her successively through Pergamum, then on to Sardis, Thyatira, Philadelphia, Laodicea and Smyrna.

In the end, characters, the good and bad, clash in a dramatic, frightening encounter in Ephesus.

The eighth book is called, "The Songs of Miriam", a compilation of the songs composed as she faces the great, ongoing hardships Christians suffered at the end of the First Century.

Our grandchildren at ages eight and eleven understood the story and wanted more as they came to the end of each book.

The background on the cover above shows the acropolis of Pergamum. The detailed buildings in the upper right corner - too small to see on this blog - show  places where intense action takes place in their struggle to be true to the Jewish Messiah.

"Faithful"

What a wonderful word! (I'm listing five Bible references to lay a foundation for this blog in coming days and months.)

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9

"To the faithful, you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless." 2 Samuel 22: 26

"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made." Psalm 145:13

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness." Matthew 25:21

"The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." I Thessalonians 5:24

The Scriptures, from cover to cover, show the character of God, and one of the things we know about him is that he is FAITHFUL. Consequently, we see the need for his servants, men and women, to act FAITHFULLY with regard to the tasks given us.

May the Lord find each of us to be faithful!!

"Witnesses"

As I write this today, the whole world is watching a trial in Washington DC. TV channels keep talking about the lawyers' "demands for witnesses".

Courts constantly look for witnesses. Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of times. Not only during this Impeachment Trial, which is happening right now. It's true in every legal case, in those involving family law, fraud, theft, rape, burglaries, murder and every other crime a person can imagine.

We heard this call for faithful witnesses, not just today, but as long as anyone can remember. Every court of law depends on authentic witnesses presenting truthful evidence. It's expected that a witness will not change the truth or exaggerate. In a jury trial, the 12 men and women evaluate the veracity of the words given by witnesses. That means that a person choose his or her words carefully.

I go back 2,000 years to the last words of Jesus Christ. He said, "Don't concern yourselves about times or dates my Father has set by his authority. You will receive power when the the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my WITNESSES ..." (Acts 1:7,8)

Think about it! The last words of Jesus. "You will be MY witnesses."

What kind of a witness am I for him? Have I been found to be a faithful, or unfaithful witness?

Who is the last living person mentioned in the Bible?
   Antipas. 
Where did he live?
   In the city of Pergamum.
What difficulties did he face?
   Spiritual struggles abounded. There were satanic forms of worship, sexual immorality, false teaching, and ungodly leadership.
When did he live?
   At the end of the First Century. 

What do we know of Antipas' character?
   A letter was directed to the church in Pergamum describing his life. 
   Antipas was true to the name of Jesus. 
   For then and all time, his epitaph reads, "my faithful witness." 

I'm amazed by this man and the times in which he lived. So, much so, that I've written a full length historical novel about him; and another six novels, each one being about the other churches that form the introduction to the book of Revelation. The novel about Antipas will soon see the light of day.

It's entitled "Through the Fire: A Chronicle of Pergamum".

Those two words, "Faithful witness', pack a huge punch. Two words describe a whole man's life. If I could choose an epitaph it would be the same as the one Antipas was given by the Lord Jesus Christ. "Faithful witness." Revelation 2:13.

Just one thing. Those two words were never engraved on a stone. Nothing was left of Antipas' physical remains.

Why not? I'll explain in a later blog.

For many years I've been impressed with the power of stories to move the human spirit. Throughout the world , we see an ever expanding list of movies and TV shows. Libraries don't stay static. New books are constantly filling their shelves. Books, comics, audio books, email books, coloring books: all these and more call readers of every age level. Binge watching has become common because people seem to be unable to be satisfied with the characters they have come to identify with.

This blog will contain many posts. I'm going to recount stories of people across the ages. Some will be current. A few stories may come from countries or places you've never heard of. Many stories will have as their theme the character traits of persons who overcame great difficulties.

Almost all stories deal with conflict. Various types of conflict are universal: differences across generations; religious tensions that divide people; fundamental values such as the search for freedom or safety; and the arrival of new ideas that challenge old assumptions. Some stories are about the ability of people to overcome incredible odds.

I am a teacher with more than 50 years experience. I've had the privilege of living on five continents and learning various languages. My family has always been supportive as I've taken on different challenges.

I welcome you to this blog site and hope it stimulates discussion, and encourages you in your life.