Welcome back to my third post on the romantic heroines of the Bible. Today I want us to study a literal beauty queen. Esther’s outward beauty cannot be contested. The biblical narrative tells us “The young woman was lovely and beautiful.” (Esther 2:7) So beautiful, she was chosen to go into the king’s harem. But…
Hannah (1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2) What bound Elkanah’s heart to Hannah instead of to the wife who bore him many sons? The Bible doesn’t tell us about Hannah’s looks, only that she had no children and her husband loved her. In those days, a woman was seen as cursed by God if she…
Have you ever wondered what it was about Sarah, Rebekah or Rachel that made their husbands fall head over heels in love with them? Why did Elkanah prefer barren Hannah over Peninnah, the wife who bore him plenty of children? We know Esther’s beauty caught the king’s eye, but what made him favor her to…
Last week my daughter gave me a taste of some yummy chocolate. Sweet, and smooth and just so melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The following day I noticed the bars were Cadbury chocolates which my older daughter brought back from a trip to Ireland. Deliciousness explained. 🙂 The brand name reminded me of a story I heard my entire childhood,…
It’s the last day of the year, and as I sit at my kitchen table, my heart fills with gratitude to the Lord. Friday a week ago, we went up to the Daytona area, to Ormond Beach, to get away for the holidays. With the temperatures dipping into freezing, this heat wimp was in paradise….
December 24, 2022 This Christmas season has been one of the busiest in a long time for me. I had intended to get a letter out early in the month, yet here we are, Christmas Eve, and I’m only now getting my thoughts down. The thing is, if I had written at the beginning of…
Last evening as my household and I grieved the same kind of election results in Brazil as the US saw in 2020, I couldn’t help but think about the prophet Daniel. We’ve recently been going through Daniel’s prophecies during a zoom Sunday service my husband holds with his family in Brazil. What stands out about…
Psalm 27 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? The first time I remember reading this verse, I was twelve and at camp. I am not by nature a fearful person. Too trusting, some say. But…
When past and present collide, will there be room in their hearts to forgive…and love again? I was thrilled to receive an advanced reader copy of this book to read. Unfortunately for me, an eye infection, then life in general, kept me from reading it before the release date. But that made me even more…
I went to the doctor yesterday for a yearly checkup. Since it was my first time seeing this doctor, she had all sorts of health questions for me. Without going into details, (I don’t want anyone groaning about TMI) my answer to one of her questions made her stop and ask, “Wait. How old are…
