Book news…
Several years ago—has it been that long?—I signed a contract with Revell to write three books. The first one would be about Joseph’s life, which will include his connection to the brother who betrayed him most—Judah. I’ve wanted to write this story for a very long time!
In that contract, my editor at the time, included two additional books for two “to-be-determined” women. TBD unknown women sat in the background of my mind, but I had no idea who they would be or who Revell would approve that I write about. I asked my Facebook followers for suggestions. Some I had already written. Others agreed with where I was leaning, and some gave me food for future thought.
Publishing is a process, and a contract that says “to-be-determined” does not mean the author gets carte blanche to write what she wants. The publisher joins in that conversation and in the end has to approve the author’s requested choice. (In case you were wondering about that.)
So my new editor and I did some brainstorming about possible women and came up with three possibilities. She took them to her fellow editors and they came back with different suggestions. To make a long story short, we continued to discuss those possibilities and I am excited to say that we now have a consensus! Those to-be-determined women have been determined! No longer nameless (though one truly is nameless in Scripture) they are:
Eve and Noah’s Wife!
I have long been fascinated by life in the ancient past. I realize that these two women receive a lot of controversy. Did they even exist? Some think Adam and Eve were simply metaphorical characters. Others don’t believe the world ever experienced a flood that reshaped and covered the entire earth.
Of course, Eve’s is a story that touches on our origins and Noah’s wife isn’t exactly a well-known character. Her claim to fame was being married to Noah who built a huge boat in their yard. Sparks the imagination, doesn’t it? I’m excited to dive into their stories.
As for what I believe about these women? I’m not going to argue for a new or old earth. I do believe that Adam and Eve were real people though, created in God’s image. The fact that they are mentioned in the New Testament gives testimony to their actual existence. They aren’t just symbols. And I want to explore what Eve’s life might have been like.
Noah is another interesting figure in Scripture. My calculations show that his father could have known Adam. They lived a lot longer back then. But what was it like for his wife to live with a man who heard from God and then acted on what he’d heard? Lots of possibilities there!
So while right now I’m still editing the book for Guideposts – Her Source of Strength, Raya’s Story – about Samson’s mother, and working to research Joseph’s story, I now know who I have to look forward to “meeting” in the future. This is one of the fun parts of storytelling. Imagining before I have to write it down.
And such…
Life goes on for all of us. I do grow concerned about the state of the country and the world. There is a lot of information out there, some of it right, some of it wrong, about this pandemic and how it is being handled. I could let it really upset me, and it has. But one thing I know, and I will stand on this truth.
God is in control.
No matter what people in high places plan or what outcome awaits our future, God will deal with injustice. He is not blind to the suffering of the masses. I read in the Psalms last night how even the earth anticipates the Lord’s coming to judge the earth with equity. Fairly. Justly. Without Favoritism. No more lies or coverups or schemes of human beings. No more false information. The one who is Truth, will reveal that truth, even in our time such as this. And the truth from history past—even into antiquity.
When I think about the earth rejoicing, and Scripture does tell us that even creation groans right now, it is not hard to imagine that even the mountains will sing when the Lord judges. Could creation long for justice against those who have harmed the earth God gave us to care for? Some might see such language as metaphorical and it could be—but—I wonder…
I will say, however, that I am glad that the time of God’s justice is not yet. Despite all we are going through, and news headlines can truly be depressing, we still live in an age of God’s grace. He’s still reaching out to us to know Him. To love Him. To realize that in His presence is fullness of joy!
Do you want joy in the middle of this?
I have a few suggestions that might help:
Joy is a gift God loves to give to those who believe in Him. It’s also a choice of attitude. We have no power to control our world. We do have ways to make our voices heard, but in doing so, never forget that our first line of defense against evil and against the emotions that want to take us down is to focus on Jesus. And pray.
I’m still hanging onto hope that travel will open up by this summer and that we will finally get to meet our new granddaughter. But in the meantime, we pray, we work, we read, we play. We bake too much, we exercise to work off those calories, we watch reruns of our favorite TV shows, we connect with friends playing euchre online or chatting in webcam calls. There are lots of ways to fight loneliness and boredom. But to reclaim joy in the Lord is to focus on Him who gives that joy.
And be thankful for each little thing that comes your way. I look for joy each day. And if I’m looking, I usually find it in some small way.
I hope you do too. And thanks to all for reading my books. I’m so thankful that I still have more to write to share with you! I love to hear from you too. Let’s please keep in touch!
~Selah
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