Today's first tidbit involves the timeline of Jacob's flight from Laban. Laban caught up with Jacob after about ten days, but there are YEARS between his flight and his eventual settlement at Hebron. I have always heard that Rachel did not rise for her father when he was searching for the family idols because she claimed to be menstruating, (Gen. 31:35) though she was actually pregnant with … [Read more...]

I love historical writing because I love research--especially once I begin to visualize my characters in their local environments. I'm currently writing the stories of Rachel, Leah, and Jacob, and have been sharing the results of some of my research with my Facebook readers. They've enjoyed it so much I thought I might share some tidbits with you. First, how old was Jacob when he married Leah … [Read more...]

I'm reading a book called Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words by David Whyte. The author does not write from a Christian perspective and I haven't gotten far into the book, as I want to read it thoughtfully. I thought it would be a book about the meaning of words, but it's not--it's really a book about the meaning of emotions. And being a novelist, I'm … [Read more...]

I love those little robot vacuums. I have never purchased one of the fancy expensive brands (for reasons you'll understand in a moment), but considering that we have three big dogs, I love my little robovac and have programmed it to run three times at day--morning, noon, and night. I'd say it's more of a sweeper than a vacuum, but it picks up a lot of dog hair and dust, and that helps considerably … [Read more...]