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Fiction Friday! Interview with the Women Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus – Part 4

Interview with the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus
Part 4
Account taken from Luke 7:36-50

Q – As we finish up the interview with you, I’m wondering what happened after you anointed the feet of Jesus. His words to Simon were very convicting.

A – Yes, they were, and well-deserved, but I must say I felt sorry for the man. He found himself bereft in the midst of all of his opulence, embarrassed in front of his friends. Simon thought he would sound pious and righteous by pointing out what a sinner I was.

Plus Simon had not offered Jesus the traditional welcome and hospitality of our culture, and Jesus chided him for that as well.

Q – Considering the cold reception Jesus received from Simon, why do you think he even invited Jesus to his home?

A – I think he wanted to scrutinize him, this so-called prophet. Simon was so prideful and pious, he thought he could discredit this man who people were beginning to follow, claiming he could heal all kinds of diseases. Simon wanted to expose Jesus as a fraud.

Q – But Jesus turned the tables on him, didn’t he?

A – (Laughing) Yes, he really did. Rather than siding with the religious crowd, it seemed Jesus was always picking up the gauntlet for the sinner, the weak, the maimed. And Claudia and I fit into those categories – she was maimed, and I was a sinner.

Q – As we all are. Did most of the people present at the banquet know your … umm … relationship with Simon? That he was a regular customer?

A – Oh, yes. And there were many others in the room who were customers. I am sure that my presence was not only shocking to Simon but to others as well.

Q – I wanted to ask about the container which contained the ointment. In today’s culture, our perfume is either in a spray bottle or in a bottle with a lid, which can be replaced. But this container had to be broken in order to get the ointment out, correct?

A – That’s correct. Once the vial is opened, all of the liquid has to be used. It cannot be saved and used again.

Q – I think that is significant. You gave the most valuable thing you owned and lavished it on the Savior. We can take away a valuable principle from that.

Address if you will, please, the fact that you had to break with cultural tradition to even approach Jesus.

A – Women were not seated with the men at a banquet. They were allowed around the edge of the room, as were spectators, but for a woman to go into the banquet area and approach a man was breaking all sorts of cultural mores. But I had to get to Jesus. I didn’t care what everyone thought. I had to express my appreciation and adoration to him. My life had be changed, and I was free. Free from the prison of my past, my sinful lifestyle. I had to get to him.

Q – I wonder how many of us are willing to cross traditional boundaries to lavish our worship on Jesus today. Your courage inspires me.

A – Jesus is worth it.

Q – Thank you for being with us for the past four weeks. Your testimony has inspired a multitude of women through the ages.

Questions for my Readers

Had you ever realized that the vial had to be broken for the women to get the perfume out to pour on Jesus?
Have you thought about the serious cultural boundaries she broke to get to Him?
What is one way you can lavishly worship Jesus today?
What is your favorite part of this inspiring story from the Gospels?

 

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31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage #30 Failure to Use the Word of God and #31 Lack of Incentive

31 Ways to Mess up Your Marriage
#30 Failure to Use the Word of God and #31 Lack of Incentive

This is war! We need to be prepared. In the fight against the real enemy of our marriages our main weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

We must get to the place in our marriages, our lives, where we make our decisions based on the Word of God. (Tweet this!) In a recent Barna study the vast majority of people said they make decisions based on what they feel will bring the greatest results. That spells disaster! When we make decisions based on our feelings, we have put ourselves in a precarious position. (Tweet this!)

Feelings fluctuate based on all sorts of variables – our physical condition, the weather, limited information available, mis-communication. Only the standard of the Word of God is a true, pure, straight plumb line by which we can measure our decisions.

Sometimes there are decisions we have to make in the course of our marriages for which we have no clear-cut guidelines – such as which job to accept or which house to buy. We submit those decisions to the Lord and when we’ve prayed and receive direction and His peace, we move ahead. But there are other decisions for which there are clear standards, such as no pre-marital sex, no appearance of evil, no adultery, no unjust gain, tithing, meeting together with other believers, training up our children in the Lord, no divorce. These standards are all for our good because God loves us, not because He’s trying to make our lives miserable.

One example which comes to my mind is when our daughter and son-in-law asked us to co-sign a car loan for them. We could not do that as the Scripture outlines how foolish it is to put oneself in that position (Proverbs 17:18; 22; 26). We wanted to help them out, but because God’s Word warned against it, we simply couldn’t co-sign a note for them. As it turned out, that car eventually was repossessed. We were very grateful we’d not co-signed the note.

The enemy will flee in the face of a godly marriage which holds up the standard of God’s Word as their banner. (Tweet this!) The Bible says that the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword – use your sharp sword to fight the enemy and watch him flee (Hebrews 4:12).

#31 Lack of Incentive

Blaine and I facilitated the marriage series “Love & Respect” at our church for a couple of years. Dr. Emerson Eggerich is excellent in his presentation and peppers his talks with pithy sayings and humor. One thing he says that has stuck with me is: “We don’t lack ability; we lack incentive.” I have found that to be true in the many marriages we have dealt with as pastors, at least on the part of one of the partners.

When a marriage gets in trouble, it is not uncommon for one of the partners to be very interested in going to counseling and working on the marriage. That partner usually wants the counselor to “fix” their spouse. The couple sit in our office with one partner sitting on the edge of the chair, and the other sitting back with a stoic expression on his/her face. There is little or no incentive on the part of the disengaged partner.

I think that happens for a couple of reasons — one being the issues have probably gone on so long that partner doesn’t think there is any hope. Secondly, sometimes the disengaged partner is just that – disengaged – and has no incentive to try to reconnect.

In the popular movie, “Top Gun,” the fighter pilot, Maverick, is on a mission, but fear takes over, and he hesitates to face the enemy. As the enemy comes closer and closer to destroying them, his colleagues shout at him, “Engage, Maverick! Engage!” Finally he snaps out of it and completes his mission. He didn’t lack the ability. He lacked the incentive.

As we close this series, I just want to encourage you all by saying that you have the ability to work through your marriage issues. (Tweet this!) God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  We don’t lack ability; we lack incentive. Grab hold of the promises of God and engage the enemy on behalf of your marriage. And having done all, stand!

This is the last blog in this series. I hope they have been helpful. If so, please let me know either by leaving a comment or sending me an email. I’d love to hear from you. I pray your marriages will be a light set on a hill in your community. Blessings!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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Fiction Friday! – Interview With the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus – Part 3

Interview with the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus
Part 3

Q – We left the interview off last week when you decided to go to Simon’s house to thank Jesus for healing Claudia … and you as well. Were you nervous about going to his house?

A – (Laughing) Everybody in town knew who I was and what I was, and everybody knew Simon, as well. And knew that he “enjoyed my company.” But, of course, it was never mentioned in proper company. How is it you express it? It was the elephant in the room?

Q – Yes, you could say that expression would be appropriate. So what were you feeling as you all made your way to Simon’s house?

A – At first I was so intent on getting to Jesus to thank Him, I didn’t have time to get frightened. But the closer we got to his house, the more nervous I got. We couldn’t simply walk in. We would be turned away immediately. But I knew a back way to slip in. I’d done it many times before.

Q – No one tried to stop you?

A – No. We tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Nobody really paid much attention to us. It was very crowded. There were so many people there wanting to see Jesus. We spotted him reclining on a couch and stood behind Him for a bit watching. Then something surged within me, and I pushed my way through the crowd. I heard all of the comments: “Get her out of here.” “Somebody stop her.” “Disgraceful!”

Q – What did Jesus do when He saw you?

A – He just smiled. I was at his feet, kneeling, and I started weeping. I couldn’t help it, and I couldn’t stop. My tears were falling on his feet, and I was so embarrassed. I simply wanted to thank Him, but then, kneeling at his feet, I just wanted to worship Him. Although it was disgraceful to do so, I took off the little crown I had put on to hold my hair back and let it down. I began to wipe his feet with it. Then I took the alabaster jar of ointment out of my tunic, broke it and poured it over Him.

Q – I imagine sweet fragrance filled the room, didn’t it?

A – It did. And Simon was not happy. He didn’t say anything, but his face turned dark when he realized what I was doing.

Q – But Jesus had something to say to Simon, didn’t he?

A – Yes, He told a parable about two men who both owed debts – one great and one small. Both were forgiven, and Jesus asked Simon who would be the most grateful. Simon answered the one who’d had the most debt forgiven. Simon had not even provided the bare necessities for Jesus as his guest. Then Jesus said because I’d been forgiven much, that I had much gratefulness to express. He who is forgiven much, loves much.

Q – Such boldness and courage, and love lavished upon the Savior. This is truly one of the most beautiful stories in all of Scripture. Thank you for what you’ve taught us about extravagant worship. We must go for now, but next week I want to hear about what happened after that.

If you would like to order a copy of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you would like to read the first chapter of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

Questions for my readers

Have there been moments in your life when it took courage for you to approach Jesus?
What was your response to Him when you realized his reaction was to gratiously accept you?
What ways have you lavishly worshipped Him in your life, no matter who was watching or what other people thought?
What have you thought about this woman and her courage as you’ve read this account in the scripture?

 

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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I’M ALARMED – THE TIME TO SPEAK IS NOW!

‘A Time to Speak’ Documentary
By the American Family Association

My ancestors fled from France in the 17th century to escape religious persecution and find a land where they could worship without fear of being imprisoned or killed for their faith. (See my Darkness to Light series.) One of my ancestors was sentenced to the galleys because of his faith and died there.

The Clavells pioneered in the wilderness of Pennsylvania during the early days of our country, and one of my ancestors served in the Revolutionary War. Members of the family fought in the Civil War. I don’t know about World War I, but my father was in the Merchant Marines in WWII. My husband was Commanding Officer of an ambulance company and readied it to go to Vietnam. My brother was a Marine and was killed in DaNang Province in 1967. Our brother-in-law served in Korea. My family has served our country and fought for our freedoms through the generations. I fear we are on the verge of losing those freedoms which are so dear to us. I fear they are being subtly undermined, and will be gone if we don’t speak up now. Sermons, emails and texts to be submitted to the attorneys and mayor of one of our major cities? Outrageous!

The American Family Association has released an hour-long documentary which, in my opinion, every Christian and patriot needs to watch. It’s available free for a limited time.

“It’s increasingly apparent that religious liberty is under assault in America,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “We can either sit back and watch as our freedoms are taken away, or we can stand up and speak. We at AFA firmly believe our duty is to stand up—and that the time to do so is now.” (Emphasis mine.)

Please take time to watch this video. www.atimetospeak.com Yes, it’s long. Set aside an hour you normally watch tv, or turn it on as you’re getting ready for work, or get up early, or stay up late. I believe this is that important.

We need to speak up, stand up, speak up … and the time is now!

I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments below.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

 

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Fiction Friday! – Interview With the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus – Part 2

Interview with the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus

Part 2

Q – Tell me about your friend, Claudia. You know, she just kind of showed up as I was writing your story. She wasn’t planned at all.

A – I’m very glad she “showed up” and that you included her in the book. My childhood was really very lonely. My mother and I were shunned by the community, so I had no friends or playmates. My little puppy, Sandy, was my only companion. And even that was a subject of scorn … you know, Jews in that day just did not keep dogs as pets. Claudia was also ostracized because of her disability. We gravitated to each other as children because we needed each other’s companionship. Then as we grew older that dependence on each other continued. Claudia took care of the house while I worked.

Q – And it was Claudia whom you took to Jesus for healing initially, correct?

A – Yes, I so wanted her to be healed. I guess I didn’t really think that there was any hope for my spiritual healing. Never thought about it actually. But after hearing of the healing miracles of Jesus, I was simply thinking of Claudia’s physical healing when I took her to Him.

Q – So Claudia was healed that day, but something happened to you as well, didn’t it?

A – Yes. As Jesus healed Claudia and I rejoiced with her, I found myself drawn in. I wanted to follow this man. I needed healing too … spiritual healing and forgiveness. The desire to be one of his followers rose in me, and the Spirit of God invaded my spirit and cleansed me. For the first time in my life I felt free and clean. I can’t explain how it happened, but I knew I would never be the same again.

Q – Tell us about how/why you decided to go to Simon’s house.

A – Well, when we got home, both of us realized we’d not thanked Jesus for healing Claudia. We just left. We were so embarrassed. We spent the next day trying to find Him, but couldn’t locate Him. I had heard Simon, my regular customer, was holding a banquet in his honor, and decided we would go and try to speak to Him there. That’s all I planned to do at first was thank Him. I looked around our house for some gift I could take to Him. The only thing I had of value was an alabaster jar of ointment which Simon had given me. I grabbed it as we left the house, almost as an afterthought. As you know, it played a huge part in what followed.

Q – Yes, and we’ll leave off there for today. Come back next week for the rest of the story.

 Questions for my Readers

Have you ever felt like an outcast?
What people in your life have you desperately desired to be healed?
Where has Jesus surprised you in healing your own heart?

 

If you would like to order a copy of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you would like to read the first chapter of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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FICTION FRIDAY! – Interview With the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus – Part 2

Interview with the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus

Part 2

Q – Tell me about your friend, Claudia. You know, she just kind of showed up as I was writing your story. She wasn’t planned at all.

A – I’m very glad she “showed up” and that you included her in the book. My childhood was really very lonely. My mother and I were shunned by the community, so I had no friends or playmates. My little puppy, Sandy, was my only companion. And even that was a subject of scorn … you know, Jews in that day just did not keep dogs as pets. Claudia was also ostracized because of her disability. We gravitated to each other as children because we needed each other’s companionship. Then as we grew older that dependence on each other continued. Claudia took care of the house while I worked.

Q – And it was Claudia whom you took to Jesus for healing initially, correct?

A – Yes, I so wanted her to be healed. I guess I didn’t really think that there was any hope for my spiritual healing. Never thought about it actually. But after hearing of the healing miracles of Jesus, I was simply thinking of Claudia’s physical healing when I took her to Him.

Q – So Claudia was healed that day, but something happened to you as well, didn’t it?

A – Yes. As Jesus healed Claudia and I rejoiced with her, I found myself drawn in. I wanted to follow this man. I needed healing too … spiritual healing and forgiveness. The desire to be one of his followers rose in me, and the Spirit of God invaded my spirit and cleansed me. For the first time in my life I felt free and clean. I can’t explain how it happened, but I knew I would never be the same again.

Q – Tell us about how/why you decided to go to Simon’s house.

A – Well, when we got home, both of us realized we’d not thanked Jesus for healing Claudia. We just left. We were so embarrassed. We spent the next day trying to find Him, but couldn’t locate Him. I had heard Simon, my regular customer, was holding a banquet in his honor, and decided we would go and try to speak to Him there. That’s all I planned to do at first was thank Him. I looked around our house for some gift I could take to Him. The only thing I had of value was an alabaster jar of ointment which Simon had given me. I grabbed it as we left the house, almost as an afterthought. As you know, it played a huge part in what followed.

Q – Yes, and we’ll leave off there for today. Come back next week for the rest of the story.

 

If you would like to order a copy of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you would like to read the first chapter of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage – #29 – Failure to Fight the Right Battles

31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage
#29 Failure to Fight the Right Battles

We need to know how to fight! And I’m not talking about a marriage counselor’s usual advice on knowing how to work through disagreement. That’s valuable information, but what I would like to discuss here this week is knowing how to fight the spiritual battles in marriage – how to fight the Enemy who is the real enemy of marriage.

Satan hates vibrant, healthy, stable, loving Christian marriages. (Tweet this!) He will do everything in his power to destroy every one he can. Don’t think that he won’t target you, and it won’t happen to your marriage. I never dreamed that he would have been able to wreak the havoc in our marriage that he did. It’s too long a story to go into in a blog, but he came in through a loop hole in our marriage and nearly destroyed it. If we hadn’t believed God’s Word more than our emotions and desires, we would have been a divorce statistic.

God’s Word is the first weapon in fighting the Enemy in your marriage. (Tweet this!) It is essential we establish the fact that God’s Word is the standard for our marriage – not our friends’ well-meaning advice, the marriage counselor’s instructions (although they may be good), Hollywood or romance novels. George Barna’s group has revealed that even among born-again believers, only 40% consult the Bible when making important moral or ethical decisions. Have we completely lost our minds? God’s Word should be the final authority for our lives, our marriages and our decision making. (Tweet this!)

My husband received counsel during our marital upheaval from a godly well-meaning head of a large ministry to go home and just ask me, “Well, do you want a divorce?” Which he did.

I refused to answer him. If I had followed the course of my emotions or friends’ advice, I would have said, “Yes.” But I simply could not. My commitment to Jesus and our daughters took priority over my own personal desires. (Tweet this!) Divorce was simply not an option for me, regardless of what my emotions were telling me.

Please understand I am not advocating staying in an abusive situation — verbal, emotional or physical. If you or your children are in danger, you must remove yourself from that situation. However, if two well-intentioned partners have come up against a point in their marriage which they seemingly cannot press through, it’s time to step back, get some counsel and trust God to bring you through. Be courageous enough to recklessly believe Jesus and take God at his word that He has plans for you and your family – plans for your good, not your calamity, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He will restore the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25) if we will dare to trust Him more than our emotions. Write these Scripture on a card and keep them ever before you.

I’m so glad that my husband and I stood on the solid rock when we hit bottom. It stayed solid and sure, and we weathered the storm. You can too.

Questions for my Readers

Where have you hit rock bottom in your marriage?
How did you respond?
Do you recognize and acknowledge the enemy’s activity in your marital challenges?
Do you pray with your spouse? Why or why not?

 

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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Fiction Friday! – Interview With Woman Who Anointed Feet of Jesus – Part 1

Interview With the Woman Who Anointed the Feet of Jesus
Part 1

We turn now to the third Nameless Woman in the Hidden Faces series, the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus. There were at least two anointings – one by Mary of Bethany and one by an unnamed woman. There may have been three. When compared side by side it is obvious two of them are very dissimilar … different locations, different characters present, different circumstances. This account is taken from Luke 7:36-50, and has become one of the most beloved stories in the Gospels.

Q – I’m going to jump right in here and address an issue that I’m certain most of our readers have questions about. The Scripture does not name you, but calls you “a most grievous sinner” in some of the translations. How do you feel about that designation?

A – It was true. How could I take offense by the author of the Gospel account telling the truth about the encounter? I had lived as a prostitute in order to survive, although I loathed the life and hated what I had become, I was “a most grievous sinner” indeed — until I met Jesus.

Q – The name I gave you came to me early in thinking about this series — Tirzah. I thought it was such a beautiful name. Would you like to inform our readers what it means?

A – (Nodding and smiling) Certainly. Tirzah means pleasure and/or beauty. My mother was a harlot as was my grandmother, and there was very little pleasure or beauty in their lives. My mother tried desperately to never become pregnant, and self-aborted several of her babies. But when I was born, she told me that I brought her such beauty and pleasure that’s why she named me Tirzah.

Q – Your childhood must have been difficult.

A – It was. I grew up in fear, knowing that I had to stay quiet and hidden when my mother was “working.” The ever present possibility that my mother could be injured, beat up, or not paid always filtered through our little house causing a palpable tension one could almost smell.

Q – Very difficult circumstances for a child. But there was a bright spot when Adam became a customer of your mother’s.

A – Oh, yes. He was kind and gentle. I think he truly fell in love with my mother, despite an age difference. He was young and naive. He started coming to see us regularly and would bring us presents.

Q – Tell me about the crown he brought you.

A – Adam started calling me “Princess.” My mother didn’t like the nickname, because she feared it would give me aspirations and hope that my life would be different. I must say that she was right. Adam did give me hope. I really felt like a princess when he was around. One day he brought me a little gold braided crown. I kept it and treasured it through the years.

Q – And I gave it a special part in your story which we will talk about later in the interview. But I wanted to ask you to recount to us when you first saw Jesus.

A – It was outside the synagogue in our town. He had been teaching and conferring with the priests. Tales and rumors about Him were rampant through the countryside, but honestly he looked very ordinary. I’d hung around to catch a glimpse of Him, but I couldn’t understand what all the excitement was about. He was simply talking to people, laughing with them … nothing out of the ordinary. But little did I know what was in store for me because of this Man.

Q – We’ll talk more about it next week. Thank you for your time.

If you would like to order a copy of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you would like to read the first chapter of “Broken” CLICK HERE.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage – #28 – Failure to Recognize the Enemy

31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage
#28 Failure to Recognize the Enemy

We’re going to take a turn for the last few posts in the 31 Ways to Mess Up Your Marriage series. The real enemy of marriages is the Enemy. So many – no, I would say – the majority of couples who are experiencing marital problems don’t really acknowledge nor deal with the fact that Satan is doing everything in his power to destroy their marriage. Couples come to us pointing their fingers at each other, accusations flying, when the culprit is not one another at all. It is the Devil himself. If he can cause another Christian marriage to tumble, he has gained a major victory.

Marriage as God intended it is to reflect his image. (Tweet this!) It is to be a picture of Christ and his Bride, the Church. Satan’s ultimate enemy, second only to God himself, is a godly marriage, home and family, a man and woman, loving each other, unconditionally through the years, raising a godly heritage. He targets the relationship that is supposed to be a covenant relationship, never to be broken, and brings in distractions and temptations that even the strongest find difficult to resist. That’s why we see so many pastors fall. That’s why the divorce rate, even in the church is basically the same as in secular society. We don’t acknowledge we are in a battle, a spiritual battle. We don’t recognize the enemy for who and what he is. If our marriages are going to survive, we must stand up and fight for them. (Tweet this!) And it is becoming more and more difficult in today’s society.

We’ll discuss more next week about how to deal with the Enemy, but there was a time my husband and I had to fight for our marriage. Emotionally, we didn’t really want to. Honestly, we didn’t know how to. But God’s word was stronger in reality to us than our own emotions, and we fought. It took us years. We lost some battles, but we won the war. This spring we will be married 53 years. We are more in love than ever. (Tweet this!) I’m here to testify … it’s worth the fight. “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping” (1 Peter 5:8).

Questions for my Readers

What has helped you learn to recognize the enemy’s attacks on your marriage?
How do you respond when you realize the enemy is trying to cause strife?
Why do you think so many marriage do not consider the influence the enemy is having on them?

 

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.

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Fiction Friday! – Interview With the Woman at the Well – Part 4

A Fictional Interview With the Woman at the Well
Part 4

This will be our last interview with the woman at the well, whom I named Marah, from the Nameless Women in the Gospels series. Today I’m going to ask her about the astonishing pronouncement Jesus made to her.

Q – From the biblical account, it sounds as if you and Jesus had a rather lengthy conversation, not just passing comments.

A – We did. And if I may, I’d like to compare your culture to mine with regard to that.

Q – Of course, feel free to say whatever you like.

A – I believe it is almost impossible for the modern woman to understand the cultural lines which had to be crossed in order for that conversation to happen. In that day and culture a man would never speak to a woman in public, even his wife. And a Jew would certainly not speak to a Samaritan woman, much less ask her for a drink from the ritually unclean vessel she carried. But for Jesus to discuss theology with a woman was unprecedented.

Q – Were you shocked at the direction the conversation took?

A – Totally shocked. We discussed the worn-out theological debate of where we should worship — in Jerusalem or at Mount Gerizim. Actually I was trying to deflect his comments about my past life, and the fact that I was living with a man who was not my husband … and he knew everything about me. How did he know that? Of course, I know now, but then I was reeling. When he admitted he was the Messiah, I scarcely could believe my ears.

Q – What happened next?

A – The rest of his disciples showed up about then, and they didn’t say anything, but it was evident by the looks on their faces they were shocked that Jesus was engaged deeply in conversation with a Samaritan woman. After he declared he was the Messiah, I simply left my water jug and ran back into the village to tell everyone I knew about my encounter.

Q – What were the reactions of people?

A – They didn’t believe me. So I begged them to come and see for themselves. I told them I’d met a man who told me everything I’d ever done. They did eventually and many accepted him. We invited him to stay in our home. He graciously consented and stayed with us for two days before he moved on to minister in other towns.

Q – What was life like after that?

A – Completely different. I married the man I was living with and became “respectable.” Actually the new believers  began to meet in our home. Meeting Jesus and choosing to follow him changes everything.  My perspective on life changed. My relationships changed. How I viewed myself changed. Even my name changed from “Marah,” which means bitter, to “Abigail,” which means joy. I’m so grateful I met the Messiah that hot day at the well.

Thank you, Marah, or Abigail, for spending these last few interviews with us. What a picture your story gives us of Jesus, and the value he placed on women to reveal that he was the Messiah to you, a hated Samaritan woman. Your testimony paved the way for many of us who serve in ministry today.

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The post Fiction Friday! – Interview With the Woman at the Well – Part 4 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.