Stephanie Landsem's Blog, page 10

Why the Local Well Was the Facebook of Biblical Villages

Photo from: carulmare, SANO di Pietro Woman of Samaria, 1400s

 

As I like to say, women of today and women of biblical times have more in common that we might realize.

Community, for instance. We might stay in touch with our friends and family in a different way, but we do it for the same reasons.

Consider the local village well and Facebook. They don’t seem to have much in common until we look a little more carefully.

Water — as always — was of vital importance in the Bible as it is today. I...

Gaze Upon Jesus: Lila, the Innkeeper’s Servant

Gerard van Honthorst Nativity

 

Lila was my favorite character to write in this group of stories. For me, Lila personifies those who Jesus spoke of in Matthew when he said:

“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.”

Lila is simple and poor, but she is the only one to reach out to t...

Gaze Upon Jesus with Elizabeth, Kinswoman of Mary

 

Elizabeth, the kinswoman of Mary, was living a simple life in a small town in the hill country of Judea when suddenly her life became a series of amazing surprises: Her husband came back from a routine trip to Jerusalem unable to speak after an encounter with an angel After resigning herself to never having a child, she suddenly became pregnant Her young kinswoman from Nazareth appears at her door and her child leaps inside her as the knowledge that Mary is the mother of the long-awa...

Gaze Upon Jesus with Mary, the Mother of the God

I must admit, the thought of writing a story from the perspective of Mary filled me with fear. The mother of the God, the most important woman in human history — and I had to capture her in 2,000 words or less? A daunting task, and one that I wasn’t sure I could do.

Many Christians, especially women, have a great devotion to the Holy Mother and because of that, have their own ideas about how she may have looked, what she felt, and what she might have been thinking as she bore and raised he...

Gifts That Keep Christ in Christmas

Not exactly appropriate for this post but this photo always makes me smile!

Gift giving can be difficult. If you’re like me, you want to keep Christ the center of Christmas but you also want to give meaningful gifts to the people you love. Here’s some gift ideas you might want to try: Classic Christmas Music. From Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole to Elle Fitzgerald, the oldies really are the goodies. Christian Bonus: most of the classic Christmas carols focus on the true meaning of Christmas....

Book Giveaway #3: The Living Water Series (ends 8/26)

The third and final book giveaway celebrating the end of summer starts now. Why am I celebrating?

A new book contract that has me working on six new short stories about women of the Bible encountering Jesus. Find out more HERE. Lots of new friends on Facebook, Twitter, and signed up for my newsletter. The close of a summer full of family and fun and good reading. Tomato season!

In gratitude for all the goodness of late summer, I’m giving away nine incredible reads in nine days.

Nine Books i...

Book Giveaway #2: Favorite Historical Fiction (ends 8/23)

The second book giveaway celebrating the end of summer is underway. Why am I celebrating?

A new book contract that has me working on six new short stories about women of the Bible encountering Jesus. Find out more HERE. Lots of new friends on Facebook, Twitter, and signed up for my newsletter. The close of a summer full of family and fun and good reading. Tomato season!

I’m giving away nine incredible reads in nine days.

Nine Books in Nine Days!

Giveaway #1 ended August 20th. Congrats to th...

Book Giveaway #1: Inspirational fiction by some of my favorite authors (ends 8/20)

I’m doing a giveaway because at the end of this beautiful summer, there’s a lot to celebrate!

A new book contract that has me working on six new short stories about women of the Bible encountering Jesus. Find out more HERE. Lots of new friends on Facebook, Twitter, and signed up for my newsletter. The close of a summer full of family and fun and good reading. Tomato season!

In gratitude for all the goodness of late summer, I’m giving away nine incredible reads in nine days.

Nine Books in Ni...

Spring into Spring with a Giveaway of Books and Pretty Swag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Each Spring Swag Bundle includes a signed copy of one of the books of The Living Water series, a lovely scarf in springtime pink, and a “Be Still” journal.

See below for more details on each of the giveaway bundles. Good luck and happy spring!

This giveaway will run from midnight on May 3rd to midnight on May 8th. Winners announced Tuesday on my Facebook Page. U.S. Winners only. Standard contest rules apply.

 

 

The Well swag bundle comes with a signed copy of the fi...

Walk In Her Sandals: Meet Miriam

Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Miriam is a courageous woman of Jerusalem who joins her son, James, as he follows Jesus in his ministry through Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Her gift of maternity was both a physical and a spiritual motherhood. As a mother, she carried the message of Jesus to her children, Anah and Joses—her greatest hope was that they, too, would believe in the Messiah. But that w...