Stephanie Landsem's Blog, page 15

The Well Release Party and Giveaway Winners!

I signed 117 copies of The Well!

The Well released yesterday and nearly 150 friends, family, and fellow readers joined me at the Historic Lowell Inn in downtown Stillwater for food, prizes, pictures, and good conversation. I signed 117 copies of The Well and, best of all, got to visit with those who have encouraged me during this exciting time. Thanks to all of you!

And very special thanks to:

My husband, Bruce, for greeting everyone and saying about a hundred times, “Yes, I’m so proud her.”

Rach...

The Well Release Celebration: Books and Food Giveaway!

Goodie basket of Middle Eastern delights, signed copies of The Well, and chocolate covered figs

The Well will release on June 4th and I’m giving away some goodies:
1 First prize: a signed copy of The Well and a basket of gourmet Middle Eastern delights (basket includes pita chips, pistachios, Turkish Delight, chocolate covered figs, olive spread, hibiscus tea, anise tea, assorted Middle Eastern candies)
2 Second prizes: A signed copy of The Well and chocolate covered figs
Enter in as many of the...

Jews Vs. Samaritans: What’s the Difference?

The Samaritan woman at the well

In The Well, the conflict between Jews and Samaritans is part of the story of Mara, Shem and their journey to find Jesus. And so, as the release of The Well approaches, we’ve learned about the history of this conflict and the injuries and insults the Jews and Samaritans visited on each other.

We know that their faith was central to the lives of both Jews and Samaritans. So how did the practices of Jews and Samaritans differ? First, let’s look at what they had in...

Jews Vs. Samaritans: Insult and Injury

The Good Samaritan by John David Chambers, 1893

Last week, we saw how the conflicts between the Jews and Samaritans began. So how did the two warring peoples treat each other, living side by side in first century Israel?

By the first century and most likely long before, both Jewish and Samaritan priests taught their people that it was sinful to have any contact with the other. Jews were to avoid the impure land of the Samaritans and Samaritans were not to speak to Jews. In addition, Samaritans...

Jews Vs. Samaritans: Origin of Conflict

Map of Samaria

Anyone who’s read the Bible knows it: first century Jews despised the Samaritans and the Samaritans held no love for their southern brothers.

But how did the enmity between these two groups begin? What led to the intense hatred that we see in the New Testament?

As with most stories that span a thousand years, it’s complicated. But it boils down to four main issues:

Early disagreements on pagan worship:

Trouble started not long after Moses brought the twelve tribes of Israel to the P...

A Real Life Love Story

My mom and dad, 1956

This love story started in the summer of 1955 when Jeanette, a Minnesota schoolteacher, took a trip to Yellowstone Park and met a Montana cowboy named Red. Ten days later, Jeanette returned to Minnesota and started writing letters to Red.

That winter, Red put a ring in his pocket, loaded a freshly shot elk in his truck, and drove to the tiny town of Clontarf, Minnesota. He gave the ring to Jeanette and the elk to her father. On June 6, 1956, after a ten-day courtship and ni...

What Community Do You Rely On?

Lots of people don’t read past The End in a book. That’s fine for them, but I like to read it all—the acknowledgements, the author bio, the book club questions. Probably because if I liked the book, I’m just not ready to put it down.

Before The Well went to print, I was asked to answer some questions in A Conversation with Stephanie Landsem, and those answers were printed in the back of the book. I especially liked answering this one about community:

Mara was often outside the community of wome...

Sinners and the Sea, the Untold Story of Noah’s Wife

Amazon:Sinners and the Sea, the Untold Story of Noah’s Wife

See the story of Noah and the flood with new eyes.

Rebecca Kanner is a fellow Minnesotan, Biblical fiction writer, and Howard Books author.Reason enough for me to want to read her debut novel, Sinners and The Sea, the Untold Story of Noah’s Wife. Add to that a fascinating premise: the story of a woman who wasn’t even named in the Bible, but became the mother of all generations after the great flood, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands...

7 Sacred Images of Holy Week

The next few days are the holiest of the liturgical year. Please join me in contemplating seven beautiful works by a few of my favorite artists. These masterpieces bring the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday to life.

The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio

The Denial of St. Peter, Caravaggio

Christ at the Column, Caravaggio

The Crucifixion of Jesus, Diego Velazquez

Descent from the Cross, Peter Paul Rubens

The Entombment of Christ, El Greco

The Resurrection of Christ and the Women at...

What Did Jesus Really Look Like?

Jesus in The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire Him.”Isaiah 53:2b

Jesus has been depicted in every possible manner over the last 2,000 years—in gold and silver, oils and watercolor, marble and mosaics. From icons to street art, from coloring books to the Sistine Chapel, the image of Jesus has been interpreted in a myriad of ways.

But do we really have any idea of what Jesus, the historical person...