Dragon Knights: Resurrection

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10646699_710439319031614_7692693758538826121_nI am once again working on my Dragon Knights series. With the recent death of my father I have felt a renewed desire to work on the series.  My father had been curious about what I was writing and even loaned me a book to help with the writing of the series. So now I think I owe it to him and myself to finish the series no matter how long it takes. First drafts are completed for the first, and fourth books. The second book is my current work in progress. The third and possibly a fifth book are slated for writing at a later time.

Going forward I am going to be posting excerpts from the first and fourth book. The first book, working title Resurrection begins with the ministry of Christ and follows a Samaritan boy as he faces the consequences of his conversion to be a follower of Christ. It also follows his sister who is taken by a Roman Centurion and during her captivity becomes a follower of Christ. After her rescue she and her brother join up with the apostles and some dragons who are messengers of  God to spread His word and grow through the consequences of their life. Here is the opening scene:

The woman said to him, “Sir I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain: you people say that the palace to worship is Jerusalem Jesus said to the beloved me woman the hour is coming when you will worship the father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. Your people worship what you do not understand we worship what we understand because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when true worshippers will worship the father in spirit

A dark shadow covered the cloud sun as Naftili went to the well. He could not believe that mother was making him do this in the middle of the day when everyone else was in their cool houses avoiding the heat of the day.

As he neared the center of town where the well was he heard a commotion. Could the Romans have returned? They had just been through Sychar yesterday and disrupted the Sabbath. He heard loud voices and as he came around the corner beside the temple he saw a large crowd of people.

He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that it wasn’t centurions, just townspeople. They all stood around the well and at the center one man with several more men and women standing behind him. In front of him that woman. Imma and Abba had told him to stay away from her. She was a bad woman, almost as bad as the Jews. The man was holding her hand, accepting a cup of water from her. Well he had just made a big mistake. The woman was unclean, now he would be unclean. He wondered why anyone would do that and risk the wrath of God. He has to get closed hear what the crowd was saying. They must be trying to warn him to get her out of town before she made anyone else unclean.

Naftilil went and stood behind the Rabbi Jacob. He could hear the strange, now unclean man speaking, but he was not condemning her. Instead he was forgiving and telling her not to sin anymore. And the people were not stoning the women or chasing the man out of town.
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In fact and Naftili thought it strange, but they were welcoming the strangers inviting them into their homes, offering him food. This made no sense. He needed to get home to tell Imma and Abba what happened. Would not mother be surprised. After the crowd left with the stranger and the woman Naftili filled his buckets and rushed home trying not to spill the water as he ran through the door to their small home.  Mother was by the fireplace preparing the noon meal when Naftili came through the door.

“Naftili, where have you been? I sent you for water over an hour ago.” Your father is anxious to eat and be on his way. Ever since your sister, Gavrielle was taken by the Romans there is more work for the rest of us and no time to dawdle. Now get cleaned up so we can eat.”

Naftili went back to the animal shelter and washed his face and hands. He thought about the man at the well and then he thought about his sister.  The memories of the previous month came flooding back. It had been tax collecting time and the Roman centurions decided to make sure that Rome received her due tribute or as Abba said to make sure the people were robbed properly.  Abba had been ill and not able to do the stone cutting he usually did to feed the family. The family consisted of Imma, Abba and sister /Gavrielle, until last month. The tax collectors did not care. All they worried about was getting their taxes, Roman taxes. If there was no money then they took anything they could. Livestock, foodstuffs, even people girls like Gavrielle.

Mother and Gavrielle had sewn some things to sell in there market, but it had not been enough. When the Romans came there had not been enough denarius to pay the taxes. That Roman centurion, Acanthus had decided that since they did not have enough money that something else needed to taken. All the sheep where in the high pasture and the milk cow along with her calf seemed a good alternative to the Romans but then Gavrielle had come out of the house. Acanthus saw her and how pretty she was. Somehow he seemed to recall right at that moment that he had a daughter who needed a companion, really a slave and decided to take his sister. Gavi tried to run back into the house, but the man rode his big horse right through Imma’s garden and to the front door. He picked Gavi up by her tunic and threw her on the back of his horse. Then just to make sure we got the message, when Imma screamed he reached down and smacked her across the face. Imma’s lip bled as the centurion rode through the garden, knocking over the fence and laughing.

Naftili had rushed out of his hiding place to try and stop them, but his father had grabbed his arm and pulled him back, forcing him to stand behind where he could not be seen. Then he just stood there and watched the Romans ride away with his sister crying on the back of the horse. He had felt so useless, so helpless.

 

 

 

Mary Magdalene: The Dispossessed Woman

 

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark and the stone removed from the tomb. (John 20:1)

Read and Ponder: John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Mary Magdalene was the first to witness the risen Christ. Throughout Jesus’ suffering and bloody death, the intensity of Mary’s faith never diminished and at the resurrection, Mary witnessed Jesus in another form, no longer subject to the laws of the flesh. Jesus was ready for a new mode of existence and a new set of relationships. Jesus had moved from the temporal to the eternal, but was still alive and active.

 

Questions to Ponder:

  1. Do I seek Jesus in love?
  2. Do I search for fulfillment in earthly beings instead of Jesus?
  3. Do I pray for a heart overflowing with thanks and give Jesus my life?

Conclusion:

Mary loved Jesus. She was fortunate to know the love and fulfillment that comes from loving Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is the deepest, most intimate relationship we can have. Women tend to feel that if they do not have a great love in human form they are missing something. They close themselves off from Jesus and what He offers. All they have to do is look to Jesus. Jesus offers something that cannot be found with humans.

A love for Jesus is based on faith first and needs an emotional element. With many of us, our faith remains intellectual leaving out the heartfelt. We know what Jesus did for us, but do not FEEL why He did it.

Through Mary Magdalene we see, it is possible to have this love. Mary’s love was deeper than a parent’s love for a child. She refers to Jesus as My Lord, implying her personal ownership of His Love. Mary Magdalene gives us historical proof, if we seek Jesus in love, He will reveal Himself to us. All we need to do is pray for a heart overflowing with thanks and give Jesus our life.

 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I am not worthy of your love and compassion. I thank you for all you have given to me and I offer it up to you in glory and praise of you and your father. Let me be like Mary Magdalene and love you with all that is I. Let me find in you what I cannot find in things of this world. Let me live as one of yours for all eternity. Amen

 

All for the Glory of God,

Christina Weigand

Excerpted from Women of the Bible: A Study by Christina Weigand


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