I’d never written anything. Well, I take that back. I did go to college, after all. And after college, seminary. It was there, in 2012, where I was tasked to write a textual criticism arguing for the inclusion of the Pericope de Adultera in the Gospel of John (8:2-11). After researching and submitting my paper, I was overcome by hypergraphia, the unending desire—no, impulse—to find out more about this unnamed woman in the Bible and write her story. For four years the feeling stuck with me until I could no longer resist its force.

But there were so many questions.

Who was this adultress delivered to Jesus in the temple? There is no more written about her than what’s found in the few New Testament verses. How old was she? The story refers to her as a woman, but, in those days, girls married at age 12-14. I taught high school, so I figured I’d make her a teenager of seventeen. What did she do for a living? So many choices. Many Christians assume she was a prostitute. But the Bible never mentions that. Adultress does not equate to that profession. I therefore made her a perfumery worker. I gave her a name based upon the title of her biblical inclusion, Pericope, which is Greek for . . .

Well, you’ll have to read the book to be privy to that nugget of information.

But how did she become an adultress in the first place, beyond the obvious, of course? Do any modern Christians consider her circumstances or do they judge her as quickly as the Pharisees had, stones in hand and ready to exact punishment? Finally, after Jesus told her to, “Go and sin no more,” what did she do?

In the Bible, her story ends there. But I wanted to know. I think everyone does. As a Christian who was saved late (but not too late) at the age of 32, I had no idea how difficult life would be after being born again. I wanted to convey to my readers that it’s not all good times and life certainly doesn’t get any easier. Just markedly different in how you approach things. Now, imagine it being 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem.

If you’ve read the Book of Acts, you know what I mean.

In February 2016, I sat down to write Pericope’s story only to find I knew little about ancient Israel. So, research ensued once more. After studying maps, customs, timelines, foreign names and languages, and the early processes of perfume making I compiled enough knowledge to create my first rough manuscript in a total of seven months. This all while teaching full time. And rough that manuscript was.

Thank the Lord I found Word Weavers when I did.

You can find Pericope, published by WordCrafts Press, Inc., at: PERICOPE @ AMAZON

Jeff Keene II holds degrees in biology, chemistry, and linguistics. He has served as a volunteer firefighter where, in 1989, he suffered a line-of-duty injury resulting in the loss of his right foot below- the-knee, worked on a NOAA research fishing vessel for 17-days at sea, and even applied to the NASA Teacher in Space program. He currently serves as a 22-year veteran public school teacher.

Jeff lives with his wife, Andria, in Boynton Beach, Florida where he is president of the South Florida chapter of Word Weavers International and mentors four other traditional chapters across the USA. He and his wife have two adult children, both in college for music and theatre related majors.

Connect with Jeff online at: https://pericope2016.wixsite.com/jeffkeeneii

How much do you know about the Greatest Generation? You may not have an encyclopedic knowledge of it, but you can increase your knowledge of it by reading my biography of my dad. He and my mom were members of the Greatest Generation. I wrote the book to preserve a record of his World War II service as a transport pilot, as a surgeon in Vietnam while in the Air Force, private practice, and volunteer service to humanity.

I invested two years to write A Last Chapter of the Greatest Generation: The Life and Family of Colonel Frederic A. Stone, M.D.—Aviator, Doctor, Missionary and Friend to Humanity. Researching and writing about Dad helped me work through my grief following his death in 2014, and it also increased my understanding and respect for him.

I self-published the book in 2016. I had hired a book coach several years earlier for another manuscript. He gave me leads for obtaining the ISBN number, graphic artist, editor, domain for a website, website designer, and printer. I was pleased with the outside and inside appearance of the book. I held the book launch at a local veterans’ event. I gained a lot of experience that I can use for my next book project.

My parents saved many things while they were alive. Their saved useful material for the book such as Dad’s diaries from the late 1930s, World War II flight logs, photos, newspaper clippings, and other material. He owned many books about World War II, the Hump (see below), and medical school. The internet provided marvelous resources for me concerning information about World War II, medical school, and other life events.

My father was born in 1923. He grew up in Brooklyn, Utica, and Carthage, New York. When he turned eighteen, he enlisted in the Army ten months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Little did he know that his enlistment would allow him to live his dream to be an aviator. He flew in a plane the first time with his father and brother in 1927, built model airplanes as a teenager, started private flying lessons after joining the Army, and became an Army Air Corps pilot in December 1942.

His war time flying took him to several places in the U.S, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Africa, India, and China. Dad owned a copy of a book of letters that Roland E. Speckman wrote from India to his wife. Mr. Speckman was Dad’s copilot on their trip to India and a roommate there. Mr. Speckman mentioned Dad many times in the letters. The letters gave me important information about their service in India while they flew the “Hump,” the Himalayan Mountain range between northeastern India and western China. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Speckman in 2014 shortly after Dad died. He gave me permission to use of his letters in my book. Mr. Speckman is one of the people to whom I dedicated the book.

Dad lived his dream of flying, but after the war the airline companies were flooded with qualified pilots. Dad chose to follow his older brother in medicine. The G.I. Bill and military reserves funded his college, medical school, and post-medical school training. He became a surgeon.

Before and after the war he contemplated serving the Lord in some form of ministry. He decided medicine would be the best avenue for him. Albert Schweitzer became a role model for him. He and Mom were active Christians all the years I knew them. Dad retired from private medical practice, held various medical part time jobs, and then with Mom, volunteered for medical missions in Malawi, Africa for two years. They returned from Malawi and helped create a partnership between their church and Presbytery with the church in Malawi that continues to the present. They had lived another of Dad’s dreams.

The Greatest Generation is shrinking rapidly as its members age and die. The readers of my book will increase their knowledge and appreciation of the Greatest Generation by learning about my Dad’s life, family, and deeds. Maybe my book will motivate someone to write the story of their Greatest Generation ancestor.

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Judson I. (Jud I) Stone is a member of the Destin Word Weavers. He volunteers at the Walton Correctional Institution. He is a retired pastor and corporate chaplain. He is the author of a biography of his father A Last Chapter of the Greatest Generation (2016). He is working on a book about a great-great uncle who died as young missionary in Oman in 1899 while serving with the Arabian Mission. He is married, father of three sons, and grandfather of five grandchildren. He and his wife reside in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. www.judsonistone.com

I turned the calendar to 2022 today. And after reading Eva Marie’s post in the Word Weaver Loom, I took some time with the Lord myself. I hadn’t really thought of asking for a word for my year. But I liked the idea. After some quiet before the Lord, I heard His still, small voice speak “abundance.” I wondered if I had heard correctly. Again, He whispered the word abundance. Abundance? That word came out of left field. I wasn’t expecting that word.

Abundance does sound wonderful right now though, doesn’t it? We could all lament the illusiveness of abundance in many areas these last few years.

Yes, we’ve had a few strange and trying years. But God. Thankfully His abundance is always available. My goal is to always be grateful and recognize His generosity, in spite of my circumstances or the circumstances of the world around me.

The great news is, I don’t believe “abundance” is a word just for me. I see God stretching out His arms for all His sons and daughters, gathering them into His embrace. When we understand John 10:10—The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life and have it abundantly—we recognize an abundant life isn’t only for certain years or certain days. Jesus came to give us an abundant life now, in place of and in spite of whatever is thrown in our path.

How could we have lived the abundant life the last few years? We lived in abundance as we recognized them as evil trying to take its best shot, but instead, in many ways, evil only revealed itself—for us to crush under our boots. Abundance was walked out by many who choose to live out “do not fear” on a daily basis and feel the tangible peace of God. Others, in these last few years, have spent extended time with their heavenly Father, soaking in His abundance and presence.

For those of you who suffered hurt and loss and felt like well-being was beyond your grasp, there is hope. I encourage you, if you suffered losses these last few years, to know God is not finished. If your circumstance has not yet turned for good, God is still working. For He really does have good plans for you. Let Him embrace you with His peace, joy, hope and love—the abundant life He offers.

Bountiful is in the eye of the beholder.

Step into the 2022 expecting the abundance of God.

Michele McCarthy is a native Texan, where she resides with her husband. She is an Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (ASWA) member and co-founder of Living Write Texas, a women’s Christian writing group. With wit and wisdom, her passion is equipping believers to live the abundant life Christ offers. She is author of three award winning books: Shattered, Stirred and Shaken, and her children’s books Daddy and Me and Aunt Ida Clare. Aunt Ida took home 1st place in the 2021 Golden Scrolls. She is a member of Word Weavers Online Groups, Page 43.

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michelemccarthybooks.com