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Journey of the Magi by James Tissot, 1894
A new king has been born in Judea, and King Aretas of Nabataea has ordered three of his subjects to travel to Judea to locate the infant king and extend a royal welcome to him. The journey is not without complications. The three delegates—Wahab-allah, Kalbu, and ‘Adnun—must leave the capital city of Petra and accompany a merchant caravan north to the town of Madaba before turning west toward Jericho and their final destination, Jerusalem. The days on camelback are long and arduous, and when Wahab-allah becomes gravely ill, Kalbu makes the decision to leave the safety of the caravan and ride on alone, at a slower pace. When at last they enter Judea, they are uncomfortably aware of the brutal power of the Romans. Unable to locate the new king on their own, the trio is forced to seek an audience with King Herod, whose reptilian presence and pointed questions unnerve them. When they realize that Herod has dispatched a spy to follow them, they escape from Jerusalem under cover of darkness and head to Bethlehem. There they find Yosef, Maryam, and their infant son, Yeshua. After an angel appears to them in a dream, warning them to return home by a different route, the three Nabataeans quickly escort Yeshua’s family out of Judea to safety. Only two of them return home to Petra.
Kalbu is a retelling of the nativity story and shines a light on a nation and people that no longer exist.
Rachel
Determined. Driven. Undaunted. These are the words that describe Rachel Dixon. She challenged the status quo to get a degree at Oxford, and she fought for the right to work on an archeological dig in Syria. When her plans go awry and she’s banned from the dig, she hires a Bedouin goatherd to help her explore the surrounding desert, ultimately discovering an amphora filled with scrolls written by Christ’s half-sister, Mary. Rachel’s dig colleagues dismiss the scrolls as fakes, but she is steadfast in her belief that they are genuine. When the start of World War I cuts the four-month-long dig short and forces the archeologists to return to Great Britain, Rachel takes the “Mary scrolls” with her, intent on one day sharing their words with the world. At home, Rachel takes on a new set of challenges: while she oversees the day-to-day operation of an auxiliary hospital (and starts an archeological dig on the hospital grounds), she also teaches herself Aramaic so she can translate the scrolls. Only her belief in herself and in the authenticity of the scrolls keeps Rachel from giving up as she meets obstacle after obstacle, including a society that says women are lesser individuals than men.
Rachel is the story of a strong-willed woman who fights to live her life on her own terms.
Dr. John Grey is distinctly out of his element. The year is 1899, and he has traveled from Campbeltown, Scotland to Laramie, Wyoming to take custody of accused killer Murdo McRaith. When John arrives at the Wyoming Territorial Prison, however, he finds that Murdo has escaped—and no one cares, mainly because Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch has just blown up a train north of Laramie and robbed it of $50,000 in cash. With multiple law enforcement agencies focused on bringing Butch Cassidy’s gang to justice, John is left to his own devices to track down Murdo. But how is he to go about this daunting task? John knows nothing about Wyoming, and the only map he owns shows a sparsely populated state filled with vast, treeless expanses labeled “Broken and Open Country.” Enter young cowboy Robert “Wapiti Bob” Thornton. Good-natured, chatty, and friendly as a mutt dog, Wapiti Bob offers to guide John across Wyoming. With no other options on the horizon, John reluctantly accepts Wapiti Bob’s offer. Together, they ride across wind-swept prairies and over wildflower-clad mountains, always a couple days behind Murdo. When they finally catch up their quarry on the South Fork of the Stinking Water River, a gun battle ensues—and one man will not live to return home.
Partly told through letters written to Dr. Grey’s wife, Dearest Nan is a quirky, sometimes brutal Western/buddy story of two men who start out as strangers but end up trusting each other with their lives.
This Valley Called Sorrow
One family, one faith, one triggering event.
When the Sutton family—Titus, Adinah, Jericho, Japheth, and Rose—make the decision to leave the wagon train and set out on their own, they do so with the knowledge that their guides have warned against it: “The Collins family did the same thing, an’ they’re buzzard food now.” Titus is determined to bring the Indians to Christ, however, and is certain that God will protect them. So they settle in a remote mountain valley, build a cabin, and prepare to share the Word. Then, disaster strikes: On a late spring morning, a band of Blackfeet attack, burning the cabin and killing most of the Sutton family.
Three stories, three spiritual journeys.
This Valley Called Sorrow: When Adinah alone survives the attack, her faith and resilience are tested as she buries her family, rebuilds the cabin, and struggles to survive through a long, lonely winter.
The Battle of Jericho: When eleven-year-old Jericho discovers that both his parents have been killed, he takes charge of his younger brother and sister and sets out on foot across the prairie, heading for the Oregon Trail and hopefully, help.
Yells at Bears: Titus returns from a hunting trip to find his family slaughtered. Overwhelmed with grief and guilt, he leaves the valley and spends the next ten years traveling across the West, first witnessing to the Apsáalooke, then the California ‘49ers, and later Chinese immigrants. Ultimately, through his gentle preaching, he finds healing and redemption.
One promise.
When the Blackfeet threw their lives into disarray, none of the Suttons could imagine the future that God ultimately revealed to them. They simply clung to their faith and trusted in His mercy and grace. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.