Disciples: Further fresh encounters with familiar Gospel stories

by Mandy Hackland

Disciples is the second novel in God’s People series, and continues the saga as we hear the stories of the individual disciples when they were called and followed Jesus every day for three years. Often they did not realize what was happening. Sometimes they made mistakes and felt they had failed. They tried so hard to understand who Jesus was and yet it was often beyond them. There were times when they had a glimpse of his identity, but it was difficult for them to accept the truth. They were attracted to him by his personality, his smile, the love in his eyes. They laughed and cried with him. They watched as he touched people’s lives – and were moved as he changed their own. So we go with James as he witnessed the raising of Jairus’ daughter and experience his wonder at the event, and the bitter-sweet sadness of the witness of the woman who touched Jesus’ garment. We sail across the lake with Jude on a clear evening that turns stormy when everyone was in danger of drowning – yet Jesus slept at the bottom of the boat. We climb the mountain with Peter and witness the conversation that Jesus had with Moses and Elijah – and like Peter, perhaps we fail to understand, no matter how hard we try. We question the re-appearance of Jesus in the upper room as we are out with Thomas, gathering supplies. And then, of course, there was Judas … Disciples is a fictional account based on the events that are familiar to all those who read the Gospels. Perhaps the disciples reacted to Jesus in just the same way we would have done had we been there too. Perhaps their questions and conclusions would have been ours. Perhaps they still are. Each disciple tells his story in a simple way, sharing how Jesus impacted their lives, giving a different perspective of life, joy and hope for those who read their accounts of familiar Gospel stories. Weaving through the testimonies we meet twelve other men. Gathered together around a camp fire, they too share the Gospel stories and are touched and healed by the experience as God uses their narratives to draw them into a greater understanding of who God is and so they too meet the living Christ. The invitation is there for those of us who read the stories today. Perhaps in the pages of Disciples you , in turn, will meet Jesus Christ in a new way.

142 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2017

About the author

I began writing poetry in 1993 and have gradually widened the scope of my work to include fiction and non-fiction. All my work is in the Christian genre and includes devotional material, an aid for people who find themselves caring for loved ones with life threatening illness (as I did - how do you cope with such situations?). This book is called Hope through Dark Valleys. Then I am writing a series of novels under the collective title of God's People. The first in the series is Witnesses and the second Disciples. I am busy writing the third book entitled Believers.
The novels are all based on Scripture and I have had such fun writing them. I take a character on the edge of the action and tell specific scenes from their point of view. I then weave in a modern day story which encourages readers to discover the relevance of Scripture in their own lives.
I have been a Christ-follower for about 45 years. I enjoy encouraging others to deepen their own faith and to discover God for themselves.
I live in Johannesburg, close to my family and enjoy reading, bird-watching and spending time in the African bush.
You can follow me on my blog at https://mandyhackland.wordpress.com/ and here on my Goodreads Author page. Look forward to hearing from you. I hope you enjoy the books I write.