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Bible Adventurers #3
Lost in Jerusalem
‘Dear God,’ Joshua prayed. ‘What was Jesus like as a boy? Why doesn't the Bible tell us more about his childhood?'
Once again, a simple prayer catapults Joshua back in time to the temple in Jerusalem where he meets Jesus. If anyone could get away with skipping church, surely it would be the Son of God, and yet twelve-year-old Jesus is determined to learn all he can. Not even the grumpy rabbis are enough to turn him away.
Meanwhile, Mary, Joseph, and Hannah are heading back to Nazareth when a surprise discovery makes them turn around. Hannah always thought being the mother of God would be wonderful—who wouldn’t want a perfect child? But when she sees the cost involved, she’s not sure if she would be up for the job.
Broken pots and hidden costs teach a lesson about the sovereignty of the boy saviour, but will the children see him for who he truly is?
Once again, a simple prayer catapults Joshua back in time to the temple in Jerusalem where he meets Jesus. If anyone could get away with skipping church, surely it would be the Son of God, and yet twelve-year-old Jesus is determined to learn all he can. Not even the grumpy rabbis are enough to turn him away.
Meanwhile, Mary, Joseph, and Hannah are heading back to Nazareth when a surprise discovery makes them turn around. Hannah always thought being the mother of God would be wonderful—who wouldn’t want a perfect child? But when she sees the cost involved, she’s not sure if she would be up for the job.
Broken pots and hidden costs teach a lesson about the sovereignty of the boy saviour, but will the children see him for who he truly is?
100 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2022
1 person want to read
About the author
Lesley Barklay
9 books17 followersLesley Barklay has taught high school English, German, and History in rural and outback NSW since 2003. She loves bossing people around, reading, writing, editing, and mentoring young writers. Lesley is currently working on an adult fantasy series, a YA scifi series, a Christian romance, and a middle-grade adventure series, because she is a sucker for punishment. Why write one series, when you can write four?
Lesley lives with her husband, twelve-year-old son, nine-year-old daughter, and one chicken in Moree. In her spare time, you can find her procrastinating from writing by watching authortube. That counts, right?
Click here for a FULL LIST of Lesley's books!
Click here to link to Lesley's Amazon Author page
Let's connect!
Lesley's Facebook
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Email: authorlesleybarklay@gmail.com
Lesley lives with her husband, twelve-year-old son, nine-year-old daughter, and one chicken in Moree. In her spare time, you can find her procrastinating from writing by watching authortube. That counts, right?
Click here for a FULL LIST of Lesley's books!
Click here to link to Lesley's Amazon Author page
Let's connect!
Lesley's Facebook
Lesley's Instagram
Email: authorlesleybarklay@gmail.com
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October 14, 2022I pray you enjoy this book, and that it encourages you in your walk with God.
Excerpt (from chapter 5)
While Mary sang, Hannah thought about God and her fears. Even though she knew Mummy was right, and God would never leave her or forsake her, sometimes her heart refused to believe what her brain was telling it. She wanted to yell at her heart and say, ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of!’ But that never worked, because the more she thought about her fear, the more frightened she became.
Maybe I should look at God instead, she thought. The Bible says I don’t have to be afraid even if the mountains fall into the ocean. She looked around. The ground they were walking on was fairly flat, so she didn’t have to worry about any pesky mountains getting funny ideas.
‘God, I know that even though Joshua isn’t here, you have never left me. Can you please help me trust in you, even when my heart is scared?'
Excerpt (from chapter 5)
While Mary sang, Hannah thought about God and her fears. Even though she knew Mummy was right, and God would never leave her or forsake her, sometimes her heart refused to believe what her brain was telling it. She wanted to yell at her heart and say, ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of!’ But that never worked, because the more she thought about her fear, the more frightened she became.
Maybe I should look at God instead, she thought. The Bible says I don’t have to be afraid even if the mountains fall into the ocean. She looked around. The ground they were walking on was fairly flat, so she didn’t have to worry about any pesky mountains getting funny ideas.
‘God, I know that even though Joshua isn’t here, you have never left me. Can you please help me trust in you, even when my heart is scared?'
October 12, 2022
Lost in Jerusalem is the third in the Bible Adventurers series. After reading the previous books, I was interested in reading about Hannah and Joshua's continued adventures in Bible times. Seemingly as the result of simple prayer, the two young siblings fall asleep in their beds on Christmas Eve night and wake up in Jerusalem. This time, they are not together, though.
Hannah finds herself with Mary and Joseph on their way back to Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Joshua wakes up with Jesus, who is now a 12-year-old boy, and joins Jesus at the synagogue as he learns from (and teaches) the priests.
One part I found very nicely-done about this story was the depiction of Jesus as a boy. It is difficult to imagine how Jesus was as a child, being fully God and also fully, well, a boy. We read about him doing an occasional miracle to fix another child's accident. He communicates with his Father and is given knowledge of things to come. He somehow seems to understand that Joshua is from the future. I felt the author did a great job of imagining how this may have looked.
This is another winner, as it allows believers to read a new perspective on a familiar story. Non-believers may be encouraged to dig deeper into the Bible to learn more about the story they have read.
Hannah finds herself with Mary and Joseph on their way back to Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Joshua wakes up with Jesus, who is now a 12-year-old boy, and joins Jesus at the synagogue as he learns from (and teaches) the priests.
One part I found very nicely-done about this story was the depiction of Jesus as a boy. It is difficult to imagine how Jesus was as a child, being fully God and also fully, well, a boy. We read about him doing an occasional miracle to fix another child's accident. He communicates with his Father and is given knowledge of things to come. He somehow seems to understand that Joshua is from the future. I felt the author did a great job of imagining how this may have looked.
This is another winner, as it allows believers to read a new perspective on a familiar story. Non-believers may be encouraged to dig deeper into the Bible to learn more about the story they have read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews