The following has been written for a book blog tour with Celebrate Lit. From June 9-22 The Rabbi’s Touch will make stops with fourteen different book-reviewers. Further details will be coming.
I counted my journals, wondering. A drawer filled with thirty-three journals. The years of words held in those pages cover countless seasons of living and following Jesus. Even the gaps of silence speak volumes in the journey.
This passion for writing, evident in that drawer of journals, has had the dream of a book tucked within it. And, quite by surprise, a book has formed and grown these past years. The Rabbi’s Touch began innocently with the study of Blind Bartimaeus. His miracle took shape in my imagination, taking on sounds, images, and emotions. Notes and reflections about his healing found their way in the current journal. Hidden Greek meanings fed my imagination until I was Bartimaeus meeting Jesus. That encounter took on words that needed to be put down on paper as his story. Bartimaeus’ story led to another short story, which led to another. Each story was driven by the desire to enter the lives of those who met Jesus and were healed. Each story was written with the longing to encounter Jesus for me as if I had never met Him before. Perhaps I would grow in knowing Him. And I did.
As the stories grew, so did a quiet desire for others to meet Him as I had. Perhaps others could meet Jesus on their dusty road, make eye contact with Him, hear His voice, and feel His healing touch? Perhaps a conviction of what He can do will grow, and they, too, could be determined to press in to receive what is His to give? Perhaps they also will cast aside the veil they have been hiding behind and walk free? Perhaps you can meet Him, too? So, here it is, a collection of first-hand stories, ready for you to encounter Jesus.
