Kara S. McKenzie
A NEW DANCE
Click on the link below to purchase this book. Keturah is excited about the activities taking place at the Festival at Shiloh. She dreams, of a not too distant future, which has been carefully and lovingly mapped out for her. She has few regrets for the choices in her life she’s made. The day is nearly finished, and her dreams will finally be a reality. She takes her place in the vineyard to dance for the people of her village. While the drums beat, and she moves in step to the music, a luminous sun begins to slip beneath the horizon, radiating its last rays of color over the earth. It is hard for her to imagine that, in the next few moments, a change will take place, one she'd never envisioned. As everything in her former life is suddenly lost forever, and her world as she knew it vanishes, she wonders how she will survive such an unwelcome twist. Has God abandoned her in her deepest need? Can she still count on his love? Will her faith in him see her through? |
JudgesThe book, A NEW DANCE, is based on the last paragraphs in the book of Judges in the Bible. The Benjamite men were told to hide in the vineyards and catch one of the dancing women at the festival of Shiloh to take with them to be their wife. They were not living as God intended at this time, as the last words in this book were that everyone did as they saw fit. This story addresses the consequences of sin in behavior and how God can take a situation of despair and turn it into a path of hope.
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Ancient PlacesThe story takes place in ancient Israel. Shiloh, a city in the Ephraimite hill country was the home of Keturah, the young woman in my novel. It was considered a cultural center of the Hebrew people. Further south from Shiloh, was Bethel, in which the character Joash, a Benjamite warrior in the story lived. This town also was set on a hill, surrounded by barren, dry land.
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Ancient TimesHomes were generally small with one or two rooms lit by lamps with flame at this time. Some people still lived in tents. A man's possessions were an indication of his wealth, such as his flocks, animal herds, his home, weapons, clothing and tools. Arranged marriages were common. Women were considered property. This was culturally accepted by both men and women of the time. God's plan revealed through Jesus, that women had merit and were to be loved and cherished. People made their own laws and rules.
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