Seventeen years have elapsed since the fall of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. Christianity is traveling the world, and Yael and Mishi have established the first Christ-centered boarding school in Israel. Enrollment continues to grow, and facility needs are outstripping demand. Young men and women from all twelve tribes are coming to learn about this new Torah, and this young couple have become famous Torah scholars.

A Roman Patrol assaults some of the parents whose children attend the school, and Caleb retaliates, using the skills his Uncle Rufus taught him. Caleb’s combat skills are put to the test for the first time, and he kills most of the Roman patrol in less than two minutes, but not before many of the parents and students are killed or taken captive.

Caleb and Eliza run for their lives. Taking only his uncle’s ring, which signifies the title of Legate in the army, Caleb finds a way to meet with the emperor of Rome to make his case for clemency. The emperor sees the undeveloped warrior and decides to put him to the test with an unanticipated battle in the Coliseum in front of 70,000 blood-hungry citizens. Caleb is forced to choose between the core tenets of his faith and his loyalty to his remaining family in a showdown with the most powerful man in the world.

Book Details

ISBN: 978-1-961879-53-9 (Ebook)

Caleb, Eliza, and former slave girl Yael have left Rome and all the atrocities that occur there. All three of them are emotionally wounded by their experiences, and they must find solace. After a two-week, nearly sleepless journey across the Mediterranean, they arrive in Israel hungry to connect with what they think is home.
They are heartbroken to discover home is not what they thought it would be, and they must make peace with their new identity. Between encounters with divine prophecy and skilled healers, each of them goes on a journey to make sense of all the bloodshed, rape, and abuse they experienced as teenagers under the auspices of the Roman Empire.

They leave the House of Healing through the same door that they entered, and they must use their new tools to revisit the places of their youth, say goodbye, and start new lives with new identities. Cornelius the Centurion from the Book of Acts is old and at the end of his days, but he and his wife make a proposal that none of them can refuse.

Book Details

ISBN: 978-1-961879-57-7 (Ebook)

Cornelius, the centurion of Caesarea, is dying. He selects his nephew Caleb to replace him, and Caleb and his new wife move in with them to begin an apprenticeship within the ranks of the Roman military. Caleb is immediately exposed to the worst parts of Roman military administration, and his life becomes a practical exercise of working, coming home to his family, and celebrating weekly Shabbat. His wife can see that the demands of the job are altering him, and Cornelius spends the last of his days pouring all of his experience into the young man.

Upon his death, he gives his surviving offspring fifty years of journals and diaries, several of them coded for specific family members. As they all separately read who their Patriarch is, they experience paradigm shifts in their worldview and that of their leader. These journals were meant to educate his loved ones, and they include some of the most shameful acts from his own life.

Caleb wrestles to understand the perverse demands of being a leader within the Roman Empire as well as a follower of Christ. The scroll with Eliza’s name on it shatters her view of her uncle, who is recorded in the Book of Acts, and she struggles to sort out why he gave his most evil acts to read and understand. Caleb’s wife, Yael, must learn how to care for a husband who is often overwhelmed by the demands of his job and the requirement to betray his faith. Eliza takes his journal entries as a demand to remain courageous and embrace her calling as a newly ordained Rabbi as she prepares to begin calling her first disciples.

Caleb has replaced Cornelius as Centurion of Caesarea. The emperor has demanded that Caleb come to Rome and present his budget to the Senate on the first day of the new session. The emperor has a sinister plan to hijack Caleb’s intentions and use him as entertainment for Roman Royalty, who love bloodshed and competition.

Meanwhile, Eliza completes her training as a Rabbi and travels with Caleb to the city she swore she would never return to. She courageously follows her calling to travel to Rome to find her first batch of disciples. She must overcome fears at every step, and she is reminded repeatedly why she hates Rome.

Yael returns and crosses paths with the man who repeatedly raped her when she was a teenager. Caleb must control his emotions as the two men meet in a public showdown of wits and wills.

With his budget approved, he must find architects to design the expansion of the harbor in Caesarea, and he takes the group a great distance on a quest to find the best engineers designer money can buy. Amira must confront the demons of her past and allow Eliza to step into a role that the young Jewish girl has never allowed anyone to occupy. Meanwhile, Eliza’s choices for disciples lead to conflicts as the princess of Rome must share a bunk with a former prostitute while a jailor must share with the son of a Roman Senator. Yael and Eliza share roles in teaching this new generation of disciples who know nothing of Jehovah, Christ, Judaism or Israel. All the while, they must travel with a heightened level of security as they navigate waters occupied by pirates.

Oren has become the first female Senator in Roman history, however, Domitian is fading. As Domitian fades, Oren flees back to Judah. Alas, she is called back to Rome by the newest emperor with a vague request to serve the Empire one more time. She enlists all of her dearest family members: Eliza, Aunt Zita, Uncle Caleb, her father and mother and embarks on the most fear ridden adventure of her life. Little does she knew what God has intended for her to do once she reaches the pinnacle of power

Oren becomes the first female Senator in Roman history; however, Domitian is fading. As he experiences dementia, Oren flees the politics of Rome and travels back to Judah. Years later, she is called back to Rome by the newest emperor with a vague request to serve the Empire one more time. She enlists all of her dearest family members: Eliza, Aunt Zita, Uncle Caleb, her father, and her mother, and embarks on the most fear-ridden adventure of her life. Little does she know what God has intended for her to do once she reaches the pinnacle of power

What does the view of the world look like from the perspective of someone who is already in eternity or perhaps awaits their own arrival?

You are about to meet and hear stories from ten characters as they explore the gap between the “here and now” and eternity. Some are writing from heaven’s gate while others are already in paradise, trying to share with those back on earth what they have learned. A few are nearing the end of their days on earth and are attempting to bridge the gap between what they have done and what they wanted to do.

All stories are based, in part, on true stories, as they occurred on earth.

Book Details

ISBN-13 : 978-1637697825