Barbara M. Britton is our guest today.

She wrote a book called Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey. She’s here to share the story behind her story.

When Adah bat Shallum finds the governor of Judah weeping over the crumbling wall of Jerusalem, she learns the reason for Nehemiah’s unexpected visit—God has called him to rebuild the wall around the City of David.

Nehemiah challenges the people of God to labor on the wall and in return, the names of their fathers will be written in the annals for future generations to cherish. But Adah has one sister and no brothers. Will her father, who rules a half-district of Jerusalem, be forgotten forever?

Adah bravely vows to rebuild her city’s wall, though she soon discovers that Jerusalem not only has enemies outside the city, but also within.

Can Adah, her sister, and the men they love, honor God’s call? Or will their mission be crushed by the same stones they hope to construct?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

What inspired you to write this book?

I always say, God has the best plot lines. My latest novel “Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey” is taken from chapters 1-8 of the book of Nehemiah. The bad guys are baked into the story and there is enough social justice tension to keep the conflict flowing. While Adah bat Shallum is my main character, Nehemiah is seen throughout my novel. He is the modern-day project manager sent to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.

Even though I had taught the story of Nehemiah in Sunday School, I learned so much more about this pillar of faith when researching my novel.

Nehemiah is the governor over Judah, but he is also cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. We see Nehemiah in the palace receiving word about the run-down state of Jerusalem. What does Nehemiah do? We see his emotional side, but we also see him as a man of prayer. Nehemiah prays after hearing the report about Jerusalem. He also sends up an arrow prayer when he is questioned about being sad before the king–an offense punishable by death. Throughout the book of Nehemiah, we see the governor relying on God.

I had no idea one of my favorite verses came from the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah [8:10]b states, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Throughout my novel and the Biblical account, Nehemiah is faced with challenges. He doesn’t give up and flee, rather he prays and trusts God to bring His project to completion.

Nehemiah may have had a political role, but he also knows his faith history. He recounts the history of his people, the Hebrew people, in chapter 9. He is faithful to give God credit for the blessing of the people of Israel and he sheds light on the fallen nature of man.

Nehemiah doesn’t tread lightly when people work against him, even if they claim to be pro-God. Nehemiah calls a prophetess out in Nehemiah [6:14] for trying to intimidate him. Did Noadiah have a momentary lapse in judgment? Or was her relationship with God superficial? We will never know, though Nehemiah took her interference in God’s work seriously.

I’m very happy Nehemiah was an equal opportunity project manager. In Nehemiah [3:12] we see that he allowed Shallum’s daughters to help rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. Groundbreaking? Seems like it. We don’t know how many daughters Shallum had, or what their names were, but I gave him two daughters, Adah and Judith.

Adah’s theme (and mine) for this re-telling of Nehemiah’s story…be strong and courageous and do God’s work. May we be like Nehemiah and follow God’s call no matter what comes our way.

Wow! This story sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Barbara M. Britton lives in Wisconsin and writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults.

She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.

Barb brings little known Bible characters to light in her Tribes of Israel series.

You can find out more about Barb’s books on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Barbara is giving away a copy of Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey. 

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