PenWorks of the Word | Featured Author | Tracey Thorp

The Case For Rachel

By Tracey Thorp

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I think we owe Rachel a massive apology.

Because I’m not convinced she did the things we’ve spent the last 3,000 years accusing her of.

Somehow, over centuries of retelling her story, assumptions have become facts:

• The Bible tells us Rachel was beautiful, so we decided she was vain.
• The Bible tells us Rachel was infertile, forced to endure the pain of watching her own husband and sister have children together. Then one day she got angry with him, so we decided she was bitter and discontent.
• The Bible tells us Rachel took her father’s household idols, so we decided she worshipped them.
• The Bible tells us Rachel couldn’t stand up during the search for the idols because she had her period, so we decided she was lying.

But where’s the evidence?

PenWorks of the Word | Featured Author | Jackie McBride

All the Way My Savior Leads Me

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I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

~ Isaiah 42:16 ~

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Six-year-old Frances knelt with her beloved grandmother beside the old lady’s rocking chair, praying earnestly for one thing—that she could go to school and learn like other children. Most children would find the request strange, as the refrain that echoes down the centuries is how tedious most kids find school. Frances literally ached for knowledge—she longed for it more than anything else--but she had a serious problem. She was blind.

PenWorks of the Word | Featured Author | Shannon Skåer

 

For the Love of Disaster

Do you enjoy disasters—fire, flood, warfare, or plague—in your hometown?

If you answered no, may I suggest that you haven’t given the question enough thought? 

I, for one, would love a good disaster in my backyard. I think a battle would be my preference. My clever little caveat is that I would only enjoy said disaster if it happened a comfortable century before I was born.

Now you’re nodding your head! 

PenWorks of the Word - Opening Remarks

The PenWorks of the Word Blog Tour begins today, and I am grateful to welcome you into this month of shared creativity. Every October, something shifts in the rhythm of our days. The air cools. The pace slows. Our attention sharpens. It becomes easier to notice the quiet work God is doing beneath the surface of our lives. That is the spirit behind this tour. A gathering of writers and readers who believe that Scripture still breathes life into imagination and still shapes the stories we tell.

PenWorks of the Word Blog Tour 2026 - Author Line Up!

Greetings,

I’m thrilled to announce the author lineup for the PenWorks of the Word Blog Tour! Throughout October, we’ll be journeying alongside writers from a variety of genres; Biblical Fiction, Christian Fantasy, Historical Romance/Fiction, and Devotional Content. Posts will be shared here and on my Ministry Website, Lanterns of Light PenWorks, in our Facebook public events, and other platforms, offering glimpses into the hearts and stories of these authors.

Book Review - Faithful Goblin by Cody Darling

Greetings, 

Just over a week ago, I hinted that I had a bit of an interesting review coming, and then reality sank in, and I came down with something crazy: A Super Cold that had me tied to a bed for longer than I like to be, LOL.  

But I'm here today, and this is definitely not the kind of book you might expect me to read, but here we are. I recently finished reading a novella called Faithful Goblin by Cody Darling, and while I didn't quite know what to expect, I am glad I found this novella. You can follow Faithful Goblin's Facebook page here too. Without further ado, here is my review. 

See you in the pages, 

MJE

Unlocking A Broken Embrace: Writing With God, Not Just For Him

Greetings,

It’s been a while since I’ve posted something other than a book review, hasn’t it? Those reviews have kind of taken over this gathering room in more ways than one. Well, today I’m not writing a book review (though I have an interesting one in the works) today is about sharing more of the story behind my upcoming 2026 novel, A Broken Embrace.