{"product_id":"2940015674934","title":"A Woman Called Mary","description":"Mary Magdalene - prostitute, adulteress or saint?  How much do we really know about this woman?  How much do we think we know that is not really borne out by a study of the scriptural references to her?\u003cbr\u003eWhen I undertook the writing of this story I thought I knew a lot.  Reading through the gospel accounts I found that they don’t really describe her in great detail; the details of her life, where she came from, how she met Jesus, when and how He healed her, and just what He healed her of.  We know that she became a faithful follower of His at some point during His ministry, that she was there at His death and resurrection, that she was one of several women who contributed to the finances of the ministry.\u003cbr\u003eThe purpose of this novel, indeed of all my writings about Biblical characters, is to draw the reader into the Bible story, to show that these stories we learned in Vacation Bible School and at Sunday School are more than Bible stories, more than fairy tales.  These were real events that happened in real peoples’ lives and shaped them, the people around them, and the early church.  I want to encourage you, Dear Reader, to read the Bible as if it were a novel, the telling of great and wonderful things that happened so long ago (or not so long ago, depending on one’s perspective).  I would suggest that you put yourself into the scene, hear the dialogue, read between the lines what did not get put onto paper.  See the people, smell the smells, hear the voices.  Dig out the “back story”.  But, at the same time, don’t lose track of the fact that it is real.\u003cbr\u003eIn creating this work I have taken considerable creative license in describing the events and places, suggesting how the people might have lived, how they felt.  I have taken great liberty in telling who Mary Magdalene was; her character, her flaws, her strengths.  But I have done it with a great deal of prayer and made every effort to remain true to the Biblical and historical record.\u003cbr\u003eAnd so, Dear Reader, please read this as a novel, enjoy it as a wonderful story, but remember that these were indeed people just like you and me, who had hopes and dreams, who laughed and cried, who bled when they were pricked, and many of whom died for their faith.\u003cbr\u003eHumbly Yours,\u003cbr\u003eA.D. Ray","brand":"A.D. Ray","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47162311934192,"sku":"2940015674934","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940015674934_p0.jpg?v=1763623167","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015674934","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}