Carlene Havel Books in Order

During the Great Depression, Herbert and Alice Shoemaker struggle to feed and shelter their children. A sharecropping job offers relief, while Alice holds onto the hope of making Christmas special despite the family’s poverty and difficult circumstances.

Divorced and burdened by debt, Casey Slaughter works two jobs while others urge her to remarry. Infertility and comparisons with her sister deepen her insecurity, leaving renewed faith and the possibility of love competing with bitterness and fear of rejection.

Rahab’s hard work begins lifting her family from poverty, but an approaching army threatens Jericho. Forced to choose where to place her trust, she must weigh the city’s imposing defenses against faith in the God of the Hebrews.

Henry Youngblood pursues his plan to establish a church in Buffalo Creek despite mounting obstacles. His pregnant wife worries about money, while their daughters dream of college and popularity, testing the family’s faith as their different hopes strain limited resources.

Shepherd Avram and his mute wife reluctantly raise an unwanted girl who becomes dear to them. When her stepfather takes her away to marry, family hopes and rumors of a miraculous healer challenge the old shepherd’s cynicism.

After her husband leaves for a younger woman, Emily rebuilds her life through faith and friendship. His request to return collides with new romantic possibilities, forcing her to understand herself before choosing what kind of future she wants.

King Saul marries his daughter Michal to David while demanding her loyalty remain with him. Loving her new husband, she must choose between the men, facing consequences that test whether her devotion can endure war, abandonment and betrayal.

Jeff Galloway resents his mother’s welcome for the father whose imprisonment left them alone for decades. A new romance and help from a retired detective encourage him to investigate old secrets and reconsider what forgiveness might require.

Persecution drives Channah and her family from Bethlehem toward Joppa, hoping to reach Ephesus. Difficult travel and sudden disaster leave them dependent on a woman named Dorcas as they seek somewhere to worship Jesus without fear.

Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah each recount the joys and sorrows of life as Jacob’s wives. Through their intertwined experiences, the novel imagines the women whose twelve sons became the founders of the tribes of Israel.

After hearing Paul preach, Phoebe and her wealthy father support the early Christian mission. Founding a church in Cenchrea and carrying an epistle to Rome, she confronts the demands of faith, privilege, family expectations and imperial opposition.