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Joshua Goes To Bethlehem

by Cathal O'Toole

192 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #06-2448; ISBN 1-4251-0690-0; US$15.94, C$18.33, EUR13.09, £9.17

A fourteen year old orphaned boy goes to Bethlahem. Becoming the inn's servant, he lives in the stable. When Mary and Joseph are refused a room, he gives them his home.

About the Book

Joshua spends his childhood in a little hamlet, not far from Bethlehem. He loves helping his father, a blacksmith, in the forge. One day Joshua has a spiritual experience and his father gives him a black pebble to remember this. Twice a year they make an exciting two-day journey to Bethlahem, to get supplies. On his fourteenth birthday, Joshua receives his very own goatskin blanket, which becomes a treasured possession. A short while later his father is fatally injured in a terrible accident. Joshua seeks comfort and counsel from Magda, the hamlet's wise old woman. She tells him that God has a special plan for him and him alone. She also foretells of some hardships in the days that lie ahead. Within a month, he is orphaned and he struggles to keep the family's blacksmithing business open, with the help of Seth, a lazy and dishonest employee. Seth however, sabotages all his efforts and Joshua turns to God for help. God tells him to "COME TO BETHLEHEM".

He sets off with some food, a little money, his goatskin blanket and his shiny black pebble. Arriving in Bethlehem, he finds work in the town's inn. He has to clean out the stable, and to fetch water. In exchange for his services, he is allowed to live in the stable. He takes pride in his new home where he settles with Sasha, his dog, and Samson, the ox. When weary travelers Mary and Joseph arrive at the inn, it is then that God's plan for Joshua takes him in a new direction.

Follow Joshua's adventures and discover a wonder that touches, not just him, but the whole world.

About the Author

Cathal O'Toole spent many years working with child welfare agencys and more recently with the Ministry of Corrections. He is retired and lives with his wife and two daughters in Bloomingdale Ontario.

Excerpts