Teresa Pollard – Hero Interview – Part 2 of 3

Shannon here: Teresa Pollard shares an interview with the hero from her latest Biblical Fiction, Woman of Light. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for a copy. Deadline: Oct 24th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Teresa:

Interview with Barak:

• What’s the most romantic thing your spouse has ever done for you?

That’s an easy question. She bought me an olive grove near Jerusalem. It’s not romantic because she gave me such an expensive gift. It’s why she did it that’s romantic. When we married, I was a poor man. My father was a drunkard who had squandered all of our inheritance in the new land. I didn’t have any brothers to help me build it back up. The men of Ephraim hated the idea of me being their judge almost as much as they hated the idea of Deborah judging them. They weren’t about to let her speak through me. So their leader, Sair, made a bet with Deborah that if I were the wealthiest man is Ramah within a year, they would allow us to sit in the gate and judge. He should have known better than to make such a bet with my wife. Not when she has Adonai on her side. Her inheritance from Ehud plus the money we made selling her wicks to the tabernacle were just enough to purchase the grove. She won her bet. Because of her adept handling of our business, within a year I was not only the richest man in Ramah, but one of the richest in all of Israel.

• What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for your spouse?

That’s a bit more difficult. I’d say I’m not much of a romantic, just a gruff old soldier. But my wife would dispute that. She thinks I’m soft inside, and truth be told, I guess she’s right. I guess having four daughters did that. Nothing like sweet little girl kisses to melt a heart of stone. I guess you could say that the most romantic thing I did was write and sing songs for her. We’d been married for ten years before I ever sang a note. Then I stood in Ehud’s house and the wooden door wasn’t even damp while every other house in Ramah was nothing but a pile of mud and straw. A melody of praise to Adonai welled up inside of me like I’d never felt before. I can only explain it by saying I couldn’t not sing. I’d never even known before that I could sing. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it seems like once I’d started singing, I couldn’t stop. Words flowed out of me like water down a stream. Deborah and I even sang to a stubborn old camel once. But naturally my wife became the recipient of many of my songs.

• Do you and your spouse have a favorite romantic restaurant?

There are a couple of nice places to eat in Shiloh where the tabernacle is, and we’ve been there occasionally, but honestly, my wife is one of the best cooks in Ephraim. I’d rather eat her cooking than anywhere else in Israel. My mother is a horrible cook. And when we first got married, Deborah wasn’t a whole lot better. Ehud had always had plenty of servants to do the cooking. He wanted Deborah to concentrate more on learning the law and languages. My wife knows more about more things than anyone I know. She even speaks Phoenician. But when we married, she used that same tenacity to learn everything she could about housewifery. I’m telling you, I’m a blessed man in every way.

• What simple gesture does your spouse do that melts you every time?

When I picture Deborah in my mind, I always see her bent over beside that huge vat soaking the flax for her wicks just like she was that day of Ehud’s funeral lament. She lifts her arm to push the hair that strays onto her face back, and generally smudges her forehead in the process. Then she spies me behind her. She has the hearing of a mama lioness, and she senses my presence before I’m even through the door, and she jumps up and throws herself into my arms just like the kids do. No matter how old we get, that never gets old.

• How soon after meeting your spouse did you know she was the one?

Of course Deborah was an old maid by our standards when I met her. She was sixteen. I’d come to see her grandfather for his judgement on a business matter. My first wife had died in childbirth just the year before. I wasn’t looking for a wife at the time. Like I said, I was a poor man, and at the time, I couldn’t afford much of a mohar. But Deborah was so different from any other woman I’d ever met. I was fascinated by her. When her grandfather learned I was of the tribe of Naphtali, he graciously offered to work out a deal for me to work out the mohar much like Father Jacob had, only he was much fairer than Laban. Actually he gave me far more than I ever gave him.

• How soon after meeting you did your spouse know you were the one?

You have to remember that my wife is a prophetess. Adonai speaks to her like He speaks to no one else I know. I have no doubt whatsoever that before I entered her town for the first time, He told her I was coming. That’s why I need her by my side in battle. Fortunately, Adonai for me, He also made her gentle and loving and a perfect companion in every way. She tells me that she feels the same about me, but I tend to wonder about that. What did I have to offer her? Nothing. Why does she love me? I don’t know. Like I said, I’m just a gruff old soldier. But I sing praise to Adonai that she does.
About Teresa: Teresa Pollard is from Richmond, Virginia, and was saved at a young age. She has a Master of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from Hollins College, and has served as a Sunday School teacher and children’s worker for most of the last forty years. She is the co-author of Not Guilty and Not Ashamed (due July 7), and the author of Tokens of Promise and Woman of Light, (also due out from HopeSprings Books in October). Married for forty years, she was devastated by divorce and the death of her youngest daughter, but God has blessed her with a new home and another grandson, and she now resides in Dacula, Georgia. She blogs every Tuesday at http://teresatalkstaboo.wordpress.com. Follow her on Facebook at Teresa Pollard, Author.
About the book – Woman of Light: Ehud, Israel’s great judge, is dead. He must have been out of his mind with sickness to prophesy that his granddaughter Deborah would judge Israel. Just who does she think she is? Doesn’t she know Sisera’s iron chariots threaten to annihilate the fledgling nation? And Barak? A poor man who can barely feed his own family. What kind of a God would choose two such improbable people to lead His people to battle?

Purchase Link: Woman of Light

Question for Readers: Who is your favorite person from the Bible, other than Jesus and God?

Come back Oct 14th for Teresa’s excerpt!