Dave Jackson (1) (1944–)

Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Tilley and her family have been waiting for this day for months - the day the 'Mayflower' sets sail from England. The late start means uncertain weather and a long, hard journey for everyone. But the trip seems especially rough for Dorothy Bradford, the frail young wife of William Bradford. One night, Elizabeth discovers Dorothy alone on deck. Thinking the woman wants to be alone, Elizabeth returns to bed. But the next morning, she awakes to the news that Dorothy show more has disappeared! Afraid that William Bradford will blame her for his wife's death, Elizabeth tells no one what she saw that night.

When they finally arrive in the New World, many passengers become very ill. Several of them die before the new colony is established, including Elizabeth's parents. Left an orphan, Elizabeth must deal with her terrible secret alone. How can she ever face Governor Bradford again? If she dares to tell the truth, will it ruin her chance for happiness in the new colony? show less

With the help of Uganda's famous evangelist Festo Kivengere, Yacobo Kabaza and his family move to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, where Yacobo's father will be the new driver for Archbishop Luwum. As part of the cathedral's upcoming Centennial celebration, the archbishop asks Yacobo, an aspiring author, to write a play about the legendary three boys who became Uganda's first Christian martyrs. The young teenager is thrilled.

However, the growing reign of terror of General Idi Amin and his show more "Special Forces," who falsely suspect the church of helping the rebels, overshadows Yacobo's excitement. When the archbishop doesn't return from a meeting with Amin, officials claim he died in a "car accident." Kivengere is forced to flee the country. But the church bravely goes on with preparations for the Centennial, and Yacobo's play begins rehearsals, with his brother, Blasio, playing the youngest martyr. As the Special Forces circle closer, and the legend of the martyrs becomes alarmingly real, will Yacobo have the strength to survive? show less

From the moment he and his mother arrived from England, everything about India shouted adventure to fourteen-year-old John Knight. Crowds of people swarmed in the streets, temple elephants paraded about, monkeys scolded at passers-by - this was easily the most exciting place John had ever been. If only his father, a British government official sent to south India in 1909, will allow him to explore it.

But John and his mother are not prepared for what they discover when they befriend an Irish show more missionary named Amy Carmichael. With a heart for justice, John is shocked to learn that a young Indian girl rescued by Carmichael is a "child bride" being legally forced by her wicked uncle to marry an elderly man! Is it possible that John's father might be called upon to uphold this horrible law?

What will happen if John does not act? Who will save Jewel? show less

Published in March 2007

Hero Tales
This year, Nate and I are reading through Hero's Tales as our morning devotional. Drawing from the lives of faithful men and women throughout church history, authors Dave and Neta Jackson teach character lessons to young (and older) children. All hero sections include a two-page biography and three character lessons in the form of stories from the person's life. Each lesson closes with a Bible verse and three discussion questions. All the books contain 15 show more biographies, and all of the character qualities discussed in each book are listed in the back.

We read the John Newton section right before we saw the movie Amazing Grace on February 24. God has amazing timing. The first character lesson was on Destiny and described how several times in his youth, Newton was saved from death. Yet, it wasn't until God rescued him and his ship from a terrible storm did Newton acknowledge God and His purpose for his life. The other two lessons were on Perseverance and Restitution. show less