Author Archives: dtopliff

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About dtopliff

Delores Topliff grew up in Washington state but married a Canadian so enjoys dual citizenship. She teaches university online, travels, and published children’s books and much non-fiction before finding her stride writing historic novels. Books Afloat, Christmas Tree Wars, Wilderness Wife, and Strong Currents have been published since January 2021 and February 2023. A Traveling Grandma's Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom released in June 2023. Delores loves her two doctor sons and five grandchildren and divides her year between a central Minnesota farm and the gentle climate and people in Northeastern Mississippi. She loves hearing from readers and answers messages.

The Priestly Benediction Prayer

Posted on June 6, 2024 by dtopliff

The Priestly Benediction Amulet is another key proof of Israel’s long ownership of the land. Five hundred years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls, it was found in 1979 in the Valley of Hinnom between Old City Jerusalem and the … Continue reading →

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Welcome to my land . . .

Posted on May 9, 2024 by dtopliff

As shared in my fun, helpful memoir/travelogue, A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom, there’s a wonderful, little-known network of Christian believers in Israel (if you can find them) that helps travelers know where to go, who … Continue reading →

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Powerful Keys

Posted on April 11, 2024 by dtopliff

I don’t know when or where I learned to value keys or who explained the concept to me (probably one of my grandparents). I was young and whatever they said made me want them. I soon had a collection from … Continue reading →

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White donkeys for royalty

Posted on March 14, 2024 by dtopliff

A white donkey on the Mount of Olives. A white royal donkey is often staked opposite the grove of ancient olive trees that is the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. They are called creams, have blue eyes, … Continue reading →

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And God sent a Great Fish

Posted on February 1, 2024 by dtopliff

Jonah 1:17 “1Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. I took this photo of the “Great Fish” statue in Joppa, Israel, just steps … Continue reading →

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“Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah…”

Posted on January 18, 2024 by dtopliff

Revelation 5:5 – “…And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” In Bible times, … Continue reading →

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The Steady, Plodding Donkey by Delores Topliff

Posted on December 14, 2023 by dtopliff

I’m writing about donkeys today, seen frequently all over Israel—entering Jerusalem’s Old City gates and/or traveling networks of roads and trails everywhere—quiet, unassuming, but getting work done. In scripture, a donkey saved the prophet Balaam from the angel messenger’s sword … Continue reading →

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Camels help us cross deserts.

Posted on November 9, 2023 by dtopliff

It’s not easy, riding the unlovable/lovable ungainly beasts. I’ve had college students write about camels traveling desserts (sic), which still makes me laugh. It takes concentration riding camels because we’re continually pitched from one direction to the other and in … Continue reading →

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Safe Rooms and Bomb Shelters – Where will you Abide?

Posted on October 12, 2023 by dtopliff

The photo above is the safe room and bomb shelter at Kalia Kibbutz with its date plantation and gardens bordering the Dead Sea next to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. One of the most meaningful lessons I’ve … Continue reading →

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Israel, A World of Firsts – Delores Topliff

Posted on September 14, 2023 by dtopliff

For me, my first trip to Israel was an amazing assortment of first-time discoveries. I kept finding myself in settings that were 3-D living reenactments of Bible scenes, from shepherds striding in front of their flocks of sheep, to camel … Continue reading →

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Multiplied Bread

Posted on August 17, 2023 by dtopliff

I was an volunteer Bible College teacher with little income. Cindy, my traveling companion, had an accounting job with reliable income. It complicated our travels that we reached Tiberias on Thursday evening before Friday Sabbath/Shabbat. To stretch funds but enjoy … Continue reading →

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Let Him be the gate of your life.

Posted on July 20, 2023 by dtopliff

Delores Topliff John 10:7-11 7 Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be … Continue reading →

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