I Serve You Just as My Mother Did: The Woman Who Discipled a King

By La Verne Tolbert Ph.D.

People all over the world know about the man in the Bible named David, one of the greatest leaders of all time. People who rarely read the Bible know the David and Goliath account. And, who hasn't read some of his writings in the Psalms?

This poet, musician, warrior, king, has had an influence way beyond his generation. But who influenced him? Who taught him, shaped him and molded him into becoming such a man?

Dr. Tolbert says, it was his mother, but who was she? In this book, Dr. Tolbert does an incredible job of helping us learn who she really was. You will find this revelation astounding. Once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down. It's a winner!

~Rev. Dr. Stanley B. Long is Pastor Emeritus of South Bay Community Church of Freemont, CA, which he founded in 1985. He serves as Executive Director of the Urban Outreach Foundation equipping thousands of pastors, leaders, and churches with coaching, courses, and curriculum for personal and church growth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664198234

La Verne Tolbert Ph.D.

La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D., recognized as a leader in the field of Christian education, Dr. La Verne Tolbert is president of Teaching Like Jesus Ministries, Inc. a parachurch ministry that equips teachers and leaders in the local church. She has extensive experience in local churches as a Christian education pastor/director and has conducted workshops and seminars for churches, denominations, and education ministries throughout the United States. Dr. Tolbert earned her Master of Arts in Christian Education and Ph.D. in Christian Education from Talbot School of Theology/Biola University, where she also taught as an assistant professor. Students twice nominated her for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She was also an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific and La Verne Universities. Tolbert’s writing career began in New York’s magazine publishing world as an editor-reporter for Family Circle and beauty and health editor of Bride’s Magazine. Her latest book, I Serve You Just As My Mother Did: The Woman Who Discipled A King (Xlibris) was born out of listening to Scripture during daily devotions. The answers she found revolutionized her appreciation of the Psalms. She is author of several books and curricula including her classic text, Teaching Like Jesus: A Practical Guide to Christian Education in Your Church (Zondervan), which is in its 18th printing and currently being updated. How to STUDY and Understand the Bible in 5 Simple Steps Without Learning Hebrew or Greek (etaworld.org) is said to be one of her best books yet! Dr. Tolbert is host of the YouTube Program, “Sunday School Made Simple,” where she teaches the upcoming Sunday School lesson to approximately 20,000 adults weekly. As Vice President of Editorial for UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.), the Christian African American media company, which provides Christian education resources for the African American community world-wide, she is responsible for enhancing Bible study curriculum for more than 10,000 ecumenical congregations. In 2013, Biola University awarded Dr. Tolbert the Priscilla Ruby Award for excellence in teaching and mentoring during Biola’s celebration of National Women’s History Month. In 2019, she received the Distinguished Christian Educator Award from Presiding Bishop Emeritus Charles E. Blake, Sr., Pastor of the West Angeles Church Of God In Christ in Los Angeles for recognition as a professor, scholar, ministry mentor, teacher of teachers, and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Dr. Tolbert’s most cherished roles are wife, mother, and grandmother. Married to Elder Irving Tolbert, the couple has two daughters and six grandchildren.

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Copyright © 2021 by La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/12/2021

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Who is King David?

Chapter 2 Search for A King

Chapter 3 Mid-Life Crisis

Chapter 4 Nitzevet, King David’s Mother

Chapter 5 David’s Lament

Chapter 6 Tear-Stained Praise

Chapter 7 Healing the Father Wound

Chapter 8 Battlefield Amnesia

Chapter 9 Absalom, Oh Absalom!

Chapter 10 Jesus, Son of David

Postscript: The Why of Psalm 18

People all over the world know about the man in the Bible named David, one of the greatest leaders of all time. People who rarely read the Bible know the David and Goliath account. And, who hasn’t read some of his writings in the Psalms?

This poet, musician, warrior, king, has had an influence way beyond his generation. But who influenced him? Who taught him, shaped him and molded him into becoming such a man?

Dr. Tolbert says, it was his mother, but who was she? In this book, Dr. Tolbert does an incredible job of helping us learn who she really was. You will find this revelation astounding. Once you start reading this book you will not be able to put it down.

It’s a winner!

~Rev. Dr. Stanley B. Long is Pastor Emeritus of South Bay Community Church of Freemont, CA, which he founded in 1985. He serves as Executive Director of the Urban Outreach Foundation equipping thousands of pastors, leaders, and churches with coaching, courses, and curriculum for personal and church growth.

To my mother, Inez, who was so misunderstood

Introduction

As a visual learner, I enjoy seeing the words as I read my Bible. Lately, however, I’ve been captivated with hearing the Scriptures, which is an auditory learning channel. The expression-filled voice of Max McLean, founder and artistic director of the Fellowship for Performing Arts, is simply captivating. His recordings of Scripture lend a refreshingly new dimension to studying God’s Word.

I’m used to reading the New King James Version (NKJV), but as I listened again and again to the Psalms in the New International Version (NIV), I heard something different:

Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. (Psalm 86:16, NIV)

Just as my mother did? This was the voice of King David praying for God’s intervention. It was beautiful to hear the King reflect on his spiritual heritage and attribute to his mother his dedication to God. This was the first time that I heard King David mention his mother. Psalm 86:16 in the NKJV says, I am the son of your handmaid, which of course implies, servant-mother. But the clarity of the NIV underscores the benefit of reading—and listening—to the Bible in different versions.

I kept listening and 30 chapters later, King David once again reminded God about his mother:

Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains. (Psalm 116:16, NIV)

The king is grateful for God’s help and he walks in the freedom of serving God just as his mother did. How instructive that David’s mother deposited into her son the legacy of serving the Lord.

I meditated on verse 16. Like the cow with three stomachs to digest and regurgitate from one stomach, and digest and regurgitate into the second, and then digest into the third, Who is King David’s mother? kept leaping into my