WWJD: The Story of In His Steps

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My sister recently gifted me with a bunch of old books. I brought the box of books home where I put it aside until a couple of weeks ago. When I finally got around to going through them I found an old, yellowed copy of In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. The introduction in my copy dates it as 1956. I remember hearing about this book in the past, but I wasn’t as familiar with it as I would be if I had read it. I finally got it out and began reading. One of the things that stood out to me as I read the preface was that this is the source of the phrase, what would Jesus do?

I don’t know about you, but I thought this was a twentieth-century-coined phrase. Late twentieth century. I had not heard it until my children were in youth group at our church and they all began wearing the rubber bands with the anacronym printed upon it—WWJD. I called my sister and talked to her about this book. She reminded me that Mama had a copy of it when we were girls. That’s why the title seemed familiar to me. Still, it wasn’t a book that I had read. By now, I was intrigued. I had to learn more.

When DNA and Art Colliide--Chromosome Painting

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Last week I went over the basics of DNA testing. As I said, I am not an expert. I just happen to be the person most people in my family go to for information. The likely reason for that is that they are only marginally interested in our ancestors at best. To me, they are an integral part of the person I am today. Even though I have never met the majority of my ancestors, I feel a deep connection to each of them.

But it isn’t just about the DNA. The largest part of learning about one’s ancestors is discovering their personal stories. My great-grandmother’s story impacted me so personally that I wrote my first novel, a cozy mystery, centered partly around her missing grave. To this day, we still have no clue where she is buried in spite of searching for her for over twenty years.

DNA Testing--Yes or No?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A few of my cousins on both sides, my and my husband’s, have asked if I’ve taken a DNA test, and if so, which one I chose. The answer is, yes, I have. I did the Ancestry test a couple of years ago. I tested, my husband tested, and so did all four of our sons.

The Ancestry test is autosomal. At this point, that is the only test Ancestry offers. It is very popular, in part, in my opinion, because it is far less costly than many of the others, especially if one waits for a sale. The cheapest I’ve seen it is $59. It is normally $79. FTDNA can be as high as $500. That’s a lot of money. 23andMe is $99 on Amazon, $199 if you choose to do genealogy and health. They had another one, MyHeritage for $75. I’m not familiar with this one, but I’ll do some research before next week and I’ll make inquires of my cousins.

But cost shouldn’t be the only factor when one is choosing a DNA test. It actually depends on what you wish to learn about yourself and your ancestors. The three main types of testing available are autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-DNA. Let’s delve into what each is.