The Hidden Prince: a young woman must lean on God during a period of political secrets and danger

The Hidden Prince by Tessa Afshar is a story of a young woman who finds herself leaning on God during a period of political secrets. In order to help her family, Keren is taken into Daniel’s household and soon becomes his most trusted scribe. She also finds herself taking lessons and swordsmanship training with Daniel’s sons and their best friend, Jared. After a tragic accident sends her far from home, Keren finds herself in a foreign country, tasked with teaching Artadates, a young shepherd boy, in secret on how to be a lord. When she overhears clues to the boy’s true identity, she realizes what could be at stake. Jared finds it difficult to forgive Keren for the accident; however, he finds himself traveling far and wide to bring her home. When he learns the boy’s identity, Jared knows that he and Keren must do what they can to protect him, trying to save the boy who could be the one foretold to deliver their people from captivity. 

Tessa Afshar has the amazing ability to bring to life the stories of the Bible that might seem dry and boring. I have loved her storytelling since I picked up Pearl in the Sand (2010) and I eagerly await her newest release. The Hidden Prince is a story set during the Babylon captivity as Daniel is an older man, well respected during Nebuchadnezzar's reign. Keren is a young woman who has talents and skills beyond her years. I found myself immersed in the story as I followed Keren from Babylon to the Medes Empire. I loved the recurring theme of enduring. Taking from 1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good; his faithful love endures forever,” Keren and Jared learn what it means to endure in God’s love. The political intrigue was suspenseful and interesting. I also enjoyed the love story between Keren and Jared. I also enjoyed the relationship between Keren and Artadates. I highly, highly recommend The Hidden Prince. 

The Hidden Prince is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Lydia: a story of divine intervention, open hearts and generous hospitality

Lydia was a Gentile woman from Thyatira in Asia Minor. When she is introduced in Acts 16:14, she is a successful businesswoman in Philippi. She was a dealer of purple cloth which was prized and expensive. Lydia was also the head of her household. She may have been widowed or single. So strong was her faith that her entire household followed her example and were baptized. She extended hospitality to Paul and his companions even after their imprisonment (Acts 16:16-40). Lydia has the distinction of being Paul’s first convert in Europe and the first member of the Philippian church. Lydia’s story is more than just another conversion story in Acts. Her story is an example of hospitality and God’s divine intervention as he sees our hearts and recognizes the hunger and need for closeness with Him. 

At a makeshift place of worship on the edge of the Gangites River, a group of women hears the gospel. Paul speaks of Jesus, his teachings, his crucifixion and resurrection from the grave. He is the Messiah, the merciful and holy one who has come to save all people. Among the women was Lydia, a successful and well-known businesswoman in a world when women were not given the same respect as men. She may have had the education and the skill as well as the strength and determination to work in a male-dominated society. As a Gentile, Lydia was open. willing to and wanting to know more about the God who was powerful enough to part the sea and yet tender enough to yearn for his people and send His Son. Tears running down her face, she feels the longing and the pull toward God as God opened her heart to the gospel (Acts 16:14). There on the river’s edge, Lydia and her household were baptized. She insisted Paul and Silas and other travel companions, possibly Luke and Timothy, accept her hospitality and stay at her home. Her home may have become the center for the church of Philippi. 

Lydia may have been an influential and respected person in Philippi and inviting Paul and his companions was not only courageous but radical and unconventional for the time period. Was she hospitable before her conversion? We don’t know. She may have felt the sudden inspiration to offer them a place to stay. Hospitality is very important to God as he reminds believers to offer hospitality without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9), even to strangers as we may entertain angels without realizing it (Hebrews 13:2). There are many reasons to extend hospitality. First, it is love in action. It takes a great love to open one’s home and resources to others. Second, it provides the opportunity to share and reflect the gospel. Inviting someone over and demonstrating God’s love with service of food or shelter can open the door to reveal the love of Jesus Christ. Lastly, it helps build community. Knowing who we can turn to in times of trouble and need is a great comfort we can provide our fellow believers as well as our greater community. Hospitality doesn’t have to happen in a perfectly clean house with a perfectly crafted feast. It could be a simple meal of canned soup on a cold day. It can open your home to someone who briefly needs shelter. It comes from a desire to help in any way we can provide with love. 

Philippi seemed to be an unlikely place to plant the gospel. It was a prosperous colony on a main highway with Rome and was home to a large number of retired Roman soldiers. Despite the size of the city, it didn’t have enough Jewish males to provide the requisite quorum to form a synagogue, so it wasn’t Paul’s travel plans. One night, he had a vision of a Macedonian man begging him to help (Acts 16:9) and felt compelled to visit Philippi. When he arrived, he found a group of women praying by the river’s edge. God saw the need in Philippi and sent Paul. He sees our need and sends help, we just may not recognize it at the time. The Bible is filled with examples of divine intervention as Exodus 14:14 says “The Lord will fight for you; you only need.” He interceded with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3: 25,27). God also with Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6: 21-22). He interceded as Paul and Silas sat in prison (Acts 16:22-28). Divine intervention is a simple prayer away. Psalm 72:12 says that God will deliver to the needy who cry out.

In conclusion, for some, Lydia was probably just another conversion story. However, she is an example of the spirit of hospitality and divine intervention. For me, as an introvert and a naturally shy person, offering hospitality is easier said than done. However, when the Spirit moves and provides the open door, I find myself like Lydia, offering hospitality when it is needed the most. Divine intervention is more than just the stories in the Bible, it is a daily occurrence. I may not always be aware of how God intervenes for me, but I know He does. As Psalm 121:3b says, “he who watches over you will not slumber.” Lydia was a woman who had her heart opened to the gospel and it changed her life. The same God who spoke to Lydia’s heart is speaking to yours. Are you listening?  

If you would like to read a book bring Lydia to life, I highly recommend Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar

The Woman with the Blood Issue: a desperate chance for healing and a lesson in faith

Desperate for healing, a woman ignores all societal rules for a chance, just a chance, to end her suffering. She suffered from a chronic illness causing her to be isolated from others. She tried everything the doctors of the day could do and nothing worked. When she heard Jesus was in the village, she knew she had to take the chance. A simple touch brought her peace and freedom from her illness. She is also the only woman to be referred to as “Daughter” by Jesus. But was it the touch that healed her or something else? What was her story? Why was she isolated from society? And what truly healed her? Her story is told in three of the Gospels: Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48. 

Staying on the edge of the crowd. Carefully trying to stay anonymous as she did not want to be recognized, she waited. Then she saw a moment, one opportunity, to reach through the crowd and touch Jesus’ cloak as he passed. As the tips of her fingers glanced at the cloak, she felt a warmth spread from her fingers. She knew she had been healed and she attempted to quietly leave as anonymously as she came. However, Jesus stopped and asked who touched him. An odd question to the disciples as the crowd was pressing against them. A lot of people probably touched him. But Jesus was speaking about a specific touch. She froze, afraid at first, and hesitantly told him her story. Twelve years, she bled and due to the bleeding, she was isolated from being able to interact in public, unable to live a normal life. Instead of the rebuking she thought she was getting, Jesus praised her, telling her to go in peace, freed from her suffering (Mark 5:34). 

Why would a bleeding issue cause her to be isolated from society? Menstrual bleeding was considered unclean. Leviticus 15:25-27 states that a woman is unclean during her monthly period. Anyone who touched her during this period of uncleanness would also be considered unclean. A cleansing ritual would have to be done when her monthly period was over (Leviticus 15:28-30). The woman with the bleeding issue had irregular bleeding in which she bled for 12 years. She couldn’t do a cleansing ritual. In addition, her condition most likely weighed heavily on her: physically and mentally. Modern medical knowledge can speculate that she might have suffered from uterine fibroids with endometrial polyps. She was most likely weak, thin and iron deficient. Adding to her physical ailment, I can imagine she was depressed from being physically isolated from others. Anyone or anything she touched would be considered unclean. People would have avoided her as if she had a horrible catchable disease. According to Mark 5:26, she endured more suffering under the care of the doctors. The “cures” made her condition worse, adding to her pain and doing nothing for her relief. 

While she felt healing when she touched Jesus’ cloak, it wasn’t what healed her. When Jesus speaks to her, after hearing her story, he tells her “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). Why did her faith heal her? She didn’t know if touching Jesus would work. She probably heard the stories of healing and didn’t know if it was something he had to say or do before he healed. She just wanted the chance. She took a leap of faith. Faith, genuine faith, requires action. Faith with no action is no faith at all. It is dead and useless (James 2:14-17). Genuine faith transforms our actions as well as our thoughts. If we reach out in faith, even despite our doubts, God is there to help. He is ready to help. We never need to allow our fears to keep us from approaching him. God promises to heal us (Jeremiah 30:17). While the healing could be physical, earthly healing, it could also mean spiritual healing. True health that comes in heaven with the ultimate healing of our bodies and our souls from sickness, disabilities and our inclination to sin. 

In conclusion, the story of the woman with the blood issue is a lesson in faith. Faith is a unique circular phenomenon. Faith increases when we use our faith. The more we reach out and act in faith, our faith will grow and produce faith. A woman who had suffered so much, had tried everything earthly possible, turned to God. Sometimes we allow our problems and fears to keep us from God but he is always ready to help. All we need to do is reach out. Jesus was not angry with this woman for reaching out. He knew she touched him and he knew why. He stopped to teach the crowd about faith. He knows what we need and he waits for us to reach for him. 

Land of Silence (2016) by Tessa Afshar

an excellent fictionalized story 

of this woman and her life before and after her interaction with Jesus

available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Ruth: a story of friendship, loyalty and love

Her name means friendship. She was a generous, loyal and loving woman. Ruth was a woman of unusual love and loyalty. She leaves her family and her country to follow her mother-in-law to a land where she would be looked down on as a foreigner. But it didn’t matter. Where Naomi would go, Ruth would go too. She was strong, able to take risks, dealing actively with the consequences that followed. As I discussed Naomi last month, she was a woman who only saw her own grief and bitterness. But through Ruth, Naomi would find joy again. In the Book of Ruth, we are giving two examples of the generous, loyal, and loving nature of God, first in Ruth. But the story of Ruth is also the story of Boaz who displays this generous, loyal and loving nature as well. There are two important aspects of their stories: gleaning and a kinsman-redeemer. 

While we meet Ruth in Naomi’s story, Ruth’s story truly begins in chapter 2 as it is harvest time in Israel and Ruth gleans from a local field to provide for herself and Naomi. The field she happens to glean from is Boaz, a distant relative of Naomi’s. He notices her and learns that she worked quickly and effectively. Everyone in Bethlehem had been talking about Naomi’s unexpected return and her Moabite daughter-in-law who came with her. They were also talking about Ruth’s extraordinary love and loyalty to Naomi. To repay her kindness, Boaz directed her to stay near his servants and follow them as they glean. He would also instruct his men to purposefully leave stalks in her path. He would watch out for her day after day. It is discovered that Boaz is their kinsman-redeemer, which allows Boaz to marry Ruth, which he does. They would eventually have a son, Obed. Obed would become the father of David, the future king of Israel and the ancestor of Jesus. Ruth is the only woman mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. The stories of Ruth and Naomi are woven together and through them we see that God’s presence in a relationship can overcome differences and flourish into greater blessings. 

Gleaning is an old practice in which grain is “gleaned” or gathered from the fields. Gleaners would collect the leftover crops from the fields after they’ve been harvested. Harvesters were not allowed to reap the very edges of the fields or go over the fields a second time. Any grain missed had to be left for the “poor and aliens” (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22). Deuteronomy 24:19-22 adds the practice to vineyards as well. Gleaning was a :welfare system” set up to care for the needy. But it wasn’t a handout. Gleaners still had to work for their food, competing with others to gather as much as possible, which is why it was noticed that Ruth worked effectively and efficiently. Ruth worked hard,from morning to evening, only taking short rests (Ruth 2:1-23). Gleaning still exists in many parts of the world. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Good Samaritan Act which encourages individuals and organizations to donate excess food instead of throwing it away (Food Forward, 2015). As a part of the bill, food donations are protected from liability as long as they were made in good faith. Gleaning organizations recover food from farms, restaurants, grocery stories, wholesale markets, farmer’s markets as well as personal gardens (Food Forward, 2015). 

A kinsman-redeemer is first mentioned in Ruth 2:20 as Naomi tells Ruth that Boaz is their kinsman-redeemer. What is a kinsman-redeemer? A kinsman-redeemer is a male relative who has the responsibility to help a relative in need or in danger (Bolinger, 2020). This person would avenge, deliver, rescue, and redeem his relatives and their property. Leviticus 25:25-26 states that if a man is so poor that he has to sell portions of his property, his kinsman-redeemer was to come and buy back what was sold. Genesis 38:8 states that a man was to marry his brother’s widow as a kinsman-redeemer so his brother’s name would not be blotted out from the family records (Bolinger, 2020). Boaz qualifies as a kinsman-redeemer as a relative of Naomi’s and therefore of Ruth’s late husband. There was a man closer who could be the redeemer and Boaz talks with him in order to claim the right of redeemer and marry Ruth (Ruth 3:12, 4:1-12). We have our own kinsman-redeemer in Jesus. He pays our debts and marries us into the family of God (Bolinger, 2020). He bore the cost of our debts. He paid the price so that we can gain an inheritance as children of God. Just as Boaz was motivated by love for Ruth, Jesus was motivated by love for us that he paid the ultimate price to redeem us. 

In conclusion, the story of Ruth is a story of loyalty, love and commitment to stand by loved ones in times of need as well as times of joy. Her relationship with Naomi shows that the greatest bond in a relationship is faith in God, a strong mutual commitment to each other and a relationship in which each person thinks of the other first. The practice of gleaning was designed to help those who did not have a male figure to provide for their basic needs. Gleaning is practiced today by gathering excess food. A kinsman-redeemer is an important figure. We have a kinsman-redeemer in Jesus Christ. The story of Ruth is a story of God’s providence and his divine guidance is always at work, even in the darkest of times. She gave up the familiar in Moab for the unfamiliar in Israel because of love. Love is at the center of this story. 

References

Bolinger, Hope (December 15, 2020). The Importance and Meaning of a Kinsman Redeemer. Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/importance-and-meaning-of-a-kinsman-redeemer.html. Retrieved May 11, 2021. 

Food Forward (September 23, 2015). What is Gleaning? Food Forward.org. https://foodforward.org/food-recovery/what-is-gleaning/. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 

Suggested Reading

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

A fictional telling of the Ruth story

Rahab: a woman of faith over fear and uncertainty

The story of Rahab is one of my favorites in the Bible. Rahab was a clever and wise woman who devised an escape plan for her and her family. As the stories of the Israelites traveled to Jericho and whispered among its citizens, she heard about the amazing things the Israelite God could do. She decided that she would put her faith in this God she didn’t know in an amazing act of faith. Her decision would mean her death if she was find out but she still took the risk. Although she was a prostitute and an idolater and would see her city and her people destroyed, her act of faith would be rewarded as God gave her a new life among his people and a place in the ancestry of his Son. What was her story? Why would she take such a risk? What does her story tell us about fear and God?

Jericho may be one of the world’s oldest cities as its ancient ruins can be found approximately 17 miles northeast of Jerusalem. The walled city was the gateway to Canaan, the final obstacle for the Israelites to overcome to claim their promised land. Rahab’s home was inside the thick surrounding walls. She would entertain the visitors to the city as well as many of the locals. This is how she heard the strong and marvelous stories of the God of the Israelites including the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15-28) and the victory against Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:21-36). When the spies that Joshua sent into Jericho made their way to Rahab’s house, she hid them on the roof under stalks of flax which were out drying. When the king asked Rahab about the two men, she claimed not to know who they were or where they were from. She tells the king they left at dusk and men were sent out in pursuit. When it was safe, Rahab tells the men a warning and asks them for their assurances that she and her family would be spared (Joshua 2:12-13). They agreed and tells her to hang a scarlet cord out her window and her family would be spared. Rahab watched from her window the gathering army, their strange walking around the city, the final thunderous cry, and the crumbling of city’s walls (Joshua 6:12-20).  Rahab and her family were spared and joined the Israelites into the promised land.

The significance of the red cord cannot be overlooked. Scarlet has become synonymous with salvation and redemption. In similar fashion of the lamb’s blood on the doorframes of the Israelites, the red cord spared Rahab and her family from the coming siege (One for Israel, 2018). While the Messiah was promised to the Israelites, the scarlet cord in Rahab’s story is a connection that the promised Messiah was coming for the Gentiles as well. The scarlet cord is a fore of how redemption will come to faithful Gentiles (Jews for Jesus, 2001). Rahab’s faith was rewarded with the honor of being the great grandmother of King David and an ancestor in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) and one of only two women mentioned in the Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. Rahab’s redemption is also an example of how God’s grace no boundaries. Anyone who comes to him with faith will be saved. It would seem strange that God would choose to save Rahab, a prostitute, however; God saw her heart, not her profession. God often chooses many people of various backgrounds, especially those who are on the lowest rung of the societal ladder. No one is beyond his influence or his grace. The scarlet cord saved Rahab and her family just as the blood of Jesus saves those who believe in him. Rahab’s story is just another example of God’s willingness to use the less than perfect, the outcasts, anyone who society may see as unsuitable to accomplish his holy purposes

Fear and feelings of failure will often keep us from moving forward in our faith. While she was afraid, as she heard the stories of God, she rose above her situation with faith and trust. Her faith gave her the courage to risk her life. She knew it was certain death if the king of Jericho found out she lied. It would also certain death if she turned the spies in. She would have been destroyed along with the city. In the face of certain death, Rahab placed her faith and trust in the Israelite God who had accomplished the unbelievable. She was resourceful and willing to help others at great cost to herself. Despite her profession, she is remembered for her faith. Rahab is an example of how not to let feat affect your faith in God’s ability to deliver. One of my favorite quotes from Tessa Afshar’s Pearl in the Sand is “It’s time to leave fear behind or you’ll be robbed of your destiny. You don’t need confidence in yourselves or in your own power. Be strong in the Lord. When disaster seems close, don’t be discouraged. God will never leave you.” Acting on faith is like the saying, which has many forms but generally says, that courage is being afraid and going forward anyway. That’s what Rahab did. She put her faith over her fear. If we can find the strength to put our faith over our fear, what wonders could God do in our lives?

In conclusion, Rahab was a woman of great faith in a God she didn’t know. She heard the stories and believed that the Israelite God was more powerful than the idol gods her city worshipped. Her story is another example of who God doesn’t wait for us to be spotless or matured faith. He takes the ordinary, the willing and accomplishes the extraordinary both in their lives and the lives around them. There is a saying that goes around that says roughly that God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Rahab didn’t set out to be important or honored or rewarded. She simply wanted to survive. God saw her heart and saw a woman of great faith. He honored her in many ways.  Her story matters as our stories matter today. Rahab’s simple decision to help the spies made a huge difference. What simple decision in our lives could make the difference?

                                                                  References

 

Jews for Jesus (October 1, 2001). The Scarlet Cord of Redemption. Jews for Jesus. www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/newsletter-oct-2001/the-scarlet-cord-of-redemption. Retrieved December 19, 2020.

 

One for Israel (June 10, 2018). The Secrets Of Rahab’s Rope. One for Israel. www.oneforisrael.org/israel/jericho-rahab-and-the-rope-of-hope/. Retrieved December 19, 2020.

 

For Further Reading

 

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar, a fictional account of Rahab’s life including the events of Jericho and her life after marrying Salmon and becoming an ancestor of Jesus.

 

Jesus (Yeshua) is a Worm…and a Snake too Among Other Things by Kendall T. Shoulders, an analysis of often overlooked metaphors and symbols which point to the coming Messiah in the Bible.

 

both books are available in paperback and eBook

 

 

In the Field of Grace: a great love story

In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar is the romantic retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz. Their story appears in the small but powerful Bible book of Ruth. Ruth is a Moabite who is the youngest and forgotten daughter when she befriends Naomi and catches the eye of her son, Mahlon. The two marry and set up house with Naomi, his older brother Chilion and his young bride, Orpah. The small family is very happy until suddenly Mahlon and Chilion become ill and die. Naomi is left with one option, to return to her home in Bethlehem. Ruth is determined to follow her beloved mother in law to the ends of the earth if she had to and refuses to return to her parents even after Naomi pleads with her. When the two arrive in Bethlehem, they have very little to their name. Naomi tells Ruth about gleaning in the fields. Gleaning is when the poor pick up the shafts of wheat and barley that the harvesters drop. In order to keep them from starvation, Ruth decides to join the gleaners in the fields. The one she chooses belongs to Boaz, a distant cousin of Naomi, a kind and gentle man who all he can to help the less fortunate. He is immediately drawn to Ruth and finds himself making sure Ruth and Naomi have all they need to survive. He tells himself that his interest in Ruth is nothing more than repaying her love and kindness to his cousin, but will he open himself up to the truth? Will he and Ruth surrender to God’s will and plan for their lives?

I have always loved the book of Ruth. I love the love story between Ruth and Boaz. A woman from a nation who was a hated enemy of Israel and a man with a strong stance in the community. God brings them together and from their son, Obed, comes King David and from David’s line is the Messiah, Jesus. Ms. Afshar once again brings a simple but magical story on its own and fills it with even more wonderful. In In the Field of Grace, the human sides of Ruth and Boaz become more real. Readers can see them as we are today, filled with doubts, pain, grief and uncertainty. Often you read a Bible story and it seems so obvious that the people in these stories would follow God and rewarded. But we do not realize that Ruth and Boaz had their own doubts, insecurities about their self-worth and God’s love for them. Ms. Afshar’s story opens the human side to these Biblical figures in a powerful way. I highly recommend In the Field of Grace.

In the Field of Grace

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Bread of Angels: the story of Lydia, the seller of purple

Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar is the story of Lydia, the seller of purple who is briefly mentioned in Acts 16:14. The story begins with Lydia as a young girl learning her father’s secret formula for the richest purple dye. After tragedy strikes, Lydia is forced to leave her ancestral home and head to Philippi. In Philippi, she establishes herself as a seller of purple and gained a reputation as an honest and generous businesswoman despite the attempts of sabotage by those who wish to see her fail. One such act of sabotage seems to be her ruin. Until one day, a chance meeting with Paul and his companions, she turns her life over to God. As she learns more about God and opening her heart to him, individuals from her past come to Philippi and threaten to destroy everything she has worked so hard to build. Her newly found faith will be tested and she must decide to stand up and fight for herself or turn and hide.

One of the things I love about Tessa Afshar’s writing is that she can take a simple and relatively minor person from the Bible and make her come alive. She did it here in Bread of Angels. Lydia is mentioned briefly during Paul’s mission trips in Acts, but her story is very significant. From the opening page to the closing chapter, I was captivated by Lydia’s story and how seemingly insignificant encounters brought her to a place of prestige and influence. I also love how Tessa Afshar works the meaning of the title very subtly in the story and seems to come from nowhere. While some details about these characters and the times in which they lived are fictionalized and altered for a modern reader, Ms. Afshar keeps the integrity of the main character, Lydia, and opened my eyes to her story in a new way. I highly recommend Bread of Angels.

Bread of Angels

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Harvest of Gold: Darius and Sarah's story continues

Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar is the sequel to Harvest of Rubies. Sarah is still adjusting to life married to a Persian aristocrat. She has wealth, property, honor and power and yet the one thing she desperately wants seems impossible to get: her husband’s love. What she doesn’t realize is that Darius is battling within himself. He finds himself drawn to her, at the edge of falling in love with her, yet he always seems to find an excuse to pull himself back, to close himself off. When a plot against the king is discover, Darius is sent on a mission to expose the plotters before it is too late. At the same time, Sarah’s cousin, Nehemiah, hears God’s call to return to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. Nehemiah’s journey to Jerusalem and Darius’ mission soon combine, and Darius finds himself being pulled by his mother’s God. Will Darius discover who is behind the plot against the king? Will he finally surrender to his love for Sarah? Will he stop running away from God and surrender to his call?

Harvest of Gold starts soon after Harvest of Rubies ends, and Darius and Sarah can’t seem to find a peaceful life before they are caught up in another plot to unravel. This book didn’t have the same intensity as the first book and it’s drama seemed to be drawn out. The story was separated into three parts. The third part is where the real emotions and drama happens although it seems rushed in order to finish the book. Overall, I enjoyed Darius and Sarah’s continued story and the challenges Nehemiah faced as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. If you enjoyed Harvest of Rubies, you will enjoy Harvest of Gold, although it doesn’t exact live up to its predecessor.

Harvest of Gold

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Harvest of Rubies: a love story set in the Ancient Persian court

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar is the story of Sarah, a young Jewish woman with the ability to learn multiple languages, is trained to be a scribe. Her talents lead her to the employment of Queen Damaspia, wife of Atraxerxes, the king of Persia. She quickly finds herself trying to untangle an accusation made by the queen mother, Amestris, against Queen Damaspia. When Sarah unravels the lies and helps avert disaster, she wins the heart and favor of the queen. Her reward is to be married to one of Atraxerxes’ valued subjects. Darius isn’t thrilled by the prospect of marriage just as Sarah tries to get out of it. But they realize that they have no choice. As their marriage finds a rocky start, Sarah tries to make the most of her new role and life and she again finds herself uncovering an evil scheme against Darius’ estate. The schemer soon reveals that he has dangerous intentions. Can she uncover enough evidence to convince Darius of the evil scheme? Will Darius learn to trust her enough to follow the evidence? Will she trust the Lord enough to guide her through?

I loved Harvest of Rubies. Right from the start, I was drawn to Sarah and her intelligence and her modest opinion of herself. She feels that her only redeeming quality, her only value is being a scribe. When that is taken away from her, she is at a lost as her value. Ms. Afshar paints a detailed description of Persian court life and the societal structure of the time. I enjoyed Darius, a man of pride who finds himself drawn to his new bride despite his desire to keep his distance. As Darius and Sarah investigate the scheme, they learn that their first impressions weren’t the truth. Their love story felt very realistic as explanations and apologies don’t automatically result in trust and love. Darius and Sarah’s interactions with each are electrifying and by the end I smiled and laughed at their antics with each other. Their story continues in Harvest of Gold, which I will be reviewing soon. I highly recommend Harvest of Rubies.

Harvest of Rubies

is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Land of Silence: a fictionalized story of one woman's journey to Jesus and ultimate healing

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar is the story of Elianna, a young girl torn apart by guilt. When her younger brother, the pride and joy of her family, dies while under her care, Elianna seeks forgiveness by working in her father’s textile trade and caring for her grieving parents and younger sister. She finds herself in the sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings amazing success; however, despite her success and work ethic, she doesn’t receive the forgiveness she seeks. As her world unravels, she breaks off her engagement with a man she loves, sacrificing her feelings so that he can find a wife worth of him. Illness strikes, leaving her at the misery of doctors with different cures but to no avail. Soon she is isolating from everyone and everything she loves as Jewish law dictates. Soon whispers of a man who heals sweeps through the land. Can this Jesus be the answer to her healing? Can she finally find the life she always dreamed of?

Land of Silence is a fictionalized story of the woman who suffered from a bleeding issue. Her encounter with Jesus is told in Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48. All we know of her is what happens during her encounter with Jesus but what lead her to this state of desperation? A bleeding issue would have put her on the fringes of Jewish society as bleeding made her unclean. What happened to her after she is healed by Jesus? Ms. Afshar writes an amazing story of guilt, struggles, redemption and freedom that forgiveness can bring. At times you will sympathize with Elianna and other times you want to shake her and tell her to stop being so stubborn. I liked that everything about her changed after her encounter with Jesus. Her demeanor, her attitude and her outlook on her life and her future changed. I highly recommend Land of Silence.

Land of Silence

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook