Therefore, sailing from
Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to
Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part
of Macedonia, a colony. And we were
staying in that city for some days. And
on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was
customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women there. Now a certain
woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of
Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord
opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized,
she begged us, saying, 'If you have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us. Acts 16:11-15 (NKJV)
I love the account of Lydia found in Acts 16. I have read it many
times. So when I found out that Tessa
Afshar was writing a story about her, I was so excited!
Purple. The foundation of an influential trade in a
Roman world dominated by men. One woman
rises up to take the reins of success in an incredible journey of courage,
grit, and friendship. And along the way, she changes the world.
But
before she was Lydia, the seller of purple, she was simply a merchant's
daughter who loved three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making
dye. Then unbearable betrayal robs her
of nearly everything.
With only
her father's secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to
establish her own business on her own.
Determination and serendipitous acquaintances--along with her father's
precious dye--help her become one of the city's preeminent merchants. But fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia
meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming his first
European convert. Still, Lydia can't
outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide. Still, Lydia
can't outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide, she must
either stand firm and trust in her fledgling faith or succumb to the fear that
has ruled her life.
-Book Description, Tyndale House Publishers
She did such an excellent job of weaving all
the Biblical details together. Her
fictional portions were very plausible, including how Lydia came from Thyatira
to Philippi. Her characterization of
Paul was very believable as well.
I have
read the novel two times now, and I believe I enjoyed it more my second time
around. The first time I was so eager to
get through the story, that I don't
think I enjoyed all the details. This
time I picked up on so many things I missed the first time.
Tessa presents the Gospel in a very simple,
loving way, the way I think that God meant it to be presented to people. It was so inviting. You travel along with Lydia throughout her
story, and when her heart opens to the good news Paul shares, I could feel my
heart opening anew. You will be blessed,
encouraged, and refreshed as you read Bread
of Angels, the story of Lydia, seller of purple.
To learn more about the author, you can visit her at tessaafshar.com.
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