CFBA: Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar

Song Stuck on the Brain: Lover, Lover by Jerrod Neimann

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Pearl In The SandMoody Publishers (September 1, 2010)


by

Tessa Afshar




MY TAKE:

I would never have understood how much there was to Rahab's story before reading Pearl in the Sand. I'd read the Bible stories, but somehow the significance of Rahab never went beyond the woman who saved the spies. Wow, is there so much more to the story. To see just how closely Tessa stayed to the Biblical accounts, I went back and re-read the accounts in Joshua, Ruth and Matthew. She did an amazing job. Yes, Rahab's story is short, but by bringing in all of the Hebrew traditions and the meaning behind those traditions and laws, the real story became so much clearer. Rahab, like Ruth and Esther, had an important role that can so easily be lost in the massive amounts of historical and spiritual teachings that are contained in the Bible.

What I enjoyed the most about this book though, was how Rahab and Salmone came to life for me. The historical accuracy was important, but seeing into their hearts and understanding the struggle they each faced over her past as a whore was both heart rending and powerful. More than that, seeing Rahab finally realize her worth in God's eyes brought me to tears. It's a question we all face, no matter our past.

Pearl in the Sand is gripping emotionally, allowing you to see the clash between sin and salvation, and love and war. It carries you through the first blush of love and attraction through the rocky road that follows and into the happiness that comes when a couple can finally let go of themselves and give their whole heart to God and each other. An amazing read.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes. At the age of fifteen Rahab is forced into prostitution by her beloved father. In her years as a courtesan, she learns to mistrust men and hate herself. Into the emotional turmoil of her world walks Salmone, a respected leader of Judah. Through the tribulations of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true

source of one another’s worth in God and find healing from fear and rejection.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pearl In The Sand, go HERE



Watch the book video:





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tessa Afshar was born in a nominally Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her mid-twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the

Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves as the leader of Women’s and Prayer ministries at a church in Connecticut.