Pearl in the Sand

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In the Bible, the story of Joshua tells us of one amazing lady named Rahab who teaches us all what it truly means to experience the love and forgiveness of God for our past mistakes. In the book Pearl In The Sand by Tessa Afshar, we are taken back to that period in history through a fictional story based on Rahab's life along with some historical facts from the stories in the Bible of her life. It's a perfect blend of the life a 15 year old girl had to make during one of the worst droughts in Jericho's history. Since there was no water and Jericho was mainly a city of farmers, her family made one of the most difficult decisions to save their family, and that was selling Rahab at 15 into prostitution. While being a prostitute in the temple would have offered Rahab and more protective lifestyle, she chose to become her own boss and decide who she would and wouldn't sell herself to. Being a woman of astounding beauty, she had no loss of offers for men willing to pay any price for her. Even though she knew it was wrong and felt betrayed by her father and mother, she knew she was their only hope.

Rahab soon made more than enough money to help her family maintain until the drought was over, she soon moved into her own Inn where she controlled her environment. It is here that we find ourselves learning of Joshua and his armies taking control over the lands all around her city and destroying everything in each one. Hearing the stories of how their God had led their people of Israel out of Egypt and the plagues that followed until Moses could leave the land, she knew deep within her heart, that this was truly the God of the world. Despite all the other gods that Jericho worshipped none of them had been able to do any of the things Israel's God could do. Living in fear that they may soon come to conquer Jericho, Rahab finds herself discovering the truth God of Israel in her own private prayers.

This was such a great book to read even though its based on the Biblical stories of Rahab, just filling in the possibilities of what could have happened in between and the conversations that may have taken place really makes Rahab's life more believable. It's isn't surprising when you go back and read through the books of Joshua, Ruth and Matthew and discover the keys the link her story all together and show us that our past sins are truly forgiven in God's eyes once we place our faith in Him.

If you would like to know more about the book, the author and even a first chapter glance into this remarkable book, please read more below:

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Pearl In The Sand Moody Publishers (September 1, 2010)

by Tessa Afshar





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.





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