Aflame With The Spirit: Philip the Evangelist
by
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Chapter One
"Judas Iscariot, your partner is-- "A name was drawn from the basket. "--Philip Bar Joseph of
Oh no! Why was my name drawn to travel with him? His idea that Jesus will be a military leader doesn''t coincide with mine.
Philip looked around for Judas. All seventy disciples and camp followers were sitting on the ground or rock outcroppings. He was a distance away and looking at Philip. Judas nodded and Philip returned his acknowledgment.
Thirty-five pairs were being matched at this drawing. The twelve of Jesus'' inner circle were going out with twelve from the outer circle, plus forty-six others.
Matthew, a former tax collector--one of the original followers, was in charge of the drawing. When all names were drawn, he said, "The Master wants to know if any of you have a preference as to where you will be sent?"
Several of the apostles requested to return to villages where they had been on the first trip. The others were willing to accept whatever destination came out of the basket. Matthew started drawing names of places, and the pairs took them in the order their own names were drawn: Dan/Caesarea Philippi,
"Dor by the Sea," Matthew called out. Philip exchanged looks with Judas. He couldn''t tell by his reaction how Judas felt. It excited Philip.
They were encamped in Jesus'' favorite retreat in the mountains west of
Matthew kept on calling names of towns and villages until thirty-five had been drawn.
Jesus said, "You are to take nothing with you, no coins, no food, no extra clothing. You are to talk to no one you meet on the road."
Philip, who was seated near the front of the group, glanced around and could see how intensely everyone was listening. All eyes were on the Master.
"You may accept hospitality of h
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About the Book
Aflame With the Spirit: Philip the Evangelist is a familiar story told with insight into the personal lives of Philip and his companions who established the first century mission of the church. In this book, Vada McRae Gipson exemplifies the workings of the Holy Spirit on every page as she draws each character into the bigger picture of God’s plan for the Community of believers. A spiritual page turner!
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana, United Methodist California-Nevada Conference, Author of Seeing In The Dark
I like the story line very much. It shows imagination and is ''believable'' as to the events and places …. The descriptions of the countryside and villages and towns through which they travel are good, and conditions and issues encountered there are realistic.
Hazel Buckner, retired missionary, United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries
I am impressed with … your creative imagination to tell the story of Jesus and the beginning of the early church as seen through the experiences of Philip. In many places you did a fine job of keeping to the Biblical story, and in other instances you created a might-have-been account. … I can see that a lot of thought and effort has gone into your writing …
Georgie Summers, author and playwright of church curriculum, retired Director of Religious Education and Professor of English
…Gipson has the ability to bring the era of the New Testament Church into the contemporary world. Her easy writing style belies her careful research into the time of Jesus and his followers. Her true-to-life characters keep you turning pages to ask, “What comes next?”…
Kay Murdy, writer of commentaries on lectionary readings and author of books on scriptural themes (see http:/www.daily-word-of-life.com), founding member of the teaching team of the Catholic Bible Institute,
About the Author
Vada McRae Gipson, author of The Quests and numerous articles in national and local publications, began writing after retirement. She had met her husband, Lee Gipson, through their mutual hobby of amateur radio. He planned to write as an avocation in his retirement. To support his interest, she attended the organizational meetings with him of the Siskiyou Writers Club. The writing bug bit her. After taking a correspondence course from National Writers School, she began selling feature articles to magazines.
Vada remains active in her local church as organist and Lay Leader. She is a Certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church, Shasta District, California-Nevada Conference.
Aflame With the Spirit: Philip, the Evangelist is the second of a trilogy of biblical fiction books based on incidents and characters in the Holy Bible and first century historical writers. The Quests is the first one.
The Acts of the Apostles is one of Vada’s favorite books of the Bible. She has enlivened incidents taken from the Gospels and the book of Acts with creative writing that gives immediacy to a familiar story. Her prayer is for the stories of The Quests and Aflame With the Spirit to be a blessing to you, the reader.
Additional books may be ordered from http://www.vadasbooks.com, www.authorhouse.com, or by calling 1-888-280-7715.
The Quests is also available on audiocassette and CD. They and personalized, signed-by-the-author books may be ordered from www.vadasbooks.com.