If you wish to switch some of your time from television or Facebook, you might try reading the story Phoebe by Paula Gooder. Phoebe is based on the New Testament woman of the same name, mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 16:1-2
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.
The book is a relaxing and easy read, mixing fiction with Gooder's New Testament knowledge and learning. The story involves many interesting characters, some of whom are based on people mentioned by Paul in his letters.
Cenchreae, where Phoebe lived and now known as Kechries, was a small port close to the inland city of Corinth in Greece and served Corinthian trade coming from the East. As a deacon, Phoebe would have had organisational duties for her congregation and, in also calling Phoebe a 'benefactor', Paul shows how highly she was regarded. In New Testament times most people who were classed as benefactors were male, offering support and financial help, so for Phoebe to be assigned these titles suggests she was a woman of substance. It appears also, from Paul's commendation, that he entrusted here as the carrier of his letter to the Romans.
At the end of Phoebe Gooder spends a considerable amount of (useful) time explaining, in layman's language, current knowledge about the world in which Paul and Phoebe lived.
This would make an excellent Christmas or birthday gift for a church-goer or, of course, you could always treat yourself.
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