OPAL: Spirit of a Woman by Kevin Heaton

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About OPAL: Spirit of a Woman:

* New Release * In Honor of Women’s History Month

On the day she was born, fate had already determined her destiny. A destiny fraught with abandonment, want, faith, and reward.

You see, this was still “The Great Depression,” and the screen door her family was shivering and sweltering behind was that same old door attached to the same old “Sharecropper Shanty” they’d started out in. But for Opal, the decision to head to California during those difficult days or stay and ‘tough things out’ was what we call nowadays: ‘a no-brainer.’ Some refer to it as ‘frontier spirit,’ or ‘the will to go on.’ Whatever you choose to label it; in her case – those principles were simply the foundation on which she chose to live out her life. Then, after having whisked away all those “Dust Bowl” gales – she began to pay all that survivor’s grit forward. Time after time through the years; into decades – she answered the call to serve others. Never mind their beliefs or their station in life, so long as the end result was to benefit those who were suffering the most.

“OPAL: Spirit of a Woman” is the story of Mary Opal Fetters/George; a courageous woman who lost her mother to childbirth at the tender age of seven, was sold into bondage by a father who no longer wanted her, and forced into child labor in another state for many years. In spite of all the odds stacked against her – she championed a legacy of grace. This is her story.

Written by: Kevin Heaton

How to buy the book:
Buy the Book Here

Author Bio:
Kevin Heaton hikes, lives and writes in Yucca Valley, California. His work has appeared in over 400 print and online journals including: Guernica, Beloit Poetry Journal, Rattle, The Adroit Journal, and Raleigh Review, (search: Kevin Heaton Poems) and has been selected “Best of the Net.” He is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee. “Where’s Chuckawalla Bill’s Cabin?” was his first Nonfiction offering.

“OPAL: Spirit of a Woman,” his latest memoir, is the true story of Opal Fetters/George. An amazing tale of abuse, faith, and survival set in Kansas and Oklahoma during the “Great Depression,” and beyond.

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Learn more about the writer. Visit the Author’s Website

All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.

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FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

FEATURED: Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Lydia

Lydia only appears in the Book of Acts. Since the church in Philippi began with her conversion, one would expect to find her in the greetings section of Philippians, but she receives no mention in any of Paul’s letters. She does, however, hold the distinction of being the first known European convert to Christianity. Acts shows her as a businesswoman who was likely financially independent. Clothes colored with the royal purple dye of Thyatira were considered luxury items and her trade had likely brought her to Philippi to sell to the wealthy clientele there. Her home was obviously large enough to accommodate servants, guests, and ultimately a Christian assembly. Since there is no mention of a husband, Lydia was most likely single at the time she met Paul:

“On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:13-15)

Lydia, or at least her home, will make one additional appearance in Acts later in the same chapter. Her residence appears to have become the meeting place for a burgeoning Christian congregation in Philippi:

“After leaving the prison (Paul and Silas) went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.” (Acts 16:40)

A Theory
The appearance of devout women meeting beside a stream at a place of prayer on the Sabbath speaks to them being Jewish. This seems confirmed by the description of Lydia as “a worshipper of God.” That it was only women meeting outside on the sabbath could be evidence that there were not enough Jewish men in Philippi to make up the quorum required to establish a proper synagogue, which necessitated ten Jewish males over the age of thirteen. By the author of Acts relating this information, he may be showing an interesting contrast: Lydia, while a Jewish woman, was forbidden from founding a synagogue, but as a Christian she could found a church within her own home.

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