The Hidden Flame

Abigail had lost everything – home and family – and left with little promise of a normal life. When she discovers the Messiah and joins his followers, she also discovers new meaning and purpose. Maybe she does have a future after all. But increasing persecution is scattering the burgeoning group “to the ends of the earth.” And Abigail may have given her heart to the wrong man. Abigail, an orphan, has found the young brother she had thought was dead. Along the way she also has found a second family – those brave followers of the Jewish prophet Jesus. Under attack from several groups who hate them for their growing influence, these new Christians are spreading out from Jerusalem, taking their life-changing message with them. This further enrages the religious elite, and they engage whomever they can to stamp out this powerful new sect called “The Way.” Two suitors desire the lovely Abigail’s hand in marriage. One is a successful Hebrew merchant and widower, looking for a mother for his children. On the other side is the Roman soldier Linux, who is captivated by her winsome charm and could offer the sanctuary – maybe even the love – for which she yearns. But her heart has been captured by neither of these. Stephen, one of the leaders of “The Way,” has a character and a faith that move her deeply, but his outspoken preaching has marked him for assassination. Will her faith and courage withstand a heartbreak beyond comprehension? And then a glimmer of hope appears, one she never would have foreseen.