by Lynne Gentry
Until we meet in eternity, I leave you with the words Cyprianus Thascius penned for his friend:
This seems a cheerful world, Donatus, when I view it from this fair garden, under the shadow of these vines. But if I climbed some great mountain and looked out over the wide lands, you know very well what I would see—brigands on the high roads, pirates on the seas; in the amphitheaters men murdered to please applauding crowds; under all roofs misery and selfishness. It is really a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. Yet in the midst of it I have found a quiet and holy people. They have discovered a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasures of this sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are the Christians—and I am one of them.
—St. Cyprian, martyr for his Christian faith, beheaded September 14, AD 258
A Howard Reading Group Guide
VALLEY of DECISION
Lynne Gentry
Introduction
THIRTEEN YEARS AGO, LISBETH made an impossible decision: leave third-century Carthage and her husband, Cyprian, for good. She did it to protect her daughter, Maggie, and Lisbeth gathered the strength to move on with her life.
But Maggie is sick of being protected. In an act of teenage rebellion Maggie decides to do what her mother can’t—secretly return to the third century on a quest to bring back her father, leaving Lisbeth no choice but to follow.
Topics and Questions for Discussion
1. If the propensity toward rebellion dwells in each of us, why are we so surprised when our children rebel? What is our greatest fear when their rebellion rears its ugly head? How do you deal with the rebellion of a child? Share ways you’ve dealt with your fears for their future. How do you know when to let them go?
2. When Magdalena is taken to the prison beneath the Hippodrome, she tells her friends, “Do not be afraid.” Ironically, she is relieved when she discovers she and her friends are to be held in a dark tunnel. Tell about a time when you were rescued from a dark place, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
3. In Return to Exile, fear struck hard. Cyprian felt his duty as bishop required him to take the splintered Christian community by the scruff of the neck and somehow bring the members back in line. In Valley of Decision, he adopts a new strategy. What was it? Discuss examples of how Cyprian’s decision to forgive and love changed hearts (hint: Barek, Metras, Arria).
4. When Cyprian welcomed back church members who’d purchased certificates of libellus to save their own lives, Lisbeth was not happy. She didn’t trust them and she didn’t think they should be allowed to waltz back into the fold as if nothing had ever happened. Her disagreement with Cyprian’s decision is patterned from actual third-century accounts of the church’s fracturing during this severe persecution. Some church members who’d risked their lives to remain faithful refused to offer mercy to those who’d defected. What important issue does the unwillingness to forgive raise for the church? Is there a difference between love and discipline? Should people have to make amends for choices that hurt others?
5. Deadly virus outbreaks are frightening. Today, when an outbreak threatens to become an epidemic, the World Health Organization sends in a team of highly trained disease hunters known as epidemic intelligence service officers. These masked young physicians, nurses, and scientists run toward the disease while everyone else runs away. In the third century, the Christians had similar choices. They could have decided to flee, but the majority chose to stay. What do you think compelled them to make this decision? What would you have done?
6. Interestingly, these disease control specialists report the biggest hurdles they face in the field is not the virus, but poverty, misinformation, and fear. For example, the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa was fueled by decades of civil war that devastated health care systems, ruined public health infrastructure, and left the population vulnerable to infection. How can a few WHO disease detectives undo this kind of damage? Name a time in recent history when misinformation caused irrational fear.
7. When everything erupted in Carthage, the chaos reminded me of the turmoil I battle in my own life. People running me over, confusion on which way to turn. If it weren’t for hands extended in love, I could easily get lost in my circumstances. Has there been a time in your life when everything felt out of control? Who came along and helped you?
8. Decisions, even small ones, can alter our futures and change the course of our lives. In Valley of Decision, everyone has a decision to make. Lisbeth has to choose between going and staying. Maggie has to choose whether to forgive herself. Cyprian must choose to submit to or rebel against God’s will. Barek chooses between accepting his destiny as leader or denying his calling. What past decisions would you undo? Share how past decisions are woven into the tapestry of your life. What decisions lie before you?
9. Throughout the series, Lisbeth’s goal is to reunite her family. What does she discover about true family? Does your “family” reach beyond flesh and blood? If so, whom does it include? The people who love you and support you? Tell how someone unrelated physically came alongside you. Have you thanked them?
10. Maggie was determined to return to the past, no matter the risk. Name one twenty-first-century item you would be unable to live without. Do you have something in your past would you be willing to risk everything to change?
11. What do you think happens to Lisbeth and Maggie? Do you think they remain in Carthage forever or eventually return to the twenty-first century?
12. Do you see Maggie and Barek’s relationship working? What obstacles would they face?
13. If you could meet one of the characters from the series, whom would you like to meet?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. One of the things that drew Lisbeth to the third century was their need for good medical care. She had the skills. Her change came when she decided to use them. Every community has needs. Our neighborhoods. Our schools. Our churches. What would happen if each of us decided to use our skills to take on just one of those needs?
2. Today, people around the world are suffering for their faith. Some are being forced to leave their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Others are in prison. Maybe you can’t go to a foreign country and rescue them, but you can contact support organizations or missionaries, you can give, and you can pray. Choose to make a difference.
3. It’s fun to explore other cultures. Why not invite your book club friends to wrap up in a sheet and come over for a Roman holiday feast? There are several suggestions and recipes on the Internet. I even have a Pinterest Board called Toga Party Ideas. http://www.pinterest.com/lynnegentry7/toga-party-ideas/. For my Roman party, I lit some candles and tossed the couch cushions on the floor. My friends sat around my coffee table and ate cheese, olives, an avocado and cucumber salad, a spicy chicken soup they spooned up with toasted garlic tortillas, and Roman cheesecakes drenched in honey for dessert. We played some Roman trivia games and talked story. It was wonderful.
A Conversation with Lynne Gentry
How does it feel to complete The Carthage Chronicles Series?
I feel like I have been on an epic journey. A personal journey of exploration and growth. This story had its roots in my own regrets. My desire to go back and make some different decisions. The paragraph I wrote about Lisbeth realizing that if she could change anything in her past, it would be like pulling a thread in the tapestry of her life. With that thread missing (her daughter, for example) she would be a totally different person. In the end, she decides all of those threads have made her who she is. That’s how I felt when I wrote the epilogue of Valley of Decision. I’m comfortable with who I am . . . an imperfect person who loves God and I know God loves me . . . even when I fail.
Why did you decide to set the book in Carthage?
The Roman era has always interested me. When I stumbled across a third-century plague that nearly destroyed the empire, I had to know more. The Plague of Cyp
rian acquired its name from Cyprianus Thascius, a wealthy lawyer from Carthage. Although the sickness spread throughout the empire before it was brought under control, it actually originated in Africa. So I didn’t choose the setting; history did.
If you could go back in history, what time period would you visit?
I would love to return to the time of Christ and walk the same cobblestones and sandy beaches with him. I think my love of all things Roman came from sitting in Sunday school and listening to the stories about that intriguing part of the world.
Did you always know that Cyprian would have to die? Did you question saving him?
Yes and yes. I know readers love to see the hero and the heroine get together in the end. That I let Cyprian die will undoubtedly disappoint some of you. But this series is loosely based on historical truths, and one of those truths is that Cyprianus Thascius was a real man, a man who changed the world by his sacrificial actions. I so greatly admire the courage of this early Christian. To me, changing Cyprian’s decision to die for the cause of Christ would have done more than change historical truths. It would have taken away from this martyr’s actual sacrifice, and that just felt wrong. So I let history take its course.
Did you always know that Barek and Maggie would develop feelings for each other?
No. That was an accident. Maggie wasn’t supposed to have traveled to the third century until this last book, but when she accompanied her mother to the Cave of the Swimmers in Book Two, the little stinker refused to stay behind. She raised her chin and jumped through the portal before I could stop her. But the moment Barek dropped down into the well and Maggie asked her mother why this mean boy was wearing a dress, I knew they were perfect for each other.
Which character was your favorite to develop in the series?
That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. I don’t know that I can name one. Of course, Lisbeth is very dear to me. In a lot of ways, her spiritual growth represents my target goals. As she transitioned from a place of selfishness to selflessness, I thought, with God’s help that may be possible for me. I also enjoyed the mother/daughter relationships among Magdalena, Lisbeth, and Maggie. I will miss having all of these women in my life on a daily basis.
What projects are you working on next?
Stories are always clamoring for my attention. My next series is but a nugget based on a very unique thing that happened in a dusty Middle Eastern town at the end of World War II. But I promise you, the stakes will be high, the adventures outlandish, the romance heart-melting, and in the end, the world will be changed for the better.
In this continuation of The Carthage Chronicles, Lisbeth, a 21st-century doctor, travels back through time to the 3rd century once again to rescue her husband from martyrdom and eradicate a plague, but the arrival of a second epidemic forces her to make the impossible choice: save her husband or save her daughter?
Return to Exile
* * *
Before Lawrence Hastings became obsessed with the Cave of the Swimmers and the mysterious disappearances surrounding it, he was just a young archaeologist excavating the Tophet of Roman Carthage. After an embarrassing on-the-job injury, he meets Magdalena Kader, a beautiful local doctor caught between her loyalty to her father and his traditions and what her heart truly desires. Can they overcome their vastly different worlds to find something more?
A Perfect Fit: An eShort Prequel to Healer of Carthage
* * *
A mysterious disappearance, archaeology, time travel, medical suspense, political intrigue, plagues, gladiators, star-crossed romance—what more could you ask for?
Healer of Carthage
* * *
From Lynne Gentry comes this e-short prequel to The Carthage Chronicles and her upcoming novel, Return to Exile, shedding light on the love story of Ruth and Caecilianus and the beginnings of the church in Carthage and their relationship with the young Roman noble, Cyprian.
Shades of Surrender
* * *
ORDER YOUR COPIES TODAY!
© JACOB KNETTEL
LYNNE GENTRY has written for numerous publications. She is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright. Lynne is an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.
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More from Lynne Gentry
THE CARTHAGE CHRONICLES
A Perfect Fit: An eShort Prequel to Healer of Carthage
Healer of Carthage
Shades of Surrender: An eShort Prequel to Return to Exile
Return to Exile
Valley of Decision
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Lynne Gentry
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Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015002897
ISBN 978-1-4767-4641-8 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4767-4642-5 (ebook)
