LeAnne Hardy, author and editor
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services

My ​Times and Places
​


​​

Blow, Wind of God

11/14/2022

2 Comments

 
Picture
I’m in Istanbul. My husband, Steve, has a conference in Izmir, near ancient Ephesus. As we flew in over this huge city, I kept thinking of a scene from Black Mountain, the third of my Glastonbury Grail books. My character, Old Teg o’ the Hills, arrived in Istanbul (formerly Byzantium, Constantinople) in 1541, at the height of Suleiman the Magnificent‘s rebuilding following the Muslim conquest of the capitol of the Eastern Roman Empire. The population then was about 700,000--more than Paris, Lyon and Venice combined! 
 
"London was but a poor village by comparison.
"Everywhere bridges and aqueducts were being constructed, even drains to carry away the waste! Great lords, their heads wrapped in silken turbans, were carried through the crowded streets in cushioned chairs born by slaves. Markets sold goods from every part of the world, including silks and spices from the East and beans from Arabia that the people were accustomed to roast and grind and steep in hot water. They made a strange dark beverage whose very aroma seemed to fill them with energy. Men gathered in 'coffee houses' set apart for the drinking of this beverage and much talk and business was conducted there."[1]
 
Teg was an old witch from the hills of Wales. At the end of Honddu Vale she came into possession of the ancient olivewood drinking bowl Colin had brought from Glastonbury--the Holy Grail. She is determined to master this thing of power and comes to Istanbul on her journey to the Holy Land to learn more of its origins. She takes refuge from a rain shower in the Haggia Sophia, a sixth-century church turned into a mosque by the Ottomans.
 
"My hand stole to the pouch at my waist. The olivewood cup seemed small and weak in the face of these who had conquered the greatest city in the world. Why, if the Christ was not able to protect even this ancient place of his worship from the coming of the Mussulmen, then was not their god—this Allah—the stronger? Why would I seek to know the power of a cup cast off by a god without the strength to protect his own city? I raised my chin at my own defiant thoughts.

"Winter rain pounded on the roof…Slowly I drew the cup from my pouch. The rich yellow wood caught the glimmer of a lamp through the thin fabric of the curtain. Or did it gleam of its own?

"At that moment the building trembled as in one of the earthquakes that are common in that region. A wind swept in from the street outside. I looked around, startled. The curtain that separated the men and women flapped wildly as if in a sudden storm. Sheets of rain poured through the door. Women cried out and reached for their children. Others pulled veils over their faces and cowered against one another. Infants wailed. Through the thin veil of the curtain, I saw men grasp at the small embroidered caps that covered their heads. Nevertheless some flew away across the hall like dead leaves caught in a gale and swirled up into the vaults. The lamps that were supposed to burn eternal went out, and the hall was plunged into a murky gloom, lit only by the huge windows of colored glass."[2]
 
The city I saw from my airplane window as I flew in has a population of 15.4 million—more than twenty times the population of Teg’s city. Since a 1928 constitutional amendment, Turkey has officially been a secular state, giving voice to freedom of religion, but promoting more freedom from religion in an effort to “modernize”. But the 21st century has seen a rise in Islam and autocratic government. As I watched the highrises and red rooves of the city below me, I found myself praying, “Blow, Wind of God, through this land. Call out a people for yourself. Give them boldness, courage and your protection. Send dreams and visions to point seekers to your salvation. Create in them a hunger to know you that will not rest until it is satisfied with the Bread of Life.”
 
The city is full of mosques. Several times per day we hear the call to prayer coming from multiple directions. It is a call to prayer for this country. Blow, Wind of God.



[1] Black Mountain, pp.264-5

[2] Black Mountain, p. 267
2 Comments
Wairimu link
11/14/2022 01:48:55 am

Amen! Turkey is top on the list of places I would like to visit.

Reply
LeAnne Hardy
11/14/2022 04:09:15 am

Well worth a trip. I have a travel blog at http://wide-eyedwandererww.blogspot.com . Go to November 2015 in the archive on the right for our previous visit, including a tour of the 7 churches of Revelation. I do hope you can make it sometime.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    LeAnne Hardy has lived in six countries on four continents. Her books come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will permeate lives.

    RSS Feed

    Add http://www.leannehardy.net/1/feed to your RSS feed.
    To receive an e-mail when I post a new blog, please subscribe.
    Subscribe to Blog

    Categories

    All
    Africa
    Author Interviews
    Current Events
    Devotional Thoughts
    Guest Blog
    Holidays Christmas
    Holidays Easter
    Holidays-Easter
    Holidays Other
    Holidays-Thanksgiving
    Missions And Missionaries
    Music
    My Books
    My Life And Family
    My Travels
    Non Fiction
    Orphans And Vulnerable Children
    Photos
    Publishers And Publishing
    Reading And Sharing Books
    Reviews
    Skating
    Theological Education
    Tributes
    Writing

    Archives

    June 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    March 2000

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • BIO
  • My Books
    • Children's and Young Adult
    • Historical Fiction
    • Non-fiction
  • Blog
  • Editorial Services