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Lydia Friend

Goodreads Author

Born

Israel

Website

https://pilgrimdiaries.net/

Genre

Memoir, Spirituality, Poetry

Influences

https://www.facebook.com/pilgrimdiaries ...more

Member Since

April 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/friendlydia

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Lydia Friend is a poet, memoirist, and director of a Bible bookstore in Jerusalem. Born into a family devoted to Christian radio work at the Lebanese border, she grew up between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States — a third-culture childhood that shaped both her faith and her voice. She holds a BA in Theology and studied the Anthropology of Pilgrimage at the University of the Holy Land. Her debut memoir, The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey, was published in 2025 and traces her spiritual awakening from 1994 to 1998. For over thirty years she wrote secretly in the bridal mysticism tradition before she knew what that was. She is currently at work on her second book, which covers her family's years in the borderlands of North Lydia Friend is a poet, memoirist, and director of a Bible bookstore in Jerusalem. Born into a family devoted to Christian radio work at the Lebanese border, she grew up between Lebanon, Israel, and the United States — a third-culture childhood that shaped both her faith and her voice. She holds a BA in Theology and studied the Anthropology of Pilgrimage at the University of the Holy Land. Her debut memoir, The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey, was published in 2025 and traces her spiritual awakening from 1994 to 1998. For over thirty years she wrote secretly in the bridal mysticism tradition before she knew what that was. She is currently at work on her second book, which covers her family's years in the borderlands of North Israel and South Lebanon from 1998 to 2000. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.

When thirteen-year-old Lydia's father announces they're leaving their cozy Wisconsin parsonage for Israel in just forty days, her world turns upside down. What follows is an extraordinary pilgrimage that spans continents and decades of reflection, a journey of displacement, identity, and the discovery of divine calling in the most unexpected places.

Written in memoir format and based on personal experiences and diary excerpts, Lydia tells her story of how she went from a reluctant pilgrim running away from the Holy Land to Missouri's Ozarks, to a teenager who dedicated her life to serving the Lord in the Middle East and beyond.

Her story and poetry speak to anyone who has ever felt like a stranger: Third Culture Kids navigating between worlds, ministry families facing cross-cultural moves, men and women wrestling with belonging and purpose, seniors who want to reignite their passion for God, and teens grappling with confusion about identity and purpose.

Lydia takes you on a journey to Jerusalem, living in a Jewish neighborhood, attending an Arab school in East Jerusalem, then moving to the Israeli-Lebanese border. She joins a hockey team, then a speed skating team. Rockets fly overhead while her father works in South Lebanon with Christian radio. As the only believer in Jesus among her friends, she grapples with how to live set apart for God. But as tensions build, she runs away to the Ozarks to live with her Grandma and experience a normal American high school life. During that time, she comes face to face with her dreams and God's dreams. She has a destiny set before her, but will she choose the comfort of American life, or will she return to the Galilean Hills that changed her?

This is the raw testimony of a "Stranger Lovely" learning that belonging comes not from fitting in, but from knowing the One she belongs to. As one who has moved between many places, she discovers a single constant: the mystical presence of God. He opens to her the language of the Song of Songs and reveals that He wants her for a Bride, drawing her into deeper intimacy through poetry and divine love. This is the true story of a teenager who begins her journey and slowly finds the Lover of her soul. This is the early journey. Part two is coming, as the mountains of spices await Lydia's return.

Also available in hardcover (ISBN: 979-8993036120), paperback, and ebook (ISBN: 979-8993036151). Search "The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim Lydia Friend" to find all formats. ...more

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The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him
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Lydia Friend (Goodreads Author),

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Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds

by David C. Pollock

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Oct 28, 2020 11:30AM

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Raising Boys: Why Boys Are Different--and How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men

by Steve Biddulph

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Feb 18, 2019 07:20PM

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The Damascus Way (Acts of Faith #3)

by Davis Bunn (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 25, 2019 10:37PM

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Lydia Friend rated a book really liked it Relationships: Four Curvy Girl Stories by Quantiea Oppong	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Great read for curvy Girls I enjoyed this collection of short romance stories very much. Being a curvy girl myself I sometimes get down on myself and it is nice to see romance come to romantic girls like us. I enjoyed the adventures of these women and ...more
Jul 13, 2026 09:26AM · like · see review
Lydia Friend rated a book it was amazing Unshattered: from Wreckage to Radiance One Poem at a Time by Carmen Lea (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Broken but Unshattered This writer wrote of her inner struggles and shared how she rose above the brokenness to be Unshattered. The title struck me as it Shattered Glass was the title of one of my own poems. I was taken into this journey of many chall ...more
Jul 11, 2026 11:07AM · like · see review
Lydia Friend rated a book it was amazing Wherever You Wander: A Gentle Children's Bedtime Story About Presence, Protection, and Unconditional Love (The Golden Thread Bedtime Collection) by Peggy Kan Hai (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Beautiful BedTime Story This book was extraordinary. It reads like a beautiful love letter to one's child. I definitely would love to read this to my boys. What a beautiful book. I highly recommend it. ...more
Jul 11, 2026 10:52AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wherever You Wander by Peggy Kan Hai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wherever You Wander by Peggy Kan Hai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lydia Friend rated a book it was amazing The Shepherd: Experiencing Psalm 23 by James Collins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Shepherd is Illuminating I had the joy of reading The Shepherd: Experiencing Psalm 23 by James Colins and found it comforting, Illuminating, and thought provoking. In the sea of books why not comfort yourself in a book all about the most comforti ...more
Jul 02, 2026 04:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Shepherd by James Collins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Shepherd by James Collins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lydia Friend made a comment on Jeannie’s review of The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him " Thank you for this honest and generous review, Jeannie. I wanted to add one note: the antisemitism depicted in the book reflects real experiences I wi ...more "
Jun 29, 2026 03:24PM · see review
Lydia Friend liked Jess Crane's review of The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him: "This fascinating memoir follows Lydia's teenage years and spiritual journey as she moves from her tight-knit community in the US to Israel, her birthplace, before returning to the US. Lydia describes her feelings of displacement and isolation through" Read more of this review »
Jun 29, 2026 03:14PM · see review
Lydia Friend liked Barbara Hawley's review of The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him: "A memoir, a book of poetry, a devotional, a cultural and anthropological essay, a theological study… these are all apt descriptors of this book. Lydia Friend’s account of living in both border towns and the Ozark mountains is interspersed with journa" Read more of this review »
Jun 29, 2026 03:14PM · see review
Lydia Friend liked Diane Kurtz's review of The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him: "I did not expect to be this moved. Lydia's journey, from the streets of Jerusalem to an Arab school, to the Israeli-Lebanese border with rockets overhead, to the quiet of her grandmother's home in the Ozarks, reads like nothing I have ever come acros" Read more of this review »
Jun 29, 2026 03:14PM · see review
Lydia Friend made a comment on Jessica Daniels’s review of The Diaries of a Teenage Pilgrim: The Early Journey: A Coming-of-Age Story of How God Called Me to Run After Him " Thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. I hope it blessed you. "
Jun 29, 2026 03:13PM · see review
Lydia Friend rated a book it was amazing Walking in His Footsteps: A Pilgrim’s Journey Through the Holy Land by Andrew C.S. Koh (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Guide for Pilgrims to the Holy Land The pilgrim's guide, Walking in His Footsteps:A Pilgrim's Journey Through the Holy Land, was a pleasant surprise for me to find. I grew up in the Holy Land and have been to all of these sites. It follows the core pi ...more
Jun 23, 2026 06:50AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Walking in His Footsteps by Andrew C.S. Koh. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Walking in His Footsteps by Andrew C.S. Koh <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">