Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands believers to pray always. Paul gave believers this exhortation knowing the vital importance of prayer to our relationship with God. This evening, I experienced the wonder of that phenomenon once again. I was depressed about one of those unfortunate circumstances of the teenage existence, and wandered off down the street to think about it. I meandered a good quarter mile feeling sorry for myself. When I turned around, however, I just started talking to God. It was incredible the sense of comfort and contentment that resulted from simply confessing my frustration, doubts, weaknesses, and sorrows to the Father, the God of all comfort.

Why I Love C.S. Lewis

I spent most of this past fall applying to colleges, which required much form-filing and essay-writing. The topic I chose for my common application essay was how the Last Battle by C.S. Lewis had influenced me and shaped my values. I spent many hours revising this paper, and the essay that resulted turned out to be more of a tribute to how C.S. Lewis as a person and his works as a whole had affected my life and my ambitions. I thought it would be appropriate to include the finished work here, as I have a feeling it explains something of why I started this blog and why I love to write about books in the first place. Enjoy!

Books You MUST Read

I have recently stumbled upon the books of Elisabeth Elliot, Christian missionary and author. Having devoured Let Me Be a Woman and Passion and Purity (which is emphatically not just a book for girls, by the way), I have to say I could not be more impressed with Mrs. Elliot's profound wisdom and beautiful faith. Those books were an immense blessing to read, full of anecdotes from her own life and her journey with God.

At All Times...

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something." -The Princess Bride

I never considered the truth of that quote until this week. Sometimes it takes a crushing disappointment to make people realize the worthlessness of their treasures on earth. We live in a fallen world--a world perverted from its original design and hopelessly broken. Life really is pain--it's a parade of broken dreams, frustrated ambitions, and disappointed hopes. It's a race from one temporary high to another that leaves the runners in despair when they realize that not one of the highs has endured and not one could bring fulfillment to their lives.