Urgent Request for Prayer October 29, 2007

I know I already hit y’all with a prayer request earlier, but this is really urgent.

I just found out about ten minutes ago that my pastor, Van Marsceau, and his wife and ten-year-old son were in a car accident last night on their way home. Another car lost control around a turn and slammed into them. My pastor is very sore in his shoulders and arms and has his wrist wrapped, and his son has seatbelt burns.

His wife, Janet, however, is in critical condition! She has a cracked rib and a cracked elbow (they will operate on the elbow on Wednesday). She is bleeding internally and they don’t know where it’s coming from or how to stop it. It might be either the kidney or the spleen. This lady is such a foundation of our church. The definition of a lady, she is a constant presence. I know she is a support for her husband that he would have a hard time dealing without.

On top of all that, we were due to move into our new church building this Sunday. We have been working on this building for almost ten years, saving to build it debt-free and involving the congregation in the building work. We know our ministry will explode when we have our own facility to employ. Apparently Satan knows it, too, and he is doing his best to knock us down. PLEASE pray for us! Pray for God’s will in Janet’s body, and that Satan would not be given satisfaction.

Please pray also for the family of the driver of the other car, a 20-year-old man who was killed. Pray for the passenger of the other car as well. We don’t know gender, age, or anything, but they were seriously injured and are in the hospital now. Pray God would use this to bring them to Him if they are not already His children.

Thank you for your prayers and I will update when I can!

–Katrina

I See that I’m Blind October 28, 2007

OK, so I can clearly see that I’m blind. That was a fun oxymoron, but really the truth. More are more lately, as huge decisions rest on my ability to accurately determine God’s will for my life, I am faced with the dilemma that I am so humanly blinded to His plan for me.

Just one of many major decisions before me: should I go to Malawi this summer or not? The idea developed literally overnight and took off from there, so it grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. First it was going to be summer 2009, with two other girls. Then we switched to this summer and one of the girls found she could not go. That left me, Krista, and summer 2008 ll by ourselves in God’s hands. I feel like my heart got shipped over there ahead of me! I want to be there. Just envisioning the impact this trip could have on both the people of Malawi and my own heart makes me want to jump on a plane right now and worry about finances and all the details later.

Yet I can’t. How can I possibly jump ahead in this when I don’t know yet if I have God’s approval? I was going to be a counselor at New Life Bible Camp this year, and now that could change. Where does God want me? Malawi, Pennsylvania, or somewhere else altogether? The last thing I want to do is rush forward, dive off the edge of the platform, and plunge into the waters of activity before I even know if God is asking me to take that leap! If I force God’s hand and demand my way, acting as if it’s in His plan, what will the consequences be? I could get sick and not be able to go to college in the fall. Hey, for all I know I could die! It is honestly a dangerous trip. Without God’s approval and hand of protection, more than the failure of a trip is at stake and I fear the consequences.

Yet someone I asked to pray for me responded with this: “I remember something Ron Luce wrote, something like, ‘If you want to go on a missions trip, by all means go, because God already called you to do that during the Great Commission. But if, once you’ve already said that you will go and God says, no, not this time, that’s when you quit the trip.’” That hit me really hard and pointed me towards what I believe is the right way to go with this. I should assume God accepts and approves this, that it is His will, because He did command us to go unto the ends of the earth and teach His Word. That’s what we are doing. What I need to watch for is not a sign telling us we should go; rather, I should look for a sign telling us we should not.

I tend to be brick-headed, and God often takes me and slams me with something even harder than my head in order to make me pay attention. If He needs to tell me “no” about this, He’s probably going to have to do it like that. It’s gonna hurt, whether me or someone else (my dad nearly died once because of my stubbornness against God–ask me sometime). Please pray for me. Pray for my eyes to be opened and my heart to be soft, so that God would be able to tell me His will in the least dramatic way possible. Help me to see His signs and know His will. Please pray for me! Pray for me, pray for Malawi, and pray for, above all, God’s will to be done in me.

Thank you for your prayers! (And if you actually read all the way through that outpouring of helter-skelter emotion, congratulations on your fortitude!)

Appreciation of Gentlemen October 6, 2007

Today my town had a festival in which I am working a booth, which required me to bring quite a few things to the booth. Since the streets were closed for the event, my mom could only drop me at the top of the street, have my brothers unload for me, and continue to my brother’s baseball game. That left me to carry two crock pots, two large storage bins of cookies, two banners, two cake holders, a grocery basket full paint cans, and a four foot long cooler two hundred yards to the booth. By myself. Ouch!

I resignedly made six trips back and forth to carry all these things to the booth. I made it just fine and even managed the heavy stuff. It was a lot of work, but nothing truly remarkable, except for one thing: in order to get to my booth, I passed three different large church stands where people were setting up for their fundraiser. There were easily ten men at each booth, ranging from the elderly to teenagers. About thirty men, and not one single man offered to help me. Not one! Several older teen boys (young men) sat doing nothing and watched me make my multiple trips from my large pile of stuff to the tent. I was not the only woman in such a predicament, I saw throughout the day, and all I could think as I carried things was, “You are the next generation of Christian men, and you are out here representing Christ to people who have never seen Him. Why aren’t you being gentlemen?” I was honestly not upset or offended, simply saddened.

Now, I write this not to beat up men and lecture you about being gentlemen, chivalrous, and all that. Instead, I a writing to thank you, deeply and with all my heart. While so many men and young men, claiming to be Christians, do nothing to honor ladies and show chivalry, I know that the people who read this blog, and many other men I know, are the best of gentlemen. Because of that, I thank you. Your caliber and quality seem to wither daily in our culture, for many obvious reasons. Therefore, as I witness the heart-breaking lack of honor and gentlemanly behavior from men, I do not condemn or criticize you. Instead, I applaud and encourage you. Thank you so much for being who you are, gentlemen that make the world just a little brighter for ladies. You continually strive to show us Christ’s love and protection through your action. I cannot appreciate or exhort you more truly and deeply.

THANK YOU!

My Jesus September 26, 2007

OK, so I just had to post the lyrics to the song I mentioned in the last post, “My Jesus” by Todd Agnew.

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we’d recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He’d prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I’m tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I’m not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus.

One Day! September 26, 2007

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my Example is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

One day they left Him alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!

My dad has a CD by Todd Agnew called “Better Questions”, on which this hymn, redone to a different tune, is a bonus track. My mom and I are currently adapting it with the goal of singing it in church. If you have never heard Todd Agnew’s songs, PLEASE listen to them! He has a way of singing Scripture that just moves you. His album “Reflection of Something Beautiful” has a song “My Jesus” that brings me to tears every time I hear it and is an amazing challenge.
The rest of that album is, of course, fantastic, and so is “Better Questions”. His style is eclectic, his voice is expressive, and his lyrics are unbeatable, especially since many of them come directly from the pages of Scripture.

–Kat

Blind on a Precipice August 8, 2007

I have little time to write an in-depth or lengthy post tonight. I thought I would give an update on my activities and my thoughts lately. I arrived home from camp Saturday night and gloried in sleeping in my own soft bed in comfortable surroundings with people I know how to handle. Saying goodbye to my friends was tearful and sad, but we all plan to see each other soon. Monday, I drove six hours with the rest of my family to Ohio, where my grandparents live. I enjoy seeing them again, as well as relaxing after a summer of hard work. Maybe I’ll even put a little bronze in my skin! Plenty of people say, “Oh, you must get so tan, working at a camp all summer!” So one would think, except that I’m kitchen staff, so I’m stuck inside, in the kitchen, all day long. Therefore I’m pale as white marble!

One thing I’ve been realizing lately: I see how lost unbelievers truly are. They are so ignorant (not in the insulting form, but the authentic meaning) about anything Christian. Everything I speak of about Christ or goals related to Him (i.e. Bible college or missions work) is met with stoic silence as they try to decide how to answer. They are convinced I am brainwashed or gullible. Have they any idea how much the name of Christ means to me? Do they know how I long to do His will? No, they could not. Because they refuse to believe in Him, they have never experienced His love, and therefore do not know what amazing things His love inspires inside the beloved. They think I am wasting my life, throwing away what talents and skills I have, for the sake of a fantasy deity. They simply do not see! They cannot tell that doing this is not throwing away my talents, but investing them in the highest way possible! Becoming a no-income missionary is not being poor; it is the richest life in the universe or outside it.

Oh, how it pains me! The skepticism and incredulity towards me is not what hurts. Neither is it the pointed questions that fly around me that clearly show their condescension of my beliefs. It is the simple but vastly vital fact that they do not know the love of my precious Christ. They are so secure in their own positions in the world, living in high society, sure of their success and happiness. They are like people so lost in the dark that they cannot see where they dangle precariously on the sheer edge of an abyss. They feel a strain in their arms as they cling to slipping, fading hopes, but attribute it to the work they have done to succeed. The darkness blinds them so completely they do not see the danger. I come to them, brilliant in the reflection of my Father’s light, seeking to show them their position by my light’s revelation, but they thrust me away in pain and terror. They cry that the light burns their eyes and can only be harmful. They refuse to acknowledge the light even as reality, calling it a deception and foolishness, a hallucination that shows them the edge of a false, deadly cliff. Ay! How painful it is to me! I run after them, weeping, begging them to listen, trying to bounce off the hurtful darts they fling at me with their words. Still they scorn me, condescend me, ignore me… ignore me… ever ignore me…

God, give them eyes to see! Let them acknowledge the Light of Life! Let them see Your light for what it is: holy, pure, kind, healing, gentle, peaceful, happy. Strip them of their cruel, comforting darkness. Show them their predicament. Frightening thought it may be for them to see it, I pray you will show them so they will cling to you. Though it pains me to ask it, I beg you to break them! I love these people so much and hesitate to request hurt to them, but I know it is best. Break them, Holy Father! Break them, let them realize they must call out to you, and help them to allow you to build them up. Bring them into total surrender, O Lord. Then their darkness will be light, their pain healing, their suffering joy. Their struggles will be peace, their dissatisfaction contentment. Then, towards me and towards You, their scorn will be love and their challenge acceptance. I wait, Father, with exultant eagerness!

–Katrina

The Precious Gift of Tears July 26, 2007

What do I do when language lacks the strength to express my praise and adoration? How could I possibly open my mouth and let words flow, knowing they will fall far short of my true feelings? Words do not hold the power to express the heart. For such a purpose, God has blessed us with tears.

Yesterday, I clutched the phone and wept joyfully as my mom told me that the adoption of my baby sister is almost secured. The most difficult element of the legal matters has been resolved quickly: parental rights have been terminated, which usually takes months and several delayed hearings. And and added blessing: rights were terminated on the condition that our family adopts her. She may be legally ours in as little as three months.

As Mom told me about the court hearing, tears stung my eyes and overflowed. I was surprised at myself as I struggled to speak through the lump in my throat and failed, too choked up to be coherent. I was amazed at the wonder of tears. I am not one who cries easily! Yet I realized as I cried that my heart was so full of praise it had no way to express itself but through tears.

I once heard the quote, “Tears are what happens when your heart overflows.” I think it was a child who said it. How true it is! Whether in pain, sorrow, or joy, the heart will overflow when it is full. And let me tell you, that overflow can make you very soggy! I poured out my heart in my journal after getting off the phone with Mom, but the true relief of the strain on my emotions was not the feeble scratching of pen on paper; it was the tears that came as fast as the words I wrote.

In the Bible, people often wept to release the overflow of their hearts. Many of these instances were grief or sorrow, such as David in Psalm 6, where he floods his bed with weeping and drenches his couch with tears because of his guilt before God. The most striking account of weeping in Scripture for me, however, is not a man weeping in sorrow, but rather, a man weeping with gladness and joy. Genesis 45 finds Joseph revealing himself to his brothers many years after they betrayed him into captivity. Verses 1-2 say, “Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Have everyone leave my presence!’ So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.” Later, in verses 14-15, he continued to weep: “Then he threw his arms around Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them…”

My 14-year-old brother would call this a “sob-fest”. I would call it beautiful. The joyful overflow of a heart is a lovely thing. At that moment, Joseph sureveyed all that God had done through his sufferings, he regained precious fellowship, and he restored harmony in a broken family. His heart was so full of awe, praise, and adoration at God’s marvelous plan that he could not control himself. His heart overflowed with weeping.

I feel like Joseph now. I look back on the last two years with my baby sister, Sara, and I can finally see what God has been doing. There has been suffering, but now I can see why. I am given the strong hope of a forever bond with Sara, which is more precious than I can say. Unity and peace is brought to a tumultuous but blessed young life. All these things build up within me until they overflow. I weep and I praise God. All I can say is, “Praise you, Father. Thank you, Father.” But God does not mind. He knows a language deeper than spoken word. He knows the language of my heart. And in my heart, I am writing novels full of praise, adoration, and glory.

I praise God with my weeping!

The Great Preparation July 19, 2007

Peter, thank you for stimulating my writing hand! I knew my last entry needed something else to go with it, but I couldn’t decide what it was. You put your finger on it in your last comment!

I mentioned in my last entry that I should concentrate on being the woman that Christ wants me to be. This general statement held volumes of meaning that I somehow expected my readers to be able to interpret. I should remember that you cannot read my mind.

As I wait for the Father to bring me the man He has chosen for me, I do everything I can to prepare for him. I would like to learn his favorite foods, favorite colors, pet peeves, and personality quirks. I want to find out what values are important to him, what issues make him passionate, and what his deepest struggles are. Despite this longing, this knowledge is impossible while I do not know who he is. However, there are still ways I can ready myself to be a precious gift to my husband. Just as the Church should do in preparation for Christ’s coming, I must prepare for my bridegroom.

First and foremost on my “To-Do List for Marriage” is to be a woman who submits herself to Christ. He is my first love and must be first in my allegiances. The willingness to follow His perfect path even if it is difficult or not what I want is the essence of submission. If I submit to Him, He will bring about His perfect will in my life. If I submit to Christ, it will be easier to submit to my husband when I am given to him. It will follow a path of logic: Christ is already my head, and he has placed my husband as my leader, then it only makes sense to submit to my husband. Even though it will be hard, if I go at it with the mindset of submission to God through man I may find it possible.

Second, I must remain pure for my husband. When I think of my future husband, I hope he will be pure. Even if he has slipped in the past, Christ’s love is sufficient for all sins, therefore my forgiveness should be as well. I consider that he is certainly hoping the same. However, I do not want my husband to have to forgive me. I would rather be given to him pure and undefiled in the eyes of God and man. Therefore my purity is one of the most precious things I have. Committments and vows I have taken testify to the standard I hope to maintain. On my wedding day I plan to give myself to my husband pure, telling him he is worthy of the effort and trials I have withstood to make it so. That much he deserves. Maintaining my purity is a constant, vigilant effort in our culture, another thing I do daily to prepare myself for God’s chosen partner.

Third, I nurture a spirit of meekness. My definition of meekness is not weakness; instead, it is the idea of contained strength. Christ was meek. He had all the power in the universe, but he knew when to use it, how to use it, and who needed it. He controlled himself instead of controlling others. I work on this to prepare for marriage. Christian marriage is not with the idea of the woman being a weak and broken servant ruled by a dictator, as many unbelievers would see it. Instead, it is a beautiful picture of delegated responsibility, of distinct and separate roles. Though a woman is submissive to her husband, she is not weak. She is a strong and steady influence in the home, but she gives her strength through meekness. This is one of the traits I most desire. I want to be the kind of woman that people look at and think, “What a quiet, gentle spirit, but what strength contained within it!”

Fourth, I must learn respect. For women, this can be quite a struggle. It goes hand in hand with submission, but is different in its own way. It is the thing that my husband desires more than anything. My pastor preached on this and was very honest (and got many nods of agreement from men in the church) when he said, “Women, did you know that most men would rather be respected than loved?” To women, that is such a foreign concept. Love is the ultimate gift to women. To men, perhaps respect is far greater. What better gift to give my husband than my ultimate respect of him?

 Fifth, forgiveness is such a monumentously important piece of the “perfect marriage puzzle”. Without forgiveness, a relationship begins to deteriorate at the first conflict. Knowing God has forgiven me for my sins and knowing all the filthiness of those sins allows me to fully and graciously forgive anyone who wrongs me. I must concentrate on controlling and obliterating my anger and letting it give way to the sweet grace of God. I know I cannot forgive within my own human nature. It must be God working through me.

I believe these five things are the foundations of my preparations for marriage: submission, purity, meekness, respect, and forgiveness. Out of these come a thousand small things I may put into practice every day in my friendships, family relationships, and encounters with strangers. These are the large branches of a great tree, and the smaller branches coming off of it are numerous. However, the trunk is something greater than any of these, that will cause all of these things if practiced as Christ practiced it. It was named the greatest of three great virtues in Romans. Yes, it is love. The main trunk of the “tree of marriage” is love, love as a choice and not a feeling, which will give strength, nourishment, and inspiration to all of these other virtues.

However, if love is the trunk of this great tree, what is the root? Why, the one from which all these things spring! It is the very Creator of all these preparations: God Himself. The root of all my preparations for marriage once again leads back to one being: God. Everything on earth and outside it traces back to God. So it is with my great preparation for marriage. As I wait patiently (and occasionally impatiently) for God to reveal the one He is preparing for me, I will love God with my life. I, as part of the Bride of Christ, will love my bridegroom with all that I have. Then He will prepare me as He would have me f0r His will.

The Joy of Feeling Unneeded July 18, 2007

As I mentioned in my last entry, I love the book “When God Writes Your Love Story” by Eric and Leslie Ludy. A statement by Leslie in the book hit me with the force of a freight train. No, a few freight trains at once. She writes an imagined dialogue between herself and God. God says of her concern about finding a husband, “…can you also believe I am the God of all creation? I know you better than you know yourself, and I am perfectly able to bring this man into your life in My own time, in My own way…and I don’t need you.” “I don’t need you.” “I don’t need you!”

It had never occurred to me that God did not need my help to bring my future husband to me! In other areas I had already told God, “Yes, I know you can handle this far better than I can; I know you can do it without me. You only choose to use me because you can.” In some areas I am still struggling to do that. Yet it had never crossed my mind that the area of my own romance was an area in which God does not need my help!

After reading this statement, I wrote it down in a notebook and thought on it very hard (I could not underline it because it was not my book!). This has always been the most personal part of my life. Was I to let God control it? It was not as if I had been holding it back consciously; it simply had not occurred to me that He wanted involvement in it. I want to honor God in my relationships, do His will, and respect His guidelines, but I had always thought it would be up to me to find the person He planned for me.

No! Instead, God has told me through Leslie Ludy that He does not want me to be searching for a life partner. He wants me to wait on Him, to wait expectantly but not impatiently for Him to bring that person straight to me. He wants me to love Him with my life before I try to find someone else to love. I am completely unneeded in the process. The only thing God needs me to to do is do nothing. If I concentrate fully on being a godly woman, someone Christ is honored to have as part of His bride, the Church, then God will bring me someone who will appreciate who I am in Christ.

What pain I am spared, what heartache and bewilderment I will avoid! Such a stress reliever it is that I do not have to concern myself with looking for a spouse. God will bring him to me in His time, in His way, or not at all; whatever is His plan. What blessed joy there is in feeling unneeded!

Best Books Pt. 2: Non-Fiction July 15, 2007

Here’s the continuation of the previous list: the non-fiction section. Before I begin the list, I must say that “The Bible” by God (with around 40 scribes writing it down for Him) is the best book I have ever read. I shouldn’t need to say more!

1) “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. The absolute best exposition of the Christian faith I have ever heard. Lewis presents the logical, orderly side of God and His plan in a way I have never seen before. He shows how God has planned everything about our lives to point back to Him, starting with the simple reality of who we are as humans and how we function and leading logically into the existence of our Christian God. A wonderful book to read as a Christian to strengthen your faith and give you answers; also a great book to suggest to someone searching for truth. An absolute necessity! If you have never read this book, you are really missing out.

2) “Every Young Man’s Battle” by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker. I’m sure that the other books in this series are just as good. I know you might be thinking, “Why did this nutcase read this–she’s a girl!” Um, yeah. That was my thought when I was told to read it. Several dear friends (all male) told me every woman should read this book (or “Every Man’s Battle”), because it gave them insight on how guys think and what I can do as a woman to help the guys defeat the temptation. I took them at their advice and read the book. Wow! What a reality check for me! It’s hard, as a female, to grasp what guys go through. Definitely, every girl should read this, although it’s meant for guys. Every guy should read it, too, because I could see how the advice in it was strong, wise, and practical. Read it! I’m planning on reading “Every Woman’s Battle” soon.

3) “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat!” by John Ortberg. I’m only a little more than halfway through this one, but it is definitely wonderful. I love it! Refer back to my first blog post for an explanation of the virtues of this book.

4) “When God Writes Your Love Story” by Eric and Leslie Ludy. I recently read this book and found it absolutely wonderful. The authors were saying that God will bring His choice of partner for me into my life in His time, in His way. Then they said, “He doesn’t need you!” Wow! The thought that God didn’t even need me to help find my future spouse was amazing to me! It had enver occured to me before. I need do nothing bu be obedient. My next entry will be about that, I’m sure.

4) “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris. (Peter, I’m sure you’re familiar with this one!) I read this for the second time about a year ago and was impressed with the thoughtful exposition. I know some people shy away from this simply because of the title or the things they have heard about it. I would encourage you to read it even if you are wary of it. I think you will find he is not some fanatic trying to obliterate dating as we know it. He wants to redefine Christian dating (calling it courting) and show that Christians are different from the world and separated–sanctified.

5) “Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship” also by Joshua Harris. This was even better than the last. What a beautiful picture of romance done right! I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I learned volumes from it. Definitely read this one, too.

6) “Jesus Freaks” by D.C. Talk. This is a compilation of true short stories about persecuted Christians. I cried all the way through this, and I don’t cry easily. Beautiful, powerful, and excruciatingly painful. Every story I read gave me a mixture of joy and sorrow. This is a fantastic book. One of the counselors here at camp reads these stories to her girls every evening in cabin devotions. The girls love these stories of sacrifice–I do, too.

–Katrina