A Message of Hope to the Christians of America

I woke up yesterday morning to the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage.


Yeah, maybe I should have just stayed in bed.


I was so incredibly discouraged. It feels like we, as Christians in America, seem to be taking hits left and righ.... well, hits from the left anyways.


Sometimes I want to just throw in the towel and say, "Enough of this, let's go somewhere else and do our own thing." I also hear other Christians who say, "It'll only get worse from here."


All of this is what I, and many others feel. And I don't blame (me/us), this stinks, like all sin and darkness stink. But I feel called to point out some things that I know to be true, despite what I feel.


Just Because Things Are Bad, Doesn't Mean They Won't Get Better.

Yes, I have read Revelation, and no, I don't pretend to be any kind of an expert on it. I know that at some point in the earth, there will be widespread suffering in the end of days. Whether we Christians will be taken up before or after that time, I don't really know. Sure, it is possible these could be the end days, again, I don't know. None of us really know for sure, we are just going to have to wait and see.


But something that I would like to point out is this: history repeats itself.


What do I mean by that?


Take a good look at your history book, or at the Bible. What do you see? I see periods of great darkness and suffering, but I also see periods of righteousness and prosperity where nations were honoring the Lord and flourishing.


Conclusion: It probably felt like the end of the world was happening when Sennacharib had Jerusalem surrounded and was threatening King Hezekiah and the people of Judah. But you know what? God took care of it, He actually sent an army of angels to go kill nearly 200,000 Assyrians in their own camp.


It probably felt like the end of days when Christians in Rome were being hunted down and murdered in horrific ways. We still have Christian brothers and sisters who are even now being hunted down and martyred for their faith in Jesus. But even that horrible fact doesn't mean that we are in the end times and nothing will get better.


It probably felt like the end when Hitler's horrific blitzkrieg was sweeping across Europe at the same time that the Japanese were gulping up islands in the Pacific and entire nations in Asia. But guess what? We're still here and I am writing this post in English, not German or Japanese.

There Are Giants In the Land, But Our God Is Bigger

Yes, we have our work cut out for us, we have the frighteningly huge task of taking back America. The Church has grown lax, it has grown lukewarm, and the Enemy has created massive breaches in our walls. He is prowling around our towns, our cities, our homes, and our government offices, seeking to kill and destroy. And today, he is crowing over the fact that he just messed with the most sacred covenant in human life, marriage.

There are giants in the land called The Media, The Supreme Court, The Oval Office, Congress. There are giants in the land called Liberal Education, Lies, Lust, Deceit, Fear, Intimidation, and Immorality.

Whew, do you feel nervous? BecauseI sure do. But you know what, my God is bigger than all of those things put together. My God holds this world in the palm of His massive hand.

I start to worry that we (the Church) won't be able to take back our country for the Lord. That our land is too far gone. I start thinking about how much time, effort, spiritual warfare, and how many people it will take in order to bring the country back to God.

But that's not my job. My job is to follow God and with His help, spread the light of Jesus in my land. I don't have to have a master plan in mind, I don't have to have a blueprint. He can see everyone and everything, from the beginning of time until the end. And I know I haven't been on this earth for very long, but I have been around long enough to learn a very important fact about God.

He's surprisingly good at what He does.

"For My ways are not your ways, nor are your thoughts my thoughts, says the LORD, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

That's His way of saying "Chill out, I got this."

It May Take Years, But It Will Be Worth It

Change rarely happens overnight. Building, or redeeming anything takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But just like the godly men and women who built this nation on a foundation of godly principles, I know that it will be worth it. And we will all be stronger in our faith because of the journey.

My Hope Is Not In The USA, My Hope Is In Jesus

The only constant in the universe is God. Everything else in this world will change or let me down. My ultimate allegiance is to God, not to my country. I can rest in the fact that the One, Unchanging Being in the universe is my King, and I can trust in Him.

As Long As God Exists, There Is Always Hope

"I would have lost heart, if I had not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)

This, coming from a man who's own son turned against him in a coup, and drove the king away from his capital city. I do believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. This is the same God who has been here for us from day one, and God is hope.

What We Need To Be Doing As The Church

It's getting harder to straddle a fence post about what you believe. Lines are definitely being drawn. And there are going to be people who are forced to ask themselves the question, "What do I believe is true?"

We (the Church) need to stand firm right now. We cannot back down from what is true, even if that means ridicule, intimidation, and harassment. Even if you feel like no other human being is standing in your corner, know that you are not alone.

I and my peers need to step up to the plate as the next generation and begin the difficult job of transforming our culture. We need to enter every arena, business, politics, law, media, the arts, education, and most importantly, we need to create and raise families that will love and honor the Lord.

We (the Church) need to be going forward constantly on our knees. We need to be praying for redemption and mercy for our nation, which has strayed so far from God. We need to be praying for revival in the United States of America. And we need to be praying for wisdom and guidance to know how to proceed.

We need to be praying for those who are in a gay/lesbian lifestyle. My own humanity strikes me in the face on a regular basis, and I know that temptation is strong. But I also know that love and grace are stronger. My prayer is that thousands of individuals who are living this lifestyle will discover the same thing.

The hashtag sweeping the Internet right now is #LoveWins 

I looked at that last night and smiled. Yes, yes it does. The person who came up with that hashtag had absolutely no idea of the profound statement they had just made. The stale, moldy bread that they think is love doesn't even begin to compare to the rich, and delicious pastry that is God's love. But before many lives have ended on earth, I have a feeling that quite a few will discover that indeed, LOVE WINS.

God is love, and God will win. He is I AM, and because of that simple and yet earth-shattering fact, I have hope.

Book Review- The King's Scrolls (Jaye L. Knight)

Following the harrowing events that brought them to Landale Forest, Jace and Kyrin have settled comfortably into their new lives and the mission of protecting those under the emperor's persecution. The fast approach of winter brings with it the anticipation of a quiet few months ahead. That is until the arrival of four mysterious, dragon-riding cretes who seek aid in a mission of great importance--not only to their own people, but to all followers of Elôm.

Hidden in the vast mining valley north of Valcré, a faithful crete has spent years sharing his knowledge with the destitute miners and their families and is known to possess what may be Arcacia's last surviving copies of the King's Scrolls--the Word of Elôm. Joining the cretes, those in Landale must find the crete teacher and bring him to safety, but it is a race against time. Should Daican's men find him first, execution and the destruction of the Scrolls is certain.

When disaster strikes, all seems lost. Could Elôm have a plan even in the enemy's triumph?


Book 2 in The Ilyon Chronicles, read my review for book 1, Resistance here.


I bought this book preorder on Kindle around 2 weeks ago. It came out this week and I have already finished it and am fiercely craving the next. This series is just my cup of tea when it comes to the fantasy genre; there is a perfect blend of normal reality and of the fantastical, the races are easily identifiable, and the storyline is exciting without being unnecessarily weird. Knight is a fantastic author and has really has inspired me more than any other homeschool-graduate-turned-author to pursue my own dream of writing.


What I Didn't Like


I have read all of Knight's books, starting with her Pirates of Faith series when she wrote under the pseudonym "Molly Evangeline" and The Makilien Trilogy, another lovely work of fantasy. In all 3 series there has been at least one whipping scene. The worst was by far in The Makilien Trilogy, that one was just painful, but in truth, I am kind of over whipping scenes.


Perhaps I am jumping the gun a bit since The King's Scrolls is only the 2nd book of the series, but I would like to see some villains suffer, if only a little bit, maybe even have a few die off, there are plenty to choose from. But again, this is just me, and I don't know what the grand plan for this series is, for all I know, Knight is currently rubbing her hands together in some dark liar and purring in delight as she plots her villains' painful and untimely demise. I have faith in her.


What I Did Like


Ugh, where to begin.


I adore the characters, Kyrin, Jace, Kaden, and all of the others.
Jace just sets my heart positively thumping, his deep emotions, tender heart, and fierce protectiveness of Kyrin is so fascinating, oh yes, and his eyes, I love to imagine his eyes.
I identify with Kyrin so much, she and I are very similar. The way she absorbs everything so deeply, her protective instincts, and, yes, her memory. I have one of the best memories of anyone I know, and it is definitely an interesting characteristic. She is a lovely mix of strong, and weak.  I love the relationship between Jace and Kyrin, it is built on trust, mutual affection, and a deep need for each other. Their story is absolute gold, I can't wait to see where Knight takes them!
Kaden is adorable, he's the buddy and friend that we all would love to have around. He is a steadfast member of the story that helps to keep you grounded.
As for the other characters, I really enjoy the fine group the Knight has created. They are a solid set of characters that keep the story alive.


Dragons! I never used to be into dragons, when I was little and thought of dragons I would either think of those very grim looking Chinese dragons, or of the TV show "Dragon Tales", which I was not allowed to watch. But ever since I first saw How to Train Your Dragon I have been completely in love with them. Knight does a lovely job with these creatures, both in this series and in The Makilien Trilogy. The dragons of this series are simply beautiful.


The different races. Sometimes I feel that fantasy writers get a little too excited at the idea of "no boundaries" and just go a little nuts. They create so many bizarre names/race/places/weapons that I feel overwhelmed and worn out. Not so with Knight, she created only a few races, but they are easily identifiable and incredibly interesting


A lovely ending. She did the same with Resistance, and I deeply appreciate her sticking to the unwritten rule of leaving the reader with a satisfying ending. And by a satisfying ending I don't mean that you feel finished with the series, oh no, you just get a chance to draw a breath before begging for more.


What I Want More Of


Kyrin and Jace, obviously, these two are so compelling.


I want to know more about the other races, especially the ryriks. I am desperately curious about Jace's origins, and I have come up with more than one scenario in my own mind where we get to discover more about him. I want to get to travel to some of the more exotic parts of this world and learn about this world.


I'll say it again, I cannot wait for some of these villains to get what is coming to them. Especially a certain, well, I guess all of them.


Check out The King's Scrolls, Resistance, and Knight's other series!


You can also follow her Goodreads and her blog!

Fighting For Our Christian Brothers

This is a post to ladies, about guys, so really, it's a post for anyone.


No, this is not another post on modesty, the internet is overrun with those, and I don't feel the need to add to the dog pile.


This post is about how we as Christian ladies can help protect the Christian guys in our lives.


I am blessed to be surrounded by godly men. My father, brothers, and male friends do so much to make me feel safe in a pretty dangerous world. But even beyond that, they are gentlemen. They go out of their way to open doors for me, serve me, and just be pleasant to be around. Someday I will marry a man who will continue to be the strong person in my life, the husband, provider, and father to our children.


It's really hard to be a godly young man with a pure heart in today's world. Everywhere our fellas go they are bombarded with images intent upon stealing their hearts and minds and entrapping them in all kinds of darkness.


Men are wired to be visual, and once an image is seen, it cannot be unseen. They will have that image burned on their brain forever. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must be for a guy who is working overtime to keep his heart and mind pure.


I have however, spent some time thinking about what I and other ladies can do to aid them in their walk and help "bear their burdens". And I have come up five simple ways that we Christian ladies can aid our men in their struggle for righteousness.


1. Think Before You Post or Repost- This covers all kinds of social media, Twitter, Facebook, etc. There are a million and one posts, quizzes, and funny memes out there, and if we could, we would share them all. But I want to encourage you ladies to look, and think before you repost something. I have often read articles and or quizzes that I really enjoyed, and would have loved to repost, but upon reflection, I realized that either the images in the particular article, or the ads on the side could easily be a stumbling block to my male followers. I don't want to be responsible for putting that in front of them, and I doubt you do either. So LOOK, and THINK before you post or repost.


2. Only Recommend Something If You Have Given All of the Facts- I'll be honest, there are a few TV shows that I watch that the rest of my family does not, simply because of the modesty issue. And while the plot, characters, and graphics of the show may be INCREDIBLE, I still wouldn't recommend them to the guys in my life. And if I did happen to mention this show to a guy who hasn't seen it already, then I would warn him about the potential problems. This may sound like you are doing his job for him, or telling him what he can or can't watch. That is not the truth at all. This is the same as if I told a friend of mine about an alternate route to take to reach a destination, but also warned him about the dangerous S-curve or potholes in the road. He can then take that information and make his own decision, but I can rest with a clear conscience that I have given him everything he needs to know.


3. Create a Safe Environment- This is likely going to apply more to the guys in your family, but it could apply to guy friends too. If you know there is a guy around, make a quick visual sweep of the room. If I am looking at articles online that could potentially have some less than decent photos on the side, I always make sure I have my back to the wall where none of my brothers can see over my shoulder. If you have fashion magazines around, just go ahead and tuck those somewhere out of sight when guys are around. And if you own a priceless Greek statue collection, well, my suggestion would be to go fabric shopping and experiment with drapery. ;)


4. Engage in a Danger Zone- Sometimes a godly guy can't help avoiding potential danger zones. Beaches full of bikinis, magazine racks at stores, billboards, etc. What you can do in this situation is give him a safe place to light visually, and engage him mentally. Point out things that are in the opposite direction, keep his eye contact, or engage him in a stimulating conversation that gives his brain something else to focus on other than the distractions surrounding him.


5. Stand in the Gap- This really is a culmination of all of the above. Standing in the gap ladies means stepping between the world and our guys and saying "NO" on their behalf. Throwing away junk mail, offering to take the remote when watching TV, or even just doing a quick screening on Netflix so that they don't get a nasty surprise. I have done all of these before, and I know my brothers appreciate it.


It isn't easy to do this ladies, I have been doing it my entire life. My mom taught me how at a very young age. I am an official spotter of potential problems in our family, I am the only sibling who knows our Netflix password, and I am the only one other than Dad who knows our cable code. I have spent countless hours previewing movies so that we wouldn't be caught off guard. I know, it's exhausting, but it's worth it.


Each man will have to make millions of choices in his life of whether or not to say no, or yes to what he will put in front of his eyes. You can't change the choices he makes, that is between him and the Lord. But for those guys who have chosen to say "YES" to purity and "NO" to darkness, we can make their job a whole lot easier.


This is a way we can bear our brothers' burdens, so step up ladies, let's engage in the battle.