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Review: Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz
Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston, Heart of Dread Book 1 About the book here. In December, I went to see Disney’s animated Frozen with some friends. The story was characteristically Disney—happy and light-hearted, with dancing snowmen, puppy-like reindeer, and singing duos. Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston’s Frozen, on the…
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Review: The Moon and More, by Sarah Dessen
About the book here. I’m not usually a fan of steamy romance novels. Sure, they excite my imagination and get my heart pumping. But many of them are unrealistic, catered to the emotional desires of the female population. So when a friend bought me one of Sarah Dessen’s books a few years ago, I…
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Why Read Books?
The current age is that of technology—but more importantly, that of the Internet. We thrive on Facebook, Twitter and blogs. We watch movies on flat screens, post pictures on Tumblr, and text instead of talk. Our world is instantaneous, filled with fast-paced sound bites and bold colors to catch our fleeting attention. We get frustrated if a webpage…
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Starving, Going to War, and Giving Thanks
The images that come to mind with Thanksgiving are typically related to food: turkey, gravy, stuffing, a slice of pumpkin or apple pie. Family may also come to mind, along with the occasional Pilgrim. We don’t usually think of bloodshed, cannons, civil war, and patriotism. Yet these were the circumstances under which Thanksgiving became a…
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A Final Act of Service
Who does a funeral benefit? This last week, I took some time off from work and school to be with my family as we buried my grandfather. It was a difficult but rich time, remembering and learning more about a man who was one of my heroes. Prior to this week, I had always thought…
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A Time for Everything: Changing Seasons
Last weekend in Los Angeles, we had 90-degree weather. On Saturday, I wore shorts and flip flops; on Sunday, a sun dress. I am very tired of the summer. Don’t get me wrong—one of the reasons I love living in Southern California is the near-paradise weather. We rarely get rain, bask in 80 degrees in…
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What Kind of Faith Do I Have?
There seems to be a disconnect in my life between my absolute faith in Christ as the Savior of the world and of my soul, and my sometimes-less-certain faith in his guidance of my everyday life. Of course, in my head I absolutely believe that he will provide for me every second of every day.…
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From Atoms to Mustard Seeds: Assurance and Uncertainty
My latest post for Evangelical Outpost: John Wesley insists we can have assurance of our salvation. Romans 8:16 states, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Wesley takes this to mean that we can be absolutely certain of our entrance into heaven: “To secure us from all delusion,…
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Vacation Bible School and Athanasius: the Power of the Gospel
I never thought I’d be using Saint Athanasius to explain God to a fifth grader. But this Wednesday, I found myself thinking over Athanasius’ arguments in On the Incarnation as I challenged a group of squirmy 10-year-olds to tell me why Jesus had to die on a cross. Why couldn’t he die in his sleep…
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The Novelty of the Old
Hello, again! In lieu of posting on my personal blog, I have been contributing to a larger Christian blog called Evangelical Outpost. I have received multiple requests to publish the posts here so that the email subscribers receive them, too. This is my latest post, which went live today. Throughout my schooling career, teachers have instructed…
Victoria Van Vlear 