In my short 24 years of life, I've had the chance to go to a lot of different places. I've listened to people's opinions and witnessed their defining moments. I've seen expressions of ecstatic joy and piercing pain. I've tasted food from the greatest feasts and spit out the most disgusting slop. I've climbed mountains and I've sat and chatted in quaint coffee shops. The funny thing is I never had to leave my room to do it.
I've sat on the front steps of Bag End watching the smoke rings of Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf float away in the summer air. I nervously sat on the cold clammy floor of Gollum's cave listening to an epic battle of the wittiest riddles. I was hiding behind the gallant Bilbo as he slashed ferocious arachnids in the dark forest of Mirkwood. In great, heavy fear, I tip-toed through the piles of gold coins and jewels so that Smaug, the great dragon, would not awake to find Bilbo and I sneaking through his precious treasure.
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
I felt the same curiosity and amazement that Lucy Pevensie felt as we pushed through the hefty fur coats in the wardrobe to discover the shocking cold and wetness of winter snow and the wonder of Narnia. I know the pain that Susan and Lucy felt as they witnessed their beloved Aslan being ridiculed and murdered. I also know the overwhelming ecstasy of his resurrection, the thrill of flying through the air on his back, and the victory of slaying the evil Witch.
-The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
I shoveled for hours each day in the salt mines with young Booker T. Washington, trying to fill Barrel 18 to the brim so we could clock out for the day. I watched him teach his night classes to Native American students after his long day of pouring over books and cleaning the campus of Hampton University. I stood in the crowd of hundreds of whites as he proudly delivered his Atlanta Compromise speech. I watched him for hours plan and promote and pray as he gradually built up Tuskegee University--the first university for colored men and women in the U.S.
-Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
In the secret room of a cozy clock shop in Holland, I sat with the others hoping that we wouldn't be caught. I heard the voice of the courageous Corrie Ten Boom speak with the Nazi lieutenant.
"WHERE ARE YOUR JEWS?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
I heard the thuds of his fist against her face and chest. "Lord Jesus, help me!" she cried. They took her away to a place we didn't have to go.
-The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Back in 37 A.D. on the day Aulus Arelius died, I floated with him to Heaven. I experienced the inexpressible joy of being in the place I was created to be. I deeply understood Aulus as he wrote in his letter, " Even the casual acquaintance here carries more depth and more feeling. I am in love with every person. Heaven is the consummate "in love" experience."
-Letters From a Martyred Christian by H.L. Hussmann
Mr. Phileas Fogg is one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Introverted, peaceful, and adventurous. He understands the value of disregarding fear, uncertainty, and doubt to take an impulsive, spontaneous challenge of traveling the world in a limited amount of time. He knows what it means to risk his life to save a beautiful stranger from cannibals in the Indian jungle--all for love. He is extremely detailed, strategic, and intentional. Traveling with him was one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced.
-Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
For 27 years, I learned the hard facts of living on an uncharted island. I couldn't have done it without the expertise of Robinson Crusoe, a drifter who was running from God. He ended up alone on an island because of a shipwreck. I learned how to build a house and keep up with the days and years (marking sticks). I learned to make friends with a local cannibal. We named him Friday and won his soul to Jesus Christ.
-Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Renfroe
I met Elisabeth Howard, one of the most inspiring women I've known, at Wheaton College. She was a Greek major and the love interest of the robust, passionate college wrestler Jim Elliot. I read their love letters and understood their caution in pursuing a romantic relationship. They waited a long time until they finally felt peace from God. I watched my good friend become Mrs. Elisabeth Elliot.
-Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot
We had a good life, Soon Ok Lee and I. Government jobs in North Korea are the best jobs in the country. But one day, someone asked us to do a favor that was against our morals and we refused. They had us thrown into prison. When we arrived, the guard greeted us with soiled prison clothes and the most wrenching statement I've ever heard: "Forget that you are human and you will survive." Countless nights, the guards would strip us down and beat us menacingly. We were forced to work nearly 20 hours each day with the energy from two hours of sleep and a few handfuls of rice. I don't know how many people I watched fall to the ground in exhaustion or death. The "Heaven People", as everyone called them, were there because they believed in God. We didn't understand why they were so willing to take the blame for each others faults for the sake of saving another's back from more bruises. The Heaven People had some kind of connection with each other that the rest of us didn't have. It's like they understood something we didn't. We were eventually released from that evil place and escaped to South Korea. Soon Ok was reunited with her son and she wrote a book about everything that happened.
-Eyes of the Tailless Animals by Soon Ok Lee
I saw the creation of the world. I listened to Noah be ridiculed for believing that the world was going to be flooded. I ran with Abraham and Lot to escape the flames of Sodom and Gomorrah. I was thrown into a pit with Joseph. I walked with the former slaves of Egypt along the walls of the Red Sea. I screamed with all of my energy with the Israelite army and watched those towering walls of Jericho collapse before my eyes. I watched Jael hammer a tent peg into the head of Sisera as he was sleeping. I helped David pick out some stones before he cleverly struck a fatal blow to the head of the giant Goliath. I toured Israel with King Josiah and we destroyed Asherah poles and Baal temples so that God's people would return to him. My emotions were stirred as I heard the passionate words and saw the powerful actions of Jesus from Nazareth. I witnessed the mysterious event of His followers receiving power on the day of Pentecost. I listened to the church leaders of Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, Rome, Colosse, and Thessalonica read the convicting words of Paul in his letters to the churches. I saw the vision of the New Heaven and New Earth with John. I will meet my Jesus there.
-The Bible
*For other great books, see "Favorite Books"
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