Anna+Gainer

FINAL BLOG!!!!!! :D

So here I am, doing my last blog about the two books I read in the last few months for English class. First I read "she said yes," and I learned so much from cassys story. A short summery of the book writen by her mom about her would be that a normal teenage girl gave up her life for Christ in a school shooting. Its pretty much all the struggles her family and friends went through after she died and the different things they learned about her after she died. I learned that no matter what happens we have to make the most out of the time here on earth that we have and we need to give everything to God. We only have a few short years and so much to tell others about our amazing God in that short time. I also got to see another real-life story about how we should always stand up for our faith and never back down. I also started reading "only glory awaits" and its about the struggles of a young girl who is trying to follow God during the time of King Heny the 8th. she struggles with keeping her faith even when her king and family are trying to crush it. Yet again I learned how we must always stand up for our faith even when it means being put in prison as Anne was. Nothing is worth more than the joy that comes from serving God, Anne found that joy and so did Cassie. Now its up to me to take these storys and aply them to my life. It wont be easy and it wont always be fun (something about being put in prison doesnt sound very fun, just sayin) but in the end it will be so worth it. And some day I hope to be able to meet Cassie in heaven and find out her side of the story. It would be so cool to find out the story from the girl that so many people tell storys. hope you enjoyed reading about these two books, i know i enjoyed reading them.

December 6th, blog 3

Im still reading "only Glory awaits" and its still pretty good. I havent had much time to read lately but ive been able to read a few chapters. whats happend sense I last blogged is that Anne's (the main girl in the book) brothers just got kidnapped by people that want to rebel against the king. They think the king is being unfair to the peasants so they are trying to get Annes dad to join them to fight against the king, but he doesnt want to. by kidnapping his sons then they were able to get him to sign his allegiance to them because they threatened to kill his sons. By taking the sons, and the father being gone, Anne and her sisters are left at home alone without any men to protect them. They are all praying that there servants stay loyal to them and protect them, instead of joining with the rebels. I still think think this book is good, but I think it could have been written better. I think that Leslie Nuernberg (the writer of the book) tries to hard to use big words to make it more interesting. it makes it confusing and and doesn't flow as smoothly. I think its important to try and use other words to make it interesting, but i think leslie is a little bit over kill. Other than that its very good and I cant wait to find out what happens next.

November 18, blog 2

I just started reading, "only glory awaits," by leslie S. Nuernberg. i havent gotten very far but what ive read so far is REALLY good. Its in the time of King Henry the 8th, and it starts out with a girl in Prison for her faith. Shes been beaten almost to the point of death but still stands firm in her faith. instead of blaming God for her suffering she quotes scripture like, "the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall i fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; whom shall i be afraid?" then she starts to remember her childhood where it all began. in her rememberance of her childhood she just remembered when she first became a christian. I really like this book because I can already tell its going to help me grow in my faith as well as keep me entertained. Its very exciting, and makes me think very deeply. I like how she's being beaten and put in jail for her faith because thats exactly what i would like to happen someday. The girl in this book reminds me a lot of myself, so its kinda like looking through a mirror at myself. I cant wait to keep reading and find out what happens next, and how she got put in prison.

November 4th, blog 1

Im about to start reading, "Only glory awaits" by Leslie S. Nuernberg. My mom told me that I should read this book because it takes place in a time period that i really like and have read lots of books about. Its also written by a Christian so it mixes God with my favorite kind of story. My mom is the one that gave it to me to read, and I've been wanting to read it for over a year and haven't had a chance yet, so I thought that this would be a great time to get around to reading it.

Well, it’s me again, Anna Gainer, writing my third blog on __She Said Yes__, by Misty Bernall. Not much has changed since I last blogged. Mostly, all that they talked about at the end of the book was the effects of Cassie’s death, and the changes it made in peoples lives. Her brother says, “Since she died, I’ve tried to be more like she was. I’ve tried not to be negative and tried not to judge others by how they look or what they say. I’m also trying to be kinder and more giving.” (153) One of Cassie’s friends reflects on Cassie’s life and says, “I’ve begun to think about how temporary everything is, including human life. Seeing that coffin go into the ground at the burial, and knowing that it’s all going to return to dust- that really got me thinking. All of a sudden my car, my apartment, my money, my material things, and even school didn’t seem so important anymore.”(156) This book really gets me thinking about life. What really is important in our lives? What is going to count in ten years, or count if we don’t live for another ten years? If I were to die unexpectedly, I don’t think it would really matter much how I did in the last cross country meet, or how much time I spent on my makeup this morning. What’s going to count is how much time I spend investing in relationships, and how much time I spend showing people the love of God just like Cassie did. Cassie’s friend seemed to think the same thing because she goes on to say, “I think a death like this should shake us and wake us up. It should get us asking, ‘What’s important in life?’ Was it important that Cassie was in that library studying for her next class, getting an education so she could one day get a job? I don’t think so. To me, the important thing is that she was prepared to go at a moment’s notice.” (157) For me, I know I’m ready to go at a moments notice, but what about my friends? Are they ready to go? I think the most important thing this book has taught me is that any one of us can leave this world in the blink of an eye… my family, my friends, Adam Brekke, Cassie Bernall… me. I know I’m ready, but I need to be sure everyone around me is too. I think Cassie would want that too. Even though Cassie’s death was tragic and horrible, it was also wonderful. God knew it was her time and he planned it so that her story could inspire others. Her short life was not a waste; it was just as important as if she would have lived to be a hundred! Her own mother was even bold enough to say, “I know that her death was not a waste, but a triumph of honesty and courage. To me, Cassie’s life says that it is better to die for what you believe, than to live a lie.” One of my favorite quotes from the book is on the very last page, “My death is not my own, but yours, and its significance depends on what you do with it.” (160) In life and in death, Cassie belonged to the Lord, and he made her death beautiful. God knew it was time for Cassie to go and dance in grace with him in heaven, but he decided to bring his daughter home with a meaning. He could have had her die of a sickness, or in a car crash, but he decided to bring her to heaven in a way so that her story could inspire others and help more to come to believe in him. He brought her home in glory and beauty.