Hope in dark times

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

Darkness has increased in many aspects of Western culture throughout my lifetime, including politics, news and entertainment media, and in schools and communities. My work with data showed that in spite of the self-righteous justification of those driving the shift, mental illness and despair increased apace - not just amongst adults, but youth and children as well. The scale of the problem was so great that I felt helpless to do anything about it. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, however. something beautiful unfolded in the midst of a terrible situation. An intense hunger for goodness exploded across the world, and content creators producing sweet and wholesome content went viral, and while few of these pointed to Jesus, I felt encouraged.

The world’s systems returned to normal after a couple of years, but the intense yearning for what is pure and beautiful had been released, and many people continued to yearn for that which is beautiful, lovely, and admirable. Including me.

Many Christian authors write brilliant, gritty, and emotional novels addressing culturally-important topics, but my heart grew ever more sensitive, and I found myself unable to read or watch things that I had previously enjoyed. I longed for sweet stories that were wholesome and edifying, with characters that were unashamedly walking with the Lord.

Then a still, small voice told me, “Write what’s in your heart.” And that's how the Cedar River series was born.

If you're longing for sweet, edifying Christian stories too, you can find books 1-3 from this uplifting, fiction series here.