If You Only Watch One More Movie Before You Die.

Suddenly, a mob was rushing toward him, shouting and cheering and struggling
madly to reach him, to make sure that he was alive, to touch him, and from the
touch to know again the miracle of living, to be men in their own right, freed
from bondage, outcast no more, liberated, their faith in God's mercy justified,
the nobility of mankind vindicated, justice at last accomplished and tyranny
once more overcome. Men wept, unable to restrain themselves. Men with tears
streaming down their faces kissed the GI on both cheeks - the salute of
brothers.

Citizen Soldiers is finished. As it became clear to me that the end was near I began to ask myself, "What will I do now?" A question that the common WWII GI did not ask himself. He knew exactly what he would do because he had spent months and years huddled in cellars and foxholes thinking about that exact thing. The book itself is defined by the final chapters. After pages of endless combat that leave the reader feeling dirty and tired, the work ends with a distinct message of goodness and hope, making the story as a whole incredibly valuable, if not essential, to read. I recommend it to all.

Speaking of distinct messages of goodness and hope, if you can only watch one more movie in your life watch I Am David, its the story of a young boy who escapes from a Soviet concentration camp with a letter that he must get to Denmark. That's about all I can say without giving up the plot, but it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. My Dad recommended it to me and he certainly did a great job.

To answer the question of "What will I do now?" I have just started reading The Journals of Jim Elliot. I received the book as a Christmas (or should I say Holidays) present from my sister. For those of you who don't know, Jim Elliot was a missionary to the Auca Indians in Ecuador in the 1950s. The Aucas murdered Elliot, turning him into an international hero. I must say that I have been sadly disappointed with the first thirty pages. I do, however, remain optimistic. The first journals were written while Elliot was in college, and let's be honest, weren't we all a bit disappointing in college?