Product Description

""How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen!"" So begins 'Stepping Heavenward' by Elizabeth Prentiss, the journal-like account of a nineteenth century girl who learns, on the path to womanhood, that true happiness can be found in giving oneself for others. ""This book is a treasure of both Godly and womanly wisdom told with disarming candor and humility, yet revealing a deep heart's desire to know God,"" says noted Christian speaker Elisabeth Elliot. ""I do not hesitate to recommend it to men, who need to understand the wives they live with, and to any woman who wants to walk with God.""

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53255 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781577483427
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

About the Author
ELIZABETH PRENTISS (1818 -1878) was the daughter of an early nineteenth-century revival preacher and began writing as a teenager. Born in 1818 in Portland, Maine, Prentiss was also the writer of the hymn ""More Love to Thee, O Christ."" Prentiss died in Ver

Customer Reviews

Stepping Heavenward
"Stepping Heavenward" was an infusion of light and whole living. The book is wondrously devoid of Christian buzzwords, formulas and codes. It was published in 1869 and is an account of a young girl's day-to-day activities, interwoven with her quest to better her life. Watching her godly Mother, with whom she becomes easily irritated at times, Kate learns about striving for excellence. The book portrays a no-nonsense approach to Christian living; still the romantic, artistic qualities of the author shine through without unctuous fluff. The book lacks not in laughter all the while inciting the reader to ponder deeper, eternal matters. The early writings of this nineteen-year-old part child, part woman, reveal an innocence coupled with an acute awareness of her human nature, that is, the selfish, sinful side of humanness, unchecked by the Almighty. The author doubtlessly reflects a typical 19th century young woman in certain ways. Yet one may see that small matters sometimes are pivotal. Indeed the continual, though not necessarily consistent, exercises in noble deeds and hard self-examination propel this young woman to attain a rare depth of character. Her brutal honesty and freckle-faced candor are truly refreshing, and her artfully penned expressions provide great reading - entertaining, spontaneous and articulate. Though written in diaried form, a theme surfaces here as in the hymn, "More Love to Thee, O Christ," also written by the author of this book.

The best catalyst for spritual growth I have ever read
This book sat on my shelf for 2 years before reading it--wow how I wish I would have pulled it down sooner! It has been very readable--better than most novels! It puts in very approachable and applicable ways some of the most profound spiritual concepts of growth, obedience to God, and the strangeness of God's purpose for each of us. Do your self a favor and get this one--you will never be the same. Worth every late-night moment of lost sleep to read it!

A wonderful look at the very real struggles Christians face
I am not quite finished with this book, but have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. In the 270+ pages I have read, Mrs. Prentiss has shown an astounding ability to put into words the struggles that I believe are universal for men and women who desire to live out their faith in Christ, yet who are continually confronted with their flawed humanity, i.e., sin!

There is humor, seriousness, sadness--all the emotions one can imagine, since the book is designed to depict the different eras of a woman's life from age 16 onward, through courtship, marriage, and motherhood. I eagerly anticipate finishing the book, and then picking it up again and again as I go through my own life. I plan to have my teenage daughter read it, and will suggest it as a must-read to all my friends.