Love of Literature Review Series: Passion and Purity

This week's "Love of Literature Review" is the first one in the series! :) I'm excited about doing this, because I love to read, and love to tell people about the things I've read! Mama suggested I do this too, as a way to cement the book in my mind! :) So here is the first review! :)
"Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot. This book was recommended to me by Meredith over at Striving to Serve at Home.
I had asked her for a list of the "top ten" books she'd recommend I read, and this was one of them!

As I knew Morgan owned the book, I borrowed it from her, and dug my nose into the depths of it! :) I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book, seeing as I have read several books on purity before...how much more could there be to learn about? But this book intrigued me from the start, for it is a book on purity, as well as telling Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's love story. That is what interested me. It was the principles of purity put into action, and retold from a vantage point of 40 years or so that caught my attention. In this beautifully written book, Elisabeth Elliot covers topics such as honor above passion, loneliness, finding contentment in Christ, waiting patiently, bringing your heart and mind under Christ's guidance, and so many more topics! Sometimes I think we can be confused into thinking that passion and purity are opposites. Under Christ's control, they are a beautiful harmony. But without Christ, things quickly go wrong. In Mrs. Elliot's book, she shows an example of how a young man and a young woman, both deeply in love, had an even stronger underlying love for Jesus, and were greatly blessed by Him in their relationship.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Through affairs of the heart, God uncovers our intentions."

"If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd."

"A man's love for a woman ought to hold her to the highest. Her love for him ought to do the same. I did not want to turn Jim aside from the call of God, to distract his energies, or in any way to stand between him and a thoroughgoing surrender. This is what I understood real love to mean. "And love means following the commands of God. This is the command that was given you from the beginning, to be your rule of life.".....God leads his dear children along different pathways. But he asks the same brand of commitment to all of them. Everybody who wants to follow Him has to: Give up self, take up the cross, follow."

"Let's be candid with ourselves before God. Call a spade a spade or even a muddy shovel. If your passions are aroused, say so-- to yourself and to God, not to the object of your passion. Then turn the reigns over to God. Bring your will to Him. Will to obey Him, ask for His help. He will not do the obeying for you, but He will help you. Don't ask me how. He knows how. You'll see."

There are so many other quotes that I could go on for quite a while! :) But I was blessed and encouraged by the book, and would certainly recommend it for all older girls! :)

Final Score: *****
Age I Recommend "Passion and Purity" For: 18+
Cautions: I would recommend skipping the chapter entitled: "Love Letters"...it's a little...loverish. ahem.

There you have it! Have a great day! :) -Rachel