Okay, a little personal history...
dc Talk was the band that got me not only into CCM, but popular music in general. They were my favorite musical act when I started middle school, and still are now. Despite going through obsessive phases of other entertainment ranging from Pokémon to Diff'rent Strokes (a dark time in my life; to this day, I can't see or hear any reference to that show without cringing) to Lizzie McGuire and the Disney Channel to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, my fandom of Toby, Mike, and Kevin never wavered. To this day, they're the third highest played band or artist on my Last.FM, which has been keeping records of what I listen to since 2007; in fact, the only artists to get more plays are former dcT members T-Mac and K-Max. Other affiliated bands, such as the Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline, are also in my top ten. While my tastes in music have broadened widely since those days--seriously, I have everything from Josh Groban to Jaci Velasquez to Relient K to Hilary Duff to John Williams to Ledger on my iPod--dc Talk's music still holds appeal; in fact, instead of just enjoying the music, I now understand what their songs mean.
For Christmas in 2000, I received this book as a gift; I read it back then...but, I didn't quite understand it. In fact, reading it now, I find that it seriously cut me to the heart. For far too long, I've believed that people who have done me wrong should pay the price; it's the kind of justice you see happen to villains in Disney movies or Nintendo video games. However, despite what you see in entertainment, that's not God's way; God has said that it is His to avenge, and fighting back against those who have harmed you is sinful. Now that I've finished reading these stories--which are not for the faint of heart; there may be triggers for those who are sensitive to graphic violence--I'm not even going to think about taking action against my persecutors; it's not up to me or any other mere mortal to give them what they seemingly deserve. Instead of plotting or fantasizing about revenge, I'll take Elsa's infamous advice and let it go.