“I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”  C.S. Lewis 

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

Unless otherwise noted, posts and articles are written by Victoria Priest.

 

I’m an all-over-the-place person, in my emotions and in my intellectual life.  You may find me laughing extremely hard and deep, uncontrollably, or crying . . . or, studying and writing quietly for hours on end.  Or, maybe playing a video game.  I’m not a gamer fanatic, but will play certain games I really like for long periods of time. 

I’ve written about games more and more as the years have gone by for a number or reasons, in case you’re a wondering Christian.  My husband loves them, and so does my son.  (I’m not positive, but my son’s ADHD and dyslexia seem to mesh well with video games.)  Otherwise, writing about current and cultural things is what this blog is about, in conjunction with being evangelical and apologetical.  I hope that non-Christian readers may learn something about Christianity that they didn’t know before, even if it’s just that we can enjoy our current life too, not just look forward to our heavenly home.

I didn’t grow up a Christian, at least in any obvious way; my parents were at odds about the faith.  My dad was raised going to protestant churches and wanted to go, but my mom was raised Catholic and, knowing of some criminal and hypocritical activities, came to hate the church.  It’s seriously too bad, for all of us, that she didn’t consent to search for a God respecting and loving church (later in life, she did).  But, Christ took hold of me as a mature adult, after I went through all the things one is supposed to do in life in order to find success and happiness.  All those things disappointed.  I was partly responsible for that, with my insecurities leading to some pretty bad decisions.  The world is physical and our bodies are physical, and we get physical nourishment here, but running after all the physical things didn’t bring relief from the futility I felt.  Our real lives are spiritual and we are meant to feed off God, off Christ.  So I finally let Him in and so found my rightful place; no matter what came alone, life was no longer futile.  

More about my background:  I have a certificate in apologetics from Biola University, a Masters in history from the University of California, and a Bachelors in anthropology from California State University (much of my education for that was in Michigan, however).  I’ve done a varied number of things for a living, like archaeologist, historical resources consultant, graphics artist, victim specialist (domestic violence, at the court house), and administrative assistant.  I’ve posted my resume below.

If you like my writing and need someone to do some writing or editing for you, your church, or whatever, I’m open to doing freelance work (there is a contact form below).  I homeschool my son and therefore don’t work full-time (often not even part-time), so we are always short of cash here in this expensive region of the country.  We’ll be moving soon, and my son will be done with school, too, so our family economy should improve.  However, I would still want to write and enjoy doing a good job for folks!  Thanks so much for reading my blog – I DO appreciate it – and it is my prayer that you are blessed by it.    Vicki

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Revelation Song (Indiana Bible College)

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 Resume

Work and Relevant Recent Experience

• 2013-Present. Freelance writing. Magazine submissions, blogging, and Yahoo! Voices until the site closed on July 31, 2014). This has been on a part-time basis while I finish homeschooling my son and preparing to move across the country.

• 2010-Present.  “With Christian Eyes” domain site: https://withchristianeyes.net/  Original WithChristianEyes.com domain and related board will be phased out by 2015. Prior to official domain, “With Christian Eyes” was a Yuku domain forums board (2010-2012).

• 2011-2014. Administrative Assistant (part-time), Jonathan Resnick, CPA.  Duties include bookkeeping, marketing writing, 1040s, and general office/administrative.

Besides everyday duties, I fully edited a booklet-length manuscript that gave helpful information relating to business taxation that my boss used for marketing purposes. I designed and formatted it with an artful, attractive, and clean look. The idea was for people to find it both desirable and easy to read, even though they may have initially viewed the subject matter as something to pass by. I also edited and designed informational pages that told potential clients about his business. For my pleasing work I received a substantial bonus.

• 2009-2012. Contract or Revenue Share writing for Examiner.com and Demand Studios (answerbag.com and ehow.com).

Published Writing & Samples (see below for older research & writing)

Recent and Forthcoming Articles

• 2015 “From Derbe to Philippi” Seek (Issue 11). Standard Publishing. A telling of 19th century Africa American evangelist Amanda Berry Smith’s adventures in faith.

• 2014 “Simone Weil (1901-1943),” poem in The Chorus. Aerie Choi, editor; Choi Publishing [Korea 2014].

Online Writing Samples

• Words Christians Use: “A” Terms (an alphabetical series) http://wp.me/p2Abhq-8Xq
• Is it Rational to be a Christian? (1 of 2) http://wp.me/p2Abhq-77
• Destiny’s Story: the Nature of Evil and its Corrupting Influence http://wp.me/p2Abhq-2E2
• Hello Kitty is Popular, but is she Evil? http://wp.me/p2Abhq-D1
• Is it Ever OK to Lie or Deceive? Biblical Considerations http://bit.ly/1tYsMR0
• Lessons in the Psalms: Summaries of C.S. Lewis’s Thoughts (1 of 3) (http://bit.ly/1nwwwDz)
• Secular Girl Activist Meets Christian Girl Activist: Love and Necromancy, OR, “An Encounter With Simone Weil: A Film Review” http://wp.me/p2Abhq-27
• Is decaffeinated coffee truly caffeine free? http://bit.ly/18GlHJj
• What do the symbols on the U.S. dollar mean? http://bit.ly/17bIDw8

Degrees

• MA History (Historic Preservation; American history and political science emphases), University of California, Riverside.  Master’s thesis research grant awarded.

• BA Anthropology (archaeology, paleoanthropology, and history emphases), California State University, Long Beach (and Central Michigan University).  With Distinction.

Certifications and Continuing Education

• “Grantwriting: Writing Successful Grant Proposals” (OneOC 3 day workshop) 2013
• Maximize Data from the Census (US Census Bureau and GPA Orange County Chapter) 2013
• Certificate of Completion, Federal Individual Income Tax Course and California State Income Tax Course (National Tax Training School), 2012-2013.
• Certificate in Christian Apologetics (Biola University), 2011.
• Medical Terminology, Medical Assisting (I), and others (Coastline Community College), 2011-2012.

Older Original Research & Writing

Publications with Original Research

• The Mexican Potters of Prado. With John Foster, et al. Statistical Research (1995).  Historical research and oral histories conducted for “A History of the Rincon Townsite and the Later Village of Prado, with an Emphasis on the 1926-1940 Prado Potteries” (Greenwood & Associates, 1993).
• Guide to the Historic Landmarks of Riverside County, California. With Janet Tearnen, et al.  Riverside County Historical Commission Press (1993).
• Historic Sacred Structures and the Unreinforced Masonry Building Law of 1986. Preservation Science and Technology Unit, UCR (1993). (Master’s thesis.)

Original Research (small sample of)

• Research, evaluations, and synthesis of 40 farming, ranching, and prospecting sites in the Domenigoni Valley (now Diamond Valley), Riverside County, CA (1993-1994).
• National Register of Historic Places nomination, Mission Court Bungalows, Riverside, CA (1992).  My research and presentation secured the listing of this property to the Register, where two previous attempts by others had failed.
• “Early Twentieth-Century Water Resources and Attitudes Concerning Growth in Tucson, Arizona.”  20^th Century Graduate Research Seminar paper.