FOREWORD Welcome to the 2023 edition of The Cedarville Review! Many students and faculty have worked hard all year to bring this book into being: writing, reading, and revising; painting, polishing, and designing; and pouring their time and passion into creating a print copy. Hopefully this work will be one that lasts for decades, a Cedarville souvenir sitting upon your shelf, bearing wrinkled pages and annotations of student craft. The students who published their pieces here drew from their God-given gifts and followed His suit to create. In the Bible, God commanded His creation to work. He fashioned Eden to be unfinished, inviting mankind to complete His good work: to keep the garden, to give the animals names, to explore the world He made. Being stamped with God’s image, we craft beautiful things, sow thinking-seeds, and steward the words He gifted us, all the while glorifying Him. Think of the following poems and prose as proof God made us in His image. He is The Creator; we, His creation, are creators. Yet, God also commanded His creation to rest. On the seventh day, our Creator set down His work as a sample for how we should live. We should do the same. How easy it is for us as students and teachers and professionals to drown in our calendars and planners and to-do lists. How often we forget to enjoy the big and small ways God has blessed us. As you read this edition of The Cedarville Review, give thanks for the breath in your lungs. The weight of a book in your hand. The pause of peace to read. The ability to appreciate art, verse, fiction, and nonfiction. This is God’s gift to man: to take pleasure in our toil. Whether you worked on this edition or just took time to enjoy it, know that you bear God’s image and, as a result, both create and enjoy creation. We hope these stories and art inspire your work and remind you to rest and encourage you as you reflect on your identity in God. Your life, abilities, and time are but gifts you steward in this life to glorify God and draw closer to Him. As you read and rest and write—because you’re not done yet—steward well and look to your Creator. VI
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