The fictitious coming-of-age tale of a young Christian girl named Katherine is found in "Stepping Heavenward." The narrative chronicles her life beginning when she is sixteen years old through love, engagement, marriage, having children, and the numerous difficulties she faces as an adult. This well-known Christian tale, which Katherine tells via several diary entries, serves as motivation for young girls who are coping with the same difficulties of growing up. According to renowned Christian speaker Elisabeth Elliot, "his book is a wealth of both Godly and womanly knowledge conveyed with disarming sincerity and humility while reflecting a deep heart's longing to know God.
Katherine is a whimsical and endearing woman who is genuinely open about her weaknesses and her yearning to know God. You will be astounded and pleased by the depth of her character and the womanly knowledge and holiness she accrues through the years as you listen to her reveal her heart through these diary entries. Whether you are 16 or 60, it is simple to identify with Katherine's accomplishments and struggles, from the pains of adolescence to the tricky juggling act of being a wife, mother, daughter, and neighbor.
American novelist Elizabeth Payson Prentiss born on October 26, 1818, is best known for the devotional book Stepping Heavenward and the song "More Love to Thee, O Christ" (1869). The late 20th century saw a rise in interest in her books. Elizabeth Payson, the fifth of Congregationalist minister Edward Payson's eight children, was born in Portland, Maine, in the United States. From an early age, Elizabeth showed extraordinary perceptiveness, profound and quick compassion, and keen cerebral ability. Elizabeth began regularly contributing stories and poetry to "The Youth's Companion," a New England religious publication, by the time she was 16 years old. Little Susy's Six Birthdays, which she composed in just ten days, was published in 1853. The poem "Mr. Nobody," which went on to become well-known among young readers and is occasionally mistakenly ascribed to "anonymous" or "Walter de la Mare," was written by her. At the age of 59, Elizabeth died in Dorset, Vermont, on August 13, 1878. The song "More Love to Thee" was played during her funeral.