The world Charles Ryder once knew — Oxford afternoons, summer at Brideshead, the careless beauty of youth — has vanished. Years have passed, and the country itself now lives under the shadow of conflict. Charles is no longer the young man who first entered Brideshead in wonder and delight. He is an army officer now, older, more sober, carrying memories that seem to belong to another lifetime. And then, unexpectedly, he finds himself returning.

So this week, we step briefly away from epic poetry and linger with a short devotional poem: “I Met the Master Face to Face” by Lorrie Cline. This poem does not argue or explain. It testifies. And like many true testimonies, it begins with confidence. I met the Master face to face,And told Him all my heart;I said my doubts and fears were gone, And faith had made me whole.