Lamar West (Samantha Tieng) 
“In this darkness, my demons and scars seem to be the only things that understand me.”
Such is a poem on page 6 of Lamar West’s new book, “The Sinning Saint.”
His response from Scripture is: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
West, 23, recently published his second book, which opens with him questioning his faith in God, anxiety and childhood trauma, including “a lot of things growing up that I didn’t hear Christians talking about,” he said.
The book then shifts to West falling in love with Jesus again and fully surrendering his life to Him.
It concludes with West expressing his love for Christ and, although he has occasional struggles, how he has peace again.
West moved to Chester from the Petersburg-Dinwiddie area at age 9 or 10, he said.
He said that he had his first encounter with God at age 16 and dedicated his life to Him.
West graduated from L.C. Bird High School in 2014 and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Radford University in 2018.
“In 2015, I started going through depression and anxiety,” he said. “It made me distant from God and family and friends for two or three years.” This was due to insecurities and heartbreaks.
It wasn’t until he started talking to Cornelius Lindsey – a 32-year-old pastor of a non-denomination church in the Atlanta area – that West began recovering.
“We shared a similar story, and he became a mentor,” West said, noting that he chatted with Lindsey online.
On page 63, West writes: “On this mysterious and wondrous journey, I tour this place you have created, on a voyage to find you in everything I do.” God responds: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me” (Proverbs 8:17).
West wrote the book from January through April.
“The Sinning Saint” is available at amazon.com or email at [email protected].
