Being raised in the buckle of the Bible belt, this question has been weighing on me for a while. It sometimes frustrates me that we insist on putting on our best clothes to go to Sunday morning service, but then on Wednesday nights we wear our jeans with holes and our racerback tank tops, and it’s somehow different. I want to know what the Bible has to say on this, and I want to know what...
Is it okay to be bored with small hard things?
LAURA WRITES: So I try to do the small hard things that come into my day, but I keep feeling like I’m missing out. I want to do something “real,” something that matters more than whether I’m respectful to my mom or if I play one game with my little brother. Simply put, I’m bored with what I have to do. Should I wait for God to bring along an opportunity for me to do...
Struggling With Math Taught Me How to Change the World
I can’t say that my journey of doing hard things has been anything spectacular. In fact most of ya’ll would possibly consider me the least experienced to write on this topic. I never ran any political campaign, never raised an enormous amount of money for some kind of organization or ministry; never started a business. I am just Hannah, a simple rather unordinary ordinary girl. Nevertheless, hard...
How can we have free will when God already has a plan for our lives?
KATIE WRITES: A friend of mine at school is an atheist. She grew up in a Christian family, but struggles with a lot of questions that she wants answered. Yesterday, she told me that she was confused why her family always said, “We have free will,” but then other times said, “God has a plan for your life!” I told her that it was a tough question and that I didn’t know...
Did You Really Think There Wouldn’t Be a Cost?
I’m a wimp. This isn’t exactly a new discovery, but in light of recent events it’s a fairly obvious physical trait. When I think of myself I see a strong, confident girl ready to take on anything with a sparkling smile, sense of humor, and endurance that would outlast Chuck Norris (maybe a little past his prime). Of course, my daydream usually commences as I’m perched in a...
How do you get over a crush?
VICTORIA WRITES: After falling in love with a boy, and then watching him date my friend, I have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I was depressed, then mad, then okay, then sad, and so on. A couple times, I surrendered him to the Lord — trusting in God’s perfect plan for my life, and then, a couple days later, forgot, and was sad again. I want to be done. My flesh wants to just...
One Thing Atheists and Non-Believers Have Right
I’m disheartened and, I dare say, maybe even a little frightened by this big world. I’m disheartened and, I dare say, maybe even a little frightened by the fact that a great portion of humanity is so anti-God. Evil likes to masquerade in a robe tinted with just enough light to cause questions of whether the darkness is really there. Lately, it seems like those robed in darkness can be...
How do you deal with a guy or girl who keeps flirting with you?
LYDIA WRITES: I am having issues with a certain guy in my youth group and I’m not sure how to send him the message that I am not interested without being unduly rude. I care about him as a friend and, therefore, want to continue a relationship on that level but I do not want him to get the wrong ideas. I have told him that the only relationship I am interested in is my relationship with...
5 Things That Make The Teen Years Absolutely Crazy
I think being a teen is crazy. It’s like a roller coaster and we’re standing on the loop-de-loop. (Or something like that. I’ve never been great with analogies.) Anyway, I wanted to talk about five things that make the teen years crazy, and what we can do about them. 1) Stress Life is stressful… there’s no denying it. School, pressure from everywhere, more freedom...
How do you deal with cheating and academic dishonesty?
KATIE WRITES: A couple girls in my history class are sharing notes and class discussion answers even when the teacher specifically told us not to. They ask other people who have already taken the test about the questions on it even though they aren’t supposed to, because it’s considered cheating. Two of the girls in the group are in my homeroom and they talk about it all the time in...