AMANDA WRITES: School is winding down, and I’m getting bored. I feel like I should be doing something other than sitting around doing nothing! I have a fairly busy summer planned, but I also have a lot of hours when I’m just home. Reading books and playing games with siblings isn’t enough to fill all that time. Do you guys have any ideas on how to keep busy during the summer...
6 Lessons From My Father on How to Pick a Spouse
My dad is going to help me pick out a husband. He’s not the shotgun-toting type, and we don’t believe in arranged marriages. I’m not from another culture or planet and I’m not a crazed fanatic. Yet my dad is helping me choose my husband. In fact, he’s already done that. No, I’m not getting married yet. I’m not even eighteen. But over my childhood and teen...
Thinking Hard About the Holy Spirit (The Hard Questions Series)
This post is part of a series of articles asking and thinking deeply about hard questions. For more information about the series and where I’m coming from you can read the introduction. The Holy Spirit is one of the most controversial aspects within Christianity. Even great men disagree about the Holy Spirit, so I definitely do not claim to have a complete answer. However, this will not...
How do you spend your time?
EMILY WRITES: What do you spend your free time on, and your not-so-free time? How do you think a Christian teenager should manage socialization, productivity, and recreation? I want to hear your thoughts on how I should manage my time, and what to spend it on. Thanks! Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section! There are currently 7 Comment(s) Have something else you’d like to discuss? Just...
Does anyone else have trouble with their youth group?
K. WRITES: Okay, so I’m the newest member of my youth group (the only 8th grader and homeschooler). I’ve gone to this church my whole life. I was really excited to finally move up into the tight knit youth group. Unfortunately when I moved up I realized three things: 1. My youth group of 12 people is made up of really popular kids 2. They aren’t that welcoming and are...
Take the #LymeDiseaseChallenge to Support Ana Harris
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? You know, when all the athletes and celebrities dumped buckets of ice water on themselves to raise funds for ALS research? Well, there’s a new challenge in town — the Lyme Disease Challenge. And instead of dumping ice water on your head you take a bite out of a lime. As many of you know, my dear wife Ana has been very sick with Lyme Disease for over two...
How to Stop Being Bored And Start Being Wonderstruck
Do you ever wonder at the world? Not in a tired way. Not like you’re upset or frustrated. Like you’re in awe. We live in a world of marvels, glorious complexities and breathtaking beauties. Every day we are surrounded by them. Yet we drink them all in without a shred of wonder or an ounce of awe. We are bored. How poignantly G.K. Chesterton assesses our condition: “We are...
How do you stay motivated?
ALANA WRITES: Lately, I’ve been in a slump where I know I have to do something, but in the end nothing is usually done. I want to want to do hard things, but I’m backsliding on this commitment. How do I get out of this? What tricks have you discovered for staying motivated? Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section! There are currently 7 Comment(s) Have something else you’d...
How can we determine God’s will for our lives?
JOY WRITES: As a teenager I always hear, “Do whatever you believe God wants you to do” or “Find God’s will for your life and follow it.” So my question is… How?! How do I know if God wants me to go to college or enlist in the military? How do I seek God’s will as a teenage Christian? Share Your Thoughts in the Comment Section! There are currently 7...
To Teens Who Want to Stand Out
For the past five years, I have placed a high value on my popularity — what people currently thought of me. It was one of my biggest priorities, but not in the way the typical teenager thinks of popularity. You see, I am different than most people. I believe that “fitting in” is undesirable. “Being normal” is not on my list of goals in life. In fact, I want to be un-normal...