On the day I graduated from college, I came out with a Bachelor of Music degree, an eagerness to hit the real world—and not an ounce of debt. Don’t get me wrong. Like caffeine, cold medicine, and laxatives, student loans can be a blessing when used judiciously. But when you… Read More »How I Made It Through College Without Student Loans
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” For many, John 3:16 was the very first Bible verse you memorized in Sunday school. From the start, you were taught Jesus died on the cross to take away… Read More »Justification by Faith Explained: A Simple High School Analogy
Does God want you to dream big? I can only imagine what your response to that might be. What kind of Negative Nancy would say God doesn’t want us to dream big? Isn’t that part of what he created us to do—why he gave us our talents and this fascinating… Read More »Does God Want You To Dream Big?
I am someone whose mood is directly affected by the weather. More specifically, I think, by the clouds. If it’s bright and sunny outside, I find it much easier to be cheerful than on those days when the clouds spread across the sky in a thin haze, dimming the sun’s… Read More »Feeling Blue? Trust That God is Always There
If this is your first time visiting my site, welcome! I’m Lauren Thell, author of YA fiction for those who walk through fire. I write for Christian teens and anyone else looking for something bigger than life on Earth. But somewhere along the way, I also become a known blogger,… Read More »Becoming An Author: My Crazy Journey So Far
“When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2 It was early in my author journey that this line from Isaiah birthed my tagline: YA fiction for those who walk through fire. I write for Christian teens, those who… Read More »Christian YA Short Stories For Those Who Walk Through Fire
As we celebrate another year at LaurenThell.com, I feel it’s appropriate to highlight the first Christian YA short story series to appear exclusively on this site. Kane was the character who started it all, and during a time when my novels were not yet available for widespread distribution, he allowed… Read More »SEASONS OF KANE: a Christian YA Short Story Series
Respect. Aretha Franklin sang about it, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about it, teachers in primary and secondary schools preach it every day. And yet, here we are in a world where good examples of genuine, unconditional respect are hard to come by, especially in the news. I feel pretty… Read More »Why Everyone Deserves Unconditional Respect