Ready for some honesty? I dread inviting people to church. Just the thought of approaching a friend with an invitation to worship knots my stomach in highly unpleasant ways—so much that I questioned whether I was really the best person to write about how to invite someone to church. And… Read More »How to Invite Someone to Church—Without Being Weird
What’s so wrong about pornography if I’m not married? Why can’t a teenage couple have sex if they both consent and use protection? Is lying so bad if it doesn’t hurt anyone? Who says two men can’t marry each other if it makes them happy? My last two posts (The… Read More »Biblical Discernment For Teens: How to Make Good Decisions
I’ve been writing for young people of faith for several years, which means I’ve done a lot of reading up on topics relevant to the Christian teen life. And while some issues come and go, one topic that never falls out of the loop is dating. How far is too… Read More »The Ultimate Teen’s Guide to Christian Dating: Your Top 20 Questions Answered
In an age where things that used to make people gasp and blush are now commonplace in literature—especially, young adult literature—it’s great to see a thriving “clean” YA fiction market. This means enough readers still demand virtue and integrity in their media. And if you’re a Christian, you might be… Read More »The Problem With Clean YA Fiction For Christian Teens
Everybody’s doing it. I don’t want to be the oddball. You might not admit it out loud, but it’s in the back of your mind whenever you encounter pressure to do something. And it doesn’t even have to be something sinful. Everybody’s dating…going on the school ski trip…signing up for basketball…getting… Read More »The Truth About The Lie Behind Peer Pressure
I still remember the day when performance anxiety became a thing for me. I’d been taking piano lessons since I was eight. Something about the piano clicked with me from the beginning. I ate up the lessons and devoured all the music my teacher could find. In fifth grade, I… Read More »Tame Your Nerves: How to Overcome Performance Anxiety
If you had a choice between great wealth or genuine confidence…which would you choose? I won’t make assumptions about anyone who’s reading this, but I would give up a lot for a lifetime supply of genuine, irrepressible confidence. Imagine what a person not lacking in confidence can face! Even the… Read More »What is Genuine Confidence—And Where Can I Get Some?
What’s the first image that comes to your mind when someone asks you to envision someone who’s tough? Someone with lots of muscles, right? Like the guy who can beat anybody in an arm-wrestling competition, or the football player who can take any hit on the field and give it… Read More »Real Toughness Redefined: How to Develop a Strong Mind