Advice on growing solid friendships and deeper relationships with others.
Does it ever feel like high school is one continuous loop of social drama? One minute, everything is “fine,” and the next, someone’s upset, people are whispering, and suddenly you’re choosing sides and dividing into factions. And being a Christian doesn’t magically set you above frivolous drama. Just ask the… Read More »Surviving High School 101: How to Handle Friendship Drama
My freshman year of high school, I had a terrifying experience: A foreign exchange student approached me for a dance. Laugh all you want but as the resident shy girl, all I could think was, he’s going to read into this. (Which is funny because I was reading into it.) After an awkward… Read More »Approachable & Authentic: How to Talk to Guys Without Fear
It’s a classic YA fiction setup: A boy and a girl—best friends from childhood—suddenly develop “the feels” for each other. They spend the next 250 pages hiding and/or fighting these feelings, only to explode with emotion, fall into each other’s arms, and ride off into the sunset, hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, readers… Read More »How to Be “Just Friends” With a Guy: A Teen Girl’s Guide
Ever been the only “sober” person in a digital party? It’s not all that different from being the only sober person at a wedding reception. Everyone around you is blitzed and they’re getting loud and they think they’re funny but they’re too drunk to realize how stupid they sound and… Read More »Put Down Your Phone! The Magic of Digital Minimalism
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
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
This is a continuation of my last post, What Does it Mean to Fear God, during which I reiterated that while an unbeliever has reason to be AFRAID of God, the fear believers have is one of awe and reverence. But, practically speaking, what exactly should that look like in… Read More »8 Ways to Grow in the Fear of God
Valentine’s Day: a holiday typically adored by swoony couples and loathed by singles everywhere. Where do you land on that spectrum? It’s terribly tempting to become a Valentine’s Day Grinch if you’re not in a romantic relationship when February 14th rolls around, especially if you’re in high school where everyone, it… Read More »True Love on Valentine’s Day, No Matter Your Relationship Status