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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE CHRISTIAN TEENAGE SOUL CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE CHRISTIAN TEENAGE SOUL Stories to Open the Hearts of Christian Teens Jack Canfield Mark Victor Hansen Kimberly Kirberger Patty Aubery Nancy Mitchell-Autio Backlist, LLC, a unit of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC Cos Cob, CT www.chickensoup.com Dear God, Please receive our heartfelt gratitude and thanks for all teenagers. Please bless them and help them see their path to You. We pray for their happiness, their growth and their good. May their lives be illuminated by Your light. May they find that for which they are seeking. And may their hearts be filled with Your love. Amen. Contents Introduction 1. ON FAITH Sometimes Jenny Sharaf Rescue Me Matt Rivers Our Day to Give Thanks Michael Manzi Searching and Finding Abby Danielle Burlbaugh Louisa’s Bouquet Cynthia M. Hamond Winning the Race Johanna Olson as told to Christy Heitger-Casbon Let There Be Faith Lindsay Beth Wondero A Cross in the Sand Lana L. Comstock Wise Guy Walker Meade Childish Faith Christina Marie Dotson In-VINCE-ible Lessons Casey Glynn Patriarco 2. ON COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESS Lantern Hallie Lantana An Unexpected Customer Ashleigh Kittle Slater A Lesson in Lavender Joseph B. Walker Sweet Sixteen Shelly Teems Johnson as told to Gloria Cassity Stargel Only Words Becky Steinberg Dance Lessons Jane Kise 3. ON KINDNESS AND GIVING The Mirror Cynthia M. Hamond A Father’s Love Michael T. Powers The Stutterer Name Withheld as told to Marsha Arons Faith Overcomes Fear Allison Carlyon Care Bags Heather Black Strive Anastasia Cassidy 4. ON LEARNING AND HEALING A Forgiving Heart Gary Flaherty Desperate to Fit In Colleen Holmes as told to Jake Swanson Michael Jake Swanson as told to Crystal Kirgiss Blindness Sara Torina Have You Ever? Kristy Glassen Praying for Your Enemies Julie Johnston Mama’s Lesson Nicole Plyler Fisk 5. ON LOSS AND GRIEVING The Joy of Easter Marion Blanchard A Letter to Heaven April Linck Letting Go Kelli Czarnick The Beauty of Rain Cheryl Costello-Forshey Here to Stay Brittany Lynn Jones Dad’s Gift Mary Cornelia Van Sant 6. ON LOVE The World Won’t Stop Meredith Wertz Staring Back at Me Ben Jenkins My Light Robyn Robertson Promises Kept Kristi Powers Learning to Love Bernard “Richie” Thomassen as told to Heather Black My Superhero Amy Rene Byrne Safe at Last Bethany Schwartz Missing the Dance Michele “Screech” Campanelli 7. ANGELS AMONG US Angels Among Us Kerri Knipper He Sees Kristina J. Adams The Days We Prayed Hugh T. Chapman I Just Wanna Be a Sheep Christina Marie Dotson Batman and Robin Forever Elizabeth Hannibal My Lollipop Andrea Mendez Thirty Cents Worth Trish E. Calvarese The Prayer Cards Mary Stedham 8. ON GRATITUDE My Little Buddy Bethany Couts Marking the Trail Tim Chaney as told to LeAnn Thieman Pulse Adrianna Hutchinson Good-Bye, Pollywogs Lynne Zielinski The Gift of Life Kristi Powers Daddy’s Hug Melanie Walenciak 9. ON BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES Walking by Faith Corinne Ingram Daddy’s Miracle Jenny DeYaeger Death Wave Michael Ambrosio Charmed Life Name Withheld as told to Marsha Arons A Divine Purpose Nathan Roy Blessed Jerrilyn Thetford as told to Heather Black Roses for Tara Tara Steele as told to Heather Black 10. THY WILL BE DONE How Sweet the Sound Cynthia M. Hamond The Final Cut Patricia H. Mason Believe in Me Amy Alamillo Finding My Eternal Summer Katie L. Schaan As We Forgive Those Molly Schumacher Who Is Jack Canfield? Who Is Mark Victor Hansen? Who Is Kimberly Kirberger? Who Is Patty Aubery? Who Is Nancy Mitchell-Autio? Contributors Permissions Introduction Dear Teens, We have come a long way together. Since the first Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul book came out in 1997, we have heard from hundreds of thousands of you. You have written letters, and you have e-mailed. You have called, and you have posted messages in our Web site forums. You have shared with us, and you have confided in us. As a result, we know that your connection and relationship with God are important to you. We have been deeply moved by the expressions of faith in the letters and stories you send. Many of you have requested a Chicken Soup book especially for Christian teenagers, so we have written and compiled this book for you. We hope you find that the stories in this book reflect your spiritual experiences— your devotion, your lessons, your longings and your beliefs. The teenagers in this book write about love, compassion, loss, forgiveness, gratitude and blessings. They offer their personal experiences to uplift your spirits, inspire your faith and encourage your relationship with God. This book is for those hoping to deepen and strengthen their faith in God. It will also provide solace and comfort for those questioning their relationship with God. Finally, it is a powerful introduction to what it means to be a Christian teen for those curious about Christianity or exploring Christianity for the first time. May this book inspire and deepen your relationship with God, and may you always be blessed by God’s grace. All our love, Kimberly, Jack, Mark, Patty and Nancy 1 ON FAITH Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 Sometimes Sometimes I question you, And wonder whether you’re listening. I can’t see you, or touch you, or even feel you, So how do I know if you’re really there? Sometimes I get mad at you, When I see bad things happen to good people. I wonder why you wouldn’t save them. It makes me wonder if you’re real. Sometimes when I pray to you, I can sense that you are there with me, Watching over me as your child, Blessing me with your grace. Sometimes when I can see you clearly, When I see little babies or kind smiles, Generous people and the beauty of nature, It makes me believe with my whole heart. Sometimes my questions about you don’t matter, Even though there are never definite answers. I have faith in your love. Forgive me, God, for ever questioning you. Jenny Sharaf Rescue Me More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones. Mother Teresa My high school was in a border town, meaning we got new students who came over with their families from Mexico. Sometimes they’d speak English, and sometimes they didn’t. We wouldn’t normally mingle with these kids. We just sort of stuck with our own group. Leticia was different. She was one of those girls who walks in a room, and everything gets all fuzzy and slow motion, like in the movies. She had long, dark hair and the greenest eyes I’d ever seen. She smiled as she walked by, and even though it probably wasn’t at me, I took it as a sign. I’m not usually the “lucky” type, but fate seemed to be smiling down on me because it turned out she was in most of my classes. The first time she was called on in U.S. History, she knew the answer (which I didn’t), and she spoke in perfect English. I later found out she was from Mexico City and had studied American History at her school there. This totally intimidated me. On April 11, I was sitting in U.S. History, totally stressing about a midterm we were having the next day. I didn’t even notice the guidance counselor come in to talk to our teacher, Mr. Huston. When he called my name, I didn’t hear him. Then I looked up, and both he and the counselor had strange expressions on their faces, and they were looking at me. Something was wrong. I figured I was in trouble, but I couldn’t imagine for what. I followed the guidance counselor down the hall and into her office. When we got there, the principal was there, too. They were both silent for a minute. Then the principal began to speak. “Your father has had a heart attack. The paramedics and doctors did everything they could to save him, but I’m afraid he didn’t make it.” “Okay,” I said. “Well, I’d better be getting back to class. I don’t want to miss the rest of the exam review.” They looked at me, stunned. I didn’t really know what I was saying. I felt like they were telling me about someone else’s dad. I just didn’t get it. The next few weeks were a blur as we had the funeral and began adjusting to life without my dad. I went back to school after I ran out of things to do at home. Everything felt a little different. I can’t exactly explain how; it just did. Back at school everyone was super-nice to me. The teachers didn’t call on me, and they kept asking me to stay after class to see if I was “okay.” My friends were really weird. I felt like I couldn’t talk to them about the same old things. It was all so strange. My dad was a great guy, and then all of a sudden he was dead. He didn’t do anything wrong. He never hurt anyone. I started eating lunch alone. I just couldn’t deal with listening to the same stupid jokes or talking about random stuff. About three weeks after I went back to school, I was sitting in a corner of the quad, not really eating, just staring off into space.

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