Being a Teenager Can Be Dangerous

Over the past weekend, four teens in my area went for a joy ride in the middle of the night. The car ended up colliding into a tree at an estimated 90 mph and literally split in half. Three kids were killed, the only survivor a boy who used his seat belt. A tragic accident that will forever be graven in that young man's memory.

According to news reports the car was stolen (by the girls who came by in the car and invited the boys to go for a ride) According to the survivor, the driver had been drinking (and it's presumed the others were too). The boy also said that when he told the driver (one of the girls) to slow down, his buddy said something to the effect of "Lighten up. If we die, we die." And he did, along with the two girls. Chilling.

I remember back when I was 16 and how I thought I was invincible. I'd get behind the wheel of my dad's car and roar through my small town at speeds well above the limit. Why the police never observed my less-than-stellar driving and put a stop it it, I have no idea. But friends of my dad did see me zooming down Main Street at high speed and told him. I think getting stopped by the cops would have been a less painful experience LOL.

I may not have stolen the car I was driving, and I wasn't drinking beer. But the mindset I had at the time wasn't too much different than the kids who died in that awful crash. The survivor said he didn't think his friend really meant the words "If we die, we die," that he was only joking. Some joke.

Why do teenagers think nothing is ever going to happen to them? Today, not only do many drink and drive drunk, a lot are doing drugs. They start out thinking they'll only try it to see what it's like and become addicted so fast they don't know what hit them. They pop pills, snort cocaine, and smoke pot, among other things. And now there's a product on the market called Bath Salts. Believe me, the powder in those little containers has nothing to do with taking a bath. Many states have started to ban the sale of these so-called bath salts, but for many, it's too little too late. Some have already died from the effects of ingesting this powder with it's rather innocent-sounding name.

Is there any way to protect our teens from being teens save locking them in their rooms until they reach their twenties? I have no concrete, fool-proof answer, except one - PRAY.

Pray for the teens you know personally. Pray for the leaders of your church's youth groups. Pray for the parents of the teens you know. I wonder if everyone started praying in this vein, what would happen.

Are you willing to find out?

Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman with Ellen Vaughn

Every now and then a book comes along that is not only great--It's a gift. An extravagant gift. This is one of those books.

Beth Moore

I ordinarily do not review non-fiction on A Writer's Journey, but this book took an exception. When I had to opportunity to receive a preview copy of Choosing to See I grabbed it up because I remembered so well the tragedy that struck the family of Steven Curtis Chapman a couple years ago.

The day I heard that Steven and Mary Beth Chapman's daughter, Maria, was accidentally struck by a car driven by their son, Caleb, and died as a result, my heart wrenched. I felt deep pain for the parents and for Caleb. I couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling over and above the normal grieving for the passing of a sibling. What made it even more poignant was that Maria was one of three girls the Chapmans had adopted from China. Before I retired from my day job and started writing full time, my boss, a single woman, had adopted two Chinese girls, and I felt a sort of kinship to the Chapmans.

I prayed hard for that family over the months following and often wondered how they were coping in the aftermath.

Mary Beth describes herself as not the extrovert in the family. She leaves that to her outgoing famous singer husband whose song lyrics and music have blessed many, leading them to praise and worship of God. Now, in the wake of her daughter's untimely death, she finds herself thrust into a spotlight she never planned on--writing this book and currently speaking at Women of Faith events.

The back of the book says: "In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones. And as the story unfolds, she's been forced to wrestle with some of life's biggest questions: Where is God when things fall apart? Why does God allow terrible things to happen: How can I survive hard times?"

Even if you have been fortunate enough to not have endured a tragedy close to what Mary Beth has experienced, you will find this book relevant. We all have those moments, those days, when everything goes wrong and nothing seems right. Mary Beth shares what God has taught her through all of this. I'm sure that her testimony of God's faithfulness, even in her deepest, darkest moments, will be an encouragement to her readers.

What I appreciated the most was her transparency. Within the book's covers she reveals her weaknesses, her strengths, her insecurities and a wonderful and sometimes unexpected sense of humor.

I highly recommend this book. I came away from it encouraged in my own relationship with God and I expect you will too!

Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge from Revell, but in no way did that influence my review.

Amazing Grace

Yesterday I attended the funeral of an amazing lady named Grace. From the first I knew her many years ago when I started attending my church, I knew she was special because she radiated God's presence in her life to those around her.

I didn't know her well, never visited her in her home, or spent time away with her apart from our church, yet I counted myself privileged to know her.

In fact, when I sat down to plot my first novel, I patterned a family matriarch after her. That book still resides in a file somewhere on my computer. The writing isn't what it takes to be published, but when I first wrote it, I had dreams of giving Grace a copy of the book and telling her about her counterpart in my character.

Except for our faith in Christ, Grace and I are as opposite as any two people could be. She was raised in a family that knew Christ and became a Christian at a young age. I was not and didn't come to my faith until in my 30s. She was one of many children and I am an only child. She married and had six children, 20 grands and 27 greats when she passed at age 93. I've never married and have no children. She and her family spent several years in Japan as missionaries and I have only been to Canada as a tourist.

Yesterday from the tributes given by her family members, it became very apparent that Grace was a Bible student and a prayer warrior. She loved the Bible and read it daily, going through the Word in its entirety every year. And, I'm sure as she was inspired by the Holy Spirit, prayed back those words to God. She also prayed constantly for her family. Where once she had her six children to pray for, as they married and had their own children, she had in-laws and grands to pray for as well. In the end 20 grands, and 27 greats with three more on the way! And, according to her son-in-law, she remembered each and every one of them right up to her last days. My own grandmother sometimes had trouble keeping her six grands straight, often calling us by the wrong name. I don't hold that against her, it's just that Grace was truly amazing.

Her example has challenged me!

I don't have children or grands of my own to pray for, but I do have spiritual children. Those I've led to the Lord over the years or have shepherded as their Bible study leader. And some I've only known as very good friends who are dear to me. Although I always pray for them, I admit to not praying enough. A very dear friend of mine who passed away a while ago was also a prayer warrior and I know she prayed for me regularly on her knees!

We lead such busy lives today that oft times prayer is neglected or we give it a lick and a promise, as a former roommate used to say about cleaning the house. Yet God is always there for us 24/7. He never slumbers or sleeps as Psalm 121 says. We can pray not only on our knees, but while we're doing other things. Brother Lawrence used to make the best of the drudgery of dish washing by praising God as he scrubbed away.

From this day forward, I am determined to pray more often and more deeply for those I hold dear and to let them know they are prayed for. How about you?