A Teen's Guide to Christian Living: Practical Answers to Tough Questions About God and Faith (Paperback)

by Bettie B. Youngs (Author), Leigh Youngs Jennifer (Author), Debbie Thurman (Author) "The Bible opens with the words, "In the beginning, God . . . ..." (more)
Key Phrases: Holy Spirit, Teen Talk, Real Talk About God (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In their bestselling Taste Berries books, the Youngs utilized the power of stories to connect with teenagers. Their latest offering gathers such stories together in the last section, a change that will greatly reduce the readability of the book, which is otherwise a rather didactic series of questions and answers about Christianity. If the stories had been interwoven with the "answer" content, the result would have been much more effective. The first section of the book, Who is God (and Why Does It Matter)?, offers background material about the Bible and the Christian faith. It is hard to imagine that teenagers with burning questions will find much to engage them in these heavy, historically and theologically driven chapters. Other sections of the book (How is God a Part of My Everyday Life?) are more interesting and relevant to adolescents. While some social issues, like pornography, are given a thorough discussion, other topics, such as "cussing," are addressed too simplistically or dodged altogether. Personal reflection questions at the end of each chapter attempt to bring lessons home to young readers. Although the book contains some material teens would find helpful, the lack of a topical index means that such nuggets may be difficult to find. Nor is it likely that most teens will wade through the book's almost 400 pages.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A Teen's Guide to Christian Living takes a refreshing look at real faith in God and how it sustains the younger believer through the ups and downs of life. As teens cope with the pain and fear of divorced parents, broken or abusive relationships, illness, or simply with the pressures of everyday living, this book will help to keep them on solid ground and gain a deeper understanding of their faith through answers to questions like:

• How well does God know me? Does He love me in spite of things I've said and done?
• Is there a best way to pray? How does prayer make a difference?
• Does God watch over my family even if they don't all believe in Him?
• Does loving God mean I can't go to parties, kiss or flirt?
• Should I only associate with people who believe what I believe?
• Can I still be a regular teen with regular friends and a regular life?

A particular strength of this book lies in stories by teens who share how they learned to rely on God during a moment of truth in their lives-stories that will inspire other teens to surmount life's challenges. Each chapter teaches a particular topic and closes with thought-provoking questions that will help teens examine their lives and put Christian principles into practice.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Faith Communications (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757301010
• ISBN-13: 978-0757301018
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #219,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review posted to www.t4jlibrary.com, October 13, 2003

By	trisha (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Christian youth have many questions - they have questions about faith, about God, about being a Christian. They have many questions when tough times hit as do any of us. So where does a teen turn when they begin having questions? Who do they ask when so many adults have no clue how to talk with youth? The authors of this book have done an excellent job in pulling together the information and resources to answer the questions addressed - rather than your typical "does God exist" types of questions this book had questions like "How do I relate to people of other faiths?" and "Who is God and what is He like?" The personal reflection questions at the end of each chapter were great - very valuable questions intended to encourage thinking and help them understand what they read in relation to their own life. The end of the book contained amazing testimonies and stories from real life teens - a further emphasis of the message of the book alive and well in real life. This is a book any Christian can relate to - youth or adult. It contains the answers to the questions you hear from youth daily. Educate yourself first and then share this book with all the youth you know. It is well worth the time to read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST CHRISTIAN TEEN GUIDE OUT THERE!, October 16, 2003

By	Natalie (USA) - See all my reviews

I have read most of the Taste Berries for Teen books, and really liked them. This book has the same great stories, but is also very different. I guess some people wanted it to be more like the Taste Berry books, but how could it be? I want somebody who knows a whole lot more about life and God than I do telling me how to live the Christian walk. To me, the best section is how to bring God into all aspects of your daily living. I have questions about life. No book I've seen yet has answered my questions as well as this one does. I feel I understand what it means to be a Christian better now.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book!, December 29, 2003

By A Customer

This book is good for those who don't know much about their faith, or need more explaination from others. I enjoyed the book but I already knew much of it. It did explain some things better to me. If they were to make another book about faith, I hope it would go more in depth on the subjects they only seemed to touch in this book, and ask/talk about more thought provoking questions. I recommend this book to all teens in need of a good spiritual book. (And to those who said this book is to long, I believe that your religion is not something that you can write simply if you want it to make any sense to you... that is why this book is this way, long but each subject is to the point.)