Check out the new book reviews. Nicole O’Dell’s Girl Talk: 180 Q&A (co-written with her two oldest daughters) and Zoe Mack and the Secret of the Love Letters by K. Dawn Byrd.
Thanks to co-author, Lisa Lickel, we also have new discussion questions to share for A Summer in Oakville. You can find them here.
Stop by and comment for a chance to win an e-copy of The Wishing Ring on Penny Zeller‘s blog and while you’re at it, give yourself permission to dream.
Finally, stop by NextGenWriters.com if you’re a writer under twenty and are interested in joining a critique group designed with you in mind.
Today, we’ll talk about Christian teen dating and I’ll use some examples from my debut young adult novel, Mistaken Identity, to illustrate a few points. In Mistaken Identity, my debut young adult romance, Eden Morgan is a sixteen year old Christian trying her best to live for Jesus. She grew up in a Christian home and her father is a Sunday School teacher and her mother a Christian Counselor. Eden is ridiculed by her peers at times because of her faith, but she refuses to compromise even when her feelings are hurt bad enough for her to cry.
Eden makes a goal of several things she wants to accomplish during the summer vacation and believes that if she’s successful, she’ll have the best summer ever. One of them is landing the guy of her dreams. There’s certain criteria that he has to meet…he must be gorgeous, he must be a Christian, and her parents must approve.
Eden made a vow to save herself for marriage, something she feels so strongly about that it’s not even open for discussion. She’s asked out by a boy who she thinks is cute, but he’s known to paw all over the girls he dates and has the reputation for pressuring them to have sex with him. For that reason, Eden refuses to go out with him.
When her best friend, Lexi, who is a wild party girl dumps her boyfriend, Jeremy, he asks Eden to a dance. She says yes because he’s hurt and she wants to comfort him. She then begins to think about the fact that some of her peers may think she’s trying to get Jeremy to like her so he won’t go back to Lexi. She worries about her reputation because she wants to glorify God. After all, one of the goals she made for the summer was to live closer to God.
Eden has invited Lexi to church many times and prays for her salvation constantly. Of course, she’s angry when Lexi makes fun of her, but she still loves her. Events in the story unfold and their friendship dissolves. Eden comes to grips with the fact that she can never trust her again, but will still try to be a friend if needed. It’s important for Christian to be there for others, including people who have hurt us emotionally, that doesn’t mean we have to be their best friend though.
Teenage life can be so hard. We all want to feel like we fit in and we want to be liked and respected by others. Sometimes, it’s hard to do the right thing in a world that has gone so wrong. I’ll leave you with one thought. My elderly father-in-law has a favorite saying, “For every action, there is a reaction.” This is a reminder to me that for every action, there will be consequences for me, good or bad.
K.Dawn can be found on her website, Facebook, and twitter.
What do you think about teens dating?
