Product Description

This new volume in the blockbuster teen series puts faith first.

For teens who make God an integral part of their lives, teens who are sorting through doubts about whether God really cares about them, and teens who don't know God at all, Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul may be one of the most influential books they'll ever read.

These stories about love, friendship, forgiveness, making a difference, courage, dating (and lots more) show how God is at work in teenagers' lives. Teens share stories about how God has given them the courage to cope with the tough stuff, the joy to live a fulfilling life, the strength to persevere when they feel alone, and the love and confidence they need to feel good about themselves. This very special volume will also help them to use other teens' experiences to build a stronger relationship with God.

For teens tempted to use drugs, alcohol or other substances, Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul can be a lifeline to God. They will know that God cares what they think when it feels as if no one else does, and that he loves them no matter what.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #350026 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 6-12. With its familiar mix of the inspirational, the sad but heartwarming, and the sweetly funny, the Chicken Soup series turns to the audience of Christian teens. Grouped by subject ("On Faith," "On Loss and Grieving," "On Gratitude"), the stories, poems, and cartoons offer hope, comfort, and more than a few tears. Throughout, there's an emphasis on God working in surprising ways. In one selection, an anonymous teenager develops a stutter after a terrible beating but then discovers a calling as a music therapist as a result of the speech impediment. Many teens will relate to an anecdote about a young woman's struggles after being dumped by her boyfriend, though the connection between the breakup and Christianity is never made literal in her postbreakup search for comfort and meaning. Like the best selections here, her story is inspirational without being condescending or message heavy. The teenage writers' pieces will connect with the audience better than the selections written by adults, but even the grown-ups' nostalgic recollections have the air of authentic feeling. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, are professional speakers who have dedicated their lives to enhancing the personal and professional development of others. Kimberly Kirberger is the coauthor of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series, Chicken Soup for the College Soul and Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul, as well as author of the Teen Love series. Kimberly is also president of Inspiration And Motivation for Teens, Inc. (I.A.M. for Teens), an organization dedicated to supporting and helping teens, and she has recently formed Soup and Support for Teachers and Teens, a nonprofit organization that provides books and curriculum guidelines to teachers, therapists and rehabilitation centers. Patty Aubery and Nancy Mitchell-Autio are coauthors of Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, Christian Family Soul, Surviving Soul, Expectant Mother's Soul and Christian Woman's Soul.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

As We Forgive Those

"I cannot believe she is here!" I complained to my roommate, Amy. I had decided to go on the retreat to get away from the stress in my life, and was ecstatic when I discovered that Amy and my boyfriend, Mike, were also going. My excitement turned to dismay when I discovered that the girl who was constantly trying to break up my relationship was also going on the retreat. "Just look at her! We haven't even left yet and she's already all over him! Maybe this retreat wasn't such a good idea after all," I whined.

Amy and I watched as Mike untangled himself from the girl and headed our way. "It's a test, Mol," Amy began. "It's a test from God. Are you up to it?"

"Hope so," I replied, as we piled into the car.

Once we arrived at the lodge, our team leaders did some icebreakers to help us get to know each other. The first icebreaker paired two people together. Guess who got paired together? Mike and the girl. I glared as she snuggled up to Mike and asked him to tell her about himself. I looked over at Amy, who was looking at me and mouthing the words, "Test from God."

It was time for a break, so I headed to the bathroom. I heard someone come in, then a voice said, "Well she's his girlfriend, but don't worry, because by the end of the retreat . . ." I stepped out of the stall, and the girl stopped speaking. Giving her a fierce glare, I stormed out of the restroom in search of Amy. When I told her what had happened, she replied just as she had earlier, "It's a test, Mol. What kind of person are you going to be?"

I didn't get the chance to respond because we were being corralled into small groups for discussion. Sure enough, when I arrived at the place where my group was to meet, she was the first person I saw. I could not believe my luck. I kept trying to think of what horrible thing I had done to make God punish me like this. Mike and I were finally together after a year and a half of struggling over whether or not to take our very close friendship to the next level. I didn't want to go through all of that again. I decided that later that night I would talk to him about the girl. He wasn't showing any interest in her, but the fact that she was wherever he was grew increasingly frustrating.

My thoughts were interrupted because small group discussion began. The topic was faith and spirituality, and everyone was sharing a little about his or her faith. When it was her turn, I listened to her talk about how she had lost members of her family this year and was very frustrated with God. "I don't really have any spirituality," she said, while staring at the floor.

During reflection time, her comment about not really having any spirituality was all I could think about. Did she really mean that? I watched her sitting quietly across the room, and knew she needed someone to talk to. Thoughts of "What Would Jesus Do?" wandered through my mind. Even though I had some extremely hostile feelings toward this girl, I knew someone needed to reach out to her. I took a scrap of notebook paper and scribbled the following note: "I'm glad you're here this weekend! If you need someone to talk to, I'm willing to listen. Have a good weekend! God bless, Molly."

The next morning at breakfast the girl approached me. It wasn't until she got close that I realized she had tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much for your note," she told me. "You are the sweetest person!" She threw her arms around me and sobbed. I hugged her back for a very long time. When I looked up, Amy was smiling at me from across the room.

That night, Mike and I went for a walk to talk about the situation. I explained to him what she said in the small group, and told him about the note I had written to her. I wanted to be able to help this girl, but I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't even know if she wanted help. After a while, we stopped and silently watched delicate snowflakes cover the ground in the season's first snow.

Mike made me feel better. "First of all, realize that nothing she can do will ever pull us apart. We've been through too much to let that happen," he said. "And as for helping her, you can do it, Molly. You can do it if you try. Just give it a chance. Sometimes you just have to let go and let God take care of it."

I went to bed thinking about those words and woke up with a different attitude. From then on, Tracy and I became closer. We shared our heartbreaks and our happiness, and learned a lot about each other. At times, she reminded me a little bit of myself. As we prepared to leave the retreat, everyone was trying to get the chance to say one last goodbye to the people they had shared so much with. When she and I found each other, we burst into tears and embraced. We stood there hugging each other as the group began to say the "Our Father." When they got to the part where it says, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," I realized I had figured out what it was all about.

Amy had been right. The retreat was a test from God. Before the retreat, I had been trying to deal with so many thingsùmy mother had been seriously ill for months, I had two thesis papers due within the next two weeks, and I had gotten so run down from trying to deal with it all that I had very little self-esteem left. I felt like I was at the end of my rope. During that "Our Father," I realized that God had given me an opportunity to show to myself what kind of person I was. I realized what it meant to be a child of God. Suddenly, all of the things I was so worried about before the retreat didn't seem so important anymore. I didn't have to do it all alone. I had God on my side.

Mike had been watching from across the room. I dried my eyes and walked to his open arms. "I love you," I said, smiling up at him.

He kissed me on the forehead and hugged me tight. "I just watched you grow," he said. I hugged him back. I had watched me grow, too.

Molly A. Burrows

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¬2003. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, Patty Aubery, Nancy Mitchell-Autio. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.

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Customer Reviews

Chicken Soup For the Teen Age Soul
I bought it for our Granddaughter's 13th Birthday.
Grandpa was so intrigued with it I had to pry it from him to wrap it!
Inspiring and helpful for teens to grandparents!

Great with Devotions
I read a story a night from this book after we read devotions at the dinner table. We all love the stories. Some of the stories our sad and make you think. Some are funny like the Lesson in Lavendar story which is one of our favorites on Compassion and Forgiveness. This story just happened to fit right with our Devotion readings from Sticky Situations 2 another great book. The book is geared for teens but we all can relate to the stories and enjoy them.

Chicken Soup!
I absolutely love all chicken soup books and this one was equally amazing. I thought that Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soup was very well written. The stories were very realistic and I think that anyone could relate to them. It covered everyday issues like school, family, friends, and just faith in general. In short this book is very heartwarming and can be read by most everyone.