4th annual fiction contest WINNERS

What a day for winners here in the ec office. First we announce our photo contest winners, and now we are pleased to announce the winners and runners up in our 4th annual fiction contest. 

With no further ado, the winners are. . .

Middle School division:
Winner: Sarah Krull for her story “Party at Ray's House”
Runner Up: Mandy Hill for her story “Failure Folly”

High School division: 
Winner: Patrick Parker for his story "The Other Side"
Runners Up: Robby Hall for "All in Hand" and Kali Long for "The Move"

You'll be able to read Sarah and Patrick's winning stories in their entirity in the June issue of ec. Our runners up (Mandy Hill, Robby Hall, and Kali Long) and all our readers can check out their prize-winning stories here on the blog during the week of June 6.

ec's 4th annual fiction contest: THE RULES

Want to enter our 4th annual fiction contest? Here's everything you need to know:

• An original, never-before-published fiction story written entirely by the person submitting it to the competition. Be creative! Strive to write a story that is interesting, relevant, and inviting to teens. Your submission should somehow highlight what it means to trust God in all areas of your life.

• Each story should begin with the sentence: “The teen walked into the room, shut the door, then leaned against it and sighed.” You CAN change the word teen to describe your character. For example, 15-year-old girl or the young man.

• Use proper grammar and run spell check before submitting your story.

• Submissions should be no more than 750-1000 words long and must be typed. Your submission will not be returned to you.

• Your story should be submitted as a .doc or .docx file and sent as an attachment via e-mail to godlifefun@gmail.com. (If you cannot create those types of files, please copy your story into the body of your e-mail.) Put “4th annual fiction contest” in the e-mail subject line.

• Submissions must be received by midnight on December 15, 2010, to be judged.

• Please include your name, mailing address, grade, e-mail address, phone number, and T-shirt size with your submission.

• The competition will include two divisions: high school and middle school. Students currently in grades 6-9 should enter the middle school category and mark their submissions accordingly. Students in grades 10-12 should enter the high school competition. Writers must be between the ages of 12-19 to enter.

• A panel of judges will name one winner and one to two runners-up in each category. The winning stories will be featured in an upcoming issue of ec or on our blog (http://ecmagazine.blogspot.com). Winners will also receive ec T-shirts and a small prize.

• To read the official rules and regulations, please visit: http://www.lifeway.com/ecfictioncontest.

Fiction contest finalist: Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown is the only finalist in the high school division of our 3rd annual ec fiction contest. Rachel is from Danville, Va., in 10th grade, and likes golf, guitar, reading, hanging out with her friends—and writing, of course! 


The panel picked Rachel's story as a finalist because her point of view and the perspective from which she told the story (two protagonists telling what's happening from their points of view) was intriguing to us. Good job, Rachel! 

Here's Rachel's story: 

She was on the edge. She could not take it any longer. The stress, the tears, the pain had swallowed her whole, and she could not escape.

She crammed her books into her locker. As she shoved her last book inside, she noticed this book didn’t even have a cover. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but what if it doesn’t have a cover? The only thing that matters to this book is what is on the inside, yet no one cares to pick it up. It is coverless and seemingly hopeless.

The girl got up, slammed the locker door, and hoped never to return.

He was experiencing the last day of school of his senior year. No exams, no summer school; life was good… until yesterday.

*****
His youth pastor had issued a challenge to all the seniors. He told them to introduce themselves to someone who seemed to be alone, invite him or her to church, and tell that person that God cares for him or her.

The bell ending the last day of school had just rung, and the boy hadn’t taken his pastor up on the challenge.
***
She had suffered a miserable life.  Each boyfriend she had told her he loved her, had sex with her, then moved on to the next girl.  Each drink she had only washed away the problems for a little while.  Each high only made her forget about her worries temporarily. 
Her dad had walked away from the family when she was nine-years-old; he had taken their money but left his only daughter.  Mom wasn’t much better.  When she came home from school, she saw her mother lying in the floor, barely conscious, with an empty beer bottle in her hand. The only good thing her mother did for her was bring in money from her cashier job; the money was only enough to keep them alive.

But now, she didn’t see the point in living.
***
He had everything he had ever wanted.  Good family, good friends, good athletic career, and good grades were all aspects of his life.  He also had a great God, but he didn’t tell people about that part of his life very often.

He was a Christian; it was true.  He had been following Christ since he was 9 years old. But he had always had trouble telling others about his faith. He was fearless as a lion on the football field, yet when it came to ministering to others, he was as timid as a deer.  His whole high school career, he had made no attempts to tell others about Jesus.

But now, that was going to change. 

***
She walked out into the blistering heat, and the sun seemed to scorch her alive. She didn’t care.  The gun they had in their house still had one bullet; one bullet was all she needed to end the pain.

He walked through the door to the outside, clutching his skateboard.  The sun was bright overhead.  He would need sunscreen if he was going to skateboard this afternoon.   But he still had the mission to complete; one person to shine the Light to be all he needed.

She stood on the sidewalk outside the front of her school, waiting for her bus.  It was late again.  No surprise.   

He walked up the sidewalk at the front of school. Today was the last day of high school of his life. He had to make it memorable.  He had to find someone.

She turned her head left and right, looking anywhere for the bus.  All she saw was some boy, probably a senior, approaching.  He was attractive, but she had learned her lesson about boys such as him. 

He looked ahead, and he spotted a girl standing on the sidewalk.  She was probably a freshman waiting for her bus.  She looked his way, and he stopped.  She looked away again, and he trudged toward her. 

She almost ran away, but this guy did not look to be a creep.  Was that a smile on his face?

He plastered a nervous smile on his face and looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time.  She looked broken. 

She turned to the boy as he approached.

He introduced himself to her. He told her why he wanted to talk with her.  He told her it was all because of God.  He told her how God had issued him a challenge through his youth pastor- to tell someone about Jesus—and how God had chosen her to be the one to whom he ministered.  Finally, he told her the one thing every person needs and secretly wants to her.  He said that God loves her, no matter what.

Somewhere deep within the girl’s psyche, she felt that this God the boy spoke of cared for her.  How else could He have reached out to her when she was on the edge?  Just as the bus pulled up, he gave her a bulletin telling about his church, and he invited her to come. She looked at the verse on the front of the bulletin, 1 John 4:19. It stated,  “You are loved because He first loved you.”     

Two days later, she attended her first church service.

The next Sunday, she realized that God really did care about her as she listened to the song “Mighty to Save.”  The song’s words rang out, “My Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.”

Two weeks later, she gave her life to Christ and continued to grow closer to Him.

Eight years later, she traveled the United States, telling teenagers of God’s everlasting love.

He never found out all she did, all the lives she changed for Christ.  He never knew what an impact he made. But God knows, and that fact is really all that matters.

Fiction contest finalist: Breanna Hinston

While Kirby Jones was selected as the overall winner in the middle school division of our 3rd annual ec fiction contest, we couldn't ignore the merits of Breanna Hinston's submission. So, we declared her a finalist in this year's competition.


Breanna is from Brighton, Mich., and enjoys dancing, playing the piano, reading, writing, and hanging out with friends and family. We're so happy she shared her talents with us!

Here's Breanna's story, Quiet Courage:

Kelsey shut her bedroom door. Her parents were fighting again. She walked over to her iPod and scanned down her playlist and pressed play. She did anything to block out the yelling. It all started when they moved from California to Michigan because her dad got a job offer. She didn’t see her dad very much after he took the job, and when she did, he didn’t even pay attention to her because he was so concerned about his work.

It was quiet for about one minute which was very unusual because she normally fell asleep listening to them fight. She heard a humming noise outside her window, and she turned to go see what it was. Her dad’s blue SUV was pulling out of the drive-way. Kelsey’s eyes were beginning to get blurred as tears streamed down her face. She was hoping it wasn’t what she thought it was. She slowly dragged her feet to her bed, turned off her light, and soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was Sunday so Kelsey woke up at eight o’clock to get ready for church. The drive to church was very quiet. Well, that was probably because it was just her and her mom. Kelsey figured that her dad would meet them there, at least she hoped so. When they got there, her wish was not granted. Her dad didn’t even show up.

How could he? she thought while the preacher was giving his sermon. Why would he just leave us and not even say good-bye to me?

After the church service, Kelsey’s mom said, “How about we go to your favorite restaurant?”
Kelsey looked down and replied “OK.”

After they ordered their food, her mom looked at her. “Honey, I have something to tell you. Your father and I are not getting along as well as we used to. We are just going to be separate for a while but…”

“What?” Kelsey almost yelled. Her eyes were filling with tears but she knew that she just couldn’t let them go.

“Please don’t yell Kelsey.”

After that, the rest of the meal was quiet except for a few yeses and nos.

When they got home, Kelsey went straight to her room and stayed there for the rest of the night.

The next day at school, it didn’t go so well. Kelsey could not concentrate on any of her classes.  She got a B on her science test that she studied for two hours last night, and it was supposed to be pizza day at her school for lunch, but they ran out so she had to eat tuna casserole.

On the bus ride home, she sat there staring out the window and watched other kids playing in the snow and building snowmen with their families.

When she got home, no one was there. She looked at the phone and it said there was a new message.

“Hi sweetie. I am running a little late from work. I won’t be home until dinner so you can order pizza or something if you want. I’m sorry. Love you.”

Kelsey sighed and threw her backpack on the chair. She walked over to the computer and logged on her Facebook.

She had gotten a message from one of her good friends, Jenny:
Hey Kelsey, I didn’t get to talk to you at school because I had a big algebra test today. I did notice you sort of looked down today at school. Is anything wrong? My mom said that she could drop us off at the movies. The Hannah Montana movie is out. I heard it was pretty good but a little cheesy. We could go out to eat then. Call me! Remember Deuteronomy 31:8.

She ran over to her room and picked up her Bible. It was so old that half of it was falling out and the cover was practically worn off. She fanned through her pages and read aloud Deuteronomy 31:8. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord you God goes with you: He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Kelsey just sat there and thought about that for a minute. Even through the hard times He is still watching over me and is in control.

She hurried and picked up the phone to call Jenny.

Ten minutes later she was walking out the door with her coat and scarf in hand.

“Thanks for taking me to the movies and dinner. It was great.” Kelsey hugged Jenny good-bye and walked through the front door. “Hello?” Kelsey asked. She heard voices in the den. She put her ear up against the door to listen who was in there.

It was her mom’s voice. “Honey, let’s just try to work this out, at least for Kelsey’s sake.”

“Alright, I’ll schedule an appointment at the marriage counselor tomorrow.” Kelsey was shocked. That was her dad’s voice that she had just heard!

She tip-toed up to her room and shut the door. She then knelt down on her knees and prayed. “Thank you so much Lord!”

Fiction contests finalist: Hannah Baughman

If you've seen this month's issue of ec, you know that we revealed (and printed) the winning stories from our third annual fiction contest. Now, it's time to check out the stories written by the other finalists in each division. 

We had two finalists (or honorable mentions) in the middle school category. Today, we're featuring Hannah Baughman's prize-winning story. Hannah is from Olathe, Kansas, and enjoys tennis, playing the piano, and reading—when she's not writing, that is.

Here's Hannah's story: 

We were all whispering as Monica walked past us. She didn’t look at us, although I was certain she could hear what my friends and I were saying. As she walked past us she kept her expression in the other direction.

“Did you see what she was wearing today?” said one of my friends, a girl named Morgan.

“I can’t believe it—cowboy boots.” Nellie, another one of my friends, said.

“She needs to get some sense knocked into her. Big time,” said Ashley.

They all looked at me as if I was going to say something, but I couldn’t seem to find anything to say. There was just something different about her; she seemed to have something that I didn’t have. I just couldn’t talk about her like I would about someone else.

“Well, Jess?” Nellie asked.

“Come on, we’re going to be late for class.” I said, changing the subject.

Morgan looked at me strangely as we headed for class.

When I finished cheerleading practice, I walked to meet my friends at the fourth bench on the left by the flag pole. I saw my friends in a semi-circle surrounding Monica. They were making fun of her outfit and laughing at her. I went over there and told Nellie that I had to go. I really didn’t want to be a part of that scene. I don’t know why, but something inside of me made me want to go home instead of joining in.

The next day, I was earlier than normal to school, so I didn’t see my friends anywhere. I heard some whispering as I walked past the staircase. I took a step back, peeking in through the window of the stairway door. There was Monica, sitting alone on the stairs, her eyes closed. She was whispering something. I looked around, to see if anyone was watching me, and somehow found the guts to walk up to her.  “What are you doing?” I asked, trying hard to be nice. Her eyes opened and she said, “I’m talking to my best Friend,” she replied. “But there’s nobody here,” I said, puzzled. “I’m talking to my Father, my only Father,”

“He has saved me from my sins, and He has comforted me in this hard time,” She continued.

“Okay…what exactly are sins? Who is your ‘Father’?” I was really confused, and I was also glad my friends weren’t there. They would be laughing at her, but I was curious, and I wanted to know, whether it was interesting or not.

“Sins are when you do wrong against God. My Father is God.”

I was really confused. “What do you mean?”

“It means—” she started. But at that moment, Nellie, Morgan, and Ashley walked up.

“Hey! Oh, Monica? Do you have a mirror at home? Because you really need to get one! Ha-ha, good one, huh Jess!” Ashley sneered.

“Um, well-”

“Yeah that was one of the best ones all day, Ash!” said Nellie, cutting me off.

They were still laughing when the bell rang.

Perfect timing, I thought. My friends hurried off, leaving me with Monica. I looked over at her, and she asked, “Do you want to come over after school and you can ask me some more questions, if you’d like.”

“Um, OK.” I said. I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing, but something inside of me told me to go. “See you then!”

When I walked outside to meet Monica, Nellie and Ashley were taunting her again. “Great, just what I need,” I thought. Taking a deep breath, I walked up to them, not saying anything but making eye contact with Monica. I jerked my head toward the street, hoping she would understand. She nodded and we somehow escaped from Nellie, Ashley, and Morgan and left for her house.

As we were walking down Monica’s street, a boy of about eighteen rode past us on a skateboard. “Hey Oscar,” Monica said as he stopped and walked back to us. “Hey Monica, and Monica’s friend, I’m Oscar,” he said, looking at me. “Um, Hi, I’m Jessica but you can call me Jess.” I said, feeling a little nervous. “We have to go. Sorry Oscar, I’ll see you and talk to you later,” said Monica.

While we were in Monica’s room, she told me what it meant to be a Christian, and she told me who Jesus is and that he died for me. I didn’t understand all of it, but I got the main idea.
   
The next day, I went to Monica’s house again. This time, Oscar was there. They explained to me more, and I understood some of it. It was making a little more sense than yesterday. Monica told me a verse that I had to think a lot about. “1st John 1:9 says ‘If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ This verse changed my life when I read my great-grandma’s Bible, which I still have. She showed it to me, and I said, “Wow, it’s old, but interesting! It’s a book without a cover.”

“Open it!” Monica said.

I opened it, and in old, rough writing, what looked like a song was written on the second page.
It read: 
Saved, Saved! 
To my beloved daughter, Janelle.

I’ve found a friend who is all to me,
His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me,
And what His grace can do for you.
Saved by His power divine,
Saved to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For I’m saved, saved, saved!

After I read that song, I knew what I had to do.

“Monica, can I become a Christian? I know Jesus died for my sins, and I want Him to be my Father, and my best friend. Will you tell me what I need to do?”

Monica smiled and answered, “Of course I will.”

DEADLINE TOMORROW!

Just in case you're planning to submit a story to our 3rd annual fiction contest, we thought we'd give you an important reminder: the deadline is TOMORROW!

We've gotten several entries, but we'd love, love, love to get more. That's our nice way of encouraging you to get to writing! Currently, we have about 17 entries. We'd love for more of you to contribute so that there's a little more competition! And there are prizes and if you win, your story will appear in an upcoming issue!

If you can't quite remember the rules, prompt, or where to send it, don't worry. Just go here.

Now go write!

ec's 3rd annual fiction contest: 5 days left!

We've been getting a lot of entries for our 3rd annual fiction contest, but there's still room for more! The deadline is midnight on December 15, 2009, so get to writing and send your story our way—FAST.

If you can't quite remember the rules, prompt, or where to send it, don't worry. Just continue reading!

What we want:
• An original fiction story that uses four (4) items from the prompt we’ve detailed below. Be creative! Strive to write a story that is relevant and interesting to your peers, but also speaks to the deeper truth of what it means to live out your faith in this world. Use proper grammar and run spellcheck before submitting your story. Submissions should be no more than 750 to 1000 words long and must be typed. Your submission will not be returned to you.
• Your story must be submitted as an attachment via e-mail to godlifefun@gmail.com. In the subject line, use the phrase “3rd annual fiction contest.”
• Submissions must be received by midnight on December 15, 2009, to be judged.
• Submissions must include the writer’s name, grade, age, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, and T-shirt size.
• For the first time, we will have a middle school and high school division. Those currently in grades 7-9 should enter the middle school competition and mark their submission accordingly. Students in grades 10-12 should enter the high school competition. Writers must be between the ages of 12-19 to be eligible.
• A panel of judges will name one winner and runner-up in each category. The winning ­stories will be featured in an upcoming issue of ec or on our blog. Winners will also receive ec T-shirts and a small prize.



Prompt:
Your submission must use at least four (4) of the following items:
• a skateboard           
• a favorite song
• a book without a cover      
• Twitter, Facebook, or some other social media
• a movie           
• a busy airport
• a favorite verse of Scripture      
• a sporting event

ec's 3rd annual fiction contest: Start writing!

Last year’s entries took us to Iraq, inside high schools, and everywhere in between. We can’t wait to read what your creative minds conjure up this year!

What we want:
• An original fiction story that uses four (4) items from the prompt we’ve detailed below. Be creative! Strive to write a story that is relevant and interesting to your peers, but also speaks to the deeper truth of what it means to live out your faith in this world. Use proper grammar and run spellcheck before submitting your story. Submissions should be no more than 750 to 1000 words long and must be typed. Your submission will not be returned to you.

• Your story must be submitted as an attachment via e-mail to godlifefun@gmail.com. In the subject line, use the phrase “3rd annual fiction contest.” We are not accepting submissions through postal mail this year.
• Submissions must be received by midnight on December 15, 2009, to be judged.
• Submissions must include the writer’s name, grade, age, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, and T-shirt size.
• For the first time, we will have a middle school and high school division. Those currently in grades 7-9 should enter the middle school competition and mark their submission accordingly. Students in grades 10-12 should enter the high school competition. Writers must be between the ages of 12-19 to be eligible.
• A panel of judges will name one winner and runner-up in each category. The winning ­stories will be featured in an upcoming issue of ec or here on our blog (http://ecmagazine.blogspot.com). Winners will also receive ec T-shirts and a small prize.

Prompt:
Your submission must use at least four (4) of the following items:
• a skateboard
• a favorite song
• a book without a cover
• Twitter, Facebook, or some other social media
• a movie
• a busy airport
• a favorite verse of Scripture
• a sporting event

ec fiction contest finalist: Ashlie Bowman

With no further ado, we present to you the winning stories in the ec fiction contest. After reviewing all the stories you sent us at the end of last year, we picked an overall winner and two finalists. The winner was Taylor Clemons and her story, "It was just a simple box" is printed on page 6 of the September issue of ec. On September 1, we published Caitlin Greer's story. Caitlin and Ashlie Bowman were the two finalists in our contest.

Today, we're publishing Ashlie Bowman's story. Ashlie is a senior from Toney, Ala. She enjoys reading, writing, playing the drums, hiking, snowboarding, and pretty much any other extreme sport. Ashlie says she loves to write and says her writing is done in service to the Father. She'd like to thank Missy Shoemake for suggesting she enter our contest. Here's her winning submission:

Gone, but not forgotten

By Ashlie Bowman

The faded red sneakers flopped on her feet as they always did while she trudged on through the damp grass. Although they were almost two sizes too big for her, she had worn them nearly every day for the past three years, along with the red guitar pick she wore as a necklace, though she had never played a guitar in her life. Most people just chalked it up to eccentricity, and she never bothered to correct them. If they knew the real reason …

But she shook her head quickly to dispel those thoughts. She could not think of it yet, not now. She tried to focus on her surroundings, squinting through the morning haze that lingered between the tombstones. She knew immediately where she was; she was far too familiar with this cemetery than any living person should be.

She wove around the graves and trudged up the small hill that signaled her destination. She stopped at the top of the knoll and read (for perhaps the thousandth time) the epitaph on the headstone in front of her…

Sarah M. McCauley
1989-2005
Beloved daughter, sister, and friend
Gone but never forgotten

Most people would find this to be an ordinary tombstone, no different than any of the hundreds of others poking up out of the earth. But for her, this stone represented a million laughs, a thousand memories, and one best friend.

She knelt on the grass in front of her friend and closed her eyes, letting the memories have her.
Music blasted out from the speakers, far too loud for safe driving standards, but the girls didn't care. They were celebrating Sarah's sixteenth birthday, and not one of them was about to ruin the mood. The small slip of paper with Sarah's name and picture on it was perhaps the most exciting thing that any of them could imagine at the time. Not that the paper itself meant anything, but the independence and freedom that the license gave was what they celebrated now. As is normal for excited teenage girls, none of them were paying as much attention to the road as they should. They were far too busy chatting and squealing in the backseat to focus on anything serious, and so none of them noticed the truck weaving back and forth on the road. None of them noticed until it was too late. She woke up in the hospital, her left arm and leg made immobile by plaster. At first she did not understand the expression of grief on her mother's face. She was going to be OK, right? But it wasn't for her own daughter that she was crying. When her mother first told her of Sarah's death, the first thing she felt was disbelief. Nothing could ever happen to Sarah, nothing serious. But as her mother's story was confirmed over and over by doctors, nurses, and even other friends, the reality fell like a tangible weight upon her, crushing her to the overly clean hospital bed.

When she looked back now, perhaps if they had been paying attention, they would have seen the headlights of the truck swerving into their lane. Perhaps they could have warned Sarah, maybe she could have avoided the obviously intoxicated driver. But that was not God’s plan. Tears streamed down her face now and her broken sobs carried through the silence of the graveyard. She did not blame herself for her friend’s death, or at least not the death of her body. But the eternal death of Sarah’s soul was what she grieved even to this day.

Sarah had never fully understood the loving devotion that her best friend shared for God. The blind faith always baffled her. How could anyone feel that strongly about something they couldn’t see?

Of course she had dragged Sarah to church regularly enough, but the message had never hit home. She did not want to push her friend, for fear that she would be driven away, but now she regretted the nonchalance with which they had treated the subject. And now it was too late.

She remembered a Bible verse that she had learned as a child in Sunday School where Jesus charged the apostles to spread the gospel, and it haunted her now.

“Therefore go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19.

She knew that it had been her responsibility to share what Jesus had done, not only with Sarah, but with everyone she met. She had always been too timid to just walk up to people and start preaching. She worried that people would think she was some Bible-carrying fanatic.

But after Sarah's death, her fears had changed. She no longer worried what strangers might think, or what her friends might think, or even what her family might think. Instead, she feared what might happen if she were to bite her tongue when she knew she should take a stand. What might happen if she let someone walk away without knowing the truth that Jesus Christ had died for them.

For the past three years since Sarah had died, she had worn her friend’s favorite sneakers and guitar pick nearly every single day as a reminder of the burden she bore and the commission she shared to fight for the souls of God’s children.

When she stood up, she felt the same sense of determination that she always felt after facing those memories. A determination to share all she could about her faith with everyone she came across so that no one would walk away without knowing the message of her God and his Son. It was her calling, the calling that we all share as believers in Christ.

ec Fiction contest finalist: Caitlin Greer

With no further ado, we present to you the winning stories in the ec fiction contest. After reviewing all the stories you sent us at the end of last year, we picked an overall winner and two finalists. The winner was Taylor Clemons and her story, "It was just a simple box" is printed on page 6 of the September issue of ec. In the next couple of weeks, we'll be publishing the other two finalists' stories here on the ec blog.

First up, is Caitlin Greer. Caitlin is a ninth grader from Milan, Ga. Caitlin likes to play softball, spend time with her family and friends, and listen to music. She lists working out, baseball, basketball, and studying among her interests. Here's her winning submission:

Does anybody hear her?
By Caitlin Greer
Melanie Oliver sat alone in her bedroom thinking about where she should have been. It was her birthday and the night of homecoming. Melanie didn’t feel any older. In fact, she felt as if she had already lived her life. She should have been the homecoming queen, but instead she chose to have one night of poor judgment that would impact the rest of her life forever. Melanie looked over at her baby of six months, and ran out the door.

The field was quiet that day. Crying, Melanie ran to kneel in her favorite spot, the place where she had spent many painful hours just thinking. She put her head in her hands and thought about what to do next. She was turning eighteen, and all she wanted to do was run.

Her dream of getting away was soon to come. The next morning, she awoke and grabbed some clothes and extra cash. She got her baby, Mary Kate, and strapped her in the car seat. They set out for what Melanie thought to be her greatest adventure ever. Melanie threw her clothes in the trunk of her car, not thinking about her mother and father she was leaving behind. Never looking back, she floored the gas pedal.

**********

How long have we been driving? Melanie thought to herself. She pulled the car over to a motel that looked as if it were run-down. Melanie walked in to see if they had a room. To her luck, she found an accompanied front desk where she paid for a room and got a key. There was a table where she could make herself a cup of coffee. A nice mocha latte sounds good right about now, thought Melanie. Even though she knew it could not taste anything like Starbucks, she made herself a cup and went to her car to start bringing in all her things.

Once they were settled, Melanie sat down to rock and feed Mary Kate. Mary Kate was soon fast asleep so Melanie laid her down on the bed. Melanie sat back down hoping to get some sleep. She closed her eyes and laid her head back, but try as she might she could not get to sleep. She sat remembering what got her into this mess in the first place, all the pain she had gone through. Not wanting to wake Mary Kate by the sound of the television, she started rummaging through the drawers in the motel room. Melanie opened the last of the drawers to find an old Bible with a worn out and torn cover. Melanie’s mom and dad had always tried to get her into church, but Melanie never quite understood it all. For some reason, tonight felt different.

So Melanie started reading. She read and read getting more into every page and the stories it told. To her surprise, she understood it all. She felt a fire and a passion that had never been there before.

**********

Months passed and Melanie finally found a cheap, one bedroom apartment just for the time being. Mary Kate was dropped off at a day care every morning, and Melanie went to her job as a waitress. The job didn’t pay much, so they were running tight on money, but still Melanie kept her bible with her. When she needed help, she would read. When she couldn’t sleep, she would read. She found truth in the words written in red and yearned for more.

One night while she was reading, a light flickered outside so she looked up. When she did, she noticed something glimmering on the windowsill. She walked over to find a beautiful cross necklace. She picked it up and thought about its meaning, about the stories she had read about the cross. She kneeled down and prayed for God to show her the right path. The adventure had been just what she needed, but now she felt as if God were trying to lead her elsewhere.

Melanie went to bed that night trying to figure out where to go and what to do. Should she keep going on her journey, or should she turn around and go back home? After hours of hard thinking, she made her decision. She was going back home. She knew this was no way to make Mary Kate live. She kissed her beautiful baby good night then laid down herself. Her dreams quickly over took her thoughts, and she was fast asleep.

Melanie woke up the next morning and quickly got her things together. She called the owner of the apartment and told him she wouldn’t need to rent anymore. She knew this was the right decision. She had never been so happy about anything in her life. She had so much to tell her parents. All the stories of her journey and how she had met God on the way were so amazing to her. For a little while, she was in doubt that a God so great and powerful could ever forgive a girl like her. But in her heart, she knew if she honestly admitted she was a sinner, confessed her sins, and believed in God with all her might that God would truly forgive and bless her for all the days of her life.

In the car Melanie turned up the radio. A song by Casting Crowns was playing. The words described her past perfectly. Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? Oh, does anybody even know she’s going down today? But Melanie knew that she had changed for the better now. She knew she was heard because she knew God as her personal Savior and Friend. Melanie glanced back at her beautiful sleeping beauty and smiled to herself. For once in her life, Melanie knew that everything was going to be alright.

She was finally going home.

Enter our contest!

Want some SAT or ACT study prep material?

Well, we've got just what you need. The ec magazine team will be giving away two resources we recently got our hands on and if you'll be taking either test, you're SO going to want them!

Today, we'll be giving away "Future U: The Prep Game for SAT," computer game by Kaplan that works on a Mac or a PC, and "ACT in a Box," flashcards to help you ace the ACT.

What do you have to do to win?

It's simple, really.

To win the SAT game, you must be the first person to email the next SAT test date to godlifefun@gmail.com. Include your mailing address and we'll get your prize on its way to you.

To win the ACT flashcards, you must be the first person to email the next ACT test date to godlifefun@gmail.com. Don't forget to include your mailing address!

And if you give us your T-shirt sizes, we'll also send along an ec T-shirt. You know you want it! So let the games begin!

2009 Fiction Contest winners revealed!

We're happy to announce the winners of the second annual ec fiction writing contest.
The overall winner is Taylor Clemons of Florida. Taylor's story, "It was just a simple box" was very well written. You'll get to read all about Taylor, and of course, check out her winning submission in the September 2009 issue of ec.

Our two finalists are Caitlin Greer and Ashlie Bowman. Caitlin is from Georgia , while Ashlie hails from Alabama. You'll get to find out more about both writers right here on ec's blog in September. We'll post both of their stories on this site and include info about the authors here and in the September print issue.

Congratulations, winners!

And a big thank you to all of you who shared your stories with us. We enjoyed every minute of reading and hope that you'll hone your skills and share them with us next year. Look for info on the third annual ec fiction writing contest in the October 2009 issue.

It's your last chance!

If you want to see your name in print and your story published in an upcoming issue of ec, well, you better get to work! The deadline for ec's 2nd annual fiction writing contest is tonight. Your story must either be emailed by midnight to ec or postmarked by December 15, 2008 and mailed to us via regular postal mail. If you need more details, check this out:

7 days left. . .

until the deadline for this year's ec fiction writing contest has passed! Don't you want to see your story in print in an upcoming issue?
If so, here's all the info you'll need to get your story to us. Be sure to mail it to godlifefun@gmail.com by midnight on December 15. You can also mail it to the address listed.

ec fiction contest: Time's almost up!

Your chance at seeing your name in print (in ec) is almost gone! So send us your submissions for the ec fiction writing contest. Here's all the info you'll need!

ec fiction contest finalist: Jessica Morgan

Last week, we posted Whitney Stewart's winning entry in ec's first fiction writing contest. Today, we give you a creative story from our other finalist, Jessica Morgan. So, be sure to read her tale, which somehow reminded us of The Chronicles of Narnia. And be sure to pick up the August issue of ec and read Alexis Deese's winning entry on page 20. So, drum roll please. Here's Jessica Morgan's story, “The Last One.”

The Last One*
By Jessica Morgan

The night stars blazed up above and the moon shone like a newly polished silver coin, shining from its throne in the night sky. A slight breeze whispered to the shadows. A fugitive crept along, a large hood pulled over his head and a long black cloak flowing like silk behind him. The hood shifted back and forth as the deserter looked around just to be sure he wasn’t followed. The trees rustled solemnly, as though they knew someone was there. The shadows paused in their dance as they peered at the cloaked figure, then resumed their fun-making. The breeze played with the cloak, trying to get it undone to sweep it away. The fugitive waved the breeze away. Sullen, it went back to teasing the flower buds. An owl, perched on a near-by conifer, watched the rebel with wide unblinking eyes. A moth fluttered past its beak, and it snapped it up in one quick movement. Its eyes never left the cloaked figure. A dark green snake slithered up the path. It studied the creature with bright green eyes.

“You’re late. The ssssstarsssss have been up for an hour at leasssst.”

“I almost got caught. I had to wait for the guards to move away.”

“You have it?”

“Yes, it’s under my…” the dark figure said as he started to bring something out from the cloak, when the snake quickly stopped him.

“No! Not out here. There are ssssspiessss all around usssss. If they ever ssssaw
it, we’d be dead before you could blink. Now, let’ssss get back before we are arressssted for being out after curfew.”

The snake turned and slid down the small over-grown path. The thief looked over his shoulder before following. The owl watched them, then took off into the night.

They arrived at the bank of a long-dried river. The snake nudged back some bushes and the cloaked figure disappeared into a hidden cave. The snake glanced around, and then followed. Inside, the cave was dry and warm, a sharp contrast to the cold night outside. Several creatures looked up from the hot, crackling fire and when they saw the cloaked figure and the snake, the solemn faces broke into smiles. A young otter got up.

“You’re back! Praise the Lord, we all thought you had been killed.”

A wolf also stood.

“Are you alright, Matt?”

The cloaked figure pulled back his hood, revealing a young wolverine.

“I’m alright, Jon.”

The young otter looked at the snake.

“Are you doing alright, Master Edward?”

“Yes, Dawn, I’m fine.”

An older ferret made his way around the fire.

“Matt, did you manage to get it?”

Matt looked at Master Edward. The old snake nodded. Matt reached beneath his cloak and brought out a tattered book. The creatures gathered around Matt and Master Edward.

“It’s in better condition than I ever expected. How did you ever get it?” a silver furred lion, Paul, asked. Matt gave a weary grin.

“It’s a long story.” Matt began when Felix, a jaguar, interrupted.

“We can hear his story another time.”

Matt grinned.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The creatures sat on logs around the fire while Matt remained standing. Master Edward also remained by Matt’s side. Matt dusted off the worn cover, and held it up for all to see.
“This book may be the last of its kind. Many creatures died trying to get it. Let us honor those creatures now, who gave their lives so that we might have the rare honor of reading from the last Bible.”

The owl blinked its red eyes against the wind. His beating wings made nary a sound in the night. As he flew, he started to pick up strange signals in the air. He tilted his head back and forth and was able to convert the disturbances into words. He swooped lower… and a cruel smile wormed its way across his beak.

Matt was reading from the Book of Mark, when they heard angry voices outside their cave and saw the flare of torches. Matt glanced up from the old tome at the faces around him.

“Well, I suppose we won’t close in prayer this time, brothers and sisters. Luke!”

“I’m here, Matt.”

“You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The two wolverines clasped paws, probably for the last time. The voices got louder and the covering started to rustle. Suddenly, the bushes were wrenched aside so forcefully they were yanked up by the roots. Several creatures wearing armor and dark masks stepped into the cave. A large black snake entered. It looked around with large evil eyes. They fell on Master Edward.

“Edward.”

“Shandazar.”

Suddenly, the cave was thrown into chaos. Both sides clashed with a yell. Matt fought with all his strength with Luke beside him, laughing madly as he cut down the enemy. Suddenly the laughter stopped. Matt turned, only to see his best friend, lying on the ground, dying.

“Luke!” the battle around him forgotten, Matt knelt by Luke’s side.

“Matt.” Luke said, his voice already faint.

“Luke, don’t leave. Not yet.”

“Matt, I’ll never leave you. Best friends…forever. I’ll…see you… in…the…kingdom.” Luke’s voice faltered and his head lolled. Matt clenched his teeth as he rose, leaving Luke where he fell and, with tears stinging his eyes, returned to the battle. A young rat stood before him. Although it grieved him greatly, Matt thrust his sword into the rat’s chest and shoved him aside so he couldn’t hear his final breath. He suddenly found himself pinned to the wall by another wolverine: his own brother.

“What a surprise.” His brother snarled and he pressed his sword against Matt’s throat.

“Any last words, traitor?”

Matt looked his brother straight in the eyes, strangely calm.

“May God have mercy on your soul.” Matt replied as he thrust a dagger in his brother’s chest. His vision went black.

A soft golden light flooded Matt’s senses. He blinked open his eyes.

“Matthew, welcome home, my son.”

Getting to know Jessica:
Age at time of submission: 15
Hometown: Los Alamos, N.M.
Favorite Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:17

*This submission has been edited and/or character's names changed for clarity.

ec fiction contest finalist: Whitney Stewart

Last December, the ec staff invited our readers to think creatively and exercise your writing skills in our first ever fiction contest. Your response surprised us. You've probably seen the winning submission on page 20 of this month's issue of the magazine. And we promised you the two other finalists' stories in their entirety here on the blog. So, sit back and read Whitney Stewart's submission, "Underneath My Skin."

Underneath My Skin
By Whitney Stewart

No one ever really noticed her, not until she was gone. I did, even though I never would have admitted it. She was just a classmate and to me, a strange one. That was because she was so different. There was this way about her, like there was this light that just emanated from her. That was what caught my eye; she was like no one I had ever met before.

She looked like an average person. No striking features good or bad. Yet she never seemed average. She was quiet and reserved. When she did break her silence, it always seemed worth listening to. My friends would mock her, though, even when what she said made perfect sense. She never acted like the average person either. She was always there with an outstretched hand, even for those who ridiculed and mocked her. She also never seemed to have any harsh words for anyone.

She always talked about this friend she had. He was always there for her no matter how big of small the problem was. She always mentioned Him in class. in ethics, she always went back to what He said she should do and what was right and wrong, not what she personally would want to do, like the rest of the class did. No one could stand it when she spoke, even though they listened. The snickered behind her back or tried to ambush her into saying something she would have regretted. At first, my view was the same as everyone else's and then slowly it turned into respect. Respect because I knew that I would never had been able to stand the kind of ridiculing she went through. Heck, even though I knew what my friends did was wrong, I just stood by and let them torment her. She never showed any hint of it.

I wouldn't even have known her name if it hadn't been for that day. When I needed someone the most, there she was. My so-called friends were too busy getting ready for homecoming and finding dates. She found me crying on the stairs before school started. Coming up to me, she asked "What's wrong?" At first, I just ignored her, not wanting to come out and say those terrible six words. It was like saying them out loud would make the situation come true. She sat there patiently. The fact that she had stayed was a comfort. Everybody had just walked off amidst an uncomfortable silence. Finally, I was able to muster up the courage. "My parents are getting a divorce." The words sounded like the hammer hitting the anvil. She just sat there for a couple of minutes. "I'm sorry. That must be hard." At that, I broke down and let the dam that had been building all morning burst. I couldn't understand how they could just break up after so many years. What she had to say next surprised me.

“My parents have been divorced for about a year now, and it doesn't get any easier." She explained all that had led up to that point. All the meaningless arguments and things left unsaid. She told about her sister moving to upstate New York to live with her mom. “You must miss them.”

“I get to see them at Christmas and in the summer.”

“What is the hardest part?”

“Well, it's hard not seeing them, but the hardest part is the fact that I can't get any of them to go to church with me.”

“Huh?”

She explained that shortly after her parents' divorce, a guy down the block had convinced her to go to a camp over the summer that his church was going to. So she went. She had just needed to get away. It had gotten to the point where she avoided going home at all costs. She didn't feel loved at all. “After I was at the camp for a couple of days, I realized I was loved, just not by somebody I could physically see or touch. At the time, I couldn't deny the truth of what the pastor said. Someone loved me enough to die for me! And the fact that hew was so different. That's what brought me through my parents' divorce. That is what can help you.” She saw my look of disbelief and didn't push the subject, though she invited me to her church, giving me the directions.

We hung out more and more as the year went by. She never made any attempts to hide her religion. At lunch she would pray over her food. Although, she never asked me to, I would hold off eating until she was done. My friends started teasing me, just because I was hanging out with her. They even seemed to increase their torment of her. Now I couldn't stand what they were doing to her, though I rarely said anything. I was too scared to do anything. Though, the times that I did stand up for her, the look on her face made me feel like a million bucks. She seemed to understand how hard it was for me to stick up for her. Even then I didn't really grasp how much of an impact she was having on me.

She always made a point of inviting me to a church function or just church in general, but I always declined. She never pushed and asked in such a casual way I never thought anything of it. With my parents' divorce, I couldn't see how there could be a God who loved me, regardless of how much she insisted He did. She never gave up an opportunity to tell me this. I also wasn't ready for the kind of ridiculing I would get from my friends. It was hard enough to deal with the teasing I was getting. So I stayed home. Then my world came crashing down.

When I finally set foot in a church, I wished with every fiber of my being that I wasn't there, not for the reasons I was. A funeral, I never would have dreamed it! I had waited so long and now it was for a funeral. I remember looking at all the strange faces, wondering why I had even come. I didn't know any of these people. The were all so sad and crying. As I sat in a pew in the back all alone, I listened to what everybody was saying. I wondered why something like this could happen. No one seemed to remember the bad, and if they did, it was said as if it had been some joke. Then the pastor got up to say the last words.

They weren't words of remembrance, but a warning. A warning about how short life in this world is and that it is not our last. He talked with such conviction and passion. He had me captivated. He was talking about the same thing she had. As he came to a close, pleading for those you have never accepted Jesus' gift of eternal life, I broke. I realized that I had been nearly too late. Right then and there, I gave my life to her Jesus and took Him as my Savior. I trusted that He would heal this deep hurt.

I was sick that day. I didn't go to school or the hospital that we volunteered at. I wished I had. I wished I hadn't waited that extra day. Mom woke me up about three, worry strewn across her face. There had been a shooting at the hospital. I had sat up like a bolt of lightning. Was she OK? The look on Mom's face betrayed everything.

After her funeral, I couldn't get enough of Jesus. I devoured everything I could get out of the Bible. I did all I could to follow what I saw. I struggled, yes, but little by little, I saw myself gain ground. I still gain ground every day. My biggest regret is that I never took the opportunity to say, "Mary, I love you." Why hadn't I been able to do that before it was too late? In the time I had gotten to know her, she had stolen my heart. My prayer is that Mary knows she is the one who got to me, got underneath my skin, before she had the courage to look death in the face and say, "Yes, I am."

Getting to know Whitney:
Age at time of submission: 18, college freshman
Hometown: Lehigh Acres, Florida
Favorite Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Fiction contest winners announced!

In October 2007, ec announced plans to hold a fiction writing contest. The response was great. We received stories from all over the country, Alaska included, and enjoyed reading all your stories. It made for a fun afternoon at a local Nashville coffeehouse. With no further ado, I'd like to announce the winner and two finalists of ec's first-ever fiction writing contest.

The winner is . . . Alexis Deese of Lexington, S.C. Alexis' story, "A Bullet of Faith," centered on a Columbine-like attack at a school and a teen's decision to stand strong in her faith even in the face of great danger. She wrote, "I dedicate this story to the incredibly brave students at Columbine High [who] weren't afraid to stand up for God. Their faith was strong and true." You can read Alexis' winning submission in the August 2008 issue of ec.

The two finalists are:

• Whitney Stewart of Lehigh Acres, Fla. Her story was called "Underneath My Skin." It will be posted in its entirety on this blog in August 2008.

• Jessica Morgan of Los Alamos, N.M. Jessica's story, "The Last One," was very creative. It will also be posted on this site in August 2008.

All of the submissions were very creative and imaginative. Thank you all for sharing your talents with ec and our readers. Continue to strive to know God, own your faith, and make Him known in the world around you—and use your talents to do so!

We plan to offer a similar contest next year, so get to working on your submissions!