Get Expelled - The Movie - Super Trailer

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Your questions answered...

Sarah asked this question: I'm having trouble with a friend, I’ve struggled with school for a long time and I don't like being called stupid. Most of my friends know this, but this friend does it anyway. She is always insulting me and saying mean things to me. how to I tell her to stop without being mean?


Leslie answered:

I've totally been where you are! ...and it's not fun when your friend makes fun of you all the time! You need to just tell her that if she wants to stay friends with you, she needs to stop insulting you. -It might be hard, cuz she's your friend and all, but if she treats you like that, she isn't really your friend!



Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends! Last week's winner was Cindi Choppes who left a comment on the GenX Parenting blog! Thank you for un-lurking! Send me your book choice and mailing address!

Fiction by teens...The Frog Prince part 6

The Froggy Prince continued...

by Alexa Schnee
Alexa is sixteen year old homeshooled, aspiring author. She participates in tap dance and plays the violin (though badly). She loves hanging out with her animals and reading books that make her laugh.

Installment One here

Installment Two here

Installment Three here

Installment Four here

Installment Five here

Installment six:
The next few days continued as the first. Amelia was still reluctant at the concept of our frog, but she was also beginning to warm up to him a little. There were certain things that made her feel good to be around the frog. I guess it was the way he listened to everything she said with fascination. She could have said that sky was blue, and he would have been amazed at her revelation. Or, the way he liked to listen to her read her speech and debate arguments. He never criticized her. He never told her she was wrong. He just listened.

But there were things. There are always things. Amelia couldn’t stand how our frog always treated everyone the same. He always treated people with respect. For once she would like it if he would get mad at her. Whenever she would force him to do something that no one would like, he accepted it. In fact, the main reason she made him do those things was to see if she could get a rise out of him.

The frog watched her play basketball, and although he felt like he should say something to her he wondered what he would say.

“Your parents are right, you should be a lawyer?”

No one wants to listen to their parents. No, instead he held thoughts inside and hoped that no one would know what he really thought.

Eventually, the day of Prince Charming’s visit came. Now, we have heard a lot about Amelia and a lot about our frog, but what about Prince Charming? How does he fit into this tale? Well, reader, I’m certain you have noticed something about our characters so far. I am sure that you have seen that each of these characters have strengths and weaknesses and good things about them and bad things. That’s what being a human, or a talking frog, is all about.

Amelia is a smart, interesting, beautiful girl with all the potential in the world to become someone great. And yet, she continues to treat our frog badly. Our frog is a sweet, loving soul, but he relies on Amelia for his happiness. The king is a great ruler, yet he has a little bit of a temper. The queen is beautiful, yet she not quite the smartest person in the world. Not one of these characters is perfect.

Prince Charming is no exception. No matter how charming he could be, Prince Charming could never be perfect. Amelia seems to think he is. But as you will soon know, she will be surprised. And reader, as I have mentioned before, our frog has something that the prince could never possess.

Do you see how this tale is coming together? Do you see how everything is beginning to intermingle? If you don’t, reader, you soon will, and you will soon see how everything is beginning to fall into place.

{End of Installment VII}


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Pam interviews Robin Jones Gunn!

Last week on we met Pam...and she had a few questions for Robin.

1. What is your inspiration?

I love watching and listening to people from around the world. I feel inspired to tell a variety of stories whenever I hear from someone how God has drawn them closer to His heart. I love reading and listening to classical poetry to get inspired on how to fit words together and make them sound beautiful. Above all, it’s God’s tender Holy Spirit who inspires me to fall more and more in love with Him.

2. How does God work through your writing?

Many readers have written to me over the years to say that God used one of my stories to bring them to Christ. Some readers say they opened their heart and lives and asked Christ to come in and be to them the Savior and Lord He longs to be to each of us. Some have said that they were struggling with making a right decision in some particular area and one of my stories gave them the motivation at the heart level to make the right decision. Others have told me that they simply felt they grew closer to Christ after reading one of my book.

3. What’s your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Coconut

To learn more about Robin check out her website!

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Meet Lauren...

She interviewed Robin Jones Gunn last month, well she's back today to share a little bit about herself.

Have you watched a good movie you'd recommend? Or listened to a good song? Or read a good book? What did you like about it? Why?

I like a lot of movies and most songs (but the sound track for Across the Universe is very good).

To date or not to date? How far is too far? How do you know when you've found Mr. Right? Send me your questions OR offer advice!

Too far is when you feel uncomfortable, and are past your moral goal for that date. If you don't want to kiss that night, and you get in a situation where you might kiss and you feel uncomfortable, then you kiss. That is too far. How do you know when you've met Mr. Right?

Do you have any tips for healthy food? Exercising?

Some good tips for exercising is doing it with a friend. They laugh and have fun with you. For health food, just eat what is recommended. A good web site to see how much you personally should eat is http://www.mypyramid.gov/ this is great because it personalizes just for you!

How do you deal with body image in a world that obsessed with thin and sexy? What advice do you have for others?

I work out and eat well so when I think I'm "fat" I know I am actually not, because I am doing what is good for my body. Also, I go to church. honestly, if I weren't a Christian I don't know what I would do about body image.

What is your favorite .... (fill in the blank). Here are some to get you started. Bible verse, Color, Food, TV show, actor?

Bible verse: John 11:35 Jesus wept. I love that because it truly shows that God came to the earth to be there for us.
Color: yellow
Food: sweet potato casserol
TV show: Scrubs

What is something you want to learn to do? Where is some place you want to go? Do you set goals for yourself? What do you hope for your future?

Learn to do: Sky Dive
Place to go: Australia
Goals: I set small and big goals. A small goal is to finish my homework tonight so I can watch a TV show. A large goal is to make good enough grades to get into college with a scholarship.

What does being a Christian look like in the real world? How do you cope? What do you struggle with? How do you connect with God day-by-day?

In the real world people are mean to people who believe in God. I cope by praying all day long. I struggle with not going into the trends like showing my mid-driff, or cursing, or gossiping. Day-by-day I read my bible and pray. My best friend is also a Christian and my small group goes to my school. Also, on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am (EARLY) haha, FCA is a group that meets at my school. There I can hang and talk with other Christians who care about the Lord as much as I do.

Tell a joke. Share a cool saying ... the sky's the limit!

He died for me I live for him
next time you think your perfect, try walking on water

Do you struggle with parents? Friends? a boyfriend? Siblings? Do you have any questions about relationships you'd like answered?

Parents: I don't really fight with my dad, we get along well. My mom and I fight sometimes.
Friends: I get annoyed with them sometimes, but we don't fight, I keep to myself
Boyfriend: I don't have one
Siblings: I don't fight with my sister, when we do, its only because we are fighting to fight. haha

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Meet Pam

Who is your favorite author? If you could ask him/her three questions, what would they be?

I love Robin Jones Gunn. I would ask her, What is your inspiration? How does God work through your writing? What is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

Have you watched a good movie you'd recommend? Or listened to a good song? Or read a good book? What did you like about it? Why?

Oh, wow! I like this topic.

I love the Song "It's all Good" by Joy Williams. It is sorta like my theme song for life. Because it talks about how life may not be perfect but "It's all good" cause I know Jesus. Great song.

I really liked Enchanted. It was a great little film. Very intertaining and enjoyable. I would highly reccomend it.

I just read the book "Where the heart is" by Billie Letts. Oh, my goodness. That book was so well written. I feel like i know all of the characters. It made me laugh out loud and then made me cry. It had a great story line, and the writting was good. A must read (or at least i think so)

Do you have any tips for healthy food? Exercising?

Go to Cooking Light.com my mom fixes food from there all the time. Its yummy and low in calories.

How do you deal with body image in a world that obsessed with thin and sexy? What advice do you have for others?

I don't think i deal with this like everyone else does. See I am skinny and lots of people think I look cute. I don't want people to look at me with that stereotype image. Its so hard sometimes when people come up to me and are like 'your so cute..I want to look just like you!" like really what are you supposed to say? Thank You?

What is your favorite .... (fill in the blank). Here are some to get you started. Bible verse, Color, Food, TV show, actor?

Favorite...
Color- yellow
Food- anything Italian
TV show- Pushing Daiseys
Actor- Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale (Yes i am a disney freak, but they really are good!)

What is something you want to learn to do? Where is some place you want to go? Do you set goals for yourself? What do you hope for your future?

I want to travel the world. See it all. Especially Boston. I don't know what it is but i just really want to go there.

A dream I have is for my book to be published, and I hope that one day, that dream will be met, but for now I'm still writing.

What does being a Christian look like in the real world? How do you cope? What do you struggle with? How do you connect with God day-by-day?

It's hard. My youth pastor made a good point last night at our teen service. He said today most people will tell you God should be #1 in your life. But then he pointed out that God shouldn't be just one area of your life, he should be in all areas. Not number one, but throughout because that is what makes a christian truely strong.

Thanks Pam!

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Fiction by Teens...

The Froggy Prince continued...

by Alexa Schnee
Alexa is sixteen year old homeshooled, aspiring author. She participates in tap dance and plays the violin (though badly). She loves hanging out with her animals and reading books that make her laugh.

Installment One here

Installment Two here

Installment Three here


Installment Four here

Installment Five:

“Are you listening to me?” Amelia asked the frog again. She stood with her hands on her hips.

“Yes,” our frog said as he finally came to. “I am listening.”

“Good,” Amelia commented. She stomped over to her bed and plopped on it. A number of stuffed animals fell on the floor.

“Why?” she said quietly. “Why … did you have to choose me?”

Amelia had said it so quietly that our frog had barely heard it at all, but he did hear it.
“Because it seemed like a good choice to make,” the frog answered.

Amelia began to sniffle.

“Go.” She pointed accusingly towards her closet. The frog hung his head and hopped into her closet.

“Goodnight, Princess,” he said softly.

She got up from her bed and slammed the closet door in his face.


In the darkness of Amelia’s closet, the frog had slept rather soundly. Using one of Amelia’s shoes as a bed and a sash as a blanket, our frog had made a rather comfortable place for himself.

Our frog woke up to the sound of voices. He rubbed his eyes with his webbed feet stirred.
“I don’t care how much it costs,” he could hear Amelia screech. “I want everything to be perfect for Charming when he comes next week!”

“Yes, you’re Highness.” a voice answered her. The frog guessed it was a palace maid who the princess had so violently yelled at.

“Leave now. I shall head down to breakfast in a moment,” Amelia ordered.

“But, what about the frog?” the maid asked.

“Fine, we will head to breakfast in a moment.” Amelia sighed. The frog heard footsteps nearing the closet.

Amelia opened the door, and the light from her room created a circle of light around her head. If the frog didn’t know that Amelia was a spoiled brat, the sight would have been worthy of an angel. But, reader, Amelia was a spoiled brat and our frog did know better. So, the sight wasn’t nearly as gratifying.

“Get up. It’s time for breakfast,” Amelia snapped. And with that, she turned around and marched down the hall. Our frog, who was a slow riser, hopped sleepily after Amelia.

When they reached the dining room, the frog was surprised to see that there was a rather simple breakfast on the table. Only two bowls were on the table. Amelia sat down quickly and placed her spoon in her breakfast and began eating. Our frog saw how high the chairs were and softly croaked to Amelia.

“Do you mind helping me up?” he asked.

Amelia rolled her eyes. Picking him up with two fingers, she quickly set him on the chair.
“Thank you,” the frog said. He had always been taught to say his please’s and thank
you’s.

Amelia grunted.

The frog looked into his bowl and saw something that made his skin crawl. Flies. There were flies in his bowl. Amelia had served him flies. He glanced over at Amelia. Of course, she was eating oatmeal, our frog’s favorite breakfast dish.

“Uh, Princess?” Our frog bravely asked.

“What?” Amelia gruffly replied.

“I don’t really like flies that much. Could I have a taste of your oatmeal?”

“I thought that’s what frogs ate,” Amelia said, daring to look at him.

“Most frogs do,” the frog said. “But, as you have witnessed, I am no ordinary frog.”
Amelia sighed. Taking a butter knife off of the butter dish, she dipped it into her oatmeal and placed it in front of the frog.

“Thank you,” The frog said. He had always been taught to say his please’s and thank you’s.

After a lovely breakfast, Amelia went to her own indoor basketball court. Now, I know what you’re thinking. She has her own basketball court? Yeah, right! But it is at this point that I will remind you that she is a princess, and that she has gotten whatever she has wanted all of her life.

Our frog followed her. He was excited to see how good Amelia was. He was also surprised. As he watched Amelia play basketball, it seemed to him that she missed more shots than she made. Her jump wasn’t high enough, her dribble was often doubled, and she just wasn’t fast. In fact, he was sure that she would make a better lawyer than a basketball player!
As Amelia finished her daily routine, she couldn’t help but watch the frog watch her. What was he thinking? Whatever his thoughts were, she was sure that they had something to do with her amazing basketball skills.

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Scripts by Teens!

Last fall I ran a contest during the blog tour for My Life, Unscripted. The contest was for teens to write their own review of My Life, Unscripted or to write their own script.

Here is the winning script from Anjulie!

ANJULIE'S SCRIPT
Go here for an interview with Anjulie!


Int.
Basement-afternoon-establishing
ANN (12), sits against the table. Across from her are WILLIAM (18), JASEY (15), and ADAM (10). In front of her there is a line of white powder half gone, next to the powder lies an empty pen shell.

ADAM: So…..what do you think? I told you it was great!!!!

ANN: My nose hurts, but that was awesome! (coughing)

William and Jasey laugh.

WILLIAM: And it only gets better from here (he pulls out a bottle of Vodka from under his coat) you ready to try this.

ANN: (laughing) You're hilarious! Do you really think this is the first time I have ever had cheap Vodka?

JASEY: Told you Will, she's not a goody-goody. Her parents keep her trapped up in her house most of the day. What the heck do you think she does to keep herself sane?

They all begin to laugh. William opens the bottle takes a swig and passes it around.

WILLIAM: (slurring his words) Sooo Ann do you want to buy some or not?

ANN: Duh…here take it before I change my mind (hands William $60) How long does this stuff last?

JASEY: Well you'll get off your HIGH horse (chuckling at his own joke) in about 3 hours. But trust me honey, you'll want more before then.

Jasey puts on some music and before long they are all high and drunk.

WILLIAM: Ann are you OK?

ANN: Actually, I am getting really tired... OH @#*^, I'm gonna barf.

ANN runs to the bathroom, and isn't seen again for about 10 minutes. ADAM walks in after her and finds her passed out on the floor of the bathroom

ADAM: I am sooo not carrying her home.

JASEY: I'll have my sister call her mom and ask if she can spend the night…..

WILLIAM: Let's have some fun first.

,
FADE OUT


And here are the 2 winning reviews:

Katie
I thought that this book was a very good book. The lay out of it was fantastic. I love how it was very easy to understand. One of the best things I thought was how she used things that actually happened in her life to make the book real. She really became a real person in my eyes. Not like one of those people that you read or hear about that seem to have had their whole life figured out since they were a child. I was in a class that was about video production. And all of the terms that she used were extremely accurate! I love how you just think that from the title, the book is going to be a narrative. Which is what I thought. But then as I started reading I realized that I Was wrong but it wasn’t in a bad way. This book really opened my eyes to some real truths. I think since she used things that actually came from her life it made the book real. And it’s not like a self help book. Its more like a book saying that you will need help from God because when you live your life un-scripted it doesn’t turn out the best.I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. The Bible verses that she uses really fit well into the point that she is trying get across. I think that she did a great job writing this. I also think that every teenage girl should read this because there are real points that need to be told and I think that she did a great job conveying them.

Reborn Butterfly
Here's my review of My Life Unscripted by Tricia Goyer!

My Life Unscripted is a wonderful read specifically geared to teens girls.

Each chapter starts off with a scripted scene from Tricia's life. Spread throughout the chapters are "My Scripts", with real teen girls expressing their thoughts and feelings. Tricia Goyer asks questions and leaves space for journal time. Tricia doesn't shy away from the hard issues that effect teenagers today. She's like an older sister gently guiding us through her life story. She has a genuine heart for teenage girls, and it shows. I loved how she displays this in the final chapter "Climax".

Many of the scripts were situations that have happened to my friends or to myself.

Tricia shares her shortcomings and mistakes, while showing us that there is a 2nd chance.

At the end of the book there are discussion questions that would make a great daily devotional or bible study with a group of teen girls. In fact, once I finish with my current devo now I plan on using this.

I believe that each young woman today should have a copy of this book in her room.



Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Your Questions...answered!

Sarah asked:

How do you know when god wants you to be with someone? how do you know who it is that god chose for you?


Leslie answered:
Sometimes it can be hard to know whether the person you care for is who God has chosen for you, or if he isn't.... first off, does he have a solid relationship with Christ? -Notice how I don't ask if he's a Christian or not.

Is his relationship with Christ evident in his daily life, or does he act like his non-christian friends?? If yes, that may be a step towards knowing if he is who God has intened for you.... if no, that is a strong sign that he isn't who God has chosen for you.

But for the most part, throughout this time put extra focus on your Bible reading & prayer time- as you grow closer to God, He'll make his plan for you clearer...



Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

Meet Sarah

Who is your favorite author? If you could ask him/her three questions, what would they be?


Meg cabot is my favorite author, if i could ask her three questions they would be: how do you get the commitment to write a book? How do you get your ideas for books? how did you learn to write? (click on the link here to read Meg's answers)

Have you watched a good movie you'd recommend? Or listened to a good song? Or read a good book? What did you like about it? Why?

I have this song that i love by between the trees, it's about depression and how god is always there for you. It's called "the way she feels" i love it because it sends an amazing message about the effect that depression has on our world. It's about how just one spark of hope for one person could start hope for another person.

How do you deal with body image in a world that obsessed with thin and sexy? What advice do you have for others?

Don't be obsessed with how you look. If you want guys to like you for how you look your looking for the wrong type of guy. Guys should like you no matter what you look like. IF it bothers you how you look all that much diet in a healthy way. Don't do a diet that could hurt you.

What is your favorite .... (fill in the blank). Here are some to get you started. Bible verse, Color, Food, TV show, actor?

My favorite move right now is Saving Private Ryan. It's got tom hanks, it's the best war movie i've ever seen.

What is something you want to learn to do? Where is some place you want to go? Do you set goals for yourself? What do you hope for your future?

I really want to go to France, and visit Paris.

What does being a Christian look like in the real world? How do you cope? What do you struggle with? How do you connect with God day-by-day?

Being a christian for me is just listening to god every day. It's really hard for me i listen to him sometimes because the rest of the world says one thing while god is saying the other.

Write a quiz. Tell a joke. Share a cool saying ... the sky's the limit!

This guy has a parrot, This parrot doesn't say nice things. The guy is always telling the parrot to shut up because the parrot has bad grammar and it's mean. One day the parrot is really bad so the guy locks it in the freezer. When the guy takes the parrot out of the freezer the parrot says "i'm sorry i was so bad, i will try to use better grammar and be nicer from now on." The guy is surprised and is about to ask the parrot why it had such a change of heart when the parrot says "may i ask what the turkey did wrong?"

Do you struggle with parents? Friends? a boyfriend? Siblings? Do you have any questions about relationships you'd like answered?

I'm having trouble with a friend, i've struggled with school for a long time and i don't like being called stupid. Most of my friends know this, but this friend does it anyway. She is always insulting me and saying mean things to me. How to i tell her to stop without being mean?

Thanks Sarah! Let's see if I can get those questions answered!


Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.