CIRC Blog

A terrifying abduction leaves two girls desperate to escape. . .a blizzard howls around a freezing young hiker. . .a twin in a hospital waiting room has never felt so afraid. . ..Where can they turn when it seems that nothing, no one, can help them? The answer is as close as a heartbeat, because God is always there when we need his love–or a miracle.

In this extraordinary book, New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury brings together the stories of teens who have faced unbelievable challenges. Each real-life tale contains proof that God cares about us all the time and responds to our prayers, often in surprising ways.
Filled with amazing true stories for and about teens, this uplifting collection shows us that we are never alone, not even in the darkest hours when life takes the most astonishing turns.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Guardian angels do exist and God still performs miracles, according to Christian novelist Kingsbury (One Tuesday Morning; A Time to Dance; etc.). In this simple yet engaging compilation, she retells some of the incredible stories she’s heard from teenagers over the years-from accounts of God saving a young soldier from certain death in Kuwait, to Him bringing home a lost kitten. The tales tell of moments when teens encountered kind, mysterious people who helped them through an ordeal, only to disappear without a trace moments later; or heard unidentified voices that led them to safety; or experienced life-saving “coincidences” after uttering urgent prayers. There’s nothing but the word of the teens and, at times, their friends and family to back these stories up, but all share the common theme of hope. In each, a person in trouble cries out to God for help, and miraculously, God answers; the teens are left with a stronger belief than ever that there is indeed an almighty God watching over them and loving them. Miracles may seem out-of-date these days, but one teen said after being helped by what he called an angel, “God is still God, and his ways aren’t so different now than they were back in Bible times.” Christian parents and teens will find this an inspirational, if occasionally sentimental, volume.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“[Kingsbury] delivers . . . genuine emotional punch.”―Publishers Weekly

“A fresh reminder that God loves us. . .a real faith read for every teen!”―Melody Carlson, bestselling author of The Diary of a Teenage Girl Series

From AudioFile

Reading with warmth and genuine understanding, Joyce Bean narrates stories of teens in hopelessly difficult situations who discover the miraculous generosity of God when they most need it. These are true stories that promote the belief that God’s care is with us every moment of every day. By connecting with this possibility, and staying open to miracles that can visit us when we least expect them, a young person can feel more secure with God and more connected to everyone around them. With content like this, comparisons with the Chicken Soup audios are inevitable, and in this regard this particular volume holds up well. It would be a heartwarming gift to any Christian teen in a difficult situation. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author

Karen Kingsbury is currently America’s best-selling inspirational author. She has written more than 30 of her Life-Changing Fiction titles and has nearly 5 million books in print. Dubbed by Time magazine as the Queen of Christian Fiction, Karen receives hundreds of letters each week and considers her readers as friends. Her fiction has made her one of the country’s favorite storytellers, and one of her novels – Gideon’s Gift – is under production for an upcoming major motion picture release. Her emotionally gripping titles include the popular Redemption series, the Firstborn series, Divine, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, Oceans Apart, and A Thousand Tomorrows. Karen and her husband, Don, live in the Pacific Northwest and are parents to one girl and five boys, including three adopted from Haiti. You can find out more about Karen, her books, and her appearance schedule at www.KarenKingsbury.com.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. From an author who has produced several similar treasuries, this features stories that revolve around teens. There’s the girl who is told by an angelic hospital janitor that her sick brother will survive; the drug-addled boy who sees the face of Jesus; the daughter who so misses her dead father that she can barely function–until she sees him again. Kingsbury has obviously rewritten the selections because they all sound the same and follow a similar pattern: a tragedy befalls a teen who calls out to God for help, and the situation, often through the appearance of a heavenly being, is remade. Though this is heavy handed and will leave skeptical teens wondering about unanswered prayer, many readers will respond to the stories and their message. A few blank pages at the end offer space for readers to recount their own miracles, but it’s doubtful many will take advantage of this in a library book. Ilene Cooper