Weak Answer

I‘m writing about your arti­cle “Should Youth Group,” (Vol. 1 No. 4) the one by your in-house humorist and self-proclaimed “youth group expert,” Josh Carden.

With an opening line like “to group or not to group,” Mr. Carden’s article crashed and burned before it even got off the ground. If Shakespeare were alive in the 20th centu­ry, he would say, “Goodnight, bad pun, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

Mr. Carden raised a seri­ous question with the title “Should Youth Group,” and gave it a weak answer: ask Mom and Dad.

Nathan Calvert—Weatherlord, TX

We’re happy to have Mr. Carden back after a brief absence last issue. And Nathan, you might be surprised how many times God’s word gives that same “weak answer” to those in need of wisdom.

Literature Freak

I want to thank you for the column by Jeff Baldwin, “Christianity & Literature”. I am an all-out literature freak and appreciate the column immensely! The book assign­ments in particular have really impressed me. I had already read A Tale of Two Cities and, incidentally, it was my favorite book. But for some reason, I had never discovered the Lord of the Rings trilogy until the assignment in the last issue. I immediately read the books. I was floored! What a magnifi­cent story! I can’t wait to read Jeff Baldwin’s comments on the trilogy. Keep up the great work.

Rachel Ahern—Grand Junction, CO

Generation X

I appreciate the coverage of current events in New Attitude, i.e., your commen­tary on our role as members of “Generation X” in the spring issue. I had been read­ing a lot about our generation in news magazines following singer Kurt Cobain’s suicide, and found your Editor’s Note very timely.

Jeff Baldwin’s Christianity & Literature column is also quite good. Literature is one of my favorite subjects, and while I have to confess that I haven’t read the books he’s written about thus far, I’ve been interested in his critiques of them. I just read his novel ian. I don’t usually like stories about “alternate realities”, but found his fresh look at the Gospels and discipleship thought-provoking.

Fairlight Meyer—Beaver Fails, PA

Jeff’s new book is avail­able from the Summit Bookhouse by calling (719) 685-9103.

Mad Dash

Congratulations on the roaring success of New Attitude. When it arrives at our house, it’s a mad dash to read it (or for the younger kids to look at it). You see, in our family there are seven of us kids and for all except the youngest one (five months), it’s a crazy house when N.A. comes.

The perfect example came the other day when my dad came home with the mail. I very inconspicuously brought N.A. inside and tried to not draw any attention to myself so I could get a peek at it before everybody swarmed upon it. I was just sitting down when my eight year-old-sister uttered the fateful words “New Attitude is here.” No joke, instantly all five of my brothers and sisters were upon me. Before you could say “get a New Attitude,” my oldest sister was trying to grab it from me and telling me to give it to her so it wouldn’t get ripped. Meanwhile, my younger sis­ters and brother were trying to look at the picture on the front. At the same time my 11 -year-old brother figured out that the ones who paid for the subscription were the ones who got to read it first, so he started forking over the dough.

So the moral of this story is never let your brothers and sisters see New Attitude! No, just kidding. But to tell you the truth, I wasn’t able to real­ly read it until about 10 o’clock that night, after they had all gone to bed. That goes to show you that N.A., even though it’s for teens, has appeal to all ages. Thank you very much for all your hard work.

Phil Hainline—Camas, Washington

Disaster Strikes

I really appreciated Rachel Garrett’s encouraging article about living through an earthquake. In February a 150-foot tree crashed through our house during a storm, crushing our living room and kitchen. It left a gaping hole in our roof, and many person­al items were damaged or destroyed. It was a total shock to me; we had lived there for 10 years without any major happenings, and then all of a sudden, our house was torn in half! It took me a while to be able to realize what had happened. Like those who lived in L.A. dur­ing the earthquake, we had a lot of clean-up to do. We had to sort through all the books (we have enough to fill a small library), clean out the garage (which we had never done in all the years we lived there), and clear out the whole house so that reconstruction could begin. It was also a really emotional time, since a lot of old keep­sakes were destroyed; and we had to throw away a lot of crafts and hobbies. But through all of it, God sus­tained us. Just like He took care of the families who went through the earth­quake, He took care of us. He provided a place to live while the house was being fixed; He provided neighbors and friends to work along­side of us; and He was a con­stant Father and Comforter. No matter what disasters or problems may occur, I know that God is always fully aware of what we’re feeling, and He will bring us through for His glory.

Sabrina Fraser- Thomson Pacifica, CA

Dee-lighted!

We are dee-lighted with your new mag!!! I’m the mom. She lets me read it first! I love it, too. It’s so diverse and interesting. Thank you!! Ecstatically, sin­cerely & gratefully, the mom,

Cindi Swope—Prescott, AZ

Uncommon Wisdom

I just wanted to write a note of appreciation for doing such a good job on your New Attitude magazine. And a belated “congratulations” on celebrating your first year of publication!

    My thanks go to all of your staff writers. They all write far beyond their years-they display uncommon wis­dom and maturity beyond their years.

I enjoyed every page of the Spring issue. I appreciat­ed the insight into the life of Robin Phillips and learning more about his author-father, Michael. I haven’t read any of his books yet, but I am curious to do so now.

Mrs. Susan Carpenter Elberfeld, IN

Expired Subscription

Yikes! I let our subscrip­tion to New Attitude expire! Help! I know this could have been avoid­ed if there had been an envelope inserted into our last issue.

Mrs. Beth Hill—Mason, OH

We would love to be able to include them, but it’s just too expen­sive. Note: The expira­tion date is on your label, and it’s a good idea to renew when your second-to-last issue arrives.

Just Right

Your magazine, New Attitude, is terrific! It is exactly what we were looking for. It fills the gap between very conservative periodicals for youth and lib­eral Christian magazines for youth. Keep up the great work!

Ann Fisher—Dayton, PA

No Imagination

I had intended to write for this Interaction since I’m definitely for courtship, but I couldn’t seem to come up with any good answers to the question. Part of the rea­son was not having enough experience or imagination. I’m really sorry, and I hope others have more success. I hope to try again next time.

Emily Sluys—Chihiwack, BC

Don’t worry, Emily, we got a great response for this issue’s Interaction. And to the rest of our readers, don’t feel you have to write a research paper for an Interaction letter. We really want your input. It can be a single thought or idea. Just don’t forget your picture!