Subject:
ENCOUNTER theme list
Dear authors,
Happy almost-spring to you! I am going to enjoy the early daylight
savings change this Sunday!
I like my sunny days to last as long as
possible!
I must tell you that I've intended to send out this theme list for a
couple of weeks now. I've been delayed because I've been afforded the
opportunity to share my input and editorial skills on some other teen
projects upcoming at Standard Publishing. That is exciting but threw me
off my usual routine!
Now I'm back at the task at hand and ready to share with you the great
topics we have lined up for Spring 2009. We have issues about
friendship, ways to meet God, and trusting God in difficult
circumstances.
The theme list is attached and pasted below. Please note that all
manuscripts will be due by May 1. I will send a short response via
email within a week's time of you sending your work. If you DON'T hear
back from me in that time, please contact me again. It may mean that
your manuscript did not reach my inbox for some reason.
One bit of technology issue to share: please note that if you have the
new Microsoft Word 2007, the documents you create will end in .docx and
are unopenable and unreadable for our computers. The conversion
programs offered don't appear to help right now either. To alleviate
the matter, please look at the options you have as you save the
document and save them as an older version. We appreciate it.
I do have some notes and thoughts to share with you as you write this
quarter and in the future:
If you are submitting a manuscript that you originally wrote several
years ago, read through it again before submitting and adjust some
details as needed to make sure that things are up-to-date. For example,
if your teen characters are on the phone, they would probably need to
talk on cell phones as most teens do these days. And if they are
listening to music, CDs are still hanging around but teens are more
often listening to MP3s on their computers or devices such as iPods.
Details such as these show relevance to teen readers. Details that are
out of date are red flags to me as I consider pieces.
You might want to check out some sites online to keep up with teen
culture and make sure that the characters in your stories are talking
and acting like modern-day teens. One blog I like to read is
YPulse.com. It's not a Christian site, but many youth leaders as well
as others read its content. It's a site with the purpose of helping
people who are trying to reach teens find out about the current trends
and news items that involve adolescents. There is a lot of information
there, but looking at some discussions and news items may spark a story
idea for you.
If you are able to keep informed about what's going on in the world of
students, you will find out what they face and can make sure that your
writing is addressing those needs from God's perspective. We want them
to continue hearing God's stance on topics so that they are equipped to
make good choices in their actions. Putting a love for God above all
will help all of us approach the difficult choices in life with a heart
of obedience and peace.
If you have ideas of how to work a current event or topic you've read
about in the news into something listed on our theme list, I'd love to
read it. Each quarter we need a variety of articles, from nonfiction
tips to realistic fiction to testimonies to teen interviews to quizzes
and fun items. If there's a way that we can also bring a biblical
approach to help teens face a current topic, we want to do that as well.
Thank you for your continued desire to use your writing to connect
students with Jesus. We desire that at ENCOUNTER and enjoy your heart
for doing so as well.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Kelly Carr
Editor
ENCOUNTER--The Magazine
Youth Ministry Resources
Standard Publishing
8805 Governor's Hill Drive, Suite 400
Cincinnati, OH 45249
513-728-6846
www.encounterface2f ace.com
If you'd like to subscribe from ENCOUNTER--The Magazine's email list,
please email encounter@standardp ub.com with the word "unsubscribe in
the subject line.
ENCOUNTER--The Magazine
Spring 2009 quarter
All submissions due: May 1, 2008
All about us: ENCOUNTER--The Magazine encourages students in junior
high and high school in their relationships with Jesus. ENCOUNTER
corresponds to the topics used in the Young Teen and High School
curriculum by Standard Publishing. Students using this curriculum will
be studying the themes and Scriptures listed below. ENCOUNTER is
designed to further apply these topics to teens' lives.
How to use this theme list: Please read the Scriptures and points
listed for each issue so you know what the students will be learning in
class. But it's not required to mention the Scriptures in your
manuscripts.
How to submit your manuscript: Send each manuscript via e-mail to
encounter@standardp ub.com. Send it as a Microsoft Word attachment or
paste it directly into the body of the e-mail. In your e-mail subject
line, please put the issue number for which your manuscript is intended.
Make the connection: We accept both fiction and nonfiction, including
quizzes, testimonies, and interviews. Teens look for authenticity- -all
types of manuscripts should speak directly to teens using dialogue,
situations, and illustrations that relate to them. The bottom line: be
real.
Unit One: Friendship
Issue 1 Peer Pressure
Mar 8 Scripture: Exodus 32:1-9, 35; Proverbs 29:25; Romans
12:2
The point: Look at the types of peer pressure people face and biblical
strategies to resist
ungodly pressures.
Issue 2 Loneliness
Mar 15 Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18; Psalm 73:21-26
The point: Loneliness can cause us to neglect our basic needs and to
separate ourselves
from people who can help us. God will help us conquer loneliness-- He
loves us when no
one else will, He takes us where no one else can, and He gives us what
no one else can.
Issue 3 Close Christian Friends
Mar 22 Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 1 Samuel 19:1-3; 1 Samuel
20:16, 17, 42;
Philemon 8-16; Hebrews 10:24
The point: True Christian friends are invaluable. Christian friends are
committed to one
another, warn one another of danger, and include God in their
relationship. Evaluate your
current friendships and your own performance as a true friend.
Issue 4 Cliques
Mar 29 Scripture: Acts 9:26-28; Romans 15:5-7
The point: God can bless us through new and unexpected friendships. Add
someone new
to your circle of friends.
Unit Two: Meeting God
Issue 5 Meeting God Through Prayer
Apr 5 Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13; Matthew 7:7-12
The point: Prayer connects us to God. Jesus told us that in prayer we
need to
acknowledge God for who He is, admit to God our struggles with sin, and
ask God for
what we need (not just want!). Connect to God in prayer each day.
Issue 6 Meeting God Through the Lord's Supper
Apr 12 Scripture: Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17; 1
Corinthians 11:17-29
The point: When we take the Lord's Supper, we are proclaiming our most
important
beliefs. Through the Lord's Supper, we remember that Jesus died to take
our guilt, we
proclaim the unity of all Christians, and we look ahead to the
completion of God's work.
Do something to make communion more meaningful to you.
Issue 7 Meeting God Through Fasting
Apr 19 Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14, 15; Luke 2:36, 37
The point: We can show our hunger for God by fasting.
Fasting is placing total faith in
God for sustenance. Fasting is done in secret when we
need God's presence. Fasting
shows that we desire God above all other needs. Plan to
fast sometime in the near future.
Issue 8 Meeting God Through Worship
Apr 26 Scripture: Psalm 95:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9
The point: In worship we proclaim God's greatness, reflect upon God's
work, and give ourselves more fully to God. Take steps to make worship
more meaningful.
Issue 9 Meeting God Through Fellowship
May 3 Scripture: Philippians 1:3-11; 1 John 1:3-7
The point: Fellowship is about sharing a common goal with our brothers
and sisters and
striving toward maturity together. In fellowship we thank God for His
grace through
Jesus and revere His holiness. Strive to make your fellowship with
Christians deeper.
Unit Three: Trusting God
Issue 10 Trusting God When I Feel Anxious
May 10 Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-31; Philippians
4:6
The point: Faith in God can overcome worry. Release a worrisome
situation into
God's hands.
Issue 11 Trusting God When I Feel Like a Failure
May 17 Scripture: Judges 6:11-16; Judges 7:1-22; 1 Samuel
30:1-15
The point: We can learn to overcome setbacks. Decide to tackle a task
that once had
defeated you.
Issue 12 Trusting God When I Feel Hurt and Used
May 24 Scripture: 2 Samuel 16:5-14; Romans 15:1-7
The point: To overcome our own hurt, we can encourage others who are
hurting. To
continue on after we feel used by others, we can perform acts of
selfless service.
Issue 13 Trusting God When I Feel Rejected
May 31 Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:1-6; 1 Samuel 8:1-22
The point: When we are rejected, we can do these things: recognize our
limitations;
separate our personal feelings from the issue at hand; seek God's
perspective on the
issue; and allow the Lord to work through others if He chooses them
instead.