by Nancy N. Rue
“A Holy Spirit,” I said.
And my peace will be with you.
I sank back into the pillows. “I think it already is,” I said. Good.
I looked down at the empty space.
Yeshua then made his exit, into heaven, and they returned to Jerusalem, ready to tell the world. Tell them the truth.
I let myself sit with that for a minute, and then I turned the page. It was the last one. The only thing written on it were some email addresses.
“Is that the end?” I said.
That’s the end of the story as it’s written here. It’s not the end of your story.
Which I’m going to have to live out in baby steps.
Yes. But I am going to give you one specific direction.
No way. You?
Way. You are to take this book and leave it in a place where someone else who needs it will find it and take it into her heart.
“How do I know where —”
Just leave it. It will fall into the right hands.
I ran my fingers over the addresses. “I always wanted to ask this — was I supposed to have you? Or were you left on the bus for Candace?”
Maybe both.
I nodded. I knew just where I was going to take it.
I tried to close the book for the last time, but its heat still drew me in. The warmest page was the one I was on. The one with the three email addresses.
[email protected] was one.
[email protected] the second.
[email protected] was the third.
Who were these girls RL had spoken to? I had no idea, of course. But the warmth that brought out the glow on my forehead told me we had something sacred in common, no matter who we were.
I took the book to my laptop and logged on to my gmail account. I typed in their addresses and closed my eyes and prayed.
And then I wrote: Dear HarleyJess and DramaQueen and CassRoid, You don’t know me, but I know you through RL. I think we need to be friends. Because a girl on a Yeshua journey needs all the friends she can get.
Yeah. And now? Now I knew how to be one.
Didn’t I tell you I’d make it worth your while?
ABOUT THE RL BOOK
It took Tyler no time to figure out that when she opened the leather RL book, she was reading stories from the Bible — but, then, she’s pretty smart that way. I’m sure you were right there, too. They aren’t the actual Scriptures, of course, but they are inspired by what Eugene Peterson did in The Message, which was to use modern, everyday language that makes you realize the Bible is for and about you. Jesus spoke in the street language of his day, so it only makes sense that we should be able to read his words that way. In fact, Eugene Peterson was inspired by a man named J.B. Phillips, who in 1947 wrote The New Testament In Modern English so his youth group could understand the Bible and live it. How cool is that?
Of course, no matter what translation of the Bible you read, it doesn’t actually “talk” to you the way RL carries on a conversation with Tyler. Or does it? Scripture is the Word of God and a Word is meant to be spoken. When you really settle in with the Bible:
• doesn’t it make you ask questions?
• doesn’t it answer the questions that pop into your head?
• doesn’t it seem weirdly close to the exact things you’re going through now, even though the stories were told thousands of years ago?
• doesn’t it sometimes say something you didn’t see the last time you looked at that very same part?
Reading the Bible really is like having a conversation with God, and I hope RL helps you open up your own discussion with our Lord, who is waiting for you to say, “Can we talk?” Comparing what Tyler reads to the actual passages in the Bible might help you get started. All of them are found in the Gospel of Luke, who even more than Mark, Matthew, and John showed the love and sympathy Jesus had for the people who didn’t fit, the people who others said were weird, sinful, and not to be hung out with. Luke also shows how much Jesus respected women. It seemed like just the thing for our RL girls — and for you.
WHO HELPED
One of my favorite steps in the process of writing a book is working with experts who know things I don’t. I mean, seriously, how long has it been since I went to a prom or did a chemistry experiment? These are the pros who helped me make Limos, Lattes & My Life on the Fringe feel like real life.
Winnie, Armenak, and Yervant Kutchukian, who opened up their home and their town — Castleton-on-the-Hudson, New York — to me. Although Tyler’s Castle Heights is a made-up village, many of its details came from my delightful stay with them.
Destiny, Meg, Kaleb, Sean, Kristina, Blake, Austin, and Heather— a very cool group of students at Maple Hill High School in Castleton. Their school is way more open and accepting than Tyler’s (I wanted to immediately start teaching there), but they helped me shape what could happen if …
Mariah, who shared what it’s like to be an outsider.
Candace, librarian at Maple Hill High School, who made it possible for me to hang out with them.
Charles Beverly, physician and homeschool dad, who gave me the chemistry experiments. I’m thinking he’s a far better teacher than Mr. Zabaski.
Megan Lee, intern extraordinaire from Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, who found out all the little stuff I couldn’t come up with — like the right slang and the perfect clothing brands and the hip actor references, and found more than a person could want to know about proms and student government. Next to the word “real” in the dictionary, there is a picture of Megan.
Lauren, Melody, Katie, Victoria, and Paige, blogging friends on “In Real Life” who gave their authentic comments about prom and student government. And for ALL the bloggers, who gave me great names like Candace, Frederick, Graham, Noelle, and Ryleigh.
About the Author
Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
PASS IT ON!
In the [REAL LIFE] series, four girls are brought together through the power of a mysterious book that helps them sort through the issues of their very real lives. In each of these stories, the girls find the mysterious RL book exactly when they need it. Each girl leaves the RL book for someone else to find, knowing it will help the next person who reads it.
While the RL book is magical, this book could be left in the same way for the next reader. Maybe this book needs to be read by someone you don’t even know, or maybe you already know of someone who would really enjoy this book. Simply write a note with READ ME on it, stick it on the front of the book, and then get creative. Give the book to a friend, or leave this book at your church, school, local coffee shop, train station, on the bus, or wherever you know someone else will find it and read it.
No matter what your plan, we want to hear about it. Log on to the Zondervan Good Teen Reads Facebook page (www.facebook.com/goodteenreads — look under the Discussion tab) and tell us where you left the book, or how you found it. Or, let us know how you plan to “pass it on.” You can also let your friends know about Pass It On by talking about it on your Facebook page.
To join others in the Pass It On campaign, pick up extra copies from the [REAL LIFE] series at your local Christian bookstores and favorite online retailers.
Other books in the Real Life series:
Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book (Book One)
Boyfriends, Burritos & an Ocean of Trouble (Book Two)
Tournaments, Cocoa & One Wrong Move (Book Three)
ZONDERVAN
Limos, Lattes & My Life on the Fringe
Copyright © 2011 by Nancy Rue
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, yo
u have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
Epub Edition © MARCH 2011 ISBN: 978-0-310-57837-6
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook.
Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN 978-0-310-57837-6
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com
Cover design: Rule 29
Cover photography: © iStockphoto
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