Missionary Daddy by Linda Goodnight Page B

Christian.”
    The other kids chuckled. Individualist Nikki demanded respect from everyone. He doubted anyone had dared criticize the black stripe running down the center her hair.
    “Good point.” Eric looked around at the group of sixteen teens, each one as different as Africa from Virginia. “Any others?”
    “Drinking.”
    “Excellent. Others. Come on, what’s the biggie?”
    “Sex?” one of the girls murmured and then glanced down at her Bible, face flushing bright red. The rest of the class tittered.
    “Yeah. Big-time.” Eric nodded. In a mixed group, he didn’t want to go too deep into the subject but the kids needed to hear God’s directive in every area of their lives. “And yet, if you give in, your self-esteem tumbles lower. The cool news is this—you don’t have to handle any issue alone. God says to trust and rely on him, not on yourself. Letting anything control you or pressure you for long is not only counterproductive, it’s sin. Even God isn’t trying to control you. He wants what’s best for you. He loves who you are, the way you are.”
    “Okay,” one of the girls said, “but you feel pretty worthless when you’re the only fat kid in class or you don’t make the basketball team. It’s hard to remember that God thinks you’re okay the way you are.”
    “I know that, guys.” Eric stepped from behind his teaching podium, his thoughts drifting to Sam, though he trained his gaze on the teens. “Even adults face times when their self-worth plummets. Remember that when you feel worthless like Sam said, God doesn’t feel that way about you. Think about it. He loved you enough to send his only son to die in your place. You are worth everything to God. When the worthless thoughts come, replace them with that thought. You were worth God’s son. Read the Bible. Find out what God has to say about you. You’ll be surprised to discover just how truly special you are. Then when you’re feeling down or stressed out, when something comes along that you can’t handle, meditate on the things you’ve learned. God’s word is truth. Anything contradictory is a lie. God will give you the tools to not only face life’s challenges, but to feel good about who you are and what your purpose in life is all about.”
    He felt Sam staring at him, soaking in every word. He’d planned this message as much for her as for the kids because she needed to understand how special she was in God’s eyes.
    He glanced at his watch. “We have about a minute. Anybody have a question or a last quick comment?”
    “Can we talk about this again next week?” Tiffany asked. “Especially about the whole self-esteem, body-image thing? And how God is supposed to help us deal with that stuff?”
    “Sure. I’ll bring in more scripture references, and we’ll dig into the Bible and find out exactly what God has to say about it.” He looked at Sam. “Can you be here?”
    Every teenage head swiveled in her direction. Sam nodded and stood, pulling a handful of business cards from a fancy-looking purse, her wide-belted skirt swishing around her knees.
    “If any of you need to talk, if you have a problem, especially about your weight or fitness, call me. I brought cards with my cell number. Please don’t share them with the world. They’re only for you. But if I can help, give me a call.”
    As the kids crowded around Samantha, Eric smiled to himself. Good thing he didn’t have an enormous ego. Otherwise, he’d feel like a leftover sandwich. The kids had all but ignored him in their quest for one of Sam’s personal cards.
    The dismissal bell chimed and in a rush of scraping chairs and noisy kids, the room emptied.
    “You were great. Absolutely terrific,” he told Sam.
    “So were you.”
    Eric offered his elbow and was gratified when Sam slid her hand into the crook. “We’re a good team. I think you may get some phone calls.”
    She gnawed at that full lower lip, a habit he’d noted when she was concerned about