Dear Compass Checkers,

Do you ever get hard questions in life? I don’t mean things like, solve for x when x2+2x+1 = 4, but questions about life. As a pastor, I get hard questions all of the time, and to be honest, sometimes I have a tough time answering them!

There are a few questions like that in this issue. Questions like: What do I do when I see a homeless person in need? Surely you’ve been in this situation. Maybe at the end of an on-ramp, or on a street corner, you’ve seen someone holding up a sign, asking for money. Should I help them or just walk on by?

Perhaps it’s a question about yourself. Maybe you feel like you need to make changes in your life, and bear some positive fruit. How do you do that? Is there anything you, as a teenager, can do to really improve your life?

Maybe the question is one that doesn’t affect you directly. Perhaps a friend is considering having an abortion. What would you say to them? Would you just tell them they’re wrong and need to repent, or is there something more you should say and do? Choosing the right words at the right time can be difficult—will you help or hurt the situation?

Then there are the questions that other people ask us: Why do you believe in creation and not evolution? Doesn’t nature and science support Darwinian evolution?

Here’s a tough question I was recently asked: What makes you a Christian? Does going to church on Saturday and not keeping Christmas do it, or is there more to it than that?

These are some tough questions you might face, and in fact, I am willing to bet some of you have already faced. In this issue, we’ll explore all of these and hopefully give you the encouragement and help to answer these and any other tough questions life throws your way!

Your friend,

Dan Preston