The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Cup and Saucer (08/28/14)
To Steven, c/o USA
Dear Steven,
It’s good to have a friend to write to. I need to be able to express all that I’m experiencing. My mother was killed today. Muslim leaders in the village knew she had converted to Christianity. They warned her to renounce Jesus. She said she could never forsake her Savior. They cut off her head. I am devastated. Pray for me.

To Malik, c/o Sudan
Dear Malik,
I’m sorry to hear about your mom. That’s got to be awful. My mom today announced to my dad that she’s a lesbian and plans to live with her lover. She’s found a church that welcomes all diverse people because God loves everyone. My dad is beside himself with anger. My friend just got a batch of extra potent grass. I think I’ll go get stoned.

Dear Steven,
My father and I went to church this morning. Our brothers and sisters in Christ mourned with us for my mother. They’ve been so loving. We were almost finished with the service when a mob of angry villagers attacked us. They yelled “Allahu Akbar!” – “God is great” – set fire to our church and stoned us as we tried to escape. One rock hit me in the ear and all I hear is silence. They hate us because we worship the One true God.

Dear Malik,
Bummer about your ear. I was listening last night to my favorite heavy metal band. Their music is all the rage at school. The head banging sounds are really intense. I’m not hearing so well today. My dad has been raging around the house cussing, and mumbling about teaching Mom a lesson. I’m scared for both of them. I think I’ll put on my headphones and listen to more music.

Dear Steven,
The hate and rage against us Christians has been growing. They persecute us because we tell them God is love and Jesus is God. There was a man a couple weeks ago who declared that he loved another man. We tried to show him the nature of his sin: it’s no different from lying or stealing. We told him God would forgive him if he repented and placed his faith in Jesus. The village elders learned of his homosexual desires. They burned him and his lover at the stake, saying that Allah hates those who sin, and they are to avenge Allah for the people’s transgressions.

Dear Malik,
Heavy, man. Good thing we’re tolerant here in this country. Lots of freedom to do what we want. Mom got a restraining order on Dad. He can’t go near her or he’ll go to jail. I went with Mom to church yesterday. I’ve never seen such a demonstration of love before. Men hugging men, women hugging women. Everybody so friendly: a lot of people getting the phone numbers of others so they could get together. There was even this older man who wanted my number. Way cool.

Dear Steven,
There were only a few of us Christians in the village to begin with. Since they burnt down our church, all our remaining families were threatened. All of the others have fled. I don’t know where they’ve gone, but they took just a few possessions with them: cup and saucer, bedding, a change of clothes. My father and I are the only ones left. I walk to school and feel eyes of hate burn into my skull. People taunt me and laugh at me. We probably won’t stay much longer. How can we?

Dear Malik,
All this time I thought I only liked girls. Come to find out, I like a pretty exceptional guy as well. Maybe I’m bi. The church has regular Bible studies for couples and those with special friends. I’ve attended some of these and learned that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were probably a “thing.” Also, when Paul wrote about immoral behavior he wasn’t referring to people who love each other in a committed relationship. The Bible is such a wise book.

Dear Steven,
This is my last letter for now. We are fleeing our home this morning. Word got to us that a mob would attack us at dawn. We’ve been up since 3:00 preparing to leave. I don’t know where we’re heading – north maybe. I’ve found that standing for Christ and His truth is hard, and that those who follow Him will suffer as He said. I pray you find Jesus as He really is.

In Christ, Malik.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 743 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Brenda Rice
09/08/14
Your entry is so accurate in your descriptions of the broad spectrum of teachings that are prevalent in our world today.

Love is God and He is love...how is it that can lead to so many false ideas?

Your writing is clear and easy to follow and the message is very good. Thanks for sharing.
Judith Gayle Smith-Owens Vitouswykegardinerclark
09/09/14
Wow. So powerful. I kept hoping Malik would show his pen pal the errors in his understanding, and lead him to Jesus. Sigh. We are limited to 750 words.

This should do well with the judges . . .

Please consider throwing a brick for comments, critique, helpful hints and warm fuzzies!
http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=38593
May God continue to bless you with His holy purpose.

Hugs and prayers, Judi
C D Swanson 
09/09/14
You have an excellent style of writing and paint a vivid picture.

God bless~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
09/11/14
Wow! The underlying subtle tones in this piece is brilliant. I wonder how often my complaining is so small in comparison. I liked how your MC almost felt the need to outdo his pen pal. That speaks volumes about the state of the States. We are blessed that our problems are little and naive about problems around the world. Even though our problems are little, if they are important to us, they are important to God.

You did a nice job in almost all of the judging criteria. In my opinion, your weakest area would be on topic. If you took that one line out, the rest of the story would still be spectacular, but not about cup and saucer. Ideally, if you removed topic words or lines, the story would fall apart because the topic should be woven throughout the entire story.

You did a great job of the beginning. You showed the conflict right away which made me want to read more. Your ending was great too. It leaves the reader with a sense of hope. You discussed some difficult topics, but handled them gracefully. Good job.