The second Young Christian Writers Contest has a winner today! This contest invited the youth of West Virginia, ages 11-14, to write about their experience as related to Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." The question was posed, "How have you let your light shine for Christ?". Multiple entries were submitted to answer that question, following a strict set of guidelines.
Students around the Mountain State are becoming more courageous to be witnesses for Christ, thanks to organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) , church youth groups and camps, volunteer opportunities and families that promote godly values.
The winner of the second contest, sponsored by the Fayette County Prayer Group, is Lenon Hodge, of Hurricane, WV! Multiple entries were submitted and the scoring was very close in this competition.
Entries were scored by a panel of 3 judges based on a rubric comprised of 5 elements: 1) Understanding of the topic, 2) Original thinking relative to the question posed, "How have you let your light shine for Christ?" 3) Adherence to the contest rules, 4) Effectiveness in presenting a point-of-view and 5) Literary style, grammar and spelling.
The composite scores were then added from each judge to determine the entrant with the highest composite score. This competition was tight and indicates not only the prevalence of courageous faith in our young people, but their stellar writing talent as well. Many thanks to all who entered!
The next writing competition will take place this winter. It will be an open poetry contest for West Virginia youth, ages 11-18. Check back with our contest page for developing details.
Lenon Hodge will now be given the choice for the book portion of the award along with $100 cash. His winning entry is published below:
How Have I Let My Light Shine for Jesus?
My name is Lenon Hodge, and I am a 13-year-old boy that attends Hurricane Middle School. I love spreading the Word of God because I can see how desperate our generation is for a Savior. Every day when I leave for school, my mom reminds me to “shine for Jesus.”
One of the ways I shine my light is by speaking at my school’s “Fellowship of Christian Athletes” meetings every opportunity I get. Approximately three hundred kids attend FCA at our bi-weekly meetings. At my most recent meeting I spoke about how God has a plan for everyone. I used verses such as Jeremiah 29:11 to show people how God has a path for their lives.
I have also spoken in the past about why bad things happen to “good” people. I explained how no one is a good person and bad things can happen to all of us. The Bible teaches us that everything turns out for the good of those who love Jesus. One of my favorite worship songs says, “You take what the enemy meant for evil, and You turn it for good.” People need to know Jesus as a miracle worker and that is why I speak at FCA.
One of my passions is to be a leader for Christ in everything I do. I play guitar in my youth group, and I lead worship when I am scheduled. I sing my heart out for the Lord no matter what, but sometimes when I play guitar, I will think that it is about how I perform. But then I am reminded that this isn’t true. The Bible explains in Matthew 5 that the persecuted will be blessed. Playing guitar and leading worship is very important to me but I know that it is more important to God, so I don't have to care about being persecuted because I trust God.
Everything that I do should be for the glory of God. I bring my Bible to school every day to show others who Christ really is. I wear hoodies with the “Chosen” (a Jesus show) on them just to plant a little seed in an unbeliever. I am nice to people in general and I help people when they are in need by sharing the love of Christ. People don’t need to know Christ as a strict law maker but as a Savior. In everything I do I am trying to plant a seed for the Lord because I know that he will grow it.
My church is very important to me. I attend every time I can and make sure that I am getting deeper into the Word. My youth group is always welcoming and inclusive and I join in. I am very involved in my youth group and make sure that other people are too. I think that it is extremely important to be involved in a group of friends that follow Christ and that becomes easier when you go to church regularly.
Some of my friends at school may not realize how important it is to be involved with Jesus. I often start conversations about Jesus at our lunch table to be a light and the conversations get deep. I love to talk about apologetics and defending my faith with my friends and anything else about Jesus. Overall, I try to guide others toward a path to Jesus whether is be during school or out of school.
Shining my light for Christ can sometimes be hard for me to do. Sometimes I don’t feel like speaking at FCA because it is a lot of pressure. Sometimes I think that playing guitar is all about me. But, I must keep Galatians 1:10 in mind whenever I share my light and know that I am not trying to win the approval of people. Paul shows us that trying to please people is not our main goal.
I love being a Christian and shining my light for Christ. I believe that everything the Bible says is true and that is why it is an amazing tool to use as a disciple. Matthew 5:15 explains that a light is not meant to be hidden, but that it is meant to shine brightly.
1 Comments
Nov 19, 2023, 10:52:02 AM
CYS - What an awesome composition and amazing testimony. God bless you.